Chapter Four
Andromeda lounged casually against the wall opposite the entrance to the staircase leading up to the Ravenclaw tower. She'd been there nearly ten minutes now, as another glance at the silver watch that adorned her wrist revealed. She supposed it was foolhardy of her to assume that Tonks would be timely; if he couldn't keep his clothing in order, what was to say he could keep his hours straight? She breathed out her annoyance in a sigh, folding her arms across her chest and tapping her shiny black flats against the stone floor impatiently.
"Gilderoy, sorry, I totally lost my wand and spent twenty minutes looking for it only to discover that that twerp Edgar Bones hid it again. Third time this week," the voice came eerily echoing down the spiral staircase, followed by the sound of thundering footsteps, until lastly a disheveled Ted Tonks stumbled out into the hallway, shirt untucked and tie askew. Catching sight of Andromeda, he skidded to a hasty stop. "Oh. Andromeda. Hi," he stuttered out, clearly startled by her presence.
"Tonks," she responded haughtily, pushing herself off the wall and giving a slight nod of her head in way of greeting. "You should keep better track of your belongings. Punctuality is a most valued virtue."
"I... um, yeah, I'll work on that, sorry. I just figured Lockhart would be down here, since, y'know, he's been subbing in for you the past, well, all patrols." Ted ran a hand through his hair, rumpling up the already messy curls, an expression of clear bewilderment on his freckled face.
Andromeda bit back a smirk, not wanting Tonks to make the assumption that she was smiling at him. Lockhart had been unbelievably easy to manipulate into taking her rounds these past weeks. Though fluttering her eyelashes and cooing over how she could only entrust her patrol to someone strong enough to fully protect the school had been a blow to her pride and reminded her uncannily of Narcissa, it had gotten the job done. Lockhart's vanity was his greatest weakness, and he'd been eager to prove what a 'manly defender of the school' he was. Andromeda had barely kept herself from snorting when he'd said that, but she needed him and so had to play along, nodding and simpering over his muscularity.
"According to McGonagall, missing more than five patrols because you're feeling unwell is only acceptable if you're staying in the hospital wing. Since I hardly have the time to waste in that germ-infested room, here I am," Andromeda informed Ted, slipping her hands into the pockets of her robes and curling them into balls. The hallways at Hogwarts were poorly insulated, and the draft was turning her fingers numb. "Now, if you're all caught up, we have a job to do."
"Oh, er, right. We've got the first floor today, according to the schedule. Are you feeling any better?" Ted asked, following at Andromeda's heels as she set off towards the staircase at the end of the hallway at a brisk pace.
"I'm fine," Andromeda responded shortly, not looking back at him. One hour and fifty-five minutes to go. She intended to get this patrol finished with as little socialization as she could manage. For once, Andromeda hoped it wouldn't be a quiet night – in fact, she wouldn't mind it if half the students in the school were out and about after curfew, starting fights and snogging in broom closets. Taking away points and scolding students would keep any conversations with Ted at bay.
"Hey, Andromeda?" Ted offered hesitantly. Apparently her lack of response didn't discourage him, and after a moment of silence, he continued. "I'm really sorry, y'know, for that thing in Diagon Alley…"
"So I've heard. Multiple times, each from a different source. You really need to learn when enough is enough," she scoffed in reply, staring straight ahead as she began to descend the four flights of stairs towards the first floor.
"Yeah, maybe. Mum always said I was too stubborn. But I can't… I won't stop trying until you accept my apology," Tonks mumbled sheepishly, giving a half-hearted shrug of his shoulders.
"Fine. Apology accepted. Happy?" Andromeda's voice was emotionless, though she rolled her eyes, removing her hand from her pocket to flick her curls back over her shoulders.
"No. You didn't mean that. But I'll get you to forgive me, just you wait. One day you'll have to give in." He had edged his way beside her in the narrow stairwell and was flashing that goofy grin of his.
Andromeda felt very claustrophobic all of a sudden and she pressed her arms into her sides to make herself smaller and gain more space. For a gawky, skinny boy, Ted Tonks had a presence that made her uncomfortable, made her want to turn and flee in the opposite direction if only to rid herself of the uneasy turning of her stomach. She put it down to reminders of his physical abuse – she simply had to pretend she was fine, and the feeling would disappear soon, once she rid herself of the memories of helplessness. "Don't hold your breath. Actually, I take that back, please do." Somehow she managed to get the sassy retort out without her voice wavering.
He was in front of her now, carelessly walking backwards down the stairs so he could face her as he talked. "I overreacted. I'd explain myself, but I'm sure you don't want to hear the story. I made a mistake, and I'm going to rectify it. I promise, Andromeda, I'll earn your forgiveness." Sincerity was written clearly across his face, his intense blue gaze aimed once more at her.
