"Pass me one."

"But Andi, you haven't smoked in months."

"I don't care."

Smoking for Andi was much more of a social habit than an addiction. She often smoked at parties, when her father wasn't around. Smoking at Hogwarts was strictly prohibited of course, but all the girls in the dorm had their secret stash in their lingerie drawers and, after that intense match, every girl had whipped one out. Andi had never really been a creature of habit but still she found the collective community feel of smokers to be a comforting thing. Besides the little habits were oddly comforting as well, the way she tapped the cigarette on the ash tray, and she had a fondness for the smell and the feel of the cigarette between her fingers. All these things become familiar and comforting after a time, and Andi was sorely in need of comfort.

As she leant in, Celeste lighting her up with the tip of her wand, Andi took a drag and smiled momentarily, her lips pursing slightly as she exhaled.

"I don't know why you even want one. It's not like you lost." Persephone moaned.

"I just… It's been a long day."

She wondered why on earth she hadn't smoked in the last two weeks especially. Of all the things, Ted was the most provoking.

Going back to the Quidditch match, yes, Slytherin had won much to the frustration of Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Gryffindor. It wasn't a clean win- Gorgovitch had been banned from the team for the rest of the season, leaving Lucius in a rage who then took it out on the rest of the team and then Narcissa who then blamed Andi for not returning to the tent to give Lucius the support that he needed, or something along those lines.

But she didn't feel like she had won. The glares from the tables as she walked into the Great hall had been excruciating. She hadn't done anything wrong, it's not like she had sent that bludger towards Frank, or Ted, but she felt an incredible guilt as she missed his face at the Hufflepuff table.

"Slow down, tiger." Andi had already gone through a cigarette and Maddy moved to sit behind Andi and wrapped her arms around her friend's waist, her cigarette still in mouth.

"Sorry, can I have another? I'll buy you a pack for Christmas, I promise."

"Fine." And as Andi discarded the butt, another flew into her fingers.

"Thank you."

"What's up darling? Tell me, please."

"Okay…" Andi turned and sat back against her pillows as she took another drag, the three other girls looking at her with curious eyes. She just needed to get it off her chest, it was probably the nicotine in now coursing through her blood stream but she didn't care. "You know when you think… when you convince yourself that someone doesn't matter to you, but then-"

"Oh, if this is about Mr No-One…" Persephone rolled her eyes and pouted her lips, twirling a strand of her ebony hair around her fingers.

"Shut up Seph!" Maddy cried turning to face Andi properly. "Continue."

"I…" She tapped away the ash into a coffee mug before she took another drag. "You convince yourself you don't like someone, that they're nothing important but then, something happens, they… get hurt and it just clicks you know? Like… urgh, like, I can't explain it but-"

"They're the most important person in the world."

Andi frowned towards Celeste who was looking off into the distance, as they say. All the girls frowned at her, Celeste was not one for romance, a complete work-a-holic as far as any man could consider.

"What?"

"It clicked for me in the Summer just gone. It's too late now, he got married last month but… yeah. I get it."

"Who are you talking about?"

"Do you remember Agustin?"

Andi sat there as Celeste talked, her nose beginning to wrinkle as she thought.

Ted is your Agustin.

And that's when she decided something. She didn't want to be the girl, sat with her friends beginning to sob her heart up because they were too proud to admit they had feelings for a guy. An amazing guy who she let slip through her fingers and into the arms of another girl whom he now adores.

Maybe that was why the nightmare bothered her so much at the weekend; Andi hated the idea of him being happy in another's arms, that was her privilege and not to be shared with another girl, ever. It was selfish, yes, but since when had she ever not been selfish. Why grow a moral conscience now?

After they finished comforting Celeste, they got changed and climbed into bed.

"Sorry Andi, we we're meant to be talking about you…" Celeste muttered as she finished casting her nightly cleansing and moisturising charms at her vanity, Maddy and Persephone already fast asleep.

