“Andromeda, you should see to picking someone more… suitable.” Andromeda sighed, her breath quiet in the buzzing room.
“Yes, you’ve said that quite a few times before, Lucius. I think you ought to mind your own business, and stick to policing Narcissa.” She sat with her fellow snakes at the Slytherin table, everyone around her was immersed in conversation. Seeing as it was Saturday, Andromeda didn’t have to concern herself with homework or essays.
She relaxed, leaning forward to rest her elbows on the table. A few whisps of her brown hair tickled the backs of her arms, and she moved to swipe the offending strands away from her skin. She lifted her eyes, scrutinising the various Slytherins seated around her.
Lucius Malfoy, her sister's husband, sat across from her, with Narcissa to his left. His easily recognizable Malfoy-blonde hair was down to his shoulder blades, and elegantly tied back as he ate. His calloused silver eyes were turned on his fiance, Narcissa, who was giving him a pointed look. Narcissa’s long blonde hair hung in elegant troves, and Andromeda felt a surge of affection for her posh sister.
To Andromeda’s right sat Bellatrix Black, with her fiance, Rodolphus Lestrange. Bella and Andromeda had a complicated relationship, to say the least. Her eldest sister was loud with her opinions of the Dark Lord, and positive opinions they were. Andromeda herself felt put off, and she didn’t quite believe in his agenda. Of course, she was raised by Druella Black, and as a Black she was expected to look down on Muggle-borns. But it never did sit right with her, not to mention she’s seen plenty of powerful muggle-borns.
Her husband, Rodolphus, was a whole other beast. He was rather brash, for a Lestrange, which is something he has in common with his brother. He tended to be violent, and Andromeda avoided being alone with him as best she could. There was just something inherently off about him, him and his brother, that set alarm bells off in her head.
Rabastan was a lot quieter, and always followed after his brother. But, just because he was quiet didn’t mean he wasn’t just as unhinged.
Sitting on Andromeda’s other side was Regulus Black, with Severus Snape next to him. Regulus was her favourite cousin by far, though she made sure not to let Sirius hear her whenever she said that. Regulus was quiet and wholly unobtrusive. He kept to himself, and only really interacted with others when he had to.
Severus Snape was a few years younger than Andromeda, though he was one year older than the thirteen-year-old Regulus. She didn’t know much about him, as he avoided everyone other than his little gang, and recently, Regulus.
Andromeda glanced back at Lucius. He vocalised his unease with her chosen partner frequently, just as Bella and the Lestrange brothers did. It was times like those when she greatly appreciated Narcissa and Regulus, as they seldom commented on her situation.
“She is a pureblood, and a Prewett. I think there is some merit in that.” Narcissa’s voice is quiet– refined, and Andromeda raises her eyebrows. Her sister never speaks of her relations, lest of all in public.
“Yes, but she was set to marry–” Lucius begins, and Bellatrix is quick to interject. “Is, she is to marry him.” Lucius sends her an annoyed look, but says nothing against her. A slight against Bellatrix is a slight against the House of Black, after all.
“Yes, she is set to marry Edmund Avery.” Andromeda rolls her eyes and averts her gaze. She does not want to draw Lucius’s ire, but she can’t stand his voice anymore. She almost feels bad for Narcissa, at that moment, as she will be married to him.
“Well, we will see. I’m leaving, I’ll see you later Cissa, Regulus.” She pulls her bag up from her lap as she stands, tugging it over her shoulder. She bows her head minutely in goodbye, addressing the two tolerable people at the table. Narcissa waves slightly, and when Andromeda glances at Regulus, she finds him too busy whispering in Snape’s ear, so she takes her leave.
She catches Lucius clicking his mouth shut, and Bellatrix working her jaw in frustration from the corner of her eye. “You’re going to meet up with Prewett, then?”
Andromeda groans under her breath, before twisting her head to the side so she can reply.
“No, I’m going to the library to study for Professor Binns's test. Not that you needed to know that, anyways.” Bellatrix chuffs quietly, before waving Andromeda off as she turns back to her plate of food.
Andromeda is quick to hurry out of the great hall, her shoes clicking against the floor as she goes. Most of her peers are still eating dinner, so she figures she has time before someone comes looking for her in the library. She catches a flash of orange hair, and a smile grows on her face.
Slipping into the empty classroom, Andromeda greets the girl warmly, leaning against the door frame as she enters. “Hey, stranger.” Molly greets her with a bright smile and moves close enough to pull Andromeda into a hug.
Molly is like a breath of fresh air, and Andromeda basks in her presence as they stand pressed together. She’s warm and comforting, and Andromeda can feel the stress of the day fading. The Gryffindor smells like lilac and freshly baked rolls, a scent that’s so distinctly Molly, it nearly makes Andromeda dizzy with delight.
