toujours pur

There were times when Edward Tonks could not believe that he was actually with Andromeda Black. If he were to tell anyone they would just laugh at him and tell him that he was lying, no one, absolutely no one would ever believe that the pair were together. He had come close a few times to tell one of the boys, he just wanted to be able to tell them how amazing Andromeda was, boast about how he was with the most amazing human being on the planet. Of course Ted would never do such a thing, he wasn’t stupid nor was he willing to risk getting caught and loosing what he had. 

Ted sometimes felt that he was going to burst with happiness. He’d see Andromeda in everything beautiful, from flowers, to sunsets to the smell of freshly cut grass, she had lit his life up in a way which he never knew he realised. He loved this feeling, the feeling of being excited to see someone and just listen to everything they were passionate about, to just see her smile at him or look at him with a look that was just reserved for him. Ted knew that he shouldn’t get this attached to Andromeda but the problem with that was that he was completely attached and did not want to let go at all. 

“That combination sounds utterly dull. I’m so sorry you had to go through that…although it was also kinda funny seeing how bored you were.” He laughed. “Yes.” Ted nodded grinning and leaning in to lightly kiss her once more. “We have Slughorn’s assignment. Please don’t be distracting for me.”

“I’m not making any promises. You can’t expect me to stay focused when you keep looking at me like that,” a smirk tugged at her lips. Ordinarily Andromeda would want to get started on the essay as soon as it was assigned so she could get it out of the way quickly but it seemed her priorities had shifted of late. She turned her head away from him and shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter how long we spend working on it as long as we hand it in on time.”

Her attention turned to the ground beneath her. She plucked a daisy and played with the petals absentmindedly as she sat leaning against Ted’s firm chest. The park was so peaceful and quiet it was easy to forget that the challenges she faced when she returned. “So, what do you have planned for today now that you’ve made me come to a muggle town?”

Ted couldn’t control the grin which automatically formed on his lips the second he heard her laugh, it was his favourite sound to hear now, it had replaced all his favourite songs. His body leaned into hers and he put his arm around her shoulders to hold her close to him. “Did you hear that?” He laughed, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. “Of course you wouldn’t. I’m the best person to meet up with secretly.” He teased, nudging her gently before he pressed a kiss on the top of her head. 

It was moments like this where he wanted to stop time. It was just Andromeda and him away from everything and all the problems and complications which surrounded them. “Can we just stay here and not go back?” He sighed, tilting his head so that he could look at her. “Hi. You look beautiful.” He smiled as he cupped her cheek leaning in and quickly pressed his lips against hers for a quick kiss. “I missed you a lot this week. We weren’t partnered together for anything. Everyone else is just so dull.”

Andromeda closed her eyes when he kissed the top of her head, savouring the moment. She still found it hard to believe that she was with someone as perfect as him. The way he made her feel at ease when he smiled and safe when he held her close made her feel grateful for every minute that they were together. “That you are Tonks and don’t forget it. You’re the only person I would come to a muggle town for.” She grinned when she caught the trace of pink as it left his cheeks. The fact that he was still afraid of embarrassing himself in front of her made Andromeda Black’s heart of ice melt a little more. 

She sighed wistfully, “I would love that”. She lifted her head to meet his gaze, colour rising to her own cheeks in response to his compliment. “Thank you,” she smiled, looking away after returning his kiss. It still caught her off guard when he said things like that. “I know. I had to partner with Snape in History of Magic. I was struggling to keep my eyes open,” she rolled her eyes. “At least we have Slughorn’s assignment to work on next week”.

