A/N: Many, many thanks to songbook99 for Betaing this for me!
Marti, the house elf, walked into the Black family sitting room, a tea tray floating steadily before her.
Andromeda Black took the tea she was offered. “Thank you, Marti,” she said, politely.
Tea was also offered to Andromeda’s mother and her two sisters.
“Marti, there is a load of laundry in Bellatrix’s room that needs to be done,” Druella Black ordered stiffly.
“Yes, miss.” Marti bowed so low that her pointed nose touched the floor, and scuttled out of the room.
“Keep reading, Cissa!” Andromeda said eagerly.
Narcissa, Andromeda’s younger sister, straightened her hair, and put her tea down. “While the Muggles were jeering at her, she (even though she was tied to a pole) was enjoying herself thoroughly. The Freezing Charm that she had placed on the flames had a very pleasant effect,” Narcissa read.
Andromeda looked up at her mother in horror. “Did the Muggles really do that?” she asked.
“Of course they did, the filthy creatures that they are,” Druella assured her daughter. “You, my dears, should be thankful that we Blacks do not taint our noble blood with that of those barbaric Muggles! Toujours Pur, my darlings, Toujours Pur.”
“Are there many Muggle-borns,” Bellatrix, Andromeda’s older sister, said it as if the word actually tasted terrible, “at Hogwarts?”
“Sadly, the number of Mudbloods and blood traitors increases by the day. We can only wait for the day when someone rids us of the vermin.”
Cygnus Black entered the room, a large book clutched in his hand. “Girls, it’s time for your French lesson. Narcissa can finish her story tonight.”
As much as she longed to hear more stories about Muggles, Andromeda gave her tea things to Marti and followed Bellatrix to their French lesson.
“I need a refill-what is your Elf’s name? -Ah, Idgie! Some more over here!”
Andromeda watched as Idgie scurried past with a bottle of wine. It was Orion Black’s thirty-fifth birthday, and most of the Black family had come to his home to celebrate it.
The younger children who had been brought along, which consisted of Andromeda, Narcissa, Bellatrix, their four year old cousin, Sirius, and their three year old cousin, Regulus, had been shooed away into the parlor and were under watch of the Black family governess, who was busily reading and knitting in the corner, paying no attention to the children.
She looked around the room. Bellatrix was busy teasing Regulus with one of his toys, and Narcissa was filing her nails, promptly ignoring Sirius, who was trying to get his cloak out from underneath her.
It was easy to see that Bellatrix, Narcissa and Andromeda were sisters. They all had the same upturned nose (but it was harder to notice on Narcissa, because she spent so much time scowling), and the same blue eyes. But Narcissa really stood out with her perfect blonde hair, while Bellatrix and Andromeda shared the same hair color and grin (though Bellatrix’s was rather more crooked). Bellatrix’s face was sharp and wicked, where Andromeda’s hair was wavy and her smile was bright.
Making sure nobody was paying any attention to her, Andromeda quietly slipped out of the room and down a dark and deserted hall. She knew, for she had heard her mother and father talk about it, that the house of Orion and Walburga Black was magically situated between two Muggle homes. Though she could not understand why a family who hated Muggles so much could live next door to them, she could not contain her curiosity.
Sidestepping Kreacher (Idgie’s son), she slipped out into the back garden. Thankfully, nobody was there, so she lifted her robes and crept towards the garden wall.
The garden wall was considerably taller then she was, so it was quite a lot of trouble for Andromeda to hoist herself onto it. She was very disappointed to find that it had been charmed to look like number twelve, Grimmauld Place was surrounded by rolling hills, and that she could get no further then the top of the wall.
“Well, if it isn’t our little fugitive!”
Andromeda almost fell off the wall in surprise. Her Uncle Alphard was leaning against the broom shed, watching her intently. She quickly hopped down (causing her feet some pain) and looked at her uncle guiltily.
“You weren’t trying to escape by any chance, were you?” Uncle Alphard laughed and beckoned her over.
“I’m sorry, Uncle Alphard. I-I heard Mum and Dad saying that this house was in a Muggle neighborhood, and with all the stories about them- I’ve never seen a Muggle before!” she explained, breathlessly.
“Never seen a Muggle before? Imagine that! But why would you be so eager to see one?” he asked.
“Why, to see what they look like, of course!”
Andromeda had always imagined Muggles to be big, horribly ugly creatures, with a lot of hair and strange noses. All the Muggle-borns and half-bloods might look a bit more human, but not much.
“To see what they- Andromeda, dear, Muggles look just the same as you and I!”
“Really?” she asked, shocked.
From the way everybody spoke about them, she couldn’t imagine them being the least bit like herself.
“Of course they do,” Uncle Alphard said. He smiled down at her and ruffled her hair. “You’ve got a ready mind, Andromeda. You’d make a good Ravenclaw.”
She stared up at him in shock. “A Ravenclaw? But, Uncle Alphard, all the Blacks have been in Slytherin!”
“I was a Ravenclaw, and your Great Uncle Linus was in Hufflepuff!”
“I’ve never heard of a Great Uncle Linus,” Andromeda muttered.
“No, I don’t suppose you would have,” Alphard sighed.
“Miss Andromeda!”
Andromeda looked up to see Idgie scurrying across the garden towards them.
“Misses Black and my Mistress is looking for you,” Idgie reported.
“Uncle Alphard, would it be okay if you didn’t mention this to my mother?” Andromeda whispered.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
With a wink, he strode back into the house, leaving her with quite a lot to think about.