Chapter Text
"Tonks" Andromeda greeted him coldly as she was entering the perfects' compartment.
"Black" Ted replied in the same tone taking his eyes off his book to look at her walking past him.
Andromeda was one of the descendants of The Noble of Blacks. Just like her parents, grandparents, ancestors in general she was sharing the same beliefs about blood supremacy. And how could she not support them since no one had told her or proved her otherwise? When you're growing up in an environment where everyone keeps telling you that you're better than others you reach the point that you believe that as well. And that's what had happened not only to Andromeda but to her sisters as well. Bellatrix and Narcissa.
Ted was a Tonks. There was no family of wizards with that name. When his parents discovered that his hair could change colours they had almost gotten a heart attack. They soon discovered that he was not the normal child they thought he was. He was special, not only as every kid is special for his parents but special in one more way. He was different, he had magic powers. When he got his letter they were more than proud for him. He had always thought himself superior since he could do things that the others couldn't. When he got to Hogwarts and particularly when he met Andromeda that changed.
They were put together during classes and both of them seemed great students, and they were. They tried to surpass each other in grades by sabotaging one another, no outcome. The only thing that was coming out of this was to be put together in detention several of times. And that was the moment that Andromeda learned about his blood status. After that she was looking down at him and her tries to get better grades was becoming more and more intense. He started ignoring her but kept sabotaging her tries without her knowing. Sometimes he found himself smiling at the thought of such pranks to destroy her results.
It was their fifth year. Both of them were the perfects of their houses. None of them was the happiest to see the other. But what could they do? After all it was just some hours. After that they wouldn't have to talk to eachother again.
Ted looked at the girl who for once more was standing near him. Without asking she sat right opposite him and without further talking she opened a book as well.
"I don't recall you asking me to sit here." The boy said with his Scottish accent making the girl roll her eyes and raise her glance to meet his.
"I don't need permission to sit here. It's not your seat after all." She smiled sarcastically and returned her attention to her book.
To the boy's surprise she was reading one written by muggles and most importantly, one that was talking against prejudice. "What happened to your blood beliefs Black?"
She looked at him again. "Especially for you remain the same." But her beliefs had changed. At least they were going to change with everything that was happening inside her family.
Ted just shook his head relieved that she had not change her views, ironically. Minutes of silence followed. Outside it was raining the heels were filled with grass and the wind seemed to communicate through its passing making weird sounds. Andromeda felt the need to communicate as well. And since there was no one around she settled down to the only discussable option. The boy opposite her, her somehow constant competitor.
"I'm surprised to see you here."
"I would dare say the same."
Andromeda raised her eyebrows in disbelief. "What? You were the one making pranks and sabotaging me all the time! What kind of behaviour is that for a Perfect?"
Ted laughed, that was indeed not making sense but after all, he thought he would do his duty perfectly. For her on the other hand he had his doubts. "Well I believe that with me as an example this school will be far more cheerful than you think! On the other hand what are you going to do with all these children who come from muggles' families?"
"Tonks, first of all you're being annoying, not cheerful and secondly I don't see why they wouldn't like me. Everyone likes me, apart from you apparently." She said sure for herself and her likeability.
"I thought the feeling was mutual, Black. But if you're in complete awe of me then I can do something to change my behaviour as well."
"You'd be glad to know that you don't have to do that."
He nodded and then pointed at the book she was reading. "To kill a mockingbird is not the book I was expecting you to read. You're more of The Witches of Salem and why they deserved better type of person. Or maybe, 100 and one reasons why we should be blood Suprematists."
"Already read those." She admitted and scanned with her glance the compartment. She was not understanding why she choose to sit with him. Maybe the idea that was troubling her all summer was more powerful that she thought. How could she be so powerful that had actually led her to sit with Tonks and start talking to him as well.
"I'm disappointed in you, Black. I had set my bets against you reading Muggle books." Without knowing she gave her a reason to be proud. He wasn't thinking of her being capable to do something like that. For once more she had proved him otherwise and smiled proudly.
"I prove you wrong for once more. There's no better feeling than that."
"And no bigger disappointment for me. I guess I'll have to wait till the lessons start to take my revenge."
Andromeda laughed. An honest laugh that made Ted look at her curiously. Not only he had never heard her laughing before but he couldn't tell what was so funny. "And to think that you're a Hufflepuff!"
"Strong sense of justice, loyalty, patience, and a propensity for hard work." He started naming the traits of his house. "I don't see how these won't match my character! Especially in hard work! Sabotaging you four years in a row is not an easy thing!"
They stopped talking after that both of them lost in thought. Ted looked at the book on his hands. His eyes were passing above words but he was just seeing them without understanding. Like the words of his book he could not understand the girl sitting near him. She seemed to be something like an enigma to solve. It wasn't easy to understand what was going on inside her head. It was the first time in years they had actually spoken more than five minutes. Last time that had happened she had stopped paying attention to him. He had told her about his family.
Andromeda had closed the book on her hands and was looking outside the window without really paying attention to to scenery. She had let herself imagining how different things would be if her sister had start passing the fine line dividing blood supremacy from autarky in the level of killing those who were different. She had tried to understand when had her sister started walking towards this direction and she could only think of her talking about a beautiful and charming boy a few years older than her. But how could just a boy affect her in such a way. After all now she was married. Married to a cousin. She wanted to laugh but that didn't make sense. After all that was her destiny as well. Marrying a cousin. And from all of her cousins the only one who she could actually have fun with, was Sirius. Too young tho and she would never marry him not even with his written consent.