she's a witch! burn her!

I'm far from immune to comments.

2009-01-07T12:18:42Z

♥ the fanficcers love meme, continued ♥
If you've got a thread on there, let me know! (I already know about your threads, such_heights, ressie_noldo, and avalonestel.)

drabble: Plans Gone Awry (Frank/Alice, PG)

2008-12-31T05:44:58Z

100 words for vegablack62 @ hp_wishes.

Plans Gone Awry

I was going to be a career Auror. A decade or so of solid work, and then a family.

I wasn't supposed to fall for my trainee.

Oy, don't go like that! We were both full Aurors when things, er, heated up. And trainees aren't meant to be so irresistible, funny and gorgeous and...

Well. None of this was expected, but it's better.

All I need, if I lose heart, is a look at my ring, and I remember why I'm fighting. Every great Auror needs a reason to keep going when it all seems dark.

Frank is my reason.

drabble: 3:30 AM, second-floor spiral staircase (Fat Lady & Sir Cadogan, PG)

2008-12-29T03:16:14Z

100 words, written for chimbomba @ hp_wishes.

3:30 AM, second-floor spiral staircase

The Fat Lady shuddered when she saw Sir Cadogan trotting over from the other side of the glade. Oh, this would be nerve-wracking! Scurrying about, fearing Death Eaters might overhear them... But she was the Gryffindor guardian: she would do her utmost to protect her charges.

Cadogan removed his helmet, and she found herself thinking that his desire for honor and chivalry was suddenly fitting. Dark times needed virtue more than ever.

He bowed low. "Our enemies made a grave misstep when they failed to secure the paintings, my lady."

And thus, with a painted handshake, a conspiracy was born.

testing...

2008-08-15T19:31:01Z

elendiari22 pointed out that my last post didn't come up on my flist, so I set to pondering... I had my 2008 masterlist private-locked and stickied to December 31st of this year, but I switched it around to January 1st. Let me know if you can see this post!

The only thing I posted recently was A Family Scandal (drabble series: 4 Black family rarepairs and Andromeda/Ted).

5 drabbles: A Family Scandal (Black family rarepairs, Andromeda/Ted, PG)

2008-07-29T16:51:23Z

500 words. A look at the family tree would probably be helpful. :)

Andromeda Black has left her family, but what do they think about that?

A Family Scandal

i. Prophetic

"Your bloody daughter--" CRASH! "--will find herself--" SMASH! "--stonewalled--" BANG-BANG-HISSSS! "--at every turn!" BOOOOM! "Mudblood-loving traitor! OUT, you damned failures! GET OUT!!"

A final crash, a sob from Druella, and two pops of Disapparation.

Slowly, Orion set down his brandy and turned around.

His wife was pacing before the tapestry. "Feeble, blighted," she muttered feverishly. "Weak blood. We fall into the darkness, forgotten. Toujours..."

She whirled, a tremble in her spindly limbs, before collapsing into a heap of dark silk. As he knelt beside her, her eyes flew open, wide and raging and unseeing.

ii. Grapevine

"Did you hear?" Callidora called, flicking her wand to juice the next set of lemons. "Pollux's granddaughter left the family."

"Mm, that so..." Harfang waved vaguely, then said in a rush, "Oh, my darling, our conference will be in Vienna next fall! Shall you accompany me?"

Smothering a laugh, Callidora nodded and turned back to her cooking. Harfang got so absorbed in the Journal of Magical Ethics that it was best to leave him to finish it. Meanwhile, there was lemonade to make, lime meringues to top, and an energetic grandson to cuddle in the sunshine.

Her news could wait.

iii. Parallels

"Merlin's lacy knickers! Timmy, this is priceless!"

Septimus glanced up at Cedrella's hoots of delight, muted by the roaring waterfall. "A holiday in Wales without work, Ellie!" he shouted. "You--"

"It's from Callie," interrupted Cedrella. She clambered along the rocks and fell to the ground beside him. "Cousin Pollux's granddaughter, Andromeda, has fled the fold."

"Sensible girl, I like her already."

"She loves a Muggle-born. Oh, we should owl her," said Cedrella impulsively, curling against Septimus' side. "Alphie's gallivanting through Peru, so she's completely without allies, poor thing!"

"Well, with Arthur gone, we do have extra room," Septimus observed.

iv. Carefree

"'...thought you'd like to know! Love, Ellie.' Hmph. Bloody cousins," Alphard grumbled. "Is that all?" Sniffing, he threw the PortCouriered letter onto the fire.

"It is your family?" Tutayan's voice slid through the velvety jungle darkness, and then, suddenly, she was sitting right next to him.

"Sí," he replied. "My-- Er, mi sobrina. Ella, eh, se ejecuta lejos. No, ella se... Um--"

"Your Spanish!" she laughed quietly. "Malo. Use English, yes?"

Her dragon-scale necklace glimmered copper, and he noticed her skin had a similar brightness. Alphard smiled. "Yes," he murmured, wondering if she'd respond to the famous Black charm.

v. Home

At his parents' flat in Southwark, he watches the girl sleeping by his side. Fingers curling through her dark hair, tracing the curve of her cheek, he can't stop thinking how totally fucking lucky he is.

A conjured camp bed in his sister's room, though... Not good enough. He wants to give Andromeda a home that's theirs. Seventeen, and he knows this.

(She slips into his room at night, curls against his side, whispers, I love you, Ted Tonks.)

Andromeda hasn't said why she left, but he figures, hell, this is just the beginning.

They have time.

----

Notes

*grin* I did say the family tree would be helpful...

Thank you, seaislewitch, for helping me out with some of these! They're definitely better drabbles for it.

This series was written for the July '08 Wizards of Summer drabble challenge over at romancingwizard. I've given each prompt in the individual notes below.

Prophetic (prompt: "peril") - The people who Disapparated are Andromeda's parents, Cygnus and Druella Black. You may have recognized the crazy screaming lady as Sirius's mother, Walburga Black. ;)

Grapevine (prompt: "lemons and limes") - Callidora (Black) Longbottom is first cousin to Pollux Black, and therefore Andromeda's first cousin twice removed.

Parallels (prompt: "hiking") - Cedrella is Callidora's sister, and therefore also Andromeda's first cousin twice removed. She was blasted off the Black family tree for marrying Septimus Weasley. "Alphie" is Alphard Black, who is Cedrella's first cousin once removed and Andromeda's "Uncle Alphard." Septimus and Cedrella's middle son is none other than Arthur Weasley, who is the proud father of seven-month-old Bill at this time.

