Letters

Ted slid into his usual place at the Hufflepuff table. She was sitting at the end, alone, her nose buried in a book. She was beautiful. She didn't exude sex like her older sister, and didn't have the icy blonde beauty of her younger sister, but she had a way about her. There was something he couldn't identify about her, and nothing jumped out about her, but he found he was always aware of where she was in the room.

Ted ladled porridge into a bowl and added milk and sugar. He poured a cup of tea and ate his breakfast, watching her out of the corner of his eye. He knew her, of course, but he didn't know her that well. Hufflepuffs and Slytherins didn't have classes together as a rule, but now it was N.E.W.T. year. They had Charms, Transfiguration, Potions, and Herbology together.

Andromeda Black finished her breakfast and wandered in the direction of the library. Ted hastily gulped the rest of his breakfast and went tearing after her.

******

Andromeda was surrounded by books. She had a three-foot long essay due in Transfiguration on Monday, and was using the early morning to get some work done. Bella wouldn't do anything in the library if she could avoid it, and Cissy was a late sleeper. The rest of the Slytherins would travel in packs later, so Andromeda relished the time alone in the library.

The sound of a person's body settling into a chair across from her pulled Andromeda's attention from her essay. She looked up to see Ted Tonks, a burly Hufflepuff sixth year sitting across from her. They had a few classes together. 'Hi. How's the essay coming?' he asked easily.

'It's fine.' Andromeda went back to her essay, trying to ignore the boy humming Muggle rock songs under his breath as he wrote. She heard the voices of a group of Slytherins coming into the library. Andromeda gasped softly, and darted to another table before they could see her.

Ted looked up, puzzled. He didn't understand why she had to move.

******

Monday morning in Transfiguration, Andromeda found a piece of parchment, folded into the shape of a swan sitting on her usual desk in the classroom. The only other person in the room was Ted. She slid into her seat, and unfolded the paper, hating to destroy the delicate sculpture.

Andromeda,

I don't know why you had to move to another table Saturday.

Is there some rule about students from different Houses sitting with each other? I'm Muggle-born, you see, so there are things I don't always know. Even this far into school.

I'd like to take you to Hogsmeade next time.

Ted

Andromeda stuffed the parchment into her bag, giving Ted a quick look over her shoulder. She knew Ted was Muggle-born. It had been obvious on the train to school their first year and he spent most of the first week wide-eyed at the magic. He had been the subject of many derisive conversations in the Slytherin common room since then.

She tapped her quill against her notes, eyes going to the tip of parchment sticking out from her bag.

She had a free period next. She'd write a note back.

Ted,

I'm a Slytherin. Not that I care to be, but my entire family has been in Slytherin. It's just won't do for a Black to be Sorted elsewhere. Although, I think my younger sister might have done well in Ravenclaw, but I shudder to think what might have happened if she hadn't been put in Slytherin. Slytherins don't talk to people outside their house.

But that didn't answer your question.

People in my family don't associate with anyone but pure-bloods. Personally, I don't care about it, but they... They could make things very difficult for me if I try to buck tradition.

Andromeda paused, chewing her quill. She knew a few things about Ted. He played Beater for his House Quidditch team. He was easy-going and certainly intelligent enough and a good wizard. He always had a smile for her. Even as far back as their first year. She tended to drift about alone, even going so far as to stay on the outskirts of her family that was at school, and those friendly smiles in the corridors helped make her feel less lonely.

I'm really sorry Ted, but we can't be anything other than classmates.

Andromeda

Andromeda checked her watch. She had ten minutes to get to Potions. Slughorn didn't like it if they were late. She sprinted into the dungeon, panting. She was the only Slytherin in the sixth-year Potions class. The only vacant seat was next to Ted.

She began to set up her cauldron, and got out the ingredients for that day's potion. Under the pretense of digging in her bag for a quill, she took out the note she'd written back to Ted, folded into a tiny square. Under the table, she nudged Ted, and palmed the note to him. He looked up, his bright blue eyes startled, until he looked at his hand. He slid the note into his pocket with a nod.

