Chapter 1

For the longest time, I could not understand why I helped the muggle-born. At the time I reasoned that maybe it was second-hand guilt. Bella did give a slow-moving first year a nasty shove earlier. Or maybe my heart was still tender from comforting Cissy in the train bathroom. Without thinking about his distinctly ill-fitting muggle clothes, I moved from my position gazing at the passing fields, and kneeled beside the boy. He was humming to himself an unfamiliar song.

He did not seem to notice me until I scooped up a handful of his Exploding Snap cards. They had spilled out of his tattered-looking school bag. His eyes followed my hands as I studied the cards in closer detail wondering what order the cards went in.

"Oh, thanks, Andromeda," he said brightly as he crumpled up a yellow sweater back into his bag.

I paused at the sound of my name. It was unusual to hear someone other than my family use it.

"Black." I corrected him automatically. Not having the faintest clue what his name was.

He shrugged, a smile still on his lips. It was setting me on edge.

I glanced over my shoulder. No one was milling around the train corridor, not even the rude woman who pushed the trolley.

"How do you know my name?"

He zipped up his bag loudly before throwing it on his back. I stood up with him.

"Let's see." Even his voice had a tone of laughter. Just to irritate me more. "We have been in the same year for six years. We have been in multiple classes together. I sat behind you in Charms for all of last year. I thought Slytherins knew where their prey was at all times."

"I don't like to look behind me." I held out the now neat stack of cards for him to take.

"Thanks," he said again. The moment his hand touched the cards their neatness was visibly disturbed. He threw them into the side pocket of his bag. "You're really good at Charms by the way."

My nose wrinkled.

He held out a slightly red hand to me. "I'm Ted by the way. Ted Tonks. Edward Tonks probably rings a bell from the registry."

"I have given you back all of your cards." I stared at his hand. "I am not going to tip you."

"You're funny." He laughed and grabbed my hand. "I wanted to shake. See," he moved my hand up and down in his warm one. I ripped my hand away and wiped it on my skirt.

"I am a witch, not a wizard," I said to his confused expression. "Witches are delicate flowers." I was quoting Mother. The muggle world was a few centuries behind the wizarding after all. I left out the end of that quote, 'ready to bloom under the right conditions.' I had wasted enough breath.

I started to turn away. I did not know why I was entertaining him. I was never going to speak to him or much less see him again. He would be another face just as he had always been. And the longer I stood here the higher the chances of someone in green rounding the corner. This was not something I could use words to explain away. I knew better. There was no excuse for this interaction.

"Isn't Andromeda a galaxy?" he said. "A lot better than a flower that wilts and has to deal with bees if you ask me."

In my head, I agreed with him. I scowled, my back to him and my face feeling hot.

"Well, I better head back to my friends. I'll see you at the prefects meeting in a half hour."

He was a prefect too. Of course, he was. Today was officially marked by annoyances. Thankfully, his footsteps retreated. I wiped my hands again on my skirt. Nothing about that made sense. Why didn't I use magic to clean away his mess? I usually could never pass up an opportunity to use a charm.

I shook my head. Shaking the thoughts from my head. I headed to where my help was actually needed, the train toilets.

It wouldn't take an auror to figure out which cubicle Narcissa was holed up in. Her sniffling was so loud I could hear it from the outside of the bathroom.

A gang of Gryffindor girls stopped dead in their conversation at the sinks as I entered. They fled the bathroom immediately. Gryffindors had the courage to face anything but my older sister. She had the power to get under anyone's skin. And of course, destroy anyone she liked with words, rumours, and even magic that landed her victims in the Hospital Wing. I knew better than to ever discuss this or think too much about it. It was cruelty beyond me. But it would be a waste not to take advantage of the association and the similarity in appearance. Especially if it helped Narcissa.

I tapped on the blue stall door. "Cissy, it is me."

The sniffling stopped. The toilet flushed. And the door opened a crack revealing a bloodshot eye.

"Did Malfoy notice my escape?" she said her voice squeaky. "I'll die here and now if he did."

