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"Andromeda!" Andromeda knew that voice. She sprang away from Ted, trying not to look sheepish as she met Narcissa's glance. Narcissa was staring at Ted with an odd expression, as though she couldn't decide if he were a slug she should squish or a shark about to ravage her.

"What are you doing?" she said again, speaking through clenched teeth as though this would somehow prevent Ted from hearing, which it didn't. He raised his eyebrows, before glancing over at Andromeda, but she didn't dare return his glance.

They'd been discussing the time Amycus and Alecto Carrow had managed to attach their legs together while trying to perform a simple switching spell, and they couldn't help but laugh, though how was she supposed to explain that to her sister?

Andromeda opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ted take a hesitant step backward. People surged in front of him, blocking him from her view. She wanted to turn, to see if he was still there, but she couldn't, not when her sister was looking at her as though her face had turned inside out.

"That was Ted Tonks, wasn't it?" she said, coming closer. Andromeda took a step back, startled.

"How did you...?" Narcissa had never met Ted, as far as she was aware. He was muggleborn, and a Hufflepuff so how had she—?

"He was the one Amycus was talking about," Narcissa said impatiently. "Last night in the common room. Weren't you listening?"

No, she wasn't, Andromeda rarely listened, not now when the evenings were drowned with her classmates rants about the muggleborn's who, 'didn't know their place.' Most of it was just the whines of people who had nothing better to do, but sometimes they discussed ways to get back at them, to teach them their place. The ways they could restore the 'old ways' when blood status was everything. Just remembering those words made her shiver.

"Amycus said the mudblood forced you to be his partner, and when Amycus tried to help you, he turned into a right little worm and threatened to hex Amycus." She sniffed. "Not that he could, smarmy little maggot."

Considering what she'd heard Amycus say when he thought no lady could hear him, her sister better be a bit careful over who she called, Smarmy Maggot.

"He said that you truly horrified to be partnered with— him— and I believe him. But this, Andromeda, what were you thinking?" It was clear that for Narcissa there was only one answer. Andromeda hadn't been thinking.

"It wasn't anything," Andromeda said. "I just had a question, about our charm's homework, and I figured he could answer it."

"Humph," her sister pouted, folding her arms across her chest, "Don't know why you'd want help with homework from a mudblood."

This was also a questionable statement, as Narcissa had only managed to get this far in her education by sweet-talking boys into doing her homework for her, and even then she was barely scraping by.

"You're right." Andromeda placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "It was a mistake, and I promise I won't make it again. I've just, been a little bit stressed lately."

Her sister stared at her for a moment, and then her lips broke into a wide smile. Andromeda could help but smile as well. Despite her sister's faults, she would always be Andromeda's favorite. Narcissa could never hold a grudge, and Andromeda had no doubt her little mishap was not only forgiven, but completely forgotten.

"I have something you will cheer you up!" Based on her barely contained shriek, this must be the reason Narcissa originally sought her out. She pulled a piece of parchment out from inside her robes and handed it to Andromeda, who unfurled with a small, affectionate sigh, which quickly changed to a gasp.

"Can you believe it?" Her sister finally exploded. "We're going to have ball!"

A ball. That meant fancy dress robes, dancing, boys, and those torturous shoes.

"Right... yes, of course." Though she was really stifling a groan.

"Andromeda." Narcissa looked suddenly sullen. "Can you at least pretend to be excited?"

"Your right," she said, before realizing that didn't make sense. "I mean, of course I'm... November 11th?" She squinted at the paper. "That's still a month from now."

"Still? That scarcely gives me enough time to make all the preparations!" Her eyes bulged, but then she smiled as she lifted an imaginary fan to her face and dramatically batted her eyelids. "Though I shall die from waiting." She cast Andromeda a sly grin. "But I can think of a certain someone that will delighted to escort his fiancé to the ball."

Andromeda hadn't thought of that, but suddenly it hit her, like being smacked in the gut with a branch from the Whomping Willow tree. His face filled her mind, and suddenly her throat constricted and her heart forgot how to breathe.

"And it's a masquerade! Isn't that so romantic!" Her sister's eyes were brimming, like someone had light a bright green fire behind them, and her blue veins popped out of the side of her pale neck.

Romantic was not the word Andromeda would have used. More like nightmare, but she couldn't spoil her sister's moment. "It's sounds breathtaking."

