This is a Ted & Andromeda fanfiction.
It is independant from my other fanfictions' timelines on this couple.
Why the Boat House? If I ever get to writing a full on story about them, then you'll know ^^
NOTE: I am not a native english speaker and any advice or correction on my language is welcome and greatly appreciated!
DISCLAIMER: any and all things related to Harry Potter belong to JK Rowling.
Enjoy!
No rendezvous had been fixed, no hour appointed, no place decided, and yet Andromeda was not in the least surprised to see Ted carelessly laying against the wall of the Boat House.
As she waddled down the long descent of stairs, huddled in her heavy coat of wool and cotton pullovers, her eyes got inexorably taken to his body, sturdy and strong yet surprisingly elegant against the wood of the small hut. Her eyes travelled up the broad chest and large shoulders that even his big winter coat could not hide, and found his face. A square face that had never looked quite so delicate before. Maybe it was the striking contrast between his skin, ordinarily shining with a beautiful golden glow, now pale like northern snow but patched with rosy highlights on his frozen cheeks, frozen nose, frozen lips. Misty puffs of dancing vapor escaped from between those lips in regular motions, losing themselves into the air with hypnotising grace, until they met Ted's hazel gaze lost in the distance, shining under low and thick eyebrows frowned pensively, his thoughts reaching far, yet restrained to the borders of his own mind. In the fiery light of the Boat House's candlelight, it shone like would yellow suns bubbling and bursting with unreadable intensity.
The more she looked at him, the more Andromeda's heart clenched and swelled, the more her lungs froze and breathed, the more her brain died and exulted. How did he do it? How did he manage to surprise her like this every time she laid eyes upon him?
He looked up at the sound of her footsteps and a bright smile enlightened his frozen features. There was no trace left of the melancholy that veiled his face only seconds earlier as he walked over to her. She forgot it too and met his smile. One of her own mirrored his, her pale skin as a new canvas. She forgot everything actually, even her newly reached conclusion on their friendship - namely, that it shall remain nothing more than a friendship - and trotted over to his open arms, nuzzling herself against his strong body and warm embrace, never taking the time to listen to the yelling protests of her mind.
'For a second I was scared you wouldn't come.' Said Ted.
Andromeda could feel the vibrations of his throat against the top of her head. His voice sounded even deeper from where she stood, as if the air around her shook when he talked.
'Where else could I be on such a freezing, wet, Friday evening?' She teased.
He chuckled lightly and she felt him twist his neck to get a better look at her. She still hadn't released him from the hug and he certainly was not used to her showing so much affection quite so blatantly. But she felt warm in his hands, she felt comfortable, she felt secure, and as long as he was holding her as well, she had no intention of stepping back. Stepping back would mean facing the awkwardness that would undoubtedly come up between the two them, and that awkwardness would mean the end of a magical, peaceful, simple moment that she wanted to enjoy to its fullest while it lasted.
'Aren't people going to wonder where you are?' Asked Ted after a few silent minutes had gone by.
'Probably.'
'You don't seem convinced.'
'I don't know. Wouldn't they have grown used to me disappearing every once in a while?'
'But… Wouldn't that… Wouldn't that make them suspicious?'
'Maybe.'
'You… You're not worried?'
Andromeda took a step back and locked her gaze into Ted's eyes, an eyebrow raised. 'Even if they are suspicious, what are they going to do about it?'
Ted gulped, open his mouth to speak, hesitated, and chose to remain silent. Instead, he met Andromeda's stare with poise curiosity and waited. Approving, Andromeda nodded and allowed herself a cocky grin.
'You seem to have forgotten my reputation Ted Tonks.' She said in a singing tone, strolling towards him casually as she lost her eyes to the starry night sky. 'It seems I have been too… Patient with you. You'll think me to be a nice person and that simply won't do…'
'Too late though.' Cut in Ted with an amused grin.
'What's that?'
