One Black Sheep

Diclaimer: This author does not own Harry Potter, nor any of the characters within this story, nor any of the settings nor the basic plotline and certainly not the ending.

I don't own ANYTHING, ok? Now can we get on with it?

A/N: Not all updates will be this quick. Next story to be updated will, hopefully, be 'Up to no Good'. 'Loved and Lost' is on a slight hiatus until I get over the emotional distress caused by the last chapter.

Chapter the first: In which Ted finally makes some headway in Charms, and Andromeda learns something new about muggles.

1967

Theodore Tonks, more colloquially known as Ted, stormed into the Ravenclaw common room. He threw himself into an armchair next to his pal, Fabian Prewett, who looked up with a bored expression.

'Something bothering you, Ted?' Fabian asked calmly. Ted sent him a withering look.

'Some Slytherin git tripped me up outside the library. My ink bottle smashed, and I got ink all over my robes.' He muttered a few choice swear words to himself before continuing. 'Of course, no one bothered to try and help me except some stupid first year who ended up setting my sleeve on fire.' He held up his singed sleeve as evidence for Fabian before falling back into the chair and raising his eyes to the ceiling. 'Honestly Fabian – being muggle-born is more trouble than it's worth.'

Fabian tried to fix a sympathetic expression onto his thin face. 'That's too bad, mate,' he said, but Ted got the distinct impression that he was trying not to laugh. He raised an eyebrow at his friend.

As predicted, Fabian burst out laughing.

'Great to know that you find it so damn funny,' Ted grumbled, throwing a quill at him. Fabian caught it – his reflexes were excellent after three years as Keeper on the Ravenclaw quidditch team.

'Aw, c'mon Ted. It is pretty funny,' he grinned. 'Besides, you don't care about those Slytherin idiots, do you? They're a bunch of prats, the whole lot of 'em.'

Ted smiled. In truth, he was grateful to Fabian for making light of the situation. Somehow the constant torment Ted endured because of his heritage (or lack thereof, as it was made out to be) was more easily taken into his stride after Fabian had turned it into a joke.

'Yeah, they are,' he agreed.

'Did you get much work done?' Fabian had decided that the time was ripe for a subject change.

Ted shrugged. 'A little. I'm still not quite sure about what I'm supposed to be writing for that essay of Flitwick's.' He sighed. He'd always been hopeless at Charms, and with their OWLs fast approaching he knew he would have to get a whole lot better, and fast, if he wanted to make the grade.

'Well, I can't help you, sorry,' Fabian shrugged. 'I've got no idea myself. Thought I might ask Andromeda Black about it – she's always getting top marks in Charms.'

Ted pulled his Charms textbook out of his bag and stared gloomily at the ink-splattered cover.

'Well, if you find anything out from her, you make sure to tell me,' he said despondently. 'She won't speak to me, you know; not since her sister told her I was muggle-born.'

'Yeah, I always thought it was a shame,' Fabian said. 'These pureblood families stick together like glue, you know. Andromeda would be a nice girl if she wasn't so stupid about muggle-borns.'

Ted smiled glumly. 'What can you do, huh? I think I'm going to head off to bed – I've had enough for one day.' He shoved his textbook back into his bag and stood up. Fabian nodded and indicated the unfinished Arithmancy assignment on his lap.

'I'll finish this up before I join you,' he said.

'All right. See you at breakfast.'

'Night, Ted.'

-

The next day was bright and sunny in the way that only Sunday can be. Andromeda Black sat at her favourite table in the library, next to a large window which overlooked the grounds and sent the late autumn sunshine streaming across her auburn hair, warming her face and shoulders. She idly drew little doodles in the margin of her notes, feeling content to remain there for the rest of the day, even though she had already completed most of the set assignments for the week.

She was so relaxed that she didn't even notice that Fabian Prewett was in the library until he appeared in the seat next to hers.

'Afternoon, Andromeda,' he said cordially. Andromeda quickly recovered from her shock and smiled politely. She and the other members of her house had never exactly gotten along, but Fabian Prewett would at least speak to her on occasion. He wasn't what she would call a friend, but she didn't object to him in any way.

'Hello Fabian. Is there something that I can help you with?'

