╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗
❝ andromeda and her mudblood family ❞
╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

𝓔𝓿𝓪𝓷𝓰𝓮𝓵𝓲𝓷𝓮'𝓼 𝓟𝓞𝓥
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16th 1977

After my last lesson of the day, I grab my best friend outside of his classroom and he turns to me from his conversation with Barty, Rabastan and Amycus.

"Sorry, boys. I gotta steal Reg for the day" I announce with a wide excited smile.

"Where are you taking me?" Regulus asks as I drag him away.

"It's a surprise!" I laugh in amusement at his confused expression.

I lead the younger boy to the Slytherin common room where we dump our books onto the coffee table and Regulus turns to me.

"Tell me what you're up to, Malfoy" He says suspiciously.

"Nope" I chirp with a grin.

I hear the door open and I turn in surprise, only to see that there is no one there.

"Well, that's strange" Regulus comments.

"You can say that again" I mumble, peeling my gaze away from the door and to the fireplace "Anyways, we have somewhere to be"

I grab a handful of floo powder before reaching out and tugging Regulus with me to stand in the fireplace.

"I don't think I trust you right now" My best friend admits.

"Attaboy" I reply with a wink.

"Oh, Merlin" He groans, shaking his head.

"24 Caxton Gardens, Surrey" I declare, throwing the powder down.

In a large cloud of smoke, we are transported to the fireplace of my favourite place and my grin gets wider when my eyes land on a small pink haired child sitting on the sofa.

"Geli!" The four year old screams happily, leaping off the couch "Mummy, it's Geli!"

"Hey, Nymph" I crouch down and wrap my arms around the screaming child who hugs me tightly.

"Sorry, darling. I was just taking cookies out the oven" I hear Andromeda apologise as I stand up and I look to the door where she enters with her hair in a messy bun, flour on her rosy cheeks and a floral apron around her slim frame.

She grins at me widely and her eyes then land on Regulus, shock flashing over her happy expression.

"I hope you don't mind that I brought a friend with me" I joke to try and ease my best friend's worry.

"Not at all" She smiles warmly.

"Who's that, Mummy?" Nymphadora asks her mother, standing behind Andromeda's leg and pointing at Regulus.

"Well, sweetheart, do you remember when mummy told you about her family?" Andromeda tells her daughter who nods enthusiastically "This is my cousin Regulus"

"Uncle Reggie?" Nymphadora asks, her wide eyes sparkling with hope.

"That's right, Nymph" I confirm for the child.

She gasps dramatically and runs at the boy, wrapping her chubby little arms around his legs.

"Hi" She grins up at him adorably.

His tense stature relaxes at the sight and he smiles softly, patting the little girl's head.

"Hi, Nymphadora" He greets her and she beams at him happily.

"Can I show you my dolls?" The pink haired child asks with a little bounce of excitement.

"If that's okay with your mum" Regulus answers, looking up at Andromeda who is watching with a wide smile.

"Mummy?" Nymphadora pleads.

"Go on then, sweetheart" Andromeda nods in amusement.

The little girl squeals and grabs Regulus' hand, pulling him to the door.

"If she gets too much for you, just give me a shout" The woman tells him as he passes and he nods with a smile, telling Nymphadora pull him towards her room.

Once we hear Nymphadora start pulling out her dolls and loudly explaining their life stories to poor Regulus, we both let out a laugh.

"Come on" Andromeda calls on me, exiting the living room.

I follow her into the kitchen where she begins putting on a pot of tea and I lean on the kitchen island where a tray of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies are laid. The sweet smell fills my nose and I feel queasy, praying that my stomach doesn't rumble.

"I'm sorry for not writing back to your letter. I've been pretty busy" I tell her.

"It's no problem at all, Angel" She waves me off as if I'm being silly "How has the first couple weeks been anyhow? Did you make head girl?"

"No" I frown defeatedly "That mudblood Evans got it"

Andromeda's eyes narrow at me and my own widen as I realise what I said.

"I'm so sorry, Andi. I shouldn't have said that" I apologise guiltily and she shakes her head, leaning back against the counter.

"Listen" She sighs "I understand what it's like to try and shake off a mindset that you were raised with. It's like an instinct to be hateful"

"I don't want to be a horrible person, but-" She cuts me off with a sad smile.

"But that's the legacy your family left for you and it's easier to play into what people assume you're like rather than fight to change the way they think about you" Andromeda declares and I nod.

"People talk shite about me behind my back because they hate me but they act like my best friend to my face because they're scared of the Malfoy name and I can never tell if someone is being genuine or fake so I don't trust anyone" I explain.

"I just wish that people liked me for me" I add with a shrug.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

"Thank you for the tea and cookies, Andi" Regulus grins at his cousin as we stand next to the fireplace.

"Anytime, Reg. It was really nice seeing you" Andromeda smiles.

"Will you come back with Geli?" Nymphadora asks hopefully.

"Of course" Regulus assures her, ruffling her pink hair and she beams at him happily.

"I'll see you later, Andi" I say to the woman and she wraps her arms around me.

"Be yourself, darling" She whispers in my ear "You're bloody brilliant"

"Thank you" I mumble with a wide smile.

She pats my back and hugs Regulus shortly before I take a handful of floo powder.

"Bye!" Nymphadora yells with a toothy grin and we wave at her.

"Slytherin common room, Hogwarts" I speak clearly before throwing down the powder.

We are taken to the fireplace we had came from but instead of the room being empty like it was when we left it, there was four people stood with disappointed looks on their faces.

"Mother. Father" Regulus and I state in surprise.

"What are you doing here?" I ask my parents, avoiding the angry gazes of Walburga and Orion.

"Nipping this absurdity in the bud before it has gone too far" My father snaps.

"What ever do you mean?" I ask innocently.

My mother opens her mouth to speak but before she can get out a word, my father lifts his hand and strikes me across the face. My head whips to the side and I grab my cheek in pain, trying to hold in the tears that well up in my eyes.

"Do not play dumb with us, young lady" He warns me.

Regulus moves to stand slightly in front of me and I reach out, grabbing his arm to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid.

"It's only been two weeks, Evangeline, and not only have you been spotted with Sirius and his friends multiple times but you've also been visiting with Andromeda" My mother explains to me in a sickly sweet tone.

The last part of her sentence causes my heart to drop and I look at her in shock.

"Who told you that?" I demand.

"It doesn't matter who told us" Walburga cuts in "How dare you associate with those blood traitors and drag my son into it"

"Mother, it's not her fault" Regulus argues.

"Shut up!" Walburga snarls at him and he freezes up.

"If either of us hear that you've been in contact with Andromeda or her mudblood family, you will be in serious trouble" My father warns me.

"That goes for you too, Regulus" Orion adds.

"Do you understand, Evangeline?" My mother asks me and I nod.

"She said, do you understand?!" My father barks.

"Yes, father" I answer.