Forbidden Fate

Chapter Twelve: The Beginning of the End

"Hurry up, Meda! We don't want to miss the train!"

Sirius practically dragged his older cousin through the platform, ahead of everyone else in the family.

"You're not a bit excited about coming to Hogwarts, are you?" Andromeda teased.

"Anything's better than Grimmauld Place," he said. "Even if I will have to spend the next seven years rooming with Wilkes, Rosier, and Snape."

He made a face. His parents had already introduced him to some boys in his year that would most likely be in Slytherin. They all detested Sirius; he felt the same way about them.

"Well, you could always escape to the dungeon--I mean, common room."

Sirius gave her his "you're not helping" look. Andromeda put her arm around him.

"Cheer up. Perhaps you won't even be in Slytherin."

He gave a bitter laugh. "Sure! Like that would ever happen. The Sorting Hat has a default mode when it comes to our family."

"The Sorting Hat can be manipulated," she assured him. "Just don't do what I did, and sit there letting it all happen. Convince the Hat you belong somewhere else."

Sirius mumbled something doubtfully.

"Your parents would be furious," she added. Sirius grinned at that.

Then he was almost knocked to the ground as his brother barreled into him. Regulus' lower lip was quivering in a pout and he had his arms across his chest.

"Don't leave, Sirius," he begged. "Please! It's not fair you get to go off and I'm stuck by myself with no one to play with."

Sirius tousled his brother's hair and hugged him. "I'm going to miss you, Reg, I really will. But in two years you'll be coming here yourself. Believe me, you'll be glad."

"Glad to see you, but not to leave Mother and Father."

Sirius and Andromeda exchanged a look and didn't respond. The rest of the family was meandering through the crowd, saying their goodbyes. Andromeda's aunt and uncle looked torn between being happy and anxious. Happy that their eldest son would be gone and out of their hair; anxious that he'd just get into more trouble at school and humiliate them.

Andromeda looked around the crowded platform for Ted. She gave up. It was no use trying to find him now. Her parents were busy with their favorite children and once again, she was pushed aside.

Her mother was buttering up Bella. "You look so beautiful, with that hair of yours. Now that you're a Prefect, the boys will be lining up for you."

"They've been lining up for me for years, Mother," Bella drawled.

Near by, her father was trying to hug Narcissa, who, now that she was a "teenager", had developed an aversion to public displays of affection from her parents.

"Andromeda, come say goodbye to me," her mother ordered a few minutes later. Adhara Black planted a cold kiss on her daughter's cheek. "Stay out of trouble this year."

"I've always stayed out of trouble," Andromeda protested.

"I know, I know, but I also know that it's all a façade. I feel as though the moment we turn our backs you start mocking us."

"You deserve to me mocked," she thought rebelliously, but only put her head down.

"We're all proud of you, you know. You passed your Apparition tests only two weeks after turning seventeen. That's something."

Andromeda felt more and more guilty hearing this unexpected praise. Then, as always, her mother ruined it.

"You're not completely worthless, I suppose. Now, go speak with your father."

Arcturus Black gave her a much warmer hug. Not one to use niceties, he didn't say "have a good term" or "we'll miss you." Instead he gave her a calculating look.

"You're a puzzlement, Andromeda Black. Just like my brother Alphard."

She smiled--being compared to her favorite uncle was a good thing.

"I never understood you," he went on, "And I don't think I ever will. But for better or worse, you're grown up now. And it only took you seventeen years to do it!"

He cleared his throat and put his hands on her shoulders. "You may not keep up with politics, but I do. With what's going on in the world now...I wanted to say..." He trailed off.

"Father, I'm not leaving forever. A lot can change in a year. How about we talk then? This isn't the last time we'll see each other!"

Tilting his head to one side, he smiled crookedly. "Yes, I think it is." He kissed her gently on her forehead. "Goodbye, Andromeda. I wish you the best."

She stayed rooted to her spot, oblivious to the world around her, until Sirius interrupted.

"That was cryptic," he said dryly.

Andromeda threw him a dirty look. She grabbed his hand and they boarded the train together, after giving Regulus one last hug.

