How Do You Solve a Problem Like Andromeda? (Cyg)

[Druella Black]

Druella Antoinette Rosier Black sat on the veranda, soaking in a bit of the morning sun, while two house elves fanned her with giant fans made of genuine peacock feathers. She was casually sipping on her favorite drink, a frothy, fruity concoction flavored with brandy, while reading the society pages.

To the outside observer, she looked utterly serene... sophisticated and relaxed, just enjoying the luxury of her status in life. But in reality, she was anything but.

A fire burned inside of her, a fire that spelled out the name of her most rebellious, wicked daughter. Andromeda. Troublesome girl from the day she was born. She'd had the nerve to be born almost a week late, causing her mother to be bedridden and on constant watch for labor pains, which she suffered three times in that week. Willful girl. She had been late on purpose, Druella was certain of it. She was just trying to attract attention. Always trying to attract attention.

Compared to the beautiful Bellatrix and exquisite Narcissa, Andromeda had been plain. Ordinary. So she stood out by being out of control. Never doing as she was told, disagreeing with her parents, challenging the conventions of purebloods versus mudbloods... the girl was absolutely impossible. And no matter how hard she had tried, Druella had been unable to break the girl's spirits.

Now the girl had gone and gotten their family name splashed all over the pages of the Daily Prophet for her association with a mudblood. Imagine! A Black dating a mudblood? The scandal she had brought to their family name!

As she sat there on the veranda, Druella was actually waiting for the return of her husband, who had gone to speak with their wayward daughter. With any luck, he would return soon, dragging the girl by her ear and forcing her to stay at home until a suitable match could be found for her. If anyone would have her, that was. As far as Druella was concerned, Andromeda was damaged goods. Who would want her now?

The more she thought about it, the more the little angry lines formed on her brow. And that just could not be allowed. "That girl will age me before my time," she said aloud.

[cygnus]

Cygnus stood at the entryway to his home as he thought about the whelp of a daughter he had just wiped from the family. It was beyond him how anyone who was born the closest thing to a princess in the wizarding world as one could become and she claimed she had received nothing."

"Nothing! Insolent little twit!" His rage causing him to vocalize the statement, as the words shook him out of the daze he had entered he began to approach the house, wondering how Druella would take the news. Andromeda had been a taint on the family since her birth, the only reason Cygnus had tolerated her was because his sister Walburga's son, Sirius was even worse. "A mudblood!!" Again his intense rage caused him to lose control and scream the thought that had been about to surface.

Regardless if they were no longer dating, she had not only smeared the family name by dating a mudblood, she had the tenacity to allow it to enter the Daily Prophet. Did she not think for a moment how he was going to explain this to the Malfoy's or the Lestrange's. Andromeda as all of Cygnus' daughters knew that the Black family was the centerfold in a catalog of pureblood families, they were royalty as it were.

Spotting his lovely pureblood wife on the veranda, he walked over and with a quick wave of his hand silently dismissed the half elves, who disapparated quickly. "The girl is no longer of this family, she's going to ruin us and I won't have it. As it is, we are going to figure out how to repair this stain she has created."

[Druella Black]

Druella set down her drink and paper and sat up to look at her husband. "So, you've finally disowned her, have you? After all that happened, Andromeda still refused to come home and do as she's told?"

She shook her head. "Stubborn, willful girl. I'll never understand that one. She was given everything in this life, and she turned her nose up at all of it. I've never seen a girl so difficult."

Standing up, she put her arms around her husband in a brief embrace. "I'm sorry you that to deal with her. You never were very good at talking to her, and she never did respond to raised voices. It only made her fight harder. It was the only way I could ever be sure she was really a Black."

[cygnus]

Cygnus smiled a bit as his wife embraced him. "The insolent brat had the nerve to tell me, we have never done anything for her." Waving his hand at their surroundings he continued. "She was born into more wealth than any of her friends could ever imagine and yet we've done nothing for her." Turning away from his wife to stare out over the immense yard, he continued to speak. "Maybe you should go speak with her love. If anyone can drag her by her hair back home so we can watch over her like she needs, it's you."

He turned around to smile at his beautiful wife. "Bella couldnt even speak a word of sense to her, she refuses to listen."

[Druella Black]

Druella scowled angrily. The girl was bound and determined to drag the family down with her, she was sure of it. Even disowning the girl meant nothing at this point, the name was still hers.

"That, my dear," she said coldly, "is because the girl has no sense. She never has. First this silly Auror nonsense, which I was sure she'd outgrow once she was no longer gettng the attention she wanted from you about it. Honestly, that girl... everything she does is a cry for attention! If she says we did nothing for her, it was probably just another round of whining over how we like the other girls better! And why shouldn't we? Sweet Narcissa, always does as she is told. And Bella, such a perfect girl, filled with fire and passion over all the right things. Andromeda... she was a bad seed from the start."

