Blackbird

Chapter Six

"Are you joking me!" Ted's friend, Lorie, shouted as James Potter ducked under yet another bludger to score yet another point for Gryffindor. "How could you have missed him?"

"Are you cheering for Slytherin?" Ted asked, eyebrows raised.

Lorie blushed. "No." But as both Ted and his other friend, Jake, glared at her, she threw her hands up in the air, her silver-blond hair whipping up. "Fine, but just because I'm tired of Gryffindor winning all the time."

Ted was pretty sure that wasn't the reason. He was pretty sure it had to do with the Slytherin chaser and team captain being Lorie's obsession. He looked over to his other friend, Liv, to confirm this. She just rolled her eyes. Despite their convenient nicknames, Liv and Lorie, Olivia looked nothing like Lorie with her brown skin, curly black hair, and hazel eyes.

"Though those Gryffindor boys do have amazing hair." Lorie sighed. Ted glanced at them again. How could she even tell? Everyone's hair looked the same from this distance.

"Mmm... Especially Sirius Black." Olivia said, but Ted could say she was mostly saying it to anger him. That was one of the perks of being someone's ex. You always knew what got under their skin, and you weren't afraid to bring it up. Just like he knew he could bring up the word flesh, and she'd start shuddering.

Except he didn't feel like as he sighed and leaned back in his chair, watching the players zoom around the quidditch pitch without really processing what any of them we're doing. He hated watching quidditch— it made him want to play too much— and he wasn't really invested in the outcome of this match. Sure, he hated the Gryffindors much less than the Slytherins since they weren't a bunch of pompous scumbags who went around tormenting muggleborns, but both teams had a habit of squashing his own team and then getting a really big head about it.

His gaze drifted over the match to the student sections, particular the Slytherin section. It was nigh impossible trying to pick Andromeda among the sea of green, and he shouldn't be trying to anyway. Nor should he be thinking about her. He still wasn't sure exactly what was happening with them. Sure, they met up for meals by the lake. And sure, she didn't treat him like he was mud of her boots, but she still refused to acknowledge him when anyone else was around. And a few days ago she'd freaked out when he'd touched her skin. Granted, that had been a really stupid move on his part. He still wasn't sure why he'd done it.

He stopped, squinting his eyes and he peered at the Slytherin stands. A student was getting up and leaving, a student that had long, glistening brown like Andromeda's. Was it Andromeda? Where was she going?

She disappeared behind the stands, but Ted couldn't stop staring where she'd been. He might not get another opportunity like this, but if he didn't hurry...

He stood up.

"Where are you going?" Liv asked.

He began to edge his way past the other students, most of whom gave his disgruntled looks as he pushed past them.

"The Loo," he shouted to Liv over his shoulder, but he didn't stay to make sure she'd heard before he broke free of the last person and made it to the steps that led out of the stands. He barely noticed where his feet were going as he raced toward the castle. He stopped as soon as he passed the Whomping Willow. He glanced over at the lake, but there was no one there. The path leading up to the castle was empty. Had she already made it inside? He was just about to start forward when something moved out of the corner of his eye.

Andromeda was heading toward the forbidden forest. He raised his eyebrows? She was skipping out on a quidditch match to go somewhere banned? Maybe it wasn't Andromeda after all, but he'd come this far, he might as well check.