-//-
(Take Me to Chuch//Hozier)
9th of November, Saturday, 1974
The rest of the week, the boy's dorm could easily be mistaken for a war bunker. The Marauders plotted their good-hearted revenge for the Ravenclaws, keeping up the school spirits and raising the excitement for the first Quidditch Match of the season, which was to be played Sunday evening.
Andrea was happy with the distraction because this left the boys preoccupied when Kingsley came to confirm the schedule for their date and it would give her and Dorcas peace and quiet when they got her ready for the date.
What she hadn't counted on was Mary's big mouth. As James and Remus sat discussing battle strategies for the prank, they were planning for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, a very chatty Mary and Lily returned to the Common Room.
"I can't believe it finally happened. Andrea is so lucky. King's cute," Mary stated loudly. Lily giggled. "Yeah, he's great. Good Quidditch player, smart, handsome."
James and Remus stared at each other in horror before jumping up and ambushing the girls. Mary screamed in surprise and Lily stared at the two in utter horror.
She knew then, she had fucked up. "What's this about Andrea and Kingsley?" Remus growled, surprising all of them. "Uhm - they - I mean... You know - What?" Lily stuttered, looking to Mary for help. Mary just shook her head and suddenly glanced behind the boys, smiling brightly.
"Oh, hey!" she greeted someone. She grabbed Lily's elbow and rushed up the stairs to the girls' dorms. "It's been forever," they heard Mary laugh on the stairs.
James turned to Remus with raised eyebrows. "She knows there was no one there, right?" he asked, not quite sure what to make of Mary's state of mind. Remus scratched his head.
"I'm not entirely sure, but I really hope so. But who cares? Andrea is going on a date with Shacklebolt?! Since when is this a thing?!" James crossed his arms. "What happened to 'she's a big girl who can take care of herself'?" he challenged him.
Remus glared at James. "That's before the dick went behind our backs and asked her out," he said through gritted teeth. "Language," James mumbled automatically. "Is this really the best time?" Remus asked, exasperated.
"Yeah, yeah I know. Force of habit."
Together the two boys climbed the stairs to the dorms to inform Sirius and Peter of the new development.
And as her friends went slowly insane, Andrea stood next to the statue of the one-eyed witch, waiting for Kingsley. She ran her hands up and down her jeans, tapping her fingers on her thigh in a comforting manner.
She was rarely early to anything, but today Dorcas and Marlene had gotten her ready and Marlene was very punctual. Andrea assumed it was sharing a dorm with Lily that has worn off on her. The only problem was the advice. Because halfway through dressing Andrea and preparing her for the date, they came to realize that they were both lesbians and have no idea what to do on a date with a guy.
Luckily, Lucretia had shown up to help. Unluckily, because her last relationship had crashed and burned, she didn't want to help either in case she made it worse.
You're our only hope for a normal, healthy relationship in our friend group Andrea. But no pressure, Lucretia and Dorcas had said cheerfully.
No pressure? There were extreme amounts of pressure. What would they guys say when she got back? She had kept a secret from them, basically lying to them, all for a guy. Would they get angry? Would they feel betrayed? What if it went horribly and Andrea and Kingsley couldn't hang out together anymore, making Dorcas have to choose between them and not having all her friends together anymore? What if Kingsley realized how completely ordinary she was and lost interest?
There was no way of knowing what sort of repercussions would occur from this date, but that didn't stop Andrea's brain from spiralling and blowing it all up in her head, thinking out the worst possible outcomes.
"Hey there."
Andrea jumped slightly, turning to the sound of Kingsley's voice. "Sorry. Didn't mean to startle you. You looked like you were thinking pretty hard there." Andrea took a deep breath and tried to chill the fuck out. "Hey, Kingsley. You look nice," she complimented him.
Usually, when they didn't wear their uniforms, Kingsley would be dressed in old t-shirts and jeans. Today, he was wearing his nicest jeans, a button down and a jacket over it to stay warm in the November chill outside. Kingsley smiled brightly, looking Andrea up and down quickly.
"As do you," he complimented back. Andrea waved him off with a scoff. "Pft, I always do though," she teased. Kingsley rubbed his head with a small laugh. "Yeah, fair enough. It's hard to look bad when you're that beautiful."
Andrea stared at him, stunned by the forward compliment. "Thank you, King," she said earnestly. Kingsley beamed at her. "My pleasure. You want to head into town? I've got a great day planned."
So off they went. And Andrea had nothing to be worried about. Because they were both best friends with Dorcas, they knew they already had so much in common. They talked about how their mutual friend could drive them crazy, they talked about Quidditch and goals they had for themselves, they talked about classes and discussed their favourite ones.
