#nardromeda

[thistlecatfics]

Do you think Andromeda and Narcissa got reconcile and explore each other romantically post-war? This is on the basis that they never explored anything like that before Andromeda ran away.

I definitely answered an ask like this a couple years ago, but I do an absolutely atrocious job of tagging so I can't find it. BUT! if anyone can find it for me then you're my hero.

so... the answer is maybe? depending on the circumstances? I could see it going many ways.

IF we're going with yes (because that's way more interesting) -

I headcanon that immediately after the Battle of Hogwarts Narcissa goes straight to the bank, which is obviously a huge mess after Harry and co just broke out via dragon! (remember that's basically the same day as the battle lol) She starts moving money around to make sure her family is secure - moving money overseas, moving money to strange accounts etc. She does this because she correctly anticipates that the ministry basically takes a huge amount of money from the Malfoys as punishment for their actions during the war. So she makes sure they can't find all of it.

One of the places she puts her money is in her sister's account because of weird blood rules at Gringotts. Her living sister. Andromeda.

Andromeda does not go straight to the bank because she's a normal grieving human and she has an infant who is now totally her responsibility. It takes her a while - maybe a year or two - to realize there's been a major deposit into her otherwise meager account.

Once she realizes this, she's PISSED. She's grieving and furious and trying to keep it together for her grandchild, but she's exhausted and everything is horrible.

In my main headcanon for Andromeda, she's an alcoholic who gets sober shortly after graduation for Ted's sake and then for her child. After they both die? Sobriety seems like an absurd thing to maintain. She's mostly keeping it together -- like one binge a week when Teddy is with Molly.

I don't see sober Andromeda as able to reconcile with Narcissa. It's just too unfair. How dare Narcissa be left with a living son when Andromeda lost everyone? Except this infant who exhausts her and reminds her of how Ted was always better when Nymphadora was a baby and who is part werewolf? Maybe they try, maybe they don't. It's just too much pain.

However, relapsing Andromeda?? Who is trying to keep it together in public? but who fucking cares what her horrible sister has to say? how dare she judge her? Going with the fanon that Narcissa is under house arrest in Malfoy Manor, Andromeda is allowed to visit her unsupervised. Malfoy Manor has an incredible wine cellar.

Narcissa is desperate for contact from anyone, from her sister. Andromeda is desperate for moments of oblivion -- as long as she knows Teddy is safe. They develop an incredibly awful, codependent, enabling relationship where Narcissa plies Andromeda with alcohol and Andromeda says cruel things to her when drunk but Narcissa's willing to take it because she just wants something. They're both so lonely and so unsure of how they're supposed to continue on in this new world. They also both miss Bellatrix and both are looking for Bellatrix in the other but refuse to say so out loud.

(Eventually it gets bad enough -- Andromeda is clearly slowly killing herself -- that even Narcissa intervenes. With Andromeda now sober and Teddy at Hogwarts, they develop a new kind of relationship and somewhat isolate themselves together from the world.)

On the other hand, if you want a less angsty version, I love the idea of writing a Drarry fic where they're trying to hide their relationship but end up back at Malfoy Manor and stumble upon Narcissa/Andromeda. Everyone is freaking out except for Narcissa who thinks conventions against incest are so bourgeois and who has known that her son has been obsessed with Harry Potter for ten years. She's just like... ugh *waves for the house elf for tea with vodka.*