Meda avoided everyone for the next few days, including Ted. She knew she should be talking with him about… this… but she didn't have anything new to say. Every time she thought about the future she only felt sick. Of course, that might have been the morning sickness. It was hard to keep the two feelings separate.
She'd never really been close with her classmates, but now she'd become more withdrawn that ever. The Slytherins seemed to prefer not to associate with her anymore than they had too, but Lily Evans was a different matter. Her movement was plateauing now that her mascots were missing in action.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Lily asked her. "Did someone do something to you. Because if they did—"
"No one did anything to me," Andromeda said, knowing she needed to cut Lily off before she really got going. That wasn't really true, Ted had done something to her and that was why they were in the mess, but it had been consensual. And it wasn't like Lily could do anything to change their circumstances.
Lily pursed her lips, seeming unconvinced, but when Andromeda didn't offer her anything else she could work with there wasn't much she could do.
Rita was another matter. She had that look like she wanted to speak to Andromeda, and Andromeda knew what that meant. To avoid being trapped in a bathroom like last time she'd taken to only going in the haunted girl's bathroom. The ghost had screamed at her the entire time to get out, but Andromeda didn't budge. Moaning Mrytle might be terrifying, but she was better than another conversation with Rita Skeeter.
She assumed Rita would have the same fear of Moaning Mrytle as everyone else, but when she heard that familiar tittering cough behind her, she knew she'd miscalculated, and now she was going to pay for it.
She glanced up from the sink, knots still forming in her stomach at the sight of Rita in the mirror behind her. Rita smirked and waved. Andromeda didn't bother to return the gesture. She didn't hesitate. She made a beeline for the door.
"I noticed you and Ted have been spending less time together," Rita called, but Andromeda ignored her as she grabbed the door handle.
"Is that because he found out you've been meeting with Rabastan?"
Andromeda's hand froze on the door, and then she slammed it shut with a resounding clang. Her heart pounding in her chest.
"Excuse you!" Moaning Myrtle seethed, peering out from around her favorite stall. "Do I come into your house and start slamming doors?"
Andromeda ignored her as she turned to face Rita. Too late, she realized she should have denied it, but Rita's revelation had taken her off-guard.
"Oh," Rita said in surprise, while her eyes danced. "He still doesn't know? Something else caused the rift between you two then. I wonder what it could be?"
Maybe it was because Rita had finally pressed her last nerve, or maybe it was her raging hormones. Andormeda wasn't sure, all she knew was her wand was out, and Rita's hands were flying to her throat as she struggled to breathe.
"You tell anyone about Rabastan," Andromeda hissed, "And I'll make sure you never open that fat mouth of yours again."
Rita's eyes flashed, but she couldn't say much on account of her restricted airwaves. Finally she nodded. Her eyes widened when Andromeda still didn't release her. It was only when she started to turn purple that Andromeda lowered her wand.
Rita fell to the floor, gasping and massaging her throat. When she looked up, her eyes were like daggers. "I wasn't planning on telling anyone!"
Andromeda scoffed. "Really? You? You were planning on keeping your mouth closed?"
Rita practically bared her teeth. "I'm not an idiot. I know what would happen to Rabastan if anyone found out he was still in contact with you."
Andromeda narrowed her eyes. She didn't believe her, but it was the first time Rita had spoken to her without that sadistic sneer on her face.
"Then what do you want?" Andromeda asked.
And just like that, the sneer returned. "You know, you play at being such a good little girl, Andromeda, but I know you're not…" she stepped closer as her voice dropped to a deadly whisper. "And if you don't stop dragging Rabastan around like your personal plaything, I'll expose you for the fraud you are."
Andromeda blinked. Whatever she'd expected to come out of Rita's mouth, it hadn't been that. For a moment, she saw the real Rita. Not the gossipmonger or shallow, self-absorbed prat the whole world knew her as— but as someone who would burn down the world to get what she wanted. Someone dangerous.
