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nest_of_spiders Day 5
Apr. 8th, 2007 12:21 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosie_ruesTitle: A Feast of Fools (5/14)
Wordcount: 1014
Date: 1972
Pairing: Ted/Andromeda (eventually)
Rating: PG (for language)
Prompt: photo of phone boxes (err, which obviously translates to Floo-related pranks
Disclaimer: If you recognise it from the books, it's not really mine to play with.
Notes: I finally gave in and accepted the official birthdates for the Black sisters. As a result, this contradicts other things I've written in the Rising Storm universe. So, er, bifurcated trousers of time, etc.
1 2 3 4 5
At noon, every fireplace in the castle began to sing, in swelling operatic tones. The flames swirled up, turning into flaming hawks which swooped around the ceilings, dripping sparks in their wake.
Andromeda, who was hiding in the Slytherin common room, took refuge under a table with her sister Narcissa, who was beating out the sparks in her pale pigtails.
“Are you okay?” Andromeda asked.
Narcissa sucked the end of her finger, nodding firmly. She had abandoned school robes in favour of a Harpies strip, though she had at least pinned them shut with her Quidditch Captain badge. After a moment she said, “No damage done. I hope they disappear before one. I've booked the pitch.”
“Halfway through the school day?” Andromeda protested. “You're supposed to be preparing for your OWLs!”
Narcissa gave her a blank stare, blue eyes wide and disbelieving. “But the Hufflepuff match is coming up, Meda, and Longbottom's better than people think. If we take this one, we don't have to rely on Ravenclaw thrashing Gryffindor next term. Don't you want to win again?”
“I want you to pass some exams too,” Andromeda snapped and stuck her head out. A whoosh of flame roared past and she ducked in again with a squeak.
Narcissa sniffed. “Really, Meda, I don't need OWLs to play professionally for a few years.”
“Odd as it may sound,” Andromeda said, eyeing her abandoned essay across the common room, “there is more to life than Quidditch.”
“Andromeda!”
“Well, there is,” she muttered as she heard the portrait hole click open.
“Where is everyone?” she heard Lucius say. “Fuck!”
“Down here!” Narcissa shouted, leaning out for a second.
Lucius came barrelling in, his robes smoking and his hair in disarray. Narcissa patted at his arms helpfully as he drew his legs up to fit safely under the desk. “What happened in here?”
“Someone's enchanted the fireplaces, one presumes,” Andromeda said.
“Have you tried to end the spell?”
She didn't even grace that with an answer.
“It's coming from beyond the fires,” Narcissa told him eagerly. “With the Floo network open-”
“Elegantly deduced,” he purred, smiling at her. “Can we speculate on the source?”
“Ravenclaw,” Andromeda said. “No one else would bother making the fires sing in harmony.”
“And they're probably trying to sabotage our chances against Hufflepuff!” Narcissa said frantically.
“What by stopping an illicit extra prac-” Andromeda started.
Lucius put his hand on Narcissa's shoulder, leaning forward to say, “Never fear. We will not be defeated by such underhand tactics. Get your team out and your sister and I will cover your retreat.”
“What?” Andromeda said.
Narcissa's face lit up. “Oh, thank you. At least somebody supports the team!”
Andromeda shut her mouth before she said something Bella-ish.
“On three, then,” Lucius murmured. “Cold water, I believe, Andromeda dear.”
For a moment she was tempted to leave him to it, but it wasn't quite worth the family spat. Sighing, she gripped her wand in readiness.
“One, two, and three!”
“Everybody out!” Narcissa shrieked, hurling herself up. “Quidditch team first!”
A firehawk came at her and Andromeda took aim, knocking it back with the force of the water shooting out of her wand. On the other side of the table, Lucius was using an overstuffed sofa for cover, grinning as he took aim. Andromeda dropped into a crouch of her own, aiming over the heads of her fleeing housemates.
By the time the last squealing firstie had tumbled out of the portrait hole, the flames were all out and the ceiling was dripping. Andromeda picked her way across the room to her abandoned essay, only to discover that it was both singed and sodden. Even Binns would object if she tried to hand it in now.
Irritated, she turned back to face Lucius, folding her arms. He was leaning against the wall beside the portrait hole, fussing with his hair.
“My younger sister,” she said mildly.
Lucius lifted an eyebrow at her and went back to brushing ashes off his sleeve.
“Who will be seventeen in November,” Andromeda added.
“Will she?” Lucius said, not meeting her eye.
“Lucius,” she said softly. “This could resolve our dilemma. All our parents desire is to mix our bloodlines. They can have no objection.”
He looked up sharply, and she saw the flicker as he abandoned his pretence. “What does your sister dream of doing after Hogwarts.”
“Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies,” Andromeda said, flicking her hand dismissively.
