Symphony | Andromeda Black

The Engagement Party

Evan had been correct. They got the news that Aurelia was engaged to Augustus in September. Druella was very calm and polite when Persephone was there, but when she left she took out her cigarettes and smoked about three in quick succession.

Andromeda stared. Druella rarely smoked. It was usually just a social hobby for dinner parties, and she always used an elegant black cigarette holder. But now she was holding them between her two forefingers. After a while, she seemed to realise what she was doing, and stubbed the last one out when she saw Andromeda and Narcissa staring at her.

"Smoking is bad," she said, as smoke curled out of her nostrils. "I'll kill you if either of you ever start. Especially like that, it's common."

"Are you sad about Augustus?" Narcissa asked tremulously.

Druella closed the packet of cigarettes. "Of course not. Now run along. Haven't you got homework to do?"

They both had, Narcissa some from Miss Travers, while Andromeda had some mathematics from their father. He knew a lot more about them, and she was now doing algebra and geometry. Narcissa peered over her shoulder.

"What are all those letters? That's not maths!"

"Yes it is. You've got to figure out what number the letter represents. Like this."

She did the sum out, but Narcissa was bewildered. "I hate maths," she said, sitting back in her own chair.

"What's your favourite, then ?"

"I don't know. Maybe watercolours," she played with her quill. "Poetry is all right when Miss Travers reads to me. I like the old ones with all the funny words. Except when we have to miss the lines."

Miss Travers did poetry and reading with them, but she irritated Andromeda because she always taped over words and phrases she thought unsuitable for young girls. As this was Miss Travers, there were a lot. When Narcissa and Andromeda got the books, entire lines and paragraphs could be covered with white tape. Once they had peeled it back and had a peek, but both of them had been bewildered at the word underneath.

Narcissa finished her homework earlier than Andromeda, and started begging her to play with her.

"I've got to do my maths," Andromeda said irritably. "Go off and play with the kittens or something."

Narcissa faltered. "Are you turning funny like Bellatrix now?"

She never called her Bella anymore. Bellatrix, too, had mostly stopped calling them Cissy and Andy. She was what Cygnus called A Young Lady now, and sneered at their games, most of which she used to play with them, and even hid Narcissa's doll as a cruel joke.

"Of course I'm not. I'll be out in about twenty minutes, okay?"

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In early October, there was an engagement party. It was a shock to see Augustus again. He wore blue dress robes, and his hair was cut tighter. His stubble was gone, and so was the paint that had usually stained his fingers. When they entered, he had one arm around Aurelia's waist. She was tall and brown haired, with a beaky nose, and somebody who didn't know much about fashion had chosen a deep red dress for her that made her look deathly pale. They were talking to an elderly couple, laughing, but when Augustus looked up and saw Druella and the others, the smile slipped from his face.

He quickly took his arm away from Aurelia, who muttered something to him from the corner of her mouth, which was fixed in a manic smile. He muttered something back, then began to make his way through the crowd. Cygnus scowled and moved away, as did Bellatrix, but Narcissa and Andromeda were still standing with Druella when he reached them.