Rating: T
Pairing: Rabastan/Andromeda
Warnings: None
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Word Count: 416

Notes: This collection will be for the 100 pairing challenge. Each chapter will be a different pairing, and this collection will end when I get to 100 chapters. It should work that each story will be under 500 words.

100 Pairing Challenge

Daily Character Appreciation Challenge: Day 1 – Andromeda Black

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry:Jewel Day Challenge – Jasper – Ring: Write about a female character of your choice.

Colors of the Rainbow Competition/Challenge:Red - Prompt 3 - Word prompt: Rose/Roses

Andromeda stared at the bouquet of roses. Her breath caught as the beautiful scent wafted up into her nostrils. She inhaled it deeply and risked a glance down the Slytherin table.

Two boys sat side by side. Their postures were stiff and their expressions were ominious. The younger one, Rabastan, looked at her from the corner of his eyes.

Despite herself, Andromeda felt a slight blush grace her cheeks.

"Oh pretty. Who sent them to you?" Narcissa excitedly asked. For once, she didn't show any signs of jealousy that Andromeda had a male admirer when Narcissa's own paramour didn't make such romantic gestures.

Andromeda must have been silent for too long because Narcissa followed her eyes. "Oh, Rabastan? How sweet." If she wasn't a proper, Pure-blood Slytherin, she might have squealed like a true teenage girl.

"Yes, sweet," Andromeda muttered before her eyes trained back onto her plate. Under normal circumstances, it would have been sweet. For a moment, she had allowed herself to forget the reason for his gift. It wasn't about being generous, or sweet, or simply romantic. It was to appease her and to make her forget their argument. To make her forget the reason behind their argument: their vastly different beliefs.

She sighed. Everyone knew that as soon as Narcissa graduated, she and Lucius would marry. Bellatrix was already married to Rodolphus, and everyone believed Andromeda would marry Rabastan.

Despite wishing to say no to Rabastan just to be contrary—she was always looking for ways to rebel against her parents—she had actually fallen in love with him and had been looking forward to a future with him.

They were so different, though, and their differences continued to cause contention between them. Last night, Rabastan had call Edward Tonks that horrid name—mudblood—and Andromeda had gotten so angry and lashed out at him. She told herself it wasn't because Edward was so nice to her, and flirted with her, and made her feel special. After all, she loved Rabastan, but maybe she hated seeing a nice guy treated lower than dirt just because of who his parents were. It wasn't his fault he had Muggle parents after all.

And now Rabastan was sending her roses, and he expected everything to be fixed. Could it be fixed? How could two people who thought of things in two different ways possibly be together?

She did love Rabastan. And she also believed that Rabastan genuinely loved her. But sometimes, love just wasn't enough.