Peeves is a Peeve
The shock was overwhelming. Ted’s quiet words were a bombshell as my feet came to a grating halt. It was like I was incapable of moving. He stared at me, his dark blue eyes bright. A kiss? But I didn’t even know him! I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. My thoughts flew off the handle as I realized my body was leaning towards his unconsciously. I jerked my shoulders back, settling my body into the position of perfect posture that it was so used to. My eyes didn’t leave his the entire time; instead, they merely grew wider with each realization.
Surely, he couldn’t think I was a slut. I had never thrown myself at guys shamelessly. I had never flirted around and led guys on. I’m sure the boys at school rather wished I would do it a bit more. Raphael was most likely the one wishing the hardest.
I wasn’t the most experienced with guys. I didn’t have the natural charisma and charm that drew them to me. I wasn’t stunningly beautiful like Narcissa. There had been a few guys but not many bothered with me. I’m sure Raphael had something to do with that. His claim was beyond dispute. No matter how much I wished it was, it was irrefutable.
Slytherin girls did not seem to enjoy that fact very much. When I had been forced to endure his presence, girls sighed at his touches, sent me envious glares at the way his arm wrapped around my waist. What they didn’t know was that tight embrace had left its fair share of bruises. I’d be more than willing to pass him along to someone else.
As for the guys, those I had managed to lure my way were always scared away. Bella, Raphael and Cissy all saw to that. There had been a few stolen kisses behind the bookshelves in the library; a few coveted meetings in Hogsmeade had made the flings seem more concrete. The most public thing I had ever really done with the other guy was an occasional brush by in the hallways or sometimes, even holding hands. It hadn’t ever gone much farther than that.
But I didn’t want that anymore. It was enough to have friends beyond Raphael’s control. Maybe that was why I had flung myself so far away from what was held proper. Maybe that was why I had subconsciously chosen Ted Tonks.
My eyes refocused on Ted, the sight of his now grinning face taking a while to sink in. Wait. He was smiling. His eyes were twinkling like Professor Dumbledore’s eyes. Was this a joke?
“I’m only joking, Andromeda,” he said, his voice shaking with barely suppressed laughter.
Of course. He was joking. The relief flowed through my veins, and I relaxed. I offered a weak smile, feeling a bit of hysteria build inside of me. Squashing it down, I gave a little giggle to appease the slightly disappointed look on his face. Surprisingly, the laughter felt good.
His grin flashed again and his laughter reverberated from his chest. I couldn’t help it; his good cheer was contagious. My answering burst of laughter and smile seemed to cheer him up. It was astonishing how easy it was to react to him. Maybe this easiness was what it felt like to be carefree…
My mind had drifted off into dreamy oblivion when I felt a faint tug on my arm and a light squeeze around my fingers. Eyes drifting back to the Hufflepuff, I knew my smile was quixotic.
“Is it time to go already?” I asked regretfully. I didn’t want to return to the school, to face the other Slytherins and see their minds calculating ways to figure out what happened.
“It is.” His answer seemed to have a faint trace of sadness in it too.
Meeting his eyes, I sighed and nodded. “Let’s go then.”
We turned together towards the castle, walking in companionable silence. The warmth of his hand in mine was a comfort against the cold wind as it blew across the grounds. The icepack held to my cheek soon felt almost freezing against my bare skin. I let my hand drop from my face, my fingers still protesting against the icy chill of the object they held. “Wait.” My voice seemed to startle him as I stopped.
Gently, I pulled my hand from his and reached for my wand in my pocket. Pulling it out, I gave a vague wave over the icepack. My sad attempt at transfiguring it back into an inkwell did not go so well. I sighed again and looked up into his face. Chagrin replaced the apologetic smile upon seeing his smug, amused expression.
“Let me. I’m excellent at transfiguration.”
