Andromeda, her friends and the others I made up are mine. Everyone else is JK Rowling's. This disclaimer is mine, though I wish it wasn't. My annoyance at constant disclaimer-writing is also mine.
It was Sunday evening, the Quidditch match having taken place on Saturday. Harry had had rather more to think about than usual for the past few days. He had come to a decision.
When he, Ron and Hermione had finished eating dinner, Harry turned off before they arrived at the common room. He slipped away, he hoped, before Ron and Hermione could notice and ask where he was going. He had a feeling he knew where Andromeda might be.
The library was almost empty again. A few people were scattered around. He couldn't see Andromeda, but he walked around a couple of stacks of books and found her sitting at the base of one, reading. 'Hello,' he said.
She jumped and looked up. 'What are you doing here?' she asked, startled.
'Charming,' smiled Harry.
'No, I – I didn't mean it like that – I just haven't seen you for a while, that's all.'
'I told you you could come to the Gryffindor common room whenever you liked. So how come you're still sitting here?'
'I might just like it here,' Andromeda replied defensively.
'Do you?'
'No,' she admitted. 'It's rubbish.'
Harry laughed. Then suddenly he was serious again. They had to discuss what had happened – or, rather, almost happened. 'What was going on in Snape's detention?'
'Why would anything have been going on?'
'It didn't feel like a punishment, somehow.'
'What did it feel like?'
'I'm not sure.' Harry thought for a moment. 'I don't think it's happened to me before.'
'No,' mused Andromeda. 'Nor me.'
He leaned over, much as he had done in the Potions dungeon, but this time they didn't waste time. He kissed her.
'So that's what was going to happen.' She looked troubled.
'Andromeda, at the risk of sounding very cheesy indeed, I really like you. In fact, I think that I may very abruptly be falling in love with you.' He was shocked. He'd never been so blunt before. 'But if you don't like me too, there's not much point me being here, so you might as well just tell me…'
'Harry, we both know it can't happen.' She looked even more upset.
'You haven't answered the question.'
'And what about Cho?'
'Cho? We split up ages ago. And we should have long before that. We haven't been anything more than friends for a long time.'
Andromeda didn't know what to say. She would have liked to tell Harry that she was falling in love with him, too... that she'd never met anyone as nice and as good as him… but he was a Gryffindor, and she was a Slytherin, and no one would accept it. It was just wrong, and it was easier to lie than to go into the whole complicated, unfair truth. 'No, Harry. I'm sorry, I just don't feel that way.' She said it curtly and coldly.
He stood up, flushing. 'Well, all right. As long as I know.' And then he was gone.
Andromeda waited until she was sure no one was around before folding her hands over her face and sobbing.
Harry walked numbly into the common room. Ron and Hermione were sitting there, and stared at him as he passed. But he didn't stop or even greet them. He kept going into the boys' dormitory, sunk onto his bed and closed his eyes.
Less than a minute later, the door creaked and bashed roughly against the wall. Harry turned to see Ron. Before he could say anything, Ron started speaking. 'Like I said before, I don't have a clue what's going on with you, but it's obviously bothering you and I want to know. Not telling anyone isn't going to help and after your outburst last night I know that it's not just Snape's latest essay assignment. So I'm going to wait here, Harry, and I'm not leaving until you…'
'I'm in love with Andromeda Green.' There, he'd said it.
Ron looked as though someone had just smacked him in the face. 'You're in love with Andromeda Green?'
'Yes. Now if you're going to gawp at me, go away. If you want to hear it, stay here, because believe me there's a lot to be told.'
Ron, to his credit, sat down on the floor. 'She's in Slytherin, Harry.'
'I know that, Ron.' Despite how he felt at that moment, he had the urge to laugh.
'And you're in Gryffindor.'
'I know that as well.'
'What are you going to do?'
'Not much I can do. I asked her if she liked me, and she said no. That's it, I suppose. But it doesn't stop me, does it?'
'No,' Ron replied heavily. 'No, it doesn't.'
In the Slytherin dungeon, Helena Pratt was taken aback to see Andromeda storm past without acknowledging her and head for the girls' dormitory. There was something wrong, that much was obvious; Andromeda usually said exactly what was on her mind. So she got up and followed.
'What's the matter?' she asked, startled, when Andromeda turned from her bed to see who had come in and Helena saw the tears streaking her pale face. 'There's been something bothering you for ages, hasn't there, An, and I don't know what it is but it's not like you to keep it to yourself. So tell me what it is, or I'm not…'
'I'm in love with Harry Potter.'
Helena looked as though a rock had fallen on her head. 'You're in love with… Harry Potter?'
'Yes.'
'But…' Helena was spluttering. 'How can you be? You're a Slytherin, and he's the biggest Gryffindor ever! It can't work, Andromeda!'
'I know that,' said Andromeda, wiping her eyes. 'That's why I told him I didn't feel the same.'
'So he likes you too?'
'That's what he said.'
Helena sat heavily on an ebony chair near Andromeda's bed. 'Andromeda, I know you don't like any of us Slytherins very much…'
'That's not true!'
'Yes it is. We aren't right for you, and everyone knows it. You should have been in Gryffindor, and I don't mean that as an insult. But if you start something with Potter, everyone's going to see it as the same thing – a Gryffindor and a Slytherin. Oh, An, couldn't you have fallen for a Ravenclaw?'
'I think you missed something, Helena,' Andromeda said calmly. 'I told him I don't love him. Nothing is going to happen.'
'Yeah,' snorted Helena. 'And I'm having a secret affair with Professor Flitwick.' (Andromeda giggled at this absurd claim.) 'Who has ever stopped Andromeda Green acting on her feelings? If you're not going to do anything about this, An, you must be very stupid. It can only make you happy. And as much as I think it's odd, you have to go for it. And if you won't…' she paused for dramatic effect. 'I'll tell Potter myself.'
'You wouldn't,' Andromeda gasped. Surely she wouldn't. Would she?
TO BE CONTINUED