“I’m so happy we’ve finally got time together. It’s been days since I’ve seen you.” Andromeda pulls a face, “You saw me when cousin Sirius and his little friends charmed Bella’s hair to grow to her ankles and trip her.”
Molly shoves Andromeda playfully, giving her a wry smile, and Andromeda can only just see her teeth. “That’s not what I mean, Andy.” Molly pouts for a moment, before grabbing Andromeda’s wrist and pulling her further into the room.
Andromeda takes a moment to glance around, taking in the room. It seems to be a mostly abandoned classroom, seeing as all the desks and chairs have a hefty layer of dust settled atop them. There are a few oak bookshelves in the back, still laden with various books and tomes, but otherwise the room is barren.
Molly pulls her to the very back, and Andromeda gasps when she finally spots it. Molly’s put together a small lounge area, complete with sitting cushions, blankets, and a myriad of bowls of snacks.
The ballets are mostly blue, but a few red ones line the edges. The pillows are similar in colour, and everything looks incredibly soft and inviting. There’s four bowls spread around, with different sweets and treats inside, and Andromeda can see Pumpkin Pasties in one.
“I bought all the snacks during the last Hogsmeade trip, and transfigured the blankets and pillows myself. I am top of the class, after all.” Molly offers her a cheeky grin, and Andromeda melts. Wrapping her arms around her girlfriend, Andromeda sighs into the redhead's hair.
“I love you, Moll’s. You know that, right?” Molly shuffles in her grip, twisting about so she can snake her arms around Andromeda’s waist.
“Of course I know that, Dromeda.” She gives a tentative pause, “Do you like it?” Andromeda pulls back slowly, settling her hands on Molly’s cheeks and patting them affectionately. Molly’s looking up at her with big, brown eyes, and it tugs at Andromeda’s heart.
“I love everything you do for me. All the effort you go through, just for me.. It’s amazing– you’re amazing.” Andromeda pauses, letting Molly smile and soften, before tugging her back into an embrace.
Molly tightens her grip on her. “You seem so tense. Is everything okay? Did I do something wrong?”
Andromeda quickly shook her head, her chin lightly brushing against Molly's head as she did.
“No, no. You could never do anything wrong, not in my eyes.” Molly relaxes in her grip just slightly.
“I just,” She sighs. “You know how it is, with my family. Nobody’s particularly happy that I’m with you. They say I need to marry Avery, because our families agreed to it, and he’s courting me. Really though, it’s only because his family has ties with Voldemort, and yours don’t.”
Molly takes a sharp breath, and the room goes still.
“I don’t want you to marry Avery.” Molly’s voice is quiet, but her intention is loud. She doesn’t want Andromeda to join Voldemort.
Andromeda sighs softly. Molly makes a wounded sound in the back of her throat.
“I don’t want to, either. I’m confident that mother with allow me to stay on the family tree, and marry you. I just– I’m not sure what will happen when I graduate. They’ll want me to join, I know that. But, well,” Andromeda trails off, and Molly doesn’t need to question her. They’ve talked about it before– about Andromeda’s unease concerning the Dark Lord, and the idea of running away to be with Molly.
Initially, Molly protested Andromeda’s idea. She didn’t want Andromeda to leave her family, simply on her account. But Andromeda described to Molly just how grave the situation was– and how disordered the Black family is.
They stir around each other until they’ve found a position that’s comfortable for both of them, and finally settle into a cosy embrace. Andromeda sits with her back against the wall, and her legs splayed out in front of her. Molly pulls her knees up to rest on Andromeda’s thighs, and wraps her hands around one of Andromeda’s arms. Her head rests lightly on Andromeda’s shoulder.
“I don’t understand why they’re so– so– uncompromising. As much as I don’t agree with your family's ideals, I am a pureblood, so they should be just fine with me marrying you.” Andromeda huffs a quiet laugh, reaching up to gently card through the girl's hair.
“I know, I know, but it’s a little bit more complicated than that.” Molly puffs her cheeks out, her eyebrows furrowing in annoyance.
“Well, they seem real quiet about Regulus Black getting chummy with that Snape boy. He’s a half-blood, isn’t he? Am I supposed to believe that nobody sees Black giving Snape goo-goo eyes in the middle of the great hall?” Andromeda guffaws, and Molly has to lift her head off of the Slytherin as she bends over, her frame shaking with laughter.
“What? What did I say?” Andromeda heaves, trying fruitlessly to catch her breath.
“You–” She cuts herself off to snigger, eyes glinting as she stares at Molly.
“Oh, come off it, Andy! All I said is that Regulus is desperate to shag Snape! And probably put a ring on him, seeing as how he sends him little love letters, even though they see each other every bloody day. We all see those owls dropping them off for Snape,” Molly pauses, a thoughtful look passing over her face.
