Ted Tonks had always thought that you could tell a lot about a person by looking at their hands. Excessive ink stains could mean that a person spent a lot of time writing. Paint or clay underneath a person's fingernails could mean that they were an artist. Rough calluses and dirty fingernails could mean that a person spent a lot of time doing manual labor. Ted's hands were often the latter. He had grown up on a farm and hard work was second nature to him. He had never known anything different.

Andromeda Black, on the other hand, had perfect hands. They were soft and pale, with carefully manicured nails all painted a light pink color. They were the hands of someone who had never had to work for anything a day in her life, who had had everything handed to her on a silver platter since birth.

"Ted Tonks was staring at you again," India Selwyn told Andromeda, as the two girls walked out of the Potions classroom. "I wish that idiot mudblood would get over his obsession with you. He's a Hufflepuff, for Merlin's sake. He should just crawl back under whatever rock he came from and leave you alone."

"Relax," said Andromeda, tossing her long, chestnut curls over her shoulder. "He doesn't even bother me anymore. I've learned to ignore him."

Neither girl seemed to notice, or perhaps they just didn't care, that Ted Tonks had come out of the classroom right behind them and could hear every word they were saying. He rolled his eyes and turned a corner as they two Slytherin girls in front of him continued walking straight. He couldn't imagine-couldn't even begin to comprehend-how someone could be as self-centered as those two girls were. The fact that Andromeda Black believed that he was obsessed with her was laughable. He couldn't imagine having an ego so inflated that you believed anyone who looked at you for longer than five seconds had some sort of creepy obsession with you. He couldn't deny that he sometimes did look at her. She was stunning, after all. Practically every guy in the school had stared at her at some point or another.

There was also something about her that intrigued him. He couldn't help but think that she was a little different than her other pure-blood friends. She was self-involved, for sure. And she tended to stick up her nose at people she considered beneath her, people like him. But Ted had never heard her call someone a "mudblood", even though all her friends tossed the word around like it was a quaffle. He had never seen her seek out a confrontation with someone she didn't like. She was definitely the nicest and most bearable out of her three sisters. She was nowhere near as cruel Bellatrix, nor did she share her love for Lord Voldemort. And while she was certainly self-centered, she was not anywhere close to the level of Narcissa, who had been known to throw very loud, very public fits when she didn't get her way.

"India," said Andromeda. "Tell your brother to leave me alone. I'm trying to study."

"Radulf," India commanded. "You heard the girl. Go away. You two can snog each other's faces off after we finish studying for this Potions exam."

Radulf flashed a grin at his twin sister and gave Andromeda a kiss on the cheek before standing up. "I finished studying for that exam ages ago," he said, as he turned to leave.

"Well, we can't all be as smart as you, Radulf," his sister called after his retreating figure. She was lying, of course. Everyone knew that the only person who was as smart as Radulf Selwyn was his twin sister.

India and Radulf Selwyn shared the same ink-black hair, piercing green eyes, and sharp intellect. They came from a wealthy pure-blood family who were known supporters of Lord Voldemort. They were very proud people. Fiercely loyal to those they loved. And terribly cruel to those they hated.

Sometimes even Andromeda found herself a little put off by the remarks they would make about muggleborns and blood purity. But she never said anything because Radulf was her boyfriend and India was her best friend and she loved them both.

"Oh my god!" exclaimed another one of Andromeda's friends, a petite blonde named Adelaide, or Adee for short. "I think my brain's gonna explode."

"I'm surprised it hasn't already," muttered Tara, the fourth and final Slytherin girl in their year. She was constantly being mistaken for a Weasley because of her bright red hair, a fact that she was very, very bitter about. Andromeda had seen many a poor fool hexed into oblivion for simply asking, "Aren't you a Weasley?"

Adee pouted.

Andromeda, always the peacemaker, closed her textbook and smiled brightly. "Let's go upstairs. I've had enough studying for one night. I'm ready for some girl time."

Adee's face immediately brightened. "Gossip!" she squealed, clapping her hands.

The four friends headed upstairs and sat on India's bed.

"Alright," said Tara, hugging her knees to her chest looking around. "Who's first?"

"Me, me, me," said Adee, bouncing up and down.

They all looked at her expectedly.

"Guess who asked me out today!"

"Who?" they all chorused in unison.

"Darby Highmore!"

"Didn't you already sleep with him last year?" asked Tara, examining her fiery locks for split ends.

Adee frowned. "No." She paused, her face scrunched up in confusion. "I don't...I don't think so."

"I can't keep track," said Tara. "I'm not surprised you can't either."

Adee's lip quivered and Andromeda knew it was time to change the subject. "I'm thinking of sleeping with Radulf...over the summer, I mean."

India groaned. "Is that why you're spending the summer at our house? For him, not for me?"

"I'm spending the summer at your house so that I don't have to spend it in southern France with my parents. Our house there is much too small. I'd never have any time to myself."

"You're finally going to lose your virginity!" squealed Adee. "Now you won't be the only one who hasn't!"

