Andromeda followed her sister's head, keeping an eye on the dark brown hair as they boarded the train. Bellatrix was, for a lack of a better phrase, Andromeda's best friend and as it was her last year at Hogwarts she wasn't quite sure what she would do without her. Bellatrix was the person she told everything to, or at least almost everything, her hopes, fears, and by the end of the year she would be without her.
She would still have Narcissa, but at school Narcissa almost became an entirely different person, at home she was generally very quiet between the ruckus Bellatrix and Andromeda tended to make, but once she entered Hogwarts she became a social butterfly, the centre of attention, and the most well liked Slytherin girl. She generally had a whole entourage of fellow purebloods following her about.
"Are you excited for your seventh year?" Andromeda asked Bellatrix as they entered their compartment.
"A bit. Not as excited for the end though." Bellatrix answered flopping down, in a rather unladylike fashion, onto one of the seats.
"Oh come on, Bella, Rodulphus isn't that bad, you could certainly do worse." Andromeda remarked with a smile, sitting down on a seat herself.
"No, he really isn't." Bellatrix commented with a smirk and a raised eyebrow at her sister.
"Bella!" Andromeda shrieked looking at her sister and wishing she had something she could toss at her.
"Well we've only been engaged since we were fifteen, Andy. You can't tell me you and Walden haven't-." Bellatrix said so nonchalantly that Andromeda couldn't help but turn a bright shade of red.
"No we haven't!" Andromeda shrilled cutting Bellatrix off before she could finish her statement. "Really, Bella, you are too much."
Bellatrix looked at Andromeda for a few seconds, making her feel rather uncomfortable.
"I have the Prefects meeting." Andromeda said sharply standing up to get out from under her sister's shrewd eye.
Bellatrix chuckled at her sister as she hurried to the door before pausing halfway out.
"Will I see you at Slug Club later?" She asked turning her head around to look at Bellatrix.
"Oh I suppose." Bellatrix said dismissively, leaning back as Andromeda exited the compartment.
Rolling her eyes Andromeda headed towards the Prefect compartment, rushing as she realized she was a little late. By the time she arrived the compartment was rather full and Andromeda found herself squeezing in between a Hufflepuff and a Gryffindor, the latter of whom shot her a disgusted look.
Ignoring the Gryffindor, whom Andromeda couldn't bother to give the time of day too, she turned an eye to the Head Boy and Girl. They were both Gryffindors, which was horribly unlucky for Andromeda, and had bright red hair. Knowing her pureblood, and therefore blood traitor, history quite well from her childhood where Aunt Walburga had drummed it into her head, Andromeda recognized them as the Weasley boy and the Prewett girl. Andromeda, never one to care for names unless it was someone relevant to her, had never bothered to learn either of their first names. Considering the Weasley boy's status in pureblood society, equal to that of a muggle-born if not lower, she had never even thought to learn his.
"All right, now that we're all here, we can get started." The Prewett girl started clearing her throat. "I'm Molly and this is Arthur, quite clearly we're Head Boy and Girl. I'd like to take this moment to welcome the new fifth year prefects and welcome back our sixth and seventh year ones.
"Basically, for those of you who are new, a prefect's job is to patrol the hall after curfew and make sure there's nobody messing about. A prefect can give detentions and take away house points, but not from other prefects. If you happen to encounter a fight, which is happening far more often than we'd like nowadays, then either try to break it up calmly or get a teacher or Arthur and I."
Andromeda sighed and rolled her eyes at this speech, she had heard it last year and would most likely be hearing it again next year, if she wasn't going to be giving it. On top of that she didn't like to be told what to do by a blood-traitor, nor did she appreciate the look this Molly had shot her when she'd mentioned the fights. As if it was Andromeda's fault that her fellow purebloods had been targeting muggle-borns more often with the Knights of Walpurgis becoming popular. She didn't even have anything to do with the Knights, besides what Bellatrix told her every now and again.
"Now then, we'll be handing out the patrol rotary, you'll notice that you aren't necessarily paired up with your fellow house prefect as Dumbledore wanted us to try and create some house unity or some rubbish like that." Arthur continued as Molly passed out the rotaries to each person crammed into the space, shooting Arthur a glare.
The Hufflepuff next to Andromeda barked out a laugh at Arthur's words and he smiled.
"At least someone appreciates me, Molly." He said as Molly shot the Hufflepuff a look as well. "Thank you, Ted."
"Back to the rotaries." Molly stressed shooting them both displeased looks, "We've separated the year into different quarters where each one of you will be paired up with every prefect of opposite gender in your year. We hope you all will behave yourselves."
Again Molly shot Andromeda a look, as well as some of her fellow Slytherins, including, Andromeda noted, her fellow prefect Augustus Rockwood, who she gave a pretty harsh look. Andromeda couldn't take it anymore, she could take quiet hatred, but she did not appreciate people implying that she would not follow the school rules. Andromeda had great control of herself and she did not like anyone implying otherwise, especially quite so blatantly.
