5 drabbles: A Family Scandal (Black family rarepairs, Andromeda/Ted, PG)
500 words. A look at the family tree would probably be helpful. :)
Andromeda Black has left her family, but what do they think about that?
A Family Scandal
i. Prophetic
"Your bloody daughter--" CRASH! "--will find herself--" SMASH! "--stonewalled--" BANG-BANG-HISSSS! "--at every turn!" BOOOOM! "Mudblood-loving traitor! OUT, you damned failures! GET OUT!!"
A final crash, a sob from Druella, and two pops of Disapparation.
Slowly, Orion set down his brandy and turned around.
His wife was pacing before the tapestry. "Feeble, blighted," she muttered feverishly. "Weak blood. We fall into the darkness, forgotten. Toujours..."
She whirled, a tremble in her spindly limbs, before collapsing into a heap of dark silk. As he knelt beside her, her eyes flew open, wide and raging and unseeing.
ii. Grapevine
"Did you hear?" Callidora called, flicking her wand to juice the next set of lemons. "Pollux's granddaughter left the family."
"Mm, that so..." Harfang waved vaguely, then said in a rush, "Oh, my darling, our conference will be in Vienna next fall! Shall you accompany me?"
Smothering a laugh, Callidora nodded and turned back to her cooking. Harfang got so absorbed in the Journal of Magical Ethics that it was best to leave him to finish it. Meanwhile, there was lemonade to make, lime meringues to top, and an energetic grandson to cuddle in the sunshine.
Her news could wait.
iii. Parallels
"Merlin's lacy knickers! Timmy, this is priceless!"
Septimus glanced up at Cedrella's hoots of delight, muted by the roaring waterfall. "A holiday in Wales without work, Ellie!" he shouted. "You--"
"It's from Callie," interrupted Cedrella. She clambered along the rocks and fell to the ground beside him. "Cousin Pollux's granddaughter, Andromeda, has fled the fold."
"Sensible girl, I like her already."
"She loves a Muggle-born. Oh, we should owl her," said Cedrella impulsively, curling against Septimus' side. "Alphie's gallivanting through Peru, so she's completely without allies, poor thing!"
"Well, with Arthur gone, we do have extra room," Septimus observed.
iv. Carefree
"'...thought you'd like to know! Love, Ellie.' Hmph. Bloody cousins," Alphard grumbled. "Is that all?" Sniffing, he threw the PortCouriered letter onto the fire.
"It is your family?" Tutayan's voice slid through the velvety jungle darkness, and then, suddenly, she was sitting right next to him.
"Sí," he replied. "My-- Er, mi sobrina. Ella, eh, se ejecuta lejos. No, ella se... Um--"
"Your Spanish!" she laughed quietly. "Malo. Use English, yes?"
Her dragon-scale necklace glimmered copper, and he noticed her skin had a similar brightness. Alphard smiled. "Yes," he murmured, wondering if she'd respond to the famous Black charm.
v. Home
At his parents' flat in Southwark, he watches the girl sleeping by his side. Fingers curling through her dark hair, tracing the curve of her cheek, he can't stop thinking how totally fucking lucky he is.
A conjured camp bed in his sister's room, though... Not good enough. He wants to give Andromeda a home that's theirs. Seventeen, and he knows this.
(She slips into his room at night, curls against his side, whispers, I love you, Ted Tonks.)
Andromeda hasn't said why she left, but he figures, hell, this is just the beginning.
They have time.
----
Notes
*grin* I did say the family tree would be helpful...
Thank you,
seaislewitch, for helping me out with some of these! They're definitely better drabbles for it.
This series was written for the July '08 Wizards of Summer drabble challenge over at
romancingwizard. I've given each prompt in the individual notes below.
Prophetic (prompt: "peril") - The people who Disapparated are Andromeda's parents, Cygnus and Druella Black. You may have recognized the crazy screaming lady as Sirius's mother, Walburga Black. ;)
Grapevine (prompt: "lemons and limes") - Callidora (Black) Longbottom is first cousin to Pollux Black, and therefore Andromeda's first cousin twice removed.
Parallels (prompt: "hiking") - Cedrella is Callidora's sister, and therefore also Andromeda's first cousin twice removed. She was blasted off the Black family tree for marrying Septimus Weasley. "Alphie" is Alphard Black, who is Cedrella's first cousin once removed and Andromeda's "Uncle Alphard." Septimus and Cedrella's middle son is none other than Arthur Weasley, who is the proud father of seven-month-old Bill at this time.
Carefree (prompt: "Peruvian Vipertooth") - Hm, copious notes for this one. Let's do bullet points:
----
July 25-30, 2008
romancingwizard: i. Prophetic | ii. Grapevine | iii. Parallels | iv. Carefree | v. Peace
Andromeda Black has left her family, but what do they think about that?
A Family Scandal
i. Prophetic
"Your bloody daughter--" CRASH! "--will find herself--" SMASH! "--stonewalled--" BANG-BANG-HISSSS! "--at every turn!" BOOOOM! "Mudblood-loving traitor! OUT, you damned failures! GET OUT!!"