Andromeda smiled to herself. Ted sang while he made potions. 'There's nothing you can do that can't be done/There's nothing you can sing that can't be sung/There's nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game/It's easy...'

'What is that?' she murmured, while stirring her potion, not looking at Ted.

He stopped, mid-lyric. 'Huh?'

'That song. You were humming it Saturday.' She was still avoiding talking directly to him. Not that anyone in the class would ever say anything to Bella. One didn't just approach Bella. She reminded Andromeda of a praying mantis. But just to be safe...

'It's the Beatles,' Ted said to his own cauldron, knowing Slughorn would have a fit if they openly talked to each other.

'It's nice.'

'I like it.'

They worked in silence until the end of class. Once Ted reached the corridor, he pulled the square that had been burning a hole in his pocket the entire class. He unfolded the note, and his face fell as he read it.

******

Weeks passed, and Andromeda noticed Ted didn't sing in Potions anymore. Hufflepuff totally decimated Ravenclaw at their match at the end of November on a bitterly cold day. Andromeda waited until everyone from Slytherin had left the stands, knowing Bella would give her a hard time about it later. She slowly went down to the pitch where the Hufflepuff team stood talking excitedly about the match. They all fell silent at the sight of her green-and-sliver scarf. Andromeda drew in a deep breath, and held out her hand, where a piece of parchment folded into a dragon rested on her palm. It had taken her two weeks of surreptitious practice to get it right.

Ted's eyebrows went up, but he held out his hand, and Andromeda carefully transferred the dragon to his larger hand. She gave him a small shrug, and trudged back to the castle.

Ted wouldn't open the note in front of the team, and waited until he was in his dormitory.

It had one sentence.

-I miss the singing in Potions.

******

When Andromeda went into the Charms classroom, a folded parchment flower rested on her desk. Ted whistled under his breath, determinedly not watching her. She picked it up, watching him out of the corner of her eye, and unfolded it.

What about that corner of the library? Where you go to hide?

Flitwick came in just then, and began class. Andromeda looked at Ted, and nodded. Once.

******

'I don't hide back here,' Andromeda said crossly.

Ted put his bag down on the table and laughed softly. 'Oh, yes, you do.' He sat in the chair next to Andromeda. 'Unless someone's looking for you, they can't find you easily.'

'Oh, all right, fine. I hide.' Andromeda flushed, and pulled her Herbology textbook out of her bag.

'Care to explain all the pure-blood nonsense you were going on about?'

Andromeda ducked her head. 'It's complicated. My family... See, my family thinks that everybody in your family must be magical. You can't have a Muggle-born parent or grandparent or anybody in your family.'

'But why?' Ted's face creased in confusion. 'Just because my parents are Muggles doesn't make me less of a wizard.'

'I know.'

'There's plenty of... What did you say - pure-bloods - who can barely do magic!'

'I know.' Andromeda held up a placating hand. 'I don't think that way.' She ripped a strip of parchment off her essay and began to tear it into tinier and tinier pieces. 'But my family,' she shrugged helplessly. 'They'll disown me. My sister - she'd do way more than go spare.' Andromeda's eyes were large in her pale face. 'Even you...' She bent her head to her essay. 'You're not safe from her, either.'

Ted looked at her in shock. 'You... You're joking,' he said weakly.

Andromeda shook her head. 'No, I'm not,' she said sadly. 'Bella... She's serious about it.'

Ted idly flipped through his Transfiguration notes. 'So where does that leave us?'

'The same place we were before.'

******

'Andromeda?' Fifteen year-old Narcissa knocked on Andromeda's bedroom door. 'Andie?'

Andromeda opened the door, impatiently. 'What?'

'You have a letter,' Narcissa said, trying to imitate Bella's insolent tone.

