One Black Sheep

Aha! Updates again!

Disclaimer: As usual, I want to say that this work is a spin-off of the imagination of JK Rowling and in no way do I own any part of the Harry Potter universe.

Those interested in this story might like 'Loved and Lost'. Or, if you're a Marauders fan, post your reviews for 'Up to no Good'! (plugs own stories shamelessly)

Many thanks to all those who reviewed! Keep those reviews coming, along with your thoughts on the characters. I've made Andromeda a little shyer than she is usually portrayed, but I'm not sure what you guys think of that. Most people tend to put her in Slytherin, but since I opted for the Ravenclaw path, that's been dictating her character to me. I love Ravenclaws … er … ahem. Of course, by no means is she weak. Shy people show their strength in different ways – as I was once very shy myself, I hope that I can do her justice.

Chapter the third: In which Andromeda chooses blood over bloodshed.

It was late at night but Andromeda was still awake, staring at the dark blue canopy over her head. The Muggle Studies book was safely hidden in her trunk once again.

She'd read a page. And then another. Then she'd felt physically sick and had had to hide the book.

It wasn't that the book contained anything particularly horrible or anything – in fact, it had been just the sort of thing she would have expected, if she had ever thought to expect anything. It was just that the sheer seriousness of the rebellion caused her stomach to churn violently. Andromeda felt that she was not cut out for this sort of thing.

The book would have to go back. If Ted Tonks ever tried to speak to her again, she would have to ignore him. If Bella or Cissy ever found out that she had been talking to him, there would be no end to their teasing. At least, Cissy would tease – Bella would probably yell at her. No, scream at her. Bella would also tell their mother.

Andromeda shivered and rolled over. Druella Black would not take kindly to the idea that her middle daughter was fraternising with mudboods. It was bad enough that her nephew had been sorted into Gryffindor – no one was pleased with the company he kept over there – but mudbloods! That was a shame unheard of in the Black family. People had been disowned for much less.

It was understood that while blood ran deeper than any other tie, the family did not make much allowance for rebels. There was no room on the Black family tree for insubordination. A Black daughter was meant to grow up, make a respectable pureblood marriage, and produce heirs to the line. That was what you did … or else.

Andromeda, for her part, didn't see that she had much of a choice of the matter. In the very least, as long as she was a good girl and did as she was told, she was guaranteed a certain level of security and comfort for the rest of her life. She probably wouldn't marry for love, and an arranged marriage was not entirely out of the question although the practice tended to be a last resort these days, rather than an obligation starting at infancy. She had always understood this to be the case, and it didn't bother her as much as it might have bothered someone outside the family. She was pretty sure that she would never actually fall in love. Love was something that happened to other people, in storybooks or other such silly places. It did not happen to Blacks.

She began to doze off, certain that she would not be at ease again until she had gotten rid of that damn book.

-

'Wait a second … what?'

Andromeda rolled her eyes. Apparently Tonks (as she had decided to call him by his last name only, if she had to refer to him at all) had not informed Fabian that he intended to lend his friend's book to her.

'No doubt he thought it would be funny,' she said delicately, pushing the book across the table towards him by the tips of her fingers, avoiding touching it as much as possible. 'But I'm sure you need it for your studies, so I'm giving it back.'

Fabian took the book and flipped though the first few pages. He was frowning. 'Blimey, I didn't know I even still had this. I don't use it, you know. Ted's the only textbook I need when it comes to Muggle Studies. I wonder what he thought you would want with it?'

'Don't we all,' Andromeda said dryly. Fabian offered her a quick smile.

'Aw, don't be mad at him. I'm sure he was just joking around. He's a bit of a kidder, is Ted. Besides, I bet you could get a real education out of this book.'

'Yeah, all right,' she said sceptically. 'I've got Ancient Runes, so I guess I'll be going now.'

Fabian shook his head bemusedly. 'All right, Andromeda. Thanks for the book. If you ever want to borrow it again, you know where to find me.' He grinned as she rolled her eyes again.

'Thank you, but I'm sure that won't be the case,' she said haughtily. She turned and left the library, muttering to herself about silly boys and their silly jokes.

-

'You girlfriend was just here,' Fabian commented wryly as Ted took the empty seat next to him. Ted raised his eyebrows.

'Andromeda? What did she want?'

Fabian stared at him for a moment.