"It's okay sweetie, don't worry about it."

"Tell him he matters."

"A-Andi… What, what are you doing here?"

Ted sat up in his bed, it was a surprising struggle with only the one functioning arm, but he managed to pull the blankets around him as he whispered. If it had been anyone else he would have been annoyed, the clinical sheets of the Hospital Wing had made him feel so uncomfortable and it had taken him forever to get to sleep. But as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with his free hand, he looked at her properly for the first time in days; and, oh Merlin, she looked beautiful. She had her hair loosely French plaited away from her face, the plait draping over her shoulder. Underneath her green, Slytherin dressing-gown she had a floor-length silk night dress on. The lighting was so dim he couldn't decipher the colour, but either way, the moonlight was somehow sifting through thundering rain and the Hospital Wing's large window to reflect off her skin.

"I…" She half laughed. "I don't really know why I'm here."

He sshed her and she looked around, before they both looked up to Madame Hyperon's office. The lights were still off.

"I guess we have to whisper then."

She began picking off her nail polish and he smiled, licking his lower lip subconsciously, as he noticed her nose wrinkle.

"You must have had a reason. It's the middle of the night and you could have easily gotten caught on your way here-"

"I'm sorry, about Hufflepuff's loss."

"You know I have no interested in Quidditch."

"Then what were you doing as a reserve?"

"A favour to Frank."

"Oh…"

"Is that really all you came to say?"

"No… I…" she begun to pace a little and was looking down at the floor as she whispered. "I'm sorry about what Gorgovitch did to you, or what he would have done to your friend, that was totally out of order and…"

"Go on…"

"What you did today was really brave, Ted."

"Brave? Nah, stupid's the word. Breaking an arm and dislocating a shoulder was the start. Just look at me."

"I am looking at you." He had a slightly bruised and grazed eyebrow, and he had the definition of bed hair, some strands falling into his eyes. He looked up and smiled at her smile, and she felt blood surge to her cheeks.

She moved over and sat gently on the end of the bed. "I assumed you would still be here after you weren't at dinner."

"You were looking for me at dinner?"

"Yes, well, no- I… Urgh, why is it so hard to talk to you?!" She angrily muttered under her breath, burying her face in her hands as Ted sat there in silence. "Did… did she fix your arm?"

What a stupid question, of course Hyperon would have fixed his arm! This is such a bad idea, just get up and go back to your dorm before you make a bigger fool of yourself you silly-

"Yeah, and popped the joint back in and all. But you know her, a healer at St. Mungo's would have sent me on my way by now, but Hyperon's spells aren't being all that effective anymore."

"Really?" Don't reply to that, this is so not the conversation you came here to have-

"Yeah, I mean, you'd expect more from her wouldn't you, being our Matron and everything. There's even rumours of her retiring soon too and-"

"Ted just shut up for one second."

He looked taken aback, his eyes widening and eyebrows raising as he looked at her. She looked in pain almost, but not quite physical, it was like a strain, like every cell in her body was trying to tell her brain to say something, or not to say something, and she was fighting that urge as her nose wrinkled again.

"Look, okay, when you got hurt earlier it… It hurt me too and I… can't help but feel…"

"Feel what?"

"Feel…"

"What?" he murmured back at her, leaning down towards the end of the bed before taking her hand in his.

And there were the butterflies again. She had missed the feel of his skin on hers, it had only been five days but his touch now made her realise just how empty she had felt without it.

"I feel…"

"What?"

Andi sighed deeply, closing her eyes as her fingers momentarily stroked his before she pulled them out of his reach. She stood and fumbled for her dressing gown ties, loosening them and then pulling the green fleece off her body. The fabric pooled around her feet and Ted's breath caught in this throat as he looked her up and down. She was so much prettier and sexier than she was in his dreams. She was utterly perfect. He went to speak, but his mouth had already run dry.

"Andi, w-what are you doing?"