"Excuse me." She said rather tightly. "Why do you keep shooting my fellow Slytherins and I looks whenever you mention some sort of rule breaking. I've never broken a rule in my life, and I don't appreciate you implying I have."
"Yeah!" Augustus chimed in making Andromeda shoot him a glare, the last thing she wanted was dumb as bricks Augustus joining in her offense, how he ever got to be a prefect was beyond her. "Here you are talking 'bout house unity and you keep shootin' us dirty looks. Bit rude, innit?"
Andromeda wished she was not on the other side of the compartment from him so she could give him a nice quick kick in the legs.
"I wasn't implying anything; I just wanted to make sure everyone was clear there shouldn't be any funny business…" Molly tried to defend.
"That isn't what it seemed like, was it?" Charles Parkinson interjected into the conversation, although Slytherins weren't entirely loyal, there was one time when they would stick together and that was when they were being insulted.
"She just wanted to emphasis that we expect safety for our muggle-born prefects if we're going to be having mixed patrols. You can't deny that some of you have been caught giving some muggle-borns a rough time." Arthur came to Molly's defense as all the Slytherin prefects shot her dirty looks.
"You would be concerned about that, blood-traitor." Martha Rosier, Andromeda's cousin sniped. "If you're so worried about the Mudbloods' safety maybe they oughten be prefects. Or steal proper wizards' magic."
Luckily enough for Andromeda, Martha was close enough for her to give a quick jab over the fifth year Gryffindor. She shot Martha a look as Martha let out a cry of pain, grasping her leg where a bruise was most likely forming.
"It's that kind of thinking that makes us worry." Molly pointed out looking Martha square in the eye.
"You should be more concerned with Martha's incapability to perform a proper charm than with her rather expressive beliefs on mug-Mudbloods. She can't perform past a fourth year level. She wouldn't be able to hurt someone if she tried." Andromeda commented wryly fixing herself where she had slipped up.
It wasn't that she didn't think she was superior to muggle-borns, she did, she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she certainly was, it was just that she had always hated the term 'Mudblood' the overly expressive use of it in her home as a child had been such a norm, and something said with such conviction by her Aunt Walburga, that Andromeda had initially said it like any other word.
She hadn't thought much of anything about it until her second year when she had been sent to Dumbledore's office after using it quite blatantly in the middle of her Transfiguration class. Where Dumbledore, who she didn't think much of either mind, had explained to her how it could be an offensive term. Andromeda didn't care much about offending muggle-borns, they were hardly even people, but she had been taught by her father as a small child that one should not say offensive words in public, as it was unladylike. Something that she had had carved into her, quite literally, when she had yelled 'fuck' in the middle of Diagon Alley at the age of seven and had been forced to write lines with a quill that used her blood.
She still had "I shall not use offensive words" carved into her right hand and she therefore had ceased using the term Mudblood in public as she did not want to appear unladylike. Except when she sometimes found herself in the middle of a muggle-born bashing circle of Slytherins where in if she didn't say it she would get in heaps of trouble.
As it was, this was one of those moments where using the term "Mudblood" had mixed results. She was given dirty looks by all the non-Slytherin muggle-born sympathizers and appraising looks by the Slytherins who had luckily not caught her slip up, and one rather confused and analyzing look by the Hufflepuff who was sitting next to her.
"Andromeda." She shrieked in outrage glaring at her. "I could certainly out perform any Mudblood, which is all I need."
Andromeda rolled her eyes and shook her head at her cousin who was not helping to defend Slytherins at all and dully considered if kicking her again would be satisfactory. Reluctantly she came to the conclusion that it would probably not.
"You Slytherins can deal with your family squabbles later." Arthur said cutting of Augustus who had been opening his mouth to speak. "We would appreciate it if everyone could behave themselves while they are patrolling with whoever they are with, and to please stick to the rotary. If there is an issue with your scheduling please come discuss any issues you may have with Molly or me. Dismissed."
Andromeda stood up glad that the prefect meeting was over and thought reluctantly about how she would have to go to another tiresome required event, Slug Club. If there was anything Andromeda hated it was going to social occasions like said Slug Club, where she was sized up and viewed as a collector's item. It was common knowledge to anyone who had caught Slughorn's eye that he liked to collect his students based on either academic merit or family ties, and that he was particularly interested in the Black Family.
Andromeda dusted herself off and rolled her shoulders preparing for a rather dull occupation of her time. Persimmon Nott, the seventh year Slytherin prefect who was also a part of the Slug Club, sidled along beside her as she headed out of the Prefect's Meeting.
"I can't believe those two got Head Girl and Boy when I was an option. One of them a blood traitor even." She spat with a glare at Molly and Arthur's retreating backs.
"You know how Dumbledore is, completely bats, and playing for the wrong side, in both regards. Of course he would choose blood traitors over us purebloods, even if we're more qualified." Andromeda soothed putting a hand on Persimmon's arm to calm her.
Andromeda rather liked Persimmon, despite the fact that Bellatrix proclaimed on numerous occasions that the woman was faker than the Kevin Broadmoor signed Quaffle that Andromeda's father had given her when she had turned thirteen. She was someone who was very light and easy to talk to, and as long as Andromeda played along and praised her great virtues Persimmon would come to Andromeda's defense about anything, which was a good person to have on one's side when people often tried to take down the noble house of Black.
