A fairly short chapter. J.K. Rowling owns
*.*.*.*.*.*
She really didn't care what Bellatrix thought. Really. She was a free human being, she could talk to whomever she wished. It really wasn't up to her sister who she, Andromeda Black, hung out with.
But the thought of those eyes, those hard, cold, dark eyes, gave her shivers.
She didn't care. She didn't.
Oh yes you do. That bloody voice. It wouldn't leave her alone.
So why was she sitting on her bed, not in the library at all? She had nipped to her dormitory to get her back, and been sat on her bed for ten minutes, just thinking.
What am I so scared of?
Bella. What she'll think. What she'll say.
Why does that matter so much?
It shouldn't.
Exactly. So why am I still here?
Beats me.
Fine. I'll go.
But what if Bella sees you?
All the more reason to go.
Andromeda got up so quickly that Onyx twitched her head up in alarm. She grabbed her bag and hurried through the common room, hardly hearing Sapphire's lazy drawl, "Of course, not everyone can afford to get them specially made. They just have to make do…" Stuck-up cow, thought Andromeda, as she walked out of the wall. Straight into Bellatrix.
"Going somewhere are we?"
"What's it to you?" Andromeda snapped, trying to walk past her sister, who was blocking her way.
"Hold on a minute little sister."
Andromeda turned around impatiently. "What do you want Bella? I have somewhere to be?"
"Oh I know. Rudophus' little brother seems to think that you're meeting with that filthy muggle. And judging by the pathetic event I witnessed in the Great Hall the other day, I would think that he's right." Bella said maliciously.
"Don't call him that!" Andromeda snapped, a hot surge of anger rippling through her.
"Why do you care?"
"Because! It's cruel and degrading, and completely unfair! I don't want you calling my friends names."
"Oooh your friend," Bella sneered. "Sounds like you want to be more than just friends to me."
So cutting. "I'd defend any of my friends if you called them 'muggle', like that." She retorted.
"Oh, I can think of much worse than just 'muggle' little sister."
"I'm sure that you can. Now get out of my way."
"Make me."
Andromeda pulled out her wand, and looked up to find her sister's short, bent wand already in her face. Andromeda didn't flinch, and instead looked her sister right in the eye, challenging her.
"What makes you think I wouldn't?" Bella smirked. Andromeda just stared at her, looked her right in the eye, refusing to submit to her anger and give Bella the satisfaction of a reaction. Bella lowered her wand. Andromeda pushed past her, and was a few paces away when she felt something white-hot strike her cheek. She whipped round. Bella was pointing her wand directly at Andromeda, a crazy look in her eye.
"You're a dirty mark on the Black family tree. Aunt Walburga'll have your name blasted off that tapestry one day, you mark my words."
Her anger boiled over. She couldn't think of anything clever, or cutting to say. "Good," she said, her voice shaking only a little. "Then I won't feel associated with the likes of you." And with that, she turned on her heel and marched towards the entrance hall.
Once sure she was out of sight, she almost ran towards the library. She was sure he would have left by now, wouldn't have bothered waiting for her. She really wasn't worth it. She realized her face was wet. She was crying. She wiped her eyes angrily with the back of her hand and marched into the library.
Oh sweet Merlin.
He was there.
Waiting for her.
Well, not really. He was working on the translation. But still.
He looked up, saw it was her and smiled, then the smile turned to a look of shock, mingled with concern.
"What happened?" he asked her as soon as she sat down.
"What do you mean?"
"You're bleeding." Andromeda looked at her hand. Smears of red stretched across it where she had wiped the tears from her face. Her cheek hurt, she realised. She had been so upset she hadn't noticed.
"Oh."
"Here," Ted pulled out his wand, and muttered something. Her cheek felt momentarily warm where the curse had hit it, and then normal.
"How did you know how to do that?" she asked. Healing spells weren't on the curriculum, considered to be too dangerous to teach younger students.
"Being a clumsy idiot leaves me expecting the worst," he joked light-heartedly.
Andromeda smiled, and rummaged in her bag to find a handkerchief to wipe the blood from her face.
"What happened?" he asked quietly. Andromeda couldn't think how to explain.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said.
"Are you sure?" he persisted. "Because, you know, sometimes it helps. Problem shared and all that."
"I just… I just wish my Bella would stop thinking she has the right to control my every move!"
"Did she do that?" Ted asked, gesturing to her cheek.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I'm here." Ted didn't have anything to say to that. He just took her hand and squeezed it.
"Now," he said. "Shall we look at this translation?"
"Sure," she replied. "I was alright until this section…"
