An imaginary friend

Disclaimer: Just the story and some Oc characters belong to me. The Harry Potter world belogns to the genius J.K Rowling.

Ted

Having seen many movies about ghosts on television, Ted had really hoped that having one professor being A GHOST to be the best experience ever. The truth was to be very dissapointed when he realized that professor's Binns only talent was to murder his students thanks to boredom.

History of Magic, during that first week of classes, turned out to be the worst subject he was forced to take: With a professor with sleepy voice, a room where the heat was concentrated and a thousand dates Ted couldn't fully get.

On top of it all, he couldn't pay attention with Andromeda so close.

The girl had ignored him during the whole week and giving though they only shared with each other classes like Charms and History of Magic, they couldn't talk so oftnely; that was making Ted mad because all he wanted was to spent time with his new friend.

Andromeda was sitting with a girl, also from Slytherin, whose last name was Yaxley and aparantly they were best friends now; from all the times that he had tried to come closer Ted always saw the girls together up and down, usually acompany from Rabastan Lestrange and Andromeda's older sister, Bellatrix. Ted felt an unconditional fear for the older girl and reasons weren't short.

Last Wednesday he saw her molesting some first year Ravenclaws. Ted had asked one of the victims how she felt later on and ended up being her friend, but since Hestia Jones didn't share that class with him, he had no one to distract him from the black haired and green tie girl from who he was no longer a priority.

"...five pages essay about what I taught you today" Binns murmured, getting Ted out of his daydreaming "You may leave"

Every one picked up their stuff and headed out for the lunch, and as a custom, Ted gave the girl a smile she didn't returned, before seeing her abandoning the room with a sickening rush; even when he was trying to stay positive the snikering voice of Smith resounded on his head 'Just tell one Slytherin that you have normal parents and they would already look at you up and down while saying how little of a thing you are'.

That couldn't be the reason why Andromeda was avoiding him. She hadn't seem disgusted when he told her about his family. And they had fun while coming to the school, hadn't they? Then, Why wasn't she going anywhere near him now?

"Did you know that we aren't allow to play Quidditch?" For some reason, Hestia was angry.

Ted blinked with confussion "Is that bad?"

"Of course is bad! Is Quidditch!" She looked at his expression and sighed "You have no idea what that is, do you?"

Since they had become friends, Hestia used to tell him everything about the wizandring world; from what food is was best not to eat, till the name of some magical profesions. The black haired girl tended to look as a know-it-all, but Ted was inmmensively greatful.

"It's a sport in which you have to score with a ball named Quaffle, trying to get it through one of the three ring shaped goals while avoiding the keeper, the bludgers that beaters from the other team kick towards you and the seekers are looking for the Golden snitch."

"It sounds dangerous"

"No one has died in a century"

Ted stared back at her with wide eyes "What?"

Hestia gestured as if that had the same importance as falling down the stairs and Ted couldn't understand the actual terrible situation "I talked with professor Flitwick just to see if I could present myself for the team trials, but he just kept denying me and only said 'You are a first year and it's against rules' It's ridiculous! I would've brought a broom this year if my mother had allowed me to."

"You...punch the balls using brooms?" Of everything he had saw (Talking paintings, flavor beans that tasted like vomit, a professor that could turned herself into a cat and professor Dumbledore's robes) Ted wouldn't have found it weird if the answer was affirmative.

"No, you git, they are for flying!"

He apologized to the students which were affected by him spitting his pumpking juice "Do you play it in the air?"

"Of course!" Hestia was beyong excited of introducing someone to what she called 'The dark side', being that sport her comfort zone; "We will have flying classes at the end of October"

"I can barely walk without kicking everything around me, How am I gonna fly while avoiding breaking my head"

"Madame Pomfrey will be able to fix it before your brain falls off"

"Now that's conforting"

Hestia started to tell him about all those books she would borrow him about Quidditch and her favorite teams, always putting first the Holyhead Harpies that she considered were the best team of the world. Sadly Ted had stopped listening to her for looking at Andromeda.

From the Ravenclaw's table he had a different angle towards Slytherin, but that didn't make it impossible for Ted to notice the sad look on those brown eyes. He felt a sudden urge to go and comfort her but threw it away, thinking that if she wanted that Andromeda would be sitting with him along with Hestia.

'They really like to keep the pure blood of mages' Could it be? Could Andromeda really believe that he was less than her just because his parents weren't wizards? Was she expecting him to feel embarass about them?

