The Christmas holidays were, if not good, then better than expected. I was left pretty well alone for most of them, as my mother was on a matchmaking kick for Bella. If my dear darling older sister had actually been in possession of a heart, I would've felt sorry for her; as it was, I felt she deserved to get dragged to all sorts of formal parties. The only time I really got noticed was the day before going back to school, when Mother decided I needed some new clothes and Bella decided to come along for the ride and 'help'. Our trio spent the whole day in and out of the finest Wizarding shops, and I will keep my comments about the garments they purchased for me contained in one statement - I have never seen uglier pastel-and-ruffley things in my life.

I was wearing a particularly unflattering getup the next day, which had the unexpected benefit of making Claudia pull me into a compartment the very moment she saw me. Once the door was shut, she panicked as only she could. "What the hell are you wearing, Drom?" she exclaimed, and I think there were people on the other end of the train who heard her. "It looks like a wedding cake exploded into a blouse and skirt!"

"That seems to be the general idea," I muttered, feeling a little self-concious. "Look, Mother decided it was high time I looked like a proper young lady, Bella decided to help with the shopping... you get the picture." I chose not to mention that Bella herself, after the fight to end all fights the summer beforehand, never wore anything brighter than forest green. Needless to say, it hadn't gotten me anywhere when I'd tried to use it as an excuse to avoid the shopping trip.

"Were it not for the fact that she'd curse me to hell and back if I tried, I'd so be tempted to try to deck Bella the next time I see her," Claudia laughed. She apparently saw my older sister's ideas of what I should wear as a bit of a joke. "Okay, what'd you do to make her inflict this kind of torture on you? Tease her about dancing a little too close to someone at a party, maybe?"

Claudia's ability to take anything lightly was really starting to annoy me. She knew perfectly well that I lived in terror of my older sister, and her humor wasn't funny anymore. "No, actually," I muttered, almost whispering. We'd been joined by the same trio of Claw second-years we'd had to put up with on the way back from school for the Christmas holidays. "I'm afraid she suspects I like someone I shouldn't, if you catch my drift."

"Are you serious?" Claudia yelled. "I mean, you can't even tell me the depths of it, and Bella, she who lives to make your life hell, might know?!? This is too strange."

We traveled in silence for the next hour or so, until Claudia's face suddenly glowed with an idea. "I recommend you get your school robes on now," she whispered to me, eyebrows raised.

I knew how Claudia worked, and right then and there, I was guessing that she thought I should go out in the hallway. "A certain person is out there, am I right?" I asked, double-checking details - that was just safer with Claudia around.

"Yeah," she smirked, "and he's alone."

With that, I quickly grabbed my school robes and slipped out into the hallway. Claudia had been dead right - Ted was about ten paces from me and headed my direction, and there was no one else in sight. I stood motionless, wishing I knew what to do if he was to approach me. As is probably glaringly obvious, my experience with boys was nonexistent, and all I did know was eight different and dramatic ways to break up with someone - and that I only knew because I'd watched Bella systematically get rid of each and every Slyth boy in her year.

At the exact second Ted was within a yard of me, fate's bizarre sense of humor acted again. The train hit a bump, and for the second time in the space of four months in the prescence of that boy, I went flying. This was even better than the last time, I would say if I was being sarcastic - along with falling to the floor myself, I managed to knock him over as well. I was not an accident-prone young woman, but this was ridiculous, especially the timing.

"Are you alright?" The next thing I knew, a hand had been reached out to me, and it helped me get back up. Yes, the voice belonged to the boy, but this time I wasn't going to try to get him to bug off. It'd be hard, yes, but like Claudia had told me before the holidays - love is always worth the risk.

"I guess so," I stammered, getting back on my feet. "Odd how I always seem to fall when I see you, isn't it?" I wasn't sure how he would take my remark, but it was exactly the kind of thing Claudia would say if she was in my situation and she bothered with boys.

"You're called Andromeda, am I right?" He looked straight at me, a stare that embodied curiousity, waiting for an answer.