His rough fingers brushed the sensitive, smooth skin on the underside of my wrist as he grabbed the disfigured object. I felt a shiver go down my spine that had nothing to do with the cold. He didn’t seem to notice what he had done. My eyes flashed up to his. His eyes were riveted to the object that his cleverly transfigured inkwell had become. It was like a frozen, black blob. Embarrassment flooded through me at the sight of it.
I had never been too great at transfiguration. It was my one weakness in school. I watched in awe as with a decisive flick of his wand, the disaster I had created became a simple black inkwell. Tucking my forgotten wand away, I smiled up at him. “I’m sorry about that. Transfiguration is not my strong point.”
He shrugged and brushed it off. “No worries. It’s lucky that it is my strong point. If you ever need extra help, I’ll be glad to volunteer.”
His Hufflepuff sincerity was touching but I ignored it. It would not be wise to involve myself with someone who was so different from the values my family held dear, even if it was just tutoring. Rather than get into those details, however, I stated simply, “Thank you.”
There was a flash of something in his eyes before it vanished. It had appeared and disappeared too quickly for me to put my finger on what it was. It reminded me of something…
The feel of cool fingers slipping around mine was welcomed with a gentle squeeze. Together, we turned to the castle again and began the walk toward it. All the while, Ted Tonks was a fine example of a gentleman. He recalled story after story involving a vast array of characters from himself to his family to his adventures at school. He told the stories with such animation and energy; it was hard not to be captivated by his voice and expressions. I tried my best to keep a straight face, to stay neutral and not allow myself to develop any kind of attachment to the entertaining, kind Hufflepuff. It would only come to kick us in the arse later on.
Entering the castle, I thanked him for holding the door for me. With a mischievous grin, he gave me a flourishing low bow. For his cheeky actions, I smacked him soundly on the arm, laughing at the expression of mock hurt. It was so deliciously easy to be myself around him. I had never felt this in tune with my own soul, not once. I had always been trying to fit the mold that had been created before my birth. It was the mold all Black women fell into. All pureblood daughters were expected to become this model woman. I gave an inward sigh at the thought.
We were on the flight of steps when we heard it. Peeves’ voice floated up from below as he sang cheerfully. There was no mistaking the words of his song as they grew louder.
“Baron groans, Myrtle moans, McGonagall laid an egg. Bellatrix Black is an ugly, fat quack, and Filch has lost a leg.”
My eyes flew to Ted’s face. I couldn’t let this fall into the hands of Peeves. That would be far worse than if I stood on top of the Gryffindor table and denounced my family name. He seemed to understand my panicked look.
Grabbing my hand, he ran up the steps. I wasn’t too far behind, trying to keep my steps light. On the landing, he hesitated. I glanced up the rest of the stairs and balked. There was no way we’d make it up there in time. I felt a jerk on my arm and turned around.
Motioning franticly, Ted pointed to himself, to me and then to the statue on the landing. Nodding briefly, I ran towards the niche we knew would be behind the statue. I slipped into the narrow space gratefully, my shoulders falling back against the back wall in relief. My relaxed pose wasn’t so relaxing once Ted had entered the small space. With my hips pushed away from the wall, the space big enough for me suddenly wasn’t that big. I scrambled upright, all of my back now pushed against the wall.
I had never noticed how big Ted was. While Raphael was tall and lean, Ted was muscular and tall. The small space was almost suffocating with the two of us stuffed into it. I tried to breathe calmly, focusing on keeping my breaths long and few. Try as I might, my breaths came out fast and frequent. My chest rose and fell with the action, brushing against Ted’s in the process. I looked down, fearful of meeting his eyes. I didn’t know what I’d find there.
My blood pounded through my veins with the erratic beat my heart kept. I was sure he could probably see the strength of its pounding in the vein on my neck. Perhaps, he could even feel it by the way our bodies were inadvertently touching in the small space. I could surely feel his eyes on me. My eyes flew up to meet the intense gaze. My feet almost slipped on the marble floor in shock at what I found.