She sat down beside him, curling her legs up onto the bed as her fingers reached for his hair. She ran them through it, getting stuck after a moment in a tangle. She smiled at him, shuffling closer towards him her heart pounding but sure of what it wanted.

She pulled his face towards him and kissed him tenderly, just lips, pulling away to then rest her forehead on his. His free hand moved onto her body, his fingertips testing the feel of her bare shoulders as he leant back in and kissed her again. But, much to her surprise he pulled away.

"I thought we agreed we couldn't do this."

"You never really agreed though."

"That is true, but I don't get it…"

"The last five days have been horrific. I spent one shitfaced, one hungover and the others missing you terribly. I know why I came here; I was so sure of it half an hour ago. Even now I…" She sighed, running her fingers down his neck to settle on his shoulders.

"If you were so sure half an hour ago… what's changed your mind?"

She looked up into his eyes, her nose wrinkly once more and a slight frown on her brow. She then smiled slightly and looked away.

"Andi? What is it?"

"Nothing has changed my mind."

She pulled him towards her again and they kissed, both with lust and affection. They kissed for a while; she nibbled his lower lip just like during their last date as she tugged slightly on his hair. She lent in a little too far and pressed against his arm that was strapped across his chest. He attempted to stifle the moan of pain, but she heard it and pulled away frowning.

"Sorry."

"Don't apologise…"

Once again they were kissing deeply and she felt her heartbeat increase and the rapid drumming echo throughout her whole body. He frowned as she pulled away and stood, and went to question what she was doing, but his jaw fell slightly open as she reached up her nightgown and slowly pulled her lace knickers down and off her legs.

"Andi…" he whispered. "No, not like this…"

"Sorry, is your arm too sore?" You idiot, he's knackered his arm and you're too bloody sexual frustrated or whatever Maddy said, to think of anything other than that and you've only been kinda dating for a week or so-

"No, it's not that, I just don't think we should do it like this."

"Oh…" Her eyes widened, "Oh okay, fine, it's cool, sorry I, I'll just go…" He doesn't want to, it's not his arm, you are such an idiot! You should have never come. She leant down picking up her dressing gown and knickers, her face hotter than she had ever felt it before, as she turned and took another step towards the door Andi heard him splutter.

"No, I don't mean I don't want to!"

She turned back as he continued, it was like a splurge of words, barely coherent, and if Andi wasn't feeling so embarrassed about the whole situation she would have probably been laughing. "Of course I want to, I've wanted to for ages, but erm, I mean, I haven't been thinking about it, okay I have, but not in a pervy way or anything I, wow, it is just me or is it really hot in here, I just, my mouth is really dry and what I'm trying to say is-"

"Do you want me to get you a drink before I go?"

"If you could that would be great but I…" Ted threw his head back in despair as Andi put her stuff on the end of his bed and moved over to the cabinet to get him a glass of water.

She handed him the glass and after he took a gulp, she took it from him and placed it on the side.

"You're you."

"What?" She frowned at him.

"I mean, it's you Andi, you… you're special, it like, you, I… you deserve more than this, than a hospital bed and a broken boyfriend. You deserve more than me."

"Oh for Merlin sake, Teddy, don't you start telling me what I deserve and what I don't, you barely know me anymore! And even if you did, my whole life people have been telling me what to do, and what's proper and what I deserve. And it's only recently I've realised, that's all up for debate, all of it and… I've…" her eyes softened and she looked at his half crooked smile and her knees weakened. All the fight had gone from her and she just needed to end it all right now, whether what she was about to say was clever or not. "I've never really been one for politics."

She sat beside him and kissed him again in an instant, as she wrapped one arm around the good side of his neck, the other running through his hair. As they kissed she whispered sweet nothings to him, and she felt his lips form a smile as the caressed her jawline and neck, and that's when a sentence that was altogether unexpected slipped out and over her lips.

"I came here because I finally admitted to myself just how much I love you…"