Four To Go
As Head girl, Andromeda rarely found time to escape the walls of Hogwarts. Probably part of the reason she was handed the title. Bellatrix hadn't been any form of head girl or perfect before her but it wasn't a surprise to see a Black in the role so Andromeda always suspected it had something to do with that.
The soft spring sun lightly brushed over her as she walked down the small cobblestone pathway into Hogsmeade. Andromeda had made sure to hang back so most of her peers had left Hogwarts before her so she had the walk to herself. There was something so calming about being alone, filling her with a sense of ease. It was as if her whole life was on pause, and for a moment, she could forget about her engagement and the expectations surrounding her family's name.
She enjoyed the peaceful solitude of Hogsmeade, especially when compared to the cramped hallways and crowded classrooms back at Hogwarts. Here, she felt a sense of freedom she rarely experienced at the castle.
As she rounded the corner, she noticed a familiar sight - Lucius Malfoy's imposing figure, strolling down the path with his band of fools. She quickly turned around, deciding to head in the opposite direction, hoping to avoid a potential confrontation.
Andromeda hadn't really talked to him since Bellatrix's wedding and she didn't want to start now.
“Andromeda, darling.”
But when she heard him call out her name, all of her resolve quickly faded away. She felt a wave of uncertainty and nervousness wash over her, trying to keep her composure as she forced a polite smile and looked back at the unrealistically blonde pureblood.
Her heart sank as Lucius took a step toward her, a smug look on his face that she found utterly distasteful.
"Hello, Lucius" she said tightly, her politeness forced.
"I was hoping we could have a word." Lucius said, his tone implying that this was anything but a friendly chat.
Andromeda clenched her fist in her pocket, wanting nothing more than to walk away, but knowing that it would not be that easy.
As if to prove her point, Lucius's group of cronies stood nearby, watching the scene with a combination of amusement and contempt. Their presence added an extra element of pressure to the situation, forcing Andromeda to keep up her composure even after her patience was clearly running thin.
“Goyle was just making a surprisingly intelligent comment,” Lucius continued. “For Slytherin’s head girl, you are rarely actually seen with Slytherin.”
The crowd of purebloods laughed at Lucius's comment, forcing Andromeda to suppress a scowl.
"And you're surprised by that?" she replied, her voice laced with irritation. "You wouldn't even begin to know how demanding the role of head girl is, not to mention my other obligations as a student of Hogwarts.”
"Is that so?" Lucius asked, an amused smirk forming on his face.
Andromeda rolled her eyes, trying to maintain her composure but realising that nothing she said would be taken seriously.
"Believe what you want," she said, her tone icy. "I couldn't care less what other people think.”
“Well, I believe you're trying to hide from me”
"Are you implying that I'm scared of you or something?" Andromeda asked, her tone mocking and defiant.
"I was not implying that at all," Lucius smirked, his eyes flashing with disdain. "But now that you mention it, there is a certain amount of amusement to be found in that idea.”
"Perhaps I'm just tired of being surrounded by idiots, such as yourself and the rest of your cronies." Andromeda shot back.
Lucius frowned. “That's no way to talk to your fiance.”
"Do you think being engaged gives you permission to treat me like some sort of plaything?" Andromeda asked, anger and frustration welling up in her chest.
Lucius leaned in towards her. “Yes, darling.”
Andromeda had the familiar momentary urge to slap the smug look off Lucius's face, but caught herself before she did something she'd regret.
"Come on, come to broomsticks with us." Lucius wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "We'll all get a drink together and you can get to know the lads you'll be hosting for when we're married.”
Her eyes widened at the sudden and unwanted physical contact, her anger flaring once again. It took everything she had left to resist the urge to break free from Lucius' grasp as his arm wrapped around her shoulders uninvited.
“No, thank you.” Andromeda said through gritted teeth.
Lucius could obviously sense this reaction as well, and his grin grew bigger and more smug with each passing moment.
"Come on, now, don't be like that," he said with a mocking tone, his arm tightening around her shoulders.
