"T-Tom?"

"Yep."

"Oh shit, he said he was going to the Three Broomsticks! Fuck!"

Andi stood behind the blanket shaking like a leaf (and not just from the ice cold air that was now surrounding her), her head in her hands. If she ran now, she might get away with it, but she couldn't tell how close he was, if he was even approaching this direction. She just made the decision to flee the scene when his deep voice the other side of the blanket made her jump, rooting her legs to the spot.

"Well well well, what do we have here?"

"The castle is down the other lane."

"Oh is it?" He laughed darkly, and he staggered as he walked obviously having a few too many at the pub. "Finally managed to attract a girl, Tonks? Yes, I know your name, I've been doing some research on you, after you dared come near me and Andromeda in the Creatures clearing."

"I hope you've had fun reading up on me then."

"What is she attracted to, eh? This girl of yours… Your trollish looks or your filthy blood?"

"Piss off."

"So, who is it then? Some other mudblo-" his sentence trailed off, and his eyes widened as he looked at, what Ted thought at first was the rug. "This…" he dived forward and grabbed Andi's coat from the floor and he then grabbed the front of Ted's jumper, yanking him to face him. "This is Andromeda's coat, where is she you fucking filthy mudblood-"

"I don't what you're on about, Wilkes. I think you're drunk"

"Where is she?! I'll kill you, I'll kill you right now, I swear to Merl-"

"G-Get off him, Tom."

Andi stepped out between the rugs, her right hand shaking, her knuckles white as she gripped her wand.

"What is this Andi…?" Tom threw Ted aside as he looked up at her through angry, hurt eyes and whether it was her own salty tears blinding her, but she could have sworn his eyes were brimming with them too.

"Tom I—"

"What is it Andi? Come on," he roared as he unsteadily pulled himself to his feet, "COME ON!"

"Stupify!"

Tom went flying backwards and his crashed into a tree, knocking him unconscious. She walked over to him and knelt down to face him, straightening his leather jacket collar.

"I'm sorry Tom…" She pressed the tip of her wand to his forehead. "Obliviate."

Andi couldn't control it, but as she clasped her hands to her mouth, she began to sob uncontrollably. She hated that she was this weak; she wished she could turn it all off like Cissy or Bella, but how could she do that to her friend, to Tom? Next thing she knew Ted was by her side, stroking her shoulder.

"It's okay Dromeda…"

"P-Please Ted. Don't. Don't call me that." She wrenched herself out of his grip and stood, pacing furiously as she thought. "We pack up, we leave, he'll wake up in a couple of hours just think he got too pissed and passed out."

Everything had suddenly become clear, her rose-tinted glasses had broken and shattered into a million heart-breaking pieces and the harsh, cold reality lay in front of her.

How stupid are you? How selfish and improper she was being here, snogging some outsider in the snow. She had hurt one of her own, a boy that, whilst wasn't her best friend, had always been there for her. Her recklessness and boldness wasn't a good thing anymore, and she couldn't stand what she had done.

Ted ran over and held her hands tight, before he pulled her away from Tom's limp body and into an embrace and then down to sit together on the throw. He thumbed away her tears and she shook her head.

"I can't do this Ted. I can't live like this, doing this, and I'm not like my sisters, I can't remove someone's memory without feeling guilty… or jinx them or… I can't do that again next time we're caught-"

"So we won't get caught again-"

"Ted, please… just…"

"Just?"

"Stop… Stop for a minute and just think about what we're doing."

He paused as she looked at him with sad and cold eyes, the familiar warmness in the grey vanishing back to the chilling cruelty that lay in her sister's eyes.

"l may be crazy, but I don't want to lose you again, Andi…"

She wrapped her arms around him and they lay back together, her head on his chest. He was puzzled as they looked up to the stars, confused as to what she was thinking, what she wanted and what this all meant.

"When we get up and go back to the castle, will that be it then?"

"Suppose it will be, Ted."

"So… what if we never leave…?"

"Andi? Andi are you okay?"

"Y-yeah… I'm, I'm f-fine."

Maddy jumped out of bed and ran over to Andi, hugging her tightly, letting her sob into her shoulder.

"What happened?"

"Nothing, honestly, j-just go back to bed, I'm sorry I was s-so l-loud…"

"Babe…"

Andi pulled herself out of the embrace and after kicking off her shoes ran into the bathroom. She splashed her face with water from the sink, washing away the mascara stains that lay upon her cheeks. She was drained already, her face pale and eyes bloodshot, ghost like as she stared at her reflection in the mirror.

"Andi, come out, what happened with him?"

She splashed her face one last time, grabbing her towel from her shelf and wiping away the water. She opened the door slowly to find Maddy in her dressing gown leaning against the wall and Celeste sat up in bed, dozy and baffled as she looked over at the pair.

"Nothing, it's over now if it was ever really happening."

"Oh love, I'm sorry-"

"There's nothing to be sorry about." Andi didn't even bother brushing the tangled mess that was her hair, she just grabbed a hairband from her vanity and pulled it up into a loose bun. She ignored the fact that this exaggerated her cheek bones, making her face in the mirror look even more ghastly than it did before.

"I… I am sorry Ted… for everything, it should have never happened."

"I disagree."

"You would." She half smiled up at him, their fingers entwined as they walked back to the castle. They snuck in through the green houses and went to go inside just before Ted stopped.

"I want to give you something."

She frowned as he began to tug at his wrist. He pulled a braid of yellow, green and blue thread off his wrist and gestured for her to hold hers out. He placed the braid around her pale skin and tied it up, caressing and kissing her fingers when he finished.

"Ted, your sister gave you this, I can't have it." It had come up in conversation earlier that evening, as his jumper sleeve had fallen back revealing many the thread and leather bracelet, and she had mocked him for wearing such jewellery.