A final crash, a sob from Druella, and two pops of Disapparation.
Slowly, Orion set down his brandy and turned around.
His wife was pacing before the tapestry. "Feeble, blighted," she muttered feverishly. "Weak blood. We fall into the darkness, forgotten. Toujours..."
She whirled, a tremble in her spindly limbs, before collapsing into a heap of dark silk. As he knelt beside her, her eyes flew open, wide and raging and unseeing.
ii. Grapevine
"Did you hear?" Callidora called, flicking her wand to juice the next set of lemons. "Pollux's granddaughter left the family."
"Mm, that so..." Harfang waved vaguely, then said in a rush, "Oh, my darling, our conference will be in Vienna next fall! Shall you accompany me?"
Smothering a laugh, Callidora nodded and turned back to her cooking. Harfang got so absorbed in the Journal of Magical Ethics that it was best to leave him to finish it. Meanwhile, there was lemonade to make, lime meringues to top, and an energetic grandson to cuddle in the sunshine.
Her news could wait.
iii. Parallels
"Merlin's lacy knickers! Timmy, this is priceless!"
Septimus glanced up at Cedrella's hoots of delight, muted by the roaring waterfall. "A holiday in Wales without work, Ellie!" he shouted. "You--"
"It's from Callie," interrupted Cedrella. She clambered along the rocks and fell to the ground beside him. "Cousin Pollux's granddaughter, Andromeda, has fled the fold."
"Sensible girl, I like her already."
"She loves a Muggle-born. Oh, we should owl her," said Cedrella impulsively, curling against Septimus' side. "Alphie's gallivanting through Peru, so she's completely without allies, poor thing!"
"Well, with Arthur gone, we do have extra room," Septimus observed.
iv. Carefree
"'...thought you'd like to know! Love, Ellie.' Hmph. Bloody cousins," Alphard grumbled. "Is that all?" Sniffing, he threw the PortCouriered letter onto the fire.
"It is your family?" Tutayan's voice slid through the velvety jungle darkness, and then, suddenly, she was sitting right next to him.
"Sí," he replied. "My-- Er, mi sobrina. Ella, eh, se ejecuta lejos. No, ella se... Um--"
"Your Spanish!" she laughed quietly. "Malo. Use English, yes?"
Her dragon-scale necklace glimmered copper, and he noticed her skin had a similar brightness. Alphard smiled. "Yes," he murmured, wondering if she'd respond to the famous Black charm.
v. Home
At his parents' flat in Southwark, he watches the girl sleeping by his side. Fingers curling through her dark hair, tracing the curve of her cheek, he can't stop thinking how totally fucking lucky he is.
A conjured camp bed in his sister's room, though... Not good enough. He wants to give Andromeda a home that's theirs. Seventeen, and he knows this.
(She slips into his room at night, curls against his side, whispers, I love you, Ted Tonks.)
Andromeda hasn't said why she left, but he figures, hell, this is just the beginning.
They have time.
----
Notes
*grin* I did say the family tree would be helpful...
Thank you,
seaislewitch, for helping me out with some of these! They're definitely better drabbles for it.
This series was written for the July '08 Wizards of Summer drabble challenge over at
romancingwizard. I've given each prompt in the individual notes below.
Prophetic (prompt: "peril") - The people who Disapparated are Andromeda's parents, Cygnus and Druella Black. You may have recognized the crazy screaming lady as Sirius's mother, Walburga Black. ;)
Grapevine (prompt: "lemons and limes") - Callidora (Black) Longbottom is first cousin to Pollux Black, and therefore Andromeda's first cousin twice removed.
Parallels (prompt: "hiking") - Cedrella is Callidora's sister, and therefore also Andromeda's first cousin twice removed. She was blasted off the Black family tree for marrying Septimus Weasley. "Alphie" is Alphard Black, who is Cedrella's first cousin once removed and Andromeda's "Uncle Alphard." Septimus and Cedrella's middle son is none other than Arthur Weasley, who is the proud father of seven-month-old Bill at this time.
Carefree (prompt: "Peruvian Vipertooth") - Hm, copious notes for this one. Let's do bullet points:
- I made up the PortCouriers: a successful wizarding business that hand-delivers important messages all over the world by using Portkeys and Apparation. Slightly pricey, but safer than owls, if you're worried about your message.)
- "Tutayan" is Quechuan; it means (from what I can tell, via translator) "to grow dark." Quechua is an indigenous language spoken by about 10 million people in South America.
- The copper-colored dragon scales are, of course, from a Peruvian Vipertooth.
- And, if you've made it this far in the author's notes ;), I do not care for my title and am completely open to suggestions!
- Translations
- "Yes, er, my niece. She, eh, she runs away. No, she... Um--"
- "Your Spanish! Bad. Use English, yes?"
----
July 25-30, 2008
romancingwizard: i. Prophetic | ii. Grapevine | iii. Parallels | iv. Carefree | v. Peace