She could feel her anger simmering beneath the surface, but she did her best to keep it at bay. Although the Blacks were known for their temper, she was a Rosier, and she needed to maintain a certain level of decorum. No, it was best to save her rage for the wayward girl herself.

"I was always better at talking to that one than you were... she needs a more subtle touch. I will work on her, give her one final chance before we blast her from the family tree. But tell me, dearest. What exactly did she say? Did she have any shame at all?"

[cygnus]

Cygnus almost scoffed when his wife asked if Andromeda had any shame. "Shame? That little brat was near bragging about what she had done." As the words left his mouth his eyes seemed to widen slightly as if remembering something he had barely heard. "Although, when I had walked out of her apartment she said she might marry Rabastan Lestrange." Cygnus knew that if Andromeda did try to go for Rabastan, that Bella would be right there to stop her.

"If she is telling the truth, a little sibling rivalry between Bellatrix and Andromeda could be interesting, at the very least it'd show all our hard work on that brat is finally paying off." A small smile creased his normally stoic face as the words faded into silence.

[Druella Black]

Druella considered this. "Rabastan Lestrange? That's the younger brother, is it not? Interesting..." Bellatrix was engaged to the elder Lestrange brother, Rodolphus. It would be unusual for the sisters to each be married to one of the brothers, but in the Black family, it was certainly not unheard of. Anything to keep the bloodlines pure. And in this case, it was infinitely preferable to any other alternative for Andromeda. She didn't mind that Cygnus had disowned the girl; after all, she'd been headed for this day a very long time. And having an affair with a mudblood... unthinkable! But if they could salvage her reputation by making a smart match for her, then she wouldn't have to be a black spot on the family tree.

"Yes... that could do. She would do well to marry the younger Lestrange, if he'll have her. Of course, I highly doubt it.. she's such a plain little thing, and now tainted with this scandal. But if he will have her, perhaps we could see fit to let her back in the family? Maybe she truly has learned her lesson from this catastrophe."

[cygnus]

Cygnus waved his hand dismissively as his wife corrected him as to which daughter was marrying who. "I have more important things to bother myself with then exactly which Lestrange our eldest is marrying. Do not worry about the scandal my dear, if she is interested in Rabastan then there is no way he would turn her down, a Lestrange has never turned down a Black for a mate." Staring out into the distance lost in his thoughts, he began to rub his chin as visions of his middle daughter marrying into a pureblood family flew through his mind.

"Yes, if she has truly changed her ways we can allow her back, you know a thought occurs to me, if Rabastan won't have her we could always hold onto her until Walburga's youngest boy is of age."

[Druella Black]

Druella laughed cruelly. "The girl would certainly deserve it.. being forced to marry her first cousin, more than 8 years her junior. But no... If she cannot make a match with Rabastan Lestrange, then she is of no further use to me. Yes, we'll already be aligned with the Lestranges through Bellatrix, but if we are to salvage what's left of her reputation, we need to act more quickly than that. If she can wring a proposal from Rabastan, we'll allow her back in the family. If not, she will remain disowned. She's been more trouble than she's worth, that one, and I'm not willing to give her any more chances."

She sighed melodramatically. "My poor dear. Having to deal with that girl. I believe I will go talk to her... tomorrow, perhaps. Let her think on the reality of being disowned for a day. Perhaps then she'll be more willing to listen. But tell me," she added, changing the subject. "You saw dear Bella? How is she doing, dearest?"

[cygnus]

Cygnus smiled at the thought of his eldest and most beloved child. "Bellatrix is doing quite fine, thats one daughter we won't ever have to worry about. I've even heard rumors that the Malfoy's are jealous because the Lestrange's are soon going to be adding her to their family tree." With a quick clap of his hands a timid house elf appeared and bowed politely. "Go begin a bath for myself whelp!" With a quick nod the house elf disappeared once more.

"Druella dear, you must not delay any longer. As it is I am already having to prepare excuses for that wench so we dont lose face with the other pure blood families." As his smile faded it was replaced with the same distressed look he achieved whenever he thought about his rebellious child. "Try your best, if she doesnt come back I will have to inform Walburga and we both know how my sister can be, especially since she has started having problems with Sirius."

[Druella Black]

Druella thought a moment. "Yes... we should deal with this quickly. But before I go and speak with our little rebel, I think I would like to have a meeting with our other two daughters. I am sure Bella and Narcissa will have a few things to say about this issue, and I would like to let them know where things stand. Besides, I miss my lovely girls and wish to see them again, just to remind me that not all of our daughters are ungrateful little brats, bringing shame and humiliation to the family. Those two understand the value of the Black name and the importance of our station in life. I shall owl them immediately."

She gave her husband a frigid kiss on the cheek. "Enjoy your bath, dearest. I will be out all afternoon, I think. But I've planned an excellent meal for tonight, the house elves will be slaving for hours. We will either be celebrating the hope of restoring our good name and our daughter's reputation, or we will be celebrating our freedom from her scandalous ways."

She walked in her slow, deliberate manner to the desk and took out a piece of parchment and a quill.