'Do you even realise what you just said?'

Ted shrugged. 'That's who you meant, right? What did she want?'

Fabian shook his head disbelievingly. 'Sometimes I don't understand you, mate. She came by to give me my Muggle Studies book back – you know, the one you sent to her?'

'She did?' Ted sighed. 'Oh well. Guess she isn't going to read it after all.'

Fabian stared at him some more. Ted pretended not to notice – he took out some parchment and a quill and began to take notes from a textbook that Fabian had been browsing earlier. It had been announced earlier that day that their afternoon Care of Magical Creatures class had been cancelled because some second-years had stolen the bowtruckles they had been meant to work with and let them loose in the Slytherin common room, and the boys had planned to use the time to catch up on their studies. They always seemed to have catch-up work to do this year – OWLs made for a heavy workload.

'This would be the point where you tell me why you have decided to take it upon yourself to educate Andromeda Black on the finer points of Muggle-Wizard relations,' Fabian finally prompted, growing impatient with Ted's silence.

Ted shrugged indifferently. 'Just thought that there might be more to her, you know,' he smiled at his best friend. 'Thought she might need a little push in the right direction.'

'Uh-huh,' Fabian was unconvinced. 'You're a terrible liar, you know that?'

'Oh, come on Fabian. You weren't using the book, and I thought she could use a little encouragement. There's no harm in trying to make a new friend, is there?'

Fabian rolled his eyes. 'You're your own worst enemy, Ted. If her sister ever found out you were interested in her, she'd kill you – and don't tell me that I'm being dramatic, because you know as well as I do that Bellatrix Black would probably kill for a hell of a lot less.'

Ted looked sceptical of this.

'I think you're blowing the whole thing out of proportion, mate,' he said lightly. 'If she doesn't want my attentions, she only has to say so. And as for her sister … well, I'm not an idiot, so I don't plan to have her find out about my intentions – which, for the record, are nothing if not honourable.'

Fabian sighed. 'It's your funeral,' he muttered, going back to his books. Ted grinned and punched him playfully on the shoulder.

'That's the spirit. Don't spoil my fun – it's my decision if I want to subject myself to a little bit of misery, isn't it?'

Fabian just shook his head.

-

Ancient Runes was mind-numbingly boring as usual. Andromeda was glad when the bell finally rang to signal the final class of the day – Potions. She gathered up her books and headed to the door.

As she headed down the corridor, someone fell into step beside her. Remembering her resolution, she ignored him.

'Don't tell me you're not talking to me, Andy,' he nudged her. 'How am I going to teach you about muggles now, since you gave Fabian his book back?'

She sighed and walked a little faster. He moved to catch up.

'You could at least say 'hullo, Ted'. That would be the polite thing, after all. What happened to courtesy?'

Andromeda rolled her eyes. She'd been doing that a lot lately – her mother would have given her a long speech on ladylike behaviour had she been there to see.

'Hello, Theodore,' she said coldly. 'Would you please leave me alone now?'

'Aw, Andy, don't be like that.'

'My name is Andromeda,' she said, with a sharp look in his direction. 'And you have a lot of nerve, talking to me like this. If anyone were to see –'

'I'm sure they'd be jealous of me,' Ted interrupted with a grin. 'But there are other benefits, as well.'

'You're walking a fine line, Tonks,' she muttered.

'Heh. You know, you're cute when you're angry.'

She stared at him, quite speechless. She didn't even notice that they had stopped walking.

'You can't just –'

'I know, I'm just kidding,' he laughed at her expression. 'Well, you are kind of cute, don't get me wrong, but I'm not a complete idiot. I'm just trying to get a rise out of you, Andromeda. Don't read too much into it.'

She frowned.

'You'll get us both in trouble if you keep this up,' she warned.

He shrugged. 'I can handle it. Can you?'

'I … I'm not …'

'I'll give you time to think about it, shall I?' Ted asked. 'We've got Potions – wouldn't want to be late.' He started off down the corridor towards the dungeons, and Andromeda followed reluctantly.

She ought to have just told him to get lost. Perhaps if she had called him a mudblood, that would have gotten him to leave her alone. But somehow, she couldn't bring herself to say it to his face.