I sighed, "I do not know why you care about him. You are just starting your fourth year you should have other things on your mind. And if it has to be wizards think older, more aristocratic families- "

"Yes, yes but did he?"

"No." I crossed my arms. "He does not understand your worth. He is blind to you. A waste of thought really."

Narcissa hissed. "If Yaxley would just move her oversized hips out of the way - "

"Then you can be the one braiding his hair," I started to laugh.

"You are not funny." Cissy pushed passed me completely red and about five seconds away from another tantrum. "His hair is beautiful. Strong and long."

I put a hand on her shoulder. "It is going to be okay." I lied. I knew very well that Lucius and Narcissa would never be a thing. My parents were already lining up potential matches for Narcissa. She was beautiful. But she had an innocence that apparently made her desirable. I saw Father's notes on the subject.

"It will." Narcissa agreed. "He will see me. I know it. I can picture the wedding." She twirled away from me.

I looked off to the side.

Narcissa smiled, taking my hand. Misunderstanding my expression. "Don't worry, Andromeda, you will feel the same fluffy feeling when Father puts you together with a suitor. Now that Bellatrix has a Lestrange you are next."

"That's easy." I did not share her smile. "I'm going to be shipped off to one of Bellatrix's disappointed suitors once she graduates. They can get the second edition. I have heard a couple of people say if you squint, you can't tell the difference."

Narcissa shook her head, her cheeks cooling back to porcelain. "Well, I love you more than Bella any day."

"Do not let her hear that."

"You're the only one I can confide in about Lucius." She squeezed my hand and let go.

"Yes, as much as I hate hearing about him - "

"My face!" Narcissa scowled at her reflection in the bathroom mirror, reaching into her robe pocket for her powder.

"Let's walk back to our carriage. I have a prefect's meeting soon."

"Of course, you do," Narcissa pushed powder around her sharp face with her wand. "I expected you to quit by now."

"And Mother and Father do not need to know that I have not." I met my eyes in the mirror. "Just another reminder."

"I would be more worried about Bella," Narcissa said. "I do not agree with associating with Gryffindors, Ravenclaws, and whatever the third one is. I would keep my distance you might catch something."

"I stick with Evan. And being a prefect looks good for... something."

Narcissa raised an eyebrow. "I suppose we all need hobbies to keep us sane while we're locked away in that stupid excuse for a castle."

I was one of the first to arrive at the meeting, as per usual. The head boy and head girl, both Gryffindors, sat in a booth. They seemed to be comparing notes on rules or discussing how more obviously they could be rubbing each other's legs under the table. I stood in my usual corner by the door waiting for my cousin, Evan Rosier, to make his appearance and save me from this scene. With five minutes to go, the Ravenclaws and a cluster of Hufflepuffs flooded in with their arms packed with sweets from the trolley. They were all talking far too loud about their summers and the latest quidditch match. With three minutes to go, the Slytherin boys slotted in beside me. Evan nodded at me, his hands in his pockets.

"Another year of this, Andromeda, eh?"

I did not feel a response to that was necessary. I was only standing with the Slytherin boys to feel somewhat safe here. Maybe even pretend I belonged here. It was a fun game.

Evan repeated himself louder thinking I had gone deaf.

The carriage was already overheating. It had been a particularly hot summer.

"Air," I said as I squeezed passed him to stand in the carriage doorway and escape the smell of sweat.

"Alright," the head girl stood up. "Good summer, everyone?"

There were some nods in the gathering. My summer? Well, it was the same as always, uneventful. The same people, the same pureblood balls.

"Good, so let's get down to business." I leaned against the edge of the doorframe ready for a long presentation.

Five minutes after the meeting was due to start a Hufflepuff in uniform slipped through the door and stopped beside me.

"Hey, again, did I miss much?"

I froze. Ted Tonks.

I slowly moved my eyes to the Slytherins beside me. They were whispering about who's cousin was learning what at Durmstrang. I turned back to Tonks, pressing my lips together. I shook my head. No eye contact. Not interested.