"We have Charms" Hestia picked up her stuff and stood up, but Ted was still looking at the silver and green table "Ted...is everything alright?

He sighed and followed his friend, accepting the worst: Even in the wizandring world, he was still weird. He was just the strange kid of the Tonks's. The mud blood. And even worst than that was the fact that Ted knew how to deal with kids like Andromeda Black: People who tought they were better than anyone for reasons that were unbearably stupid, but never on his life had he imagined that the girl which such a soft smile and sweet laugh would be like them.

That dissapointment was what hurt him the most.

And even with that, as he walked with a Hestia Jones still talking about Quidditch and making him laugh beyond normal, he noticed that those brown eyes were following him every step. And the look Andromeda gave his friend was one of desire that made Ted think about what was actually happening inside her head.

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Dear mom and dad,

Hello! I'm very sorry for not writting you sooner, but my first week of classes was very amuzing and now I have lots of homework to finish. Classes are the best thing Hogwarts can offer you: I have to study Transfigurations, Charms, Potions (Which I will try to improve, 'cause I'm really a disaster) and waaaaaaaay more.

Just like that I have made many friends during classes, but my best friend right now is a girl named Hestia. She's a Ravenclaw, which is the house of the clever ones, and her parents both work at the Ministry of Magic; she offered to stay with me during Christmas so I could see how it's like here at Hogwarts, meaning that I probably will be home only 'till the semester is over. Sorry.

I would love to tell you everything about here but there aren't any words to explain, so you would have to tolerate me when I come home. Maybe I could turn a tea pot into a Frog (But I won't, because I'm not allow to do magic outside school until I'm seventeen)

I love both of you so much,

Ted.

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Dear Gina,

Can you believe I'm writting you a letter? Neither do I. I miss you, but if you ever tell anyone about it I will kick your ass.

If you're wondering why your letter is apart from the one for Mom and Dad, it's because I need to tell you something personal that I don't want them to read, specially mom giving thought that she would become her psycologist self and will asked me a lot of uncomfortable questions. After you read it, burn the letter or make it dissapear. Please.

Have you ever feel like you have an imaginary friend that feel so real? Before you panic, I'm not talking about Hestia. It's someone else.

Her name is Andromeda Black (Like the galaxy) and she's a Slytherin. We met at the train and she's a very charming and funny girl, but now she's avoiding me; my dorm mates said that it's because some radical ideas her family has (Something about not wanting that people like me study magic because my parents aren't wizards. They gave me a nice nickname. It's mud blood), but I want to think she's different.

Sometimes I think she is going to come and talk to me again, but she only dismisses me. I can assure you that we were really getting on during the first day and we have a lot in common. But I'm afraid that the reason why she's avoding me it's her older sister.

Her sister enjoys scaring younger kids. I can't understand if she want to fit into her house and that's why Andromeda acts the way she does. I can feel she's a good person, but I'm also terrified at the idea of her getting hurt because of me.

You're a gir, just hoping you could help me out.

I love you,

Ted.

PS: Do not send me girly like magazines, It would be embarasing.

PS 2: Say hello to the owl and give her a cookie. She's from Hogwarts.

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The owlery was one of the biggest rooms in the castle and was located on the top of west tower so you had to walk long miles, meaning that when he arrived Ted took a deep breath while he decided which Owl should be the one carrying the letters.

There was a brown owl that inmediatly came closer from the colum where he was standing and caressed his hand with it's peack, making Ted smile. When Ted showed the letters, the owl instantly unfold it's wings and whired them with proud, stretching it's leg so Ted could wrap them.

He wondered if he should tell the owl how to arrive, or if it was a better idea to just go throught the usual Muggle posting. His neighbors were real gossipers and they could elaborate their own ideas that would only worsen his parents image. It was more than enought with all the lies they had invented after proffesor Wilson went to visited them.

His doubts and worries were interrupted, nonetheless, when he heard a voice behind his back "Just tell it how to go. They are trained to take the mail."

Ted didn't need to turn around for knowing that it was the girl who had captured his mind the one that was at the door. He heard footsteps and realized that Andromeda was now standing beside him, also watching as the owl swagger around.

Ted simply let out a 'Mmmh' and continue his job of wraping the letters to the animal's leg, but because it was showing itsel that was impossible. He was tired that Andromeda constantly avoid him without putting any effor into it, and had already told himself that he would also be scared of getting hurt or being rejected if he was in that position. That's why he was easing things for her, just ignoring her and thinking they have never met. Thinking of her just as an imaginary friend and nothing more.

