Chapter 2: The Waiter
*
Andromeda stared at the table for much longer than one normally stared at the table. She stared long enough for the room to grow uncomfortable. She stared long enough for Nona, their house elf, to ask if anyone wanted anything to drink. She stared long enough for her mother to stand, kiss her on the head, and leave by Floo network, mumbling about her youngest daughter's overreaction. Only then did Andromeda lift her head, only to rub her forehead immediately.
"I suppose we ought to check on Cissa, hm? She's been out there for quite a while."
Bellatrix, who had been idly chipping the black polish off of her fingernails, glanced up. "No. Give her space. She has every right to be angry about this, Andi. We don't need to calm her down just yet."
"But I don't want her to sufffer," Andromeda replied softly. She moved to the bay window, pulled her knees to her chest, and watched her younger sister cry near the lake. "She doesn't deserve any of this."
"So what? This isn't an overreaction. If she wants to cry for hours, she has every damn right to do so. Why should we mess with it?"
Unlike her sister's soft gaze, Bellatrix's eyes were full of fire. She played with a long curl of her hair, making it frizzier and frizzier without realizing it.
"No. We're not letting her cry alone, Bella. Come on." Andromeda stood and grabbed her older sister by the arm, yanking her toward the door.
"Ow! Andi, easy." Bellatrix pulled out of Andromeda's grasp and rubbed her upper arm. "You've got an iron grip, I swear."
"'Strong like a lion, sly like a snake'," Andromeda quoted drily, referencing one of their father's many sayings. "We're getting Cissa and we're going out."
"Out? Out where?"
"I don't care. I think we should get out of the house for a while, though."
"Good point." Bellatrix walked across the room to a gilded mirror. It was old, one of the many heirlooms spread around the houses of the Blacks. She pulled out a tube of burgundy lipstick and applied it, giving her reflection a quick pouty face before spinning on her heel. "Let's go have some fun."
The two young women found Narcissa with her head down in her arms on the stone bench, her small body wracking with sobs. Andromeda immediately knelt down and wrapped her arms around her, while Bellatrix sat on the bench and began to stroke her blonde hair.
"Hey honey," Andromeda whispered softly, "Are you doing okay?"
Narcissa shook her head rapidly. When she looked up, streams of mascara ran down her cheeks like a river through a canyon.
"I c-c-can't," She gasped, shaking her head again. "I can't do this!"
Bellatrix rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. "Merlin, Cissy, we're so sorry."
"We were wondering if you were maybe feeling up to going out," Andromeda added.
A sound that was somewhere between a laugh and a sob tumbled from Narcissa's lips. "Out? I look a mess!"
Andromeda wiped the tears from under her younger sister's eyes with her thumb and smiled. "There. Pretty as a posy."
Narcissa shook her head, this time actually laughing a bit. Her elder sisters exchanged looks of relief over her head as they helped her up.
"So, where are we going?" Bellatrix asked, twirling her wand between her fingers, a stiff and unyielding one. "I'm a bit hungry. We could Floo to Diagon Alley, perhaps, or go visit Reg and Sirius-"
"No!" Narcissa blushed at her outburst. "I really don't want to go to Grimmauld Place. I don't want to see anyone we know today. No family, no friends, nothing. Just us."
Andromeda frowned as she considered the idea. "I don't know where else we could go..."
"Can we, um, maybe walk down the hill to town?" Narcissa piped up hopefully, rising ever so slightly on her tiptoes. "Maybe?"
Bellatrix's nose scrunched up in disgust. "But Cissy, that's a Muggle town. We're not supposed to be down there."
"Great idea!" Andromeda exclaimed, grabbing one hand from each sister and pulling them up the hill. "Let's go."
"Andi-"
"Let's go," Andromeda cut over Bellatrix, her eyes hard as she nodded to Narcissa, whose blotchy face had lit up at the prospect of her plan being chosen. "Because that's where Cissa wants to go, Bella, and I think she deserves to pick. Doesn't she?"
Bellatrix's cheeks flushed, embarrassed that she'd let her own opinions come in the way of her sister's happiness. "She does."
Andromeda winked. "Good."
*
"Where do you want to eat?" Bellatrix glanced around the bustling town with apprehension, an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach. They didn't belong, and she knew it. At least they blended in. No one she knew would be caught dead in a Muggle neighborhood, so their secret would stay a secret.
The Black sisters all felt like fishes out of water, like foreigners in a new country. Their surroundings left them with mixed emotions: Bellatrix concerned, Andromeda excited, and Narcissa perplexed.
