Disclaimer; nothing you recognises belongs to me
A/N: For the International Wizarding School Championships Round Five.
House: Durmstrang
Year: 4
Theme: Pan
Main Prompt: Andromeda Black [Character]
Word Count: 1946
It all happened in the season of spring. The season where everything blooms and grows and begins. The season where colour sprouts and the sun comes out after months of nothingness.
So, the fact that her life is changing and beginning right when the world around her does the same is very poetic, and perhaps the only thing that makes sense to Andromeda right now. Everything else, on the other hand, couldn't be more of a mess even if it tried.
She can still remember the first time she actually saw him, the first time that he became more than just a passing face or a random stranger.
It was back in fifth year, right after her sixteenth birthday. He was sitting under an oak tree, his hair all fluffed up and his eyes tightly closed.
He was handsome, she couldn't deny that. But that wasn't the main thing that made him stand out to her, it wasn't even something that crossed her mind. No, the thing that stood out to her, the thing that made him noteworthy, was just how peaceful he looked. The whole thing was extremely serene, so much so that it made Andromeda jealous.
Because no matter how far she thought back or how hard she tried to, she couldn't remember a time she felt the same. She couldn't think of a time where her face was just as relaxed, or her breathing was just as calm. It just didn't happen.
"Tonks!" A random boy called from far away, his arms outstretched into the air.
The boy's eyes jolted open, a smile rippling across his face as he stood up and ran towards his friend.
"Blake!" He said before reaching in for a hug. "I was wondering when you were coming."
And even though it would be months before they had their first conversation or even shared a glance, Andromeda could never forget about that peaceful boy sitting under the oak tree. Tonks would always remain with her, right at the back of her mind.
"What are we gonna do?" She asked, her arms wrapped around her slowly growing stomach.
He sighed, rubbing his hands over his face. "What can we do? It's not like we have a lot of options."
She nods. It wasn't like she didn't know that before.
The first time they spoke was in Herbology. It was a dreary day, one filled with rain and bad vibes. Andromeda had never been one for superstitions but as she glanced up at the sky, she couldn't help but think that something bad was going to happen.
She was paired up with Nina Versaille, the same girl that she worked with in most classes. Nina was nice enough and extremely easy to get along with. There was nothing that really stood out about her, nothing that made Andromeda want to be her friend.
To be honest, Andromeda didn't really have a lot of close friends. Most of the people she hung out with only really liked her due to her reputation or her legacy. They all liked the idea of her more than they actually liked her. And as upsetting of a fact that that was, it didn't really bother Andromeda. Because she didn't really like them all that much either.
Her mind continued to wander as she placed the plant into the dirt below. Her hands automatically covering it all in dirt as she glanced off into the distance. And as stupid of a decision that that was, everything was fine. Until he bumped into her.
Everything went flying. Dirt went spilling into the air, the plant fell onto the floor, she even hit her head on the table. Everything was a mess.
"Crap." He muttered, his voice quiet in a way it hadn't been before. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, her head throbbing as she did.
"Here," he said, grabbing onto her arm and pulling her into a seat. "Is that better?"
She shrugged, rubbing her forehead with her fingers as she prayed that this embarrassment would all end soon.
"Come with me," he said, grabbing my hand in his. "I'm just taking Black to the infirmary Professor."
They walked out of the classroom, hand in hand, Ted Tonks spilling apologies and words of comfort out of his mouth every few seconds.
And Andromeda couldn't help but smile.
She lies in bed, her eyes stuck to the ceiling as she ignores her family's calls. It's been two months since she found out and she isn't sure how much longer she can hide it. Her parents would disown her if they found out, she just knows they would. And even though she's always telling Ted just how much she hates her family and their views, she can't imagine a life without them. A life without sisters, a life without a mother or a father. A life without a family.
It would all be too much for her.
They used to meet up in secret. Hidden behind the library doors, whispering beloved secrets and stories, making sure they wouldn't get caught. There was too much risk to it all. A Black and a muggleborn talking? No one would understand. Andromeda wasn't even sure she did herself.
"What made you talk to me?"
He looks up, his expression shocked as he considers her question.
"I'm not really sure actually. Probably just plain old curiosity to be honest. Everybody had always told me to stay away, that your family was trouble and you were too. But whenever I saw you or heard you speak, you didn't seem all that troublesome. Instead, you just seemed kinda lonely."