Apparently, Kingsley's favourite one was Defence Against the Dark Arts. And even though DADA was Andrea's best subject, she loved Transfiguration more.
And even though they had a great time visiting all the shops and their conversation never running dry, Andrea couldn't help but feel something was missing. When Dorcas had visited her in the summer, the two girls had stayed up late every night watching Muggle rom-coms in the den.
And even though Andrea knew none of that was real, she still liked the chemistry and tension one could clearly see from the acterers, as she called them. Dorcas had to correct that one quite a few times, seeing as the word was 'actors'.
But Andrea didn't feel that 'spark' the girls always talked about in the movies. Not while they were window-shopping, not when Kingsley bought her a cherry lollipop, and not when they sat down together in their booth at the Three Broomsticks. It felt like they were just hanging out. Like when they were all their friends together or when she hung out with Sirius, researching werewolves. Just friends.
Andrea tried to push the thought aside and enjoy her time, and Kingsley was making it easy.
"I mean, I didn't think they were going to turn blue that quickly, but I'm pleased to know my potion work is paying off," he chuckled.
Andrea laughed, shaking her head at him. "Why start a prank war with the prank Kings and Queen of school? You know you're going to lose, right?" she explained condescendingly. Kingsley shrugged with a playful smirk. "I'll take my chances."
As the day went on, the two finally headed towards the castle. Mid-November in Scotland usually came with an early frost and the usual fall of snow every now and then. As they reached the castle grounds again, it started to snow. Andrea stopped and stared up dreamily. She didn't enjoy winter, but she always thought snow was magical. "First snowfall of the year," Kingsley hummed beside her.
Andrea turned to him and grinned. "Snow's awesome," she giggled. Kingsley nodded, pulling his hands out of their pockets.
"You cold?" he asked, gesturing to her hands. Andrea wriggled her fingers back and forth in the snow, thinking about it. "I think they'll survive," she joked. Andrea had always been warm-blooded, and her hands never got too cold, unless she'd been out for a while. She was human after all. But she always had warm hands. Sometimes too warm.
"How about - this?" Kingsley reached out and took Andrea's hand in his, easily lacing their fingers together.
Warm, was her first thought. His hands were warm.
She shook the thought, wondering why she was questioning it. He had kept his in his pockets like a sane person and she had just been catching frozen snowflakes in her own. Of course, his would be warmer. She rolled her eyes and gave him half a smile.
"Smooth, King. Real smooth," she mocked him. Kingsley grinned and walked closer to her, their hands swinging back and forth between them as they continued the journey up to the castle.
"I try," he shrugged modestly.
The snow had started off very light and sweet, but now it was coming down faster and faster and they quickly ran for shelter. As they entered the courtyard, covered under the magnificent stone architecture Andrea couldn't help but laugh. "What?" Kingsley chuckled along, her laugh being too infectious to resist.
Andrea reached up and shook at his hair, letting the snowflakes shake out or melt. "You look like you have terrible dandruff," he chuckled. Kingsley reached out and ran his fingers through Andrea's curls, surprised at how soft and knot-free they were in their frenzied appearance.
"You too," he chuckled quietly.
As Andrea dropped her hand her eyes met Kingsley's. They stared at each other before Kingsley's eyes twitched downwards for a split second, glancing at her lips.
This is it, she thought. He's going to kiss me. I'm going to have my first official kiss. Kingsley met her eyes again as if asking permission. Andrea stayed right where she was, giving him the invitation to lean down. His eyes moved again, and both their eyes began to flutter closed as he leaned in and-
No connection came. Confused, Andrea opened her eyes. "Why'd you stop?" she asked him, rather needily. Kingsley scratched his head.
"Uhm... you pulled away. I figured; you know, you didn't want me-" "No, I want you to," she told him.
Kingsley's eyebrows shot up as his hand stopped scratching his head. "You do?" he asked unsurely. Andrea nodded. "Yes. Could we - try again?" Kingsley nodded too and smiled at her warmly.
He reached up and hooked a strand of her hair behind her ear, cupping her cheek. Andrea smiled at him too, feeling his hot breath against her lips as he inched closer to-
This time, Andrea realized she pulled back. "I'm sorry," she groaned rubbing her face with her hands. She was so embarrassed. Why couldn't she just kiss him?
She dropped her hands and saw Kingsley was wearing a knowing smile. "What?" she grumbled, "you think I'm a weirdo, don't you?" Kingsley laughed. "I've always thought you were weird; this doesn't make you any weirder, trust me. It's OK."