"Oh!" Narcissa threw her arms around her sister's neck. "This is going to be so amazing." She pulled away, placing her hands firmly on her sister's shoulders. "I must be allowed to do your hair and cosmetics."

Andromeda smiled again, not completely fake this time. "I would never dream of letting anyway else."

Her sister threw her arms in the air and spun down the hallway. Then she stopped, looking back. "Aren't you coming to breakfast?"

"Oh, umm..." The last thing Andromeda felt right now was hunger, "I've actually got a lot to accomplish this morning."

"Very well." The youngest Black sister gave her another smile and wave before turning and practically skipping down the hall.

Andromeda watched her until she disappeared, then turned.

She'd known what she would find, but she still experienced a strange tightening and then sudden hollowness in her stomach at the sight of the empty space. What point had he slipped away? How much had he heard?

She didn't really have anything to accomplished, but now that she was at it; she might as well get at early start on her transfiguration homework…

"Where are you going?"

"The lake, I like to eat out there, it's peaceful."

She didn't stopped to think about where the thought had come from, she didn't stop to think about what she was about to do, she just turned around and made her way towards the doors.

Ted didn't always come to the water, but he did come more often than not. There wasn't really a pattern to his visits; when he didn't feel like being around people he came out here. He definitely didn't feel like being around people right now, or at least, not some people.

He clasped his hands around his neck and let himself fall to the ground. What had he been thinking? No amount of small talk was ever to change things between him and Andromeda. She may not have been as snobby as the other Slytherins, but when push came to shove it was clear where she stood.

And suddenly her sister's disgusted, snarling face filled his mind. Well, really Ted? A voice seemed to shout, what the hell were you expecting?

Nothing. He'd expected nothing. He wasn't even sure why he cared so much. It's not like she was anything to him anyway. He was just being stupid. Stupid and thick and—

"Ted?"

He sat up so fast he almost gave himself whiplash. He could believe it, but there she was. The sunlight creeping over her back, casting a warm honey glow over her skin, the wind gently catching her soft hair and fanning it out behind her, the way it did for the heroine moments before she was kissed by the hero in those romantic movies his mother used to watch.

Or at least that's how he saw her. In reality the wind was whipping her hair into her eyes and mouth, causing her to blink and sputter. Good to know she was mortal.

She looked him over, her mouth pulled into a tight line and her gaze shifting back up to the castle, clearly wondering if this was a mistake, if she should leave.

"Who else?" He attempted to smile with his usually charisma, but she just stared at him, clearly not convinced.

"Come on, then," he said, his voice a little breathless as he patted the ground next to him, "have a seat."

And finally she moved, taking a seat next to him, which would've been great except she looked like she was doing so against her will.

"So..."Ted said before that awkward silence could ensue. The sarcastic, teasing comment was on the tip of his tongue. Got lost on your way to the snakes? Forgot you hadn't called me a mudblood at least five times yet? Wanted to see if the rumors were true and mudbloods really do sprout horns when their alone? Wondering how the hell we can eat when our insides are secretly made of...

"Hungry?" He held out an apple. She stared at it with wide eyes like she expected it to sprout fangs and suck out her blood.

"Thank you, but no. I'm fine."

Ted had accepted girls were strange, but he would never be able to get over their seemingly universal lack of appetite. He was always hungry, and they never seemed to eat, ever. The Slytherin girls didn't even touch their food, as far as he noticed, not that he spent a lot of time looking at them, at least, most of them.

"Not hungry for school food, you mean," he said, trying to keep his mind from wandering too far, "but this isn't school food." He reached for his backpack, trying to open it without taking his eyes of Andromeda. He failed, on both counts, and when he finally got the bag open, his cheeks were a faint sunset color. "This is a specially crafted meal specifically for you, beyond anything you've ever had before." He grinned at her.

"Delicious, exotic fruit." He said as he pulled out a small bag of grapes and a couple of oranges.

"Exquisite vegetables," he pulled out some celery and chopped carrots.

"Freshly baked, mouth-watering rolls," out came some rolls that looked like they were a bit on the stale side.

"A most fine tuna salad," he took on a horrible, cheesy French accent, "to decorate the rolls." It was pretty weak, but Andromeda smiled appreciatively. Ted was mostly relieved that he still had her attention. The problem was, and he was running out of ways to keep it.

"And uhh... we got, uhh... sausages and... mashed potatoes?" He didn't remember the mashed potatoes, the house elves must have slipped it in when he wasn't looking.

