Chapter 2
The Hogwarts Express was packed, the air thick with excitement and nerves. First-years scurried between compartments, wide-eyed and uncertain, clutching their trunks as if they might vanish at any moment.
Andromeda watched them for a moment, a strange pang in her chest. This was her last first day at Hogwarts. Meanwhile, her little cousin was experiencing his first.
Sirius Black stood beside his mother—Andromeda’s least favorite aunt—looking as if he couldn’t wait for her to leave. She gave him a quick wave and a smile before shifting her gaze away.
Her fingers spun the silver ring on her right index finger, the B catching the light.
For six years, Andromeda had shared a compartment with Bellatrix, the Lestranges, and the occasional other student. But with Bella now graduated, she was relieved that her first stop this year was the Prefect compartment.
The past few weeks, she had wondered who would wear the Head Boy badge. And, despite her best hopes, she had reached only one reasonable conclusion—Lucius Malfoy. The thought made her stomach turn.
His father had probably bought every professor a set of brand-new dress robes to secure the title. And Lucius would never let her hear the end of it.
Her breath quickened, irritation bubbling under her skin—until something, or someone, knocked the air right out of her.
“Merlin, can you ever watch where you're going?” She spat, before even looking at the victim of her words.
“Sorry!” A slightly unfamiliar voice spoke, making her head jolt upwards.
“I'm Ted,” he announced cheerily with a grin plastered to his face. “Tonks,” he added quickly. Andromeda narrowed her eyes, barely giving him a nod before brushing past him into the prefect compartment. The narrow room was lined with polished benches and windows showing a sunny countryside, though the train rumbled forward.
She glanced around, fully expecting to find Lucius Malfoy waiting for her, lounging smugly in his seat.
But the room was still empty. Her stomach twisted as a realization struck her.
She turned sharply to face Ted, who was leaning casually against the doorframe, watching her curiously. Andromeda’s eyes flicked to his mustard-colored jumper—and froze. Pinned to the front was a shiny, golden badge. Not a Prefect badge, but one that read, in gleaming letters: Head Boy.
That cannot be right, she thought instantly. This may be even worse than Lucius.
“Andromeda,” she finally said. He chuckled in response, reaching his hand out for her to shake. Reluctantly, she shook it.
Of course, she knew Ted Tonks. She must've been blind or stupid not to.
Quidditch star chaser ever since fourth year. Almost beating Slytherin every season. Almost.
And of course Dumbledore the goof would make him Headboy.
Andromeda couldn't help eyeing him again. He wore such strange clothes. Muggle trousers, jeans she believed, were far too large for him, and fixated around his waist with a leather belt.
There was something annoyingly confident in the way he leaned against the frame, his ashy hair falling over his face. His dimples showed on his freckled cheeks as he grinned.
Andromeda forced herself to look away for a second. What kind of Head Boy is this? Dumbledore really lets himself go with his new methods.
“You don't look like you expected me here,” Ted grinned and walked over to the window.
“To be honest, no. I sort of assumed it was going to be Lucius Malfoy,” Andromeda replied cautiously. She straightened her back and fumbled with her ring again. Instantly, she regretted speaking so many words to him.
“Lucius?” Ted exclaimed, shaking his head with a look of mock horror. “Can you imagine? He’d dock points from anyone whose hair isn’t as shiny and bright as the sun!” He ran a hand dramatically through his own ashy locks, squinting as if inspecting it.
Andromeda suppressed a laugh, but could not hide a grin of her own.
“That's ridiculous,” she replied softly.
“Ridiculously accurate, yeah”
Andromeda shook her head with an amused look. She opened her mouth to say something, when Prefects came tumbling into the compartment with murmured hellos.
Andromeda's gaze flickered over the Prefects filing in, her composure snapping back into place as she nodded curtly in return to their greetings. Yet, her eyes lingered on the door for a moment longer, searching for the familiar figures of Narcissa and Lucius.
When everyone was already seated, the door slid open and Narcissa stepped in. Her pale cheeks now a faint pink. Lucius followed her curtly, his face scrunched up in disgust.
“Ah, I see Dumbledore only puts his finest students in high positions,” he sneered, his eyes glancing away from Andromeda and straight to Tonks.
“Indeed,” Ted said with an easy grin, “though I must admit, I’ll never achieve such … impeccable hairstyling.” He ruffled his own ashy hair with exaggerated flair, his tone light, but Andromeda caught the edge of defiance in his words.