Carefree (prompt: "Peruvian Vipertooth") - Hm, copious notes for this one. Let's do bullet points:

I made up the PortCouriers: a successful wizarding business that hand-delivers important messages all over the world by using Portkeys and Apparation. Slightly pricey, but safer than owls, if you're worried about your message.)
"Tutayan" is Quechuan; it means (from what I can tell, via translator) "to grow dark." Quechua is an indigenous language spoken by about 10 million people in South America.
The copper-colored dragon scales are, of course, from a Peruvian Vipertooth.
And, if you've made it this far in the author's notes ;), I do not care for my title and am completely open to suggestions!
Translations

"Yes, er, my niece. She, eh, she runs away. No, she... Um--"
"Your Spanish! Bad. Use English, yes?"

Home (prompt: "bungalow") - Completed at precisely 8:59 on July 30th. :)

----
July 25-30, 2008

romancingwizard: i. Prophetic | ii. Grapevine | iii. Parallels | iv. Carefree | v. Peace

Poll Timez!

2008-04-11T00:13:00Z

Over at my journal! Re: femgenficathon.

PSA: femgenficathon 2008

2008-04-04T17:17:26Z

Signups are OPEN!

The first 100-ish numbers went rather quickly (signups opened on Wednesday), but the mod added 50 numbers, so there are still quite a few spots open.

Signups end on April 16th, and posting is from July 15th through October 1st. Full rules and such are in the post.

I'm very happy with my prompt:

Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. [Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character.]

-- Margaret Chase Smith

The bracketed bit is not part of the assigned quote, but is an extra sentence that I found when I googled the whole phrase.

Fun facts about Margaret Chase Smith! (Source: wikipedia.)

Lived 1897 to 1995 (98 years old!).
Never received a college education.
Jobs: Teacher in a one-room schoolhouse, telephone operator, managed circulation for the Skowhegan Independent Reporter, and executive with a local textile mill.
U.S. Rep. for 9 years, 1940-1949.

She won this seat in 1940, when her husband died, and was elected to the Senate in 1948.

U.S. Senator for 24 years, 1949-1973.
Gave the "Declaration of Conscience" speech in June 1950, which protested against what would soon be called "McCarthyism."
First woman to have her name placed in nomination for a major U.S. party (1964 Republican convention).
"By the end of her fourth term, the charm she had had for so many years seemed to evaporate. [...] [S]he alienated liberals with her support for the Vietnam War while turning off conservatives with her votes against Nixon Supreme Court nominees Clement Haynsworth and G. Harrold Carswell."
The only election she lost was her last one, in 1972.
When she left the Senate, she was the longest-serving female Senator ever.

What an interesting lady!

drive-by recs: 1 new flister // 5 Alternate Universes

2008-03-20T21:02:31Z

afterthree maintains Coffee & Chocolate, a HP recs site with lots of genfic and character studies. Bliss!

There's one rec per day, and it's also available on LJ as a feed: chocolatefic.

-----------

Alternate Universes!

Broken Fate by qwi_xux (Trio and Ginny, OCs. Novel-length. PG13) (One of my favorites!)
In a future world ruled by Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the next generation travels back in time in an attempt to change fate.

Counting to Five Thousand by Rhetor a.k.a. rhetoretician (Ginny, OMC. One-shot in 3 parts. PG13)
One decision leads to an army of consequences, and a lifetime is not too long to spend amending them.

Reclamation by sam_storyteller a.k.a. copperbadge (Tom Riddle, Remus, Sirius. One-shot. R. Warning: Themes of suicide, major character death.)
Although he was nearly fifty, the professor had -- as they say -- aged gracefully. It may have been the oddly secluded lifestyle of a Hogwarts professor, although rumour had it that he'd been wild enough in his youth...

Second Chance Boy by mhalachaiswords (Lily, James, Harry, Dudley. One-shot. PG13)
How could it happen? Lily survived a magical war against the most powerful dark wizard in centuries, and Petunia died when a drunk driver slammed into the Dursleys' car.

And Touch by jetamors (Hermione, Ginny, Luna. One-shot. PG13. Warning: Major character deaths.)
After Harry and Ron die, Hermione must learn to live without them.

I want to read more AUs! >>

eta: Wow, I have 666 recs saved. HP IS TEH EBIL!

drive-by recs: 1 new flister // 5 Crossovers

2008-03-10T17:51:33Z

two short fics by elendiari22

Three Sisters (Black sisters, <500 words, fairytale-esque)
There were three sisters, once upon a time. They lived in a special house, growing up, apart from those unworthy to see them, where they were treated like queens.

In This Auld House (Sirius & family, ~500 words)
So many memories. It amazed him that the one place he hated the most was where he could remember most clearly.

-----------

Crossovers!

To Huck with it by fernwithy (HP/Mark Twain's Huck Finn. Hermione, Huck Finn. Short one-shot.)
I was turning it over in my head, though--and mostly thinking about Mary Jane and her pretty red hair--when I heard something pop up in the air, and, bam, come crashing down through the tops of the trees, and then I heard, clear as a bell, a girl's voice saying, "Oh, bother! Subsisto!"

ho for hoggwarts! by Alice Dryden (HP/Moleswoth. Nigel Molesworth at Hogwarts. Short one-shot.)
i, nigel molesworth, gorila of 3b and hero hem-hem of this peice, am stroling down main skool corridor one evening after prep when i encounter my grate freind peason clutching a mitey TOME.

Of Dwarves and Stewed Lucius by thrihyrne a.k.a. Thevina Finduilas (HP/Tolkien. Dwarves, Lucius Malfoy, Snape. Good-sized one-shot.)
Lucius Malfoy blinked. Several times. Still clutching the ancient amulet above his heart, he looked disbelievingly at what was a very handsomely outfitted workshop. He looked around quickly, but he was alone in the room.

The Room with a Computer by minisinoo (HP/X-Men. Hermione, Scott "Cyclops" Summers, others. Long one-shot in three parts.)
The first time Hermione Granger heard the word "mutant," it was spoken by her parents in hushed tones after her magical powers had first manifested.

Sherlock Holmes and the Ravenclaw Codex by dolorous_ett (HP/Sherlock Holmes. Holmes, Watson, Phineas Nigellus, many OCs. 13 chapters + epilogue.)
“A visitor for Mr Holmes,” she announced. “A Professor Weaselby.”

drive-by recs: 8 new flisters

2008-03-01T20:16:56Z

Stillness and Constellations by avendya (Andromeda/Ted, PG, 1800 words)
A war is never simple, and there are no undivided loyalties. Andromeda Black tries to deal with her family and the First War.

