Chapter 8

In pieces, the world started to come back into focus. The cold air tickling my exposed skin. Soft fabric. A soothing smell. My eyes snapped open. A white shirt filled my vision. I twisted feeling a grip on me, but the grip only tightened. I quickly deduced that I was in the arms of someone being carried bridal-style through the dark dungeon corridor.

I pushed hard against their chest.

"What's happening?" I demanded panicking. "My wand - "

I felt myself being lifted down onto a bench. My eyes jumped from the dungeon torches to the door of the Potions classroom.

Without warning hot hands held my cheeks forcing me to look at Ted Tonks's face. And those hands had to belong to Tonks. The hands were shaking – no I was shaking.

"You hit your head," he stated. His voice was devoid of its usual humour and sing-song quality. "I am taking you to the Hospital Wing. Everything is okay."

"My head is starting to hurt." I reached up, making contact with damp skin.

I tried to look at my hand and what substance it was coming away with, but Tonks wouldn't let me. He grabbed my hand tightly in his not allowing me to look. I did not protest. Instead, I folded into him, burying my face into his neck. I breathed in the smell of him, his soap and fresh clothes.

"Evan - "

"We can talk about that after," his hand went to the side of my head that was not throbbing. He stroked my hair gently making my breathing slow at his touch. "I should have been quicker. I just want you to know I'm sorry, Andromeda, I didn't think anyone was capable of doing that." I could feel Tonks's body starting to shake alongside mine.

"Don't apologise. My wand," I whispered into his neck. My throat felt raw. "I was just about to get it. It was so close."

Tears were building in my eyes. I sniffed hard. I did not cry. Especially in front of Tonks. I was already being unbearably weak in front of him.

I pressed myself harder into Ted's neck and the collar of his shirt wanting to stay there safe forever. But he had other plans, he lifted me and started walking again. I did not say anything else only a small thank you, which he recognised with a squeeze.

The lamps in the Hospital Wing automatically went out at ten o'clock at night. I had spent the two hours previously in a tight bandage, drinking a clotting potion and a concussion potion that tasted and smelled like sour milk. The throbbing in my head had been replaced with numbness. The Hospital Wing bed creaked as I turned, trying to focus my eyes on somewhere that was not Tonks. He had pulled up a chair beside my bed. He was hunched forward, resting his chin on his hand, softly snoring. Usually, when people slept they looked peaceful, but Tonks's nose crinkled as he snored and his eyebrows lowered. His face looked unnaturally serious.

"Ted," I whispered his name.

I liked the sound of his name. He did not wake up. I knew I should have told him to go back to his dormitory. That was the action with the most common sense. But I did not want him to. He did not leave me when the nurse examined me or when I was told I was required to stay overnight to ensure I had no side effects from the potions.

I reached out and tapped his hand resting on his lap.

He slowly opened his eyes. "Why are you smiling at me?"

I caught myself and tilted my head back.

"Andromeda," he pestered, shifting so he was in my eye line again. "You're still smiling."

I shook my head, "It is too dark for you to know that."

"No, the moonlight is hitting you perfectly,"

I sunk back into the flat pillow. "I want to thank you." The words were hard to get out. They felt almost painful to say. Like I was admitting defeat to something… or someone. "For caring about me."

Tonks reached for my hand. Instead of swatting his away, I let him take it.

"And for not telling Madam Pomfrey what really happened?" he added.

I nodded. "I can't even think about that."

Tonks bit his lip, considering his words before continuing. "I don't think you can use Peeves and the Grand Staircase as an excuse next time."

I had barely gotten away with it this time. My half-thought-out excuse did not stop Pomfrey from continuing to dig her oversized beak further into my business. Thankfully Ted was still too much in shock to do anything but ask me if I was okay.

"I thought that your house's behaviour was an act. I thought those…" his eyes narrowed. "Snobs were normal behind closed doors."

I shook my head, my eyes starting to water. I quickly patted my eyes. I did not cry. I would not cry. I could not remember the last time I had.

Tonks jolted suddenly. "I don't mean you. You don't count as a snob. You are something else altogether." He smirked at the end of his sentence. "Dromeda."

I looked up at him shyly before pushing myself into a seated position. My vision wobbled. I grabbed onto his arm for support.

"You're okay," he said quietly moving from the Hospital Wing chair to my bed. He was sitting at my knees but so close I could smell his soap again.

