Blackbird

Chapter 4

"Andromeda!" Andromeda knew that voice. She sprang away from Ted, trying not to look sheepish as she met Narcissa's glance. Narcissa was staring at Ted with an odd expression, as though she couldn't decide if he were a slug she should squish or a shark about to ravage her.

"What are you doing?" she said again, speaking through clenched teeth as though this would somehow prevent Ted from hearing, which it didn't. He raised his eyebrows, before glancing over at Andromeda, but she didn't dare return his glance.

They'd been discussing the time Amycus and Alecto Carrow had managed to attach their legs together while trying to perform a simple switching spell, and they couldn't help but laugh, though how was she supposed to explain that to her sister?

Andromeda opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Ted take a hesitant step backward. People surged in front of him, blocking him from her view. She wanted to turn, to see if he was still there, but she couldn't, not when her sister was looking at her as though her face had turned inside out.

"That was Ted Tonks, wasn't it?" she said, coming closer. Andromeda took a step back, startled.

"How did you...?" Narcissa had never met Ted, as far as she was aware. He was muggleborn, and a Hufflepuff so how had she—?

"He was the one Amycus was talking about," Narcissa said impatiently. "Last night in the common room. Weren't you listening?"

No, she wasn't, Andromeda rarely listened, not now when the evenings were drowned with her classmates' rants about the muggleborn's who, 'didn't know their place.' Most of it was just the whines of people who had nothing better to do, but sometimes they discussed ways to get back at them, to teach them their place. The ways they could restore the 'old ways' when blood status was everything. Just remembering those words made her shiver.

"Amycus said the mudblood forced you to be his partner, and when Amycus tried to help you, he turned into a right little worm and threatened to hex Amycus." She sniffed. "Not that he could, smarmy little maggot."

Considering what she'd heard Amycus say when he thought no lady could hear him, her sister better be a bit careful over who she called, smarmy maggot.

"He said that you truly horrified to be partnered with— him— and I believe him. But this, Andromeda, what were you thinking?" It was clear that for Narcissa there was only one answer. Andromeda hadn't been thinking.

"It wasn't anything," Andromeda said. "I just had a question, about our charm's homework, and I figured he could answer it."

"Humph," her sister pouted, folding her arms across her chest, "Don't know why you'd want help with homework from a mudblood."

This was also a questionable statement, as Narcissa had only managed to get this far in her education by sweet-talking boys into doing her homework for her, and even then, she was barely scraping by.

"You're right." Andromeda placed her hands on her sister's shoulders. "It was a mistake, and I promise I won't make it again. I've just, been a little bit stressed lately."

Her sister stared at her for a moment, and then her lips broke into a wide smile. Andromeda could help but smile as well. Despite her sister's faults, she would always be Andromeda's favorite. Narcissa could never hold a grudge, and Andromeda had no doubt her little mishap was not only forgiven, but completely forgotten.

"I have something you will cheer you up!" Based on her barely contained shriek, this must be the reason Narcissa originally sought her out. She pulled a piece of parchment out from inside her robes and handed it to Andromeda, who unfurled with a small, affectionate sigh, which quickly changed to a gasp.