Forbidden Fate

Chapter Fourteen: The Fight

Classes started up again, same as always, only now they were made ten times harder by the ridiculous standards for NEWT-level classes. To no one's surprise, Ted and Andromeda were put into NEWT Potions. Ted loved it--Andromeda hated it.

To Ted, the only good thing about working so hard was that he didn't have to spend time with Kirley and Talia. Ted wished he had never told his friend about the Room of Requirement. He and his girlfriend were spending a suspicious amount of time there.

Talia even sucked the life out of Hogsmeade weekends. She and Kirley would frolic arm in arm down the streets while Ted and Alice tagged along behind like annoying chaperones.

Alice Macmillan was Talia's best friend, a plump, round-faced, fifth year Hufflepuff girl with curly blonde hair. She actually wasn't too bad to hang around with, and Ted appreciated that she could always find something to laugh and be cheerful about.

But by Halloween, the situation was at its breaking point. Andromeda already cancelled their rendezvous at the Shrieking Shack, a creepy old house that the townspeople said ghosts haunted.

"I'm sorry, but I can't miss my parents' Masquerade Ball," she told him as they lounged on a couch in their favorite room. "It's tradition for me to be there, they say. In other words, they're forcing me."

"So...when do I get my invitation?" Ted said lightly.

Andromeda didn't laugh. "You know there's no way you could go. Haven't we gone over this before?"

"But we'll all be masked, so I won't be recognized--"

"No, Ted. It's still too dangerous--"

"What, will they be carrying around Muggle-born--sorry, I mean 'Mudblood' detectors?"

"Don't say that word!" she hissed. "What's gotten into you?"

Ted felt bad immediately. "I'm sorry, Meda. I don't know why I'm making such a big deal over this. I'll just spend the day with Kirley."

Andromeda sighed and concern replaced anger on her face. "For some reason you don't sound too thrilled about that." Shrewdly, she guessed, "Does it have to do with Talia?"

Ted told her how he felt. When he finished, Andromeda told him, "You should talk with Kirley about this, not just me. Get over any fears you have with that."

"I'll do that," thought Ted. "I'll tell him exactly how I feel."

Later that night, Ted met up with them by Madam Puddifoot's, a place Talia insisted on going to.

"Wotcher, Ted," Kirley said. Ted grunted in reply.

"Shall we go in?" Talia gestured.

Inside it was decorated with smaltzy jack-o-lanterns and glowing bats. They squeezed into a booth, Ted and Alice on one side and Kirley and Talia on the other.

"Well, this is festive," Alice said, in a vain attempt the clear the awkward silence. "Happy Halloween, everyone."

They lifted up their butterbeers. Ted wanted to tell Kirley about Andromeda, but of course he had to do it in private. But Kirley didn't seem to care why Ted was with them at all. He knew enough not to blurt out something stupid like, "Why aren't you with Andromeda?" but Ted thought he would show some interest at least. Perhaps he could try talking in code.

"Oh, look, there's a black cat," Ted blurted. "She has to wear a mask tonight."

Blank stares. Talia asked, "Did you say something about a cat wearing a mask?"

"What?" Ted asked, temper rising. "Can't I even make a comment anymore?"

"C'mon mate," Kirley said uneasily. "It was an odd thing to say."

"It shouldn't be, Kirley. Not if you'd been paying attention to my life. Not if you cared at all about what's going on in my life. But you don't, do you? You're too busy with your stupid girlfriend!"

By now the shop was silent, and everyone had twisted around to stare at them.

"I don't get why you want to hang around with Talia all of a sudden. What's so great about her? And do you know what? Did it ever occur to you that I'm only here tonight because I can't be with the person I really want? And do you know why that is? Do you?"

He panted, tying to control himself. Kirley and Alice were horrorstruck. Talia bit her lip like she was going to cry, and ran out. Kirley turned from her to Ted, and then ran out after her.

Ted and Alice sat in silence as everyone else went back to chatting--no doubt gossiping about them.

Madam Puddifoot came by. "Do you two...need anything?"

"We're fine," answered Alice. When Madam Puddifoot scrambled away, she turned to Ted.

"If you can talk sensibly about this, then I want to know what's going on. If not, then we might as well both leave."

"Yeah, let's leave," he said. "We can talk on the way."

Outside, Ted told Alice, "Look, I wasn't yelling at you. It's not your fault. It doesn't concern you at all really."

"Oh, really? Somehow your being best friends with Kirley is different from my being best friends with Talia?"

"Oh," he said. "So what do you think about this whole thing? Don't they make you sick?"

"Why should they? I like them both, and up until five minutes ago I liked you too. Why shouldn't I want my friends to be happy?"

"I hope you'll rethink being friends with me. I...wasn't at my best in there."

She smiled slightly. "I figured." She added quietly: "They do like each other. A lot."

"I know. That's the whole problem." Ted finally forced himself to say, "I was...jealous, plain and simple."

"I'm probably being utterly rude right now, but...there isn't anyone for you?"

"No, there is. That's the whole problem." Then, to get off the subject of Andromeda, he added, "What about you?"

She blushed, and her round face turned pink. "Same with me. Well, if he ever notices me as more than a friend. I doubt that will ever happen."

"Not to pry, but who?"

She blushed red. "Frank Longbottom. He's a fifth year too, only in Gryffindor. I bumped into him in the hall a few weeks ago--literally--and now we've met a couple of times."

Ted vaguely knew Frank as a popular, talented student that the teachers were touting to be an Auror.

"I'm sure things will be right between the two of you," Ted reassured her. "And here's a hint: Ask him to be in a study group with you. Trust me. It works."

"All right, I'll try it." Alice looked straight at him. "Now you trust me on this: You have to talk with Talia and Kirley. Promise?"

He promised, and they went their separate ways.