'Don't talk like her,' Andromeda told her baby sister. The house was still and quiet. Bellatrix had married Rodolphus Lestrange last night, and their parents were still asleep. The party hadn't wound down until nearly three that morning. Andromeda knew her parents were making arrangements with Lucius Malfoy's parents for either her or Narcissa. Andromeda shut the door in Narcissa's face, and opened the letter.

It was from Ted.

Andromeda,

Can you get away tomorrow night? There's a play I'd like to take you to see. If you can, owl me back and meet me in front of King's Cross at six tomorrow evening.

Ted

Andromeda bit her lip, running her hand through her hair. She was taking a terrible risk if she did write back to Ted.

******

'What's the play about?' Andromeda clutched Ted's hand as he led her though the Underground to find the train that would take them to Regent's Park.

'It's a surprise.' He looked over his shoulder and grinned. 'I think you'll find that you'll understand it.'

'Who wrote it?'

'Muggle playwright. Had to study him in primary school. Don't worry; it's a pretty universal theme.'

Andromeda followed Ted through the bewildering array of Muggle streets, slightly nervous. She had never been in a Muggle area this much before. Her parents only barely tolerated taking them to the train for school. They emerged into a wide green area. It was populated with a wide array of people. She came to a stop, eyes wide.

'Andromeda, keep up,' admonished Ted. She ran to where he had set his knapsack down and spread a blanket on the grass.

******

A few days later, Narcissa brought her another letter. 'Who's writing to you?'

'Nobody,' Andromeda replied. She opened the letter and a delicate kite fell out of the envelope.

'Weird.' Narcissa wrinkled her nose at it.

'Not so weird, Cissy.' Andromeda carefully unfolded the letter. It had one line on the parchment.

Good-night, good-night! Parting is such sweet sorrow

That I shall say good-night till it be morrow.

Narcissa peered over Andromeda's shoulder. 'What's that supposed to mean?'

'Nothing.' Andromeda smiled and refolded the letter into its kite form, and slipped it into a box on her dressing table that already held a flower and a swan.

******

Andromeda sat on the edge of her bed, shaking. Her parents had just informed her she would be marrying Lucius Malfoy. He made her want to throw up. She had stared at her parents so hard, she thought her eyes were going fall out of her head. Her eyes went to the box on her dressing table. It held a collection of notes, the parchment folded into whimsical shapes.

Ted had left them on her desk at random times during the school year. Each one had a quote from the play he'd taken her to see last summer. The last one had been folded into a heart, and was waiting for her in the last Charms class before their N.E.W.T.s

Andromeda rose from her bed and opened the box. She took the heart out and gently tugged it so the parchment lay flat on the surface of the table.

-My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep; the more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.

She wondered if he really meant it. Andromeda hoped so, because now she needed him to mean it.

Ted,

Andromeda stopped. She pulled a book from under her pillow. Ted had given it to her for her birthday that past March. She flipped through a few pages.

'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

They want me to marry Lucius Malfoy...

I can't stay here anymore, Ted.

Andromeda

******

Ted slowly put the letter down.

Andromeda,

Bring as much as you can. King's Cross day after tomorrow. Ten in the evening.

Ted

******

Narcissa opened her eyes and yawned. She threw the sheet and blanket off and slid off her bed. She shuffled to the door. I hope Andie's not in the loo, she thought. Shouldn't have had that butterbeer at three, she sighed silently with a grimace.

Her foot landed on something that crackled.

Narcissa,

You always have a home with me, if you need one.

Andie

Narcissa let the letter fall to the floor. She pushed her bedroom door open, and stumbled to Andromeda's. Narcissa turned the doorknob and peeked around the edge of the door.

Everything was where it should be, but Andromeda wasn't in her bed asleep. Narcissa let her gaze sweep the room one more time. The box on Andromeda's dressing table was gone. She slowly walked into the room, and opened the wardrobe.

It was empty.