"I suppose. It's just completely unfair that we have to listen to those dumb blood traitors all year. And mixed patrolling? I never would have let that happen!" Persimmon continued to whine crossing her arms and pouting a bit. "Who are you patrolling with anyways?"
"I actually hadn't checked." Andromeda answered unfolding the rotary that she had been holding in her hand.
"I'm patrolling with that Ravenclaw, Trevor Finch, the really tall disfigured one. You know who I'm talking about. He has a pug face and was leering at me the whole time. Sometimes I hate the fact that I'm so pretty and practically every guy wants me." Persimmon said, as Andromeda opened her rotary and glanced at which fellow sixth year she would be paired up with first.
Andromeda rolled her eyes at Persimmon's whining, not every guy wanted her, in fact barely any guy did. She was lucky that she came from such pure blood because the years of inbreeding had done a number on Persimmon's looks. She wasn't hideous or horribly disfigured in any regard, but she was certainly leaning more towards Charles II of Spain than Princess Margaret of England.
Andromeda did not care to divulge why she knew so much about the muggle royal families besides the fact that she had done numerous research into the results of inbreeding as she was to marry one of her various cousins.
"I think I'm supposed to be patrolling with Roger Travers, the bloke from Gryffindor who always has that sneer on his face. The one we always joke ought to have been in Slytherin." Andromeda finally said glancing over the rotary once more.
"Well that isn't so bad, despite the fact that he never quite shuts up, does he? At least you got someone who is for our cause rather than someone against it. You could have been paired up with that Mudblood in your year." Persimmon remarked nodding at Andromeda's good luck.
"There's a Mudblood in my year that's a prefect?" Andromeda asked reminding herself to say Mudblood this time and trying very hard not to wince at the word.
"Yes. You were only sitting next to him the whole time. How did you not know that?" Persimmon asked in disbelief looking at Andromeda with wonder in her eyes.
"I try and ignore their existence. What's his name?" She answered thinking back to who she had been sitting next to in the compartment; there had been the Gryffindor and the Hufflepuff.
Had he been a muggle-born? She could spot a pureblood a mile away, but she could never be so sure of them.
"Tongs or something. I never bothered to learn his name. He is a Mudblood after all." Persimmon said with such disgust in her voice that Andromeda decided to drop the topic right there and instead turn the discussion to the Slug Club.
She couldn't help, however, to look back down at her rotary and note with a sense of dread that next term she was to be spending every Tuesday and Thursday with the muggle-born. For someone who seemed to be so afraid she was going to kill every muggle-born in sight, Molly and Arthur had set it up so that she would be with one more than any other prefect, leaving Andromeda quite puzzled.
By the time that Persimmon and Andromeda arrived at the Slug Club she had pushed the issue of patrolling with a muggle-born out of her mind and was instead listening to the story of how Persimmon had gotten rather raunchy with her fiancé Trevor Crabbe.
"So we were in the cloak room at the Malfoy ball, right? And I mean he is practically propositioning me right there and so I figure, 'all right', I mean we are engaged to be married and all, so I just figure I'd go for it. In any case Trev and I, I call him Trev, are getting pretty heated when the Malfoy's house elf pops in getting someone's cloak." Persimmon babbled as Andromeda half listened; as she was too busy wondering if everyone was doing such things with their fiancées.
Andromeda had never understood the whole pleasures of snogging and shagging, anytime she had kissed Walden it had been rather awkward and uncomfortable, he had slobbered on her a bit and she had tried to end it as quickly as possible. It wasn't even as if Walden was the only guy she had kissed. She'd dated Charles Parkinson for about a month last year and he had had the same issue as Walden, to the point that Andromeda had begun to assume that all guys slobbered when they kissed. She therefore found it very hard to understand why so many of her friends were often describing their exploits with their fiancées to her. Did they honestly find slobbering enjoyable?
"So their house elf is there right, just gaping at us and Trev and I fly to opposite sides of the closet, although it's a bit too small and we're still rather close, you'd really think the Malfoy's of all people could get a larger cloak room. Then Trev's spitting fire at the house elf or something and it starts sobbing, they really are pathetic you know, and apologizing profusely so-." Persimmon prattled on.
"Excuse me, Persimmon, I don't mean to be rude but Bellatrix is over there looking positively bored and I think she would be very mad at me if I don't go save her." Andromeda cut her off, receiving a rather surprised look from Persimmon.
"Oh yes, of course. I'll finish my story later. It gets really good." Persimmon promised as Andromeda hurried off towards her sister, trying very hard to blast the image of Persimmon and Trevor Crabbe snogging rather heatedly in the Malfoy's' cloak room out of her mind.
"Were you talking to Persimmon Nott?" Bellatrix asked, almost in outrage. "You know I can't stand her."
"Yes, well, she's a prefect too so I was walking over with her. She really isn't that bad though." Andromeda answered, defending Persimmon for some reason she didn't understand. "Hello, by the way."
