From Opposite Sides

Just Another Day

Ted was hard at work studying for his N.E.W.T. exams in the common room when a second year Hufflepuff boy came up to him.

"Ted Tonks, right?" Ted nodded. "There's a Slytherin girl outside our entrance who wants to talk to you. Andromeda Black, I think she said her name was."

Ted's face lit up. She came to see me? A girl actually came to see me? Wow. This was a first.

The girl he met outside the common room looked incredibly upset. He'd never seen her this way before, almost... vulnerable. Before then, she'd always carried an air of confidence wherever she went. Something must have happened with her and Rupert, he thought. I have to remember not to look too excited...

"I hope you're happy," Andromeda spat. "Rupert broke up with me."

Ted frowned in a confused manner. "I'm sorry to hear. But where do I come into this?"

She scoffed. "Like you don't know!"

He still didn't comprehend her words. "No, I don't know."

"He did it because of you. Because he hates anyone who makes friends with a Muggle-born."

Ted felt a surge of anger rise inside him. "What is it with Slytherins and hating my bloodline? I have magic, just like you do."

"Maybe Rupert has a point," she replied without emotion. "Maybe our friendship isn't good for me, and you're contaminating my outlook on things. Those lessons were fun and all, but honestly, he's not wrong. I don't know what got into me when I said yes to your teaching offer." Andromeda turned to leave.

"Hang on for a moment!" Ted pleaded. "What did I do-"

"Just go away. I never want to see your filthy face again." Each word she used was injected with venom. After saying this, she kicked her heels and walked off.

All of a sudden, studying sounded like the worst thing in the world. Ted headed to the boy's dorm. Good thing none of my roommates are here. He tried to hold back tears. That didn't last long.
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"It's just another day, nothing in my way;
I don't wanna go, I don't wanna stay,
So there's nothing left to say."

-Keane
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Days, then weeks, went by. They might as well have been an eternity for Andromeda. Her Hogwarts days were winding down, but that wasn't the only reason for the slowing of time. Stupid Ted Tonks kept popping up into her dreams. And his image seemed to follow her everywhere. She knew she'd been vicious to the sweet boy. Still, there was nothing she could do about her family rules. People like Ted weren't meant to have a place in her heart. But it was there.

In the Great Hall, she kept resisting the urge to look over at the Hufflepuff table, until one day, she sensed a pair of eyes watching her. Ted. Andromeda couldn't fight it any longer. She glanced at the other side of the Great Hall. Those eyes... They pierced all the way into hers. Oops. Can't let him know that I'm watching him. Andromeda went back to eating. I really hurt Ted's feelings, she thought sadly.

I'll make it up to him tomorrow.