"No, it's not OK. I can't even kiss a guy I really like," she whined, running her hands through her hair. Kingsley shook his head with a laugh. "Andrea, it's OK. Trust me, I get it. I think maybe we're just meant to be friends and deep down, you know that. That's why you don't want to kiss me. And I think I know why."
"Why?" Andrea asked, confused. Kingsley gave her a lopsided grin. "If I told you, that would defeat the purpose. I mean, I think I know, but I'll wait for you to figure it out. This is one thing you need to work out on your own," he smiled.
Andrea rolled her eyes. "I think I know but I'll wait for you to figure it out yourself."
"You are such a Ravenclaw." Kingsley mocked her with his own eye roll. "And you are such a Gryffindor." They both laughed good-heartedly. "I'll see you around Andie," he smiled, turning to leave. "King?" she called after him.
He turned to her, a kind, open look on his face. "We're good, right?" she asked him nervously. Kingsley smiled widely, letting her know everything was OK.
"Yeah, A. We're good."
-//-
Andrea came scowling back and headed straight for Ravenclaw Tower. Kingsley was heading to the Black Lake to meet some friends, so he wouldn't be back there for a while. And Andrea needed to rant to Dorcas.
Andrea reached the portrait of the Ravenclaw entrance and groaned when she saw the entrance wasn't open. Last year, around exam time, the entrance had stayed propped open with a book for the duration of exam and revision time.
Apparently, even smart Ravenclaws needed a break from the brain while they were cramming for school.
"What goes up but can never come down?" the portrait asked in a slow, clear tone. Andrea glared at the portrait. "Air?" she suggested. The lady in the portrait cocked an intrigued eyebrow at that.
"Explain," she hummed. "I don't know!" Andrea groaned, "Just let me in." The lady's face turned stern. "Not without the correct answer." Andrea huffed.
She stepped towards the portrait and tried to pull it out without being granted access. "I'd advise against that," the portrait said patiently. Andrea stopped trying to pry the picture forwards and instead kicked the wall next to it.
"Open - up!" she grunted, trying to wedge the toe of her winter boot in between the frame and the wall. As the portrait swung open, Andrea hopped back in shock.
In front of her stood a smirking sixth-year, who she thought maybe played on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. "Russo, right?" he chuckled, crossing his arms lazily. Andrea stuck her chin out proudly and nodded. "That's right. I'm looking for Dorcas."
The boy studied her for another second before stepping aside and gesturing for her to come inside. Andrea stepped around the open wall and went to the front of the portrait, where the lady in Ravenclaw colours was minding her own business.
As Andrea came into view again, she looked up, giving her a curious look. Andrea stuck her tongue out to the portrait and quickly dashed into the Ravenclaw common room, the sixth-year chuckling behind her. Andrea was on her way to the girls' dorms when the boy who had let her in spoke again.
"So, how'd it go?" he asked curiously. Andrea stopped and turned around to him with furrowed eyebrows. "How'd what go?"
He laughed lightly again. He had a nice laugh, she thought. "Well, Dorcas has been moaning to anyone who'll listen about her two best friends finally starting to date and since if you didn't head to Hogsmeade with her today I figured you'd gone on the date with Kingsley." Andrea's eyes shot wide.
Did everyone know they'd been to Hogsmeade together that day? If so, everyone was going to question why that was their first and only date. "Dorcas has a big mouth and a wild imagination," Andrea said simply, before turning on her heels and running up to the girls' dorms.
Andrea liked Ravenclaw Tower. Even if the Gryffindor common room was her favourite room in the entire castle, she loved coming to visit Dorcas. The ceiling in the dormitories seemed to be enchanted in a similar way to the ceiling in the Great Hall, showing the starry night sky.
The large windows in the dorms and common room made the space seem larger than it really was, granting a beautiful view of the grounds below. Reaching the door to the dorms of the Ravenclaw fifth years Andrea knocked repeatedly until someone answered.
The door swung open, and Andrea recognized the girl from the many times she'd been there before. "Hey Septima," Andrea greeted. "Is Dorcas in?"
Septima Vector rolled her eyes but opened the door wider, letting Andrea come inside. Andrea spotted Dorcas by her bed, re-braiding her hair. Andrea walked over silently and dropped onto Dorcas' mattress, facedown. She let out a muffled moan, sounding like an animal being tortured.
