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Christmas break ended too soon. Ted had gotten used to having Andromeda right down the hall(or in his room whenever they could sneak past his mum.) But now that they were returning to Hogwarts, that would all change. They would be thrown back into the world of Houses and Blood Status and the looming threat of evil wizards that probably wanted both their heads on a spike.
Though by the looks of things, they didn't even have to wait until they got to Hogwarts to throw themselves back into that foray.
"Dear me, The Platform's crowded today, isn't it?" Jean Tonks said as they made their way over to Platform 9 3/4. Andromeda and Ted exchanged glances, but didn't say anything. The Platform was swarming with Ministry Officials. Aurors, if Ted wasn't mistaken. He could tell by the way they had their hands buried inside their coats, no doubt wrapped around their wand. They glanced around the platform with almost manic intensity.
"What, do they think Lord Voldemon is going to attack now?"
"Voldemort," Andromeda hissed back, "And if they want to now is there best chance, before we're back at Hogwarts."
She made a good point, but he couldn't help but wonder why she said, "they" instead of "him." He knew Lord Voldetron had his Death Eaters, but he was still the one they had to worry about.
"Well, this is it," Jean said. As she hugged them both she asked Andromeda, "I assume I'll see you in the summer?"
The smile that spread across Meda's lips about melted Ted's heart.
They managed to find a carriage big enough to fit both their friend groups, though it was a little cramped. At least Potter looked like he was in a better mood now that he had Lupin and Pettigrew at his side. He even smiled at Andromeda, something Ted had never seen him do before.
Though that might have been because, for once, he and Andromeda weren't the most… involved, couple in the room.
Sirius and Liv had their hands all over each other, and they looked about two seconds away from sticking their tongues down each other's throats. He was about to say something when he caught eyes with Jake. His best mate didn't say anything, but Ted got what he was saying. He and Andromeda were about to get a taste of their own medicine.
"Who's willing to bet the Ministry snuck aboard the train?" Potter asked, maybe as a distraction from their overly affectionate friends. Either way Ted was grateful.
"It's possible," Lupin said, "Especially after the recent murders."
"Recent what?" Ted said. Even Lorie and Sirius stopped making googling eyes at each other as surprise crossed their features.
"Didn't you hear?" Remus said, "Two ministry officials were found dead in their homes."
"And they know for sure it was… him?" Andromeda asked.
"They left that symbol of theirs," Potter said, "The skull with the snake. The Dark Mark, they're calling it."
Silence followed his words. They all seemed lost in their own thoughts, so thankfully no one noticed the way Ted's cheeks burned. He'd been so excited to have Andromeda with him, and then with everything with his father. He hadn't bothered to read the Daily Prophet.
He glanced at Andromeda again, and saw the same guilt reflected in her eyes. Ted didn't do well with guilt.
"I'm going to find the trolley," he grumbled, "Anyone want anything?" A few people mumbled requests, but no one looked like they wanted to join him, not even Andromeda. Maybe that was for the best, since spending so much time together is what had them feeling like this in the first place.
"Be right back," he said, though as the door slid shut behind him. He wasn't sure he meant it. It might be nice to wander the halls on his own for a bit. A few people noticed him as he went by, and some even waved or said hi. He acknowledged them with a nod but didn't say anything. Based on the intense faces he saw in a lot of carriages, a lot of students were discussing the recent events. Good, it was good to know not everyone's head was up in clouds like him and Andromeda.
He passed by an open carriage, and heard a voice say, "Well, well, look who it is."
He froze, even though he should have kept walking, but he recognized that voice. It was Claire Zabini, one of Andromeda's roommates, and the one who'd been responsible for most of her recent misery based on what Ted had heard. His jaw clicked and the angry retort was on the tip of his tongue, but he restrained himself. In part because Zabini wasn't alone. She was surrounded by a few other 6th and 5th year Slytherin girls, including Rita Skeeter and Narcissa Black, two other girls who'd made his and Andromeda's lives pretty miserable as of late.
Once again, he knew he should move on, but instead he found himself slowly reaching inside his cloak, where his wans was safely hidden.
"Did you and Andromeda have a good Christmas?" Zabini asked, she either didn't notice Ted go for his wand, or didn't care. "She was missed at the Black Family party. You both were. There was a lot talk about your future."
Ted's grip around his wand tightened. He wanted nothing more than to wipe that smirk off of Zabini's face, but he managed to restrain himself. In part because Skeeter stood right behind him, her eyes like a vulture circling a corpse. The other girls looked eager for a fight as well. Narcissa, however, seemed completely uninterested in the conversation.
"Who knows?" Zabini continued, "Maybe it will you and Andromeda in the next news report. At least you two are more photogenic than the last two."
