Hogsmeade
October was coming to a close, but that’s when the school year truly began. The last week of the month was reserved for a trip to Hogsmeade and Halloween. These two events are what kicked off the acceleration of academics. Classes get harder, students get restless, and the atmosphere shifts. With this week being the first Hogsmeade trip, students have grown unbearably impatient every day leading up to it. This included Andromeda. She couldn't wait to leave the castle grounds for the weekend.
The only part she dreaded was the long worn-down path leading to the village, especially in the colder weather. Her button-up coat bunched up the sleeves of her jumper, making her constantly pull at her arms to fix it. Students ran, walked, skipped, and did any other form of movement you could think of. Excitement was the only word that could describe the moment.
Dead leaves covered a majority of the path. Different hues of orange, brown, and red crunched beneath their feet. For most of the walk, the route was lined with trees or rolling hills. In the distance on one of the hills, there was an abandoned house, the wind whistling through the rotted planks. It was made by a wizard, that was obvious. The building was lean and awkwardly tall, and the windows were odd sizes- wizards loved to design buildings that differed in architecture from the muggles.
Beside her, Narcissa was silent. She kept looking ahead, sometimes standing on her toes to see over other students' shoulders. Her own shoulders were relaxed, but Cissy seemed nervous, maybe even jittery. Lately, she had been reserving her thoughts for her diary rather than telling Andromeda in random outbursts throughout the day. Andromeda couldn’t tell if it was because she was growing apart from her sister, or if Cissy had simply matured. The other day, Narcissa was talking her ear off about drama between her and her dormmates, now she was quieter than a mouse. This had been an ongoing change predominantly in the past week.
In reality, traveling between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade wasn’t a long trip. What made the trek seem forever ongoing was the bitterness of the weather. Being outside for a little while, the cold was bearable but standing in it for more than a few minutes killed her. The only thing on Andromeda’s mind right now was sitting beside the fire in The Three Broomsticks. Her back toward the crackling fire and a butterbeer in hand seemed almost hours away, but it was only five measly minutes.
When they arrived, the path went from bumpy gravel to paved cobblestone with several buildings lining the sides. The Three Broomsticks was the only building that radiated with a dewy orange glow amongst the grey-lined streets. It was arguably the most welcoming shop in all of Hogsmeade. Inside it was so loud that the conversations you were having were still secrets because you couldn’t understand what anyone outside your immediate circle was saying. Despite its outwardly rundown appearance, the inside was bustling with witches and wizards who treated the place as kindly as their own home.
Andromeda sat at the only open table available. It was the darkest corner of the Three Broomsticks and seemed to be the only spot in the entire tavern that had a singular cobweb. Usually, the lack of cleanliness would bother her, but she was simply happy to be out of the cold. She could always stand closer to the fire later anyway. Cissy had parted ways back at the entrance after she caught a glimpse of, supposedly, a girl on the quidditch team, so it was just her at the table.
She bought a slice of apple pie and a butterbeer to wash it down. The clashing of mugs and plates coincided with the loud chatter that created an orchestra of good fun in a rather dull season. Students occupied most of the space in the tavern, but there were a few older wizards and witches joining in on the chaos. It was funny, the staff was flustered, huffing and puffing at the overflow of orders they were getting every few minutes. They hated this time of year.
Sooner or later, Andromeda moved toward the fire before she left to visit another store. She pushed through the crowd, mumbling thank you’s and sorry’s until she made herself a small enough space to stand in front of the fire holding what remained of her beverage. The fire crackled, and if she was being honest, she didn’t know if the heat was from the fire or the abundance of bodies in one place. Andromeda became irritably hot in minutes. It was definitely the abundance of bodies that crowded the tavern.