"Yeah, hi, whatever. What were you talking about in such detail? I hardly imagine Persimmon has a sensible thought in her mind." Bellatrix continued shooting Persimmon a rather nasty look that Persimmon failed to notice.
"How she and Trevor Crabbe were about to get it on in the Malfoy's' cloak room when their house elf popped in." Andromeda answered almost automatically. "Does everyone shag their fiancée before they're properly married? I thought that that ruined them or made them unfit to marry."
"I thought so. Hardly anything important, not like what the Knights of Walpurgis discuss." Bellatrix remarked knowingly to herself, smiling triumphantly as if she had somehow outdone Persimmon Nott. "And yes, Andy, everyone but you and Cissy have shagged their fiancées. It isn't an issue as long as you aren't caught sleeping with another man, which is easy enough to avoid in and of itself."
"Bella!" Andromeda shrieked again, surprised at her sister's words. "Are you saying that you haven't just done it with Rodulphus?"
"Yes, Andy, that is precisely what I am saying and if you weren't such a stick in the mud prefect then you would be able to say so too. You hardly think that Trevor Crabbe is the first man Persimmon's slept with, do you? As long as you're not found out it's fine." Bellatrix answered with a shrug shaking her head at her sister's naivety.
"Oh. I guess I'd never really thought that all the pureblood witches were off sleeping with other wizards before they were married." Andromeda said quietly churning this information over in her mind.
"If you didn't spend so much time in the library studying like some Ravenclaw maybe you would. Remember, we are Slytherins and we are very good at getting what we want without being caught." Bellatrix smirked, drawing herself up as if the mention of being Slytherin gave her a sense of self importance.
Andromeda shook her head at her sister's words and chatted amiably with her about things besides shagging and the Knights of Walpurgis, which was something Bellatrix often turned the conversation to those days. They chatted about things like what to buy their mother for her upcoming birthday, and how soon Andromeda would legally be able to drink firewhiskey.
It was at this point that Bellatrix was making fun of Andromeda for being such a rule follower and never disobeying a rule in her life that Narcissa bounced her way over.
"What are you two talking about in such detail that you're ignoring the rest of the club?" Narcissa asked with a smile at her two older sisters who were practically joined at the hip.
"How Andy is a stick in the mud." Bellatrix answered automatically smiling down at her sister.
"I am not. I just simply do not see the appeal in gallivanting about devil-may-care. It gets you nowhere in life." Andromeda declared in her defense glaring at Bellatrix.
"No offense Andy, but you are kind of a stick in the mud. I think I've broken more rules than you have." Narcissa agreed laughing at Andromeda.
"Cissy! You're thirteen. I was just thinking boys were cute when I was thirteen!" Andromeda cried in surprise.
"Andy, you've never thought boys were cute." Bellatrix remarked taking a sip of the champagne in her hand. "Don't lie."
"I have too! I dated Charles Parkinson last year and Lester Flint prior to that." Andromeda bickered pouting at being mistreated in such a fashion.
"Those don't count. That was preliminary husband shopping and neither of them lasted very long." Bellatrix denied waving a hand to silence Andromeda's protests. "Just face facts Andy; you are a stick in the mud."
Andromeda pouted and glared up at Bellatrix as she and Narcissa laughed. She was quite certain she was not a stick in the mud, she could break rules and kiss boys and sleep with guys before she was married, just like Bellatrix. In fact, she could do it far better than Bellatrix. The problem was that she wasn't entirely interested in kissing boys when they slobbered on her and breaking rules when they resulted in detention, but then again maybe detention wasn't that bad.
Watching Narcissa walk away Andromeda nodded her head to herself, she wouldn't be a stick in the mud. She wouldn't give up her time for rebellion before she was married to Walden and forced to kiss his slobbery self. She could break rules and get detention and she would. If only to prove to Bellatrix that she could be just as rebellious and incorrigible as her.
It was the first day of classes and Andromeda strolled into Transfiguration ten minutes late. It wasn't on accident. Andromeda had woken up rather early and found herself done with breakfast well before it was even time to go to Transfiguration. She had figured the best way to start off the year being more rebellious was to be late to McGonagall's class, as McGonagall would care the most, so in order to be late she had headed up to the library to kill time, however the school librarian had ushered her out when the bell rang and Andromeda had to walk especially slow and then wait outside for a few minutes to show up late.
Perhaps being rebellious was harder than she thought.
"Miss Black, you are late." Professor McGonagall said her lips forming the thin line that Andromeda had seen her shoot various other students when they had broken a rule.
"Sorry Professor." Andromeda replied trying to sound as unapologetic as possible, except the look McGonagall was giving her was overwhelming her with guilt.
"Do not apologize to me, it will further punish you when you are taking your NEWTs and have found that you are missing knowledge due to your showing up late." McGonagall told her pointing to a desk,
Andromeda scuttled to the only seat that was available and found, to her dismay that it was next to the muggle-born boy from the train yesterday.
"Black." He greeted as she sat down, shooting her a smile which rather befuddled her as he was a muggle-born and she was a Black.