'I already think you are a nice person. I think you are a profoundly good human being, in fact.' He added in a more serious tone before taking a step closer to her. She froze. 'That's why I don't want us meeting here to cause you any problems. I know it's... Difficult for you to… I mean… I know you're not supposed… Expected to… But I… I mean…'
'Ted.' She cut him. 'I'm here tonight because I don't want to have to think about this anymore. So please… Let's not do this.'
There had been no aggressiveness in her voice, but the strict determination of someone who had made up her mind. Ted received it with grave acceptation, nodding and lowering his gaze, eyebrows frowned and his head retrieved into his shoulders. Despite herself, Andromeda felt a tender smile creep onto her face as her heart swelled.
'Thank you for caring.' She said before she could stop herself. Once the words were out however, she could not think why she would have wanted to.
Ted raised a tentative glance and, upon seeing her smile, gave her one of his own.
'Of course,' He breathed.
Shivers crept up Andromeda's back and, overwhelmed for a second, she let her eyes wander back to the stars. Ted joined her, now standing so close to her she could nearly feel the warmth emanating from his body. She did not dare to look at him. He gave her an excuse not to when he spoke again.
'The sky is so clear tonight.' He said. 'Looks exactly like those Astronomy sky charts.'
'We've been looking at those for so long I know them all by heart now.' Replied Andromeda. 'To think I know better what lies beyond the earth than what's inside the borders of our own country.'
'I suppose wizards have always been more of dreamers.'
Andromeda nodded, thoughtful. Dreamers… Dreamers that stuck to the stories of the past, legends and myths about their own grandeur preventing them from seeing the beauty in what lay outside the walls behind which they have barricaded themselves. But she had had a glimpse of what she never should have seen. She had had the curiosity to look at what lay behind the walls. And now she could not come back. Not completely. Not ever again…
'There's a galaxy with your name out there.' Ted continued.
'So I've heard…'
'I guess a constellation just wasn't grandiose enough for you.' He joked.
'And to think I am the least dramatic out of my siblings.'
Ted cracked a laugh and soon, Andromeda joined him. She loved watching him laugh. His whole face changed. His smile was so big, and those laugh lines at the corner of his eyes made him look surprisingly young and surprisingly mature at the same time.
'Why did you come here tonight?' She blurted out before the words stuck to her throat forever.
Ted stopped laughing, confused, eyebrows raised and eyes widened.
'What do you mean?' He asked.
'We hadn't decided we'd be meeting here tonight. We hadn't decided on anything.' She said.
Ted's features relaxed and he shrugged.
'Gee, Dromeda.' He said. 'I didn't really think about it. I just got here and starting waiting for you. After a while, I started worrying you might not come. But then you were there.' He gave her a brilliant smile and she looked away. She nodded. He took a step closer. 'And you?'
She hesitated, smiled, and finally, chuckled. 'I hadn't really thought about it either.' She said. How silly. Ted was rubbing off on her it seemed. Those Hufflepuffs…
'Well… I don't know if you meant it to be flattering, but I'm flattered.' Announced Ted with a hint of amusement in his voice.
Andromeda turned back to him only to see his eyes were on her and his smile extended from one ear to another. She barely stopped herself from cupping his face into her hands and pinching his round and rosy dimpled cheeks. How could a man be so adorable?
'Don't you want to sit down?' He offered after a while.
'I didn't know I was your guest here.' She teased.
He decided to play along. 'Well, I cannot yet afford a manor so this Boat House will have to do, Miss Black.' He uttered in a snobbish voice.
'And I suppose I can try and mingle with the peasants from time to time.'
They burst into laughter as Andromeda sat herself next to Ted on the wooden floor of the small hut, feet hanging over the boats that swung with the waves of the water.
