title: Stupid Mudblood
disclaimer: I don't own.
rating: PG-13, for cursing. later on.
She strolled casually down the corridor, just as she had for six years before; her head was held high, her nose was stuck in the air and her betrothed was strutting by her side, proud as a peacock. Her dark, emotionless eyes glared harshly at anyone who so much as glanced her way. Anything that bothered her caused her nose to scrunch in a rabbit-ish way, especially those Hufflepuffs. Her long, dark hair had been curled into ringlets and carefully arranged into a ponytail. Even if she was emotionless and mean, one had to admit she was pretty.
Andromeda Black was just like every other Black: cold, calculating, emotionless, as were her two sisters, Narcissa and Bellatrix. Narcissa was six years younger than Andromeda, Bella was three years older. Despite the age difference, the three were as close as any sisters were, sharing secrets and crushes and whether or not they actually liked the man they had to marry. However, because they were high-class purebloods, and because they were children, they were known more by their personal traits than their names. Narcissa for being a hopeless romantic fool and self-centered, Andromeda for being motherly and condemning and Bella for being an extremist and impulsive.
Despite the fact that Andromeda was the middle girl, she had practically raised her younger sister, doing a little to raise her elder as well. Because their mother had died weeks after Narcissa's birth, Andromeda had been appointed mother. Their father, Cygnus, had seen Bella becoming unstable in her head and that only left Andromeda to be like a mother. It wasn't much of a burden, she didn't mind. In fact, Andromeda quite enjoyed taking care of Narcissa and doing the motherish things.
Suddenly, Andromeda felt a small presence by her side. Glancing down from the corner of her eyes, she saw her younger cousin, just Cissy's age, Sirius. He was a disgrace, having been sorted into Gryffindor rather than Slytherin. And he called himself a Black. Mentally, Andromeda scoffed.
"Hey, Andromeda!" He said, nearly squealing, actually.
"Yes, Sirius?" Andromeda responded calmly, keeping her face emotionless and unmoving, despite the disgust that was itching to spread across it.
"We'll still be friends, right?" He asked, sounding quite nervous. This time, Andromeda did scoff, letting the disgust splash over her face in a wave. Any real Black would not question his or her authority over a house. They would let the world know that they were a Black by acting like one, no matter the house.
"Yes, Sirius. We will remain friends. Despite you being a Gryffindor and having to question your authority by asking me if we will still be friends, thus making you a disgrace, yes, we will be friends." Andromeda replied, glaring at her snickering betrothed, who immediately strode away, still snickering to himself.
"R-really?" Sirius stuttered slightly, looking quite skeptical.
"No." Andromeda answered bluntly, leaving the small boy behind her, stunned.
"You don't think that was a little harsh?" Questioned an unfamiliar voice. Andromeda sighed, and glimpsed to her left, seeing a blond-haired boy with Hufflepuff robes.
"No, not especially. If I had been harsh, he'd be crying." Andromeda replied simply, shrugging slightly. She was sure why she had responded instead of groaning and strolling off to lunch.
"Still, he's only eleven. And he is your cousin." The boy reasoned, looking at Andromeda with an odd, impish grin on his face.
"That…that scum hasn't been related to me in any way, shape or form since he was sorted into Gryffindor." Andromeda sniffed, straightening her shoulders slightly.
"Tch, you can say what you want, but I know you don't mean it, 'Dromeda." Andromeda stiffened at the nickname and scowled at the boy.
"And what would you know about pureblood affairs? Aren't you a mudblood? What's your name?" Andromeda hissed, venom dripping off her words. However, the boy seemed unaffected, the elfish grin still present on his face, as if it was all just a game.
"Well, I don't know much about pureblood affairs," Ted began, shrugging his shoulders in a 'what can you do?' sort of way, "but I do know that it's not right to treat anyone like that, disgraceful or not. Th' name's Ted. Ted Tonks, and yes, I am a mudblood, as you so eloquently put it my dear Miss Black." Andromeda blushed dark red, though she wasn't sure why, really. In any case, Andromeda was extremely competitive and was not about to loose an argument to a mudblood.
"Well, I suggest that a mudblood like you stay out of pureblood family matters and stick to your own tainted blood lines' trouble." She replied huffily with an air of finality as she left to sit with her sister at the Slytherin table. Ted just gave her a lopsided grin and went off to the Hufflepuff table.
"Andy," Cissy began, "why were you talking to that Hufflepuff?"
"He tried to lecture me for putting Sirius in his….place." Andromeda's voice got weaker as her younger cousin entered the great hall with red eyes. She knew Sirius wasn't one to cry. Hell, when he was five his pet African Gray Parrot died, and he didn't shed a tear. Had she really been that harsh? She hadn't been as mean as she had been with some mudbloods, who had gotten boils put on their faces 'so their face would match their blood, ugly.' Andromeda's eyes flickered involuntarily to Ted, who held something between a smug and sad expression. Andromeda groaned and laid her head on the table, not really hungry anymore.
"See, I told you it was harsh." Ted lectured, placing and arm around Andromeda's shoulder. She immediately shrugged his arm off and fired an icy glare his way.
"Why me?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.
"Why you what?"
"Why are you following me around and harassing me?"
"Because I think you're just hiding behind a façade and you really aren't as heartless as you appear." At this, Andromeda snorted. Of course she was as heartless as she came off, it came with being a Black.
"Oh, really? And what makes you think that, mudblood?" She asked, raising and eyebrow.
"Whenever your older sister was making fun of a muggle born, you'd have this look way back in your eyes, buried under all the hate and disgust and slight amusement, that suggested you felt genuinely bad." Ted responded easily. Andromeda just shook her head and went to her Potions class.