"Tongs." She replied pulling out her quill and parchment so she could take notes as McGonagall lectured them.
"Did you say Tongs?" He asked in a whisper, turning to look at her.
"Yes. Isn't that your name? Tongs?" Andromeda questioned looking forward, quite surprised at the muggle-borns nerve at speaking to her, and more surprised at her speaking back.
"Tonks." He answered stressing the k. "With a 'k' not a 'g'. Who has the name Tongs?"
"Who has the name Tonks?" Andromeda shot back glancing quickly at him.
"Who has the name Andromeda?" He said with a smirk as Andromeda turned and shot him a glare.
Andromeda tried not to gasp as she got her first proper look at the guy, attempting to keep her glare even. He was a rather fit guy, even for a muggle-born, especially for a muggle-born, tall with shaggy blonde hair and dark clear blue eyes. Subconsciously Andromeda twiddled her own dark long brown hair and continued to glare at him, trying to ignore the fact that he was rather good looking.
"It is not that weird." She hissed at him. "Plenty of people have far weirder names."
"That's true, isn't there a girl a year above us with the name Persimmon? Then your sisters are Bellatrix and Narcissa. Who names you lot?" Tonks commented, nodding in agreement and biting on his quill.
"Our parents. They're family names." Andromeda answered with a sense of pride in her voice. "What pray tell is your first name?"
"Ted." Tonks answered sticking out a hand as if to shake hers.
She stared at it in distaste for a few moments, did he really expect her to shake a muggle-born's hand? Not even if she was wearing thick gloves.
"Theodore if you want to get fancy." He continued staring at her as she stared in horror at his hand. "All right, you don't shake hands. Do they kiss hello in the 'pureblood culture'?"
"I never!" Andromeda gasped out, turning her head in complete indignation as a wide smile stretched across Tonks' face.
"Ms. Black, Mr. Tonks. If you wouldn't mind, there are some students here to learn." Professor McGonagall said sharply staring at them both sternly.
"Sorry, professor." Andromeda and Tonks said at the same time, Andromeda reproached and Tonks with a hint of amusement in his voice.
"See you don't do it again, otherwise I'll have to give you both detentions." McGonagall told them before turning back to addressing the rest of the class.
"What?" Tonks asked Andromeda, as she was glaring quite furiously at him.
"You almost got me detention; I've never gotten detention before in my life." She hissed in response.
"To be fair, you're being late was what almost gave you a detention." Tonks told her with a quiet laugh. "Where were you anyways? Off with Charles Parkinson in some broom closet?"
"No, I was in the library." She answered, drawing herself up and pointing her nose up at the idea of being in a broom closet with Charles Parkinson.
"You were late because you were in the library?" Tonks asked in disbelief, trying very hard not to laugh.
"Yes. What is so funny about that?" Andromeda asked turning to look at him again a glare prevalent on her face.
Tonks couldn't help it, he had tried very hard to stifle his laughter at this strange girl who had such strange conceptions, but at hearing she was late because she had been in the library he found he couldn't hold it in any longer. Before he knew what was happening he broke out in great peals of laughter, slamming his hand against the desk.
"Shut up." She told him adamantly. "You're going to get us in trouble."
"Ms. Black! Mr. Tonks! I have already told you to be quiet; if you are going to be taking this class then I suggest you take it seriously. NEWTs are only a year away and we haven't the time for this tomfoolery. Please exit this classroom at once and come back on Wednesday, when you are more properly behaved. Also, I will be seeing you tonight for detention." Professor McGonagall said sternly shooting them both looks.
"Sorry Professor." Andromeda muttered gathering her stuff and shooting Tonks the meanest look she could muster from her arsenal.
Andromeda followed him out of the room in a huff. She couldn't believe that she had been kicked out of class her first day back and been given detention. She'd never had either happen before in her life. What would her parents say? What would Bellatrix say? With a smile Andromeda realized that she had just proven Bellatrix wrong, not even twenty minutes into her first class and she had been late, kicked out, and given a detention. Her whole stick in the mud persona was quickly turning around.
"Look, I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to get you kicked out." Tonks said holding his hands up as if to calm what he assumed would be a coming storm. "I was just joking around and, why are you smiling?"
"What?" Andromeda asked, not aware that she was smiling.
"You just looked like you were about to kill me and now you're giving me the biggest smile in the world. It's really quite unnerving actually." Tonks explained looking at her like a deer in headlights.
"Oh. Sorry. No, it's fine. I'm just smiling because I got detention." Andromeda told him trying very hard to wipe the smile off her face, imagine if she was caught smiling at a muggle-born.
"But, you just wanted to kill me for getting you detention." Tonks said slowly blinking as if trying to process what was going on.
"Well, okay this is going to sound weird, but I kind of wanted detention, because my sisters were telling me I'm a stick in the mud and I've never done anything wrong a day in my life. Which simply isn't true, because if I remember correctly I got in tons of trouble as a kid." Andromeda attempted to explain before pausing. "Why am I telling you this?"
"Because you're positively bonkers. Nobody wants to get in trouble." He told her shooting her a strange look.