Andromeda folded her arms across her chest, clenching at the fabric of her robes like a lifeline. She was finding it harder and harder to freeze the boy out, especially when he kept looking at her like that. Generally, Andromeda considered herself quite decent at reading people – they always wanted something from her, and once she figured out what it was, it was all straight forward from there. They wanted in on her money, her reputation, her intelligence, even her affections. She was used to it, she knew what to look for when someone took an interest in her, and she knew how to avoid it. Tonks was different, though. He didn't want anything from her; nothing, that is, except her forgiveness. The idea was foreign to her.
"I don't want to hear it. I want you to stay away from me. I want-" she stopped speaking abruptly, her eyes widening in horror as they reached the bottom of the staircase. The next few seconds seemed to pass in slow motion. Ted, still looking in the wrong direction and not watching the approaching last step, smacked his head straight into the top of the archway.
Forgetting herself, Andromeda rushed forward to grab Ted's arm, offering him support as he swayed unsteadily. "Oh, Merlin, you bloody idiot. Why can't you look where you're going," she chided, more worried than angry. She might not like the boy, might have even wanted him to hurt like he had hurt her, but faced with the reality, Andromeda couldn't bring herself to draw upon her festering bitterness.
Ted blinked dizzily, watching stars dance across his vision. With one arm, he reached out to grab at the doorframe, his other hand landing on Andromeda's shoulder as he wavered in place. He winced as a wave of searing pain cut through the haze enveloping his thoughts and leaned heavily into the doorframe. "I'm fine, don't worry," he tried to brush it off, but the words came out in breathless gasps.
"Oh Merlin, oh Merlin, you're not. Okay, um, you need to… sit down. Yeah, sit down." Andromeda was panicking now, completely out of her element. She could deal confrontation of all types, could stonily block out insults and snide comments. She'd never had to deal with injury, though. When Narcissa had tripped and broken her arm in the gardens, she'd instantly been escorted away by the house elves and appeared within an hour, completely healed. In Andromeda's experience, you were injured and then you weren't; she'd never dealt with what came in between.
Ted nodded and instantly regretted it as nausea swept over him. "Sitting down… sounds good," he managed, sliding down the doorframe to crouch on the bottom step. He propped his head in his hands, squeezing his eyes tightly shut to tune out the quivering world.
Andromeda knelt down beside him, working to keep back the hysterics that threatened to take over her. She should look at the wound – that's the first thing people did, right? Bloody hell, she had no idea, but it seemed like the most logical course of action. Cautiously, she leaned towards Ted with the intent of examining the back of his skull, then flinched, immediately recoiling. His blond hair was clumped together, red and sticky with blood. "You're really, really not okay," she gulped out, fighting down the contents of her stomach. Andromeda really hated blood. She couldn't stand the coppery smell, or even the unpleasant dark crimson color. She really hated blood.
Opening his eyes, the first thing Ted saw was Andromeda's blanched face, her terrified eyes locked on him. "It can't be that bad," he smiled weakly, trying to reassure her despite the agony he was in. The haughty girl's overly pale visage reminded him unpleasantly of the face he had stared into weeks before, in Diagon Alley.
"Oh, it's bad. Yeah, it's really not good," Andromeda babbled, her hands shaking in her lap. She needed to do something, had to help Ted in some way. She was excellent at healing charms, shouldn't she be able to do something? The way her head was racing, though, she didn't trust herself to try a basic levitating spell, let alone a complicated medicinal charm. "Hospital wing!" she cried out suddenly, her unintentionally loud voice echoing up the stairwell and making Ted wince again. She must have been extremely freaked out not to think of this earlier; she was acting just as foolish as the boy in front of her.
Sliding herself under Ted's arm, she tucked herself under his shoulder, allowing him to rest his weight on her. Andromeda didn't trust him to walk on his own – he looked like he might pass out at any moment. She just hoped that she could get him to the hospital wing before that happened. "Come on, Ted, you have to stand up. We have to go."
Ted grinned hazily up at her, slowly rising to his feet. Moving too fast sent another spear of pain through his head, and he'd like to avoid that. "You called me by my first name," he accused happily, propping himself on Andromeda's shoulder.
Andromeda snorted, the half-stifled laugh a desperate sound. "Don't get used to it, Tonks. You're still a wanker. Quite literally a bloody wanker."
"You snorted," Ted announced the obvious, sounding very proud of himself. "You're not as perfect as you seem. You're actually human; y'know, I had some doubts about that. I thought you might be a walking doll. You're pretty enough to be one of those porcelain dolls."
"And you're babbling, Tonks. Thank Merlin you won't remember any of this tomorrow." Andromeda rolled her eyes, staggering out into the corridor. Though she had been the one to offer her help, her slender frame couldn't easily support the tall boy's weight. Luckily, the hospital wing was not far from where they'd exited the stairwell.
"I think you care," Ted declared loudly, his face splitting into a large grin. "You pretend you don't, you pretend that you don't care about anything or anyone, but you really do."
