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nest_of_spiders Day 7
Apr. 10th, 2007 06:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rosie_ruesTitle: A Feast of Fools (7/14)
Wordcount: 1208
Date: 1972
Pairing: Ted/Andromeda
Rating: PG (for language)
Prompt: 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
From Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Disclaimer: If you recognise it from the books, it's not really mine to play with.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
“...so McGonagall's spitting kittens and we're all to keep our ears and eyes open,” Tonks finished. “Andromeda and I have been discussing what else we can do, but I'm afraid the main burden is going to fall on you folks.”
Andromeda cleared her throat, aware that some of the other prefects were eyeing her thoughtfully. She and Tonks divided their duties efficiently, but they didn't generally work together. She tapped her wand on the pile of paper in front of her and watched the pages fly out around the table to settle before each of the others.
“The staff have agreed to take over evening and late patrols,” she said. “In return, they've requested that we patrol during school hours. They'll be encouraging students to attend more lessons.”
“But we miss all of ours?” Dearborn, one of the Ravenclaw prefects, yelped. “Can't Dumbledore just reinstate the rules?”
“You'd think so,” Tonks said sourly. His arm was still bandaged. “He refuses.”
“Why?” wailed Daffyd Powell. “Does he want us all to get murdered in the corridors!”
“One suspects he is making a point,” murmured Lucius, scanning his schedule. “In his usual charmless style.”
“And you won't get murdered,” Andromeda said firmly, shooting Lucius a quelling glare. “Carry Floo powder. Getting Tonks up to the infirmary fast made all the difference last night.”
“That and the fact Black here kept her head,” Alice broke in.
“Ah, the pack are loyal to their leader,” Lucius breathed. Andromeda glared at him again and stretched out carefully until she could kick him hard in the shin. She shook back the twitch of discomfort at the way everyone was staring at her and said, “Right. Any other business?”
“Quidditch!” Narcissa said, shooting to her feet. “Quidditch!”
Andromeda blinked at her. That was taking the family tendency towards obsession a little far. “Quidditch?” she echoed.
Dearborn cleared his throat. “Dumbledore's postponed the Slytherin-Ravenclaw match. He's also, ah, suggested that no more than three members of any house may use the pitch at any one time.”
“Suggested?” Tonks asked, propping his bandaged arm on the table with a faint wince.
“The fourth person rapidly finds themselves flying away from the pitch,” Dearborn said. “It's a disaster, Ted. We can't practice at all.”
“He's gone insane!” Narcissa hissed. “Doesn't he understand how important this is!”
“More important than people trying to murder the Head Boy?” Andromeda asked before she could stop herself.
Narcissa turned a tragic face towards her. “You don't understand.”
“Charming,” Tonks said with a chuckle. “Can't you practice three at a time?”
“No!” Narcissa and Dearborn said in chorus and then eyed each other warily.
“Scratch teams?” Alice suggested. “Mix and match. Put together a mini tournament this week and at least everyone will have had some proper practice.”
“No!” Narcissa said, but Dearborn was frowning thoughtfully.
“Actually,” he said, “that's not such a bad idea.”
“It's a terrible idea!”
He smirked faintly. “You turning down the chance to see some other team's players in action?”
Narcissa hesitated. Then she smiled slowly.
Lucius cleared his throat. “A suggestion?”
“Go ahead,” Andromeda told him.
“Why restrict yourself to four teams? Bring in some of your reserves and next year's hopefuls. A match situation has to be better than the usual trials.”
Narcissa's eyes widened. “Oh. You're wonderful.”
For a second, Lucius' smile was honest. Then it curled into a smirk and he sat back, murmuring, “Of course.”
“Right,” Andromeda said, before anyone could start speculating. “Anything else? No. In that case, the meeting is closed and we have patrols to make.”
The younger prefects left in a rush, babbling about Quidditch and patrols. Frank and Alice went to speak to Tonks. Andromeda took a moment to lean in towards Lucius and murmur, “If you keep flirting with my sister in public, we'll never manage this.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Forgive me. I was under the impression you were setting that useful scandal in motion.”
“What?” she asked blankly.
He tipped his head towards Tonks.
“Are you out of your mind!” she snapped and didn't realise that her voice had risen until the others swung to stare at her. She turned her back on them and said more softly, “A good deed is a good deed. No more.”
