"Are you sure you're doing that right?" Ted asked her for the millionth time. She could have slapped him.
"Would you like to do it?" she snarled. Ted flushed, and took a step back. She felt bad, but not bad enough to apologize. Ever since ever earth-altering realization a few days ago, she hadn't been able to sleep. She kept rubbing her belly absent-mindedly. As soon as she realized she was doing it she would hastily stop, glancing around with terrified eyes, convinced someone had seen her. But it wasn't like anyone knew she was pregnant.
Maybe. She kept reminding herself. But the uncertainty wasn't making this any easier.
Procuring the ingredients for the potion itself had almost been her undoing. She was supposed to distract Slughorn while Ted snuck in. She didn't know what he did in there, but he managed to knock over an entire crate of bezoars. The resounding crash had been deafening. It was only Andromeda's ability to mimic Peeves' cackle and the well-timed magical slamming of a door that kept Ted from being caught.
She could only imagine what Slughorn would have thought if he'd seen them with those ingredients, and realized what potion required that combination. Not that she thought Slughorn would betray her secret, but he'd always held her in such high regard. The thought of him knowing she'd become pregnant while still in school was too much to bear.
"Alright," she said, her voice shaking, "It's done. I just need, I just need to add my saliva."
Ted only nodded. His normally bright skin looked pale and sickly. She tried not to dwell on what that said about their future. She leaned over the potion and felt the saliva pooling at the edge of her lips. Her whole body threatened to shake, but she held it in. There would be plenty of time for that after they got their answer.
"Wait!" Ted said suddenly. "Remind me, remind what color it will be again?"
Andromeda let out a hiss of frustration. "Blue means negative, green means positive."
"Right," Ted said again, laughing nervously. "But shouldn't red be negative? Like how in the muggle world green means go and red means—"
Another glare from Andromeda shut him up. She turned back to the potion, closed her eyes, and spat. She almost didn't dare open them, but she couldn't let Ted find out the truth without her. They said they would do this together.
She opened her eyes just as the potion finished transforming into deep, endless green.
She didn't speak. She just stared at the unmistakable color. It reminded her of forests in springtime, the new green overtaking the barrenness winter had left in its wake. A fitting image given her current situation.
Beside her, Ted breathed, "It's wrong, sometimes, isn't it? It could be wrong."
Andromeda didn't answer right away. Her hands moved to her stomach again. This time she swore she could full energy pulsing underneath her fingertips, a reflection of the new life inside her.
"No," she said, her voice certain. "It's not wrong."
And then the panic set in. She doubled over as her pulse raced and her breathing came in shallow gasps. The next thing she felt was Ted's steadying presence as his arms wrapped around her. His body shook, probably fighting off a panic attack of his own. But he kept his arms around her. She returned the gestured, grasping onto him, holding his shaking.
They held each other like that, not speaking, until finally she asked, "What are we going to do?"
"I don't know," Ted breathed. "What do you want to do?"
She wanted to protest that it wasn't just her decision. They had made this… situation… together, but she supposed it was different for her. She was the one currently sharing her body.
But did she want to do? There were ways to end the life before it began. They were frowned upon, but there those who do it in secret, for the right price. She had no idea where she'd get that kind of money, but they could figure it out.
But was that what she wanted? She rubbed her stomach again. She knew the child had barely begun to grow. It was probably about the size of a grape. But it was still hers, hers and Teds. Did she really want fear of what people would think of her to dictate her actions?
But what did she know about being a mother? She and Ted could barely navigate being a couple, but becoming a family? Bringing a child into this madness when they two them were essentially children themselves? It was overwhelming to even think about.
But then, they were almost done with school. Just a few more months. She might not even be showing by then. And they wouldn't be alone. Ted's mother, and maybe even his father, would be there. Andromeda doubted this would improve their opinion of her, but they wouldn't turn away their own grandchild, would they?
She closed her eyes. There were too many thoughts. Too many feelings. She couldn't sort through them all. Not now.
"Can we keep this between us?" she asked quietly. "Until we… until we decide?"
Ted nodded, his grip around her tightening. He'd started to shake again. She'd wondered if his mind had gone to the same places hers had, but if it had, what had he decided? What did he want? And what would she do if they wanted different things?