Love Among Muggles

Andromeda was filled with excitement as she waited to board the Hogwarts Express. Molly Prewett was all but bouncing with excitement - she loved term time because it meant she could spend virtually every waking moment with Arthur.

Andromeda waved at her and joined her. "Sixth years!" Molly said excitedly. "Can you believe we've only got two more years to go?"

"Huh," Andromeda said. "As far as I'm concerned, I've only got a few months to go."

"Eh?" Molly said. Then she realised what Andromeda meant. "Until you're of age, you mean?" She frowned. As far as Molly could see, there was only one reason to look forward to being of age, and that was because you could get married. "Have you got a boyfriend?"

Andromeda nodded, smiling happily. "Yes, but don't talk about him to anyone. If my mother found out..." She pulled up her sleeve and showed Molly the bruises, now fading to green, that covered her arm. "That old cow Dorcas Rosier saw me eating ice-cream with him and Claire on Diagon Alley. I thought mother was going to kill me. As it was, I said he was Claire's boyfriend and that I knew Claire from school, and got off pretty lightly."

Molly touched an unbruised bit of skin gently. "Madam Pomfrey probably has something for that."

"I'm not ashamed," Andromeda said. "I need to be careful, though." Molly nodded.

"So I'll see you in that funny room, then," she said. "I need to go there anyway. Arthur really likes those Muggle things - what do you call them? - Stalkings."

Andromeda giggled. Molly was incredibly advanced in some ways and very innocent in others. "Stockings? I think all men like those."

As the whistle blew, they made their way to the carriages. Andromeda made sure she picked one full of purebloods. Three of the girls were Slytherin, and there was one from Gryffindor and one from Ravenclaw. Jessie Pucey, the Gryffindor, said idly, "I see you're chummy with Porky Prewett, Andromeda. I didn't think you were the type to slum it."

Before she'd really got to know Molly, Andromeda had also used that detestable nickname. "Molly's all right," she said. "Let's face it, her marriage to Arthur is a dead cert, and they're both from old families."

Araminta Mariner sniffed, "That doesn't make them respectable, you know."

Opal Carstairs said to Andromeda, "But then, you haven't exactly been associating with the cream of society over the summer, have you?"

Andromeda felt her face flush. She'd never really liked these girls, but she was really starting to detest them. "My mother explained to me the error of my ways," she stated, and pulled a book out of her satchel.

Opal wasn't to be put off that easily, though. "How could you? You knew she was Muggleborn, even if you didn't know he was."

"I knew they both were," Andromeda said, to the horror of the others in the carriage. "However, my mother doesn't want me to see them again." This was true. Mrs. Black had been emphatic about it. It didn't mean Andromeda was going to do as she was told, however.

"Well," Jezebel Parkinson said finally, "I suppose we ought to be grateful you've upgraded to Porky. Um. Um, does this mean you're not interested in Lucius?"

Andromeda gave Jezebel a withering glare. "He's all yours - although unlike me, he has no taste for 'slumming it' so you don't stand much chance." With that she began pointedly to read. Araminta smiled at Jezebel, whose discomfort she enjoyed. Jessie Pucey began reading a Quidditch magazine.

**

The term was several days old before Andromeda could escape to the Room of Requirement. She'd always been quiet, and so her housemates saw nothing unusual in her spending her time in the Library or alone in the grounds. Andromeda was relieved to have a chance to spend time with her friends at last, and to have a real conversation.

When she arrived at the room, Claire was listening to a Rolling Stones LP and reading a newspaper. She hadn't bothered to change out of her robes, which was unusual. Andromeda couldn't wait to see her knees again, and grabbed a navy mini-dress from the clothes rail.

"Hullo," said Andromeda, pulling her robes off over her head. "Where's Molly?"

"She popped in for some stockings and a squirt of Youth Dew, but didn't stay long. I reckon Arthur's in for a hot date tonight," Claire replied. She wasn't smiling, though. She looked angry, or frightened - perhaps both; Andromeda wasn't sure. "Listen, do you remember Ted's friend Maggie?"

"The Minister's secretary? She's your friend too." Andromeda finished getting changed and sat beside Claire.

"Yes, she is - and she's been arrested." Claire showed Andromeda the article. Andromeda skimmed it quickly.

Minister's secretary arrested

The Magical Law Enforcement Squad has arrested Margaret Packham, Private Secretary to the Minister for Magic, on charges of spying. While the exact evidence has not been revealed publicly at the time of going to press, inside sources claim an informant reported Miss Packham's actions. She is believed to have passed sensitive state papers to the French Wizarding Fraternity. Jasper Borgin, head of the Department for International Magical Co-Operation, said in a statement, 'we do not believe this will affect our relations with the Fraternity over a long period, although there may well be short-term repercussions.

Andromeda put the paper down. "Spying? Oh, how could she?" Because she's not one of us, she could almost hear her mother saying. You can't trust people like that.

"She's not a spy," Claire snapped. "She couldn't be. She loves being a witch. If ever anyone Muggleborn is having trouble settling in to this world, she'll have them to stay with her for a couple of weeks during the holidays. She hasn't owned a dress in years."

"Have you heard from Ted?" Andromeda asked.

Claire looked amazed. "I think you'll hear from him before I do."

Andromeda was glad. "He'll be trying to help her," she said. She didn't know what Ted could do to help Maggie, but she believed that when his friends needed him, he would always be there for them. She didn't need a letter from him to know that, at that very moment, he was talking to people involved in enforcing the law, and trying to make sure Maggie was at least as clean and comfortable as she could be in Azkaban. She had faith in her boyfriend. "He said he'd be here for the Hogsmeade weekend, and he will," she told Claire.

"You..." Claire didn't seem to know how to ask something.

"What?"

"You could help us. Help Ted and me. I can't sit here doing nothing, and Ted can only get so far because he's Muggleborn. He doesn't spend much time in the wizarding world because of his job, too."

"What can I do?"

"You can talk to people," Claire said simply. "Lucius' father is influential. Venus Potts' father has connections. Walden Macnair's dad is in the Squad, but he'll never talk to me about this. He might talk to you."

Andromeda slumped back in her chair, and stared at the large purple flowers on the wallpaper the room had chosen for itself today. She despised Macnair, and wasn't especially fond of Lucius Malfoy. Her train journey to Hogwarts had convinced her that there were a lot of people in her year she could do without. Claire was asking her to get closer to them. "You're right, of course," she said. "Ted would want me to do it."

Claire looked more cheerful. "I knew you'd help us. Be careful, though. Molly told me how you got those." She pointed to the nearly vanished bruises.

"If Maggie's innocent, she'll be out of Azkaban in no time," Andromeda decided. "We do have laws and standards, after all. I'm not going to be in any danger, because there's nothing to discover."

They both relaxed and played records, and commented on the dresses in the latest issue of Vogue. With Ted on the case, there was nothing to worry about.

Or so they thought.