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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 20, 2008 23:31:33 GMT -5
(Note: For the next week or so, Andi won't be leaving her apartment. Anyone who wants to talk to her after the drinking thread will have to do it in here.)
Waking up with a hangover was one of the worst things in the world. But waking up with a hangover and a broken heart was even worse. Her limbs were heavy and sore; it hurt just to lift them. Her head was pounding, and even the slightest movement made everything swim before her eyes. Her stomach felt queasy still, and she still felt perilously close to throwing up. But worst of all was the empty, hollow sensation where her heart used to be.
She made up her mind early on that she wasn't getting out of bed at all today. It was Saturday; there was no reason to go anywhere. She could lie in bed and wallow. The ironic thing was that if one of her friends tried to do this, she would have yelled at them. No man is worth wallowing in self-pity, if he doesn't want you, it's his loss... Those were all pretty words and very easy to say to someone else. But when it was happening to you... it was an entirely different story. She wanted the comfort of her bed, her apartment. She wanted to snuggle up to the one male in her life that would never turn against her, Agamemnon. The cat was currently curled up at her side, purring deeply, and she freed one of her hands from under the covers so she could pet him. There were few things more comforting than a purring cat curled up against you.
But after a while, a persistent tapping at her window shook her from her comfortable cocoon. It was 6 am, and it was time for her Daily Prophet delivery. Cursing aloud, Andi kicked her way out of the blankets, disrupting Agamemnon. The indignant cat let out a screech and jumped down, then left the room.
Andi was not the slightest bit interested in the Daily Prophet that morning. But if she didn't get the owl, it would be tapping all day. So she walked stiffly over to the window and let the owl in. After she had removed the paper and dropped a coin in the pouch, she sent the bird back on its way and glanced disinterestedly at the paper on the way back to bed. Imagine her surprise when she saw her own face smiling back at her. "Black Day for Andromeda, page 3" read the teaser on the front page. Oh, Merlin. She was going to be sick.
As she reached the bed and sat down, she opened the paper with a feeling of dread. This feeling increased at the headline: "Auror Gone Bad: Tonks Turns Rogue."
Even the sight of his name hurt. The picture underneath the headline was doubly painful, showing Ted, with the little-boy smile that she loved so much. She felt like she'd been punched in the gut. Tears sprang to her eyes, first in sadness at her loss. But as she read the article, they turned to tears of shame and humiliation.
After she'd finished reading it, Andi flung the paper to the floor and grabbed her wand, using an Incendio spell to set the paper ablaze. She watched with no satisfaction as the paper burned down to ashes. Then she broke down and began to cry all over again. She was now the laughing stock of the wizarding world.
Later, she would have to cancel her subscription.
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Post by cygnus on Sept 21, 2008 16:02:47 GMT -5
Cygnus sat in his favorite chair to read the Daily Prophet as he did every morning. Grabbing the paper he opened it to the front page and beheld the picture of his middle daughter Andromeda Black. Opening it up to the article he began to slowly read the article, his eyes becoming larger with every sentence.
As he finished the article he dropped the paper to the floor and screamed for what seemed to be several drawn out moments. Jumping out of his chair he snapped his fingers. "Kreacher!" As the family house elf ran into the room he bowed quickly to his master. "Fetch my cane and my cloak and be quick about it welp!" As the words left his mouth the house elf quickly disappeared from the room, reappearing only moments later with a dark black cloak and an intricately carved walking cane with a serpents head adorning the top.
Cygnus quickly wrapped his cloak around himself, grabbed his cane and with a quick step forward he disapparated with a loud crack! Appearing at the entrance to the apartment complex where Andi was staying the doors flew open before him as he waved his cane at them. Approaching the door to Andi's apartment he stopped and stared at it for a moment before bashing his fist against it violently. "Andromeda Black! I swear by the great Phineas Nigellas Black if you do not open this door I will break it down!"
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 21, 2008 16:13:55 GMT -5
Andi was still crying when she heard the pounding at her door. A feeling of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Now what? Could things possibly get any worse for her? But when her father's voice, filled with rage, thundered around her, she knew that, in fact, her day was about to get worse.