His hand flew up to cover up the gasp I had released. Peeves was in the stairway, his singing more like bellowing in the echoing space. Unnoticed in our corner, he floated on by. We waited a while longer. I could feel the bold beat of Ted’s heart from the closeness of his chest, the vein in his wrist pressed against my cheek. It was as frantic as mine, though his breathing was smooth. We heard Peeves’ voice fade away as he chose his corridor and left the stairway.
Almost as one, Ted Tonks and I began moving, trying to get out of the small space. The end result was us sprawled on the landing, undignified and inelegant. I sat up slowly. My hand rubbed absently at my hip bone from where I had clipped it against the statue. Ted grimaced as he flexed his ankle gingerly. A pang of guilt washed over me at the sight of it. It wouldn’t have happened if not for me - I was the one who wanted to hide from Peeves. Thinking to offer to help, I drew back when I heard him mutter “Episkey”. I blinked, and then I rose to my feet. I was glad I had worn pants today under my robes.
Pretending to brush dust (of which there was none) off of my robes, I slanted a glance at Ted. He was flexing his ankle again, a cheerful smile on his face. He was seemingly oblivious to the revelation I was feeling. Well, seeing as he wasn’t a Legilimens, it was only fitting he wasn’t aware of what I was experiencing.
Shaking off the silly sense of disappointment, I held out a hand to him. “Let me help you up.”
He chuckled and nodded, his large hand grasping mine firmly. He didn’t even use my weight; he just rose to his feet in one swift motion. He didn’t let go of my hand though. His rough fingers brushed the sensitive skin of my wrist. I bit back a yelp at the feeling. Shaken, I took my hand back. I began stuffing my falling hair back into a semblance of a hairstyle, using my wand to perfect it. Nothing stirred up gossip like a girl whose hair was a mess. At least, that was the case when it came to me.
As I fixed my hair, I began to wonder… What was going on here? What was with the look in his eyes earlier? I had seen amusement, curiosity, interest and something I couldn’t interpret. I had no idea what it was. His ardent look had once again sent chills down my spine. I just wasn’t used to these things.
“Do you still want to go to Madame Pomfrey? The mark has gone away for the most part.”
I jumped and looked at him. “What?” I shook my head softly, trying to clear it. “Oh. No, it’s fine.” My voice softened, “Thank you though. For everything.”
My arms opened vaguely at the word everything. I shrugged and dropped them at my sides. My cheeks flushed with heat and I bowed my head. Embarrassment was a family emotion; only my family ever seemed to be able to embarrass me. This was something new, uncharted and rather uncomfortable.
I glanced up into his face through my eyelashes. Relief felt great after all the tension I had been feeling. The wide, dimpled grin was the cause of my relief. He seemed to know exactly what I meant.
“I can cover that up for you until it fades away completely if you want.”
I smiled and nodded. I had been planning on ducking into a bathroom on my way down to the dungeons to cover it up. This worked just as well. He pulled his wand out again, waving it near my cheek. The cooling sensation I felt gliding over the side of my face seemed to prove that the spell worked. His playful smile softened, sending another shiver down my spine.
“You’re perfectly beautiful once again, my lady.” His tone was lilting with the medieval accent he used.
I giggled, the sound bursting into full out laughter at his flourishing bow. A rush of pleasure at his teasing probably made me appear insane. My smile grew wider and I gave him a curtsy.
“Thank you, kind sir.”
His eyes grew big in shock before he laughed with me. Rising, I opened my mouth to speak, but the sound of feet and voices carried down the stairway, interrupting my actions. Doors opened and more voices joined in. I sighed and flashed a cheeky grin.
“Here’s your rewarding kiss.” Standing on tiptoe, I pressed my lips to his cheek. I laughed at the slack-jawed expression on his face. “Goodbye Ted Tonks.”
Grinning like a fool, I dashed off down the steps. I could still feel his rough cheek against my lips. My bag thumped against my hip and I couldn’t help giggling. Oh, the cleverness of me.