They remained sat there for quite some time, eyes captivated by the regular movement of the boat under their feet and the rhythmic whooshing of the waves crashing against the wood. The night was silent except for the water and the occasional cricket singing to the stars. Once or twice, a toad croaked somewhere in the distance, as if to complain of the crickets. The insects did not seem eager to stop, however. The idea made Andromeda smile. Little crickets, stubborn like bulls, would not leave their croaking friends alone to spend a peaceful night. How rude of them. Was that their rebellious answer to being food for nearly all animals? Prevent them from sleep?
Speaking of sleep, Andromeda was starting to feel its weight on her. Her eyelids were heavy, her brain foggy, her body numb. She forced herself to look up, at Ted, and found his eyes were on her. He did not move when she met his gaze. He simply smiled.
'You're tired?' He said, for it wasn't really a question.
She shrugged nonchalantly. 'M'okay.' She uttered, before releasing a massive yawn.
Ted chuckled. 'Come on,' He prompted, making to rise, 'let's go back.'
Andromeda grabbed his sleeve and pulled him back down. 'Why the rush?' She asked softly, but decidedly. 'We don't have to go now.'
Ted stared at her with a pointed look for a moment before finally sitting again. His eyes hadn't left her though, neither had his puzzled look.
'Did something happen with other Slytherins?' He asked, worried.
She shrugged. 'Nothing out of the ordinary.' She answered casually. 'I just really need the fresh air, you know. When you spend six years of your life hanging around the same people, sometimes, you just want to take a break…'
Ted nodded silently.
'I'm someone who likes to have her space,' she continued, 'and it turns out that boarding schools give little attention to personal space. It's not that I don't like being around people, it's just that I don't want to be around them every hour of everyday. And then people say I'm cold… I'm not cold. I just don't feel like pretending to care about everything people babble about. And they babble a lot! About the same things they've been babbling about for the last six years!'
Ted was still nodding, but his worried frown had been replaced by a debonair smile.
'Do you think I'm cold?' Asked Andromeda suddenly.
Ted shrugged. 'No.' He said simply.
Andromeda punched him lightly on the arm and when he looked at her, she made him a pouty face that sent him into an unstoppable fit of mad laughter. The witch continued to punch him half-heartedly.
'Here I am, rambling about my life like I've never rambled, and you just laugh at me!' She moaned before yawning again.
She knew that exhaustion tended to break that filter in her head that usually stopped her from saying most of what passed through her brain, and she knew that that filter was completely obsolete by now, but her mind was too foggy for her to care. And she was enjoying the situation a lot more that she would admit to herself.
'Ted Tonks, you have disappointed me.'
'You're just too cute!' Ted managed to blurt out between two hiccups of laughter.
Andromeda felt her cheeks go red. 'I know I am!' She said to give herself a semblance of composure. 'I've always been the cute one in the family…'
Ted lost it again and though Andromeda tried hard to contain herself for a good fistful of seconds, she could not hold her own hilarity any longer, for Ted's laughter was contagious and she had lost her will to fight his good mood.
She hadn't laughed that loudly, that clearly, that freely, for a very long time, it seemed. She felt good in that moment. She felt like nothing else mattered than the happiness of that instant. In that instant, she was no one but the tired, self-proclaimed number one cute girl Andromeda, and there was no one to force her into a costume too tight, too large, or too heavy for her to bear. She was no one but Andromeda and the fact that, tonight, she was making one of her best memories ever with a muggleborn meant nothing. All that mattered was that he was Ted, and she felt weightless when she was with him. Weightless, like she could fly into the sky, touch the stars, land on the moon and come back. With him by her side.
It was long before they regained their composure and by then, Andromeda could barely keep her eyes open. She was only half-conscious that her head rested comfortably on Ted's shoulders, and his head lay on hers. She yawned again and let her lids close.
'Did you sleep last night?' Asked Ted in a whisper.
'Why do you ask?' Andromeda mumbled lazily.
'You've looked tired all day.'
Andromeda sighed. That was not something girls - anyone, really - liked to hear.
'I've been having trouble sleeping…' she answered truthfully.
Ted nodded. 'Do you know why?'
