Title: Always a Bride
Author: 
mollywheezyRating: PG-13
Word Count: 378
Pairing: Andromeda/Ted
Warnings: None
Author's Notes: Written for
hp_humpdrabbles although it barely qualifies rating-wise ;)
Andromeda stared into the full-length mirror, unnecessarily smoothing the front of her wedding robes. She had waited for this moment for years, dreamed of it when she was a little girl, but never once had she pictured herself alone. She always imagined her mother and sisters would help her get ready, her father would walk her down the aisle, and all of her family would celebrate with her.
As children, she, Cissy, and Bella giggled together, playing "Bride and Bridesmaids". They took turns being the bride, and the bride's two sisters were always her bridesmaids. That's how it worked. At this point in their childhood, the groom never entered into the game. They designed make-believe dress robes, and laughed over who could come up with the worst thing for the other two to wear. They visualized the color and talked about various designers (at least the ones they had heard their mother and aunt discussing). In all of the years of their playing, never were their wedding robes purchased off the rack from Madam Malkins.
In their early teens, Andromeda and her sisters had more serious conversations in which they did discuss potential grooms. They debated the merits of various male Slytherins and wondered aloud with whom their parents would pair them. With young girl naiveté, they imagined what sex would be like and hoped they would perform their conjugal duties admirably. They even wished to someday fall in love with the husbands their parents chose for them. None of the Black sisters ever considered falling in love on their own with someone of whom their parents did not approve.
But that's what Andromeda had done—fallen in love, and with a Muggleborn Hufflepuff, no less. (She also now knew sex was not at all onerous, and she did perform admirably. Andromeda smirked to herself.) Her family considered her actions unforgivable and disowned her. Her mother had not spoken to her in months. Her father was not present to offer her his arm. She did not have bridesmaids, just herself. She was especially sad for the loss of the sisters she had loved for her entire life. With a deep breath Andromeda walked out into the small chapel of the Tonks' church to officially join her new family.
