The Shark Has Pretty Teeth

The Shark Has Pretty Teeth

Fifteen-year old Andromeda Black walked along the corridor of the third floor in Hogwarts, her Charms equipment in one hand. It was her fifth year at Hogwarts, and the OWL exams would start in the upcoming summer, now only a few months away. As Andromeda straightened her green and black Slytherin robes to look her best for the lesson, something scarlet bashed into her, knocking her and her things to the floor.

Andromeda Black was the middle child of the three pure-blood girls born to Cygnus and Druella Black, all expected to make respectable pure-blood marriages. Bellatrix, two years older than Andromeda with a dark complexion, talked about muggles as though they were filth, and loved to bully poor muggle-born witches and wizards attending Hogwarts. Bellatrix was known throughout the school for being a perfect Slytherin - she was Slytherin Prefect too, along with Rodolphus Lestrange. She was determined, evil, and clever, and respected her parent's views as though they were her own. Andromeda's younger sister, Narcissa, was two years younger than her. Unlike Bellatrix she looked delicate and fragile, with blonde hair and pale skin, which hardly ever turned the slightest pink. Narcissa was not very clever, and usually believed anything the girl's parents told her. While Bellatrix had her own views on muggles and ancestry, Narcissa usually recited Druella's thoughts on a topic if she was asked. And in the middle, now fifteen was Andromeda. Like every ideal member of the Black family should be, she was placed in Slytherin - the same as her sisters, parents, and any other person she could think of who was on the Black family tree. Andromeda wasn't clever like her elder sister, or beautiful like her younger sister. She had a slightly round face and sandy long hair, which she never tied up, and flowing freely around her face. Her round eyes were brown, and pretty large - she wasn't dark like her father and Bellatrix, and nor did she resemble her mother and Narcissa. Her mother often told her that she looked like her father's cousin, Cedrella. Cedrella was blasted off the family tree a long time ago for marrying a Weasley. Andromeda must have inherited Cedrella's spirit too, for she certainly didn't hate muggles, she had no reason to. Andromeda liked muggle-borns and half-blood witches and wizards too - although Bellatrix would always threaten to jinx her if she saw Andromeda talking to muggle-born students. Andromeda knew well that her family was against people who were not pure-blood, and also knew that she would soon be blasted off the family tree if she kept her 'wrong' opinions. Did she care? Well, if she was told to get out of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, she had nowhere to go.

"Sorry! Are you all right there?" came a voice from somewhere above her. Her head still spinning from the collision, she let herself be pulled up by a pair of strong hands. An older boy who had dark brown hair and blue eyes was standing beside Andromeda, his robes crumpled.

She looked at her belongings on the floor. An ink bottle, which had crashed to the floor, was in a thousand pieces, its contents running steadily on the floor. The ink had stained all of her spare pieces of parchment, and part of her textbooks. "Well, that was neat," she grumbled, waving her wand to clean up the mess. She temporarily praised herself for being able to perform household spells.

"Oh, I'm sorry," said the boy cheerfully, though he didn't look it. Andromeda realised that he had dropped a few pieces of parchment, and bent down to pick them up. On one piece was a doodle of a dark girl wearing green Slytherin robes. Andromeda suddenly recognized the girl, whose features were drawn excessively - her evilness was illustrated with a careful Dark Mark on her left arm, and her eyes were more than heavy-lidded. In addition, the doodle had been animated. The Dark Mark repeatedly tried to squirm out of her arm, but failed as the girl caught the snake between her long, thin fingers and slotted it back onto her arm.

Andromeda looked at the boy's robes. She realised that they were the flash of scarlet that she had seen before being knocked to the floor. "Bellatrix Black is my sister," she said shortly, handing the contemptuous drawing back its owner.

"Whoops, but she could be your girlfriend and it wouldn't make any difference to me," he said, shrugging, "she's a right pain in the neck. The way Black looks at me, she probably wants to use Crucio on me. Oh well, now she will, seeing as you'll blab to her about what I said. I should have kept my mouth shut."

"I don't blab," Andromeda said crossly, her temper rising, "and I think that Bellatrix will curse you sooner or later; you must be a muggle-born if she hates you so much."

The boy hung up his arms in mock surrender. 'OK, OK, I am a muggle-born wizard. Are you going to hate me now, Miss Black? I know all of the Black sisters do."