'I have a notch.'
He nodded again and nuzzled into her, and she welcomed the added warmth and comfort with gratitude.
'If you're ever feeling down, even a little, you know you can talk to me, okay?' He said in a whisper.
She was ready to answer when she realised the knot that had formed in her throat, and the one in her stomach, and how her eyes felt dry suddenly. Touched, she nodded, afraid her voice would betray her emotion. Ted seemed to perceive the sudden shift in her attitude.
'I know it's not always easy on you.' He continued. 'And I know you cannot always talk about all the things troubling you to those around you. But I'm here now. I'm here for you. You don't have to impress me or put on a good face for me, Dromeda. I'm just ready to listen. I'm ready to help.'
Andromeda gulped. Loudly, and with difficulty. Refusing to open her eyes, she fumbled around to find Ted's hand, and he was the one to give it to her, linking their fingers together.
'I know.' She breathed simply.
Her voice had shaken, and so had her heart. Silently, Ted put an arm around her and held her closer and Andromeda was secretly glad that he was so cuddly. She curled deeper into him and let her body relax into his embrace. Sleep took her in a matter of seconds.
Darkness.
She was on a boat. She had to be. Everything was so wobbly. But why was there no light? Oh, her eyes were closed. She opened them. Closed them again; the light was too bright. She had just had time to glimpse at the castle's floor passing under her. And a back. A strong, square back to which she held. Ted.
Darkness.
A voice?
'Andromeda.'
That was her name.
'Andromeda.'
Someone was shaking her shoulder.
'Andromeda.'
The voice was growing more insistent. Oh! Was someone calling her? She opened an eye.
'Mmh?'
'I can't take you into the Slytherin Common Room.' Said the voice. Ted. She raised her other lid and took a good look at him. Square face, strong jaws, round nose and big, shining hazel eyes. She loved his eyes. She loved his face. Her stare dropped a little, just a little, to his lips. They were a light colour, nearly as light as the rest of his skin. Full lips too. She had never really realised… She wondered…
'Andromeda.' That deep honey voice again. 'You have to stand up and go to bed. What will people think if they see you sleeping here, alone, in the middle of the corridor tomorrow morning?'
Andromeda yawned. 'You wouldn't leave me alone.' she mumbled.
A brief silence followed, during which she could nearly hear the smile cracking dimples into his cheeks. She was glad to hear his voice again.
'Come on, 'Dromeda.' He said, standing up and extending a hand to her. 'You're not even drunk you have no excuse.'
She sighed. 'Oh well, if I have no excuse…' With a resigned grimace, she took his hand and forced herself on her feet.
Ted helped to steady her as she stood. She mumbled a thank you before turning to the wall behind her, and paused, taken by a sudden hesitation. Had she forgotten the password? Too tired to think, she blurted out the first word that came to mind and concluded it was the right one as the wall slid to the side, giving way to the cosy, if humid, Slytherin Common Room.
'Go on,' said Ted, who was still holding her.
She looked down to free her hand from his grip and realised she was actually the one holding on. Her heart tightened for a second and she slid her fingers off his. He let her go.
'Good night,' He whispered after her.
She nodded, 'Good night,' and disappeared into her Common Room.
She saw herself walk deeper into the room and over to the back, through the long and narrow corridors distributing the rooms. She let habit guide her feet to her own and assisted mindlessly as her hand fell on a handle, pushed open a door, and her legs dragged her over to a wardrobe. Before she knew it, she was in her pyjamas, her clothes lying carelessly in a messy pile at the feet of the bed on which she lay, already asleep and dreaming.
Of Ted.
Haha! So this was fairly long and nothing really happens ^^ If you've read it until the end, thank you, I hope you enjoyed this depiction of a perfectly calm and non-action packed moment lacking in tension, scale and stakes! But you know, I like to, and think it's nice to, explore the psychology of the characters and the way they interact with each other in more normal situations.
Have a great day!
_ sheyamiku