Lucius rose to his feet with an amused smile. “I wasn't talking about your deeds, my dear.” He dipped his head to the others and swept out.
Andromeda stared after him, baffled.
“Lover's spat?” Tonks asked mildly.
“No!” she said, jerking round to face him.
“So you're not engaged to him?”
She shrugged. “That's not personal. Great Merlin, is it round the whole school?”
“Pretty much,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “How is a marriage not personal?”
She looked around for help, but Alice was already pulling Frank out the door. Frank shrugged at her apologetically, but didn't hesitate. Andromeda sighed and perched on the desk beside Tonks.
“There were Muggle rulers called the Hapsburgs. They employed a great many wizards,” she started.
“Holy Roman Empire,” he said. “Married into every royal family in Europe.”
She hadn't really expected him to know that. “A Gryffindor who reads?”
He grinned at her. “Read? Why would I want to do that when I could just run around and blow things up? One of my sisters is reading History. She's up at Newnham.”
The note of pride in his voice sidetracked her. “You have sisters?”
“Four of them. I'm the youngest.” He grinned at her. “Only wizard in the set as well.”
She shook her head wonderingly. “That must be strange.”
“Denise has her books and I've got spells. We get by.”
“Right,” she said. “Did your sister ever mention Charles II of Spain?”
“Bloke who was too inbred to close his mouth?”
“That's the one,” she said drily. “Nothing a good mediwizard couldn't fix, but inbreeding brings other problems.”
“I have met your older sister.”
She shot him her coldest, cruellest stare. He laughed.
“Blood is magic,” she said coolly. “The oldest sort of magic. We arrange marriages firstly to preserve the blood without creating monsters and secondly for the good of our society. It isn't personal.”
“And love plays no part?”
“Sentimental,” she said. “There are too few of us left to have romantic notions.”
He caught her hand. “You're worth more than a breeding mare, Andromeda.”
Oh, hell. Maybe Lucius had had a point. She should cut this off now, before Tonks got any idiotic notions.
Instead she turned and looked out of the window. The wind was strong, pressing fat clouds over the lake like sailing barges. She would miss this view so much when she was gone. The view from Malfoy Manor was pretty, she was sure, but she would miss the gravity of the mountains.
Tonks' hand tightened on hers. “Andromeda. What about your own dreams?”
She tore herself away from the view and shook her head. “I'd be a fool to have any.”
“A fool not to,” he said. “And don't say a word about house differences. You have a right to make your own choices.”
She sighed and pulled her hand away. “And I will choose to do my duty. On your feet, Tonks. Our patrols won't wait.”
Wordcount: 1208
Date: 1972
Pairing: Ted/Andromeda
Rating: PG (for language)
Prompt: 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world.
Push off, and sitting well in order smite
The sounding furrows; for my purpose holds
To sail beyond the sunset, and the baths
Of all the western stars, until I die.
From Ulysses by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Disclaimer: If you recognise it from the books, it's not really mine to play with.
“...so McGonagall's spitting kittens and we're all to keep our ears and eyes open,” Tonks finished. “Andromeda and I have been discussing what else we can do, but I'm afraid the main burden is going to fall on you folks.”
Andromeda cleared her throat, aware that some of the other prefects were eyeing her thoughtfully. She and Tonks divided their duties efficiently, but they didn't generally work together. She tapped her wand on the pile of paper in front of her and watched the pages fly out around the table to settle before each of the others.
“The staff have agreed to take over evening and late patrols,” she said. “In return, they've requested that we patrol during school hours. They'll be encouraging students to attend more lessons.”
“But we miss all of ours?” Dearborn, one of the Ravenclaw prefects, yelped. “Can't Dumbledore just reinstate the rules?”
“You'd think so,” Tonks said sourly. His arm was still bandaged. “He refuses.”
“Why?” wailed Daffyd Powell. “Does he want us all to get murdered in the corridors!”
“One suspects he is making a point,” murmured Lucius, scanning his schedule. “In his usual charmless style.”
“And you won't get murdered,” Andromeda said firmly, shooting Lucius a quelling glare. “Carry Floo powder. Getting Tonks up to the infirmary fast made all the difference last night.”
“That and the fact Black here kept her head,” Alice broke in.
“Ah, the pack are loyal to their leader,” Lucius breathed. Andromeda glared at him again and stretched out carefully until she could kick him hard in the shin. She shook back the twitch of discomfort at the way everyone was staring at her and said, “Right. Any other business?”
