[HOGWARTS EXPRESS POST]

[blackcissa]

[Setting:] Beginning of school year - various compartments on the Hogwarts Express.

[Characters:] EVERYONE. Share a compartment, fight over the last Chocolate Frog, get involved in a heavy snogging session while changing out of your muggle clothing - whatever.

Comments

[dromedablack]

Andromeda Black fell into none of these categories. While other students jostled for the attention of the snack cart witch or changed robes, she was reluctantly making her way up the train to the prefects' cars at the front. She'd put off doing so as long as possible, by far preferring Patch's company, and then braving the Marauders' car to check on Sirius. But being Head Girl came with certain responsibilities, the first of which being that she be available to students who may need her. In order to do so, she needed to stay put in the appropriate car. With Ted

[tonky_wonky]

Ted hadn't been sitting in the compartment for a long time. He just thought it would be best to get there a little early, rather then get there before Andromeda and have her nag him about supposedly being late.

He was definitely not looking forward to the rest of the train ride. He didn't really enjoy the Hogwarts Express on the best of days, if only because all the chocolate frogs he usually ate made him feel a little sick. But also because he felt very cooped up inside the cabin all day. At least on train rides of the past he hung out with friends. Now he was stuck with Andromeda. He glanced at her clothes and could only barely conceal a smile. Really? Wasn't the Victorian era, like, over a hundred years ago?

Ted slouched a little further in his seat as Andromeda walked into the compartment, movie his dirty sneaker-clad feet out of the way. He glanced over the book he was reading, waiting for her to say the first word. When she did, he replied, "Hullo there," in the exact same icy tone.

[dromedablack]

It was only years of etiquette training that kept Andy from groaning. Why he had to sound so huffy every time he spoke to her was utterly beyond her - and was it so difficult to do a simple cleaning charm, rather than track dirt all over the place? (Never mind that she'd given him the cold shoulder first, and that the dirt wouldn't have bothered her on anyone else's shoes in the entire world. On Ted's, however, it was annoying.)

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said, "I was trying to talk Sirius out of causing too much damage before we even get to school." The reason was true; the apology markedly not.

[tonky_wonky]

Ted felt like rolling his eyes. It was her letter all over again. If she wasn't sorry, why did she say so? She could've just did what he did--apologized for what he actually did feel bad for. But, no, she had to keep on...oh hell, he didn't even know what screwed up thing she was doing. Apologizing cause she felt like she had to? To try to get one up on him? Whatever.

"Can't hurt to get a head start," Ted said amiably, turning the page of his book. He hardly glanced at her. Who'd want to stare at out of date clothes and--wait. Were those laced up boots? He snorted before his eyes flickered back to his reading material.

[dromedablack]

Just when she'd begun to content herself with semi-tense silence for the next most-of-the-day, came the snort. She'd been unfastening her school bag to take out a book of her own when she heard that, and slowly raised her eyes to Ted, irritated and braced for a row. It hadn't been worth the effort with her family, but this...

"Is there a problem?"

[tonky_wonky]

Ted glanced up at her, wondering whether he should answer or not. Then he caught sight of her boots again, and broke out in a small smirk. "No problem," he replied, "nice boots, though." Hey, at least he wasn't ignoring her, right?

[dromedablack]

Frowning, Andy immediately crossed her ankles and tucked her feet back under the seat, her color running a little high in her cheeks.

"They're traditional," she snapped, more embarrassed than offended. She hated the stupid things anyway, and hadn't needed to be reminded that they were ridiculous. "I don't even like them, not that it's any of your business, and I didn't comment on the state of your shoes," she added, giving his dirty trainers a scowl.

[tonky_wonky]

"Wait." Ted frowned deeply, actually folding over the edge of the page he was on. "If you don't like them, then why the hell do you wear them? I mean, even my granny thinks they're ridiculous."

[dromedablack]

"They aren't granny - " She'd snapped again, and had to actively try to calm herself down before continuing. It was just that she got that too often from Muggleborns or half-bloods who had no concept of traditional wizarding clothes. Lucky them, in her opinion.

"I told you," she said, more evenly though she sounded tense, "They're traditional. How would your family like it if you showed up wearing robes and a hat?"

[tonky_wonky]

Ted's frown disappeared. Now she was being typical, nothing new there. Of course she should wear stupid shoes, they were traditional. Even if they looked uncomfortable and pointless. Besides, why did she assume that his parents and sisters would mind if he had robes on?

"Uh, well, they were with me when I picked out robes for school almost every year, and used to pay for them, so I'm pretty sure they don't mind," Ted replied.

[dromedablack]

"How nice for you," said Andy a bit tartly. If she ever walked in the front doors of the manor in Muggle clothes...people had been disowned for sympathizing too strongly with Muggles, and she could guess what her family would think about dressing like one. It wasn't done. (And home, anyway. At school the robes vanished to the bottom of her trunk, not to be seen until Christmas, and let Narcissa say what she would; Andy was a good liar and could always just deny it.)

After a second's consideration, she drew her wand from her bag and flicked it wordlessly; her new sky blue trainers appeared from thin air on the seat beside her. Casting Ted a brief glare, she set about changing shoes with another quick charm to undo all the boot buttons at one go.

"There. No more ridiculous wizard boots," she said, tugging on the trainers (even if they did look ridiculous with her robes, and she'd have to change shoes again in a few hours for school). "Happy?"

[tonky_wonky]

"Um." Ted watched her perplexed. "I guess? I don't really care what shoes you wear. It's just annoying that you obviously hated wearing the other shoes, but kept on wearing them." And with a nonchalant shrug, Ted folded back the page of his book and continued reading.

[dromedablack]

"As annoying as your apparent inability to clean yours?" she shot back, annoyed, as she did up the laces and shoved the boots unceremoniously into her bag.

[tonky_wonky]

Ted looked down at his sneakers. What was wrong with them? Yeah, they definitely weren't spotless. They were dirty. But what 17 year old didn't have a dirty pair of sneakers? Besides, he said, "They're just sneakers. 'Snot like you're supposed to keep them immaculate."

[dromedablack]

"There is a difference," said Andy stiffly, "Between immaculate and clean. You do know the charm?"

[tonky_wonky]

"Yes, I know the charm," Ted said through gritted teeth. If he had known his sneakers were going to be this big of an issue, he would've wore the pair that smelt like a swamp from being dropped into the lake too many times, and still had mud on them.