The Singer, Not the Song

The second Hogsmeade weekend of the year was a cold one, which couldn't have pleased Narcissa more. She had a lovely assortment of winter clothing that she was anxious to show off, something that the dress code at Hogwarts was not amenable to. She had put a great deal of thought into her outfit today, finally deciding on a striped velvet turtleneck and brown corduroy overalls, which seemed both cute and sensibly warm, though she had decided not to braid her hair, as Andromeda had suggested. She was, after all, thirteen - she could pay homage to her childhood, but she could not actually seem childish. It was a delicate line.

And after all this careful preparation, Narcissa was justifiably annoyed to be ushered into the Three Broomsticks pub by her sisters directly after getting to Hogsmeade. Nobody would be able to see her and appreciate her cuteness in a pub.

"What are we doing here?" she complained after they were seated and had gotten their drinks. "I thought we were going to meet up with the boys. This is awfully dull." When devoid of boys, everything was dull to Narcissa.

"We are going to meet up with them," Bellatrix said, as patiently as possible. "They're going to meet us here in about a quarter of an hour."

Narcissa frowned down at her napkin. "Well, can't we go shopping, then?"

Andromeda was scandalized. "For fifteen minutes? Are you insane - what would we get, a scarf?"

"But this is boring," Narcissa whined, carefully tearing her napkin along one of the folds.

"There's supposed to be a band playing," Andromeda reminded her, waving the bright magenta flyer at her. "From our school, even."

Narcissa scowled. "I bet they're awful."

"If you're so determined to be negative about everything, maybe you should go run and play with your little girlfriends - "

"Maybe I will - they're certainly much nicer than either of you, making me sit around here like a lump - "

"Shut up, they're setting up!" Andromeda snapped. Narcissa forgot her anger and leaned over to get a better view of the makeshift stage, an area where the tables had been moved aside to make room for the band.

"Ooh!" She whispered, delighted. "Look at that boy with the long hair!"

"I see him, I see him!"

"Does he go to Hogwarts? What House is he in?" Bellatrix asked, staring. Andromeda was staring as well, her jaw hanging open inelegantly, but Narcissa had fallen in love with him.

The young man was middling to tall, with a shoulder-length reddish brown shag cut and mournful doe eyes that told Narcissa he understood all the deep concerns of her heart and wanted to console her right then and there. And even though he was dressed in a wrinkled lime green shirt with a patchy plaid vest over it and a black jacket tied around his waist, looking for all the world like some sort of street person, Narcissa was fully prepared to let him.

She was vaguely aware of Andromeda leaning over to Bellatrix and whispering something in her ear, then of the sounds of giggles. She turned back to look and saw them both staring at the boy.

The crowd was beginning to get rowdy and she noticed for the first time that it was almost entirely female. Flocks of girls would crowded around the sad little stage area, giggling and chattering. She heard someone cry out 'I love you, Ted!' and her heart turned to ice. Who was that harlot who spoke so brazenly to the long-haired boy?

Then all at once the Slytherin boys were upon them, talking loudly and boisterously. Alarmed by the sudden infusion of testosterone, the girls shrank back slightly.

"Hello there, ladies - miss us?" Lucius asked, leaning toward Andromeda and twirling a lock of her hair around his finger. Bellatrix wrinkled her nose and turned away.

Without taking her eyes off the red-haired boy, Andromeda asked, "Who is that?"

The boys followed her finger and uniformly glared at the stage. An undercurrent of disgruntled mutterings passed through them.

"Tonks," Lestrange said scornfully.

"Ted Tonks," Malfoy added, sneering.

"He goes to Hogwarts, doesn't he? What's his House?" Narcissa asked.

Malfoy smiled at her nastily. "Well, let's see. He's in Hufflepuff, and - "

"He's a mudblood," Lestrange finished hurriedly, in a tone of indecent excitement.

There was a moment of shocked silence. The boys stared at them eagerly, waiting for their response.