That was too much. He whipped out his wand and shouted, "Bruchum Aculeatum," the hex for the stinging jinx. The smile had just started to slip off Zabini's face as the hex hurled toward her. But before he could riddle her flesh with swelling and painful stinging, another wand blocked the spell.
Narcissa moved so that she stood between Ted and the others. She had been paying attention after all. The other girls reached for their wands, except for Skeeter, but Narcissa said, "No. He's mine."
Ted stared at Narcissa, his blood racing. He and Narcissa had had plenty of run-ins, but never on their own. Andromeda had always been there. When he'd seen the pain in Andromeda's eyes at losing her sister, he'd known he'd couldn't do anything to Narcissa no matter how much he wanted too.
But Andromeda wasn't here, and looking into Narcissa's cold eyes, he felt nothing but hatred and fury.
"Impedimenta!" he shouted but she dodged that one as well and returned with, "Confringo!" a blasting curse. Ted barely managed to dive out of the way of that curse. It hit the carriage behind him in a explosion of wood and glass. The people in that particular carriage screamed, while the other carriages began to open up as the other students warily peaked out. The fear on their faces faded as they realized it was two dueling students and not Death Eaters.
Ted felt another stab of guilt, but there was nothing he could do about that now. Might as well finish what he started. He and Narcissa continued to throw hexes at each other, but neither managed to land. When one of Narcissa's explosions nearly incinerated a first year, the other students began retreating back inside their carriages.
Ted felt another stab of guilt, and for a second, he forgot what he was doing and lowered his wand. Narcissa didn't hesitate.
"Locomotor Mortis!" she screeched, and this time Ted didn't dodge out of the way as his legs became locked in place. He cursed his own stupidity, but rather than wallow he returned the favor. Narcissa screeched as his curse glazed over her flesh, leaving a bright-red cut along her cheek.
"Enough!" A voice said, and a moment later Teresa appeared, with Lily Evans trailing behind her. "Both of you stand down."
Blood still pumped manically through Ted's bloodstream, and he lunged toward Narcissa before anyone could stop him. Or at least, tried to lunge, but he forgot his legs were out of commission and instead crashed against the floor.
"Guess you didn't learn from your first round of detention, did you, Black?" Lily said as she stalked toward Narcissa. "Don't worry though, I'll make sure you learn your lesson this time."
"Me?" Narcissa hissed. "He started it. I was just defending myself."
Evan's eyes narrowed, while Teresa turned to Ted. "Is this true?"
His jaw clenched, but he couldn't lie, not to Teresa, so he nodded. Teresa sighed, while something passed over her features. He wasn't sure if it was pity or disappointment or both, but neither made him feel any better. "You both get detention, then."
"This is ridiculous!" Narcissa said, "Is the roles were reversed you'd let him off scotch-free, like you do with all the other mudbloods." Evan's eyes swelled with fury and she looked ready to lay into Narcissa, but with a hand Teresa stopped to her before turning to Narcissa. "If you want to defend yourself you use the stunning hex. The blasting hex was far too uncontrollable and put your fellow students at risk. For that, you are receiving detention."
Narcissa's nostrils flared, but even she didn't have a defense against that. Despite the situation Ted felt something like awe creep over him. He'd never known Teresa to be so commanding. She carried the same fury Evan's did, yet she kept her passion completely in check. Nothing for the snakes to complain about. Even Lily looked at Teresa with something like pride.
"Enjoy your power while you can, Mudblood," Narcissa hissed, "Because it is fleeting."
Teresa's face didn't even changed in the face of Narcissa's threat, she simply replied, "Meet outside of Professor Slughorn's office at 6pm tomorrow." She cast Ted another look before she left, like she was asking him not to be angry. He was still too flushed with pride to be angry. Evan's cast him something like an apologetic look as well. He was guessing she would have made a different call, but she wasn't going to challenge Teresa. They were too much of a united front it seemed.
Narcissa was avoiding his gaze, which was for the best. If they tried to interact again they'd probably starting dueling all over again. The other Slytherins glared at him as well, except for Skeeter, who looked like she'd just seen the greatest show of her life. He was already dreading whatever twisted spin she'd give to this story when she spread it around every where. Speaking of, he needed to tell Andromeda what happened, before she found out from the wrong people.
As he walked away the anger faded, and he thought back to what Zabini had said, to what had started the fight in the first place. Had they really been discussing him and Andromeda at the Black party? And if so, who was doing the discussing? Just some disgruntled purebloods, or one of Voldermort's followers in disguise? He didn't know, but either option made his stomach sick. Every time he thought he and Andromeda were finally on solid ground, something else came to tear them down.