"And I can see it in your face
You've got a side you can't explain"

Summer days seemed to be growing longer every time Andromeda was given a new one. However, it wasn't as if the hours she spent in St. Mungo's were pleasant ones.

Not once could she think of a moment where Cygnus treated a single human in the room with an ounce of respect, unless it was a man, of course. He had requested all male doctors, scoffing in the face of the woman who had originally been assigned his case.

It made Andy's blood boil.

She couldn't stay in his presence for more than five minutes at a time. A little while ago she would've been sad about that, but Cygnus lost all rights to any pity at all.

Needless to say, she had made some questionable decisions in order to get away from her family that summer. Although, in her opinion questionable should be used loosely since she refused to believe they were all that controversial.

Sure, she had skipped a few hospital visits, neglecting to support Narcissa in the process. However, Narcissa had other support systems that she should learn how to use now because Andromeda would not be in their family forever.

Sure, she had left her house a number of times to hang out with Henri and her newfound muggle friends, but having friends wasn't against the law. Her so-called family would never approve of them, but then again, when had she ever called them family.

And sure, she had kissed one of her muggle friends, August, but that had only happened once so it was fine. Besides, they had spent so much time with each other since then and nothing like that had happened... never mind the casual arm touches and stolen glances from one side of the party.

It wasn't a big deal though. August was sweet and funny and charming. He couldn't hurt a fly--no really, he cringed every time Meda killed a bug--and he treated her so well. August had begun to give her flowers, of which she always picked one to put in her hair.

If this was what it felt like to be happy, then why was it so conflicting?

Andromeda wondered why she couldn't have fun without constantly thinking about Narcissa alone in her room, Druella and the nurses being treated terribly by Cygnus, or Ted's worried glances.

Now, she almost always got herself to ignore the last bit, however, Andy found it difficult not to daydream about his eyes, or wistfully think about all of their latest conversations. She liked to chalk it up to missing a friend, but the logical side of her brain reminded her she didn't think about Jack the same way she thought about Ted or even Henri for that matter.

All of these conflicting feelings were bound to burst out of her at some point, but like it was her first and only language, she chose to ignore them. Perhaps, Andy did this to protect herself, or maybe it was more self-destructive than anything else.

Whatever it was, Andromeda couldn't find it in herself as she sat in Bellatrix's parlor with her two sisters. After a rather emotional hospital visit, they all found themselves hesitant to speak. Still, Narcissa started conversation.

"Do you think he's going to get better, Bella?" Narcissa asked softly.

Andy shifted her eyes slowly from sister to sister. She watched as Bellatrix stared at the tea she held in her lap. Her older sister sighed heavily.

"No, Cissy, I don't," Bellatrix answered bluntly. Andy narrowed her eyes as Narcissa took in a sharp breath. "I think it's his time to go."

Narcissa's eyes watered. Andromeda didn't stop to think about why she was practically crying over a man who treated them terribly since they were born before she stepped in.

"Bella! Stop being so insensitive!" Andromeda said, a little surprised with herself.

Bellatrix turned to set her eyes on Andromeda, who immediately knew she had screwed up. Andy knew for a fact that Bella was out of line with what she had said, but Bellatrix would not take lightly to having been scolded by one of her younger sisters.

"Do not speak to me that way!" Bellatrix replied in a low, threatening tone. "Cissy asked for my opinion and she got it!"

"Maybe you should take her feelings into consideration next time!" Meda responded, aware of how Narcissa was currently cowering in her chair as her sisters' voices rose.

"Oh! I get it!" Bellatrix smiled sarcastically. "I should coddle her just as Mother and Father did after you created a fool of our family to the Carrows?"

Andromeda felt as if she had been stabbed. Anger flooded her system as disbelief spread through her core. She not only felt hurt but stupid as well for believing that Bellatrix would've been on her side of things.

"I was not coddled!" Andromeda nearly yelled, standing up from her seat next to Narcissa. Bellatrix stood from the chair across from them. "I was locked into a closet!"

"They should have done so much worse!" Bellatrix yelled back. "They should have told you what a disgrace to the family name you are-"

Andromeda stormed past Bellatrix, not bothering to turn to get either of her sisters' reactions. How much hurt was she going to deal with before she actually left? When she finally found the answer to this question, she didn't like it.