"I'll let you two have a moment," Septima chuckled. As the door shut, Dorcas sat down on the mattress next to Andrea, stroking her back gently. "I take it, it didn't go well?" Dorcas asked with a slight chuckle. Muffled sounds came from Andrea as she answered. Dorcas couldn't help but laugh.
"Come again?" Andrea lifted her face out of the duvet and propped her chin against the bed. "He tried to kiss me," she moaned. Dorcas' hand froze in the middle of Andrea's back. "And you didn't want him to?" she asked slowly.
Andrea groaned and rolled onto her back. "I thought I did. I really, really did. But when he did it, I pulled away. I said I was sorry, then I asked him to do it again. AND I PULLED AWAY AGAIN!" Andrea covered her face with her hands.
She could feel the mattress shaking. She peeked through her fingers to see Dorcas laughing silently, her shoulder shaking wildly. Andrea grabbed a pillow and started hitting Dorcas with it.
"It's not funny! He's the first boy I've liked who's liked me back, and I can't even let him kiss me?! What's wrong with me?!"
Dorcas stopped laughing and grabbed the pillow out of Andrea's hands. "Okay, okay. Relax. Maybe it wasn't meant to be. Maybe what you feel for King is more a crush than an actual liking. Trust me, you'll know when you meet the person you really like as opposed to someone you fancy. Heck, maybe you've already met them, and that love is just waiting in the shadows," she said wisely.
Andrea groaned and dropped onto the bed again. "Maybe I should just forget about it. Become a lesbian or something." Dorcas smirked at that and lay down beside Andrea.
"We're actually hiring right now."
-//-
10th of November, Sunday, 1974
"Who's that?" Sirius asked, snapping Andrea out of her thoughts. She turned to him. "Who's who?" she asked, looking around.
"That Ravenclaw who just smiled at you and who you smiled back at." Andrea looked up in the direction of the guy who had just walked past.
"Crouch Junior, I think his name is. Barty Crouch Junior," Andrea recalled. It was the same sixth year who had opened the portrait to the Ravenclaw Tower the night before and they were going to play against him in their first Quidditch match that day.
"And why is he smiling at you?" "And why are you smiling at him?" Peter and James questioned at the same time. They shared a look before turning to Andrea for answers. Andrea rolled her eyes. "We've been through this, boys. I have other friends than the four of you," she huffed.
"Nuh-uh. Not guy friends!" Sirius cried back. "What about Kingsley?" Peter suggested, but quickly regretted it. Sirius and Remus both growled as he mentioned his name. "Kingsley doesn't want to be her friend. He wants to snog her," Remus snapped, a hard scowl taking over his features.
"Oh, for crying out loud. If I acted like this every time a girl showed interest in one of you, I'd never act like a civilized human being - don't look so smug!" She slapped Sirius' arm as he grinned proudly.
"I'm here to rescue you!" Dorcas announced, grabbing Andrea's arm and dragging her away from the boys.
As Andrea got out of her seat she doubled back. They hadn't earned it, but she figured she'd throw them a bone. "And just so you know, Yesterday was Kingsley and I's first and final date," she said quietly. She turned away from them and headed off with Dorcas.
All the boys turned to each other; their expressions considerably brighter. "What do you think happened?" Sirius asked, trying to get a look at Kingsley over at the Ravenclaw table. "Maybe she realized he's a tool and that he's below her," James suggested, happily carrying on with his lunch.
Remus snorted a laugh. "Only we think that, though," he argued. James shrugged him off. "And we're the ones who are right. Either way, I'm just glad that's over with." Together, he and Sirius turned to look at Barty Crouch Jr at the Ravenclaw table. "Now to deal with that," James said dangerously.
Peter stood from the table. "Have fun. I'm not meddling anymore. She's a big girl and she can take care of herself." Siris frowned. "Why the change of heart? Remus is usually the voice of reason in these situations." Peter grinned. "Because this year alone, she's handled Corinna, Snape and Mulciber better than any of us have ever done. I think she can handle a couple of teenage boys."
James furrowed his brows. "All of that's true... But it's more than a couple, isn't it? How many guys have we threatened and told off this month alone?" he asked the others.
Remus shrugged. "Lost count after the second Prewett twin."
"Exactly. So yeah, she can handle herself. But that doesn't mean we can't lend a helping hand every once in a while." Sirius smirked. "Does this mean we can intimidate the Ravenclaw now?" he asked, rubbing his hands together like an evil villain.
James grinned back. "Why I thought you'd never ask."
-//-
"OK, so no on the Kingsley thing. What about Crouch?" Andrea shook her head quickly. "Too cocky and full of himself. I've seen him at your practices."
