Letters to an Old Poet

Dear Cissy,

I'm sorry but I have to do this. I don't know what else I can do and I can't talk to anyone because someone will try to stop me.

Lucius can not and will not be my husband. Our parents will never understand my reasons why but he is a cruel boy and the things he's done already don't stand to say he'll get better. Please be cautious around him.

Always remember I love you dearly. Make sure Sirius and Pea know I love them too and it's none of your fault that I'm gone. I promised Pea that she could be the ring bearer at my wedding and I wish I could keep that promise to her.

I know if I run that they'll come looking for me, but they won't find me. No one ever will.

My absence will be the hardest on you, Cissa, and for that I am so sorry. Bellatrix is married and the cousins are too young so that puts you next in line. Don't let our parents' world change you, you are too good for that.

Yours,
Andy

The parchment rested on Andromeda's neatly made bed. The whole dorm was immaculate, like a doll house carefully curated to make the perfect scene.

There was barely a sense that anyone had ever lived in her, wherever Andromeda had gone, she had taken most of her stuff with her. The only things that remained were her uniforms hung clean and fresh in the wardrobe, her head girl pin sitting perfectly in a box on the desk, and all her school books nearly organised on the shelf.

The only thing the space contained now was a faint sense of longing, as if the very walls ached to be filled again with the presence of life. But aside from the meticulously organised uniforms, the solitary head girl pin, and the neatly-arranged books on the shelf, the room was so devoid of any trace of its previous occupant. It was like a hollowed-out shell, stripped of all its vibrancy and soul.

It could have been anyone's room, anything personal was gone without a trace.

✯

The fire that flickered in the common room fireplace cast dancing shadows across the faces of the unlikely group that had gathered. The atmosphere was tense, the air thick with a sense of uncertainty and unease.

The usual chatter and laughter that filled the common room were strangely absent, replaced by an oppressive silence that weighed heavily on the shoulders of those present. No one was quite sure how to react to the message they had received, nor what lay ahead for them.

“What does this mean?” Ted said as he read the letter.

“Andromeda’s run away.” Olivia huffed, leaning against the stairwell.

“Or she's dead.” Alastor added but Molly swiftly smacked him upside the head.

“Don't you dare say that!”

“What! She said ‘they won't find me, they never will’.” Alastor quoted the ominous letter. “Ain't no one finding her dead body if she plans it right.”

The rest of the group sat quiet, disturbed by Moody’s dark train in thought.

“She wouldn't.” Ted whispered.

Olivia snatched the letter out of Ted's hands. “No, of course not.”

Her eyes scanned over the letter again. She'd already read it several times and the words never changed, even though she wished they did. Searching for some clue as to where Andromeda had gone.

“I should probably put this back.” Olivia sighed. “For Narcissa to find.”

Molly nodded in agreement while Ted paced in front of the fireplace, deep in thought. Alastor leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh.

Once Olivia had slipped back upstairs and placed the letter back in Andromeda's room, the group slipped out of the Slytherin common room, forced to go around their day as if nothing happened as lunch time came to a close.

✯

It wasn't til later that evening that Narcissa discovered Andromeda's letter. Which swiftly followed by a visit to the school from The Blacks.

Rumours only got more wild with their arrival, especially when some kid said they heard the screaming matching going on inside Dumbledore’s office.

“What kind of school are you running here!” Druella screeched. “You've lost our daughter!”

“Mrs Black, I guarantee the students safety is in our best interest but your daughter was no child and she had your permission to leave the school grounds.”

“So it's my fault!” She was practically ready to climb over the desk.

“Do not speak to my wife this way.” Cygnus warned the headmaster.

“I apologise.”

“An apology isn't good enough.” He snarled. “We expect full disclosure and discretion about our daughter. Any and all information should go directly to us at the earliest convenience and shouldn't be shared with any third parties.”

After discussion, The Blacks left and took Narcissa with them. A paper was released the next day saying that they had withdrawn both Andromeda and Narcissa from Hogwarts due to family travels.

Reports all came back with a story of how the girls would be attending finishing school in France while their father's work took them abroad, some reporters even quoted that Druella wanted to be closer to home during her parents' later years.

Of course, this was all planted calculated stories fed to the media to keep their noble name intact as Andromeda was still missing.

The Black family's meticulous efforts to maintain their pristine reputation seemed to be working. The carefully crafted stories fed to the media kept their aristocratic status intact, and the fact that even the Ministry was none the wiser to their continued presence in the country was a testament to the Blacks' skillful scheming.

However, despite their best efforts, Andromeda remained a master of evasion, slipping through their fingers like mist and seemingly disappearing into the ether. As the months ticked by, the Black family's frustration and desperation grew, and they became more determined than ever to find their wayward daughter.

Even with their private investigation, Andromeda was still in the wind. Months passed and she remained unfound, despite her family's efforts to scour the world.

But no matter how hard they tried to cover up the truth, rumours still swirled through the elite circles of wizarding society.

Speculation about Andromeda's disappearance was whispered among Pureblood families as they attended their lavish soirees and whispered behind their lace fans at high tea.

Some wondered if she had simply left of her own accord, tired of the constraints and expectations of her aristocratic blood. Others speculated darker rumours - that she had been kidnapped, or worse. A few even dared to whisper that she had eloped with a Muggle, a thought too scandalous for some to even consider. While a select few even dared to speculate about the darker, unsavoury possibility that she may have met a tragic end.

“I know if I run that they'll come looking for me, but they won't find me. No one ever will.”