I leaned towards him, uncontrollably trying to draw comfort from him. He felt so safe.

He edged towards me, his breathing pattern speeding up. I shut my eyes. It was suddenly too much. Somehow in all of this mess, I couldn't think about my injury, Rosier or what my sisters would say. All I could think about was Ted Tonks and how much closer I wanted to be to him. I wanted him to touch me. Even hold me close.

His nose touched mine. I opened my eyes. His hands rose to cup my face. My pulse was too loud and I was starting to shake with anticipation.

"I have never felt like this before," I whispered to him. His grey eyes continued to pour into mine, and his hands started moving to my neck and then down the back of my dress.

The sound of my voice snapped me out of my trance. I straightened. My cheeks flushed.

"I – I – " I stuttered searching for words, trying to look anywhere but his face. "I don't think you have to stay."

He brought his hands back to himself and I suddenly felt cold. I wrapped my arms around myself.

"I do," he replied, with a smile. "I want to do so much with you. There is a party in the Hufflepuff common room next week. I would be honoured if the gorgeous," his thumb brushed my chin. I felt like I was melting. "Andromeda Black would accompany me."

"You see me almost every night," I tried to find fault with his proposal. Truthfully my heart jumped at it. Maybe we could dance together, maybe it could be another opportunity for him to see me in my best robes and for me to see him in his attractive get-up, maybe… I bit my lip. "What will people think?"

Tonks laughed. "That I really do like you."

I could feel my face redden. "Why? I haven't done anything for you?"

"Liar," he teased moving from pinching my chin to stroking his fingers along my jawline. I couldn't say no. "You help me in some way every time I see you. It can be a date if you want to stick a label on it."

I stiffened. His hand dropped from my face. This had to be a joke. I checked his face again. He was not laughing. He was looking at me waiting patiently for me to say something.

He rubbed his neck, his confidence disappearing. "Only if you want it to be."

I sighed growing flustered, wanting him to return his hand. I needed to keep a tight rein on myself I could not afford to say yes. It was improper. Why was I even considering this? And why could I not form words? I wanted things to stay like this forever in this realm of possibility where anything could happen.

I leaned towards him. He followed me just as last time but this time he did not stop at my nose. His eyes crossed as he stared at my lips. Before I could pull back his lips were on mine. My heart sped up. His lips were soft and his kiss was so gentle, light and barely happening. I automatically kissed him back leaning further into him. I touched his hair, which was as nice to touch as it looked. I could feel the corners of his mouth lift at my touch.

"So that's a yes?" he came up for air shattering the moment.

I reached up and touched my lips, still wet from his. What had I just done? I had kissed a muggle-born. I tried to stand but my legs had turned to jelly, so I fell back onto Ted. His arms cocooned me immediately, steadying me. I stared at his face. His eyebrows pulled together in worry.

It was not just a muggle-born that I had kissed. It was Ted. And I kept jumping between whether that was better or worse.

"Sorry," he smoothened back my hair. "I should have waited until you felt better."

I wriggled away from him starting to panic. "I am not doing this."

I pushed away from him using all my willpower to stand.

"Dromeda – "

"I need to go back to my dormitory." I started walking away abandoning my cloak, my heels along with any sense of pride I had before entering the Hospital Wing. "Do not follow me," I heard his footsteps behind me.

"You're in no state." Ted continued to follow me. "Madam Pomfrey said – "

I turned on him, sudden anger radiating off me. "I do not care what Madam Pomfrey had to say. I want to be with my sisters." My voice wobbled. "And the rest of my house. I do not want to be like this. You should be disgusting to me."

Tonks held out his hands making himself vulnerable. "But you can't. You never could. I saw you last year helping that Gryffindor first year. You went back to her when your friends walked passed her. I was going to help her, but you got there first."

Something inside of me softened. I instantly remembered the small blonde girl with pigtails. I had been purposely trying to forget her. "She was lost. And scared. I could not leave her crying in the corridor."

Ted nodded. "And you were so kind and gentle. I saw you hug her."

"Her house, her blood it just did not matter," I touched the back of my head, it felt hot. "What Rosier did scares me, what my sisters are becoming scares me," I admitted.

"Come on," he touched my arm, leading me back to the bed. "We can play Gobstones until we fall asleep."

"Gobstones is a children's game,"

Tonks turned to me his eyebrows raised. "I wouldn't say that in the presence of an expert."