Ted always had the same questions running through his mind every time he waited for Andromeda. What if she doesn’t turn up? What if she changes her mind? What if she’s bored? Although he didn’t like to think about those questions, whenever he was waiting in a secret hidden spot fear would take over that what what they had was going to come to an end.  They decided to meet in the small hidden muggle town where no one would see them, it was less risky meeting here, after all it was early afternoon on a Saturday - meeting anywhere on the grounds was going to be danger zone. Sitting down on the grass he closed his eyes as he soaked in the warmth of the sun. “She will be here soon Ted calm down.” he whispered to himself.  @andromcdaxblack

Any anxieties Andromeda had about their date melted away as soon as she saw Ted already sitting alone on the grass waiting for her. She was always on edge before their secret meetings, terrified that they would be discovered, but it was thrilling for her at the same time. The feelings she had for him and the bond between them which had only grown stronger over the last year made all the sneaking around, lies to her friends and spontaneous (often less than believable) excuses worth it. 

Noticing that his eyes were closed and his lips were moving brought a playful glint to her eyes. Her pace slowed from her standard paranoid haste until she was almost tip-toeing to keep her footsteps as quiet as possible in order to overhear him before he realised she was there. It was sweet that he still worried but he had no reason to. Not even a three-headed dog could keep her away at this point. Knowing that she would be seeing him on the weekend made the weekdays tolerable. Stifling a laugh she sat herself next to him and wrapped her arms around his waist. “I would never miss seeing you”, she reassured the blonde, planting a kiss on his cheek before resting her head on his shoulder.

Andromeda Black Bio.

“Lead the way Miss.Black. Come here I want to kiss you again quickly.” Ted kissing her again quickly before pulling back. “Fourth floor. By the way, you need to led me your notes for Herbology. I was distracted by you for the whole hour.”

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Very well, but that excuse will only work for you once, maybe twice more. And you'll have to read around the love hearts doodled across the page.”

“Totally.” He grinned, kissing her back automatically. “I promised I would find a way to make it. I wouldn’t ever break a promise to you.”

“I know,” she grinned, kissing him softly before pulling away. “I believe we’re on the fourth floor this evening Mr Tonks.”

“Well that’s good to hear. Would have been a very awkward evening if you were wanting to spend time with Kingsley.”

“Very awkward. Luckily for you things worked out in our favour.” She pulled him towards the corner, unable to look at his adorable smile for much longer, and pressed her lips against his. “I was worried you wouldn’t make it.”

“Bribes? Me? Just to get some time with you? I would never do such a thing.”

”Well whatever happened I’m not completely disappointed that you’re here instead of Kingsley.”

“I would never do such a thing to poor Kingsley. It’s just a shame he had to fall ill tonight.” 

“Of course not, you wouldn’t harm him. Did you bribe him?”

“So…you’re stuck with me tonight for patrols. Kingsley’s ill and asked me to cover for him.”  @andromcdaxblack

“How convenient. I hope you haven’t done something to Kingsley so you could take his place.”

“Only joking, of course,” he said, grinning. “Well, I was thinking of taking a trip to Hogsmeade, but I’ve just realized I have nobody to go with. Terrible pity, really… I’m sure your schoolwork will be plenty enjoyable, though.”

Really, he was willing to go to Hogsmeade by himself, but there was the potential that he could have company, and he jumped at it. Typically, he wouldn’t ask a mere acquaintance to do anything, let alone go on an entire excursion to Hogsmeade, but he felt mostly comfortable with Andromeda. When they were children at the pureblood gatherings, she had never seemed to enjoy herself thoroughly, which was in and of itself reassuring. This was a safe venture. 

”If you wanted me to go to Hogsmeade with you, you could have just said that in the first place,” she rolled her eyes but was actually pleasantly surprised by the request. She could count the number of people who asked her to spend time with them on one hand, and now all five fingers were used up. “I’ll go with you, but only because I can’t let you wander around the village like a sad, lost puppy, even if that means missing out on some thrilling transfiguration reading. Do you have a particular reason for going to Hogsmeade?” 