"Yes, but the way I figure it I've only got two years to get in trouble before I have to act all prim and proper." She elaborated trying to get him to understand.
"Why do you only have two years? Because that's when we graduate?"
Andromeda sighed and rolled her eyes. Of course he wouldn't understand the propensities of the pureblood society. It was clearly too much for a muggle-born to be able to understand and process. Why she was even talking to him now was beyond her. Imagine if Bellatrix or Persimmon walked by, what would they say?
"Hey, don't give me that 'you're a 'Mudblood' so you wouldn't understand'. I understand lots of things, thank you very much." He said almost sounding offended.
"I find that hard to believe." Andromeda replied with a shake of her head, fixing her bag and walking off to the library in an attempt to make up for having missed the rest of her Transfiguration class.
"I heard you got kicked out of class early." Bellatrix commented sitting down next to Andromeda at lunch. "And got a detention."
"You heard correctly." Andromeda said, smirking into her food.
"Well, how did that happen?" Bellatrix asked with a raised brow, not liking to be kept out of the loop.
"I was talking to this guy, or more so really bothered by, in Transfiguration and McGonagall went bats and kicked us out, but not before giving us detention." Andromeda told her, glazing over who exactly this guy was if she found out it was a muggle-born…
"I heard it was Ned Tongs, that Mudblood kid." Bellatrix remarked offhandly.
"I think that was his name. I don't know." Andromeda said with a shrug, trying very hard not to correct Bellatrix that his name was Ted Tonks.
"I can't believe some Mudblood got you kicked out of class. I mean, that he even thinks that he can talk to you." Bellatrix said in an outcry shooting a random kid a look.
"Who said that he was the one that got me kicked out of class?" Andromeda yelled glaring at Bellatrix. "It could have been me."
"Please Andromeda, like you would get kicked out of class. Why are you defending some Mudblood?" Bellatrix asked waving a hand at Andromeda to dismiss the idea of her getting in trouble herself.
"I'm not defending him; I just don't appreciate you assuming I can't get into trouble." Andromeda told her pouting into her food.
"All right, all right. Don't pout; you know how mother thinks you'll get wrinkles if you pout." Bellatrix admonished ruffling Andromeda's hair.
"Because mother doesn't have a spell for that." Andromeda said snarkily with a roll of her eyes.
"Why Ms. Black, are you implying our mother's face does not look so naturally young and fresh? That is the most ridiculous idea I have ever heard of!" Bellatrix replied with mock-shock.
"No, Ms. Black that is not at all what I was implying. The very idea that our mother does not look like a woman of her early thirties would be the most ludicrous thing I believe I have ever heard. It is quite obvious to me that Rosier's just age wonderfully. Narcissa is a very lucky girl to have gotten those genes." Andromeda punctuated trying very hard not to crack up laughing.
"If Aunt Walburga is anything to go by we are both thoroughly screwed." Bellatrix said dryly making Andromeda crack up.
"That isn't funny; Aunt Walburga looks dreadfully old for her age." She croaked, trying very hard not to look like a sputtering idiot as she coughed up her pumpkin juice which she had mistakenly taken a sip of.
"Then maybe you ought to stop pouting. I bet Aunt Walburga was a mighty scowler." Bellatrix told her with a smirk as Andromeda finally regained her breath.
"I do believe I have finished my lunch." Andromeda told her looking down at her meal which was splattered in pumpkin juice.
"Really, Andromeda, how unladylike." Bellatrix said in a shrill that sounded so much like their Aunt Walburga that Andromeda broke down into another fit of giggles.
Andromeda was sitting in the common room with Bellatrix after dinner, feet propped up on her sister's lap.
"So Roger, what do you think? Would you like to make a stop in the broom closet?" Bellatrix trilled batting her eyelashes at Andromeda.
"Well Martha, considering I've shagged basically every other girl within this castle, even the muggle-borns, I can't help but deny your offer." Andromeda replied in a voice a few octaves lower than her own.
"Why even the mudbloods Roger? Are you that desperate for female attention that you would sink that low? What does that say about me if I'm willing to sleep with you?" Bellatrix asked in a falsetto, eyes spreading wide and a hand flying to her chest.
"Nothing quite good I'm afraid, but really Martha, it's common knowledge what you've been getting about to." Andromeda answered shooting a wink at Bellatrix.
"Getting about to? Whatever could you mean Roger? I'm even more pure than my stick in the mud cousin Andromeda. By the way did you hear she had detention tonight? Quite shocking, isn't it?" Bellatrix stated smirking at Andromeda.
"Yes, actually, I had heard, since apparently nothing else of remote interest has happened yet." Andromeda replied with a roll of her eyes before smiling. "But now that you've mentioned Andromeda, I feel I must inform you that the whole time we are off in that broom closet I'm going to be imagining you're her as she is possibly the most attractive girl in the school. Far more attractive than that other cousin of yours."
"Oh? Who? Narcissa? Well I do hope you wouldn't be imagining I'm her, she is only thirteen after all, Roger." Bellatrix said breathily as across the common room Martha leaned extremely close to Roger Mulstrode.
