Amortentia
November, 1973
As November drew to a close, the days became shorter and the nights became longer, Andromeda Black's patience became thinner. Ever since Bellatrix had promised her as a date to the winter ball with Rabastan Lestrange, the boy would not leave her alone. She had been trying to ignore the snide comments and the creepy looks, but she was almost at breaking point. The thought of going to the ball and dancing with that prick made her feel nauseous.
She had just ignored a particularly unsettling wink he had thrown her from down the breakfast table one morning, when Prudence sped into the great hall looking flustered, having woken up late. Her untamed hair had been pulled back into a messy bun and her tie was undone.
'Morning sunshine' said Esmerelda, snickering as Prudence hastily tied her tie and loaded up her plate.
'No sleep last night?' Andromeda teased, for Prudence had been suspiciously absent from their dorm last night to meet a certain Ravenclaw boy.
'Bugger off you, at least I'm having some fun instead of rejecting every boy that shows interest in me' said Prudence, giving Andromeda a look.
'What about Rabastan Lestrange? He's your date to the ball, he's a good looking lad' said Esmerelda.
Andromeda suppressed the urge to pull a face of disgust. 'Definitely not.' she said simply.
***
There was an unusual amount of excited muttering in the potions dungeon, everyone was hovering around a bubbling cauldron full to the brim with a pink potion. Girls were desperately trying to smell the potion- Amortentia. Andromeda had come across the particular brew in her potion studies before. The most powerful love potion in the world, which smells different to each person depending on what attracts them.
Intrigued, Andromeda joined the babble of girls and edged nearer to the cauldron, catching a strong whiff of the potion as she did so. She smelt fresh parchment... and... something else... cedar?
'Ladies, ladies! Now I know this particular potion is a curious old brew, but I am going to have to ask you all to take your seats' Slughorn boomed.
Andromeda took her seat at the back, just as Ted Tonks waltzed in, late as usual, tousled hair and bag slung lazily over one shoulder.
Ted sauntered over and took his seat next to hers. As he leant down to put his bag on the floor of his stool, Andromeda got a whiff of the same cedar smell she had smelt earlier, but this time coming from Ted's hair. Oh. No. There is no way that Andromeda smelt Ted Tonk's hair in the Amortentia. Hadn't she spent the last month telling herself she did not find him attractive.
'Can anyone tell me which potion stands before you?' Slughorn addressed his class.
'Amortentia, professor' said Amaryllis. 'The most powerful love potion in the world'
'Quite right you are Miss Parkinson' beamed Slughorn. 'Amortentia is particularly interesting, as this potion smells different to each person, depending on what attracts them.'
'Must be a strong scented potion,' Ted said, turning to her, 'I can still smell lavender from here'
Before she could stop herself, she blurted 'Thats not the potion, that my lavender scented perfume-'
Oh. Oh.
The realisation hit her, Ted had smelt her perfume in the amortentia. She turned away, feeling a hot blush creeping onto her cheeks.
But Ted merely chuckled as he opened his potions book and started laying out ingredients.
'Funny one' she scolded, deciding this would be the best way to play it off.
'What did you smell in the amortentia?' he asked, deep brown eyes boring into her own pools of green. The eye contact caught her off guard, she felt hot and flustered underneath his tender gaze.
'I- that's private.' she declared, turning back to her cauldron decisively.
'If you say so' he muttered, leaning towards her, his hot breath struck the skin on her neck like a prick of a needle, a painful prickling pleasure as she felt the goosebumps rise. She let out an involuntary sharp breath, startled by his proximity.
***
'I love him'
'Mm'
'Andromeda, did you hear me? I love Lucius!'
Narcissa Black was sprawled over the deep emerald velvet armchair in the Slytherin common room, her head rested on her sister's lap, as Andromeda stroked her long slender fingers through Narcissa's silky blonde locks.
'Cissy... you don't know what love is sweetie.' said Andromeda, patiently.
'I know more about it than you do' retorted the younger girl sharply. 'You reject every single boy who shows interest. How do you intend to ever find a husband!'
'Mother and Father are most preoccupied with Bella's engagement at the current moment, I'm sure they're not troubling themselves worrying about my prospects yet' Andromeda replied evenly.
Marriage. Andromeda felt a sinking feeling in her stomach. Her mothers words echoed in her mind your duty is to marry, your duty is to carry on the pure Black family line. Toujours pur. She had been pushing away these worries and feelings for years now, although Bella's recent engagement had resurfaced the feeling of dread- she was next.
'Cissy, have you noticed anything off with Bella recently' Andromeda said, carefully.
Narcissa's head perked up.
'If you're trying to make an issue with Bella and Rodolphus-'
'No! Of course not, it's just that he- well... I think he's hurting her'
At this, Narcissa stood up abruptly and rounded on her sister, elegant like a swan, but seething like a serpent.
'Andromeda, look- I understand that you don't like him, but to make up something like that! He will make a fine husband for Bella, and you need to accept it!' she snapped, in a tone eerily similar to their mother's.
Andromeda was taken aback, it wasn't often Narcissa got angry like that, Bellatrix was the sister with a short fuse.
'Cissy I-'
'I'm going to bed'
***
The argument with Narcissa had been plaguing on her mind. It was like her little sister had been brainwashed. She was echoing words straight from their mother's austere mouth, and as for Bellatrix, she was more distant than ever, consorting with the likes of people Andromeda knew to be what they called themselves death eaters. The Dark Lord's followers. She was so wrapped up in her dysfunctional family issues that she almost forgot about the situation with Ted Tonks and the amortentia. Almost. It had meant nothing. He's just a mudblood. The word left a sour stain in her mind, as much as she had grown up hearing the insult thrown about unabashedly, it felt... wrong, to call Ted that. Perhaps because, she secretly felt like she knew him. In some tainted way. She knew his favourite muggle band, she knew he had an older brother who thinks everyone in the wizarding world are batshit crazy, she knew he liked to doodle aimlessly on his parchment his calloused hands moving gracefully with his quill...
She knew she shouldn't know any of that. Not a bit. Not at all.