From Opposite Sides

When Worlds Collide

Ted boarded the train to leave Hogwarts for the last time, but he wasn't in the mood to see anybody. He sat alone in a compartment, wondering where the future might lead him now that his school days were over, wondering why he'd bothered to tutor Andromeda Black in the first place. Love can either make you crazy or make you regretful, and Ted was both. A moment after the Hogwarts Express took off, he noticed that someone was peering into the glass door of his compartment. His stomach dropped a mile. Not her. Anyone but her.

"I know you probably don't want to talk to me," Andromeda said warily, opening the door, "and I know the horrible things that I said, but can I come in to apologize?"

Ted thought it over. There she goes, reeling you in again. A strong young man wouldn't let her come in. But I've never been that kind of guy, have I?

"Sure," Ted eventually replied. What did he have to lose but his sanity?

She sat down in the seat across from him. Andromeda sighed, and then she began her apology. "I didn't mean any of what I said. You have to understand that I come from 'The noble house of Black'. We've been pure-bloods for centuries. My mum and dad raised me to think that Muggles and Muggle-borns were useless, but deep in my guts, I always knew it was wrong."

Ted knew she wasn't kidding. She seemed truly upset by her family values. "When I met you," she continued, "it became clearer to me that the family ways were outrageous."

Andromeda moved to sit right beside him. Ted's heart was now beating out of control. This isn't happening!

"You're probably the kindest person I've met in a long time," she went on earnestly. "But, going back to my family, talking to Muggle-borns in a friendly way would give them the grounds to punish me. I had to make sure that my younger sister Narcissa hadn't noticed us together, and lucky for me, she didn't. I've been completely petrified because I'm doing just what the Black family doesn't want me to do: making friends with a Muggle-born. That's why I was so terrible to you. I'm risking everything just by being here."

Ted was glad that Andromeda had the courage to explain herself. He'd started to assume that she hated him specifically. He was still getting used to life in the Wizarding world, and he'd never heard much about the prejudice some pure-blood families carried. All he'd known was that the Slytherins would pass by and call him "Mudblood", for no reason. Every time, it had struck him as utterly stupid.

"I guess you'd be in loads of trouble if your parents knew that we were friends," he realized out loud.

Andromeda took his hand. "Yeah. I would." Now it was Ted's turn to feel goose bumps.

She leaned in to kiss him gently. Ted gave her a questioning look. "Are you sure?"

She answered with another kiss. He kissed her back this time, lacing his fingers through her raven hair. When they broke apart, they just smiled at each other. Andromeda laid her head on his shoulder, he put his arm around her, and they stayed like that for the rest of their final train ride home. Ted couldn't believe this beautiful girl was his. He thought Andromeda Black was insane to choose him. For now, though, he would just go with it.
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"So where you gonna go;
Who you gonna call,
When you know it's time to play the game?
What's your mystery?
Who's it gonna be,
When you know it's time to play her game?"

-Kevin Max