After the Bombs by faeriemaiden (Remus/Tonks live!AU, PG, 2600 words)
And they try to be each other's missing pieces, as best they can. The Lupins, after the war. AU. Deathly Hallows spoilers.

Furry Little Problem by fell_beast2 (Malfoy, Neville, Percy, Remus Lupin, PG, 1000+ words)
Reactions to Professor Lupin being outed as a werewolf.

into the silence by noldo_ a.k.a. ressie_noldo (Sirius, the Order of the Phoenix, G-ish, 2000 words)
Sirius faces the realities of war.

Proof by roh_wyn (Remus/Tonks, PG13, 1000ish words)
They read Sirius's will today [...] "Wotcher." Her voice is quiet and she seems subdued.

You, Tomorrow, Next Year by sirikit (Susan Bones, Zacharias Smith, PG, 2300 words)
It's not as if they're friends, but it's not as if they're not.

Order Out Of Chaos by such_heights (Marauders, Lily, Frank, Dumbledore, Moody, Order of the Phoenix, PG13, 6000 words)
Dumbledore has an Order to create, Moody has Aurors to train, and four young men need to decide what they're doing with their lives.

Arriving Somewhere (But Not Here) by wanderlight (Regulus, others, PG)
Regulus takes the Muggle train when he can't stand it any more.

If I haven't linked to something of yours, it's because I haven't read it or it's locked. :)

Happy readings!

drive-by recs: 5 random fics

2008-03-01T17:53:33Z

Bright unconquered suns by lyras (Frank/Alice, R, 5000 words)
As the dust settles after Hallowe'en 1981, Alice and Frank return to work, where they are given an unpleasant mission. Meanwhile, Alice is haunted by the fates of Lily, James and Harry.

Death and King's Cross by sciathan_file (ensemble cast post-DH, PG13, long one-shot)
Who was to know Death had etiquette enough to be personalized?

Chase This Light (one - two - three) by lady_altair (Draco/Asteria Greengrass, PG-PG13, three short pieces)
Draco Malfoy falls head over heels for Astoria Greengrass while he's sneaking out of her engagement ball (in the most literal sense; he trips over her).

Finding Fantastic Beasts by inkvoices (Luna/Rolf Scamander, PG, 2000 words)
Luna Lovegood meets Rolf Scamander in a bar in Mauritius and he tells her that she's narrow-minded.

Surface Tensions by Violet Azure (Snape, OFC student, PG, long one-shot)
Severus Snape has stared down horror and danger before—the Dark Lord, an angry Dumbledore, Fluffy—but nothing he has encountered in the past is quite as frightening as what he is about to face now: the chilling collision of teenage girls, improper use of potions, and puberty.

frank/alice, part i: the question is obvious (G)

2008-02-27T20:40:55Z

450 words. First installment for rarepair_shorts, prompt table here.

Two very different conversations with the Sorting Hat.

i. the question is obvious

1 September 1959
"Oh, you would be well-suited to Hufflepuff. Compassionate, fiercely loyal, a strong sense of justice... Helga would be delighted."

What? But my parents weren't Hufflepuffs! They--

"Yes, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor respectively. I remember Dominic as a most affable boy, and Mariel as too sharp-tongued for her own good. But in the end, you are not them, and my second choice for you would be Slytherin."

...You must be joking.

"I am quite serious, dear child. You have great plans for yourself: straight into the Aurors after leaving school, how very ambitious. Though I must tell you, I can't count how many dreams of wearing Auror's robes have fallen by the wayside."

Shows how much you know. I will be an Auror, Hat, you just wait and see. It's tradition for my family.

"Mm, of course. Your great-great-grandparents were most celebrated Aurors, practically revolutionized the department, and many of your relations have followed their path."

So I've no choice in the matter? Hufflepuff or Slytherin, that's it?

"You always have a choice. I will say that you are not particularly suited to Ravenclaw, as your desire to learn is merely a means to an end, and not joy in the knowledge itself. Gryffindor is, at first glance, a good match: no lack of mettle, though with a touch of foolhardiness and a particularly--"

Oy!

"--strong penchant for stupid dares. Yes, those qualities would serve you well in Gryffindor."

Right, well, you said I have a choice, so we're settled, Hat: put me in Gryffindor. My brother and one of my cousins are there, and that's where I want to be.

"May I say something?"

All right.

"Miss Chase, my job is not to see where you might fit, but where you will best fit. Yes, you would do well in Gryffindor. But what do you want to be more: Gryffindor, or Auror?"

Can't I be both?

"Oh, perhaps. But as a Gryffindor, you would be the exact same person in your seventh year as you are now. I hold that if you want more than anything to be an Auror, if that is the greatest desire of your heart, then you should listen to my choices."

And I have to pick now?

"Students are often sorted by the time they remove me, so yes."

You're messing with my plans, Hat, and don't think I'll leave you be if they don't take me into Auror training.

"And it is things like that that make me want to say Slytherin."

But you said--

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

1 September 1963
"GRYFFINDOR!"

Huh. Mum will be dead shocked!

"Dear boy, Augusta can huff and mutter all she wants, but that will not change your nature."

I believe we could be excellent friends, Hat.

"Indeed. Good luck in Gryffindor, Mr. Longbottom."

------------
Thanks for giving it a once-over, such_heights!

eta 7/28/08: Switched around the italics and quotes to make Sorting Hat dialogue like it is in the books.

Translation: Russian

3 moments from my personal canon about Harry and that Golden Snitch (G)

2008-02-26T22:20:43Z

240 words. Featuring Harry, a couple of his kids, and that Snitch.

1. After the war is over, Harry keeps no massive trophy case of medals and awards from around the wizarding world, from the Ministry and the Aurors and foreign wizarding governments; those go, neatly labeled, to a box in the attic. But in the top left hand drawer of his desk, there are three things: the Special Award for Services to the School plaque from his second year, his Quidditch Captain badge, and a tarnished Snitch.

2. When James turns nine, he gets his first full-size broom and immediately rushes out back for a test run, despite the freezing December winds. Harry's eldest child won't let the broom out of his sight; even in sleep the broom is propped against his bed. For the next six months, James lives with a constant runny nose, and Pepper-Up Potion is his friend. In April, James comes to him with a sidelong, guilty expression, and tells him that he nicked an old Snitch from his desk. "Well, I needed something," he said guiltily, before saying that he failed to catch it somewhere near the stream. Unfortunately, Snitches can't be retrieved by Summoning: their charms prevent it.

