Solecism: a breach of good manners or etiquette.

January 3, 1970

It was cold. Icy spray from the nearly-but-not-quite-frozen lake whipped into her face as she stood on a slippery rock jutting out into the iron-gray water. It was cold, but Andromeda Black was used to cold. She didn't even shiver as the winter gale tugged at her cloak, made her long, thin brown braid jerk like a fish's tale. It was warmer out here, alone in the wintery grounds than beside the roaring fire in the Slytherin common room, listening to Cissy's simpering voice relating with pride Bella's latest accomplishments to Lucius Malfoy, watching his cold eyes as he nodded his head with satisfaction at the news.

She was warmer out here as fragile snowflakes began to fall than she had been all holiday, herded with her sisters from one gloomy old family home to the next, surrounded by people who could speak of condemnation and torture over pudding. She hardly felt human listening to those things.

A soft whistling and the crunch of snow alerted her to someone's approaching, but Andromeda didn't look round. If they saw her face, she was worried they might just think she had indeed been turned to ice. That was how she felt, but not because of the wind and snow.

"Well, if it isn't Dandy-Andy," a mellow, genial voice said.

Ted Tonks stopped beside her on the lakeshore, hands in his pockets and his blue and bronze scarf flapping around his face. His blond hair looked like brass under the weak January sun.

He was a seventh year and a Muggle-born who, for some reason, migrated towards a sixth year Slytherin bearing one of the most prejudiced pure-blood names of the Wizarding world. He had plenty of other friends – you couldn't help but like Ted Tonks – but there was something about her cool indifference and sharp wit that seemed to amuse him. He never grew tired of seeing her reaction to being called "Dandy-Andy".

But today she did not react at all. His cheerful smile slipped a little.

"What brings you out to admire the lake on this fine winter morning, Dromeda?" he asked, rocking back on his heels.

She took a moment to respond, keeping her gray eyes fixed on the churning lake. "Are Muggles cruel to each other for things they can't control like parentage or the social class they're born into?"

If Ted was taken aback, he didn't show it.

"Well, yes, they are," he told her slowly. "I think prejudice exists in people no matter where you go."

The last little bit of her that had managed to survive the holidays froze solid with the rest. So it was not just here, among wizards like her family. It was everywhere. There was no way to escape it. It was the whole world that was cold.

Beside her, Ted stirred. "What's got you thinking about that?" he asked.

She didn't answer. She barely heard.

A twittering came from Ted's pocket. Andromeda looked around reflexively to see a little gray bird peeking out of his coat.

"Don't worry, I haven't forgotten you," Ted told the bird in his mellow, reassuring voice, carefully pulling the little feathered thing out of its warm place in his coat and nesting it in his hands. "I was going to take you to Hagrid, but I suppose I can sort you out myself. It doesn't seem too bad."

He touched one of the bird's wings and it quivered. Andromeda noticed that several of the feathers were bent. Ted pulled out his wand, paused with the tip hovering over the bird for a moment as he concentrated, then waved it. The feathers smoothed and the wing straightened. The bird gave a few experimental flaps, trilled once, and launched itself skyward off his palm, fluttering away to the nearest tree.

Ted watched it with a small smile. Andromeda watched him with a stragne expression. Then, quite without warning, she flung herself into his warm arms and kissed him right on the mouth. No preamble, no subtlety, no manners or etiquette involved at all for the first time in her life. And to her surprise, his arms wrapped around her, lifted her off the ground. And all Andromeda knew was that Ted Tonks, from his straw-colored hair to his mellow voice, was warm, and she had been frozen by the world.

A/N: You can't have a series like this without a little romance (although it is not my forte, I'll admit) and this word simply begged for a member of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. I tried something with Draco at first, but it wouldn't go very far. I liked this better :) I'm a big fan of the trio and their generation and the Potter kids, too, especially, but I'm guessing that if I get all 366 of these, I'll be all over the board.

Right, please review! :)