Lucius’ sneer deepened as his hand slid into the pocket of his robes. Andromeda stepped forward, fixing him with a sharp glare before he could pull out his wand.
“Mudbloods,” Lucius muttered, just loud enough to ensure everyone heard. Ted moved immediately, straightening and stepping toward him, his casualty fading.
“Let’s sit, Lucius,” Narcissa interjected, her voice calm but commanding, cutting through the tension like a blade.
To Andromeda’s surprise, Lucius obeyed, retreating to a seat in the front row with a flick of his robes. Andromeda shot her younger sister a subtle nod of thanks, the tension in her shoulders easing slightly. Somehow, Narcissa always had a way of defusing conflict without breaking a sweat—a quiet, steady presence that Andromeda was grateful for now.
Ted cleared his throat, his easy grin sliding back into place as he turned to face the Prefects. With a quick glance at Andromeda, he launched into their introductions, his tone light. Andromeda followed suit, her words more precise and formal.
After a good thirty minutes of merely giving out instructions and assigning shift patrols, Ted clasped his palms together. “Well, that's enough thrilling chatting for one day, hm?”
The prefects responded with relieved murmurs and started pulling their bags onto their laps.
“Except our Head Girl has another order to give?” He smirked and gestured toward her.
“You are dismissed,” Andromeda replied flatly.
Narcissa grabbed Lucius’ arm and firmly walked with him out of the compartment. Again, Andromeda was eternally grateful for her sister.
“What a wanker,” Ted blurted out as soon as the compartment was empty again.
Andromeda turned to him, caught off guard by him. The grin had slightly faded again. He almost looked upset.
“Sorry?” Andromeda replied hastily.
“Oh c'mon, he's an arrogant tosser,” Ted shrugged and leaned back against the window.
“Lucius can be a little… direct,” Andromeda tried to reason. After all, Lucius was almost like family. Not that she liked Lucius particularly much.
“Yeah, s'pose–” he paused briefly, before shoving his hand into the pocket of his trousers. “–Anyway, want one, Black?” A grin reappeared on his sun-kissed skin as he held up a pack of, what Andromeda assumed were cigarettes.
Andromeda huffed and rolled her eyes. “In the Prefect compartment? Really classy, Tonks,” she replied.
Ted chuckled, ruffling his hair with his left hand and opening the pack with the other. Andromeda watched his hands working.
“Didn't think you were much for the rules, Black,” he grinned and put a cigarette up to his lips. Somehow, this felt like he was challenging her. And who was she to deny a challenge?
Andromeda's eyes narrowed. Wandlessly, she shut the drapes in front of the compartment door and opened the top row of windows.
She reached her hand out to him, waiting for him to hand her a cigarette.
Ted looked momentarily taken aback, Andromeda almost thought he looked impressed. Now she was the one smirking smugly. He handed her one, which she held up to her lips and reached into her pocket to draw her wand.
“Here,” he said and held up a– Andromeda didn't know what. It was small, barely the size of her finger. It looked like a small metal box of sorts. She had never seen something alike.
“What?” He chuckled again. “Here, look,” he held the thing up to her cigarette and pressed down on the top. A small flame flickered to life in front of her eyes. Andromeda tried not to flinch. Muggle contraptions, she thought, but didn't dare to speak.
In a matter of seconds her cigarette was lightened. It tasted odd, not bad perhaps, but odd.
Muggle cigarettes.
Merlin, what the fuck am I doing here?
Surely, Ted Tonks, the muggleborn, is poisoning me and in the matter of moments I will drop dead because I was to stupid to notice.
Or worse even, he will draw the magic right out of me.
“You know, Black, you're surprisingly tolerable,” he shrugged, burying one hand in the deep pockets of his jeans.
Andromeda huffed, shaking her head. Was his grin permanently etched into his face?
“Tolerable?”
“Well, I thought you'd try to hex me unconscious the second you'd see me with this,” he tapped the badge on his jumper.
Andromeda didn't know what to say for a moment. Her clothes seemed too small suddenly, sticking to her skin.
“Don't tempt me, Tonks,” she eventually replied, though the words were not as sharp as she intended.
He chuckled again and exhaled a cloud of smoke. “Sure.”
That infuriating laugh, the confident grin and casual way he leaned against the window. Andromeda had the urge to hex him unconscious now.