Fabian nodded. 'Yeah, there is. I wondered if I could talk to you about the Charms essay – I can't work it out, and you're the best in the year.'

Andromeda blushed – she was not entirely accustomed to compliments.

'Oh, thank you Fabian. That's nice of you to say.'

'Well, you are,' Fabian grinned. 'Anyway, Ted and I have been absolutely going mental trying to work this thing out … have you written any of yours yet?'

'Some of it,' Andromeda said modestly, digging in her bag for the piece of parchment she had been using for her essay. She found it, and placed it on the table in front of Fabian. 'It's mainly about what Flitwick was talking about in class last week, but there's a really good book – here, I'll write down the name of it for you.' She scribbled down the name of the book and handed it over. Fabian took it gratefully.

'Thanks, Andromeda, you're wonderful. Ted's going to be thrilled, I think he was considering cutting off his own hand so that he could get out of writing it.'

'Ted? You mean Theodore Tonks?' Andromeda asked innocently.

'Mmmm,' Fabian said in a non-committal sort of way, as he scanned Andromeda's nearly-completed essay. 'This is great stuff.'

'Thank you,' Andromeda said again, almost absently. 'He's not very good at Charms, is he?'

'Who's that?'

'Theodore Tonks.'

Fabian looked up with a warning expression which caused Andromeda to recoil slightly.

'He's good at other stuff. He's excellent at Transfiguration, and he's got a real knack for Astronomy. Not to mention that he's a prefect, and a decent bloke.'

'I … I know that. I … I was just … just saying …'

'I don't want to have this conversation with you, Andromeda,' Fabian concluded after a few moments of awkward silence. 'For a start, you're in my house. And you're a nice girl, albeit one with a few strange ideas. So if you don't mind, I'm going to change the subject before I'm tempted to draw my wand on you, which is something I'm sure I'd live to regret.' His light brown eyes flashed dangerously. Andromeda nodded nervously.

'Certainly, Fabian, whatever you want.' She smiled weakly.

Fabian nodded curtly to the window. 'Nice weather for the quidditch game next weekend,' he noted. 'Have you heard much about this new Gryffindor chaser?'

Andromeda shrugged and went back to her own study, mainly to avoid Fabian's sharp eyes. She knew that he didn't think much of her beliefs – or rather, the beliefs of her family, which Andromeda had always been taught to respect as though they were law …

'He's only second-year, as I understand it?' she said lightly.

'Yeah, that's him. He must be good … Potter? I think that's what Davies said his name was.'

'That's it,' Andromeda assured him. 'He's friends with my younger cousin.'

'Oh? I wasn't aware you had cousins in Gryffindor?'

'Just the one,' Andromeda said quickly, though she was not sure why she was so fast to correct Fabian as he had looked at her with a new kind of vague interest that almost suggested that he, first among those she had spoken to about Sirius, was mildly impressed with the idea of a Black being in Gryffindor house, rather than disgusted or repulsed.

'Er … yes. Sirius. He's something of a … a Black sheep, aha.'

Fabian chuckled at her joke. 'No kidding. So have you met this Potter character, then?'

Andromeda shook her head. 'No, although he and my cousin put a dungbomb in my sister Bella's schoolbag about two weeks ago.'

At this, Fabian burst out laughing. Andromeda was torn between joining in laughing and looking reproachful at him for being amused at the assault of her sister. She settled for smiling nervously, which was sort of her default expression anyway.

Fabian was still chortling to himself as he said; 'That was Potter, huh? And your cousin – Sirius, did you say? Someone ought to give them a medal! I saw the expression on Bellatrix's face – it was priceless!' He grinned at her. 'Sorry, Andromeda, but your lovely sister is part of a gang that's always giving poor Ted a hard time, so I feel justified in having a good old laugh at her expense. No offence meant, trust me.'

'None taken,' Andromeda said politely, understanding suddenly why Fabian had found so much to laugh about in Bella's misfortune. She felt bad for feeling affronted at his defence of his friend, so she added; 'And you should tell, er … tell Ted that I would like to apologise on Bella's behalf if she's ever been cruel to him. She can be rather thoughtless at times.'

Fabian looked pleasantly surprised.