He glanced over at her. "Ahh, yes, to provide a varied and unique experience, scrumptious sausages and err, luscious mash potatoes."

He scrambled to arrange everything neatly in front of time.

"Ahh, a most fine feast, in honor of the great, ravishing, Lady Andromeda Black." And then he bowed, as much as a person sitting down could.

But it worked. She laughed, or giggled, the most beautiful giggle his had ever heard. Ever. It was like the soft low murmur of a bubbling stream. He felt something flutter through him, a brief hollowness in his stomach, like he would do anything to hear that laugh again. Or maybe his hunger was keeping him from thinking straight.

"Still not hungry?" he asked.

She smiled, eyes dancing. "Perhaps I can be persuaded."

He returned her look. "Then dig in."

He had hoped they would've been past this, but as they began to eat, they lapsed back into the uncomfortable silence. He couldn't take it.

"All right." He slammed his spoon on the ground. She looked up, startled.

"I propose a game."

"A game?" she repeated, doubting she'd heard him right.

"Yes, an ice-breaking game."

Her brows furrowed. "I don't-"

"I'm tired of all this, uncomfortable not speaking. It's getting really irritating."

She looked taken back, she opened her mouth to say something, but now that he had started he couldn't stop.

"You see, I figure when actually get talking, we do just fine, but we still don't know what to say to each other so it... dies out, I guess. And I think it's just because we don't really know each other, and what we do know about each other is based in biases and stereotypes which prevents us from really getting to know each other." He ignored the voice in his head that said, and I really want to get to know you.

"And this is all keeping us from connecting and having an actual conversation that, you know really means something. So in order to overcome it we need to learn more about each other, and find what we have in common." He exhaled, having said most of this in one breath.

Andromeda was staring at him like he had just started spewing another language. He blushed. God, he must look like such an idiot. He certainly felt like one. She really wasn't going to like him now, but what was he supposed to do? It'd already been said.

"Right." He cleared his throat. "I'll start."

"Ted," she asked, "shouldn't you tell me what game we're playing first?"

"Err... right," he blushed again, ducking his head. "It's called the uh, favorites' game."

"The… favorite's game?" she repeated, sounding almost scared.

She wasn't making this easy. "Yes, you ask them about something that's their favorite and they answer, and then you answer, and, and that's the game," he finished, flushing.

"I see." She frowned, but otherwise remained expressionless.

. Ted bit his lip, "Right, I'll start." What the hell did he want to know about her? Well, obviously there were a lot of things he'd like to ask her but...

"Color?" he asked, surprising himself.

She thought for a moment. "Blue?"

"Blue?" he repeated, he couldn't help it. "No green? Not very loyal are you?"

"I thought," she said, her jaw tightening, "that the purpose of this— game—was to forgo these kinds of stereotypes.

Right," he said, trying to hide his pleasure at her response. "My apologies, I'll stop."

She almost smiled. "And you?"

"And me what?"

Her almost-smile came even closer to an actual smile, "What's your favorite color?"

"Oh uhh..." he'd never really thought about his favorite color, so he just said the first thing that came to mind. "Blue."

And her smile finally became an actual smile.

"Favorite animal?" he asked, mostly to keep himself from staring.

She thought about it again. "A horse."

"Really? Have you ever ridden one?"

"No," she said, "but, I'd like to."

And so they continued, they went through favorite animal, favorite subject, (Their answers were the same, care of Magical creatures) favorite food, favorite Quidditch team (Andromeda didn't have one, which Ted pointed out was strange because he did and he was the muggleborn, and Andromeda pointed out that was another stereotype), and favorite Bertie Bott's every flavor bean flavor (Ted liked Lemon, while Andromeda favored cinnamon).

They had reached, "favorite kind of shoe" and were the debating the value of dragon leather when Andromeda finally stood up.

"I'm sorry, this has been—pleasant— but I have a plethora of homework to finish over the weekend."

Ted couldn't help it. "Plethora?" he teased. She glared at him but didn't say anything. "Right, well," he stood up as well, running a hand through his hair. "I'll see you around then?" he hadn't meant for it to come out as a question, but it had, an embarrassingly desperate one.

She stared at him for a moment too long, then said, "yes of course." He smiled, and she did the same. The smile was still on her face when she looked back at him over her shoulder as she walked away. He waited until she disappeared, then a wide grin spread across his face as his fist shot into the air, victorious.