3. Lily gets married in the Potters' back garden. After banishing Rita Skeeter and reinforcing the wards around the stream, Harry trips over a loose stone and falls flat on his face. His wrist makes a painful crunching sound, and there, crusted with mud, is the Snitch.

---------
Written for a meme, 12-5-07.

rarepair_shorts: Frank/Alice

2008-02-25T06:53:19Z

Progress: 1/13

the question is obvious (2/27/08)
unidentified falling object
fundamental
faces in the glass
I'll be your something-or-other
rolling on the floor
the highest mountain
in cold blood
knight in shining whatever
never forgive, never forget
elusive
just like everyone else
first snow

profile | rules/faq | claims | prompts

Claim accepted: February 26, 2008

Thicker than water: May 1981 (Andromeda, Sirius, G)

2008-02-15T07:39:38Z

500 words.

May 1981

"Don't move," a voice at his ear says softly, and he feels the wand at his throat. "When we went to Greece, who did we meet at the beach and why did Bella hate her?"

"Eleni Argyris, the Greek Minister's daughter. She was engaged to a Muggle. Announced in Cassandra's Crystal the week before we arrived." The wand is withdrawn. Sirius turns around to see Andromeda, awake and alert.

She has changed so much since he saw her in school. All the lessons of her mother to never appear slovenly or unpolished seem to have vanished: she is in her nightgown, hair pulled back into a sloppy knot, an inkstain on her fingers... Aunt Druella would never have allowed any of those things.

But then he catches the glittering hardness in his cousin's eyes, and he knows that a curse was on the tip of her tongue if he had given the wrong answer.

That, at least, is familiar.

"Good to see you, Sirius," she murmurs, giving him a sudden hug at which he startles; their family had never been a demonstrative one. "What do you want?"

"I protest," he says feelingly, as she locks the door with an oblique wave of her hand. "Why say I'm after something?"

"It's four o'clock in the morning." Her voice is wry but affectionate. "The last time you were here this early, James Potter was bleeding all over my doorstep."

His attempt at levity fades. "I need Uncle Alphard's place, Meda," he says. "A month at most. Can you make me three Allowances?"

Andromeda purses her lips. "You really didn't learn anything from them." It's a cryptic sort of remark.

"'Course not." He gives her a doubtful look.

"Hm." She eyes him curiously. "I always assumed you would have learned something from Aunt, at least."

"You mean it's sealed with..."

"Yes."

"Oh."

"Uncle taught me the spell a long time ago, before I left school," she says. "I'll need to see the three people."

"But there's no way--"

"Then I won't do it."

"This needs to be done soon, as in tomorrow at the latest!" He runs a hand through his hair, frustrated, and starts pacing.

"Wake my husband or daughter and you will itch very strongly in very strange places for a month," Andromeda says pleasantly. "Ted just finished a double shift." A slight shadow crosses her face, and Sirius wonders suddenly if she's fighting her own war, the less glamorous kind, with subtle words and threats instead of enemies who outrightly want you dead.

"Without blood it's breakable," she says, "and I will not deal in shoddy spellwork."

"It's illegal!" Sirius says desperately. "You shouldn't do blood-magic at all!"

His cousin sniffs. "Please. If I didn't have blood-wards on this flat, my dear elder sister could fling curses at us from the street. And don't you lecture me about legality, you flea-bitten hypocrite."

"But..." He pauses pacing, and sits next to her. "Meda, please. For me. Please, please do this. Life or death, please."

"The answer is no, Sirius," Andromeda says wearily. "Anyway, why not have Remus put up some of his wards, he's very--"

"NO!" He practically shouts the word, almost choking on the bitterness of it (Goddamnit, Remus, why don't you talk to me anymore?) and is unsurprised when Andromeda Silences him with an almost violent wand movement.

Sorry? he mouths.

His cousin scrutinizes him, and for a few uncomfortable seconds he is back at home under the gimlet eye of his mother; he hopes Meda isn't using that mind-magic on him, doesn't see James, Lily, Harry, danger! screaming through his mind.

"All right. I'll just make them into amulets," Andromeda says finally, lifting the Silencing Charm. "No blood. But I will need to know the age and sex of each person in order to make the charm bind as tightly as possible. But I warn you, Sirius: you're not completely shielded unless you're tied into the special wards by blood. If my amulets are removed for even a second, the protections on these people will have a crack in it."

"It'll have to do. And no one can know... You swear you'll never tell anyone?"

"Do you really need to ask?"

"...No."

"That's settled then. Come on, sit and have some tea. Blackberry this week. Oh, it won't kill you," she adds impatiently, seeing his apprehensive expression. "I'm better at it now, Ted's mum showed me the Muggle way."

----
Written for a prompt from roh_wyn, who said: I'm thinking some Andromeda would hit the spot about right now.

Erm, also ties into the nest_of_spiders Day 26 prompt, but only very peripherally. This was started way back in April, for nest_of_spiders' Day 11 prompt.

First posted at: allie_meril

where we start from (Marauder era ensemble cast, light pg13)

2008-02-15T06:35:35Z

The war ends for everyone.

Marauder era, 1200 words. Everything in bold is quoted from T.S. Eliot.

where we start from
a story ended
Godric's Hollow
31 October
11:03 PM

"What was that?"

"I'm sure it's just the wind, Lil."

still point
Godric's Hollow
31 October
11:19 PM

There is a suffocating feeling to the air, as though it were all rushing somewhere else before roaring back and flattening everything. A storm, Eliot Morrish thinks uneasily, shivering before his stove. Just a storm.

And then the world explodes.

ash on an old man's sleeve
London
31 October
11:29 PM

And so it is, Albus Dumbledore thinks, hearing Severus Snape's raggedly delivered message, that the old live to see the young perish.

the hollow men
Godric's Hollow
31 October
11:31 PM

And then comes a sudden rumble in the air: Hagrid whips around, pink umbrella held at the ready: but--

--it's Sirius Black, ripping towards him on that motorbike, ghastly white and wild with terror. "Hagrid, I just checked, I just..." He sees James' body atop the rubble and chokes. "James, James, oh God, oh Merlin, what have I done?"

"They're gone," Hagrid croaks. "An' Harry..." He brings forward the crying toddler, who now has a strangely-shaped, still-bleeding cut on his forehead.

Sirius touches Harry's cheek with a shaking hand. "What have I done?" he whispers again.

undisciplined squads of emotion
Godric's Hollow
31 October
11:44 PM

Half the house is caved in from a point vaguely in the middle; crumpled, as if a giant suddenly decided that it annoyed him. The left side has an exposed staircase that leads towards the sky and then drops to the ground. In the front room, there is a gaping hole into the basement. The only wall standing is the western one.