"I wish I was still a virgin," Tara mumbled. "Dave Hedgecomb turned out to be a huge mistake."

"Yeah, he's completely awful in bed," said Adee.

Tara's nose wrinkled. "When did you shag him?"

Adee shrugged. "Hell if I know."

Tara shook her head. "You are a piece of work, Adelaide."

"You love me," said Adee.

"Indeed. I must be mental, but I do."

Andromeda smiled, watching as the usually stone-cold Tara let her guard down.

"Everyone, off my bed!" India commanded. "I need my beauty sleep."

Ted Tonks heard something that sounded suspiciously like a sob coming from an empty classroom as he headed to the Great Hall for dinner a few weeks later. He paused for a minute before stepping inside. To his surprise, Andromeda Black was huddled in a dark corner, her face buried in her hands. She looked up when she heard him come in and her eyes narrowed.

"What the hell do you want, Tonks?" she snarled.

She looked perfect, Ted noticed, even crying her eyes out. Her makeup wasn't even smudged.

"I heard someone crying and I wanted to see if they were alright," he replied. "It's what nice people do."

"Well, I'm not alright," she said. "I am absolutely, positively as far from alright as I could possibly be."

Ted was surprised that she was actually talking to him. With those few sentences, she had said more to him than she had in the entire rest of the six years they had gone to school together combined.

"What happened?" he asked warily.

"Radulf broke up with me!" she exclaimed dramatically, before collapsing into a another round of sobs.

"That's it?" Ted asked. "Your boyfriend broke up with you and now the world is ending?"

"That's not all there is to it," she snapped. "Because of this, I have nowhere to stay this summer. I was going to go to his house, but now I can't!"

"Why can't you stay at your house?"

"Because my parents are going to France. And no, I am absolutely not going with them."

"Why can't you stay at home alone?"

"I'm not allowed. Besides, all our house-elves go with my parents, so there would be no one to do the cooking and cleaning for me."

Ted decided it would be best not to suggest that she could do those things for herself.

"Why can't you go to France with your parents?"

"Because then I'd have to tell them that Radulf and I broke up and I can't do that, not until I find a respectable pure-blood boy to replace him with."

He tried not laugh. Was she serious?

"I was supposed to marry him," she continued. "I'm not going to spend all summer listening to my mother tell me what a failure I am for not being able to hold on to my boyfriend. Bella has married that Lestrange idiot. Cissy has only just turned 15, but she's already got Lucius Malfoy eating out of her hand. And I've just been dumped!" She let out a loud wail.

"Just stay with one of your friends," Ted suggested, wishing he could leave. His stomach was beginning to growl and missing dinner to comfort a girl who had never given him the time of day until now was not on his schedule. "One of your friend's who's not India, obviously."

"I can't," she said. "Their parents would tell my parents that I was there instead of with the Selwyns."

Ted shifted uncomfortably. He just wanted to leave. "Erm..."

Andromeda lifted her head and looked him up and down. "Where do you live?"

"In southwest England. On a farm."

Andromeda's nose wrinkled when he said 'farm', but she smiled sweetly. "Can I stay with you for the summer?"

He wasn't sure if he had heard her correctly. "Excuse me?"

"It would be perfect," she continued, completley ignoring him. "I'll tell my friends I'm going to France with my parents and I'll let my parents think I'm the Selwyn Manor. But really I'll be at your, er...farm, with your parents who have no idea who I am and won't be able to tell my parents that I'm not where I'm supposed to be."

"I don't know if my parents would be okay with that," said Ted, feeling slightly panicked. "Who would I even tell them your are?"

"Your girlfriend," she said, rolling her eyes. "Just tell them I'm your girlfriend."

Ted stood there, frozen. He felt trapped.

"Erm, I don't...I think...okay, yeah...fine," he found himself saying, despite the voice in the back of his frantically shouting at him to tell her no.

Andromeda smiled. "Excellent!"

Andromeda was sure that she had lost her mind. Had she really just invited herself to stay at Ted Tonks's farm for the summer? He was a muggleborn Hufflepuff, for Merlin's sake! Was this even worth it? She should just tell her parents the truth. How bad could it be, really? She pictured her mother's face after she told her the news, red-faced and seething with anger, mouth open to scream. And her father, cold as stone, retreating into his study with a drink in his hand, too disappointed to even look her in the eye. She shuddered. A summer on a muggle farm had to better than spending a summer listening to how she had let down the entire family. It had to be.

"Just out of curiosity," said Ted. "Why did Radulf dump you?"

"I wouldnt sleep with him," she sighed, leaning her head back against the wall and gazing up at the ceiling.

Ted didn't say anthing for a while. She lowered her head, wondering if he had walked away without her noticing, and saw that he was still there, staring at her, a strange expression on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, shaking his head. "Nothing at all."

It's been forever since I've posted anything on here. I know I should have updated the two stories I've already started before posting this one, but I couldn't help myself. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Let me know if you think it's good enough to continue with.

P.S.- I'm sorry if there are any spelling or grammatical errors. I typed this without the help of spellcheck.