Her cousin tried to behave around her Slytherin friends in their compartment--for about five minutes. As soon as the train rumbled into action, he asked if he could go find the food cart. Against her better judgment, Andromeda agreed.

~~~

Ted lodged his trunk above his head in his own compartment, an empty one at the very back of the train. He would have preferred to be more social, but Kirley wanted someplace private so he and his girlfriend, Talia Saari, could cuddle up together. Ted sighed. Life was so simple back when they didn't have girlfriends. Over the summer, trapped in a Muggle apartment, he pined for Andromeda.

The compartment door opened and Kirley and Talia came in, giggling and flustered. Ted sat and looked out the window, drumming his fingers on the windowsill as the two of them whispered sweet nothings to one another.

"Where was Andromeda?" Ted wondered. It wasn't fair that Kirley got to see Talia nearly every day over the summer, while Ted didn't get so much as a letter from an owl from Andromeda. It was part of their no-contact policy. For awhile he daydreamed about her until he couldn't take it anymore. He had to get some fresh air. Kirley and Talia would rather be alone, he told himself. Ted needed to be around people who didn't have hearts in their eyes.

"I'm going to get some food," he told them on his way out.

"Smashing," Kirley said. He had taken to speaking very posh whenever Talia was around. "Bring us back some Chocolate Frogs, will you?"

"They're my favorite," added Talia.

Ted nodded. Walking down the corridor, he didn't recognize anyone. Being a seventh year wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. Everywhere he looked he saw new faces, or heard last names he knew but first names he didn't recognize. He was trying to plod through a crowd of first years when he nearly smashed into a redheaded girl wearing a striped jumper.

"Sorry," he said. Then, "Is anything wrong?"

The girl had her wand out and looked furious. A blonde haired girl behind her was trying not to laugh.

"Ugh," the redhead said, "I just had a run in with the most obnoxious boy imaginable. What's it to you, anyway?"

"I'm Ted Tonks, a Prefect. And--" He took an educated guess. "I'm also Muggle born."

She immediately brightened. "I come from a Muggle family, too! I'm Lily Evans. And, though some may think differently, I do know about Quidditch!"

She glared at the girl behind her, who rolled her eyes. "Oh come on, Lily! Just because someone's bragging that they got a Nimbus 1000 doesn't mean you have to remind them that they can't use it!"

"Well that's the truth, isn't it, Dorcas? He's only a first year!"

"Wait a minute," Ted cut in. "Are you saying a first year has a Nimbus 1000? He probably was pulling your legs. That's the broom professionals use, and it costs more galleons than I'll ever make."

"I know that!" snapped Dorcas. "He had pictures of him riding it!"

Lily was blushing red from embarrassment. "Maybe I don't know about brooms because I'm Muggleborn. And maybe I shouldn't have made that crack about his hair. He seemed sensitive about it."

Ted tried to smile encouragingly at her. "It'll get better, I promise. Friends and enemies aren't made on this first train ride, or at least they weren't seven years ago. You may get to know him better, especially if he's in your house."

Lily looked horrified. Dorcas laughed and said, "I hope he is. I would love to be on the Quidditch team with him!"

Now that Ted had done his duty as a Prefect (where was Derrick, the Head Boy?), he was anxious to find Andromeda. He hadn't descended low enough to be chatting up first years for fun!

"Er, I've got to go," he told them. "See you at the Sorting ceremony...and good luck!"

They waved and Ted went on.

As he got to the end of the corridor, he saw a group or first year boys all talking excitedly and looking at a picture. Oh no. The Nimbus 1000 boy. Ted tried to make his way through, difficult when he was at least two heads taller than everyone around him.

He turned back when he heard a voice say, "I bet it's not even real!"

The crowd quieted as everyone faced a handsome, black haired boy. His features were unmistakable. This had to be Sirius Black, the cousin Andromeda told him so much about.

A boy with extremely messy hair and glasses came up to him. "I'm not a liar! I truly did get a Nimbus 1000 for my birthday. Even ask my parents!"

"And who would they be?" Sirius replied.

"Don't you know? I'm James Potter."

Sirius's eyes widened in shock. "Well, I'm--"

"Sirius!" Ted called, and pulled him out of the crowd. The Potter and Black families didn't along too well, to put it mildly. Ted didn't want to see any confrontation.

"Who are you?" questioned Sirius as Ted dragged him to the sweets cart. "And how do you know my name?"

Ted fumbled for a response. It never occurred to him that Andromeda wouldn't tell her cousin about him.

"I'm a a--friend of your cousin Andromeda's. You look a lot like her."

Sirius grinned. "Any friend of Andromeda's is all right by me! Why hasn't she told me about you?"

"Sirius!" a very familiar voice called out suddenly. "What's taking so long?"

And Ted and Andromeda came face to face. For a minute they just stared at each other, trying to regain composure.

Sirius, oblivious to the tension, said, "I've just been talking to your friend. Don't tell me you were worried!"

"So you've met Ted Tonks. And he's not only my friend; he's sort of...my boyfriend. And he's Muggleborn."

Ted had no idea how Sirius, the Black heir, would react to this. It was a complete shock when he said, "Wow, you should have told me, Andromeda. This is so cool! So how did you meet?"

"Long story." Andromeda grinned. "I'd tell you, but..."

Ted finished, "I've got to go, Sirius. We'll talk later."

Andromeda brushed his hand as he left, smiling. He felt better than he had in weeks. As he passed three first years plotting with their heads together, he knew one thing was for certain.

This was going to be an interesting year.