Una Cleary presses a hand to her mouth, thinks, Impossible.

No one should have survived such destruction, even if he did manage to block the Killing Curse.

"Madam Cleary?"

The new recruits look so young, and so unprepared. Trace Brewster is quietly being sick into the bushes, and Elsa Page is a few shades whiter than normal. They knew James and Lily, Una recalls. They were in the same year.

"Put 'em to work, Una," Moody growls, limping past her towards the wrecked Potter home.

Una swallows heavily, and assumes her strictest face.

this love is silent
Kent
1 November
12:25 AM

Your son is safe now.

A.D.

Alice sobs, more in anguish than relief, and falls into Frank's arms. Little Neville snores lightly on the bed behind them.

at least we exist
Godric's Hollow
1 November
12:36 AM

"Thrice-damned fools," Bellatrix snarls from the trees, watching the Aurors creeping around to throw wards and glamours over Godric's Hollow. "Glorifying a Mudblood's whelp. We shall see how you fare when Lord Voldemort returns." Pulling the hood over her head, she turns into the shadows and vanishes.

to care and not to care
Godric's Hollow
1 November
1:21 AM

"And you're...? Yes, of course, you called about... I'm Merritt Appleton," the Muggle says in a distracted rush. "Where did you say you were from?"

"Er." Evie Sangster shifts awkwardly, fingering her wand in her pocket. "I'm a policewoman, see. The captain figured you'd need help."

Merritt Appleton blinks. "Yes, of course. We don't even have police in Godric's Hollow, there's never any trouble, and there was no one to take charge when-- when the terrible thing happened. Nearest police are in the" --he waves a hand vaguely, looking lost-- "the city, miles away... I just decided to tell most everyone to back away, and some of us to try and find survivors... That was such an old house, and those nice young people..."

Evie feels a wave of pity for him: he's trying to make sense of it all, and none of the ends are tying themselves up. To her horror, she feels her throat clenching and a prickling feeling at her eyes.

"Well." Evie swallows and tries not to cry. "If you'll sign this, and release their-- their bodies to me, I can start to help you sort this out."

how far one can go
Birmingham
1 November
3:34 AM

Padfoot has never been singleminded except when Moony was loose there are usually too many things to smell and taste and see and fetch and the world is too interesting to worry very much about anything

but now is different, now Wormtail has betrayed JamesandLilyandHarry now all the scents are blended together in the greatsmellycity but all Padfoot smells is that rat-scent he knows as well as his own that now shrieks Wormtail! Betrayal! with every sniff and there is no room left in his dog-mind for the cabs and lorries honking at him the street cats hissing at him, and he thinks Peter Peter why why did you do this why? when his paws get tired but no room for questioning no there is only the smell and the chase and the thought of revenge.

at the end of an action
Edinburgh
1 November
4:47 AM

"Dad?"

"Jamie?" Jack MacGrorie says groggily. "What...? What time..." He catches sight of his son's face in a strip of moonlight, and sees that Jamie (his son, the Auror) is shaking.

"Dad... He's gone."

to say the courageous thing
Diagon Alley
1 November
5:02 AM

"Here," Kevin Wootton coughs, slapping the tightly furled special edition of the Prophet onto the very old Duplicating Deck.

Aeneas Moon takes it wordlessly, and hurries to set the pages in the correct places. He refills the potion tanks, flipping switches here and there, muttering spells all the while to get the machine started, and finally placing his wand-tip on the original to start the whole process. The headline starts to cycle past: YOU-KNOW-WHO DEFEATED! HARRY POTTER LIVES!

It's more difficult underground, but Kevin imagines it's easier than working in their decimated headquarters back in the remains of Diagon Alley. "We ain't goin' down that easy, gents," Will Crawford grunted, when the Alley was overtaken a year ago. "Get the Prophet out, or die trying." Craw's dad died fighting Grindelwald, they all knew, over in Germany; he took the war with Voldemort very, very personally.

So they kept working. After the body of Aeneas' wife was dumped in London, after Valentine's flat was burned, after Craw was finally captured three months ago, after, after, after...

"Val wrote it up good," Kevin says, absently straightening the paper crammed between the Deck and the wall. "She wants to start writing tribute pieces soon."

"Good," Aeneas grunts. "The heroes deserve it."

"No, about the ones who died," Kevin says quietly. "She wants to write one on Oriel first."

They fall silent, listening to the Deck creak through copies of the paper, and when Aeneas' fingers clench tighter, Kevin is there to say, "I know, mate. I know."

war is not a life
Ottery St. Catchpole
1 November
5:10 AM

"The War is over," Stella Lovegood announces solemnly, coming into the house with baby Luna tucked carefully in a Native American-style papoose.

Molly Weasley watches in amazement as Stella sits at the kitchen table and begins removing the papoose bindings with her wand. Who does this woman think she is, wandering about at ungodly hours with a war going on, and carrying her baby with her?! Madness! Molly's Imperius question ("What do your daughter and mine have in common?" "Absolutely nothing."), hissed distrustfully through the door, hadn't seemed to faze Stella in the slightest. "If you don't mind," Molly says cuttingly, "my family needs to go back to sleep. We get little enough of that these days."

They rarely sleep, in fact. Arthur is always in and out, at the Ministry or cleaning some place up after a Death Eater attack; he gets enough time at home for a bit to eat and an hour's worth of anxious sleep. Molly worries about the heavy circles that are becoming permanently etched beneath his eyes. He tries to keep her spirits up, to comfort her, but she knows he doesn't have enough hope to sustain the both of them. So Molly sits at home with icy hands, trying to keep her heart from racing with fear, to keep a brave face for her children, and trying very hard not to imagine that what happened to her brothers could easily happen to any of them.

Stella gazes at her with compassion. "I know you don't believe me," she says gently, "but it's true. I saw Lord Voldemort fall when I looked in the mirror at midnight. I thought someone should know."

"Forgive me," Molly snaps, flinching at the free use of The Name, "but things are just as bad as they have always been."

"Your brothers miss you," Stella adds quietly. "They wanted you to know that."

Caught off guard, Molly stares directly back at Stella, and in those calm, pale blue eyes, she sees truth.

"Molly! MOLLY, CHILDREN!"

Arthur bursts out of the fireplace, covered in sparkling Floo ash. "Molly, Molly, the most wonderful news!" he exclaims, wild-eyed with excitement. He dashes over to the windows and begins to tear off the warded boards.

