An: Incidentally, I've actually been on the Hogwarts express. Course this was before the films were made so it was just a steam train with no magical inclinations. I also have much love for A Very Potter Musical. Anyone else? Enjoy.

Chapter Seventeen – Tradesman's Entrance to the Soul

The steam filled the station as the gears were shifted and the train began to move. Andromeda wasn't looking out of the window for family members (it had been years since her parents had graced the platform). Instead, she was watching the other people's parents and siblings waving and leaving, when she realised her sister was glaring at her.

"Stop drumming your leg," Narcissa hissed.

Andromeda stopped immediately. Nervous tics did not a charming lady make. That was one of their mother's favourite sayings, inverted syntax and all. Of course, when they were growing up it had usually been directed at Bellatrix. Narcissa was usually told no man would notice her if she read instead of dancing. Andromeda hadn't really been given a specific saying, but she had been subjected to repetitions of 'stables are for horses, not young ladies' and 'talk less, notice more'.

"How was your holiday, Cissa?" Lucius asked, pulling his long hair back into a neat ponytail.

"Wonderful, thank you."

Was Andromeda imagining it, or was Narcissa blushing slightly? She watched their conversation for some time, trying to decide if her sister had set her sights on the Malfoy boy. He was a decent enough match; rich, a first-born, connected, but she wasn't sure she wanted him in her family. At times, he could be conceited, arrogant and full of his own self-importance, but she had to admit that those words could describe most pureblood men.

"Andromeda!"

Lost in her own world, Andromeda hadn't noticed her sister's glares. "What?"

"Stop drumming your leg," her sister snapped. "It's irritating, and you've hardly stopped since we left London."

Andromeda bit her lip and stood up. "I'll leave you alone."

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Walking down the corridor of the carriages, Andromeda realised she knew who she was looking for. She passed compartments filled with Gryffindors and Ravenclaws without sparing them a second glance. It was only when she reached a compartment occupied by a brunette, skinny boy and a beater from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, with her hair pulled back into a scruffy ponytail, that Andromeda stopped. She took a deep breath and slid open the door, gaining a deadly glare from the girl.

"Hi." Andromeda attempted a smile, but it wilted under the other's girl gaze. "I was looking for Ted."

"He's not here," the girl spat, standing up. "So you can get the hell-"

"Ruth." The boy's voice brooked no argument. "Shut up."

"But Tom," Ruth appealed, turning to her friend.

He shook his head, putting aside his book. He stood up and walked over to Andromeda, pushing her gently so they were standing in the corridor, closing the door behind him. "Ted's Muggleborn," he said softly.

"I know that." She couldn't understand why he was telling her this; she wasn't stupid.

"I don't think you do." Before she could butt in, he continued, "I don't know what's going on between you two, but if it carries on do you know what your family will do to you? Do to him?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "I just want to talk to him."

"About what?" Tom asked. "You already told him it was a mistake. I don't see what else you have to say to him.

Andromeda blinked a few times, before saying, "Maybe I have a question about transfig."

Tom arched a dark eyebrow. "Do you?" When there was silence, he shook his head sadly. "Go home Andromeda. Go back to the charming pureblood men and have charming pureblood babies. Don't mess Ted around."

When she turned and walked away, he watched her disappear into a far off compartment, then entered his own.

"You should have let me hit her," Ruth said angrily. "She's a horrible person."

"I know," Tom said, sitting down and reaching for his book. "But she's got the same hopeful look in her eyes as Ted."

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Andromeda felt ill at ease at Hogwarts. She didn't feel comfortable in her own common room, feeling as though everyone was whispering about her. It was true that most people said hello when they passed, or flashed her smiles like they always had done, but there was something behind it, as though they expected her to suddenly start blabbing secrets. She kept her mouth shut now. She didn't even bother to talk about anything other than her classes with her housemates. Every so often she'd look over at Titus, sitting where they'd always sat, seeing her space now occupied by Holly. It was hard to imagine that Andromeda had once sat there.

Her classes were awkward on that first day back. In Charms and double History of Magic she still had to sit next to Titus and he totally ignored her. Years of friendship and shared experience had disappeared without a trace. Even when Flitwick began to teach them how to master a spell, that her and Titus had learnt one summer for a spectacular prank, he ignored her. Occasionally, almost by accident, an insult would drop from his lips, and even when she thought she had heard them all, the hateful words still stung.

Only in Ancient Runes was she free of him, and even then her Slytherin neighbour was Harold Blishwick, one of the few members of Slytherin house who were still angry with her. She couldn't even escape them all in Transfiguration because she didn't have it until the next day. She drifted through that first day, wandering through the halls like a ghost.

