"I got your note…"

Ted squealed and spun a hundred and eighty degrees to face Andi, tripping over his feet as he did so.

"Blimey! Don't sneak up on me like that! Don't you remember, I hate it!" He laughed as he rubbed his chest, just over his heart.

"Sorry… But that was a blast from the past, I would have thought you would have grown out of screaming like a girl." She bit her lip and smiled up at him as they continued to walk down to the Creatures clearing.

"You used to say it was endearing." He smirked at her and she giggled.

"Sure."

"You really did!"

She laughed again and after smiling he lowered his voice to a nearly inaudible level.

"You okay for tonight then?"

"Yeah, I'm…" She sighed, "I'm actually really looking forward to it."

"Me too. I've been thinking about it, and you, a lot you know…"

"I guess I have too…" She looked at him momentarily before coughing and shaking her head, refusing to let herself get lost in his sapphire eyes.

"I just want to clarify something…"

"Mm-hmm?"

"Just where you stood re dates and kissing."

"Ahh." She dared to glance up at him and she felt blood surge to her cheeks as he grinned, an eyebrow half raised as he bit the tip of his tongue with his right canines. Most men would look sleazy pulling such a face, yet something about it became him, and she just pouted back playing along. "Well, first date was a definite no, second date, probably no, third date definitely yes… with tongues."

Ted tried to contain his laugh, but she could see how she was getting exactly the reaction that she desired. In an attempt to recover himself, he ran a hand through his hair and grinned again.

"So, would you count this as the second date?"

"Walking down to Creatures?" Andi raised her eyebrows in discontent before smirking. "I suppose more like a half date really."

"And, what would be the appropriate intimacy level for such an occasion, might I ask?"

"Well…" She tried not to smile as she shook her head. She lowered her left hand from her bag strap and brushed the back of her gloved fingers against his, in her head it was some kind of secret attempt to hold his hand, which her palpitating heart desperately wanted to do.

"Ahh." He looked down at her hand and saw her hand-holding attempt. He half smiled and let his fingers gently graze hers back.

She coughed and smiled cheekily at him. "Well done with your note by the way, Bellatrix got it…"

He laughed as he tugged at his yellow and black scarf, wrapping it tighter around his neck. He looked down into the clearing and saw two of Andi's fellow Slytherins. That Wilkes tosser stubbed out his cigarette on the fence and as he turned, he noticed Andi at least. He half smiled and went to wave at her, but then looked suspicious (obviously noting Ted next to her) and turned to the dark skinned male next to him.

"Right, to keep up appearances, call me a mudblood and feel free to hex me once or twice."

"Ted… I'm not doing that. I…" She smiled just enough that he noticed.

"You?"

"I couldn't do it…"

"But… They're looking you know."

Andi immediately whipped out her wand and bound his legs together. She did momentarily feel bad, but her laugh was genuine as he squealed again falling on his face into the snow. She scowled as much as she could as she stormed down to her friends.

"Bloody mudblood." She muttered 'under her breath' before she leant on the fence next to Tom.

"I'm looking for an excuse to kill him, just say the word, Black."

She chuckled, "Maybe one day Tom, one day."

"Going down the pub tonight, fancy joining me?"

"Sorry Tom, I would but… I've got plans already."

"Oh, cool."

"Yeah, girls night in, distracting Persephone from her break up."

"Sounds fun."

Ted winked from over the way, brushing himself down and shaking the snow out of his hair as some other Gryffindor had undone his leg-binding curse.

"Yeah, you could say that."

She walked through the snow, glad it was so thick as she left the castle for no-one could have possibly followed her. Andi was halfway down the lane as it began to thin and turned to a gentle dusting on her eyelashes. It was such a romantic night, the sky a dark and mysterious blend of black and navy blue, golden stars shining through the clouds dashing light upon the white blanket beneath her feet. She pulled her green and silver scarf tighter around her neck as she sighed, the cold air whipping against her cheeks.

Your hair is a mess.