"I don't care." Andromeda's icy retort came out immediately, but she didn't stray from her determined path down the hallway. She didn't care, not really. Perhaps she cared about Cissy and Bella, and maybe even Evan, but certainly not about this obnoxious boy. The only feelings she felt towards him were irritation and aggravation. It wasn't her fault that she had a conscience that forbad her from leaving him passed out in a dark corner of the castle. Bella would laugh at her weakness; she would have walked away with ease, not caring about his fate. Or perhaps she would have brought him somewhere public and left him to be found in the morning – Bella had a slightly off-kilter sense of humor.
"Say what you want. You could have left me to bleed out in that stairwell. You care," Ted answered smugly, nearly mirroring Andromeda's thoughts.
She had the strong urge to shrug out from under his arm, dumping him onto the floor. Instead, she clenched her jaw, muttering, "Just make sure McGonagall knows that missing rounds this time was all your fault."
Ted seemed to find her statement infinitely hilarious, his chuckling so strong that Andromeda could feel his body shaking with laughter. "Of course that's what you'd be worried about. Image isn't everything, y'know. You should let loose. I liked that fight you had the other day with that Rosier bloke. You've got fire, you just need the oxygen to set it burning," he drawled sluggishly.
They had reached the hospital wing now, and hardly a second after stepping over the threshold of the room Madame Pomfrey was hurrying over to them, as if she had some sixth sense for noticing injured students. Andromeda took her chance, slipping out from Ted's side and thrusting him towards the young nurse. "Don't talk about Evan," she hissed as she moved away. "He's broken. Fix him. Maybe take out his voice box while you're at it," she ordered the nurse.
Madame Pomfrey had to leap forward to catch the boy before he fell. "What did you do to him?" she demanded harshly of Andromeda, directing a fierce glare at her.
"Nothing. I was merely kind enough to escort him here, seeing as his mobility is currently wanting. Though, it's usually pretty shoddy anyways," she replied coolly, meeting the Madame Pomfrey's gaze with disinterested caramel eyes.
"It's true!" Ted chipped in from his spot nestled against the nurse's chest. Andromeda rolled her eyes; typical boy, using his injury for attention. "I did this all by myself. Andromeda just helped me. She's nice like that." He beamed widely at Andromeda, as if she would reward him for his praise.
"Well, alright…" the nurse muttered disbelievingly, bustling Ted off towards one of the hospital beds with a last suspicious glance over her shoulder at Andromeda.
Andromeda hovered awkwardly by the door, unsure whether to leave or not. Sensibility told her that she should get back to her common room before any more rumors had chance to circulate, but she didn't feel comfortable just leaving Ted there. After her effort to get him here, she at least deserved confirmation that he would be okay, right? She didn't want to have gone through all that for nothing – the boy was heavy.
Madame Pomfrey hurried by her again, this time her arms full of a variety of bandages and odd colored potions. Noticing Andromeda, she halted, a scowl forming on her face. "You're still here. Why?" she challenged.
Andromeda gave a half-shrug, feeling extremely uncomfortable. Clearly, the nurse didn't like her, and she wasn't sure why. She'd avoided the hospital wing doggedly for the past six years, so she hadn't had any encounters with Poppy Pomfrey until today. How could the woman be so offended by Andromeda's presence if they'd never even met? "Will he… be alright?" The words were hard for her to form; Andromeda didn't like looking vulnerable and she knew that's how she sounded. She only wished she knew why.
"I'm sorry to foil your plans, but he'll be perfectly fine. He has a rather severe concussion, but with rest and some potions he'll be up and getting into trouble again by tomorrow." The nurse's tone was icy cold, her frigid scowl never easing up any. Andromeda opened her mouth to contradict her, to inform her that the accusation that landing Ted Tonks in the hospital wing was part of her plan was utterly ridiculous, but she didn't manage to get any words out before Madame Pomfrey was speaking again. "How many more students are you going to send here? Are you out to overturn your sister's record of beds filled? Because I'll be keeping an eye on you, and if I notice anything, anything out of the ordinary, I'll report you to Dumbledore without a second thought. I will get you expelled. We don't need your sort here."
Andromeda could feel her temper rising, outrage coloring her pale cheeks. "I don't know what you're accusing my sister of, but you have no right to say such things. Bella may have lost control sometimes, but she's not a bad person. And I have never hurt anyone. Forgive me for helping an injured student get to the hospital wing. I won't make that mistake again," she seethed indignantly, balling her hands into fists at her sides.
Andromeda couldn't handle all these allegations being thrown around about Bella; it seemed that everywhere she turned, people were insinuating that her sister was a monster, a killer who enjoyed hurting others. They had no right, no right at all to make assumptions without knowing Bella. Andromeda knew Bella, knew that despite her occasional violent outbursts, Bella meant well. She wouldn't do the kinds of things Andromeda had been hearing about.
Andromeda gave the nurse a long, hard stare, placing her hands on her hips. She watched smugly as Pomfrey gulped and took a step back, breaking eye contact. Andromeda 1, Poppy 0. Arching one thin eyebrow, Andromeda twisted on her heel and flounced out of the room, making her way back to her common room where her secluded bed awaited her, away from the irritation of other people.