She nods, a smile spreading across her face as she thought about what he said. She couldn't have heard a better answer. Heck, she couldn't have chosen a better friend.
The clock ticked away and Andromeda's heart started to beat even faster. She had promised she would be here, promised that she would come and help calm her nerves and her worries.
Andromeda was a mess, had been for months now. And even though all she wanted to do was hide away and forget about everything that was going on around her, she knew she had to do better. If not for herself or for Ted, for her unborn child.
The door swung open and Andromeda raised her head. She was here. In walked Junie, her bright blue hair wild and her big brown eyes watching. Andromeda had met Junie at a protest back in last November, and ever since they've kept in contact.
Junie's a squib, born to Latvian wizards who couldn't care less about their daughter's lack of magical abilities. And as much as it upset or surprised Andromeda that someone could actually love their child unconditionally, it also reassured her too. It showed her that not all parents had to be bad, in fact most of the time parents were pretty damn good.
"So, what's this about?" She asks, hanging her coat over her seat before she moved to sit down.
"I'm pregnant."
For months Andromeda and Ted remained just friends. They spoke often but only in secret, they wrote letters back and forth. And for a while that was enough, for a while that was just what the two of them needed. But over time, as they started to speak more and more, it became less than.
Because all Andromeda wanted to do was walk up to him and start a conversation without having to deal with all the questions and the stares. All she wanted was to be there for him like he had been for her.
She had never known anybody like Ted before. She had never known someone so kind and genuine. She had never known that people could be nice just for the sake of it, without even wanting something in return, but here was Ted proving it to her every day.
And looking back, that should've been a sign. A sign that perhaps something else was brewing, that perhaps friendship wasn't the only thing on her mind. But she never addressed it, never acknowledged it or even accepted it. Instead, it just remained locked away, hidden from her conscious.
Ted, however, wasn't in denial at all. And it didn't take long for him to make a move.
"Pregnant? What do you mean pregnant? How did this even happen?"
Andromeda glared at the woman sitting across from her, a smart comment right on the tip of her tongue.
"How do you think Junie?"
Junie shook her head, a soft smile on her face. "Right, right. Sorry. Still though, I just never thought you would be the one that this stuff would happen to. Of all people you always seemed the safest bet, the most responsible one."
"Yeah, well I guess not."
Junie rested her hand on top of Andromeda's, empathy oozing out of her expression.
"Do you know what you're going to do?"
"Keep it, I guess. I mean we don't really have a reason not to, I can't imagine living a life without Ted and if that life includes a baby then so be it."
"Yeah, but what about your parents?"
Realisation surges through Andromeda's body and all of a sudden she knows what she has to do, what she should've done long ago.
"I'm going to have to leave."
"Where are you taking me Andy?"
Andromeda giggled, her voice high pitched as she dragged Ted along with her in the pit of the night.
"I can't tell you Ted, that would ruin the surprise."
Moments pass, neither of them speaking, only the sounds of nature breaking the silence.
It isn't long until they arrive, the trees standing tall and creating their own little sanctuary where they can finally be who they are.
"We're here." She says, removing the blindfold in one swift movement.
Ted looks around, his eyes filling with amazement and surprise as he takes in the sight around him.
"Andy? How did you do this? How on earth did you know?"
She shrugs, standing on her tip-toes to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I just did Ted. Happy Birthday."
And right then and there as she watched his face light up and the joy spread across his whole being, she knew that she loved him.
She packs a bag in the middle of the night, stuffing as many things as she could fit in the tiny space she has available. It's cold, the wind blowing strong while everyone's asleep. Nerves fill her stomach, her mind restless with the idea that she's not coming back, that this is the last time she'll ever set foot on the house she grew up in.
She's never going to see her sisters again, she never going to hear Narcissa laugh her manic cackle or listen to Bellatrix's meaningless rants about nothing. She's never going to hear her mother's yell or see her father's disappointment. She's never going to feel like a failure or a misfit in her own home again. No, instead she's going to feel loved and wanted and everything she should've felt from the beginning. And her child is going to feel the same way too.
So, when she steps out the window and jumps onto the ground, she doesn't regret it at all. No instead, she feels exhilarant from the idea of a new beginning, the start of a new life. Her life is just about to begin and her new little family is too.