'That's nice of you – I'm sure Ted will appreciate it.'

Andromeda offered him a winning smile. 'I might be a Black, Fabian, but I'm not entirely unreasonable. Ted seems like a nice enough fellow, and I would hate to think that Bella had said anything that he might take to heart. Bella is rather forceful in her opinions.'

Fabian was visibly taken aback.

'I'll be sure to relay all that to him,' Fabian said, scooping up his books and handing Andromeda her essay back. 'Thanks for all your help, Andromeda – it's been … it's been good to chat. If you ever tire of that Slytherin lot, Ted and I would be glad to keep you company in the Ravenclaw common room.'

'Really?'

'Well, mostly because you could help us with Charms,' Fabian grinned. Andromeda giggled and blushed. 'But sure, we're always around if you want someone to chat to.'

'That's very kind of you, Fabian,' Andromeda said shyly.

'Ah, we Ravenclaws should stick together, you know. I'll see you in class, ok?'

'All right, see you.'

Fabian waved as he went to look for the book she had recommended. Andromeda turned her attentions to the window, but she wasn't taking much notice of the scenery.

She was tempted to take Fabian up on his offer. Mostly the only people she hung out with were her sisters and their Slytherin friends – proper company for a Black, undoubtedly, but not the sort that Andromeda particularly enjoyed. It would be so nice to have friends inside her own house, like Sirius. She knew that her young cousin was ecstatically happy with the friends he had made in Gryffindor, and more than once since Sirius had arrived at the school Andromeda had thought that perhaps she ought to have done the same, back when she had first been sorted into Ravenclaw. It was too late now to make friends with the girls in her dormitory – they had formed their own little cliques and there was no longer any way of surreptitiously infiltrating them.

There was only the matter of Ted Tonks being a mudblood. In fact, if he had been a pureblood she would have already made friends with the two boys; of this she was perfectly certain. Fabian was always courteous towards her, and he and Ted seemed to get along very well. But … Andromeda knew it was no use. Tonks was a mudblood, and if she so much as spoke to him she would bring shame to her family. It was quite possible that she could be punished just for telling Fabian that she was sorry for her sister's actions. She sighed as the autumn sunlight passed behind a cloud, instantly making her cold.

-

It was Friday, and Flitwick was handing back their essays.

'This is good work, Mr Tonks!' the little professor said brightly, as he handed back Ted's essay, which had a large 'E' for 'Exceeds Expectations' written across the top in red. He grinned broadly.

'Thanks, sir – hey Fabian!'

He proudly showed Fabian his essay and Fabian grinned back.

'That's brilliant, mate! I guess Andromeda's book really helped us out, huh? I must make sure to thank her.'

'Yeah, me too,' Ted beamed. He'd never done any work in Charms that was worth an 'E'. He felt like celebrating somehow.

'Want to go down to the kitchens and nick a bit of food?' he asked Fabian as they left the classroom.

Fabian shook his head apologetically. 'Can't, mate. Sorry. Quidditch practise. The game's tomorrow, you know.'

'Oh, yeah. Well, I guess I'll be in the common room when you're done.' The boys parted ways at the Great Hall; Fabian hurrying out of the castle to the quidditch pitch, and Ted heading for the library dejectedly, feeling that a visit to the kitchens wouldn't be the same without Fabian. He chose a desk near the window in the Astronomy section and pulled a book off the shelves at random to flick through. He'd always liked Astronomy.

After a while he got tired of his book and wandered off through the shelves to find another. He was feeling a little depressed – it was not exactly his idea of a particularly fun Friday afternoon, especially seeing as how it had begun so promisingly. He didn't see what else he could do, though, with Fabian out on the quidditch pitch. He sighed. At least there was quidditch tomorrow to look forward to.

He went back to the table he had been sitting at before, hefting a large book on Transfiguration theory that he hoped would be helpful for their latest assignment from McGonagall, only to find his seat occupied by none other than Andromeda Black, who was absorbed in a thick treatise on the proper use of Veritaseum for Potions. Ted recognised it because he had completed the Potions assignment just the day before.

Remembering that he owed his good grade in Charms to her, he cleared his throat. She looked up, startled.