"I want you to have it."

She smiled, tears spilling from her eyes. "What did you say it was again?"

"A friendship bracelet."

The most ironic laugh spilled over her lips and she closed her eyes in attempt to hold back the dam bursting.

"You're my friend."

"Mine too." He smiled back stroking her cheek and pulling her closer.

"Please… don't…"

But even she couldn't stop herself as their lips briefly met.

"Goodbye Andi-"

"Call me Dromeda again... before you go."

"You're speaking as if we will never see each other again!" He laughed briefly, "This may be over but I'll still keep the habit of pissing off your friends in lessons."

She couldn't help but smile a little as she wiped her face.

"And I thought you hated it when people call you Dromeda."

"People change I guess."

"Goodbye then, Dromeda."

He kissed her one last time, and she had to stop herself from wrapping her arms around him and never letting go.

As he walked away, without a backwards glance, she hugged herself in attempt to contain her sobs. She wouldn't let him hear them. She was too proud for that.

You've done the right thing muttered the little angel on her left shoulder. But the devil on her right was subdued, an eyebrow raised as it kept silent, for Andi knew how she was really feeling.

You've done the right thing, haven't you?

He was so happy.

Ted stood their smiling, kissing the back of a black haired girl's neck as they looked out towards the lake. Andi watched him from the shadows, as he smiled and laughed at his girlfriend smiling back up at him.

"You, Ted Tonks, are something special."

That's what I said, that's my line!

He kissed her with such tenderness and yet Andi's eyes couldn't look away despite their burning.

"Sweetie! Oh come here you silly man!"

Andi jumped as footsteps approached from behind her, which then broke into a skip.

A little blonde boy ran past her and towards the couple, Ted swooping him into his arms as he rubbed the baby bump of his girlfriend, the wedding rings on their fingers catching the setting sun before the sky faded to black.

Andi's heart shattered as cold hand gripped her shoulders, wrenching her away from the scene and to an altar of a gothic church, where everyone was in black, except for herself; her white lace gown trailing down the aisle.

No, you can't!

She screamed to herself, searing hot rings pushed onto her fingers before being dragged away by a stranger with glowing red eyes—

"Andi!"

She sat up with a start her head spinning and chest in agony, her heart-beating so hard she though it would break through her rib-cage.

"For Merlin's sake, you're still not up? Quidditch practice started half an hour ago, Lu is wondering where on earth you are!"

"Go away Cissa, I'm not in the mood."

"You're never in the mood anymore! I'm sorry that you seem to be permanently on your period, but you know you have Quidditch on a Sunday morning and you're one of the best players we have! If you beat Hufflepuff on Wednesday then we're in the final on Friday and no matter whether Gryffindor win or not, we've won the house cup!"

"I just don't care."

"You aren't being serious."

"Yes I bloody am." Andi pulled the bed covers over her head, her hangover starting to kick in as she decided another day in bed followed by another bottle of wine would do just nicely.

"That is it. Andromeda Black!" Narcissa whipped off the covers and Andi squealed as the cold air hit her. "You get out of bed right now, get down to that Quidditch pitch and do the right thing and kick some Badger backside, you got me?"

"Fine!"

"Good!"

Andi groaned and threw a pillow at her sister before rolling out of bed and heading for her wardrobe.

There was silence between the two sisters as Andi changed, Narcissa casting a charm to make the bed again, before she perched on the end, her lips pursed and a scowl on her brow.

"Did you really drink that all by yourself?" Narcissa nodded to the empty bottle by her bed.

"What do you care?"

"Andi…" Narcissa stood and went to stroke her sister's shoulder before being pushed away.

"Don't pity me, you don't know anything."

"I'm your sister, and I know ever since you were 14, when you're hit rock bottom you raid the wine cellar."

"Who says I've hit rock bottom?"

"That fact that you haven't brushed your hair in days, you've got 2 day old makeup on, and you're wearing tracksuit bottoms to bed like some tramp; Mummy didn't buy you silk night gowns for nothing you know."

"You're stupid."

"I'm not stupid, and neither is your dorm! What happened on Friday night, you know, with your boyfriend?"

"He is not my boyfriend!"

For the first time since Friday night, she heard how bitter she sounded. Her nightmares hadn't helped, but everything about Ted just hurt her now. And she had ended it, and on such good terms too, and that made it worse for she had no one to be angry at except herself.

"Well whoever he is then, something happened and it's obviously upset you."

"I'm fine."

"Says the…" She saw another empty bottle peeking out from behind her locker, "two bottles of wine you've gone through since Friday."

"I'm going to Quidditch to appease your beloved, what more do you want from me, Narcissa?" Andi stared blankly at her sister while Cissa rolled her eyes in despair.

"I'm trying to help and see what's wrong! Forgive me for not going all Bella and just raiding your brain, I thought I'd do the decent thing and ask."

She sat down on the bed again with the daintiest of angry thumps and Andi turned, putting her hairbrush down.

"Sorry."

"Sorry."

Andi finished changing and sat down next to Narcissa tying up her boot laces.

"What's wrong Andi… you haven't been yourself in weeks ."

"I don't even know who I'm meant to be any more, Cissy."

Andi ignored the frown from her sister and stood, heading towards the doorway.

"Andi-"

"Come on then. Don't want to keep pretty boy waiting."

Narcissa couldn't help but smile as she stood and put her hands deep into her coat pockets. "Alright."

"Alright? You're the one that got me out of bed!"

Andi laughed slightly as she begun to ascend the stairs, concentrating far too much on not letting her hangover take hold to even think of Ted. She didn't even notice that she was fiddling with his friendship bracelet as she did so.