Perfect. Curse that Rita Skeeter. Wiping her eyes, she slipped out of bed, still dressed in the robe she'd been wearing the day before. The simple act of standing up made her head swim for a moment, a glaring reminder of the hangover from drinking way too much alcohol. She wished she had time to stop and take a pain killing potion before answering the door, but she knew her father too well. He would most certainly make good on his threat to break the door down. Not that he couldn't have used magic to do it, but when he was angry, he infinitely preferred force. Damn. This was not going to be pretty.
Her legs wobbled perilously as she made her way out of the bedroom and into the living room. She noticed that Agamemnon was wisely taking cover under the sofa, and sincerely wished she could join the cat. With a sigh, she opened the door and waited for the explosion. "Hi, Daddy," she said softly.
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Post by cygnus on Sept 21, 2008 18:13:46 GMT -5
As the door opened and Andromeda stood at the entrance Cygnus's rage intensified. As he stormed past Andromeda into her apartment he caught the softly spoken words. "Don't you hi daddy me little girl!" Waving his wand at the door it slammed shut and his intense gaze turned upon Andromeda. "Do you wish to explain yourself? Are you trying to bring your family to ruin?!"
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 21, 2008 21:30:02 GMT -5
Andi closed her eyes as he marched in and slammed the door. Any hopes that her father had mellowed in the year and a half since she'd last seen him was clearly futile. And how was she to explain herself? What could she say to him? That she was sorry? Well, she wasn't. She may not have purposely set out to "ruin" the family, but she'd known from the beginning what the ramifications were of what she was doing. She'd plunged in without a second thought, and her only regret was that it hadn't worked out the way she'd thought it would.
"I wasn't trying to hurt the family," she said, her voice still quiet. "I just... I fell in love."
She knew that explanation would not be acceptable to her father. Her father was certainly not one for mushy sentiments. If he'd had his way, he would have arranged a marriage for her to ensure she made a "proper" marriage with an acceptable pureblood. Maybe to one of her cousins, she thought bitterly.
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Post by cygnus on Sept 21, 2008 22:14:07 GMT -5
"You fell in LOVE?!?!" The last word coming out in a hoarse scream, coughing slightly his deadly gaze stayed locked onto his middle daughter. "Andromeda he is a muggle born! You dare to bring disgrace to your family by dating a muggle born wizard!" Turning around he began to pace around the small living room. "I have taught you many times of your heritage and the legacy your ancestors have left for you. Yet instead of being proud of who you are like your sister Bellatrix, you rebel against us like a child, your rash actions have caused your family public humilation."
He sighed slightly as he walked to the nearest window and peered out into the small village of Hogsmeade. Lowering his voice slightly every word was still outlined in anger. "Did he hurt you? I'm not talking about your pitiful emotions either, did he hurt a princess of the Black family Andromeda?"
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 21, 2008 22:35:46 GMT -5
Andi sighed. She wanted to rage, to yell, to fight back. But her head was pounding from her hangover and her stomach still felt very queasy. And she was tired, deep down in her bones.
"I believe I got the brunt of the humiliation in that article," she said quietly. "I'm the one who was painted as a naive child, a helpless victim. But the Black family legacy stays intact; you've been saved the indignity of having an inferior son-in-law. You should be pleased."
She was unable to keep the bitterness from her voice. She was the one who had been crushed, the one whose heart had been shattered. She was the one being humiliated, not him. Not the family.
When he turned to look out the window, she closed her eyes and began to rub her forehead. "No, he didn't hurt me. Not physically. I suppose I'll live."
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Post by Bellatrix Black on Sept 21, 2008 23:05:22 GMT -5
Bellatrix had woken at her usual time and gone about her business of getting ready for the day. She hadn't expected anything of note to happen today, and as she wasn't due for a meeting with the Dark Lord she felt the day was almost a waste. But then her eye caught the picture on the front of the Daily Prophet. Andromeda. Bellatrix instantly dropped her hairbrush and picked up the paper hastily, finding the indicated page that held Rita Skeeter's story. Her eyes widened as she read on. Rita had done an excellent job making Andromeda look like a fool and Tonks look like an evil mastermind. And the only thing mentioned regarding her family was how Tonks had tried to disgrace the great family. It was perfect.