"Your parents didn't bought you one?" Ted was still tieding the knot, ignoring the girl "Mine only let me use the one from Bellatrix...because she's the oldest, it means that she's responsible of giving them information. And they hate animals, by the way."

"What'd you want? Do I have to signed a confidentiality agreetment where I promise not to tell anyone that I met you or that we talked? Do I have to go and tell your sister that I don't know you?

"I didn't mean..."

"But that's exactly what you are doing!" Ted hadn't mean to explote, he wanted to stop his anger. But that beating dissapointment and the hurtful words from Smith hadn't left his head for days "You only pretend that you never met me, that I'm just a dot in the map and that's it. Why? What made me be less than the great Andromeda Black?" Pain crossed the girl's expression, but that didn't stop Ted "I will tell you what: I'm a mud blood. Isn't that right? If you're wondering if anyone had told me what your house thinks of people like me, my dorm mates did. But I would have appreciated it if it were you the first one who told me why you don't want anything related with me just 'cause the insignificant detail that my parents aren't wizards."

Andromeda grabbed the letters and when he stood up, she inmediatly put them away from his reach as she climbed a small attic full with bird excrement. Andromeda also looked angry and that was what made Ted even more mad "It was precisely because of that why I was avoiding you! Have someone told you what some people of my house do for fun? They hunt mud bloods! Just imagine what would have happened if..."

"They knew you talked with one? Forgive for not being caring. You're only doing this to save your own skin! You don't even care about me."

"I got away from you for taking care of you!" Ted snorted and when he was about to speak, Andromeda stoped him "My parents are blood fanatics. All my life I have been raised to belive that...your species are a bad thing, abominations that shouldn't have been created and Don't you dare interrupt me!" She stormed when he tried to speak again "But then I met you and you gave me candies and made me laugh and you don't seem to have a hidden arm or a stinkful smell or some of those stuff they always told me. And I can assure you that nothing good will come out of us being together, so I gave you space."

"Then, what are you doing here? Couldn't you just give me a note instead of risking yourself to be seen around a mud blood?"

Andromeda sighned and ran her hands through her shinning dark hair "I don't know what I'm doing here. Maybe I just want to ask you in person to stay away from me or I just wanted to see your stupid face" Ted didn't knew if he should've felt flatered or insulted towards that comment. He kept his silence "I lived so long believing you're a beast, but I'm smart enough to know that an abomination wouldn't be stalking me just to know why I don't speak with him anymore."

"So...you still want us to be friends?"

"Yes...no...I don't know" Andromeda sat at the attic's staircase, Ted not being able to contain himself and sitting beside her "Have you seen my sister? It would be a great dissapointment for my family if I...well."

"Hang out with me?" "Venture Ted "I understand, Andromeda."

"You don't."

"Yes I do!" Replied the boy. If she wanted to end something that hadn't even started, he would help her just to lessen the pain "I don't have any problem with..."

"I still want to be your friend."

"...you simply..."

He looked at her with wild eyes and mouth hanging open. Andromeda sighned again and grabbed his hands with softness and Ted note that her's were cold. If it was out of fear or wind he couldn't tell.

"I've been trying to keep you away for a whole week, and I can't. And for reasons that not even I understand, I want you by my side."

"What about your sister?"

She made a face "That's why I wanted to talked to you as soon as I could. I saw that you were leaving the library and followed."

"Now you're a stalker" He joked and felt a weight being lifted when she smiled.

"Shut up and let me talk: If someone discovered that we're friends, anyone, would put us in danger. People like my family are capable of many things and the last thing I want is to see them hurting you. And even thought I want to be your friend..."

"It has to be a secret" Ted ended her sentence. Andromeda nod and looked down convinced that everything was doom "Well, It will be a great adventure then. Will we use code names? Or wigs?"

"Do you want to?"

Ted remembered what Smith and Bones had told him the first night at the school, about the Slytherins rejecting his friendship. And here he had a girl who was offering that to him a friendship, that even if it was secret, she did it because she didn't care about his blood status. And then he also remembered how he had promised that he would showed everyone that not all Slytherins were evil, and maybe he could even convinced Andromeda's family that he was worth it as a wizard too.

Ted smiled "Life is a great adventure, Dromeda, How can you life it without risk?"

They both smiled and she grabbed his hand a little tighter before saying "Don't call me Dromeda."