Forbidden Fate

Chapter Two: First Tutoring Session

Andromeda followed Fenwick's nearly illegible directions on the parchment up to the eighth floor. She turned down a long corridor and walked straight to the end of it. There wasn't a door. She retraced her steps in confusion, but all she saw on one side of the corridor was blank wall--the other, a silly tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy teaching trolls to do pirouettes.

What kind of sick joke was Fenwick trying to pull?

She took off at alarming speed back the other way, and then stopped dead.

A boy had just rounded the hall, coming towards her. For a minute they stood transfixed, staring at the other as if they were from different species.

Finally Edward Tonks said, "You must be Andromeda Black."

"You must be Edward Tonks."

"It's Ted. You must have a nickname too, right?"

"Of course not!" Her name, like that of almost everyone in her family, came from the stars. She would never want to change it.

Despite the awkwardness, Ted smiled and held out his hand. "Nice to meet you properly," he said. "I've seen you at Prefect meetings, but we've never really met."

There was the slightest trace of a challenge in his voice. Andromeda took his hand and shook it firmly. By now Ted realized they were standing in an empty corridor.

"Er...did we take a wrong turn?"

"Both of us take the same wrong turn? Unlikely. Fenwick wrote the directions incorrectly. It's doubtful he can even read his own handwriting."

"Chicken scratch," said Ted, pacing in thought.

Andromeda restrained herself from saying, "Pardon?" It was probably some obscure Muggle phrase. She began pacing herself, hoping no one would find them.

"Let's see...I was a little skeptical of his directions. Shouldn't we be in the dungeons for Potions? We need ingredients, equipment, cauldrons, not to mention books and quills. So why--?"

Andromeda's gasp cut him off. A shiny, glimmering door appeared on the blank wall.

"Should--should we try it?" she whispered. She didn't want to risk anyone seeing her with him a second longer.

Ted nodded and turned the handle. They stepped into a large, brightly- lit room oddly reminiscent of the dungeons. Most amazing were the walls of books, tables of parchment and quills, two cauldrons, and all the ingredients they'd need.

"Gotta hand it to him. How'd Fenwick pull this off?"

"He didn't. It's magic. It must be the Come and Go Room."

"Come again?"

"The Room of Requirement!" Didn't he know anything? Uncle Alphard talked about this room often enough, and he was the only uncle she had worth listening to. "I understand it now. It gives you anything you need!"

"How clever of Fenwick," remarked Ted dryly. "It was nice of him not to give us instructions on how to get in."

"It's a secret," said Andromeda staunchly. "It should be kept that way."

They sat down at the table. It was already six twenty, so they only had two hours left.

"So what seems to be the problem with Potions?" asked Ted the tutor.

"Nothing. My parents just don't find my work 'acceptable', if you know what I mean. Besides, it's dull."

"What? Dull? There's plenty of neat things to do in Potions! Don't tell me you've never tried to brew up a love potion."

"Have you?"

Ted reddened, cleared his throat, and pulled out the book. "Let's...just get started. We should do the Draught of Peace, it'll be on the OWL's. Now, you have to remember to add the moonstone..."

An hour later, Andromeda's potion was a light silver vapor--perfect, according to Ted. It wasn't surprising she did so well. Ted was always helpful and patient.

"Want to try it?" he asked with a grin.

"I'd prefer not to be in a hazy stupor the rest of the night."

Ted shrugged. "It'll help you sleep."

"I don't need help sleeping!" Andromeda gathered up her books and said brusquely, "You go on ahead. I have to take this potion to Fenwick. I'll see you next week. Good night."

"G'night," he said, eyebrows raised. Andromeda waited a full ten minutes until he was out of sight before she left, just to make sure he was in the Hufflepuff common room. As she entered the corridor, the door to the Room of Requirement disappeared.

"Ted's all right," she thought. "Considering who and what he is, he seems almost normal."

She had no idea that Ted, in his dormitory, was thinking the exact same thing about her.

~~~

Three days later, Ted hadn't seen a sign of Andromeda. It really wasn't fair that Hufflepuffs and Slytherins didn't have any classes together.

Kirley thought it was just as well, but then again he didn't believe it when Ted told him Andromeda wasn't too bad. Ted didn't tell his friend about the Room of Requirement. Strangely, he wanted it to be a special place between him and Andromeda. That's why he told Kirley to go on ahead after Potions class.

"Professor Fenwick, I need to speak with you."

Fenwick was gathering up sample potions. He carefully arranged them before he spoke.

"What is it, Tonks?"

"Er--the tutoring, you know..."

"No problems, were there?"

"No! Not at all. Just--you never told us how to get into the Room of Requirement."

Fenwick's head flipped up and he gave Ted a piercing stare. "Clever boy. You managed to figure it out without my help, hmm? No point in explaining anything now. Do try your best to keep it a secret."

"Right. Of course." Ted backed out of the dungeon classroom more confused than ever. Fenwick was immersed in his work; Ted took this as a "goodbye" and fled down the hall.

He was rushing along so fast that he skidded to a halt when he saw her.

"Wotcher, Andromeda!" he said cheerfully. Mistaking the reason why her eyes widened in shock, he added, "That's just something my prat friend Kirley says. Hello, in other words."

As he paused for breath he noticed two girls standing next to Andromeda. Ted offered them a half-hearted wave and got cold silence in return.

"Do you know him, Meda?" asked the youngest, a blonde.

"Why--why should I?" Andromeda said. "He's probably one of my pathetic admirers. Too bad I would never give him a moment's notice." She tossed her hair flippantly, but her hands shook and her face was chalk white.

The other girl with thick black hair--it could only be Andromeda's sister, they looked so much alike--sneered.

"You heard her. Move along, Mudblood." The crowd around them joined in mocking laughter. Ted didn't look back to see if Andromeda was amused as well.

He walked out of there with as much dignity as he could muster, resisting the urge to curse a certain someone.

What Andromeda had to endure in the next week was, in her opinion, far more painful than Ted's one-minute rejection. Her sister Bellatrix was more adamant than ever in her quest to "force all those dirty Mudbloods out of Hogwarts and back to where they belong." She had a large following in Slytherin, too. All the decent Slytherins, such as Andromeda and her friend Derrick Avery, stayed out of the common room. Bellatrix always forced Narcissa to come to her rallies. As a first year, Cissa didn't know any better and she adored her older sisters. Derrick was worried about his younger brother who was also running around with Bellatrix.

Andromeda had her own worries. When Friday rolled around, she debated with herself on whether or not she dared show her face to Ted after what she did to him. She didn't tell anyone her dilemma--not even Derrick--because, after all, being a "decent" Slytherin only goes so far.

She ended up going. It was partly Bella's bigoted whining that she could take no longer, partly her own guilty conscience ("Coward! Coward!" her head was saying), but it was mostly because Ted deserved an apology. And more importantly, a warning.

If he showed up at all.

Andromeda made it up to the room in record time and went in. No Ted. She waited five minutes longer, watching the ticking hands on the clock that had just appeared. It was exactly six-o-clock when the doorknob turned and Ted stepped in.

He didn't look at all ready for tutoring; he looked more prepared for a duel.