From Opposite Sides

The Hufflepuff

Ted Tonks got into the classroom just in time. Once again, he'd managed to get lost in the maze that was Hogwarts. It didn't matter how long he'd been a student here. Ever since first year, Ted had fallen prey to what the other houses called "The curse of the Hufflepuffs": a knack for having a bad sense of direction. This was definitely not how he wanted to start the day! He hurried into a chair as Professor Flitwick said, "Nice of you to join us, Mr. Tonks..."

"Sorry, Professor," he mumbled.

Flitwick peered up at him from his spectacles. "It was your time that you wasted, not mine. I would expect better from a seventh year."

The Slytherins snickered at this. Actually, it was all of them except for one, a girl with dark-brown hair that fell down her shoulders in curls. He tried to remember if he knew her name, then it came to him- Andromeda Black. They locked eyes for a moment, and she gave Ted a quick look of sympathy. It made him think, Maybe not all Slytherins are cold-hearted. Something about her seemed to set her apart from the rest.

Flitwick climbed up the pile of books he used in order for the class to see him, and their lesson began. "Today, we'll review the spell we practiced in our last lesson, Hairus Elongus," Professor Flitwick announced. "This time, however, you'll not be using partners. You'll be performing it on yourself instead. Don't forget about the reverse spell. Best of luck to you all!"

The class immediately went to work. Hairus Elongus was meant to give more hair to the witch or wizard it was being cast upon. To turn their hair back to its original state, they had to use the reverse spell, Hairus Shortus. Ted was shocked when he gave himself a fantastic beard on his first attempt. He'd been unsuccessful with it in the last Charms class, so he couldn't help but smile proudly into the mirror he was holding. In fact, he wouldn't mind having a beard like this when he was older. Soon, the room was full of people with longer hair. Some couldn't keep it from growing, resulting in a tangle of hairs on the classroom floor. Ted concentrated and let his beard stop at a nice length. For once, he didn't see why the others were having trouble. He noticed that Andromeda Black hadn't been able to lengthen her hair yet. She groaned in frustration. By the time class was over, she still hadn't made any progress. Professor Flitwick took her aside, and Ted decided to eavesdrop as he put his book into his school bag.

"Miss Black, you don't usually have this much difficulty with Charms, and usually, I wouldn't worry. But I've heard rumors that the Hair-Lengthening Charm will be on your N.E.W.T. exams this coming June. Could you possibly find a peer to help you master it?"

Andromeda replied with a nod. "I'll do that right away, Professor. You know how much I want to pass, to make my parents happy."

Before he knew what he was doing, Ted blurted out, "I can teach her!" Call him strange, but he felt powerless in the sight of the girl who had inexplicably captured his attention. Andromeda and Flitwick turned to stare at him.

"I don't know why you listened in on our conversation, Mr. Tonks," said Professor Flitwick, "but you did show impressive skill today. What do you think, Miss Black? It's up to you."

Andromeda hesitated for a minute, furrowing her eyebrows. Ted understood why. Slytherins typically didn't get along with anybody outside their own house.

"All right," she finally replied. "When and where do you want to meet, Tonks?"

"Let's say seven o'clock p.m. in a room on the fourth floor, tomorrow?"

She agreed, and they left the classroom to go to dinner in the Great Hall. Ted had been taken aback when she called him by his last name. But what did you expect, he thought to himself as he ate. It's not like you're going to marry the girl. He had no idea of the journey that lay ahead of them...