The town was small, with only a single main road that connected the shops and homes. A paint-chipped sign welcomed the three young women to Normanshire. Strange cars zoomed down it, one nearly hitting Narcissa, who was caught unawares from all the staring. At the edge of town was a small white church, the steeple visible at any address.
Narcissa bit her lip and played with her necklace. "I don't know. I didn't really think this through."
"I've an idea! Close your eyes! We'll let fate decide!" Andromeda grabbed Narcissa by the shoulders and spun her around. Her actions sent the other two into laughter as she spun faster and faster.
"Andi, stop!" Narcissa giggled.
Andromeda obliged and let go. "Keep your eyes shut and point!"
The dizzy blonde came to a slow stop and pointed directly in front of her. Opening her eyes, she saw a small cafe across the main street with a yellow and white striped awning.
"Well, it's settled!" Andromeda said brightly. Her brown skirt swished around her ankles as she began to cross the street, only to be honked at by an angry red pickup truck as Bellatrix hauled her back onto the sidewalk.
"Damn it, Andromeda," she muttered, but quickly broke down into laughter. Her other sisters joined as they waited for the proper time to cross the street.
When they safely made it to the opposite sidewalk, Bellatrix led the group inside to wait for a table. As the oldest sister, she always tended to be the one to do so. She was fiercely protective of her family, especially Narcissa. Both Bellatrix and Andromeda agreed that the youngest Black sister was too soft for a harsh world, and they tried to shield her from it as best as they could.
The inside of the little cafe buzzed with people enjoying their lunch. Music floated through the air from an unknown source, and the sounds of laughter and clinking silverware created an almost music effect.
Narcissa watched the scene hungrily, soaking in as much of it as she could. She had no idea when an opportunity like this would come along again, and even though her mood soured hours ago, she was determined to make the most of the moment.
Her light blue eyes flitted across the room to where a man a few years older than her was wiping down the counters. She smiled when she noticed his humming along with the music, and that smile widened when he spun around in time with it. Something about him seemed familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on where she could have seen him before. He worked in a Muggle cafe, after all.
"Andi, Bella," she whispered, nodding inconspicuously to the man, "who's that over there?"
Bellatrix, who had been checking to make sure her wand was securely hidden in her black purse, glanced up and froze. "I know that face."
"Who is it?" Andromeda asked urgently, eyeing the man her sister had pointed out. His hair was brown, a little lighter than hers. He wore jeans and a yellow plaid flannel, and he had a Muggle pen tucked behind his ear.
"He's a Mudblood. He was in my year at Hogwarts. He was a Hufflepuff Prefect. I forget his name - something with a T, I think."
Narcissa's eyes widened drastically. "He is? I didn't think we would see anyone magic here. Should we go? What if Mother and Father find out? What if-?"
"Hey, hey, breathe," Andromeda instructed, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter who's here. Fate chose this place, remember? There has to be a reason we're here! Just ignore the guy. Hufflepuffs are harmless. Besides, how would a Mudblood tell Mother and Father where we are?"
Bellatrix let out a long breath, her exhale blowing a curl out of her face. "Fine. I'm starved, anyway."
The three sat down at a round table near the window and situated themselves. Andromeda consulted the menu set before her place and scanned the items.
"I'm hungry enough to eat a hippogriff," she muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Out of the three of them, Andromeda felt the most at home in the small Muggle cafe. She liked intimate places and trying new things, and this establishment checked off both of those boxes. Deep down, more than anything, Andromeda craved adventure. She desired to decipher runes in a foreign land, or to eat new cuisine in a restaurant where no one spoke English, or explore a place where no one shuddered at her name.
"Can get you ladies something to drink?"
She glanced up, nearly dropping her menu when she saw the man from earlier. He had shockingly beautiful eyes, she thought. Blue with a touch of green, the color of the lake at dawn.
"Yes," Bellatrix said, her voice becoming more authoritative out of nowhere. "I'll have a lemonade."
"Just a water," Narcissa chimed in.
Andromeda pursed her lips in thought for a moment. "Okay, can I have an iced tea with two lemon slices and lots of ice, please? But only if it's unsweetened. If it's sweetened, then that won't do. If it's sweetened, I'll have water with lemon, but listen to me. I don't want one lemon slice: I want three. However, if that's not an option, then I'll just have the iced tea. Unsweetened. Oh, and with a straw, please." She finally looked up at him again. "You get all that?"
"Yeah, I reckon," he said, a smile growing on his face the longer he looked at her.
Bellatrix cleared her throat. "If you don't mind, I'm getting thirsty."
"Of course." His smile didn't waver as he nodded and left the sisters alone again. Andromeda found herself watching him until he disappeared into the kitchen.
"Andi. Andi. Andromeda!"
