Born to Run
Chapter 4
Over the next few weeks, Andromeda found herself in the company of Ted Tonks much more than she would have liked. Professor Flitwick had given them a new project in their pairs and had insisted that they spend several hours a week outside of class working on it, and Ted took full advantage of that.
"So our charm is supposed to mimic the effects of a Metamorphagus?" Ted asked, poring over his textbook.
"Yes," Andromeda replied, summoning all the self-control she could muster to prevent herself from causing him some kind of physical pain. He had been asking what to her seemed like inane questions all afternoon and the little patience she had was wearing thin. "The charm we're creating for our project will be able to turn hair from one colour to another."
"But I don't see the point of it," Ted frowned. "You might as well just use hair dye."
"What?" Andromeda snapped, throwing an irritable look his way.
"It's a thing Muggles use to change their hair colour," Ted explained.
Andromeda was about to scorn him and tell him that the last thing she was interested in was some stupid Muggle party trick, when a thought struck her.
"That could actually work," she muttered, more to herself than him.
"What could?" Ted asked.
"We might be able to use this whatever-you-call-it to work out a theory for our charm," she said, continuing to think out loud. "If we knew how this Muggle thing worked, maybe we could use that to aid us in working out how the charm should be put together."
"Well ok, I guess I could ask my mum to send me some," Ted offered. "Though she is terrified of using my owl…" he added, pondering.
Andromeda snorted. "Scared of an owl? How ridiculous."
Ted ignored her comment and stood up.
"Where do you think you're going?" Andromeda demanded.
"Quidditch practice," Ted replied, before shooting her a mischievous grin. "You'll finish this up, won't you?"
Andromeda opened her mouth to make an angry retort but he had already disappeared.
Merlin, he got on her nerves sometimes.
October soon turned to November, and with it came heavy downpours and almost gale force winds that battered the walls of the castle.
One particularly stormy morning came a Hogsmeade trip.
"You're not seriously going, are you, Andie?" Cece called from the sofa in the Common Room, where she was comfortably ensconced by the roaring fire. "Just look at that weather!"
"I need to buy Mother a present; it's her birthday in two days," Andromeda replied, buttoning up her cloak and heading for the door.
"Rather you than me! See you later," Cece replied and turned back to her book.
Andromeda hurried down to the Entrance Hall where McGonagall was ticking a few people off the list.
"All alone today, Miss Black?" McGonagall raised her eyebrows, as Andromeda reached her. "I should have thought you'd have your pick of companions."
Andromeda suppressed a scowl. "I think the weather has deterred most people, Professor," she replied, before pulling up her hood and heading out into the pouring rain.
"This is just bloody brilliant," she muttered angrily to herself, as she quickly clambered into the last available carriage, already soaked through.
"I'm so sorry; this seems to be the last carriage," said a voice suddenly, and a boy climbed into the carriage after her.
Andromeda rolled her eyes in annoyance. She looked at him in displeasure.
"I'm Jim," he said, with a friendly smile. His smile soon faltered as he caught her stony expression. "Ah, no need to introduce yourself," he said, and Andromeda turned her head away to look out the window.
"I'm Ted's friend, by the way," the boy said. "I think he knows you."
"If by knows me, you mean he's an irritating moron that I have to spend time working on a project with, then yes," Andromeda replied coldly.
The boy laughed. "Yes, he can be annoying, can't he? Very persistent, irritatingly cheerful."
"What an apt description," Andromeda said, unable to suppress her smirk. "Ah look, we're here," she said, getting up as the carriage came to a halt. "It's been a pleasu-" she eyed the boy up and down, unable to force herself to say it. "Well…yes."
And she got out of the carriage quickly and immediately set off towards Flourish and Blotts.
She spent a good two hours in there, scanning the rows and rows of bookshelves. She wanted to find the perfect gift for her mother. After all, if she didn't, she'd never hear the end of it.
She was quite warm and dry by now, and she was reluctant to leave the cosy confines of the bookshop and head back out into the still torrential rain.
The only comfort she could take was from imagining the warm fire back in the Slytherin Common Room. The moment she stepped out of the door, she was drenched. She blinked as the rain pounded down on her face and she pulled her hood up, drawing her sodden cloak as tightly round her as possible.
She splashed swiftly along the muddy, almost deserted street, keeping her mother's book tucked safely underneath her cloak as the rain poured down around her, swirling and gurgling along the cobblestones.
A gust of icy wind blew past her and swirled her cloak around her. She shivered.