-

There were only three weeks left until the Christmas holidays. A week after Ted cornered Andromeda outside Ancient Runes, the students woke up to find the castle under three inches of snow. Sign-up sheets went around the common rooms for those who were planning to stay over the holidays – Andromeda didn't put her name up. She always went home – staying behind was only for people whose families didn't want them.

She noted that Ted's name was on the list and wondered why.

They had, despite her hesitation, become friends – after a fashion, at least. She was still reasonably cold towards him, but she had found that Ted had a contagious personality, in that his seemingly permanent good mood was difficult to resist. She tried her best to keep their conversations brief, but she found that she quite enjoyed them, despite the churning of her stomach which continuously reminded her of how she was completely disregarding all of her family's rules.

Ted had a quick wit, and an easy grin. He had told her that since he'd always been at a sort of disadvantage when it came to magic, he'd turned to humour to fight his battles for him. The subjects he was particularly good at, Potions and Astronomy and to some extent Herbology, were the ones that didn't require much in the way of wandwork. The exception to this was Transfiguration, which he seemed to have a natural talent for. Of course, he was absolutely hopeless at Charms.

She still worried that Bella or Cissy might find out, so she made a point of avoiding Ted if they might be seen by any Slytherins, or even Gryffindors, because she wasn't keen on the idea of the news travelling back to her cousin, either. She sat with her sisters at mealtimes – no one objected to this, because she'd been doing it for years – and came at the last minute to classes so that she wouldn't be able to sit next to him. Her ability for sneakiness surprised even her.

However, a secret in Hogwarts castle never stayed a secret for very long. It was late one night, and she was leaving the library to head on back to Ravenclaw tower, when James Potter stepped out of the shadows, grinning from ear to ear.

'Hello, James. Causing trouble with my cousin again, are you?' she asked good-naturedly. Her family, she knew, did not much approve of James Potter, even though he was from a well-to-do pureblood family it had been suggested that they were sympathetic to the causes of muggle rights. But she quite liked him, trusting in Sirius's judgement and also in the fact that she had never known her cousin to be so happy as when he and his best friend had just pulled off some sort of prank.

'I might be,' James said. 'Not as much trouble as you and that muggle-born boy are going to cause, though, if Bellatrix ever finds out that you're friends with him.'

Andromeda stopped in her tracks.

'How do you know about that?' she demanded.

'Oh, I'm quite good at getting myself into unexpected places,' James shrugged. 'Do you mind if I tell Sirius?'

Andromeda got the sense that he would probably tell Sirius whether she minded or not.

'Listen, we're just … he's in my house, and I … I just … we're not …'

'Yeah, whatever you say,' James grinned more widely still.

'Look, just be careful who you tell, all right?' she sighed. 'And for the record, we're not really very good friends, he's mainly been bugging me about Charms and –'

'All right, I get it,' James said. 'But you know, it wouldn't be the end of the world if you liked a muggle-born. And Tonks seems like an all right sort of bloke.'

She bit her lip to keep herself from saying anything she'd regret.

'I don't like him,' she told James firmly. 'He's just … some guy. Some muggle-born guy. In fact, most of the time I just wish he'd leave me alone.'

James didn't look convinced, but it appeared he'd learned how to deal with Blacks, because he dropped the subject.

'Okay. I've got to go, Andy – I'll see you later, all right?'

'All right, James,' she sighed, watching him disappear down another corridor to her right, which she knew came out somewhere near the Slytherin common room.

A sick, worried feeling manifested itself in her stomach. How much could she rely on Sirius to keep his mouth shut?

-

Apparently at least a little bit, seeing as Ted kept on coming to classes over the next few days, and Bella seemed to be, if anything, in a better mood than usual. Narcissa was still swooning over her latest crush, so no difference there.

Sirius shot Andromeda a few odd looks across the Great Hall at meals, but didn't say anything. She was grateful to him for that.

'You look preoccupied, Andy,' Bella said imperiously at dinner, one week before the holidays. Andromeda had been thinking about something Ted had said about muggles the day before … it had been interesting, and he didn't mention things like that very much anymore …

'What? Oh, it's … it's nothing,' Andromeda said quickly.

'Hm,' Bella muttered, but she didn't seem to be very interested in Andromeda's affairs. Lately Bella had not been interested in much except the headlines of the Daily Prophet each morning – news of darkness spreading across the world. She always complained that they never reported the full story, and Andromeda wondered what her beautiful sister knew about such things.