It was true, the wind even though had died down for a moment, that moment allowed her to notice how windswept and tangled it was. She tried to run her fingers through it and as they got stuck she sighed again. So much for trying to impress him. She had worn one of her favourite dresses, a deep red, knee-length velvet dress that flared at her waist and was supported by her Ra-Ra underskirt. She always got told she looked like Mrs Claus when she wore it (for she normally paired it with her artic- fox fur cape, brown dragon skin gloves and black ankle boots) so tonight, not wanting to look so comical, she had just slipped on some red court shoes and her normal coat.

She had kind of thought about what to wear for their first date but not in any way near as much detail as tonight. Hiding from her friends, she had done her best to sneak out of the common room half an hour before she needed to, and had trailed around the castle in an attempt to shake any stalkers off. Andi had considered not dressing up at all, in case he was being serious and did just want to play his muggle game again.

She turned slightly back on herself down the other fork in the road, taking one last deep breath looking over her shoulder to check she was alone.

Keeping on, she had to double take when she got to the clearing, as by some trees in the far corner, it looked like a den had been formed as blankets and fur rugs hung from the branches. It also looked like the snow had gone a creamy, gold, but it turned out to be another fur rug, on top of which were some pots, some cutlery, some piles of other blankets and pillows. She almost frowned as she approached the quaint and cosy area, for the reason she had come was missing, but she smiled as she noticed Ted's bum sticking out from behind one of the hanging rugs as he was bent over, lighting some floating candles.

"Hi."

His head shot out from behind and she smiled as he stuttered slightly.

"Hi."

They stood there for a moment, their eyes locked on each other's, as she fiddled with her coat buttons.

He was dressed up for the weather much more than she was, he had a thick woollen jumper on, and his scarf was still around his neck.

Andi strolled over to him biting her lower lip. She had no idea what to say and he seemed at a loss for words too.

"I, err…"

"Yes?"

"I thought I'd bring some dinner. Is stew okay?" He gestured to the pots on the rug.

"Yes, lovely."

"Excellent, great! I," he stumbled over his words. "I remember from first year, you always said you liked it."

"I can't believe half the things you remember Ted…"

"They've been all I can think about recently…"

She blushed as he gestured for her to sit and she did so. She went to pull off her coat, but as the cold air hit her she immediately changed her mind.

"Sorry, are you cold?"

"I'm fine, honestly."

"Nah, just wait a second." He jumped up and ran off behind one of the hanging furs bringing back an armful of wood. He placed them at the foot of the blanket and whispered incendio before they burst into flames radiating more than enough heat for them to be comfortably warm without coats. She knelt up to remove her coat and his jaw dropped slightly as she did so. "Dromeda… you are just… wow."

She blushed, pulling her hair from her face and pulling it to drape over one shoulder.

"I'm sorry if I dressed up too much…"

"No, don't be silly, you look incredible."

There was a little silence as they both looked at one another before Ted coughed, lifting the lid off of the pot of stew.

"Smells amazing."

They laughed as they ate, exchanging stories about their lessons, Andi's Quidditch practice, the standard Hogwarts gossip. After a while they just sat in silence, a silence which wasn't odd or awkward, and moments later he leant over and took her hand, and she held it back smiling at him. They just ate their full until Ted mopped up the spare gravy with some bread he pulled out of another basket.

When she had finished, he then went back into the hamper and pulled out some steaming apple pie, topped with fresh whipped cream.

She chuckled and smiled up at him.

"Pudding after our first lesson together…"

"Yep."

"You, Ted Tonks, are something special."

She dug her spoon into the pie and ate it hungrily not caring that her dress felt tight enough as it was, Ted looking at her through affectionate eyes. When Andi had finished, he reached over and cleared away all of the food, putting it back in the hamper.

"So… what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know… you seem to have had everything planned so far…" She smiled at him.

"I'm pretty much all out of ideas." He got out a pack of playing cards. She frowned as he shuffled them and then he held them out. "If I get this right, then I pick what we do, if I get it wrong, you can. Deal?"

"Ted I don't get it."

"Pick a card, any card." He grinned and she laughed. "It's what muggles practice as magic."

"Okay…"

She did so, holding it out of his view.