'Er … hey,' Ted said. 'You won't find that very helpful,' he said, gesturing to her reading material. 'There's a better one – what you've got there is the abridged version.'

Andromeda glanced at the book with a frown on her dainty features.

'Oh,' was all she said. Ted sighed. Apparently she was no less prejudiced than the rest, no matter what Fabian had said. She was just less vocal about it – Ted wondered if this was really any better. At least with the others he knew where he stood.

And it was a shame, because he thought that she would probably be quite pretty if she smiled.

'Yeah,' said Ted, as the atmosphere between them got steadily more awkward. 'Anyway, I just wanted to say thanks for recommending that Charms book to Fabian, it really helped me out.'

'You're welcome,' she said shortly. She had a quiet voice which was pleasant to listen to, and Ted found himself wondering what he could say to get her talking.

'Well, anyway, if there's anything I can ever do for you, please don't hesitate to ask,' he offered with a broad smile. 'I owe you big time for that 'E' – I've never been any good at Charms, and that grade might just save my OWL hopes.'

Andromeda smiled briefly and went back to her reading. Ted recognised the not-so-subtle hint that it was time to leave.

'All right. Er … hey, it's time for dinner, are you going?'

'I'm not hungry, thank you,' Andromeda said.

Ted sighed. 'No. Ok, I'll see you around, then.'

He left the library, glancing back at her as he went out the door. He wondered if it had been his imagination, or had she quickly diverted her eyes just a fraction of a second after he had turned his head?

-

'Seriously, though, what can you do?' Fabian speculated, gesturing with his fork as he and Ted discussed Andromeda's cold attitude. 'That's the way she was brought up, isn't it?'

Ted shrugged. 'I guess. I wish she'd talk to me, though. I … I could really use the help with Charms,' he added quickly, because Fabian was giving him a funny look.

'Right …' his friend said slowly, frowning. 'Look, mate, you're best to just stay away from her if she doesn't want you around. Those quiet ones can be frightening when provoked, you know. And she's so good in Charms, you're unlikely to come out better off.'

'Yeah, you're probably right,' Ted agreed with a sigh, staring gloomily at his plate. He pushed his food around with his fork, not feeling particularly hungry at all.

''Course I'm right,' Fabian said decidedly. 'I'm always right, you know that.'

Ted didn't reply. He felt that the afternoon had too quickly gone from brilliant to complete rubbish, without stopping for breath in-between. It felt strange to think that just three hours ago he had felt like celebrating – now he just felt like going to bed. His restless thoughts kept coming back to Andromeda Black, and that in itself was making his stomach uneasy.

He'd had to go and speak to her. He'd had to go and open his big trap. It had been a stupid thing to do, really – what if her sister had been with her? He could have gotten them both in trouble. He could have already gotten himself in trouble – what if Andromeda decided to tell her friends that he'd been bothering her? Ug. You're an idiot, Tonks; a prize idiot.

'C'mon Ted, don't act like a flobberworm. Look, someone's sent you a letter.'

This got Ted to look up – sure enough a small, sleek black owl was staring at him through bright blue eyes. He frowned.

'A letter? But who would send me a letter with an owl like this? My parents only use the school owls that I send.'

'Maybe you've got a secret admirer,' Fabian joked, taking another mouthful of his dessert. 'Take it, for Merlin's sake. The suspense is killing me.'

Shrugging, Ted removed took the envelope that the owl offered him. It ruffled its feathers importantly and took off through the open windows back to the Owlery. Ted turned the envelope over, noting that his name was written on the back – Theodore Tonks (who on earth, apart from his mother, ever called him Theodore?) – in neat, loopy handwriting. Frowning more deeply still, Ted slit it opened and removed a short note in the same precise style as had been on the outside of the envelope.

'It's from Andromeda Black,' he said, unable to keep the giddy happiness and relief out of his voice.

Andromeda's note was brief.

Theodore (Ted) Tonks,

I feel that I may have been unnecessarily rude to you this afternoon in the library. Please accept my apologies. I am glad to know that my help was of some benefit to you in completing your Charms essay. I did not mean to be rude to you and hope that you will not think that I was being so out of spite. In future I will make an attempt to be more courteous.

Andromeda Black.