"ARTHUR!" Within seconds the children come tumbling into the kitchen, Charlie clutching baby Ginny, Bill holding the twins back by the necks of their sleepers, protesting, "Mum, they wouldn't stay, I tried to keep them upstairs--!"

"It's all right," Arthur interrupts, face shining as the night air flows into the house. Wand in one hand and board in the other, he says the short sentence that will change how they live: "You-Know-Who is gone."

"Look, shooting stars," Stella whispers to her daughter, pointing out the window as Molly cries and Arthur holds her. "All the departed souls are celebrating with us."

know the place for the first time
London
1 November
6:51 AM

The set of flats in which the Tonkses have their home has become a gathering place in the last few years, with witches and wizards living in Muggle London congregating there for news, for protection, for company. Andromeda lets a sleepy Dora lean against her hip, standing apart and listening as her neighbors excitedly trade rumors.

"My cousin, Trace, he's a junior Auror," a young witch with glasses says excitedly. "He was at the Potters' house not long after it happened, and You-Know-Who's gone, really and truly gone!"

"Does anyone know 'ow he died?" a gruff old wizard mutters. "I don't know if I should believe it, not for a second..."

"Does it matter how he died, you old fool?!" the landlady laughs, grabbing him into a slightly frenzied jig. "You-Know-Who is gone!"

"My friend Evie, she's in Magical Catastrophes, she tells me that the whole house was destroyed--"

"--and he still lived, Harry Potter survived. Miraculous..."

The Muggles are starting to come outside, looking a mixture of sleepy, annoyed, and confused. One tiny woman claps her hands over her mouth when she sees the big yellow firecrackers shot off by Flick Ayers, who is sobbing with joy and grief.

This is it, Andromeda realizes with a bubble of hope. We've won our peace. She looks at Ted with shining eyes, seeing peace for Dora to grow up in, no more cloak-and-dagger work at St. Mungo's, and the quiet disappearance of that threat that shadowed every moment.

"For Lily and James Potter," she shouts, lighting the sky with a brilliant streak of white light, "and the Boy Who Lived!"

Footfalls echo in the memory,
Down the passage which we did not take,
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden.

James Potter
27 March 1960 - 31 October 1981

Lily Potter
30 January 1960 - 31 October 1981

-----
Thanks: Noldo, who first read this. :) shiiki at Checkmated helped polish some details.

Recced by: Coffee and Chocolate | quibbler_report

Also at: allie_meril | checkmated | ff.net | the quidditch pitch

Small Strife (Millicent Bulstrode, PG)

2008-02-15T06:25:22Z

300ish words, Millicent Bulstrode, various Slytherins, PG.

"It's all right, Millicent will go get us some food," Pansy coos, fluttering her hands around Draco's formerly injured arm as he complains of hunger. God, he's a dramatic little brat. Probably sulking about getting detention and losing points from that dementor stunt. "Know where the kitchens are, Bulstrode?"

"Yes," I say peevishly, closing A Dish Best Served Cold: Time Delays in Charms, Jinxes, Hexes, and Curses and turning towards Pansy. "Don't you?"

Pansy shoots me a dirty glare, while Daphne looks surprised and approving (they've never really gotten along, Daphne and Pansy: always competing to be queen bee). I roll my eyes; it's easier to give Pansy her little victories than worry about nasty rumors for weeks afterward. "I'll be back," I mutter, shrugging on my dressing robe and slouching towards the wall.

The halls seem colder lately, like the dementors keep slipping little bits of their fog through the cracks. Dad told me about them and said to keep back and not get too close; he works out at Azkaban sometimes, and he's never been one to mince words about dangers. "Best to duck your head and keep low, Mill," he told me over the summer. "They'll suck your life away as soon as look at you."

Shuddering, I ascend the last set of stairs, and peer out into the entrance hall.

No one there. Last time Mrs. Norris set Filch on me, and I got twenty points taken plus detention: four hours collecting niffler poo in Hagrid's garden. Filch gloated and said the stuff was useful in cleaning enchanted metals, but he never did figure out why Mrs. Norris smelled so funny and looked so shiny two weeks later. Ha.

My brother Roderick told me how to get to the kitchens right before I came here. Pretty surprising when he did, my brothers aren't usually that generous. They're all a bit older than I am. Tyson and Sterling both work at the apothecary with Mum (she was a Bobbin), and Roddy travels around collecting the stuff they need. Roddy's a bit shady: very quiet on where his supplies come from, and I think he deals potions on the side.

Ah, kitchens. The house-elves all scurry around me, squeaking in their stupid little voices about "an honor" and all that crap. I tell them to get me some tarts (figures Pansy would like those best: she is one) and some scones for that smarmy Malfoy.

When a tray zips over from the corner, holding my tarts, I look at a blackberry one interestedly. You know, that's just the color of that potion for boils... I'm pretty good at Potions, though I'd hate to go into it as a profession, and I think I could time-delay the boils to wait a week or so, disguise the taste, and fix it so maybe the boils come out on the arse...

Ha. Maybe Pansy won't be so full of herself then.

----
Written for a request from fell_beast2: Millicent Bulstrode, third year, Dementors.

Also at: allie_meril

Thicker than water: December 1975 (Andromda, Sirius, PG)

2008-02-15T06:19:11Z

250 words, PGish for references to injuries. Also featuring Ted and little Dora.

December 1975

"Oh, Merlin. Ted! Ted, come out here, quick!"

Every sensation seems intensified: every inch of the concrete, every damp grain of it scraping his hand and leaving an angry, raw mark. Rain freezing on his blood-covered cheek.

"What is-- Bloody hell."

"He's left them. Sirius, can you hear me?"

You're dead to us. Never forget, little cousin.

"Come on, Andi, let's get him inside."

Dragged in, feet bumping against the doorframe, into the warm hallway. A vent blasts air on his feverish face, parches his mouth.

"I've got the door, here--"

"Mum? Daddy?"

"Oh, fuck."

"Ted, watch your mouth! Dora, go back to sleep."

"Mummy--"

"Now."

A cool, gentle hand, a worried murmur. Charms flicking around his face, voices sliding back and forth.

"What was it?"

"Cutting Curses, probably the Cruciatus... Look at his arm."

"Is that--"

"Yes. Same one. It'll take at least a week to fully heal."

"Mummy..."

"Dora. Bed, now. Ted..."

"Sirius will be all right, firefly. Back to bed."