"Now remember that card okay?"

"Yep." She was still laughing, trying to work out what on earth he was doing.

"Okay, put it back in the pile, don't let me see it."

She did so. He shuffled the cards twice, then split the deck in two, then shuffled again before laying them out on the blanket. He random cut the deck again, pulling and one card had flipped within the pack.

"Take a look."

She pulled the odd card up and gasped.

"I'm going to say, Queen of hearts."

"How did you…? How?"

"Magic."

"That isn't magic… I mean, that's…"

"Magic."

"You are just…"

"Something special?"

She sat there in complete awe for a moment, laughing as she looked up at his smile. The air was warmer thanks to the fire, and the blankets were acting as insulation, but she could still see his breath on the crisp air.

"So… you win, w-what do you want to do?" She bit her lip and blushed, she couldn't help but feel the heat within her body rise as she looked at him.

"Well, it kind of depends on what you consider this to be."

"This?"

"Itemising our hand holding and walk down to creatures, I believe tonight constitutes a third date." The glimmer in his eyes told her where this conversation was going. "And if you agree and this is our third date, then I do believe you owe me the sum of, one kiss, with tongues."

"I see…"

Andi held in her laughter, just biting slightly on her lower lip as she leant forward and placed a hand on his thigh, slowly leaning into his face.

"And, if I was to agree that this is our third date, when would you like the account to be settled…"

"Right now."

"This minute?"

"This second."

Ted leant forward and kissed Andi's lips gently. When he pulled away her eyes opened to see him staring back at her. His eyes were still full of life and his never fading sparkle, but for once he wasn't laughing or smiling; he was being deadly serious.

"I..."

"You?"

"I still owe you tongues..."

Upon leaning in again she pressed her palms to his cheeks, and she finally noticed how cold her hands were against his warm skin. When she opened her mouth for his admittance, she whimpered as his tongue found hers and moved her hands to run through his hair.

She lay back upon some cushions with a soft thump and he lay above her, his hands either side of her head. After a few moments, he pulled away.

"Andi, what would you have done if I hadn't had got your card?"

She pulled him back down towards her, and he lowered himself even more as the kiss deepened. Like his second in the hospital wing it was a tender kiss, his hands tangled in her hair as she nibbled on his lower lip. She had never done that before, with anyone, and yet she felt the urge and it seemed to come naturally. As they took advantage of every little pull away for air, she realized this was the longest kiss she had had with anyone either.

She fleetingly wondered if this is what everyone felt during kisses. She felt reckless and bold and adored. And when Ted looked at her, Andi felt beautiful under his lustful gaze, and more special than she ever had before; she was no longer the ignored, average at everything, middle sister; she was the most important girl in the world.

"Ted…"

She moaned as he pulled away to nip at her neck, her hands running through his hair. He continued to kiss her skin softly, sending shivers right down her spine.

"Thank you for tonight."

He pulled away. "You're so very welcome."

"I mean it, I really have fun when I'm with you, and… I just can't stop thinking about you and Ted I've come to think…"

He placed a finger on her lips, and she momentarily thought he was going to kiss her again but then she noticed that he was actually frowning looking up and away from her.

"Ted-"

"Ssh…"

"What is it?"

Then she heard it too; a faint whistle in the background. They both sat up and Andi turned cold inside, shuffling back away from Ted.

"Shit."

"It could be no one…" He looked so naïve as he shrugged, raising his eyebrows. But her face was quite the opposite, full of panic like a child found with their hand in the cookie jar.

"Shit, shit, shit!"

"Andi…"

With an exasperated sigh, he buried his head in his hands as Andi jumped up and ran to hide behind one of the blankets; the whistling was growing louder. A young, dark haired man emerged through the puff of smoke from the end of his cigarette. Ted momentarily thought the guy would just walk on but he seemed to sense another person's presence and he turned to see Ted, still sat on the rug, a defensive frown on his brow – this was not how the evening was meant to go.

As the man approached further, Ted couldn't help but recoil.

"Who is it?!" Andi whispered through the fur.

"Wilkes…"