"No!" Narcissa cried out, a touch too loudly. "I won't believe it!"

"You're just making things up to be mean," Andromeda accused, getting her breath back.

"Yes - you're just saying that because you're jealous of how good-looking he is," Narcissa added.

"Good-looking! Him!" Malfoy said indignantly. "Why, he's a mudblood Hufflepuff!"

"He's a terrible dresser," Lestrange whined.

"He looks like he doesn't bathe," Rosier added.

Andromeda did not seem to have taken in a word they were saying. "You're just jealous," she said again, craning her neck to get a better view of the stage. "You're making up silly stories because you're ... silly, jealous boys. Oh. Ted, you said his name was?"

"Well - believe what you like, then," Malfoy said, trying to seem cool and indifferent. He was seething with hatred on the inside. He was better than Tonks in every sense of the word and yet these girls were sitting here mooning over that worthless nobody.

Narcissa was deeply saddened. She had loved Ted; she had given him her heart and this was how he treated her - he was in the dunce House with a bad bloodline besides. She regarded this as a tragedy and an unforgivable breach of her trust, and would never quite forgive Ted.

Andromeda, for her part, was not particularly sad and was, in fact, mostly undismayed. Cute boys were cute boys, she reasoned, and ones as cute as Ted didn't come along too often. If her sisters wanted to drop out of the running just because they didn't like his pedigree, more power to them, and less competition for her.

Not that that meant there was any shortage of competition. Andromeda surveyed the room speculatively, eyeing the sighing, giggling gaggle of girls with a measure of distaste. She was relieved to find that she was prettier, classier, and better dressed than all but one or two. Mona LaBelle, a fifth year Ravenclaw, and Cassandra Yost, a sixth year Gryffindor, could give her a run for her money, but she wasn't all that worried. She had shiny hair and the Black name on her side. Not to mention, she had worn her nicest, satiniest, cleavagiest top today - in the hopes of impressing Lucius, but no matter. Andromeda smiled, confident now. Ted was practically hers already. She watched him trip over something onstage, dart a quick look up as a gasp of concern rose from the crowd of girls, and offer them a tiny, sheepish smile as he righted himself. Andromeda's heart turned over.

It was about this time that, nearly an hour after the band was supposed to have begun, Ted took the center stage. The gaggle of girls screamed ecstatically and Andromeda was a heartbeat away from joining them. Narcissa's face was the picture of disappointment - Rosier and Lestrange had a quick, silent battle over which would get to comfort her. Rosier won, and slipped an arm around her shoulders. She slapped him away.

Andromeda was aware of none of this. She heard only Ted, as he spoke in a low, mumbling voice, "H'lo, we're the Paisley Band and we'll be playing for you today." Andromeda could not quite make out the name, but she had a flier announcing the band on the table in front of her.

"We love you, Ted!" shrieked the girls, swooning. Malfoy looked like he had just swallowed a lemon. The other boys were similarly disgruntled.

"What a ridiculous name," Lestrange snapped.

"I like it," said Narcissa sulkily, pouting. She wondered what Ted would have thought of her outfit.

"Only idiots would have that name," Malfoy added.

"Only jerks call people idiots," Narcissa said succinctly. No one seemed quite sure how to respond to that, except Rosier, who said:

"What a fucking fairy."

They were saved from further argument by the band beginning to play. The gaggle of girls quieted instantly, though the odd squeal still issued from the group.

When I get older, losing my hair

Many years from now

Will you still be sending me a valentine

Birthday greeting, bottle of wine?

Ted sang in the same low, mumbling voice that he spoke in, and the rest of the band seemed to play along the same lines. The song was a confused, off-tempo, muddling cacophony of piano, drums, and guitar, with the mumbling vocals thrown haphazardly over the top. Andromeda thought it was the most beautiful music she had ever heard.

"This song is so sweet," cooed Narcissa, who despite renouncing her One True Love in her brain, had not yet been able to successfully transmit the message to her heart.