'Andy's got a crush,' Narcissa teased. 'I knew that note at the quidditch match wasn't about Charms.'

'Oh, be quiet, Cissy,' Andromeda said, cursing herself for blushing. Narcissa giggled but didn't say anything more.

Rabastan Lestrange, Rodolphus's younger brother, raised an eyebrow at Andromeda, who did her best to send the second-year the famous Black glare. He looked away quickly after that, but there was still a smirk on his fine features.

'Oh, don't be such a spoilsport, Andy,' Narcissa scolded. 'Tell us who he is, go on.'

'I couldn't do that, because I haven't the slightest idea who you're talking about,' Andromeda replied loftily. Narcissa pouted.

'Aw, Andy. That's not fair. Make her tell, Bella!'

Bella looked up at the mention of her name – she had been concentrating her attention on the thick leather book she had propped open against the saltshakers. It was not like Bella to be particularly studious – she didn't have the patience to be a scholar – but lately she was never to be found without her nose in a book, usually a thick and expensive one that Andromeda would recognise from their father's library back home. They all assumed that she was studying hard for her NEWT classes, which she had begun that year.

'Leave Andy alone, Cissy. She'll tell us when she's ready,' she smiled wanly at Andromeda before going back to her book. Andromeda was torn between anger at her older sister for not believing her pledge of innocence, and gratitude towards her for putting a definite stop to Narcissa's prying.

Narcissa pouted for a moment longer, and then sighed heavily.

'Sirius put beetles in my hair this morning in Potions,' she said moodily. She had always been most comfortable talking about her own problems. 'You should have heard me scream, Andy!'

'That boy's a menace,' said Rodolphus Lestrange, who was sitting opposite his brother on Bella's other side. 'Him and that Potter boy – one of the teachers really ought to do something about them.'

'He's also the heir to the Black line, Lestrange, so watch your tongue,' Bella snapped coolly. As much as she disliked Sirius, she was not about to let anyone outside the family put him down. Lestrange was somewhat afraid of her temper – all the Slytherins were. At her rebuke, he held up his hands in a gesture of peace. Even though he was a whole year ahead of her, he still respected her.

'No offence meant, dear Bella,' he smiled. She made a disapproving noise with her tongue as she continued to stare at the text in front of her. He watched her for a moment with a strange look in his eye before turning back to his brother. They were soon deep in conversation about the quidditch match that would take place after the holidays – Slytherin had beaten Hufflepuff two weekends ago, and were training to take on the Gryffindor team and Potter the wonder-boy, as Andromeda had heard him christened in her own house.

Narcissa yawned.

'Sirius and his friend were talking about you, Andy, before he threw those beetles at me,' she said conversationally. 'I didn't hear what they were saying, but you might want to watch your back.'

Andromeda had dropped her fork in shock. She quickly bent down to pick it up, and as she straightened up, she said; 'Er … thank you, Cissy. I'll be sure to look out for them.'

'No matter what he does, I'm not paying him,' Bella declared and Andromeda started again, unaware that she'd been listening. 'He's not getting any of my money, the little cheat.'

'You're a little jumpy, Andy,' Narcissa noted. 'Are you sure you're all right?'

'I'm … I'm fine,' Andromeda said. 'I've got an essay to write, though, for … er … Arithmancy, that's it. Yeah.'

'Never understood why you took Arithmancy, Andy,' Bella said lightly. 'It sounds dead boring.'

'I quite like it,' Andromeda said, avoiding Narcissa's quizzical look as she stood and picked up her bag. 'I'll see you lot later, all right.'

'See you, Andy,' Bella said with a distracted smile. Narcissa frowned and looked as though she was about to call Andromeda back, so she made her exit quick.

She was nearly running as she reached the door to the Great Hall, but a hand caught her shoulder. Thinking it was Narcissa, Andromeda whirled around to fob her off with another excuse and came face to face with Ted, who looked concerned.

'Where's the fire?' he asked. 'Are you all right, Andy?'

'I'm fine, really, just let go of me …'

Over his shoulder she could see Narcissa stand up, looking confusedly at her and Ted, who were standing in clear view of the Slytherin table.

'Not until you tell me what's wrong,' he said, frowning. 'You really look upset, Andy – did your sister say something to you?'