Ted laughed and handed the note to Fabian, who read it carefully, a bemused expression on his face.

'That girl is difficult to read,' he noted. 'But I could never believe that she could be purposefully rude to anyone.'

Ted nodded. 'I agree with you,' he said. 'She's too polite for her own good. I wonder if she'll be at quidditch tomorrow?'

Fabian shrugged and handed back the note. 'She normally goes with her sisters. Why do you care, anyway? You got what you wanted – she didn't mean to be rude. That doesn't mean that she's going to be your study pal from now on, Ted – I'm sorry to bring it up, but you're still muggle-born, if you hadn't noticed.'

'I know, I know,' Ted muttered. 'I remember, all right? She's pureblood, I'm a mudblood, I get it.'

Fabian stared at him in a calculating way.

'She's not good enough for you, mate,' he said finally. 'Any girl who can't look past your bloodline and see you for what you are is not worth it. Trust me on this.'

Ted smiled at his friend.

'You're a good mate, Fabian,' he said.

'Yeah, and don't you forget it.' Fabian grinned suddenly. 'Come on, let's go up to the dorm. I stashed a few butterbeers up there from the last Hogsmeade weekend – we can drink to a Ravenclaw victory over Gryffindor tomorrow!'

-

Andromeda usually awoke a long time before the other girls in her dormitory, especially on weekends. She'd always been an early riser. Back home the early morning was the only quiet time, before her sisters arose and getting one's voice heard became a challenge.

Andromeda loved her sisters Bellatrix and Narcissa, but they could be loud at times. Bella was never one to let her opinion go unheard – as the oldest of the three girls she was like their ringleader, and she made sure that everyone understood exactly why she was always right. Narcissa was the youngest, the baby of the family with her beautiful blonde hair and icy blue eyes – even though she was only twelve, she knew that she could get her family to do anything she wanted. Bella and their mother absolutely doted on little Cissy.

Andromeda preferred to be quiet and obedient. She liked the mornings best because they were the quiet times, the times when she could sit and just be herself without having to deal with the dominant personalities of her two sisters.

There was a little chair next to the window in the 5th year girls' dorm. Here Andromeda sat, staring out towards the quidditch pitch, which was clearly visible from this part of the castle. It would be a good game today, of that she had no doubt. She quite liked going to quidditch games – unless it was between Ravenclaw and Slytherin, in which case she usually made some excuse and stayed in the common room. She just couldn't bring herself to support either house on those occasions, so she settled for supporting no one at all.

Today the game was against Gryffindor, so there would be no such trouble. In fact, Bellatrix and the rest would no doubt be supporting Ravenclaw as well. They hated Gryffindors with an unrivalled passion.

As she sat there thinking about her sisters, the dawn light slowly crept over the Forbidden Forest towards the castle. The girls in their beds began to stir a little, although it would still be hours before they woke. Andromeda leaned against the window, watching a lone owl as it soared towards Ravenclaw tower.

It landed, most unexpectedly, on the windowsill just outside. Pleasantly surprised, Andromeda pulled open the window to let it hop inside.

'Who are you here for?' she murmured, checking the parcel attached to its leg. It hooted softly as she relieved it of its burden.

The name on the package was her own. She frowned and turned back to the owl, but it had already fluttered out of the window and was heading back to the Owlery for a good sleep.

The plain brown wrapping was addressed in an untidy hand with just her name. Curious, she undid the simple twine and pulled away the brown paper to reveal …

A book.

More specifically, The Life and Social Habits of British Muggles.

She frowned more deeply still, wondering if this was someone's idea of a joke. She opened the front cover and a note fell out.

It read;

Andromeda (can I call you Andy?) Black

The first thing you should learn about muggles is this – we're damn persistent.

At your service,

Ted (Theodore) Tonks.

She giggled and blushed before quickly calling herself into check. What was she thinking?

She slammed the book shut and hid it at the bottom of her trunk, under her dress robes. God forbid her sisters should ever find it.

She frowned.

On second consideration, she retrieved the note from inside the front cover and slipped it into the pocket of her nightgown, where it would be close at hand should she want to study it again.

She had the strange feeling that she was rebelling, made even stranger by the fact that she was enjoying herself immensely.