Nervous. That was how Edward Tonks felt when he woke up that dark cold November morning. Last year this time Ted’s body reacted completely differently when Andromeda Black was involved but a lot had changed since then including the way he felt when her name was mentioned. Sparks of excitement would fly all around him, a blanket of warmth wrapping him up completely and his heart would skip a beat just by a small smile she’d give him. He felt so comfortable with her, so free to be himself…truly himself and not worry that he had to be Ted the golden boy. With Andromeda he was just Ted and she was just Andromeda. No complications. No obstacles. It was just the two of them. He forgot about all the darkness which surrounded them, he was naive enough to think that their little bubble inside the castle walls was enough, he was foolish to not see how this was going to end. Of course their were complications, of course there were obstacles, they would never just be a boy and a girl. Their ending was already set for them before they even had a chance of allowing for something more to happen. She was the sun and he was the moon, they never were meant to be…they weren’t from the same stars. Ted had allowed himself to be consumed by her and even though he knew that she didn’t mean to destroy him she had in the most beautiful way possible. She left him with their memories but took herself away. It was a bittersweet tragedy. 

He wasn’t in love with her, but he was falling in love. Forgetting or trying to forget about Andromeda during summer was not as hard as he thought it would be. He was constantly working, whether it was as a lifeguard or  ice cream server Ted made sure he was always busy. If he was busy he didn’t have time to think about anything or anyone. It was peaceful to be away from the hustle of the magical world even though he missed it. Being back in the castle changed everything. Although he tried to not think of Andromeda it became impossible when she would be everywhere. His eyes would constantly catch her no matter how crowded a room was…he always found her. Having her as his potions partner didn’t make it any easier. He wasn’t sure how he would talk to her after everything they shared together. How do two people who grew to know each other the way they got to know each other just pretend to be strangers? 

Ted had arrived to the classroom early. He didn’t want to get there after the Slytherin girl, he needed to get there and set up first. It was a way to calm him down.  He was reading over his notes when he heard the familiar soft voice, looking up immediately and smiling over Andromeda. She was so beautiful, it wasn’t fair, how was Ted supposed to not feel anything when even just the sight of her made him weak. “Hi.” he greeted her, shaking his head at her question. “No, not at all. I just got here a little early. I had a pretty empty morning so I thought I’d just get here and get things started for us.”  After what seemed like hours and hours of only focusing on the task ahead of them Ted glanced up at Andromeda. He could smell her sweet scent which he had missed ever so badly. Ted wasn’t sure whether or not it was appropriate to bring what he was about to bring up. After all she had made it clear that she wanted to cut him out.  “So… are we not even friends anymore?” he asked, nervous to hear her answer. He looked down at his notes and bit the inside of his lip a sigh leaving him before he looked back up at her eyes. “I’ve missed you Andie…” 

“Oh that’s good. Thank you for setting everything up,” she nodded. In the silence that followed Andromeda busied herself by reading over the instructions and making notes of what was needed. She allowed the task at hand to consume her thoughts and where communication was necessary only a few words passed between them. There were times when a question or conversation starter popped into her mind but when it came down to it she found herself unable to speak. She knew that any awkwardness between them was entirely of her making so it would be hypocritical of her to pretend that everything was normal, small talk just seemed very out of place.

Her eyes, which had been intently focused on preparing ingredients, darted upwards at his words. His question struck her like a blade to the chest, catching her by surprise, not because it was unjustified, but because it completely was and she just hadn’t expected him to say it out loud. All this time she had been so absorbed in her own worries and problems that she had forgotten to think about his, taking his understanding and patience for granted without sparing a thought for how he might be feeling about everything. He had broken the veil first and spurred on a reality check that she hadn’t realised she needed. “Of course we’re still friends,” she said softly, putting down the knife that she had been using to cut up roots. “At least I hope we are.” 

She sat up in her chair and turned her full attention to Ted, a pained expression washed over her features. “I’m so sorry for putting you through this Ted, it’s not fair on you,” she offered weakly. No longer able to meet his gaze, she looked down at the table, tracing patterns on the scratched surface with her nail. “When things started to get... complicated... my first instinct was to distance myself. It was selfish of me I know, but I didn’t know how else to deal with it and I thought staying away would be for the best, for both of us,” she paused, hesitating a glance at him, hoping that she wouldn’t find him understandably angry. “But it didn’t change anything. Nothing changed over the summer.” 