Narcissa got Bellatrix's attention and gestured towards the doorway. Bella looked up, frowned, and began to stride towards them. Andromeda tried her best to plead with him.

'Trust me, Ted, you really ought to let go of me right now …'

'No, I won't. Tell me what's wrong.'

'Ted, please …'

'Tell me what it is, Andy.'

'Is this mudblood bothering you, Andy?' Bella asked, standing behind Ted. She was much taller than he was, even though he was by no means short for his age. He let go of Andromeda's arm but his eyes didn't leave her face.

'He's not –'

'It's Tonks, isn't it.' Bella said. It wasn't a question. 'You should know better than to think you can address my sister, let alone touch her.'

'I think Andromeda is capable of deciding for herself who can speak to her,' Ted said quietly, still studying Andromeda's face. She avoided his eyes, not wanting to give anything away to Bella.

'She is,' Bella said dangerously. 'And she doesn't want to speak to you, mudblood. Why don't you just run along and leave her alone?'

Ted didn't move. He stared at Andromeda.

'Andy?'

Andromeda glanced between Ted's imploring gaze and her sister's imperious scowl. Her eyes travelled down to Bella's right hand, where she held her wand in a white-knuckled grip.

She had a sudden moment of clarity where she knew what would happen if she were to stick up for Ted. Bella didn't care that the teachers were all nearby, watching her every move. She didn't care how badly she hurt Ted – he was just a mudblood to her, a nobody. She knew curses that Andromeda wouldn't have used even if she had known how – of this she was absolutely certain. Andromeda knew all this, and she knew that she couldn't let her sister loose on the boy who thought of himself as her sort-of friend.

If that meant hurting his feelings then … well, at least he'd probably leave her alone after this.

'Leave it, Bella,' she said, layering her voice with the aristocratic tones of the Blacks. 'It's not as though I could be bothered by a mudblood like him.' With a flick of her hair she swept from the hall, but not before seeing Ted's heart break.

Bella hastened to follow. Andromeda collected herself together – fifteen years of living as a Black had given her a special talent for not showing her true feelings when the moment really called for it. Besides, she knew she had acted for the best.

'Who does he think he is, anyway?' she demanded angrily. 'Grabbing your arm like that! Are you sure it doesn't bother you?'

'Entirely too bold,' Narcissa agreed, coming up on Andromeda's other side. 'I can't imagine how difficult it must be for you, Andy, having to share a house with filth like that.'

'He has an unhealthy fixation with me,' Andromeda sighed, thinking that this, at least, was true. 'I try not to encourage him.'

'I will cure him of his fixation,' Bella growled, half-turning back towards the hall, but Andromeda caught her arm.

'No,' she said quickly. 'I'll deal with it. He's harmless really.'

Bella stared at her for a moment, and then relented.

'All right. I have to let you fight your own battles, I suppose.' She sighed heavily.

Andromeda smiled at her big sister. She always looked out for the other two. No matter what dark things she was getting involved in, Bellatrix would always be there for them.

The three sisters stood together in an empty corridor for a moment.

'I should go and write that essay, I guess,' Andromeda said with a shrug. Bella and Cissy smiled and kissed her goodnight before heading back to their own common room.

As Andromeda climbed the stair to Ravenclaw tower, she thought about what she had just said to Ted. She felt bad, because despite everything he had been very kind to her and had shown tremendous faith in her. She didn't like to think that she could hurt him after everything. But she knew that it was nothing compared to how hurt he would have been if she had given Bella a reason to lay into him.

She sighed as she lay down on her bed for a moment and stared up at the canopy. She felt ill again, which was odd because if anything, what she had just done had been the opposite of rebellion. She frowned. It shouldn't matter that she had hurt Ted's feelings. Especially since it had been the right thing to do.

Hopefully he would work out that she hadn't meant it. He had to know that she was only protecting him from Bellatrix – didn't he? He was a smart boy. Surely he would figure it out.

He couldn't stay mad at her forever. Hadn't he been the one to say that it was only a word?

She rolled over, feeling positively wretched.

It was done. There was no going back on words that had already been said.

Hopefully, he would leave her alone for good.

Far from making her feel better, that prospect filled her with inexplicable terror.

Oh, Andy, Andy, Andy … review and tell me what you think! Don't be too hard on poor Andy as she's just a silly wee girl. Each review earns a small parade!