As she headed toward the door, a certain sunken-eyed, black-haired boy caught her eyes. Sitting at a table beneath a frosted window, Rabastan sat with his arm around Amycus Carrow’s twin sister, Alecto. She wasn’t really his type- not that Andromeda would know, but she had seen him with other girls who looked nothing like her. Alecto had pale red hair and didn’t share her brother's slim, almost skeletal figure. Andromeda was positive Amycus didn’t know what was happening as he was nowhere to be seen.
It wasn’t like Andromeda meant to stare. She shared a glance with Rabastan, and he held it. His was unforgiving and filled with malice; he had a smirk to match it too. With little hesitation, he pulled Alecto in and kissed her. Andromeda grimaced at the sight. The kiss was long, but not passionate. As she walked out the door, she noticed Rabastan had kept staring at her despite making out with another girl. She wanted to do nothing more than obliviate that scene from her memory.
After stopping in a few shops; and walking out with nothing, she decided to take a look around Dervish and Banges. The shop was cluttered with random wizarding equipment and other bits and bobs placed around the store. Some of the bigger pieces were stacked on one another, you would’ve thought they’d tumble over on top of you. Smaller equipment like the sneakoscope and mokeskin pouch were carefully placed around on hooks or small tables in baskets.
It was a rather boring shop, and overwhelming with the mess of objects. Still, Andromeda looked around, she could always use a new typewriter at home. Despite the dullness of the equipment, certain items sparked and fizzed with magic. No doubt they were enchanted to behave that way to entice customers to buy them. In some walkways, the objects were stacked from the floor to the ceiling, creating an arch above her head. She didn’t know how people were meant to buy any of the ones on the ceiling.
Toward the back of the shop, there was an indent in the wall that had a foggy blue glow whirling around the space. The light wasn’t strong, but it was bright enough to catch anyone's attention. Andromeda walked up to it. A bronze basin with water sat on a matching stand paired with a pale black cabinet filled with small jars. When she looked at the water, there was what appeared black ink swirling around in the glowing water. It was memorizing. There was no sign to describe what the basin was or what it was used for, nor was there an employee nearby. As she was ready to leave, a voice made her jump.
“What do you need a pensieve for?” Ted questioned.
Andromeda turned rapidly toward his voice. She looked back at the basin and then back at Ted before asking, “A what?”
Ted smiled fondly, “A pensieve. I thought all pure-bloods knew about them.”
She squinted her eyes with disbelief and confusion as she watched Ted laugh softly at her. Andromeda huffed and turned away from him, facing the pensieve, “Just because I’m pure-blood doesn’t mean I know about every magical object.”
Again, out of shock, she jumped as Ted got closer, running his hands along the faded runes carved into the bowl. It was like he was tracing each symbol with his fingers. For a moment Andromeda could have sworn she had heard him mumbling something under his breath. After tracing a few runes, he looked at the water a stuck his finger in it, eddying through the water, making the black ink disperse and become more diluted, turning silvery. “They’re used to store memories or revisit them. People also use them to share their memories, it’s like a shared dream. Those jars are used to store the memories when you aren’t visiting them.”
All Andromeda could do was stare. Did Ted Tonks just solve one of her problems without knowing it? A small pool of water that stores and revisits memories. There was no doubt it would cost a few hundred galleons. She wondered if it came in a smaller size- more portable and hidable. “Do they have smaller pensive?”
He looked at her, unaware of what she was thinking, “There might be one nearby, but I’m not totally sure. I can help you look if you’d like?”
Her eyes softened and for the first time, she gave Ted a reaffirming smile, “Please.”
The search lasted a few minutes. With all the clutter and mess, it was easy to miss even the largest of items. Ted was the one to find it tucked beside an old suitcase. They had to take a scarf that was hanging on the wall to wipe the dust from the inside and outside, so it shined like it was supposed to. This pensive was only slightly smaller, but it would work. Instead of sitting inside a stand, the basin was built into a well-decorated and engraved pillar. The accompanying cabinet was attached to the back of the pillar like a backboard.
