Chapter three.
"Okay, I can't handle it anymore. Why do you hate me so much?" It was the first saturday, and everyone was enjoying their free-time. Andy stood in front of Kimora and Gwendoline, who were playing chess in the common-room. They looked up rather annoyed.
"Okay, I can't handle it anymore," Kimora mimicked, "Shut up and leave us alone, Black."
That hurt. "Look, I don't know what I did wrong, but I really want to set things right."
"Why do you even think we would hate you?" Gwendoline asked with a false innocence.
"You've been glaring at me all week."
"Yeah," Gwendoline nodded pleased, "Yeah I suppose we did."
"But why?" Andy asked desperately.
"You know my grandfather?" Kimora requested.
"No...?"
"Exactly. Your grandparents killed him!" Kimora suddenly fumed.
"What?" Fiona and Eloise joined the commotion.
In the meantime, almost everyone in the common-room was listening along.
Kimora noticed at sighed. "Look, Bl- Andy. It sucks, okay? Let's get over with it. I'll forgive you for what your grandfather did."
"What did he do?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Okay, I'm sorry."
Kim shrugged. "See you at dinner." And she left the room. Gwen didn't go after her. Instead she tidied up the chess pieces. She gave Andy a small nod and left to the dorms.
Fiona and Eloise had started a conversation about quidditch in the meantime, talking about whether a chaser or a seeker was a more glorious position.
Someone poked Andy. She turned around to find her sister staring at her.
"Andy, we might need to talk."
"What do you mean? Might?"
Bella shook her head, "No, sorry. We have to talk. Our parents are here."
Andy's heart skipped a beat. "Why?"
"Just come with me." Bella turned around, sweeping her ravenblack hair all over Andy.
They left the room. They entered the hallways. They walked towards the stairs. They almost bumped into their parents.
"Children, watch where you walk." Their father sounded displeased. Okay, he always sounded displeased. Now just more than usual.
"I'm sorry, father, mother." Andy replied.
"Oh, at least we found you. Andromeda, congratulations on being sorted into Slytherin. Your father and I are very happy."
Andy nodded awkwardly. One wrong move and she would be silenced. qOr hurt. Or humiliated. Probably both.
"Why are you here, mother?" Bella requested quietly.
"Perhaps you have noticed dear Andromeda here being pulled into the water bij the giant squid?"
"Oh, yes. I have."
"The squid obviously cannot remain on the schoolgrounds. It is a danger for the students."
"We could just throw all the mudbloods into the lake, mother." Bella snorted. Andy had to think of Ted Tonks, he had been sorted into Hufflepuff. She would never admit this out loud, definitely not in front of her family, but she didn't want to throw him into the black lake.
"We will now talk to the headmaster. Bellatrix, you are not needed. Go back to your dorms."
"Yes mother." Bella left, obviously dissappointed.
"Come on, Andromeda. Let's see Dumbledore." Druella Black's voice was full of disgust.
Dumbledore wasn't at all happy to see the Blacks. In fact, he tried to drive them away by saying he really didn't have time tonight.
"I'm absolutely sorry, but-"
"Dumbledore," The voice of Andy's father boomed through the room, "We will see the squid removed."
"That won't go. It's an ancient animal, placed here by Godric-"
Druella let out a laugh, "Ha! That explains a lot."
"Does it?" Dumbledore looked at her from over his glasses, his blues eyes fiercely.
"Oh, yes. If it was Gryffindor who placed it here, then I of course understand that the beast is... sacred."
Dumbledore nodded. Andy wanted to scream. He didn't even try to deny he always put Gryffindor first.
"We will go to the ministry of magic, Dumbledore." Her mother spat.
"Please do that, miss." He simply replied. Cygnus raised an eyebrow.
"Oh," Dumbledore started, "The departments know about the squid, in fact, the approved the squid being on the schoolgrounds."
Her parents signalled Andy they were going to leave. When they closed the door her mother stared fuming about Dumbledore and his stupid mudblood-school. Andy didn't want to, but again she thought of Ted.
"Mother, father. There's one thing I have to tell you," She began. She wasn't going to talk to them about Ted, of course, but there was the other matter. "Begin this week, the first monday, actually, I walked past by some older students, and they crucioed me."
"So," Her mother answered, "Did you crucio them back? Did you curse their families?"
"No... There was another student. I couldn't do such thing."
Her parents nodded disapprovingly.
"Anyway, their names are-"
"Oh please, Andromeda," Her mother started, "We don't really care. You could've taken care of it yourself, as a true Black!"
Andy looked at her feet. "I'm sorry."
"Now go back to your dorm."