Bellatrix quickly got to a quill and a scrap of parchment and scribbled a note to Narcissa.
Did you see the Daily Prophet? I'm going to Andromeda's.
-Bellatrix
She sent the note off and finished getting ready, this time with a greater sense of excitement.
Once done, she apparated to Andromeda's flat and rapped on the door. "Andromeda? Are you home? Please. It's Bellatrix." She tried to keep her voice level, not showing excitement or anger.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 21, 2008 23:17:54 GMT -5
At the sound of Bella's voice on the other side of the door, Andi buried her face in her hands. Merlin help her. Now Bella was here, too. Probably to gloat over her misery. Why couldn't everyone just leave her alone? Her head was throbbing and she couldn't quite see straight. She was seriously considering grabbing an eye-opener, just to make all of the pain go away. But then, it hadn't worked last night. It had just magnified everything.
She wanted to tell Bella to go the hell away. If she had been alone, she probably would have. But she glanced at her father and sighed. Maybe she could just get all of this out of the way at once, and then she could spend the rest of her day wallowing in her misery.
"Come in."
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Post by Bellatrix Black on Sept 21, 2008 23:23:55 GMT -5
She heard Andromeda's voice through the door and was surprised by the words 'come in'. She must have heard her sister wrong. When they had spoken yesterday Andromeda basically told Bellatrix to f*ck off. She hesitated for a moment then turned the handle and opened the door.
Ah, there was the reason Andromeda had not told her to leave. Their father had stopped in for a chat. Bellatrix controlled the laughter that threatened to erupt. He must have read the paper this morning. "Hello daddy. I- I wasn't expecting to see you here." She tried to sound surprised by his presence, though she wasn't in the slightest.
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Post by cygnus on Sept 21, 2008 23:48:02 GMT -5
Watching his eldest enter the apartment a small smile creeped across his face. Bellatrix had always had a special spot in his blackened heart. She was the spitting image of what a Black should be and as far as Cygnus was concerned a proper heir for the fortune.
"Shut up Bella, we all know why i'm here and neither you or I are surprised the other is here." Approaching his eldest daughter he planted a kiss on her cheek. "Bella my child, see if you can do something with your sister here. She doesnt seem to understand how her childish antics can bring disgrace to our family."
Leaning in close he whispered as quietly as he could manage. "I'm close to being permanently short one daughter. I suggest you talk some sense into her."
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Post by Bellatrix Black on Sept 21, 2008 23:53:53 GMT -5
She hadn't expected her father to tell her, of all people, to shut up. And even though the rest of his words seemed to indicate he was not mad at her, she was still shocked. She nodded numbly at her father's request and moved toward Andromeda carefully.
"I know you don't want to hear this Andromeda, but I warned you this would happen. And now...well look at father. Do you understand what this means if you don't repent? I don't want to lose you Andromeda. Please."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 22, 2008 11:08:05 GMT -5
Andi watched with a pang that was very close to jealousy as her father and Bella spoke in low voices right in front of her. Bella had always been her father's favorite. And Cissa had been their mother's favorite. Andi was no one's favorite. She'd always been different, out of step with the rest of them. And although she took a certain amount of pride in her rebellious streak, there were times, like now, when she wished she'd had the closeness with her parents that her sisters had enjoyed. It ached a little to know that she couldn't turn to them for comfort right now. Instead, she was facing an all-out intervention, and harsh accusations.
Seeing them talk in those low voices also made her feel as if they were conspiring against her. The thought irked her. Mostly because she wouldn't have been at all shocked if they were. Manipulations, yet another of the illustrious Black family legacies. She was sick of all of it. Wasn't family supposed to support one another?
"Repent?" Andi repeated scornfully. "I don't repent. The only reason I have to be sorry is that it didn't work out. But I'm not sorry for the choice I made, and if I had it to do over again, I would make the same choice. He may not have been the man I thought he was, but I don't regret choosing love over a family that's never offered me anything but misery."