Cracked-open eyes. Andromeda on her knees beside him, dark hair straggling over her face, smudgy circles beneath her eyes. She slices a cut across her palm, sticks her wand in it and traces it over his arm as a string of hateful-sounding words pour from her mouth. The spell is ugly, consuming, wrenching bone and sinew back into place as he feels his cousin's energies crackling through him.

He watches her blood sink into his skin, and light explodes: white-hot, painful, and then blackness.

~*~

Ted's sprawled on a worn armchair, snoring, with Dora cuddled in his lap. He doesn't look capable of any harm, really, and Sirius almost forgets how fearsome Ted can get if either Andromeda or Dora is in danger.

A fretful noise from his left, and he sees Andromeda watching him. She's leaning against the wall, with an unnatural waxy quality to her skin. "You all right?" Her voice is whisper-faint.

"You--" He breaks into a gasp of pain, reaching over to clutch his ribs. "Last night, you--"

"Don't," she says wearily. "It's a miracle you managed to get here."

He doesn't properly remember how he did, in fact. There was some amount of time in a park, shuddering beneath a tree, and then a blur of streets and harsh lights until he finally recognized Andromeda's front stoop. Somehow.

"I've left them," he says faintly, unnecessarily, and he sees Andromeda crack a smile.

"I knew you would, eventually."

-----
Written for a request from wanderlight: ANDROMEDA ANDROMEDA ANDROMEDA. Also, Andromeda. Whatever you choose, though if you need prodding/hinting just look my way. :D

Also at: allie_meril | ff.net

Finding the Sun, 2/7 (Andromeda & her sisters, PG)

2008-02-15T05:56:39Z

Summary: She was going back to her world, the Black world, for the last time.

<<one | two | three>>

II. In the room where women come and go

1 January 1971

“Cissa, have you seen my diamond earrings?”

“I have not,” her sister murmured, sitting cross-legged on the bed and studying the latest Daily Prophet, “but I know Mother gave them to one of the house-elves for polishing.”

Andromeda frowned. “Oh.”

“Bella is here,” Narcissa said, flipping the page of the newspaper.

“She is?”

“Mm hm. Mother is fussing over her and Rodolphus downstairs. Disgusting, really.” Narcissa eyed her, and added sharply, “Please do not make Mother angry: it would create a terrible mood for your party. Not now, Meda.”

Oh, Ciss, if only you knew… “Right,” she said coolly. “I’ll be ready soon.”

“Be sure you are. Aunt Walburga arrived half an hour ago, and Mother will be furious if anything goes amiss. Aunt still thinks Mother can’t run anything without her help: The Manor, a party, and certainly not us.”

Andromeda sniffed. “Hardly surprising, given Mother and Father’s history. It was a miracle Bella's wedding went as well as it did.”

“True.” Narcissa gave her a thin half-smile, and set the Daily Prophet aside. “I have a gift for you,” she announced.

“Cissa--”

“Stop it,” Narcissa interrupted, taking a deep breath. “Mother and Father are negotiating with the Malfoys for an engagement.”

Andromeda's heart stopped. It had long been assumed that eventually, she would marry Lucius Malfoy; that they were the same age and from the old pureblooded families was enough to convince the wizarding world that this marriage was a given.

“They're negotiating for me, not you.”

A slight pause. “You...” Andromeda frowned. “Cissa, how do you know--”

“Mother told me last week. Apparently, Mrs. Malfoy expressed a certain... distaste for you, and a preference for me.”

The air in the room expanded, and Andromeda breathed freely. “Do you know why?”

“Not at all. But if Deianira Malfoy says it will never happen, you can be assured it will not.” Narcissa examined her nails carefully. “I suspect it would have something to do with you and Lucius hating each other.”

That was true enough. “You are only fifteen,” Andromeda protested, feeling oddly revolted at the idea of Lucius Malfoy wedding her sister.

Her sister waved a hand carelessly. “Oh, it won't be announced for another few years. And Lucius has always been unfailingly courteous to me, so I don't mind.” She tilted her head, looking at Andromeda in a slightly puzzled fashion. “This is the way it is, Meda; the way it has always been. We marry for the family.”

“Except for Bella,” Andromeda said with a twisted smile.

Narcissa laughed shortly. “Except for Bella,” she agreed, as they both recalled the delight of their parents when their sister announced she was going to marry Rodolphus Lestrange. They had always known she would never marry at the family's bidding; it was just fortunate that she had fallen in love with someone rich and pure enough.

“I do not mind,” Narcissa said quietly, looking out the window into the gray afternoon.

Andromeda wondered if Cissa ever minded anything behind that immovable mask of hers, behind that gracious smile. She did not mind when it was Bella and Andromeda who went to Italy with Uncle Alphard, when Druella Black gifted her famous diamond earrings to Andromeda, when Aunt Walburga petted and praised Bella and Meda for their marks while she received merely an indulgent smile. Narcissa didn't seem to mind being the pretty one, the quiet one. Silence buys secrets, she once told Andromeda, quoting a Slytherin maxim, and secrets are power.

“I will marry Lucius when I finish school. But you...” Narcissa paused, taking a minute to give Andromeda a wistful look. “You will never marry at their whim. You and Bella have never been the sort to suffer constraints.”

You and Bella. There it was. You are so like Bella.

“I should go downstairs: Sirius is sure to be jumping out of his skin, and I won’t have him spoiling things for you.” Narcissa smoothed the front of her robes. “Promise me you’ll not try anything tonight?” Andromeda nodded, and her sister relaxed fractionally. “Good. You should hurry, because Mother expects you downstairs promptly at five.” She stepped over the piles of robes on the floor (raising an eyebrow at the mess) and lightly embraced Andromeda before departing in an elegant flurry of blue silk.

You and Bella, you and Bella, you and Bella... An endless refrain beat against her skull with razor-edged wings, taunting her, cackling at her. You and Bella.

Both wishing and wanting and waiting to shape her world to the way she thinks it should be, ready to surrender everything for her own personal cause, to place herself resolutely on her own chosen side.

Blacks are never mediocre.

You and Bella.

Suddenly a pair of slender arms enfolded her, exotic perfume making her dizzy.

“Happy birthday, Meda,” brilliant, mad Bellatrix whispered, thrusting a package into her hands. “You deserve it early.”

If Narcissa was untouchable ice, then Bella was poison: slow and sinuous, curling around the senses, dulling the reflexes... You never noticed she was a trap until it was too late, until she was standing over you with a wand at your throat. It was never that Bella was subtle, it was that you wanted to be close to this compelling, exceptional woman who could do anything, make anything happen...

“Go on, open it!” Bellatrix said impatiently, picking at her diamond bracelet.

