"I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind"

Andromeda had never been the naive type. At a young age her hopes and dreams had been crushed by the heel of her mother's shoe. Lessons stuck with her that would crush the possibility of her being able to hope in things that seemed improbable.

The first time she could remember being both disappointed and the disappointment, she was five. On a cold December night, Andromeda was left alone to her own devices in her bedroom for there had been a business meeting of some sort in their house. Meda shivers now at the thought of what they could have been doing at said meeting.

Little Andromeda thought the stars winked at her, causing her fascination with them, even at such a young age. She recalled their names, which she had learned not too long ago at the time, and gazed up at them as if they could read her mind. She treated them like the friends she didn't have when she was little, frightened and delighted by the concept all in one.

The memory gets hazy after she wishes upon a shooting star. Meda isn't sure what her little mind thought she needed to wish for at the time, but she knows what she's wishing for now as she watches a shooting star flit across the sky.

Sinking down to the floor with her back against the wall, either guilt or tears cloud her eyes. She doesn't care which one it is, however, since the world will be cruel to her either way.

...

The mirror in front of her showed a pale, unrecognizable girl with fear in her eyes. Normally, the steel grey would be closed off and guarded, but Andromeda was having trouble concealing her emotions today, which made her feel a bit like Narcissa.

Her mind had been reeling after another long day of pretending to be someone she wasn't, something that was proving harder to do everyday. She blamed this on her mother, since she was the one who set up the courtship.

Druella hadn't been joking when she told Meda about setting up a courtship with Alexander Carrow. The plan had been put into action a week after Bellatrix's engagement party. Andromeda was sent on a date at a pureblood wizard's cafe with Alexander for two hours.

It was the worst two hours of her life.

When she sat across from him, she imagined dumping another bucket of water over his head and telling Ted and Jack about it later. Of course, Meda couldn't contain her laugh and let Alexander think what he had said about the goblins in Gringotts was awfully funny. Meda was sure whatever he said was just awful.

The dreadful date had led her to a breakdown in her bedroom. She would've smashed her glass windows if she didn't have the level of self control she had. So, instead of acting rash, she wished on a star and cried. A lot.

That might explain why her eyes are so dull. Perhaps,  she cried all the magic out of them. Meda shook the thoughts crowding her brain to focus on her reflection in the mirror.

She wouldn't allow herself to dwell on the events that had taken place yesterday for one reason. Meda had to get ready for the day in front of her. It would not be acceptable to walk into Bellatrix's wedding any less than perfect, which meant many things had to be done before her sister got married.

Of course, getting ready to walk into the church meant preparing herself physically and mentally. Giving herself a run down of the day, Andromeda was tempted to write a letter to Henri and visit her house.

The most pressing issue on her mind was the fact that Alexander was going to be her date to the wedding. This meant that Meda would walk down the aisle next to him, which made her want to throw up at the thought.

A soft knock at her door signaled her to break from the near stupor. Opening the door, she revealed a sleepy Narcissa, who yawned as she walked into her bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Mother already left the house," Narcissa said, knowing that Meda knew this prior to their conversation. "Father wants to leave in two hours."

"Two hours is doable," Meda replied, sitting back in front of her vanity. "What do you need done?"

"Could you do my hair?" Narcissa asked, biting her lip. "The braids Mother wants us to do just aren't cooperating with me."

"Sure thing," Meda smiled at her sister's request. Apparently, Narcissa wasn't above asking for help. "I've already done my hair, so I can start on yours now."

Narcissa proved to provide a decent distraction for Andromeda. She could forget that Cissy was apart of the family sometimes by the way she spoke. Her eyes lit up and she giggled nearly every time Meda made a crude remark about something, which was only something that Henri did too.

Two hours flew by much quicker than Meda would've preferred, and the next thing she knew, she was being forced to stand in line next to Alexander, who looked all too pleased to be standing next to her. She made sure to glare at him every time her mother wasn't looking.

"You look very beautiful today, Andromeda," Alexander whispered into her ear.

This was a true statement, and one could tell Meda knew this as well. She had been walking differently, her shoulders not as slouched, and her head was held up higher. However, her eyes still didn't sparkle as much as they usually did.

"I know," Meda smirked when Alexander glared.

The smirk died as soon as it was born though, as it was time to walk down the aisle. Narcissa was first to walk down the aisle with Alexander's younger brother, Amycus, which had pissed her off to no end because Narcissa wanted to walk with Lucius. However, that obviously hadn't happened.

Andromeda followed behind Narcissa by a few seconds, making sure she didn't trip on her dress that flowed past her ankles. Uncomfortable was an understatement at this point, not only was Alexander keeping a tight grip on her arm, but she could feel the whispers were definitely about whether or not he was courting her. The answer was yes, but the people in the pews didn't know that, yet.

Bellatrix didn't waste time giving heartfelt vows, and neither did her husband. It seemed that he had finally learned she wasn't going to love him, no matter what the words they recited said.

In a haze, they returned down the aisle for pictures and took their seats in the reception. Andromeda stole a glass of champagne from a waiter that looked at her suspiciously and stood in a corner to look out for Alexander.

As she scanned the room, she saw her mother standing next to Bellatrix with a proud smile on her face. Druella didn't even have to speak for Bellatrix at this point, she just smiled and nodded at the right times. Andromeda wished miserably that she could make her mother look like that too.

"Are you avoiding someone?" A curious, loud voice made her flinch.

She turned to see Sirius, who had ditched his suit jacket. It was very silly to see Sirius in suspenders, and she wished again for a camera to take his picture.

"Have some tact, Sirius, and speak quieter," Meda said, harsher than intended. Her heart broke a little more when she saw him flinch.

He didn't respond, just standing next to her. She looked down at him to see he had now rolled up his sleeves, accidentally revealing bruising on his arms. She inhaled sharply.

"Do they hurt you?" Andromeda asked, making Sirius roll his sleeves back down in haste.

He swallowed thickly as they made eye contact and she knew the answer without him saying anything. Thousands of thoughts swarmed her brain without her consent, but most were prayers that Sirius would be okay.

"I don't know how to heal bruises," Meda knelt down so that she was eye level with Sirius. "However, if you ever need help for anything, you write to me, okay?"

"Okay," Sirius replied, a small smile reappearing on his face.

His smile inspired her own for the rest of the night. She felt lighter knowing that he knew she would help him, but heavier because of why she had to offer the help. Neither of them should have to even ask for help because they're fighting with their parents, but as Meda learns soon, help from another person acts like a lifeline.

...

Song: I'm Still Standing
By: Elton John

This chapter took me forever to write! I'm really sorry if there are mistakes, I wanted to get out the chapter as quick as possible!!

I hope everyone is doing well! I haven't been on wattpad as much recently (life has just been hectic !) and I haven't talked to anyone very recently, so let me know how you're doing.

Lmao anyways thanks for reading
-teddy xx