"She is not going to kiss him right here." Andromeda said in disbelief, voice returning to normal as she watched her cousin move her face an inch away from the boy she was sitting with.
"Perhaps she is trying to secure his affections; she is debuting this year after all." Bellatrix said apathetically rolling her eyes at her cousin.
"I'm not sure whoring yourself around Hogwarts is the way to secure a husband. It certainly doesn't seem like the most effective method. I don't think there's a single pureblood in Slytherin who hasn't slept with her. Who isn't below fifteen." Andromeda replied wrinkling up her nose.
"She really ought to have been more mindful about how her reputation would spread. She's probably ruined her possibilities and now no one will want her. What she ought to have done was get a husband first then wait until her husband had graduated and she had free range." Bellatrix commented.
"That what you did, Bella?" Andromeda asked smirking as her sister feigned outrage at these words.
"Maybe it is." She finally said coyly before getting up. "Don't you have detention to be off to?"
"Fuck." Andromeda cursed getting up quickly and looking for her shoes.
"Oi, missy watch your language. Do I need to tell father on you?" Bellatrix admonished jokingly as Andromeda stood up from searching under the couch.
"I can't find my shoes." She told Bellatrix standing for a few seconds before deciding that she didn't need them and speeding off to McGonagall's office.
Arriving about two minutes late and without shoes on, Andromeda entered the office red faced and panting.
"Ms. Black. Is tardiness becoming a thing for you?" Professor McGonagall asked almost at once making Andromeda turn pink, although it was impossible to tell in her current state.
"No, professor. Sorry, professor. I was in the Slytherin common room with my sister and I lost track of time." Andromeda explained between pants of breath, McGonagall did not seem happy with this answer.
"You and Mr. Tonks, who got here on time Ms. Black and fully dressed, will be cleaning the trophy room. Without magic." McGonagall told her sternly looking disapprovingly at her lack of shoes.
"Yes, professor." Andromeda and Tonks said at the same time, following her as she lead them upstairs to the trophy room where a bucket of soap and water were waiting.
"I will back in two hours." Professor McGonagall told them before closing the door and walking out.
Almost as soon as she was gone Tonks turned to Andromeda and smiled.
"So know any counter spells for these 'no magic' spells?" He asked with a smile on his face.
"I don't have my wand." She told him blandly taking off her school jumper and rolling up her sleeves.
"You what?" He asked in disbelief staring at her with wide eyes as she dipped a sponge into the water and got to work on one of the trophies, which she noted with a smile had the Black name on it.
"I left it in the common room, along with my shoes." Andromeda answered setting to work.
"Maybe nargles took them." He offered off-handily causing Andromeda to turn and look at him sharply.
"Maybe what took them?" She asked almost harshly. "If you are suggesting some muggle thing stole my wand and trainers-."
"Nargles aren't muggle." Tonks explained cutting her off with a laugh. "They're something my friend Xenophilius made up. Or at least I think he made up, I wasn't entirely sure if they were real or not, but he's always saying stuff like that. Says his favourite animal is a crumple-horned snorkack whatever that is."
"Isn't Xenophilius that Ravenclaw who is absolutely bonkers?" Andromeda asked conversationally, or at least as conversationally as she got, which was always mildly offensive.
"I s'pose so. I don't really think he's bonkers, just an eccentric but a lot of people seem to think so." Tonks answered with a shrug setting to work on another trophy.
They sat in silence for a little while, cleaning the trophies before Tonks gave a huff of annoyance.
"What?" Andromeda inquired.
"Just how many Black trophies are there in here? I think there are about twenty on this shelf alone." He huffed glaring at said trophies as if they had wronged him personally.
"Probably tons." Andromeda said snottily; glad to have her family's greatness recognized. "We are a very noble and successful family."
Tonks snorted at Andromeda's response causing her to give him a fierce glare.
"Sorry. I just think you're pride in your family is a bit overstated. Who's Cedrella Black?" Tonks asked conversationally as he cleaned Cedrella Black's trophy.
"We don't talk about her." Andromeda told him sharply, hoping to dissuade him from the subject, although achieving quite the opposite.
"Why not? She must be pretty wonderful to have received a trophy." Tonks commented off-handily, finishing the trophy.
"She was disowned. Brought shame to the family. No longer exists." Andromeda informed him a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Disowned? You disown people from your family?" Tonks asked incredulous stopping what he was doing to turn and stare at Andromeda, eyes wide.
"Yes. If they do something that will bring disgrace to the Black name they are disowned. Toujours Pur." Andromeda answered wearily, not wishing to discuss the dark parts of her family history.
"What'd she do that was so bad? And God bless you." He inquired raising a brow as he cleaned the next trophy.
"Don't say your weird muggle-born phrases to me. I didn't sneeze; I was saying the family motto. Toujours Pur, always pure." Andromeda snapped glaring vehemently at Tonks who raised his hands in apology. "And so you will stop asking, she married Septimus Weasley."
"Isn't that Arthur's dad?" Tonks asked, quite innocently as if the idea had just popped into his head. "What's so bad about him? Arthur is nice enough."
