"I used to be so tough
Never really gave enough
And then you caught my eye"

Luella Thomas, from what Andromeda has learned, seems to be the closest that one can get to having a spotless record. It's kind of infuriating. Never had a detention, the picture-perfect prefect, comes from a sane family, why shouldn't have Ted asked her out?

A quiet voice in the back of her head told her that he should've asked her out instead, but she had too much self-doubt to listen.

It's not as if Ted cares about whether or not someone has had detentions, or is the perfect prefect, yet Andy can't shake the feeling that he might care about the whole family thing. She saw it in the way he looked at Narcissa when she came up to them in the library to ask a question. He might not do it consciously, but Andy's not stupid. Every muggle-born is told by their wizard friends to stay away from families such as hers.

It would be asking too much from him not to be wary of them.

So, she finds herself sulking quite a bit about these facts, brought around by low self-esteem. Of course, Jack and Henri notice and take it upon themselves to distract her from the fact that Ted's presence becomes more scarce as Valentine's approaches.

They practically ambush her in the library.

"Today is the day," Jack started, his signature grin plastered on his face.

Andromeda raised an eyebrow at him but continued to sort the books onto the shelves as Madam Pince asked her.

"The day you've been waiting for!" Henri continued, shaking Andy's shoulders so that she sets down the textbook she had been holding.

"And why's that?" Andy asked, shaking her head at their antics.

"You know how you talk about missing out on things in your childhood?" Henri said, quieter now that they weren't messing around as much.

"Uh-huh," Andy replied cautiously, not at all sure where this was going.

"Well, we thought it'd be great if we took you outside to jump in some puddles!" Jack finished with a grin.

"It's pouring," Andy said flatly. "And it's late. I need to go to bed."

"But, Andy-"

"I'm going to bed."

Henri and Jack share a sad look as their friend gets up abruptly and leaves, not waiting for them to catch up.

...

Promptly after breakfast on Valentine's, which Andromeda ate with Henri and Ben, Henri took Andy back to her dorm to get ready for Henri's date. Andy wasn't sure why Henri was sweating so much since Ben was the most harmless character she had ever met in her life.

"Henri, I'm serious! I'm not entirely sure Ben isn't a teddy bear," Andy reiterates after Henri practically shrieked about not having anything to wear. "I mean as adorable as getting all worked up over him is, you've got nothing to worry about."

Henri took a few deep breaths in as she also took in Andy's words. She nodded in agreement and sat on the floor.

"He's just so- ugh! In a good way, you know?" Henri said, now fully laying on the floor.

Andromeda nodded now, knowing exactly what she was talking about. Sometimes Ted was so sweet she actually wanted to tackle him onto the floor, but not in a harmful way, just like she was so overcome with feelings that she didn't know what else to do with them.

"Why didn't you talk about him before?" Andy asked nonchalantly as she picked at Henri's quilt.

Henri made a noncommittal noise as she got up from the floor and determinedly looked in her closet for something to wear.

"I didn't think it was going to go anywhere," Henri explained, pulling a multitude of different things from her closet. "We don't have much in common like I'm a quidditch freak and he's an absolute nerd."

She laughs fondly about this.

"I'm a stereotypical Gryffindor and he's a stereotypical Ravenclaw," she said, listing more things that were different between them. "He'd never hurt a fly, and I'm literally a bug serial killer."

Andromeda laughed hard at that difference. Henri really was gone for this boy as she continued talking about him.

By the time they picked out an outfit for Henri, they realized they had thirty minutes left before they were supposed to meet everyone else by the Great Hall. Andromeda still wasn't dressed and Henri had yet to tame her bedhead. Without much of a choice, Andromeda ran into the dungeons, leaving Henri to figure out how to make herself look presentable.

...

Meeting Luella Thomas for the first time was not her favorite thing to ever happen, but Andromeda told herself just to suck it up when she saw Ted's grin widen when she walked into the space they occupied outside of the Great Hall.

She was the exact opposite of Andromeda, which had been so noticeable upon her setting her eyes on her. Luella had platinum blonde hair that spun in tight curls, and bright green eyes that stood out against her pale skin. With a perfect smile and small frame, Andromeda turned her eyes towards the ground after introductions, overcome with the feeling that she was about to throw up on the ground.

"You ready?" Jack asked her with a pitiful look.

"Only if you don't look at me the whole day," Andromeda replied dryly. "I'm fine, really. I know you don't believe me."

"I've got reason to, Andy. I'd have to be blind not to see the way you look at him," Jack said as they walked towards the carriages that would take them into Hogsmeade.

Andromeda smiles briefly as she sees Davina and Narcissa grab a carriage together as they giggle about some secret they share.

"But he's a git, so let's just forget about him."

"Don't have to tell me twice."

It actually came easier to them than Andromeda imagined it would. For Ted was best friends with both of them, he was sure to come up in conversation every now and again. However, they completely skirted around him like it was a natural thing.

Of course, they were both thinking about him because, how could they not? Jack quietly thought about how mad he was that Ted hadn't asked Andromeda to Hogsmeade instead of Luella, and Andromeda thought sadly about the same thing through a different lens.

The soft serenity of their afternoon would have to come to an end eventually, and it did the moment they stepped into the Three Broomsticks. This was expected since it was a loud place, but the real reason their calm bubble had to be popped was that Luella and Ted also happened to be there.

Andromeda shared a short wave with Ted, and she doesn't miss the look on Luella's face as she does.

"I don't think she likes me very much," Andy whispered to Jack as they snatched a table on the other side of the bar.

"Yeah, I don't think so either," Jack replied, grimacing.

"I don't know why! I was perfectly nice to her this morning!" Andy practically exclaimed, apparently, Jack thought the whole thing was amusing because he started to laugh. "Don't laugh! I really tried, like I even complimented her shirt."

"You don't see it, do you?" Jack asked as his laugh died.

"See what?" Andy asked back in a deadpan tone.

"Merlin! The way Ted looks at you, ya idiot!" Jack says, and Andy's face drops. "Even Luella sees it, so I'm really not sure what she's still doing over there in the booth with him."

Andromeda's jaw drops.

"Wh-what are you talking about? He didn't ask me on purpose to Hogsmeade because he just sees me as a friend!" Andy clarifies since Jack is clearly going insane as he gives her a soft look.

"I can't convince you of his feelings, since that's his job," Jack responds, grabbing Andy's hand lightly. "But, I will tell you that you can just be scary sometimes, and Ted doesn't want to lose you as a friend."

Andy hmphs.

What a day.

...

Song: Somebody To You
By: The Vamps

I had a snow day that I was able to take complete advantage of in order to update! I hope your days are going well as well.

This is about the halfway mark of the fic!! And only three more chapters of act three??

Lmao anyways thanks for reading
-teddy xx