What do I want to do? She thought. She couldn't go back to being friends with Shafiq and Fawley, could she?
These thoughts had plagued her since her conversation with Uncle Alphard. Through the New Year. Now students were coming back from break, back to Hogwarts.
Her sisters were talking with their friends, Andromeda still deep in thought. She got up to go get a Pumpkin Pasty as a distraction. They were her favorite.
She caught up to the trolley, and started to order when,
"Hey, Andromeda," Delwy Selwyn interrupted her order.
"Hi, Selwyn," She said.
"How was your holiday?" He asked.
"It was fine,"
"I had a good holiday, I went on a trip with my dad to Iceland," he said.
There was a pause.
"Why are you talking to me?" She asked.
"I… thought we were friends,"
"Oh, okay," she turned back to the trolley witch, "Can I have a Pumpkin Pasty, please?"
The trolley witch gave it to her, then she turned to leave, when Selwyn said from behind her:
"So are we friends?"
"I guess so," she turned back toward him and said, "Goodbye, Delwy,"
She went back to her compartment with her Pumpkin Pasty and left Delwy with a tentavive smile and a slighly confused expression.
"So what did you do while on holiday?" Mason asked.
"I went sledding with my siblings," Inaya said.
"I practiced playing guitar, to be ready for when we have a band."
"That isn't going to happen, Ted," Inaya said.
"We're gonna find a pianist, and a vocalist, and someone who plays the bass, and someone who can write music in no time!"
Mason and Inaya laughed at him.
"What did you do, Mason?" Inaya asked when she could breath again.
"My sister kept trying to prank me, so I was just really cautious,"
"Why does everyone I know at Hogwarts have siblings?!" Ted said, exasperated.
"I don't know, wizards have a lot of kids," Inaya shrugged.
"Edith is an only child," Mason said, "She is a muggle-born, though."
"Wait! I have gossip!" Ted said, almost falling out of his seat.
"Well, say it," Mason said.
"Jim, you know Jim, well, actually Inaya do you know Jim?"
"No… I mean vaguely, you talk about him a lot," she said.
"I do?" Ted said, a surprised look on his face.
"Yes, you do," Mason said, "You really do,"
"So who is Jim?" She said.
"Best friend, neighbor since forever, best drummer ever, he knows how to do a handstand, he can-" He said very quickly.
"She gets it," Mason said.
"Now to the gossip," Ted said, "Jimmy has a girlfriend!"
"What's her name?" Inaya asked, feigning interest.
"Melissa, but she likes to be called Lissy. They met in the nurse's office, when he got attacked by my owl,"
"Is she nice?" Mason asked.
"Very nice, we talked over biscuits,"
"That's really cool, Teddy," Inaya said, then started a conversation with Mason about arithmancy.
"Milky, we need to get off the train," she said, picking up the cat.
"I'll see you at the table, you can sit next to me, 'Meda!" Narcissa called, running to the school with Kerry.
"You have got to stop having your only friend be a thirteen year old," Bellatrix said, from behind her.
"I am friends with Delwy Selwyn," Andromeda said.
"Since when?"
"Since today,"
"I thought you hated him," Bellatrix said.
"I had no particular feelings about him,"
"At least you're making friends in your own house,"
Bellatrix walked up to the carriages.
Andromeda let M.W jump from her grasp and wander around. Milky wandered a bit then saw something and ran after it.
Ted, Gwen, Mason, and Edith sat at the Hufflepuff table. Inaya was sitting with Florence.
"How was your holiday with Edith, Gwen?" Mason asked.
"It was great, we had loads of fun!" She said, then remembered something and turned to Ted, "Did you get me a present?"
"No, sorry… But I have gossip…"
"What is it? What is it?"
"So you remember, Jim?"
"Yes, of course. You talk about him all the time," she snorted.
"Well he's dating someone,"
She gasped.
"How did they meet?"
"In the nurse's office, she had fainted,"
"Weird, but okay. What's her name? Is she nice? Is she pretty?"
"Her name's Melissa, but she goes by Lissy,"
"Details, Ted! Details!"
They talked about Jim and Lissy for the rest of the night.
Andromeda sat between Bellatrix and Narcissa.
"Why don't you sit with Delwy Selwyn?" Bellatrix teased.
"Selwyn, don't you hate him?" Narcissa asked.
"I had no particular feelings about him, and now we are friends,"
"I distinctly remember you saying that he couldn't keep up with you mentally," Rabastan said.
"Well, things change," She said.
Bellatrix started talking to Rodolphus, and Kerry started giggling about something or other.
"I'm sorry, about the ball," Rabastan whispered to her.
"You did nothing wrong," Andromeda said, confused.
"I did, even if you can't tell… I'm also sorry that your performance didn't go well. I have a feeling it was my fault,"
"I just get scared in front of people sometimes,"
"So I didn't have anything to do with it?"
"No," she said.
"Oh,"
Then, Delwy Selwyn came holding some papers in his hand.
"Hullo, Andromeda," He said, smiling.
"Hi, Delwy."
"Here's an invitation to the Slug Club party," He said, handing it to her, "I'll see you around,"
"Bye, Delwy,"
She looked down at the invitation:
You, Andromeda Black, are cordially invited to my Slug Club party.
The party will take place tomorrow:
Tuesday the 7th of January 1969
at 9 pm in my office
Feel free to invite a plus one.
-Professor Slughorn
"What's that 'Meda?" Narcissa asked.
"An invitation to Slughorn's party,"
"Maybe you could make some better friends there," Bellatrix said.
If you liked it, tell me about it! R&R