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Post by cygnus on Sept 22, 2008 16:37:51 GMT -5
Cygnus listened quietly as his oldest and middle daughters exchanged words. As Andromeda finished her childish rant, Cygnus twirled around and snarled quietly. "Your family has brought you nothing but misery?! How dare you insolent child! You have had everything you have ever wanted. Your an heiress to the most noble and ancient house of Black! "
Approaching Andromeda his eyes locked onto hers and his cane came to rest gently under her chin. "Andromeda, you are one of the wealthiest witches in England and you did not even have to lift a finger to earn it. All I have ever asked in return for the wealth and power you have as an heiress of the Black family is that you marry into an established pureblood family." Turning his gaze onto his eldest daughter and the pride of the Black family so far his voice lowered slightly.
"Look at your sister, with any luck she will be a Lestrange before the end of the year." Turning around to face Andromeda once more a stoic look was all that could be seen of his emotions. "This is what will happen, you will return with me to your ancestral home and you will stay there until I can find a proper suitor for you."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 22, 2008 18:32:18 GMT -5
Andi sat with her lips pressed together tightly during her father's rant. It was nothing she wasn't used to, and she was unable to keep from rolling her eyes at the words "most noble and ancient house of Black." How many times had she heard those words growing up?
But when he informed her that she was to return home with him and allow him to pick a groom, her eyes flared furiously. "Oh, no, I won't," she said, getting to her feet. "You can't make me. I'm of age, and you can't tell me what to do anymore!"
She was aware that she sounded childish. She also didn't care. If he was going to treat her like a child, then she was going to act like one.
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Post by Molly Prewett on Sept 22, 2008 19:01:52 GMT -5
Molly had been lucky enough to fix her tea before she read the Daily prophet. It had her awake and settled into her normal, daily routine.
And that article by Rita Skeeter halted everything. She wanted to kill Rita. Then she wanted to kill Ted. How much trouble would she really be in for Avada Kadavraing those two? The world would be better off without them, anyway.
But first, she had to get to Andi. The girl probably needed someone, and if she knew Andi, she wasn't leaving her apartment.
Within a few minutes of reading the article, she was down at Andromeda's door, knocking. "Andi, it's Mols. Please let me in?" She had no idea of the two other visitors.
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 22, 2008 20:49:56 GMT -5
Andi was beyond relieved to hear Molly's voice. She knew that Molly would be on her side... and she had all the fire that Andi was currently lacking. She wasn't sure what Molly could do against her father, but at least she'd have someone to back her up.
Since she was already standing, she quickly rushed to the door and opened it. "Molly, help," she whispered. "I've got company." Stepping aside, she revealed the already crowded apartment.
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Post by Bellatrix Black on Sept 22, 2008 21:02:06 GMT -5
"Of course you'd come," Bellatrix snarled at Molly as the girl entered the apartment. Molly was just as bad as Andromeda, if not worse. But Molly was only distantly related and it caused Bellatrix no pain to be rid of her. "We're busy here, Molly. Perhaps you could stop by later to poison Andromeda's mind with your nonsense."
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Post by Andromeda Tonks on Sept 22, 2008 21:09:02 GMT -5
Andi was really starting to get annoyed. "Excuse me? Bella, it's my apartment, and I say she's welcome here anytime. Especially now. Come to think of it, she's the only one who's welcome here right now."
Merlin, she hated her family. She was beginning to wonder why in hell she'd ever cried about losing them.
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Post by cygnus on Sept 22, 2008 21:28:16 GMT -5
Cygnus stood quietly to the side as the crossfire between Andromeda and Bella began. Finally being able to take no more and highly upset over Andromeda's response to his orders, he coughed quiet loudly to grab everyone's attention. "She is right Bellatrix, this is her apartment and she can say who can and cannot be here." Walking towards the door and Molly Prewett he stopped for a moment and glanced towards Andromeda.
"Consider yourself disowned Andromeda. I cannot prevent you from using the Black name, but all rights and inheritances granted from such a title are no longer available to you. Nor is any member of the Black family allowed to have contact with you from here on out." As the words left his mouth he turned back towards the door and continued on out.
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