“Quidditch!” Narcissa said, shooting to her feet. “Quidditch!”
Andromeda blinked at her. That was taking the family tendency towards obsession a little far. “Quidditch?” she echoed.
Dearborn cleared his throat. “Dumbledore's postponed the Slytherin-Ravenclaw match. He's also, ah, suggested that no more than three members of any house may use the pitch at any one time.”
“Suggested?” Tonks asked, propping his bandaged arm on the table with a faint wince.
“The fourth person rapidly finds themselves flying away from the pitch,” Dearborn said. “It's a disaster, Ted. We can't practice at all.”
“He's gone insane!” Narcissa hissed. “Doesn't he understand how important this is!”
“More important than people trying to murder the Head Boy?” Andromeda asked before she could stop herself.
Narcissa turned a tragic face towards her. “You don't understand.”
“Charming,” Tonks said with a chuckle. “Can't you practice three at a time?”
“No!” Narcissa and Dearborn said in chorus and then eyed each other warily.
“Scratch teams?” Alice suggested. “Mix and match. Put together a mini tournament this week and at least everyone will have had some proper practice.”
“No!” Narcissa said, but Dearborn was frowning thoughtfully.
“Actually,” he said, “that's not such a bad idea.”
“It's a terrible idea!”
He smirked faintly. “You turning down the chance to see some other team's players in action?”
Narcissa hesitated. Then she smiled slowly.
Lucius cleared his throat. “A suggestion?”
“Go ahead,” Andromeda told him.
“Why restrict yourself to four teams? Bring in some of your reserves and next year's hopefuls. A match situation has to be better than the usual trials.”
Narcissa's eyes widened. “Oh. You're wonderful.”
For a second, Lucius' smile was honest. Then it curled into a smirk and he sat back, murmuring, “Of course.”
“Right,” Andromeda said, before anyone could start speculating. “Anything else? No. In that case, the meeting is closed and we have patrols to make.”
The younger prefects left in a rush, babbling about Quidditch and patrols. Frank and Alice went to speak to Tonks. Andromeda took a moment to lean in towards Lucius and murmur, “If you keep flirting with my sister in public, we'll never manage this.”
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Forgive me. I was under the impression you were setting that useful scandal in motion.”
“What?” she asked blankly.
He tipped his head towards Tonks.
“Are you out of your mind!” she snapped and didn't realise that her voice had risen until the others swung to stare at her. She turned her back on them and said more softly, “A good deed is a good deed. No more.”
Lucius rose to his feet with an amused smile. “I wasn't talking about your deeds, my dear.” He dipped his head to the others and swept out.
Andromeda stared after him, baffled.
“Lover's spat?” Tonks asked mildly.
“No!” she said, jerking round to face him.
“So you're not engaged to him?”
She shrugged. “That's not personal. Great Merlin, is it round the whole school?”
“Pretty much,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “How is a marriage not personal?”
She looked around for help, but Alice was already pulling Frank out the door. Frank shrugged at her apologetically, but didn't hesitate. Andromeda sighed and perched on the desk beside Tonks.
“There were Muggle rulers called the Hapsburgs. They employed a great many wizards,” she started.
“Holy Roman Empire,” he said. “Married into every royal family in Europe.”
She hadn't really expected him to know that. “A Gryffindor who reads?”
He grinned at her. “Read? Why would I want to do that when I could just run around and blow things up? One of my sisters is reading History. She's up at Newnham.”
The note of pride in his voice sidetracked her. “You have sisters?”
“Four of them. I'm the youngest.” He grinned at her. “Only wizard in the set as well.”
She shook her head wonderingly. “That must be strange.”
“Denise has her books and I've got spells. We get by.”
“Right,” she said. “Did your sister ever mention Charles II of Spain?”
“Bloke who was too inbred to close his mouth?”
“That's the one,” she said drily. “Nothing a good mediwizard couldn't fix, but inbreeding brings other problems.”
“I have met your older sister.”
She shot him her coldest, cruellest stare. He laughed.
“Blood is magic,” she said coolly. “The oldest sort of magic. We arrange marriages firstly to preserve the blood without creating monsters and secondly for the good of our society. It isn't personal.”
“And love plays no part?”
“Sentimental,” she said. “There are too few of us left to have romantic notions.”
He caught her hand. “You're worth more than a breeding mare, Andromeda.”