Merlin, she must look pretty pathetic right now. Soaked through, muddy and alone.
"Fancy seeing you here."
Andromeda turned at the sound of a voice beside her and sighed heavily. Tonks. Again. It was almost like he followed her around. Wonderful. She had her own personal shadow, only this one had an annoyingly chirpy attitude.
"Tonks," she said, giving a curt nod.
"Wow, acknowledging my presence," he said, raising his eyebrows in mock amazement. "I do feel honoured."
"Oh shut up," Andromeda snapped, walking faster. He kept pace with her easily.
"Do you want my jumper?" he asked, eyeing her soaked attire and shivering frame.
"Don't be ridiculous," she snapped. But suddenly she felt herself jerked sideways as he took hold of her elbow and pulled her under the shelter of a shop doorway, away from the wind and rain.
"What are you doing, Tonks?" she asked, her tone warning.
He pulled off his jumper and handed it to her. She eyed it suspiciously.
"It's a jumper, Dromeda, not a marriage proposal," he said, trying and failing to smother a smile.
"Oh alright," she said, snatching it from his hands. "Here, hold this." She thrust her wet cloak at him.
She pulled the jumper over her head, trying her hardest not to notice how good it smelt.
"Cloak," she demanded, holding out her hand. He handed it back and she swung it around her shoulders again.
"Better?" he asked, with a dazzling smile.
She sniffed. "A little."
He laughed. "You really don't ever let yourself show your emotions, do you?"
"Emotions are for soft people," she said, with another sniff.
"Have you got a cold?" he asked.
"No."
"I think we'd better get you back up to the castle," he said. "You've probably caught a cold from being out in the rain."
"I'm not a child, Tonks," Andromeda said haughtily. "I don't need you to baby me."
"Of course not," Ted said, with a little grin. "I wouldn't dream of it. After all, I do rather like my face in its current form."
Andromeda's lips twitched. "Well at least you're not stupid, even if you are vain."
"Come on then, let's go," he said, putting a hand on her arm.
"I'd be careful if I were you," she warned him, glaring at his hand. "That is, if you want to keep your fingers too."
Andromeda returned to the Slytherin Common Room with a smile on her face. She couldn't help it. Damn Tonks. He really did have an infectious smile. Another one of his many faults.
"Andromeda, are you wearing a boy's jumper?" Cece asked in surprise, as Andromeda flopped down on the sofa beside her.
Andromeda froze. She was still wearing Tonks' jumper. Her mind whirled, desperately trying to think of an excuse.
"Yes…I…er borrowed it from Sirius this morning," she said hastily. "I couldn't find mine."
"Right," said Cece, turning back to her work, but she didn't sound entirely convinced.
Andromeda quickly went upstairs to her dormitory and took it off. She was almost reluctant to. It was so warm and it smelt so very good. She quickly shook herself, to dispel such thoughts. It probably had Mudblood germs on it.
"Hello Darcy," she said, opening her owl cage to let out her beautiful tawny owl. "I have an errand for you. An unpleasant one, I'm afraid. Take this to Ted Tonks."
She quickly tapped the jumper with her wand and it shrunk to miniature size. Then she scrawled a note, and attached them both to Darcy's leg, before opening the window to let him out.
"Hey Ted!" called one of Ted's friends, coming out of the dormitory into the Hufflepuff Common Room. "There's an owl for you!"
"Can't you see I'm a bit busy, Tom?" Ted said dismissively, turning back to the pretty blonde he was talking to.
"It's a pretty persistent owl," Tom whined, showing Ted the crescent shaped grooves on his hands which had clearly been made by an owl's beak.
"Oh alright, alright," Ted sighed, with a grin. "I'll be right back, Betty," he said to the blonde, before getting up and heading through the round door in the wall that led to the Seventh Year Boys' dormitory.
Once he had reached his dormitory, he immediately caught sight of the beautiful tawny owl sitting on the window sill. He strode over to it and took the scrap of paper and small fabric object from its leg. As soon as he had done so, the owl ruffled its feathers once, threw Ted a very disdainful look indeed, and flew off.
He looked down at the objects in his hand. He held up the tiny fabric object and squinted at it. Then he let out a laugh and unfolded the scrap of paper.
It read:
Tonks, here's your bloody jumper back. It nearly got me into trouble by the way, so I hope you're happy.
There was no name, but of course Ted knew exactly who it was from. Even if the content hadn't given it away, the tone certainly would have.
He laughed and returned his jumper to its original size with a tap of his wand.