Walking--no, running from Bellatrix's house all the way to her bedroom was a shorter trip than she had thought. Her anger could have fueled her system, which would make sense because Andromeda didn't remember being that fast of a runner.

However, before she could leave the house with her bag in hand, Narcissa flooed home. They stared at each other in front of the fireplace, and Andy silently wished she could've run just a little faster to avoid this.

"Don't leave again, please," Narcissa begged.

Andy noticed how disheveled Narcissa looked, from her messy hair to the tears in her eyes. To clear her mind, Andy chalked that up to the journey Cissy had just made. Narcissa had definitely messed up her hair while flooing--which was totally plausible--not because she was trying to pull it from her head, and Narcissa had most definitely gotten ash in her eyes, at some point, that made them water.

"I have to go, Cissy," Andy replied, devoid of emotion. "I'll be back later."

"When is later, huh?" Narcissa asked, now clearly angry. "You leave me here alone to wonder when you'll come back! The only company I have are the house-elves!"

"Narcissa-"

"No! I'm not finished!" Narcissa said, glaring at her older sister. She quieted again before speaking. "We used to spend so much time together, but now I feel as if you've abandoned me. You've always been my best friend. What's happened?"

Feeling like her heart was being torn apart from the inside out, Andromeda felt the tears slip down her face. Everything Narcissa had said was true, which was the worst part of it all. Andy would've much rather she lied or said something truly terrible to Andromeda because she had learned how to deal with that.

She had never learned how to deal with the truth.

In all her years of living, the truth is what kept her up at night. The truth slapped her in the face every single day. The fact that she had to leave Narcissa behind to leave her family behind made her want to throw up her intestines. In fact, she was sure that that would feel nicer than leaving her younger sister behind.

"I don't know, Cissy," Andromeda replied truthfully. "My world has been flipped upside down. I don't know left from right in this house, and I have this overwhelming feeling that I must get out. I need peace."

"Are you really sure the only way to get peace is to leave?" Narcissa asked softly, like she was scared of the answer.

"I've tried every day of my life to find peace within these walls, but I'm starting to believe it doesn't exist here for me," Andy replied back as she watched Narcissa's face fall.

She cried as she walked to Henri's house that day, and she didn't stop when she got there.

...

Andromeda woke up the next morning with a headache and a buzzing in her brain as she recollected all that had happened yesterday. Flashes of hurtful words said by Bellatrix, and emotional sentences strung together by Narcissa flew around her head.

Andromeda feared if she sat up she'd get too dizzy and fall over. So, she let her lay in Henri's bed for a little longer.

Henri and Marlowe had answered the door cautiously last night when Andy had finally made her way there. They took a look at the way she could hardly stand on her two feet—the effects of running from Bellatrix's home—and how red her cheeks were before embracing her into their home once again.

Marlowe hugged her like she was obligated to. She held onto her like Andy had always wished her own mother had, which probably made her cry more. Henri grabbed her some water and after an hour of reassurance and comfort, Henri and Andromeda went to bed.

Before they fell asleep, Henri whispered something to her that she'd hold onto forever.

"I'll always be here for you, Andy."

Promises weren't Andy's favorite thing in any sense, but hearing those words from her best friend had a different affect. It might've been because Henri was the first person Andromeda believed when they told her that.

Just as she began replaying the horrors of yesterday, Henri strode into the room with a soft smile on her face at the sight of her friend. Andy briefly remembered sharing what had happened with her and her mom, but that didn't even matter to her anymore. It was like a second nature to her to share her problems with Henri at this point.

"You alright?" Henri asked, already knowing the answer. 

Andromeda shrugged in response, not feeling particularly inspired in answering.

"Do you have any pepper-up potion?" Andy asked.

"Yeah, I'll go grab some," Henri said, practically running out of the room.

Andromeda didn't think she'd ever find the right words to thank them for everything they'd ever done for them, but she hoped her future self would be able to put it into perspective.

For now, she'd just take the potion and sleep in a little longer as she tried to ignore all her problems.

...

Song: Wildflower
By: 5 Seconds of Summer

The first time I published this chapter I forgot to write an author's note lmao.

This chapter took me ages to form the words for. I hope the next update doesn't take this long, but school has been a bit stressful recently. I cant wait for summer!

One more chapter of this act??? Yayy!

Lmao anyways thanks for reading
-teddy xx