"It's muggle music!" Lucius snarled, goaded beyond all reason. "Lousy, awful muggle music! Not to mention that this is one of the worst bands I've ever heard! You can barely understand what they're singing!"

Narcissa gave him a look to incinerate stone. "I think they're excellent," she said frigidly. "I can understand every word." This wasn't actually true - Narcissa could make out about half the words, if that - but she knew what they were singing about, anyway, and that was what mattered and what were lyrics if the music was good?

Lucius looked at her and said in a slow, clear voice, "They're rubbish."

"And Tonks is a ponce," Roier added viciously, slamming his butterbeer down for emphasis. Lestrange did likewise but ended up slopping it all down the front of his robes.

Send me a postcard, drop me a line

Stating point of view

Indicate precisely what you mean to say

Yours sincerely, wasting away

Give me your answer, fill in a form,

Mine forevermore,

Will you still need me, will you still feed me

When I'm sixty-four

The song ended and massive cheer went up from the almost entirely female audience. Andromeda couldn't hold herself back - she clapped until her hands hurt, and so did Narcissa. Bellatrix looked annoyed, though she had clapped too, if not as enthusiastically.

"They weren't that good."

"Yes they were," said Narcissa in a firm voice.

Andromeda said simply, "Ted's quite fit."

Bellatrix was not dissuaded. "The band was awful."

"Ted's awfully fit," Andromeda pointed out.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes. Narcissa sighed, looking lovelorn as they started into their next song - a crowd favorite, judging by the girls' enthusiastic shrieks and squeals. Or maybe they just liked the way Ted stood slouching with his hands jammed in his pockets. Andromeda certainly did.

Everywhere you want I always go

I always give in because, babe, you know

You just say so cause you give me that

Feeling inside that I know must be right

It’s the singer not the song

"This is crap. We should leave," said Lestrange, somewhat hopefully. Rosier muttered in agreement. Narcissa and Andromeda ignored them, but Bellatrix stood up.

"What?" Narcissa cried, betrayed.

"Oh, be quiet, I'm just going to get a drink," Bellatrix snapped.

"I'll go with you!" Lestrange said eagerly.

"No, me!" protested Rosier.

Malfoy just gave her a slinky smile. Bellatrix ignored them and walked off.

The band played another three songs, two of which were originally done by wizard bands, to Narcissa and Bellatrix's approval (the boys agreed that it didn't matter if they played 'decent music,' the lead singer was still a mudblood) and then began to pack up. The others wanted to leave and Andromeda waved them on, saying she would catch up with them later. Lestrange tried to stay, but she shooed him off. She wanted to see the post-show proceedings - namely, Ted's.

Unfortunately, she didn't get the chance. When she turned back to the stage after the others were gone, Ted was nowhere in sight, and the gaggle of girls were swarming the other bandmembers, who had actually gotten the oppurtunity to talk to Ted and breathe the same air as Ted. Andromeda was not quite so desperate - the band seemed to be a grungy, bad-tempered lot, and when a group of her Ravenclaw friends came up to her she stayed and chatted with them, then other groups of friends or boyfriends who came and went. Andromeda had a wide circle of friends - her vibrant personality lent itself to a sociable and friendly demeanor. She had an easy manner with people and with herself, the easy confidence of one who was comfortable in her own skin, and it was this, perhaps, that had made Ted Tonks notice her when he was performing at the pub.

Ted ordinarily did not take a great deal of notice of the girls who came to see him perform. Although he was gratified by their interest, he found he was not terribly interested in them. This was one of the things Ted liked about the wizarding world - that he could afford to be disinterested. Among muggle girls, he was a sloppy, no-talent, directionless loser with bad taste in clothing, but the witch girls found his eccentricities charming. Although the muggle girls may have been a little more astute in their views of him, Ted felt inclined toward his adoring fans in the wizarding world.