“Merlin, if anything it only made me miss you more. There’s nobody else I can talk to like I talk to you. Nobody else I want to talk to.” Her cards had been laid out in front of him now, all she could do was wait nervously for his reaction. It was unlike her to be so open, every word she usually said was chosen based on its possible consequences. Just admitting that she had thought about Ted over the summer, that she had missed him, had been a battle against an obstacle course of warning signs and alarm bells. Her head was ringing with the danger of making herself vulnerable by exposing her emotions - it was paralysed, so her heart had taken the reins. The Slytherin girl could never truly say what she wished could happen between herself and the Hufflepuff boy, but at least now he knew that he was important to her. “I hope that we can still be friends? I couldn’t bear it if we weren’t.”

It was with only some trepidation that Paris made his way to sit in front of Andromeda at breakfast one morning. Like most of the purebloods, they knew of each other, or had known of each other, but unlike most other purebloods, they weren’t intertwined by complex family relations or engagements or the like. For most of their lives, their relationship had been at best one of acknowledgement, sort of an, “I know I’ve seen you at those ridiculous manor parties but that doesn’t mean I have a need to speak with you,” association. In their sixth year, though, since Paris had decided to occasionally take interest in the lives of those around him, they’d begun talking to some extent. 

He slid into the seat, offering her a small smile. “You’re looking chipper this morning,” he said, in an odd mood. “Have you got any plans for today?”

@andromcdaxblack

Andromeda looked up as her housemate took a seat opposite her, relieved to see it one of the few that she could just about tolerate. Before this year she had known Paris existed but had never otherwise taken much notice of him, largely because she thought he was quiet and uninterested in other people, which she could definitely understand and respect. Over summer he seemed to have transformed into someone completely different and his new burst of confidence intrigued her. News of what had happened to his family had of course reached the gossiping ears of her family and by extension herself but he didn’t seem to be effected by it at all. 

She considered his question with a slight frown, unsure if he was being sarcastic or not. “I’m fine but not chippy. I would never go that far,” she gave an amused smile. “No nothing special, only staying indoors and getting ahead with schoolwork. Do you?”  

It really was just Andromeda’s luck to be paired with Ted for this potions assignment, not ideal but not entirely bad either. Last year she would have called him a friend, possibly even something more, but her head was clearer now. The summer had come and gone with the two of them barely speaking, if Ted had tried to reach out she hadn’t responded. She told herself that she had just been wrapped up in the idea of a teenage romance, something she might expect from Narcissa but that she was definitely too sensible to entertain. Her holiday had been spent with those like her, purebloods and the wealthy. She had travelled to the south of France with her family, and socialised at countless galas and parties with those she constantly reminded herself were her people, even if she often found that her smile was forced and had to fight the urge to roll her eyes when some people spoke. She had allowed herself to be swallowed up again by the elitist bubble, willingly forgetting that the outside world existed.

That all changed when she returned to Hogwarts. She was once again reminded that the horizon stretched far further than her family claimed and of the hypocrisy of her class, especially those she had to share a common room with. There were plenty of people more more intelligent, more accomplished and more interesting than the children of the Sacred 28 and they were just as worthy of recognition as anybody else. Her sisters didn’t agree, but she was starting to think they weren’t completely right either. Seeing Ted again had only brought everything she had felt in fifth year, everything she thought she had just imagined, flooding back. Getting to know him had opened her eyes up to all these realisations. She had no idea that she could have so much in common with a muggleborn, let alone learn from him. He had brought out a side to her that nobody else, even herself, had ever seen and she had trusted him enough to share things she hadn’t even told her sisters with him. The both of them being made prefects had also made avoiding him more difficult, it was impossible to maintain her usual levels of iciness when on patrol with him for hours at a time. He was just infuriatingly friendly and easy to talk to.

She arrived at the classroom they had booked to work on the project at exactly the agreed upon time only to find Ted already there. “Good afternoon,” she greeted him politely and took a seat at the table. “How long have you been waiting?”