Slowly, peeling back the expensive paper, revealing a flat leather box with an embossed jeweler’s crest, Andromeda opened it. A ruby necklace gleamed darkly on a bed of white velvet.

“I found it at Richelieu & Tasse, in Paris,” Bella said, snatching it up and fastening it around Andromeda’s neck. Her fingers were cold. “It belonged to Berenice Black in the 1500s; Aunt said that Berenice went batty and killed seven Mudbloods to dye the stones a deeper red. I thought the color would suit you.”

Andromeda's skin crawled, but the cool, calm mask slid into place and she thanked her sister in an appropriately impressed voice.

“You’ll get another present tonight,” Bella said carelessly. “The necklace is from just me, as well as this…” Glancing over at the door, her sister beckoned her closer and whispered, “I’ve told Lord Voldemort about you, Meda. He said I could bring you to our next gathering in three weeks. We'll be getting Josephs' family, out in Cornwall.”

“Josephs?”

Bellatrix snorted. “Yes: Oriel Josephs, Head Mudblood.” She rose from the bed, pacing feverishly. “Aren't you tired of hiding, Meda?” she said heatedly, staring out the window. “Aren't you? We don't deserve this. We shouldn't have to hide what we are, the powers that are ours by blood, by right, by tradition! I will not stand by and let us fade into legend. No, by Salazar, I won't let that happen. I'll give my life to protect our world.”

Everything clicked into place: Bella's new obsession, the mutterings in the street, and the disappearances. It was like seeing her sister for the first time. “Be serious,” Andromeda said flatly. “You’ll go to Azkaban.”

Her sister waved a dismissive hand, wedding ring flashing distractingly. “This is worth it, Meda! I’ve found a purpose, and it’s worth everything I have to give. He values me,” she added, low and excited, turning to face Andromeda with glittering eyes. “He says that I shall be his right hand, his most trusted…”

“Stop talking rot, Bella.” Picking at a robe, Andromeda looked up to meet her sister's surprised gaze. “What else could you expect? There are laws, Bell.”

Bella's eyes narrowed, and she said suspiciously, “You don't have anything to do with that Mudblood boy anymore, do you?”

“Don't be stupid. Do you think I would?”

Laughing, Bellatrix leaned against the wall and smirked. “Clever words. You're better than Cissy. But soon, everyone will have to declare a side, including you.” Andromeda emitted a snort of disbelief and turned away. “Rodolphus says we can't trust you. Says that I'm mad to ask.” Bella's hand brushed the back of Andromeda's neck, pulling her long black hair away from her face, and turning them both to face the mirror.

“But I know,” Bella murmured, “that you would never fail me.”

Her sister's fingers whispered through Andromeda's hair, gently pulling apart any tangles, wordlessly promising her love and loyalty. That was how Bella operated: her trust in you erased all doubts, all wrongful acts, and placed you on a pedestal where she would defend you at all costs, even beyond death.

“Think about it.” One last brush, and she was gone.

<<one | two | three>>

----

This is my second piece for 7spells; the prompt table is here.

Thanks to avendya and ressie_noldo for looking over each version of this chapter. Any and all feedback welcome.

Also at: allie_meril | ff.net

Finding the Sun, 1/7 (Andromeda Black, Ted Tonks, PG)

2008-02-15T05:49:08Z

Summary: She was going back to her world, the Black world, for the last time.

one | two | ?

I. If you wanted honesty

21 December 1970

When the train pulled into King's Cross, and he saw a dozen or so of her relatives waiting, he asked (very hesitantly) what it was like, belonging to a family like hers.

She didn't answer.

Andromeda knew all about Ted's family, of course. He talked about his mum with great affection: a tall woman with messy brown hair and a crooked smile, working day and night to support her two sons. His younger brother was almost fifteen, going to secondary school, and completely fascinated by Hogwarts. (I sent them a picture of us, Andi; Charley said you were bloody gorgeous, and demanded if I'd used magic to spell you in love with me.) She knew about his dad, lying beneath the tiny stone marker in the London graveyard, and how his mum still left violets there when she could afford it.

She knew so much about his past, and revealed very little about her own.

He didn’t know that the scar on her left shoulder was from the Cruciatus when she was nine: punishment for a screaming argument with her sister. Or that Bella’s last letter had been about the new leader who championed purebloods and despised Muggles (Lord Voldemort has promised he'll bring it back to the way it should be). Ted, with his loving mum, could not know that first her aunt, and then her mother, had always been quick to reprove flaws with force, and that Andromeda’s straight back and proudly tilted chin were the result of years of rigid discipline.

Ted wouldn’t understand her world, the Black world, with its ancient silver crest, tangled family tree stretching back to Merlin's time, and every drop of her blood so pure that her childhood was a riot of accidental magic... Hogwarts students talked in awed voices about her family, but they didn't have a goddamned clue what it was like being one of them. A Black danced that knife's edge between madness and brilliance, but in the end it was always brilliant because it was a Black doing it.

Everything would change if he knew what they were really like. First he would mistrust her, and when mistrust grew to outright hatred he would leave her; that was the way things worked.

Secrets and silence were her only safeguard.

So she lowered her eyes and whispered, barely audible, "You will be there, won’t you? You won’t forget?"

Ted took her hand, laced their fingers together, and pulled her into his arms. "How could I?" he chided, breath tickling her ear. "I promise I will."

She breathed deeply, unsteadily, and murmured, "I love you," into the collar of Ted’s striped shirt.

When she pulled back, he looked slightly dazed (he always did, when she said that), but grinned and tugged her hair. "Be brave. And don't—"

"Meda." Her younger sister's cool voice floated from the door, and they turned to see Narcissa watching them with narrowed eyes. "Mother and Father will want to leave as soon as possible," she said, giving Ted a scornful glance.

Andromeda nodded, and her poised sister left with a flick of pale hair. She wasn't worried: Narcissa would keep her own counsel.

Levitating her trunk down, she made sure all the locks were secure and pulled it to the door; even preparing to go back to them made her tense up. She looked back.

Ted had a little smile on his face. "I promise," he repeated, and she relaxed.

She was going back to her world, the Black world, for the last time.

one | two>>

------------------

This is my first installment for 7spells; the prompt table is here.

Notes: Thanks to avendya and ressie_noldo for looking this over!

Also at: allie_meril | ff.net

7spells: Andromeda Black

2008-02-15T05:44:37Z

Progress: 2/7

profile | rules/faq | claims | prompts

Claim accepted: March 30, 2006

Reposted from my personal journal: 3-30-06.