He had noticed Andromeda around and knew her vaguely, though he knew that she did not know him. She was a fourth year Ravenclaw, two years below him, was the middle Black sister and was lusted after by nearly every warm-blooded male he knew. Several of his friends had dated her, which was not to say that they had overlapping social circles, but rather that Andromeda dated nearly every warm-blooded male. She had never taken much notice of him, and he not much of her.

He had not, in fact, even noticed her in the crowd until Habercom, the drummer, pointed out her table. Habercom had been pointing out Andromeda's older sister, Bellatrix - 'there's that bitch who got her prefect friend to give me detention the other day' - but Ted had seen Andromeda, with her auburn hair shining in the sunlight pouring in from a small window. She looked like a painting. He had thought about her through the rest of the performance, sneaking glances at her from behind his long hair, and was pleased when she stayed behind when her friends and sisters left.

After the set Ted left as quietly as possible, not wanting to be discovered either by the gaggle of girls or his bandmates, who would want him to help pack up. Ted had never yet stayed to pack up, and didn't intend to start now. He managed to avoid most of the girls, dissuading the odd one or two that found him with brief conversations and tentative kisses on the cheek, which invariably made them nearly hysterical with giggles. Ted did not understand their reaction but was vaguely gratified by it. He tried to extricate himself as quickly as possible.

He lounged around for about a half hour, wandering Hogsmeade, not really browsing. He knew he would run into Andromeda eventually, and he did, as she was coming out of Gladrags carrying a heavy-looking bag and chattering to her little sister Narcissa and a group of boys. Narcissa caught sight of him first.

"Oh-h!" she said, a bit stunned. She looked down at her shoes, flushing faintly.

"Hi!" said Andromeda, more coherently. "I just - we - I loved the concert today. Really great," she said, smiling, looking a bit dazzled. He felt the other boys, who he vaguely recognized as Slytherins, some in his year, glaring at him and ignored them.

"Thanks," Ted mumbled to Andromeda, then, indicating her bag: "Can I help you with that?"

"Oh! Oh, sure," she said, a little flustered, grinning shyly. She cast a pointed look at Narcissa, who was sulking next to a tall, skinny boy with dark blonde hair.

Narcissa rolled her eyes at Andromeda and gave a very put-upon sigh.

"I feel so sad," she said pointedly, aiming this in the general direction of the boys. "I don't think anything in the world could make me happy again."

The boys took up the challenge with gusto. "Not even that purple dragonskin handbag in Gladrags?" A boy named Malfoy asked, smiling in a way that made Ted want to puke.

Narcissa only sighed morosely.

"What about if I do your homework for the next week?" The skinny blonde boy asked eagerly.

"What about that new Hephaestus Rollers record?" The ever-intolerable Evan Rosier demanded.

"What if . . . what if . . . I got you something better?"

"Shut up, Lestrange, she doesn't want anything from you - "

"Of course she does, why wouldn't she, it's you she can't stand - "

"Oh, boys, don't fight," Narcissa simpered, waving a hand at them. Andromeda tugged Ted away gently by his sleeve.

"What about . . ."

"What if I . . ."

Andromeda smiled over at the rabble benignly. "They're so thoughtful."

Ted had another word for it, but he didn't want to talk about the Black girls' admirers right now. "Yeah."

Andromeda looked over at him apprasingly, almost coyly. He liked the way she looked up at him through her lashes. He noticed that he was quite a bit taller than her.

"So," he said, mumblingly. "I'm Ted."

"I'm Andromeda."

"Nice to meet you."

"You, too."

He liked the way the wind was tossing her hair back from her shoulders, giving him a clear look at her pale, heart-shaped face and bright hazel eyes. She was smiling, a tiny, amused smile, gazing up at him with her head tilted to one side. He was mesmerized.

"So," he said again, trying to collect his thoughts, feeling like he was in the eye of a storm. "Wanna getta drink?"

She only nodded, still smiling. He extended his arm, and she took it, and together they walked back to The Three Broomsticks.