“Until the end of my second year,” Lucius said, still looking at the air above her head, “I wanted nothing more to be a curse breaker for Gringotts. Let Narcissa keep her dream a little longer.”
“You risk too much. If you marry me, that will end it. Narcissa is ferocious in her loyalties.”
His smile twisted up, distorting his face. “I know. Andromeda, I cannot risk offending your family. If you wish to end this quickly, the scandal must be entirely of your own making. Otherwise, give me time.”
“How long?” she asked, feeling her fists tighten behind her robes. She loved her sisters, despite every slight and quarrel. Narcissa, though she would deny it, was still little more than a child, innocent of the cold politics her family played. If the price for her own freedom was her sister's dreams, she did not know if she would be able to choose.
“Until Narcissa looks at me and sees more than her Reserve Keeper.”
Andromeda closed her eyes. All she had ever anticipated was a few more months of freedom. She had long since put aside any wilder dreams. She could not change the blood in her veins. She would always be a Black, whatever befell her, and she would not wish for anything that would shame her name.
So, for her family, she would put her dreams aside.
She nodded.
A few moments later, she felt the brush of a chaste kiss against her cheek, and Lucius murmured, “Thank you.”
Even after the portrait hole clicked shut behind him, Andromeda did not open her eyes.
Wordcount: 1014
Date: 1972
Pairing: Ted/Andromeda (eventually)
Rating: PG (for language)
Prompt: photo of phone boxes (err, which obviously translates to Floo-related pranks
Disclaimer: If you recognise it from the books, it's not really mine to play with.
Notes: I finally gave in and accepted the official birthdates for the Black sisters. As a result, this contradicts other things I've written in the Rising Storm universe. So, er, bifurcated trousers of time, etc.
At noon, every fireplace in the castle began to sing, in swelling operatic tones. The flames swirled up, turning into flaming hawks which swooped around the ceilings, dripping sparks in their wake.
Andromeda, who was hiding in the Slytherin common room, took refuge under a table with her sister Narcissa, who was beating out the sparks in her pale pigtails.
“Are you okay?” Andromeda asked.
Narcissa sucked the end of her finger, nodding firmly. She had abandoned school robes in favour of a Harpies strip, though she had at least pinned them shut with her Quidditch Captain badge. After a moment she said, “No damage done. I hope they disappear before one. I've booked the pitch.”
“Halfway through the school day?” Andromeda protested. “You're supposed to be preparing for your OWLs!”
Narcissa gave her a blank stare, blue eyes wide and disbelieving. “But the Hufflepuff match is coming up, Meda, and Longbottom's better than people think. If we take this one, we don't have to rely on Ravenclaw thrashing Gryffindor next term. Don't you want to win again?”
“I want you to pass some exams too,” Andromeda snapped and stuck her head out. A whoosh of flame roared past and she ducked in again with a squeak.
Narcissa sniffed. “Really, Meda, I don't need OWLs to play professionally for a few years.”
“Odd as it may sound,” Andromeda said, eyeing her abandoned essay across the common room, “there is more to life than Quidditch.”
“Andromeda!”
“Well, there is,” she muttered as she heard the portrait hole click open.
“Where is everyone?” she heard Lucius say. “Fuck!”
“Down here!” Narcissa shouted, leaning out for a second.
Lucius came barrelling in, his robes smoking and his hair in disarray. Narcissa patted at his arms helpfully as he drew his legs up to fit safely under the desk. “What happened in here?”
“Someone's enchanted the fireplaces, one presumes,” Andromeda said.
“Have you tried to end the spell?”
She didn't even grace that with an answer.
“It's coming from beyond the fires,” Narcissa told him eagerly. “With the Floo network open-”
“Elegantly deduced,” he purred, smiling at her. “Can we speculate on the source?”
“Ravenclaw,” Andromeda said. “No one else would bother making the fires sing in harmony.”
“And they're probably trying to sabotage our chances against Hufflepuff!” Narcissa said frantically.
“What by stopping an illicit extra prac-” Andromeda started.
Lucius put his hand on Narcissa's shoulder, leaning forward to say, “Never fear. We will not be defeated by such underhand tactics. Get your team out and your sister and I will cover your retreat.”
“What?” Andromeda said.
Narcissa's face lit up. “Oh, thank you. At least somebody supports the team!”
Andromeda shut her mouth before she said something Bella-ish.
“On three, then,” Lucius murmured. “Cold water, I believe, Andromeda dear.”
For a moment she was tempted to leave him to it, but it wasn't quite worth the family spat. Sighing, she gripped her wand in readiness.
“One, two, and three!”
“Everybody out!” Narcissa shrieked, hurling herself up. “Quidditch team first!”