Oh, hell. Maybe Lucius had had a point. She should cut this off now, before Tonks got any idiotic notions.
Instead she turned and looked out of the window. The wind was strong, pressing fat clouds over the lake like sailing barges. She would miss this view so much when she was gone. The view from Malfoy Manor was pretty, she was sure, but she would miss the gravity of the mountains.
Tonks' hand tightened on hers. “Andromeda. What about your own dreams?”
She tore herself away from the view and shook her head. “I'd be a fool to have any.”
“A fool not to,” he said. “And don't say a word about house differences. You have a right to make your own choices.”
She sighed and pulled her hand away. “And I will choose to do my duty. On your feet, Tonks. Our patrols won't wait.”
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 06:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:52 pm (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 06:12 pm (UTC)Also Ted talking about his sister, and The Hapsburgs!
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:53 pm (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:15 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 07:56 pm (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
I am so procrastinating
Date: 2007-04-14 01:06 am (UTC)Tangentially -- this helps explain why Sirius could be mistrusted badly enough not to have a trial -- if no one in authority could ever really shake the idea that, as a Black, his motives (or his ultimate loyalties) are intrinsically inscrutable, because he was just born to play on a different stage.
And it's just so amusing to turn this around so that Narcissa can be measured about politics because it's just not as important as Quidditch. Lucius so totally bought Narcissa a professional Quidditch team as a wedding present. Now I'm imagining crackfic about team owner!Narcissa -- and I bet the Malfoys have really interesting World Cup parties.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-10 10:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 10:14 am (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 02:35 am (UTC)I take it he means Ted, or Andromeda, or both? If he means either of the first two, what a bizarre belief! Not out of character, especially given the cattiness; just not particularly descriptive of the pair of them, who manage their equality very well. I would kick his shin, too.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Forgive me. I was under the impression you were setting that useful scandal in motion.”
Heh. I take it Andromeda's attempt to maintain complete self-sufficiency in the face of unavoidable support from someone she can't keep herself from trusting during a time of need has been working about as well as it should.
(How's that for verbose?)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 10:16 am (UTC)Catty is the word.
*chuckles* I think that just about sums it up. Poor Andromeda.
Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 12:05 pm (UTC)I would feel sorrier for Andromeda if I didn't know the ending! As it is, I'm just enjoying watching her squirm.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 04:42 am (UTC)Ha hah! I'd been wondering how McGonagall was reacting to all this mayhem. I had figured she'd either taken a leave of absence or barricaded herself in Gryffindor Tower until the madness stopped. But I suppose an assault on her head boy and prefect was enough to get her to speak out...
...she would miss the gravity of the mountains.
Oh, that line struck a chord - I grew up in the mountains, but am currently living on the other side of the country from them. It's amazing the effect they have on your mental state - I miss them terribly.
Thank you so much for having Andromeda actually believe in the "blood is magic" stuff. You're very good at rejecting fanon assumptions about characters (Andromeda, Alice, Narcissa, Peter, and others) - you do it to make better characters, not to be contrary.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 10:27 am (UTC)In the autumn I moved back home after two years in East Anglia which is completely flat. I spent the first few weeks back here getting teary-eyed every time I climbed a hill. I missed my hills so much it hurt.
I always get crotchety when I see an Andromeda who just blithely dismisses blood prejudice. It's hard to throw off your upbringing.
Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-30 01:52 pm (UTC)This was terrific. I shall now have to go back and read them all in order.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 06:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 10:37 am (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 08:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 10:44 am (UTC)Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 12:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 09:05 pm (UTC)Thanks :) I'm terribly fond of Andromeda.
Thanks for the comment :)
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 07:45 pm (UTC)I love the emotions in this piece and how it seems like a catalyst of sorts. Narcissa and Dearborn agreeing is definately a plus as well.
I hope you don't mind me friending you, it's just easier to stay updated that way.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-11 09:25 pm (UTC)This is the halfway point, so I wanted to push their emotions a bit further.
Narcissa and Dearborn was a fun coincidence. I've made a list of all the canon characters and all my OCs who would be in the school during this era, and they both happened to be the right age to be prefects and Quidditch captains.
Welcome along ^_^
no subject
Date: 2007-05-18 10:31 pm (UTC)Sorg.
no subject
Date: 2007-07-23 01:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-09-06 02:36 pm (UTC)