The moment vanished. Rita patted Andromeda's shoulder. "You should really watch that posture of yours. You're going to have a crooked back when you grow up."
And then she left Andromeda alone in the bathroom.
"Who's Rabastan?" said a loud voice in her ear, causing Andromeda to jump with fright.
Moaning Mrtyle hovered next to her, her curiosity seeming to make her momentarily forget her eternal misery.
"He's…" she struggled to find the words. "He's my friend."
"The mean blond one doesn't seem to think so," Myrtle sniffed.
"Yeah, well, she…" Andromeda wasn't even sure why she was having this conversation with Moaning Myrtle. Except that it seemed rude to ignore her after Andromeda had invaded her space. "She doesn't know what friendship is."
"I don't think so," Myrtle said. "I think she's jealous."
Andromeda glanced at Moaning Myrtle, but the ghost seemed lost in thought.
"Is she right about you?" Myrtle asked. "Are you a bad person?"
No one had ever asked her that before, especially not someone like Moaning Myrtle. Normally she would have been able to brush off anything Rita said, but not this time. This time was different.
"I don't know," she said dryly. "What do you think?"
Myrtle stared at her intently, like she could see right through Andromeda. Though she was a ghost so maybe she could. "I think you're scary," Myrtle said finally. "Thanks to you, I almost got the blond girl as a roommate."
And on that chilling note, Myrtle floated back into her stall and disappeared with a resounding wail.
Andromeda wasn't sure whether to feel bad Mrytle lived in a toilet, or jealous Myrtle had somewhere to hide from this insanity. She decided to leave the bathroom before she figured out the answer to that question.
As much as she didn't want to, her mind went over what Rita said. Was Myrtle right, and Rita was jealous? Rita had hinted at something happening between her and Rabastan in the past, but Andromeda hadn't thought Rita capable of loving anyone besides herself. Maybe she was wrong. It wouldn't be the first time.
Thinking of Rabastan sent a painful pang through her body. If she hadn't been so floored she would have told Rita she had nothing to worry about. Even though she shouldn't, she missed him. She hadn't seen him since…
Her stomach dropped. Since he'd warned her about her sister. With all her fears about the pregnancy, she'd completely forgotten. She needed to find Regulus. Now.
She made her way to the common room. Regulus tended to spend his Saturday's avoiding his brother, who was prone to tormenting him. The safest place from the Marauders was the only place they avoided like the plague. Snake Central, as Potter liked to call it. Granted, Andromeda herself preferred to avoid the common room, but there was no time for that now.
She had almost reached the door when a voice said, "Andromeda!" She whirled around just as Ted came rushing up to her.
"Hey," she said, smiling slightly before she asked, "What are you doing here?"
Ted's face flushed. "I just… we haven't had any time together in a while."
He was right. She missed him too. But every time she saw him, all she could do was think about their impending child.
"I haven't made my decision," she said curtly, her eyes dancing nervously around. The corridor was mostly deserted, and the few Slytherins milling about avoided eye contact, like the sight of Andromeda and Ted standing together, not touching, was too repulsive for them.
"I know," Ted said quickly. "I just… I miss you." He tried to sound upbeat, but she could hear the dejection in his voice.
She reached a hand up to his cheek. She wanted nothing more than to forget all her worries and spend a blissful afternoon with the boy she loved, but she couldn't. She had already sacrificed so much for Ted, especially when it came to Narcissa. She couldn't do that now.
"I have something I must do," she said, "but I'll see you later, I promise." She stood on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek.
As she pulled away he nodded, and tried to smile, but she could see pain and uncertainty still lingering in his eyes as she slouched away.
She sighed. The stress of the pregnancy had put a rift between them, and blowing him off now wasn't helping either of them heal that rift. But they'd survived much worse than this. She had to believe she'd find a way to fix it. She needed to believe in something good right now, or she'd never get through the difficult times that lay ahead.