"Sorry, what?" She asked, snapping back into the moment while the other two laughed at her cluelessness.
"You completely zoned out," Bellatrix informed her. "It was quite odd, but your eyes were pretty. Almost sparkling."
"Hm." Andromeda had never considered her eyes pretty before. They were a boring brown, according to her mother. Not blue like Narcissa, not the family standard dark brown. She liked the idea that even for a few seconds, her eyes looked pretty. "I'm sorry, what were you saying before?"
"I was trying to ask if you had decided what to wear for Father's birthday," Bellatrix said, grinning, "but you were on another planet, it seems."
"Oh, I don't have a clue," Andromeda admitted. "What about you, Cissa?"
Narcissa shook her head. "I'm not sure yet, either. It'll have to be nice, though. With all of the important Pureblood families in attendance, I'm sure that... that Lucius will be there."
The comfortable atmosphere changed drastically in a few seconds. It was like the temperature dropped with those few words.
"Here are your drinks. One lemonade, one water, and one incredibly-specific iced tea." The waiter placed their glasses on the table and pulled out a notepad, still smiling. "Are you ready to order?"
"Yes," Bellatrix said. "I'll have fish and chips."
"I'll have a house salad," Narcissa said quietly, folding her menu with care and handing it to him. He glanced at Andromeda, almost amused.
"And you?"
"Right." Andromeda made up her mind and closed the menu. "I'd like the cucumber sandwiches, but I want the cucumbers as thinly sliced as possible. And I know it says that I get a side, so instead of the regular salad, I'd like to switch it with the watermelon and feta cheese salad. The more feta, the better. If it could be lightly salted, that would be even better. However, I get if I'm not allowed to switch, then I'll just have the salad with Caesar dressing and extra croutons. Please?"
If it was even possible, the waiter's grin got bigger. "Of course. I'll be back in a bit."
"He's an odd one, isn't he?" Narcissa commented, her voice still flat. "Rather smiley. If he wasn't a Mudblood, I might have liked him."
The sisters chatted about everything from Narcissa's year at Hogwarts to the newest edition of Witch Weekly to good old Pureblood gossip.
"-And Aunt Walburga's trying to force Sirius to court Emma, but he refused every time," Bellatrix said conspiratorially. "The Vanitys are another strong family, her father works with Mr. Rosier in the Ministry. But he won't do it."
"He's fifteen," Andromeda reasoned. "And Siri's always been headstrong."
"I'm sure he wouldn't be half as headstrong if he wasn't snogging Marlene McKinnon in every broom closet in Hogwarts."
Narcissa's quip shocked her sisters. Andromeda's jaw dropped and Bellatrix's eyes widened. Both of them exchanged confused looks.
"You mean the spitfire blonde in his year?" Andromeda asked, still unable to wrap her head around it. "Is he really snogging her?"
"Yes." Narcissa shrugged. "He snogs everybody."
"He's going to get himself burned off of the tapestry if he doesn't get some sense," Bellatrix said as she rolled her eyes. "Everyone knows the McKinnons are a blood traitor family. Other than the Weasleys, they're one of the worse. His behavior is disgraceful."
"I heard that Uncle Alphard's going to be back in London for Father's party," Narcissa said. She checked her reflection in a metal napkin holder, self-conscious from her mother's scoldings. "Is that true?"
Andromeda nodded, brightening considerably at his name. "He wrote to me last week. He spent a few months in Ireland, but he'll be back for the celebration."
"If Uncle Alphard is there, it really will be a party, then," Bellatrix laughed. "I haven't seen him since Christmas."
Narcissa straightened her dress and giggled. "Was that when he taught the owls how to hoot 'Auld Lang Syne' with harmonies?"
"No, that was two years ago," Andromeda corrected. "Last year was when he brought the veela he was seeing at the time to Christmas Eve dinner. All of the boys were practically drooling over her."
"That's right," Narcissa said thoughtfully. "Whatever happened to her, anyway?"
"She ran off with a dragon whisperer a few weeks later. She stole everything but Uncle's socks," Bellatrix said dismissively. "From what I heard, the pair was quite happy until his Chinese Fireball thought they looked particularly delicious."
"Ah."
The waiter brought their food a few minutes later as they talked more about their eccentric uncle and rebellious cousin. There was always someone to talk about in their family.
To her delight, Andromeda's food came out exactly as she ordered it, and it was some of the best she'd ever eaten. Most restaurants were disconcerted by her specific orders, but the little cafe hit the nail on the head.
"Narcissa." Bellatrix's voice sounded sharper, and Andromeda's head snapped up. "You're not eating."
The blonde girl flushed and hastily stabbed a piece of lettuce with her fork. "Of course I'm eating."