"One, he's a muggle sympathizer, which is bad enough. Two, he's a blood-traitor, and if there's anything pure-bloods hate besides muggle-borns and muggles it's blood-traitors." Andromeda answered, quite cross at this point and wishing he would stop questioning the black marks of her family.
"Sorry. Didn't realize that pure-bloods hated anything besides muggle-borns." Tonks tried to joke, although Andromeda's comment had annoyed him a bit. "Anyways if Cedrella, weird name by the way, married Arthur's dad does that mean you guys are related?"
"No!" Andromeda shrieked in disgust glaring at Tonks for even suggesting the idea. "I am not related to that blood-traitor, she was disowned. We carry no relation."
"Yes, okay, but genetically speaking-." Tonks began before Andromeda sent him such a look that he shut up instantly. "All right, you guys aren't related, sorry. So is Cedrella the only disowned member of the Black family?"
"Not even in the least bit. When I say our motto is Toujours Pur, I mean it. You can get blasted off the tree for looking at a muggle the wrong way. Let alone a muggle-born or blood-traitor." Andromeda answered with a sigh, already drained from this conversation, discussing her family's politics was always a bit tiresome for her.
"So, you're risking your inheritance just talking to me then." Tonks said wryly smiling at Andromeda who ignored him, instead focusing on the trophy she was cleaning. "So tell me more about the Black sheep."
Andromeda raised a brow at him as Tonks broke out laughing at his own joke, which in her mind wasn't very funny.
"Too many to get into. I don't even know them all. There's four in our most recent history, with a fifth on the way with how my Uncle Alphard's been acting." Andromeda stated, almost to herself than to him.
"Do tell." Tonks said with a curiosity in his voice that made Andromeda stop dead.
"Why do you care?" She asked suddenly turning to give him a cold look.
"I like to know that even the 'Great and Noble House of Black' isn't perfect, is all. It allows my scum Mudblood mind some peace as I lie in the dirt and filth." He bit at her making her blink and feel guilt, although she hadn't said anything pertaining to his muggle-born nature in a while.
"I didn't say anything-." She began to defend before he cut her off.
"But you were thinking it, you lot are always thinking it, which is sad because frankly all the 'Mudbloods' in this school are probably ten times nicer and more clever than the purebloods. I don't know if it's all the inbreeding or the rich kid attitude." Tonks cut her off glaring at the trophy as he cleaned it off, which Andromeda couldn't help but note looked odd on his face.
"I ought to slap you for that." She told him halfheartedly.
"Well why don't you?" He asked peering at her with the same look that he had given her in the compartment the other day, the same look that she once again missed.
"Partly because you're mostly right. At least half the Slytherins in this school are as dumb as a bag of bricks, which personally I blame on the inbreeding. They're all a lot of Charles II's of Spain aren't they? How my cousins Sirius and Regulus came out so normal and clever I'll never guess." Andromeda explained thinking aloud again, something she found herself doing often.
"How do you know who Charles II is?" He asked her turning to face her as Andromeda became much more intent on the trophy she was cleaning.
"Inbreeding is something that is extremely relevant in my life." She muttered as Tonks gave her another look, which she didn't like in the least so she added spitefully. "You were wrong on the other regard though, we are better than you. More magic and all that, I'm not entirely unconvinced that you didn't steal magic from another wizard like Martha said."
"They really drill that in deep don't they?" Tonks replied, much darker than he had been a moment before.
"What? That mug-Mudbloods are dirt? They don't need to drill it in deep, it's an obvious fact. Anyone with brains can tell." Andromeda said sharply stuttering a bit on the word 'Mudblood', hoping that Tonks wouldn't notice.
Tonks peered at her for a few seconds questioningly making her feel rather uncomfortable.
"What?" She finally asked snapping and turning to face him.
"I'm just trying to figure you out is all. This isn't the first time you've stuttered over saying Mudblood, I can say it easier than you can, and I'm not entirely convinced you believe that whole philosophy. I'm wondering how different you'd have turned out if you hadn't been raised as a Black." Tonks answered rubbing his chin as he talked making Andromeda glare at him further.
"If I hadn't been raised a Black I would have some stupid name like Stephanie." She replied bluntly.
"That's my sister's name!" He yelped in outrage.
"Exactly." She continued glaring at him cutting her off. "Furthermore, I don't have any issue saying Mudblood, why would I? That's what you are, it's your proper name, and as for the whole philosophy thing, I do believe it. Whole heartedly, purebloods are better than mudbloods, we have more magic and we are cleverer, despite the inbreeding."
Tonks glared at her and she glared back, challenging him to say anything more about her or her family.
"I guess I was wrong." He finally said still glaring. "That must have been the Hufflepuff in me trying to make you more human. It's quite clear to me now you're just like the rest of them."
Andromeda smirked in triumph, glad the muggle-born would leave her alone, because despite his prodding she was just like all the other Blacks. Except deep down, in a part of her that she tried to ignore she was disappointed and begin to wonder if she really was like the rest of them, if she really did think muggle-borns were dirt.