“Actually, that’s quite romantic. Andy, why don’t you send me love letters?” Molly demands, before processing everything she’s said.
They clutch at each other as they laugh simultaneously, and Andromeda shakes her head in disbelief.
“Molly, you’re,” Andromeda takes a deep breath, “You’re such a riot. I love you.” Molly’s eyes crinkle as she gives Andromeda an amused smile.
“I love you too, Dromeda. Now!” Molly claps her hands, the sound echoing through the room. “Time to snack, and snog!” Andromeda begins laughing all over again, only stopping after Molly begins prodding her and pouting.
“Of course, you’re two favourite things.” Molly gasps dramatically, playfully slapping Andromeda on the shoulder.
“Why am I dating you, again?” Andromeda pauses, turning to appraise Molly. Her cheeks are pink from all the laughter, and her eyes are shining with love. Molly practically glows, even in the low light of the classroom as the sun lowers. She leans forward, her red hair swishing in an effort to follow the movement, and Andromeda finds her as endearing as ever when she reaches out to pluck a pumpkin pastie from one of the bowls.
“Well, we’re not dating, anymore.” Molly freezes, the smile dropping right off her face. She turns her head briskly, eyes concentrating on Andromeda as she blindly sets her treat down.
“What do you mean?” Her tone is guarded, but Andromeda can detect the confusion and hurt simmering underneath.
Andromeda reaches into her robes, fishing out a small velvet box. Molly cries out once she sees it, gaze flickering rapidly between the box and Andromeda’s face.
“I mean, Molly Prewett, will you marry me?” Andromeda yelps as Molly throws herself into her arms, and she rushes to fling her arms out in order to catch her.
“Yes! Yes! Yes, of course I will!” Andromeda feels warm tears gather at her eyes, and she blinks them away rapidly as she gives a wet laugh.
“Why’d you scare me like that!” Molly pulls back abruptly, settling Andromeda with a fierce glare. Andromeda chuckles, reaching forward to cup Molly’s round face.
“I’m sorry, my love. I couldn’t resist.” She pulls her in for a chaste kiss, smiling as she feels Molly pout against her lips.
“I was waiting for you to turn seventeen,” Andromeda explains, Molly’s eyes drifting over her face as she speaks.
Andromeda presses a few soft kisses to Molly’s lips, before pulling back a hair's length.
“I love you so much. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. You’re the best thing in my life. Merlin, you’re so beautiful, and gentle,” She whispers against Molly’s lips, intermittently kissing them between words.
“You’re the kindest, most caring girl I’ve ever met. You’re amazing at baking and knitting, and Merlin, I still have that sweater you made me two years ago. I wear it all the time.” Molly laughs softly, her breath ghosting over Andromeda’s face.
“I was so excited to propose. I was going to do something bigger, something better for you. But–” Molly cuts her off with a kiss, her lips firm and grounding against Andromeda’s.
“You don’t have to explain, darling. I understand. And, actually, I love this. This is perfect– you’re perfect.” Molly peppers kisses along Andromeda’s face, causing her to giggle and push at her shoulders.
“I can’t wait for you to break the news to your family, Lucius especially. Actually, can I watch when you tell him?” Molly grins mischievously, and Andromeda can’t help but laugh.
“I don’t know, he might hex you right there. I swear, that man is far too invested in our family. He needs to focus on the Malfoys, and the Malfoys only.”
Molly nods in agreement, slouching until she can curl around Andromeda’s stomach. Andromeda likens her to a cat as she watches her get comfortable.
“Here, let me see your hand, Moll’s.” Molly lifts her wrist, setting her hand in Andromeda’s delicately.
Andromeda grasps her warm hand in her own, before pulling the engagement ring from its box. The band is silver, and adorned with a shining diamond right on top. It’s not some fancy heirloom, like Lucius gave Narcissa, nor was it so expensive that it cost nearly a house. But, it was beautiful, and made Molly’s eyes sparkle.
She slides the ring on slowly, smiling as it fits snugly around her ring finger. “Oh, Andy. It’s beautiful.”
Molly brings her hand to her face, admiring the diamond in the soft light. “I’m glad you like it.” Molly gives her a soft, fond smile. “I would have liked any ring you got me, even if it was paper.”
Andromeda adjusts them so she’s lying on the floor with Molly, capturing her hand and holding it in her own. Molly turns to curl around the side of Andromeda’s body, keeping their hands linked together.
“I love you, Molly Black.”
“Oh? And what about Prewett?”
“Okay, brat. I love you, Molly Prewett-Black.”
They drift off slowly, still wrapped around each other, pleased and warm.