Andromeda silently cursed him. He was so annoying - and she was a good ten minutes late for her Charms class. "My name is Andromeda," she said, glaring at him, "and remember me as the only Black sister who doesn't hate muggles, muggle-borns, or half-bloods."

"Ted Tonks," he said, smiling pleasantly, his blue eyes shining. "And I'll probably remember you - Andromeda isn't as common as the average Mary, is it?"

Feeling that she would blast a blood vessel if she stood talking to him any longer, Andromeda stormed through the corridor, her sandy hair flowing out behind her and bobbing on her virescent school robes.

It was near midnight, and worn out by piles of homework, Andromeda walked down the back staircase to the Slytherin common room. She was only there because she had nowhere else to go except the library - the Slytherin common room was her second least favourite place in the world, the first being her house. Andromeda longed for the cosiness of Gryffindor tower, the welcoming Hufflepuff basement, and the beautiful Ravenclaw rooms...all of her friends told her again and again about their House rooms at Hogwarts, where Andromeda yearned to visit. Her school friends were all in other houses. No one in Slytherin at all, and her fellow Slytherin students were not the kind of people she wanted to be friends with - they wanted to be Death Eaters, they bullied muggle-born students, some of them even hated her for being friends with a Gryffindor. Andromeda stretched and settled herself on a damp green armchair. It was cold in the room even with a blazing fire. All of the other students had gone somewhere, probably hunting students they disliked, or maybe they were having a party in the 'Room of Requirement'. Andromeda didn't know much about it, but the others seemed to use that room a few times a week for 'Slytherin Discussions', which were held only for special Slytherin students who called themselves the Silver Snakes. Of course Andromeda was excluded. According to her sister, the room conveniently appeared when you really needed it. Andromeda wondered if this was true. Well, it had to be, or then where would the Silver Snakes hold their meetings and discussions? Maybe she could find it and use it for her own room! Andromeda sprung up and darted out of the common room, the new light of hope growing inside her. She could invite her friends too, the only time when they could meet her was during lessons...it was perfect. She would make it just like the other common rooms, only better, and then her whole Hogwarts life would definitely brighten up. She ran up the steep Hogwart's staircases quickly, lighting her wand for it was too dark to see clearly. Yes, it would be brilliant. Why hadn't she thought of that before? Andromeda reached the third floor, where she had met Ted earlier that day. The Room of Requirement would be tremendous.

Suddenly, there was a sound of footsteps and a small purring noise. Apollyon Pringle, and his overweight cat Nora! Andromeda quickly looked around before extinguishing her wand. The elderly caretaker, who could be seen by hid dimly lit lamp, was at the top of the stairs on the fourth floor, and Andromeda was halfway up the staircase. There was no way except run. But Nora was quick for her weight, and Andromeda couldn't go any quieter down the steps - she was quite clumsy. She saw the lamp coming nearer and nearer. What should she do? Oh why was she stupid enough to go looking for the Room of Requirement in the middle of the night?

Andromeda descended the stairs backwards as silently as she could. If she were caught, she would be given detention, and points would be taken off Slytherin. Bellatrix would be furious! Shivering a little from fear, she bit her lip as she cautiously continued down the stairs. "I know you're out there..." Pringle called softly, and Andromeda could faintly make out that Nora was coming down the stairs, ready to catch her.

A muffled shriek could be heard, as a scared-to-death Andromeda tripped backwards down the stairs. She had ruined her chances of getting away. She would just have to face her unfortunate fate...

Nora was coming closer; Pringle had a triumphant look in his eyes as he awkwardly shuffled down the stairs, his golden teeth visible in a nasty smile. Andromeda closed her eyes and feared the worst. He was only a few steps away from her.

Something grabbed her by the arm, and Andromeda turned around. There standing, his wand lit and held up high, was Ted Tonks.

"Sorry sir, I reached her first. So I think the right to put her in detention goes to me," he said triumphantly, pulling her up and grinning down at her. "And just for your information Mr.Pringle, I am a Prefect on patrol." Ted stuck his chest out to reveal a shiny badge.

Pringle glared at Andromeda and Ted, who was happily polishing his wand on his robes. "Well, young girl, don't go trotting around the school at midnight." His wheezy voice stuck in throat. "Scumbags...filthy students..." he carried on muttering unpleasant remarks all the way back up the stairs to the corridor of the fourth floor, Nora hissing beside his feet.