"We're going to what?!"
Ted's voice echoed down the stone hallway. The outburst stopped several Ravenclaws in their tracks to stare at a panicky Ted and a very annoyed Amycus.
"For the last time," Amycus spoke through gritted teeth, pinching the bridge of his nose in agitation, "you are going to tutor Andromeda."
"In what, exactly?"
"Herbology. I overheard her saying that she was having trouble and needed help. Besides, it isn't like any of the other Slytherins could help her out."
"I don't know anything about Herbology, you git!" Ted cried, throwing his arms up in exasperation, "I had to beg Sprout to pass me!" Herbology was never Ted's favorite, or best, subject. He couldn't tell two plants apart. There was no way he'd be any help to Andromeda. "And how am I supposed to tutor her anyway with Bellatrix watching her like a hawk? I get one stop too close to Andromeda and she'll rip my head off and gift it to the quidditch team to use as a quaffle!"
"Now, because I'm a genius, I've already worked that out for you. You're going to pay someone to distract Bellatrix." Amycus smiled at Ted smugly, obviously proud of his brilliant plan.
"And who is this someone?"
"Rodolphus Lestrange."
Ted let out a strangled, hysterical laugh.
"Rodolphus Lestrange wouldn't even look my way, let alone let me pay him to date the most psychotic bitch in school!"
"He actually comes in at a close second," Amycus said thoughtfully, "I think they'd actually make a lovely couple… though I never specified that he had to date her… but that's an excellent way to distract someone! Good thinking, Teddy!"
Ted winced as Amycus clapped him on the back. As if he didn't already have enough to worry about. He shouldn't have told Amycus about his thing for Andromeda in the first place. Maybe if he had kept his stupid mouth shut, he wouldn't be knee deep in this stupid scheme.
"There's still no way I'd be able to pay him. Even if he didn't hate me, I don't have that kind of money." If Ted's blood wasn't enough for the Slytherins to despise him, his financial status would have been enough to have the elitists that resided in the house torment him.
"I've thought that out as well," Amycus said, matter-of-factly.
"Are you going to pay him? You've got the galleons to spare."
"No," Amycus scoffed, "I don't want Andromeda. Besides, I've got other things I need to use those galleons on. No, we're enlisting the help of none other than Thaddeus Nott."
"HIM?!" Ted cried, "He hates me too!"
"No offense, Teddy, but every Slytherin kind of hates you."
"You don't," Ted said, "…right?"
Amycus was silent before beginning to walk away as Ted looked on in horror.
"Am? Amycus! You don't right? You're kidding?"
"It's a different kind of hate, buddy. Very different!"
Ted sighed, running off to keep up with a chuckling Amycus. This was going to be the death of him, he was sure.
"We need to talk," Bellatrix said solemnly as Andromeda walked into the empty Slytherin common room. Andromeda had just come back from a long day of classes and wanted nothing more than to retreat into her dorm. She sighed, dropping her school back on the ground as her older sister sat her down in one of the armchairs.
"What about?" Andromeda asked, bewildered. If she was to go off of previous experience, she knew that whatever speech Bellatrix was about to make was not going to be a good one.
Bellatrix paced for a bit as Narcissa lounged in a chair in the opposite corner of the common room. Andromeda lifted an eyebrow at her, as if she were silently asking what this was all about. Narcissa shrugged back at her, obviously as clueless as she was. Bellatrix finally stopped pacing, turning to face Andromeda.
"We need to talk about who you speak to on a daily basis," Bellatrix said.
Andromeda rolled her eyes and groaned, sinking back into the chair. "What exactly do you mean by that?" she asked, annoyed.
"I mean, we need to talk about certain people you speak to on a daily basis. You know what mother and father said," Bellatrix said, her arms crossed over her chest and her hip cocked to the side as she lectured Andromeda.
"I don't believe they meant I was to literally stay away from all of them. The school is full of Muggleborns, we can't exactly escape them."
"It's one thing to be surrounded by them, that we can't help, it's another to be seen talking to one on a daily basis." Bellatrix scolded.
"And who exactly are you talking about?"
"That Tonks kid, Amycus Carrow's little mudblood friend. Alecto said she's seen you speak to him on more than one occasion."
Andromeda groaned in frustration, her hand running through her hair. She was exhausted and all she wanted was to go up to her dorm and her she was being interrogated by her sister.
"I don't know what you mean by 'more than one occasion.' I've only spoken to him once recently and he was just returning my quill to me," Andromeda said, pinching the bridge of her nose.
"If it were me, I would have left it behind… or, better yet, prevented the quill from dropping in the first place." Bella began pacing again.
"Merlin, Bella, it was just a quill! Do you want me to burn it? Fine!" Andromeda dug through her bag, pulling out the quill that Ted had returned to her and tossed it into the common room fireplace before falling back into the armchair, folding her arms over her chest and giving Bellatrix and icy look. "Happy now?"
"I won't be until you learn your lesson. Mudbloods have their place and that is beneath us. Your quill has a place and that place is secured in your bag. I don't want to hear about this happening again."
"Fine. It won't," Andromeda said, "Anything else you want to talk about while you're bitching at me?"
"Just one more thing."
Andromeda rolled her eyes, preparing for another lecture about something else just as stupid.
"How many times have I told you to stay away from Thaddeus Nott?"
Andromeda looked up, obviously guilty of this one. It wasn't that she was involved with him, he was a boy who gave her attention and she was a girl who liked the attention she got. She didn't see any harm in a little flirtation.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied.
"I told you that he is a womanizing prick and being involved with him will absolutely ruin your reputation."
"Why are you always calling me out for shit like this?" Andromeda asked suddenly, tired of her sister's interrogations. She was over being targeted by the eldest Black like she was a toddler who needed to be constantly taught lessons. "Why is it never Narcissa getting lectured?"
"Narcissa is never the one trying my patience!"
"Because you're always keeping such a close eye on me! It's stupid and unfair!" Andromeda grabbed her schoolbag and stormed off to her dorm.
Bellatrix sighed, falling back on the chair that Andromeda abandoned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I'm just trying to help her, Narcissa. You know that, right? Our parents are much, much worse."
"Maybe she's got to deal with them sooner or later," Narcissa said, "maybe that's the only way she'll learn."
"I'm just trying to keep her out of trouble."
"Well, it's either she learn to shape up on her own or she get a harsh wake up call," Narcissa said.
"You know how hard it is to get her to listen," Bellatrix said.
"Maybe you should go and speak to Nott, too. Saw him get a little too friendly with her at dinner the other night and, while she may be reciprocating it, he's obviously initiating whatever's going on between them more than half the time," Narcissa said, trying not to sound like a snitch.
"You know what," Bella said, standing, "I think I will."
"Give him my regards," Narcissa said as Bella stormed out of the common room.