A firehawk came at her and Andromeda took aim, knocking it back with the force of the water shooting out of her wand. On the other side of the table, Lucius was using an overstuffed sofa for cover, grinning as he took aim. Andromeda dropped into a crouch of her own, aiming over the heads of her fleeing housemates.
By the time the last squealing firstie had tumbled out of the portrait hole, the flames were all out and the ceiling was dripping. Andromeda picked her way across the room to her abandoned essay, only to discover that it was both singed and sodden. Even Binns would object if she tried to hand it in now.
Irritated, she turned back to face Lucius, folding her arms. He was leaning against the wall beside the portrait hole, fussing with his hair.
“My younger sister,” she said mildly.
Lucius lifted an eyebrow at her and went back to brushing ashes off his sleeve.
“Who will be seventeen in November,” Andromeda added.
“Will she?” Lucius said, not meeting her eye.
“Lucius,” she said softly. “This could resolve our dilemma. All our parents desire is to mix our bloodlines. They can have no objection.”
He looked up sharply, and she saw the flicker as he abandoned his pretence. “What does your sister dream of doing after Hogwarts.”
“Seeker for the Holyhead Harpies,” Andromeda said, flicking her hand dismissively.
“Until the end of my second year,” Lucius said, still looking at the air above her head, “I wanted nothing more to be a curse breaker for Gringotts. Let Narcissa keep her dream a little longer.”
“You risk too much. If you marry me, that will end it. Narcissa is ferocious in her loyalties.”
His smile twisted up, distorting his face. “I know. Andromeda, I cannot risk offending your family. If you wish to end this quickly, the scandal must be entirely of your own making. Otherwise, give me time.”
“How long?” she asked, feeling her fists tighten behind her robes. She loved her sisters, despite every slight and quarrel. Narcissa, though she would deny it, was still little more than a child, innocent of the cold politics her family played. If the price for her own freedom was her sister's dreams, she did not know if she would be able to choose.
“Until Narcissa looks at me and sees more than her Reserve Keeper.”
Andromeda closed her eyes. All she had ever anticipated was a few more months of freedom. She had long since put aside any wilder dreams. She could not change the blood in her veins. She would always be a Black, whatever befell her, and she would not wish for anything that would shame her name.
So, for her family, she would put her dreams aside.
She nodded.
A few moments later, she felt the brush of a chaste kiss against her cheek, and Lucius murmured, “Thank you.”
Even after the portrait hole clicked shut behind him, Andromeda did not open her eyes.
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no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 12:38 am (UTC)also, supremely entertained by the idea of Narcissa as a professional Quidditch player.
I was somewhat confused with the age thing, because . . . OWLS are 5th year, and how is she 17 in 5th year, but then it occurred to me that she would have been held back a year, with a November birthday. But that still leaves her sort of a year off. But that's just a tiny quibble, really!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 10:57 am (UTC)I've always written Narcissa as Quidditch mad, so I thought it would be fun to focus on that. She can't have been born elegant.
This is April of her fifth year and she's sixteen. She'll turn seventeen in the November of her sixth year, hence Lucius' murmurings in an earlier bit about her not coming of age until the autumn.
Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 01:38 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 01:55 am (UTC)Unrelately, I'm really enjoying Lucius's speaking style. He's so overblown.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 11:15 am (UTC)I love writing long-winded characters. Lucius is the epitome of lucidity compared to my original characters (I've somehow ended up writing about a society where verbosity is a sign of maturity).
Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 04:26 am (UTC)Enjoyed!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 11:18 am (UTC)Slytherins are so fascinating to write, bless them.
Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 09:55 am (UTC)Enjoyed as usual =)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 11:20 am (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 06:04 pm (UTC)I love Lucius and Narcissa, and Lucius not wanting to crush Narcissa's dreams. Also Andromeda, when Lucius volunteers her for quenching duty, having to try and avoid acting like Bella.
And poor Andromeda, who can't expect anything, because she knows that any dreams won't happen, unless they're of becoming a society matron.
I love this story!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 06:52 pm (UTC)I find myself liking this Lucius more and more. I guess they were all young once.
I like trying to write characters who have been brought up to put others first and who just get on with it instead of simpering and moping. Pureblood family dynamics are so poisonous.
Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 06:36 pm (UTC)I really like here the sense of the world pressing in on Andromeda from all sides, unrelentingly. Love watching it build.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 06:55 pm (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-08 11:57 pm (UTC)Lucius is well, beautiful. And considering I hate him in cannon I find it a bit scary that you can make me feel for the guy.
Plot ideas are beautiful and original doll, you've managed to create a beautiful setting.
Wonderful keep writing.
:-)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:16 pm (UTC)Thanks. I do enjoy trying to get a bit of plot into fics.
Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 04:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:20 pm (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-09 06:11 pm (UTC)This is really very interesting. I'm enjoying watching things unfold.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:36 pm (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)