"Yes," I somehow managed to say, though I was beginning to panic. This was just so awkward in an indescribable kind of way that I had no idea what I was doing. "And you're called Ted, I think."

"Strange," he said. "We've barely met, and it's like we know each other already."

My face turned fifteen shades of pink and red then, and I was a little worried what he would think. According to Phoebe Lefay, who I'd used as cover about thirteen times over the previous few months and therefore spent a lot of time talking to, blushing is the most obvious way to accidentally tell someone you like them. I'd gone and done that, and I was mentally cursing myself for it even though I'd had no control over my reaction whatsoever.

"Yes," I said, basically whispering. "That is rather strange."

He opened his mouth to say something, but didn't manage to speak. At that exact moment, who should come storming down the corridor but my lovely sister, Bella herself. She had a foul look on her face that shifted into a piercing glare when she saw me and what I was doing. You see, in my state of nervous panic, I'd rather forgotten to let go of Ted's hand, and I had only just noticed this fact.

"Andromeda Black, what in the name of all good things are you doing?" Bella roared, and it was a frightening sight. Somehow she was glaring at Ted and focusing on me at the same time, which almost scared me. "How many times must I tell you not to associate with this scum?" She flicked her hand at Ted, clearly indicating that she thought he was lower than dirt.

"He's not scum," I said bravely, clutching his hand instinctively, "and besides that, you've never seen me within ten feet of him before." I was worried now. Bella was not a person to be trifled with, and she wouldn't hesitate to hurt me or the boy if she was so inclined. Family never mattered to her, at least not when that family was an actually decent person like I was.

"Not personally," she snapped, "but I've heard things. Phoebe Lefay says you spend at least a third of every Transfiguration class looking at him - is this true?" By now, my right hand was reaching for my wand pocket, then pulling it out - no such thing as too careful when dealing with Bella. To my horror, Ted hadn't even considered the chance of a fight or worse - one of the failings of those who are Hufflepuffs, I suppose.

"Phoebe Lefay is a gossip, a spy, and desperate for attention," I replied, trying to defend myself verbally. "She'll say anything if she thinks it'll stir up trouble. But yes, I am afraid I must say that in this case, she is right." Now I'd gone and done it. Mentioning that I spent a lot of time staring at the exact boy I wasn't supposed to love - in his presence, no less!

"Then let me say this, dear sister," Bella said sharply, turning the full effect of her glare on me now. "If I see you with this boy again, and even more so if you become something with him, if you blindly believe he is meant to be yours, mark my words - you will pay. I will not hesitate to hurt one or both of you if I am so inclined or if the situation is right. This boy is everything our parents have always told us is meant to be despised in a human being, and I will not let you ruin your life because you believe you love him. Love! Hah! Love is but a feeling that is easily deluded and easily lost, and it is not worthy to be felt by people like us." With that, she swept away, leaving an awkward silence in her wake.

"So was she right?" the boy asked me several moments after Bella was out of sight. "Do you..."

It was the words unsaid that I wanted to say, and it was those very words that I knew would sign my death warrant. "You interest me," I said. "You're not like the idiots Bella thinks I should go out with, and I rather like that. Oh hell, I love it, and I don't care what anyone thinks of me because of it!"

"Why can't we be together?" If there was a five-word phrase that I never thought I'd have to answer, he'd just said it. "You interest me too, and the way you seem to trip when you see me is... endearing."

"Together," I repeated, savoring the taste of the word. "How about this - I'll find you sometime, or you'll find me, and we'll just talk. Nothing official - Bella would find out, and she'd kill us both, which doesn't appeal to me."

With that, I slipped back into my compartment. No one was going to hear about what had just happened, especially Claudia - at least not yet. Some things were just meant to be secret.

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A/N: Keeps getting better... Sorry it's been so long since I've updated; life is crazy and all that. I've had this chapter on my computer for about forever and finally I'm posting it; hopefully I'll remember to update sooner next time.