"Let. Go." Andromeda said, her anger boiling over and her words spoken with a harshness and anger she hadn't expected. The thought of being forced to hang out with Lucius and his moronic friends for even a second seemed like a form of torture.
As Lucius felt his grip on her shoulders tighten even more, he laughed mockingly, enjoying the fact that it only seemed to infuriate her more.
"You're truly vile, do you know that?" Andromeda snapped a close whisper, her patience completely spent. "You don't deserve my time or respect, you understand?"
"You're just bitter because I'm right," Lucius said with a laugh. "As your intended, it's my duty to prepare you for your new social role. I wouldn't want you to look like a fool in front of all those pureblood family's heads, would I?”
"If anyone here looks like a fool it's you," Andromeda shot back, her frustration and anger only growing as the argument continued. Her heart was pounding in her chest, her mind flooded with the thought of his skin on hers. It made her sick.
"It's just the truth," Lucius said with a laugh. "All of your peers are going to expect you to follow the family tradition of being a proper pureblood housewife. Don't you care how it makes you look?”
"My appearance is none of your business." Andromeda said, her voice laced with anger and contempt. "I don't care what people think of me, and I especially don't care what you think of me."
Lucius's smile widened as he seemed amused by her words. No doubt, he thought that she was just being rebellious for the sake of being rebellious.
"Maybe so," he said with a smirk. "But that doesn't change anything. We're still getting married and you're still going to live your life the way I tell you to.”
Andromeda was boiling now, her anger and frustration growing with everything Lucius said. She knew that her inability to control herself was likely only serving to fuel his satisfaction. That fact only filled her with more anger, causing her to feel helpless and trapped in the situation.
"It must be such a shame that my children will have to grow up with someone like you as their mother," Lucius continued, his tone dripping with a smug, condescending attitude.
As Lucius continued to taunt and insult her, Andromeda felt her entire body tense up in rage. She was so sick of how he always tried to push her buttons and make her lose control, she finally had enough.
She subtly lifted her hand toward her pocket carefully, in which her wand resided, drawing it and digging the tip into the small of his back as so that their audience couldn't see it.
Lucius fell quiet at the sudden touch on his back, his jaw tightened as he recognized the subtle threat that was being issued.
He looked over at Andromeda, noticing the steely look in her eyes and the subtle grip she had on her wand, and knew that it would behove him not to make any further comments for the moment.
“You wouldn't dare.”
"Try me." Andromeda said through gritted teeth, her grip tightening on her wand.
Lucius met her gaze with a stare, but said nothing as he realised that he had indeed just gone too far. As they continued to stare each other down, the seconds seemed to drag on unnecessarily long. The tension in the air was palpable, and neither of them showed any sign of willing to give in.
Andromeda continued to grip her wand tightly, daring him to say another word.
“Darli-” Lucius tried to bargain before being cut off by the magic blossoming from her wand directly into his body, sending him flying forward.
The power of Andromeda's spell sent Lucius flying forward with an audible grunt, causing him to slam against a nearby shop front, grabbing the attention of all around including Lucius' little band of followers.
He immediately jumped to his feet, his face contorted with anger, and his eyes blazing with a furious look.
"You dare to attack me?" He said, his voice dripping with rage.
As he jumped to his feet, Lucius's friends immediately rallied around him, drawing their own wands in solidarity with him. As Lucius's friends took aim at her with their wands, Andromeda stood her ground, undeterred by the sudden confrontation.
"This has nothing to do with you," she said through gritted teeth, her grip on her own wand tightening. "If you guys don't back down right now I'll have no choice but to defend myself.”
"Is that so?" One of his friends said with a sneer, letting his wand rise so that it was pointing right at her.
"Indeed, it is," she shot back, feeling no fear in the face of all of the boys surrounding her.
"You can't fight all of us at once." Another one of his friends chimed in.
Andromeda could feel her heart pounding in her chest, feeling the sudden adrenaline rush through her body as she stared down at her opponents.
Before they could finish speaking, she shot a spell toward the friend who had taunted her, knocking him backward with a hard spell that sent him flying to the ground.
“One down, uh…four to go.” Andromeda couldn't help but smirk. This was going to be fun.