It was walking to the first lesson of Transfiguration that she brightened. She was under no illusion about why she was looking forward the lesson. It wasn't because of the teacher and it definitely wasn't because of the essay she had to hand in.

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Ted had heard nothing from Andromeda throughout the whole Easter holidays. He hadn't even seen her on the train. Tom kept telling him to forget about the Slytherin girl, that it would never happen. Ted knew was true. But he also knew that he couldn't get her out of his head, so on his way to Transfiguration he was trying to decide how to act around her. He could pretend nothing had happened, but that would be weird. He could try and flirt, but he wasn't very good at it and that would be weird too. So that left ignoring her, which he didn't want to do, but he figured it had less chance of being weird. At least he could blame it on pretending to actually concentrate in class for once.

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Andromeda couldn't understand it. Ted was ignoring her. Ted was ignoring her. Every time she went to say something he looked down at his parchment, scribbling intently. There was no way he was that interested in the seven forms of non-animated transfiguration. He didn't even like Transfig that much. He preferred his other subjects, Herbology especially. He liked being outside, which meant that Care of Magical creatures came a close second to the study of plants. Andromeda had never been very good at Herbology, preferring subjects where you learned facts then wrote about them, like History or Magic, Ancient Runes. She would have taken Arithmancybut her father had put his foot down, saying she needed to take at least two subjects with a practical application. Hence Charms and Transfiguration.

When she'd watch Ted underline his title five times, she sighed and passed him a note.

Why are you ignoring me?

I'm not ignoring you.

She almost laughed when he passed that back to her. You are. I've never seen you pay this much attention in class.

He assumed a mock wounded expression, his resolve evaporating. Hey, I can pay attention if I want to.

Yes, but usually you don't want to.

It's true. How can I pay attention when my soul yearns for the outside? To roam in the fresh air, to romp by the lake; that truly is heaven.

Andromeda did laugh then. The way he'd written made her imagine him as a tortured poet, most at home lying on a chaise lounge, hand to brow, pining after whatever love had caught his eye that week. He winked at her, as McGonnagall bore down on Andromeda.

"Miss Black. Is there something particularly amusing about Firth's laws?" She asked crisply.

"No professor," Andromeda replied, straightening her face immediately. "Sorry."

When the woman had returned to the front of the class, Andromeda slid another note over to Ted. Can we talk after class?

He pushed it back with one word written on it. Yes.

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They walked in silence through the corridors, past the laughing younger years, and left the castle behind them. It wasn't until they were nearing the lake that Andromeda stopped, twisting her hands together, avoiding his gaze. "I was a bitch," she said, the words tripping over each other in their hurry to exit her mouth. "I was, and I'm really sorry."

When she chanced a glance at him, he was sitting on the grass, squinting in the sun to see her. He smiled. "Okay."

"Okay?" It wasn't a word she was supposed to use. Her mother said it was vulgar and common, which meant that Andromeda never felt entirely comfortable with its range of meanings. "Does that mean you accept my apology?"

Ted laughed at her formality. "Yes. Yes it does."

She smiled hesitantly, dropping her gaze again. That had been hard enough, but the next part was harder. She'd thought about it long and hard yet still she had no idea what she was exactly going to say.

"I-" She stopped, trying to find the right words. "You- We-." She stopped again, taking a deep breath. "You're muggleborn."

He watched her carefully, raising a hand to shade his eyes. "I thought we'd covered this."

"No, but Ted." She cut across him, agitatedly running a hand through her mousy hair. "I really like you. And not just as a friend. But you're muggleborn, and I'm not, and there's no way we can ever be together, so I thought I should tell you, but now it's going to be awkward, and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

As the babble flitted from her lips, Ted stood up, no longer squinting. "Andromeda," he said quietly.

She haltingly met his eyes, and he smiled. "I like you too. And I think there's plenty of ways we can make it work. Just…give me a chance."

She smiled tentatively as his hand curled around hers. "But if my family-"

"Who's going to find out?" he asked. "We'll just keep it quiet. Though I don't think you can keep seeing Dolohov."

She laughed slightly. "He proposed, I turned him down."

Ted raised his eyebrows. "That's a lot to live up to," he murmured. "After four months? I always thought four months meant telling your parents that you might, possibly, maybe like someone, not marriage."

She pushed him gently. She wanted to believe him that it would be all right, that no one would find out, but defying her parents was a scary idea.

He caught the look on her face, and offered her a smile. "Have I ever let you down?"

She bit her lip, then shook her head. "No," she admitted. "So…are we…"

"Dating? Yes." He pulled her into a hug. "Probably the highest maintenance girl I've ever gone out with, but possibly worth it."
"Possibly?" She sounded indignant, but she was laughing as he kissed her.