This is my first Harry Potter fanfic but not my first story. I hope that you all enjoy it and leave me some feedback to let me know what you think. This story will be set from Andromeda's first year at Hogwarts until the end of the first wizarding war.

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I see her walking down the street

She's all by herself

I try and knock her off her feet

But, she'll never break, never break, never break, never break

This heart of stone

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September 1964

Andromeda had always wanted to go to Hogwarts. She had been extremely jealous when her older sister Bellatrix had gone two years previously. She had missed her immensely whilst she was away and was always ecstatic when she came home for the holidays. Without Bellatrix, Andromeda was left with Narcissa for company when their Mother, Druella was not teaching them the finer points of etiquette or basic spell lessons. Whilst she loved Narcissa, she was closer to Bellatrix. The pair shared many physical resemblances whereas Narcissa took after her mother's family with her blonde hair and fairer skin.

This was her year to leave and have adventures at Hogwarts. Andromeda could barely sleep the night before she was due to go and by the time that she got to platform nine and three quarters she was completely ready to board the train. Druella looked around herself before sniffing and looking down at Andromeda.

"Remember what I taught you and don't dirty yourself" Andromeda gave a thin smile before replying

"Of course Mother" She turned her back and boarded the train after Bellatrix. She began to follow Bellatrix into a compartment when her older sister stopped and turned back to face her.

"Go and find some of your own friends, Andromeda" Andromeda looked at her sister and replied

"But I don't know anyone else. Please Bella" Bellatrix shook her head before opening the compartment door and walking in. Andromeda had a glimpse of several people before the door was closed in her face. Andromeda walked further down the train, searching for familiar faces or an empty compartment. She stopped at a compartment with a dark haired boy in it and opened the door slowly. The boy looked up and smiled at her

"You can come in" Andromeda smiled and took a seat. The boy reopened the book he was holding and after a while Andromeda relaxed and did the same.

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Andromeda took her place on the stool and the sorting hat was placed on her head. She had watched Bellatrix lean back in her seat and smirk, like she knew which house her sister would be placed in. Andromeda took in a breath and listened as a voice began to creep into her mind

'Another black, hmm but different from the rest. There are not as much darkness in you so where to place you..' Andromeda began to internally panic

'Please, I need to be in Slytherin, please'

'If you're sure. SLYTHERIN' The sorting hat was taken off her head and Andromeda was met by light applause from the Slytherin table and silence from the other tables. Andromeda was taken back by the reaction but slowly made her way to the Slytherin table. She could see older students look at her with narrowed eyes and a few students shaking their heads. She took a seat at the end of the table and looked down at her lap. From tales that Bellatrix had told her of school she had never mentioned the animosity from the other houses. Andromeda was beginning to wonder if it would have been better if she had let the sorting hat choose somewhere else for her to go.

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The first few weeks of Hogwarts were going remarkably well though Andromeda was yet to make any real friends with her dorm mates. The other girls were into talking families legacies and what each girl would gain from potential matches, Andromeda was trying to keep herself from falling behind with her classwork. Potions was defiantly not one of her stronger subjects and Andromeda could always seem to sense Professor Slughorn's disapproval every time she began to mix different ingredients together.

It also did not help that Andromeda could never seem to get alone time with Bellatrix. Her older sister always seemed to be too busy, however she was not too busy to report home on what Andromeda was doing whilst away. Andromeda had already received four letters from her Mother and Father, one congratulating her for following the family tradition of being sorted into Slytherin. And the other three scolding her for not making more connections or not doing as well in subjects that her older sister was hugely talented at. Andromeda simply hide the letters at the bottom of her school trunks and tried to forget about it. She couldn't help what she wasn't naturally good at. However Charms, herbology and care of magical creatures she was doing extremely well at and actually enjoyed despite what her sister said about the subjects.

The other students from the other houses seemed to avoid the Slytherin house and Andromeda couldn't seem to understand why. She had tried to be polite to the other students in her class and smiled brightly but the other students always looked away or looked through her. Andromeda hadn't seen the black haired boy from the train either but she assumed that if she did see him again he would just have the same reaction as every other student in the school.

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It was getting nearer to Christmas leave and Andromeda had been studying late in the library, determined to improve in her classes. She looked up from her stacks of books and noticed that the sky outside was pitch black and that she was certainly nearing the start of curfew. She ran out of the library doors and began to run down the flight of stairs towards the dungeons when she heard her sisters distinct cackling laugh coming from further down the hall. Andromeda peeked round the corner and almost gasped at the sight of her sister, wand in hand, standing over the body of the boy from the train. Several of the boys and girls from her sister's year were all crowded round her, cheering Bellatrix on. Her sister leaned down next to the boy and said harshly

"That's what you get Mud blood when you come near us. Don't do it again" Andromeda watched as her sister and her friends walked away from the boy laughing cruelly. Andromeda walked over to the boy, once her sister was gone and asked softly

"Are you ok?" The boy looked at up at her and smiled

"Yeah, I'll be fine" The boy stood up and brushed the dirt off of his trousers. "I haven't seen you since the train" Andromeda looked down and smiled

"Yeah, I'm okay." The boy tucked the piece of hair behind her ear before asking

"Sorry I didn't talk to you much before. I was too nervous. What's your name?" Andromeda looked at him before saying

"Andromeda Black"

"Andromeda?" She nodded and he laughed

"I can't call you that. What about Andie?" She looked at him puzzled and asked

"What was wrong with my name?"

"It's too long" He said with a grin on his face before he began walking down the corridor. She watched him go before calling out

"And what is your name? Seeing as mine does not meet your standards" The boy looked back and replied

"It's Ted Tonks. See you around Andie"

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