I Won't Give Up: Chapter 4
For the next couple of days Andromeda avoided the library. She avoided making any sort of contact with Ted Tonks whatsoever. She avoided looking at him in classes and even avoided looking in the direction of the Hufflepuff table at meal times.
But she knew the inevitable would come. And it did, on the particularly snowy morning that was January the 8th.
Andromeda was strolling the corridors, with her sister, very pleased that she had no work to do on the Saturday, seeing as she had taken care of it all the night before.
"And he's a second year and he's always teasing me!" Narcissa complained.
"Well you tell him that he has no business messing with the House of
Black! And give him a quick jinx if you have to."
"But I don't know any yet."
"Don't worry," Andromeda grinned. "I'll teach you."
Ted Tonks approached the girls with caution and was relieved when he saw that their elder sister was nowhere in sight.
"Andromeda," he said.
Not having noticed him at the end of corridor, Andromeda was surprised to see Tonks standing there. She froze.
"Yes? What do you want?"
"Even though you might like to pretense otherwise, we do have a paper to write." Ted was surprised at his own boldness.
Andromeda looked down at Narcissa.
"Cissy, go back to the common room," she instructed.
"But–"
"Now!" She snapped.
Narcissa Black glared at her feet before turning around and moodily walking back to the dungeons.
"Well," Andromeda stalked past Ted expecting him to keep up.
"Well, we have paper to write," he repeated.
"Keep your voice down," she said, looking around. "People might hear you."
She picked up her pace.
"I don't care."
"Well I do!" She said, exasperated.
"Why?" He asked as they entered the library.
"Just... Because," she glared at him. "You wouldn't understand."
"Enlighten me," he said through clenched teeth.
"Leave it alone, okay?" She snapped.
They walked through the library until Andromeda picked a table in the back corner.
She sat down and realized...
"I left my parchment and quill in my dorm."
"It's okay," Ted said, all signs of irritation gone from his voice. "You can borrow mine."
They both silently browsed the shelves for useful and relevant books occasionally speaking up to say things like, "do you think we'll find anything in here?" or "how about this one?"
It had been over an hour of silent note taking from both of them until Ted spoke up.
"Tell me though," he said. "Why should it matter whether your parents were wizards or not?"
Andromeda really had not minded Tonks' quiet company so far and was disappointed that he had to ask such a question that there was only one answer to.
"Our purity of bloods proves our superiority," she stated simply.
"So... It means your better than the rest of us?"
"Yes," Andromeda said. "It does."
"But what does it prove? I mean, I'm sure I can do spells just as well as you can."
"Do you want to put that to the test?" She said icily.
Ted did not answer.
"We should be done for the day." She decided. "One more minute of this and my brain is going to fry."
"Yeah, you're right. Same time tomorrow?"
"If we must."
\_|_/_|_\_|_/_|_\_|_/
Athena Nott lounged in front of the fire in the Slytherin common room.
She saw the crowd forming around Ares Carrow as he displayed his left forearm. Athena couldn't see very well but she knew better.
She stood up and pushed her way to the front of the crowd.
"You ought to be careful who you show that to," she advised, pompously.
"Oh yeah? You don't even know what it is do you?" Carrow rolled down his sleeve.
"Of course I do," she leaned in and lowered her voice. "My dad's got one and so does my brother. Even my mum. And my father says that when I'm old enough, I'll be next."
The sixth year looked at her.
"I'm impressed," he said.
"Why? What's going on?" A voice asked.
Athena turned and saw Andromeda at the edge of the crowd that had began to break apart.
"Oh, Carrow here has just been showing off his, you-know-what."
"His what?" She asked, confused.
"His," she lowered her voice again. "His Dark Mark."
Andromeda still had a bewildered expression on her face.
Athena whispered in her best friend's ear.
"Really? Sounds painful," she said with a hint of amusement.
"Well just ask Bellatrix. I bet you she has one."
"You think?"
"Yeah, and I bet she sneaks out with the others at night."
"What others?" Andromeda asked.
"Well let's just say," Athena said. "That this Lord Voldemort is gaining followers of all ages."
They both stayed quiet for a minute before Athena broke the silence.
"So where were you?"
"In Hell."
"Huh?"
"I was writing my paper."
"With the Mudblood?" Athena asked.
"Yup." Andromeda didn't know why she was uncomfortable with that word but she was. Maybe it was just because her mother drilled into her how much of a crude word it was and that she was not allowed to say it.
Maybe that was it
\_|_/_|_\_|_/_|_\_|_/
"Would any man have hopes of finding his proper pureblood wife at a Quidditch match? I think not! First Bellatrix, now you. Perhaps Narcissa will grow up with some sense and then all of my daughters won't be disappointments."
The rest of the students in the Great Hall we all opening care packages or reading friendly letters from home that were asking how the start of the term was going.
Andromeda grumbled as she crumpled the message she had received from her mother a moment ago.
Athena and Serena were both looking at her with anticipation.
"So? What'd she say?"
"What do you think?" Andromeda was pouting as dropped the wad of parchment into her glass of. orange juice.
"You'll just have to take Serena."
Serena looked up.
"Sorry Andy," she said.
"No you're not." Andromeda was grinning.