"Andromeda, have you spoken to Mother recently?" Narcissa's voice broke through Andromeda's thoughts as she sat in the Common Room a week or so after her Hogsmeade visit, trying to remember the twelve uses of dragon's blood.
She glanced up at Cissy. "No, I haven't, not since her birthday. Why?"
"Because I told Mother this, and she agrees with me. We think you should start seeing Evan publicly," she said, sitting down beside her.
"What?!" Andromeda exclaimed.
"Well, after all, he is the most likely to be your betrothed, isn't he?" Cissy said conversationally. "And it can't hurt your image…I mean, he's a very handsome young man, very aristocratic, very rich…"
"Cissy, I'm not going to see Rosier," Andromeda said flatly.
"Oh can't you stop being selfish for once in your life?!" Cissy snapped.
"Me? Selfish? How am I being selfish?" Andromeda exclaimed.
"You're always thinking about yourself!" Cissy said shrilly. "I honestly don't know what's got into you lately!"
"Maybe I've finally realised what a sycophantic moron he is," Andromeda retorted, suppressing a smile as she remembered whose words those were.
"Mother is going to hear about this," Cissy said, smiling nastily.
"Oh Cissy, do stop being such a tiresome tattle-tale," Andromeda said wearily.
"Well I wouldn't have to if you just did what you were told and at least tried to be normal. Don't you know how hard it is for me to have you as a sister at the moment? You used to be so perfect, so normal. I honestly don't know what's happened to you. You've really changed this year, Andie."
Andromeda sighed. She hated arguing with her sister. Despite all her many flaws, she still loved Cissy and she hated hating her.
"Alright, alright, I'm sorry," she said, clenching her fists to prevent herself from saying what she really wanted to say. "I'll think about it."
"Thank you!" Cissy said, hugging her. Then she leant down to whisper in her ear. "I've got my eye on Lucius. This is going to be so perfect!" she squealed.
Andromeda gave a fake smile, but her heart sank. What had she agreed to?
"What's the incantation for the Bedazzling Hex again?" Ted asked, for the umpteenth time that morning.
"For the last time, I'm not a bloody Spellosaurus. If you don't know, look it up in the book," Andromeda snapped irritably. "And if you don't stop asking me questions, I'm going to beat you silly with it."
"Someone clearly got out the wrong side of bed this morning," Ted smirked, flicking through An Anthology of Eighteenth Century Charms.
"Don't test me, Tonks," Andromeda warned, scribbling down some notes. "I'm already nearly at breaking point."
"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, looking up.
"Don't pretend to be worried about me," Andromeda said, smiling wryly and shaking her head.
"I'm not pretending," Ted said. "I'm honestly asking after your welfare, as one friend to another."
"Don't say that!" Andromeda hissed, glancing around the library anxiously. "We are not friends, Tonks!"
Ted laughed and Andromeda felt the corners of her mouth twitch at the sight, but she didn't let herself smile.
"If you must know, it's Narcissa. She's driving me insane," Andromeda said.
"What's she done this time?" Ted asked, getting up to find a book from the nearby bookcase.
"What hasn't she done? She's always threatening me. She thinks I should start publicly seeing that moron Rosier." Andromeda shuddered at the thought.
Ted chuckled and pulled a book from the bookcase.
"Is that funny, Tonks?" she snapped.
"Well, quite," he smirked.
"It's not funny!" she exclaimed, her voice taking on quite a shrill tone.
"Alright, calm down, Myrtle," Ted grinned.
"No I can't! I just can't take it anymore!" Andromeda burst out, jumping to her feet and tearing from the room.
"Andromeda, wait!" Ted called. "Wait!"
But she was gone.
He found her a few minutes later in an empty classroom nearby, in the corner by the window, her knees tucked up to her chest.
He sat down beside her, resting his back against the cold stone wall.
"You want to tell me what's going on?" he asked.
"Not particularly," she said, turning away from him and looking out the window.
"Well, it seems to me as if you've got some family issues going on," Ted said quietly. "And it also seems like you need someone to talk to about it."
"I don't need your help or your pity, Tonks!" Andromeda said shrilly. "Now please leave me alone!"
Ted looked as if he was about to protest, but he saw the look on her face and gave up.
"You can't always keep all your problems bottled up inside, Dromeda," he told her seriously. "One day, they'll come bursting out and you won't be able to stop them."
"Don't call me that," was all she said.
And he took that as his cue to leave.
A/N. Thanks for reading! Any reviews much appreciated! :)
