Blackbird

Chapter Seven

Andromeda tucked her hair behind her ear as she puzzled over the last question on her transfiguration homework. It was a bright, beautiful day, but even the fresh breeze could only do so much for her sore, over-worked brain. It's like the more she studied, the more her brain grew until it was pushing at the sides of her skull. But of course, that was ridiculous.

Still though, it was better to have a stuffed brain outdoors than a stuffed brain indoors, even if she was more likely to run into Rabastan out here.

"Hey Andromeda!" She looked up, half-annoyed, half-amused. She had wanted to avoid interaction with anyone, but she could never say no to Sirius. "There's my favorite cousin, how have you been?" He came up and plopped on the ground next to her, making himself comfortable. Apparently, he intended to stay for a while. She looked to see his entourage of friends bringing up the rear. She shouldn't have to look though, they rarely went anywhere without each other. They stopped a few feet behind their friend. Remus Lupin smiled and gave her a friendly wave, while the other, James Potter, merely folded his arms across his chest and gave her a brisk nod. He'd never much liked her. He was a staunch hater of all Slytherins and this included Andromeda, but out of respect for Sirius he never said anything to her. And there was Peter Pettigrew cowering behind him, looking at Andromeda with wide, fearful eyes. That was encouraging.

She smiled politely at Sirius's question, "All right, how about—"

"Is it true?" he interrupted.

She blinked, derailed. "Is what true?"

"That you're considering pulling a Sirius and abandoning the Black Bandwagon?"

Andromeda's eyes widened, and she blushed a deep red, "No! I'm... who told you that?"

"Narcissa."

The book slipped out of Andromeda's fingers. "She said that?"

Sirius smirked. "Well no, not really, she just said she was concerned because she found you talking to a muggleborn. She was discussing it very loudly from the bathroom. Which I know not because I was in the girls' bathroom, but outside it, installing a very persistent pair of nifflers..."

"A muggleborn?" His friend Potter interrupted, walking closer and glancing at Andromeda with lidded eyes.

"Yeah, Ted Tonks, you remember Ted Tonks, right?" Sirius said.

James cast her another furtive glance, before returning to Sirius, his mind whirring. "Doesn't he play quidditch or something?"

"Yeah, for Hufflepuff, he's their chaser, and a sixth year, like our dear Andromeda."

But Potter didn't care about any of this. "And you were talking to him?" The disbelief in his voice was almost condescending. He was clearly expecting an answer, as was Sirius.

Andromeda wasn't getting out of this one, much as she might want to. She sighed, closing the book in front of her, and resignedly explained, "Professor Kettleburn asked the two of us to help him prepare something, and afterwards I... I had a question about our charms homework."

"You had a question about homework?" Sirius snorted.

"And you decided to ask the mudblood? " Potter cut in. "Aren't they just stupid scum who don't know anything about magic anyway?"

Andromeda felt another rush of heat wash over her. Ted used to say similar things, but there was something about the way that Potter said it that drove her over the edge.

"You know who you sound like?" she said.

His eyebrows knitted, confused. "No?"

She glared at him, struggling to keep the venom out of her voice. "Narcissa."