"Great." He said, invading my space and leaning against the doorframe as well. "I was tied down with a nasty Exploding Snap opponent with 2 Knuts on the line."

For Merlin's sake. I shot him a look.

"But I already had a look at the roster this semester. So it's not that big of a deal. Did you see it? We're partners." He said with a grin. "I think we're going to have some great debates."

My eyes went wide. I searched the gathering for the roster sheet that was being passed around.

"The last guy I was put with was very quiet. He's from the muggle world as well but he was too much of a football fan for us to have anything interesting to talk - "

"I'm always with Rosier," I cut across him. "You must be mistaken. I sent an owl ahead." I saw a flash of parchment. I pushed through a group of people towards it. I snatched the list as it was being passed between one Gryffindor to another.

"Hey!" the Gryffindor I was now wedged beside exclaimed. I ignored him dragging my thumb down through the list.

"See," Ted's voice said over my shoulder.

There it was. Edward Tonks and Andromeda Black. My eyes darted all over the page searching for the pureblood names. They were all with other houses.

"Why am I with the mudblood?" the words fell out of my mouth.

The room was suddenly quiet. The head girl stopped speaking. Some students started yelling out.

"Why am I with the pureblood?" Ted said angrily behind me. I whipped around to him.

"Do not say pureblood in that tone - " I stopped. As angry as his voice sounded his face was mapped with hurt. I had touched a nerve. My hands started to sweat. Bellatrix was so much better at confrontation even Narcissa. "Tonks, you don't understand…"

"Yeah, I don't." Tonks frowned. "Let's just get a swap. That's all that needs to be done."

"I can get into so much trouble. I'm not allowed to be here." Suddenly an arm came around me.

"It will be okay, Andromeda," Evan Rosier puffed up his chest. "Step away, Hufflepuff."

I tried to push off Evan's arm, but he was determined to keep it there.

Evan gripped my shoulder with more force, "I told you all this would be too much for you."

"No, it isn't," I started to struggle against him, my chest feeling tight. "Now let go." Without warning, he pushed me away from him hard. Tonks grabbed me as I fell towards him.

"Okay?" he asked me, steadying me. The hurt gone from his eyes. I pulled myself away from him, hugging myself. Tonks moved in front of me. "You need to back off now." He was too short to be a threat, shorter than Rosier and possibly every guy in the carriage. "This is between me and Andromeda."

"Oi everyone cop on!" the head girl called out sharply.

I took this as an opportunity to escape the gathering as the head girl marched over. I moved quickly down the corridor as far away from the carriage as I could get. The cooler air was a sweet relief. I rested against the window, trying to get my breath back. Part of me wanted to turn back time and draw my wand on Rosier. The other part of me was terrified of the consequences of what I had just done. I slipped down to the floor.

"Hey," Tonks's voice came. "You're not hurt, are you?"

I shook my head.

He bent down to me, his dark blonde fringe falling into his grey eyes. "You know the politically correct term is muggle-born - "

"Did you ask about the swap?"

Tonks's hand went to the back of his neck. "It's not happening. They are trying to stamp out fighting between houses. You remember how many unfair points were given. They are trying to get us to work together."

"I remember," I sighed. "There has to be a way."

"Is muggle born me really that bad?" Tonks said a note of irritation in his voice. "Compared to Rosier."

I stood up. "Yes. Rosier is safe."

He then laughed. He actually laughed.

"Someone like you wouldn't understand. I'm going to fix this. I have to."

"Wait." Tonks frowned. "You said you're not allowed to be here. What did you mean by that?"

I stared at him. I had said that. The answer felt obvious at least to me. "I can't be seen speaking to you or anyone like you. It damages my reputation. It creates trouble for me. And for me as a pureblood witch."

"You're scared of them."

I was on my feet now, my hands in fists. I started walking away I couldn't take him thinking I was weak. "No, I am not." I wasn't lying but it felt like I was.

"Aren't you going to say sorry for calling me a mud- that thing?" he called after me.

No. Why should I apologise for the truth?