"Rubbish," Andromeda replied, frowning with pity. "It's because of what Mother said to you, isn't it?"
"No," Narcissa said defiantly, but her blush deepened to a scarlet color.
Andromeda's heart nearly broke as she stared at her younger sister, her little Cissa, a daffodil among thorns. She didn't deserve what life gave her. She deserved to choose who to love, and she deserves to love herself first.
"Listen to me." Andromeda grasped Narcissa's hand, and Bellatrix did the same. While they looked different, they both wore identical expressions of loving worry. "You're so beautiful just the way you are, honey. You're so beautiful inside and out. Never let anyone tell you otherwise, and don't let their words make you feel less than you are."
Narcissa's lip quivered. "But Mother-"
"-Is painfully old-fashioned," Bellatrix interrupted. "Come on, Cissy! This is the same woman who believes in arranged marriages!"
"I... I suppose you're right," Narcissa admitted, shaking her head. "I just felt so badly about myself when she said that."
"Well, I say you're beautiful, and you know I always tell the truth." Andromeda winked and handed over one of her sandwiches. "Love yourself, Cissa."
Narcissa finished their meal substantially happier than she was at the beginning of it.
When the time came to pay, Andromeda waved the others forward. "Go check out that dress store down the road. Maybe we can find something to wear to Father's party. I've still got some Muggle money left from my last business trip, so I'll pay here and meet you there."
Narcissa smiled gratefully at her sister and said, "don't be long."
Andromeda carefully made her way through the crowded room and over to the counter, where everyone else seemed to be going to pay. There was a line in front of a Muggle device that held money, and she soon found herself standing across the counter from her waiter.
"Hey," he greeted, his voice warm. "You ready to pay?"
"Yes. How much will it be?"
"£33."
"That's..." Andromeda fumbled with the Muggle money, unsure of exactly how to count it. "I'm sorry, can you help me? I'm... Canadian."
"Sure, here." He leaned across the counter so that he could assist her, and she caught a scent of something distinctly earthy, a mix of trees and soil. "Actually, you know what? It's on me."
She stared at him. "Really? I'm perfectly capable of paying, believe me-"
"Yeah, I know." His eyebrow quirked up, and he smirked. "It's only because you're Canadian, though."
"Listen, I really appreciate this, but you really don't have to-"
"I know. I want to." The waiter punched a few numbers into the Muggle money machine that Andromeda wanted to ask more about, but she refrained. "I never got your name."
"Oh. It's Andromeda." She shook her head. "It's a bit presumptuous, I know."
"No, I like it. It's different." The waiter paused his work to hold out a hand. "I'm Ted."
She grinned and shook his hand. His strong grasp and scattered callouses told the story of years of hard work, a story she would have loved to hear if she had the time. "Hi Ted."
"Well, this certainly has been a good day." He began to wipe down the counters, the smile never leaving his tanned face. "I met a really pretty Canadian girl with an English accent and a crazy lunch order. Go figure."
"Stop it," she said bashfully. "I'm not pretty."
He dropped the rag on the counter and looked her right in the eyes. "Yeah, you are."
"Oh. Well, thank you, Ted." She checked her watch. "I'd better go. My sisters are waiting for me."
Ted smiled at her again and scribbled something down on the receipt. "Maybe I'll see you around, Andromeda."
She nodded hopefully as he handed her the receipt. "I'd like that."
When Andromeda stepped into the sunshine, the world seemed brighter. As she walked down the sidewalk, she couldn't erase the smile from her face and she glanced down at the receipt, surprised to find a series of numbers written on the bottom margin. Hm. Standing on the sidewalk while others moved around her, she puzzled about it for a minute, trying to decipher the meaning. There were no runes using numbers, and she'd never taken Arithmancy.
"Andi! What took so long?" Narcissa ran up to her, her eyes lit up with excitement. "I want to try on a dress in the window! It's lovely."
"I can't wait to see it." Andromeda showed her sisters the receipt. "Do either of you know what this means?"
Bellatrix took the tiny slip of paper from her sister and squinted at it. "I don't know. It seems like a load of rubbish to me."
"Who wrote it?" Narcissa asked interestedly. "That waiter?"
"Yes. His name's Ted, but I don't know what the number means at all." Andromeda frowned, puzzling about it. "I feel like it's important."
"I wouldn't stress about it," Bellatrix said, waving her hand dismissively. "Just throw the paper out, Andi. It doesn't mean anything."
Andromeda nodded. "You're right. Let's just go shopping."
She slipped the receipt into her back pocket when no one was looking.
Chapter 2!!! Let me know what you thought! Do you have a favorite sister yet?