Ted helped her carry it upfront to the clerk. She hadn’t noticed the bag that was lying floppily over his shoulder. It was rather small, but what it lacked in size it made up for in beauty. The bag had beads embroidered into the brown fabric that made a picture of a few colorful flowers. Andromeda shouldn’t judge, but the bag didn’t seem Ted’s style. Nonetheless, if she had known he was waiting to check out she would have never asked for his help.
Once they got to the front, Andromeda searched her pockets for her coin pouch. It wasn’t until the clerk began rolling his eyes that she realized she had left it in the back. She sighed, “Sorry, I’ll be back.”
Andromeda ran to the back of the shop and found the pouch sitting on the edge of the larger pensive. By the time she got back, Ted was at the counter arguing with the clerk, “The sign said 6 galleons!”
The clerk, clearly a griping old man grumbled, “It’s 10 galleons, my price.”
Ted flustered threw his hands in the air, “You’re clearly not Dervish or Banges. I only have 6 galleons, please just let me pay for it.”
It was a rather sad sight. Andromeda noticed the other customers starting to stare and whisper to one another. She unbuttoned her coat and acted as if she was grabbing something from the inner pocket. Instead, she was opening her coin purse to pull out four galleons. After a few seconds, she bent down, placed the galleons on the ground, and stood back up. The two were still debating the price when Andromeda peeked her head from behind Ted and chirped, “Excuse me, sir?”
Ted and the clerk went quiet as she spoke. She pointed at the ground and sweetly, almost too sweetly to be realistic, “You dropped these.”
“I- Andromeda,” Ted began, but Andromeda stopped him.
“Please,” she whispered. Ted bent down and picked up the coins. The clerk's eyes widened as he put the galleons on the counter and proceeded to pay for the bag.
Once he left, Andromeda paid for her pensive. Like she thought, it was a hefty 425 galleons. If she hadn’t been born into a wealthy family, she would have never been able to afford this, but luckily, she was. The clerk put a lightweight charm on the pensive to make it easier to transport back to the castle. When she exited the store, Ted was waiting right outside the door.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” He said bothered by her gesture.
Andromeda gawked at him. She was confused as to why he would be upset with her, she had just paid for his bag, “I was being nice.”
“I didn’t need you to do that.” He pouted.
“Sure, you didn’t,” she scoffed, “He wouldn’t have sold it to you if I hadn’t given you if I hadn’t paid for the rest. Why’d you buy it anyway?”
“It’s for my mum. Her birthday in November,” he relented and softened a bit, “The bloody clerk wouldn’t sell it to me because he could tell I was a muggle-born.”
“Well, that’s unfair isn’t it,” Andromeda said. Something in her felt sad, almost understanding of the situation. Which was weird because a year ago, she’d never have thought it terrible. She shifted on her heels and awkwardly pointed at the basin then said, “I should get going before the charm wears off.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, “Yeah, I should get going too. See you around.”
***
Back at the school, Andromeda stored the pensive underneath her bed and covered it with an old blanket. She wasn’t scared of someone seeing it, she just didn’t want people to know. Under the light of her candle, she began drafting a letter to Bellatrix.
Dear Bella,
Today at Hogsmeade I made a discovery that I believe will help or even solve your issue. I won’t tell you what I’ve found in case this letter is intercepted by our parents or Rudolphus, but once I come home for the holidays, it’ll be the first thing I tell you.
I hope you are doing well. Please keep writing to us, Cissy looks forward to your letters every week. Just the other day she told me she was nervous I’d stop writing once I was married, and how she was terribly sad once you stopped for a short time. It would wreck her if you did and me. Cissy has been acting strange lately. I don’t know if it’s because she is concerned about the absence of your letters or something else. She has been reserved, refusing to tell me much these days. You should write to her and ease her mind, maybe even convince her to tell you what’s the matter.
I miss you awfully Bella. The holidays couldn’t come sooner.
- Andromeda