Dorcas stopped in her tracks. "Miss Russo, have you been spying on Ravenclaw practices?" Andrea shrugged. "Course."
"SHAME!" Dorcas cried dramatically, falling to her knees. "Dishonour. Dishonour on your whole family! Dishonour on you! Dishonour on your broom!" Andrea giggled and pulled Dorcas to her feet.
"You sure have a way of herding the dramatic ones, don't you?" a deep voice chuckled from behind them. Andrea grinned. "Hey, the other ones on you," she argued. "How so?" "He's your brother." Regulus grinned, walking closer to the two.
"Fair enough. Wish I could say he's adopted but that's sadly not the case." His eyes landed on Dorcas, and he gave her a friendly nod. "Meadowes." Dorcas nodded back; her expression slightly closed off. "Black."
Andrea grinned, linking her arms through both of theirs. "Best of friends! Best of friends!" she sing-songed, squealing at the two. "Keep it in your pants, Russo," Dorcas muttered. Regulus went stiff. "Too much sunshine coming from you today, Andie. Let's try again tomorrow," he said, trying half-heartedly to pull out of her grip.
"Oh, hush child. Let's go for a walk to the Lake!" she suggested, pulling the other two along. "It's November!"
"It's freezing!"
"Not to mention it's snowing!"
"And I have a game coming up!" Andrea pulled on their arms, ignoring their protests. "Come on! Be brave like a Gryffindor." Dorcas dug her heels in. "Sure. When you become smart as a Ravenclaw."
Regulus grinned. "Or cunning as a Slytherin."
"All we need now is a Hufflepuff," Andrea mumbled. As if on cue, a boy she knew as the Hufflepuff's new Beater walked past the threesome. He nodded politely, as he passed them.
Andrea kept staring after him down the hallway. Dorcas grinned as she saw Andrea's dreamy expression. She turned around and before Andrea could stop her, she yelled out, "HEY FAWLEY!"
Marshall Fawley stopped in his tracks and looked back at them.
He was in her year, but Andrea had never really talked to him. He had caramel skin that reminded her a lot of her Italian relatives, but slightly darker.
"Yes, Meadowes?" he asked, doubling back. Dorcas turned to Andrea with a smirk. "You're welcome." She grabbed Regulus' arm and pulled him away into the Great Hall again.
Of course, to Dorcas and Andrea's dismay, he went straight to his big brother and explained what was going on out in the hallway.
"I hate you. I hate your children. I hate your children's children," Andrea hissed after Dorcas as she waved goodbye. When Marshall reached her, she collected her courage and stuck her hand out to him. "Hi. I'm Andrea," she smiled brightly, showing off her dimples. Marshall took back slightly at her brilliant smile, but recovered quickly, shaking her hand with an easy grin of his own.
"Marshall Fawley. Nice to officially meet you," he greeted. Andre furrowed her brows. "Officially?" she questioned. He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Right. That sounded weird. I just meant, well... Everyone knows who you are because you're the transfer. We all saw you arrive last year. Also, you don't exactly stay invisible. Hanging out with those Gryffindor boys -"
"- Marauders," Andrea corrected with a smirk. She waved him on. "Continue." Marshall chuckled, ruffling his own hair some more. "Yeah uhm... The 'Marauders'. But you're very hard not to notice. Awesome Quidditch player, clever in every single class, charming, cute -"
"Oh, please. do go on," she smirked. Marshall cleared his throat, realizing what he had just admitted. "Oh, I - I just meant - So Quidditch match today. You think Gryffindor are ready?" he tried to change the subject.
Andrea let him off the hook and started to walk down the hallway, silently inviting him to join her. "I hope so. But Ravenclaw is pretty strong this year too, so we'll see."
"Well, I can't wait. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw are always my favourite matches to watch. I don't know why, but in the last couple of years, the teams have been pretty closely matched. Of course, they stood no chance last year when you became Gryffindors Seeker," he added with a sweet smile. Andrea grinned back.
"I like you, Marshall Fawley. You're good for my ego." "Happy to help," he smiled, mocking a bow to her.
"Oy, Andie. We need to head to the Pitch!" Andrea rolled her eyes and turned in the direction of Sirius' voice. "I'll be there in a second!" she called down the hallway.
She turned back to Marshall. "Are you going down to watch the game?" He smiled brightly. "Of course! But don't ask who I'm rooting for because I can't say that out loud. My friends would kill me."
"Well, if you're not rooting for us what's even the poi-AGH!" Andrea was cut off as Sirius had run down to her and the Hufflepuff and quickly picked her up, tossing her over his shoulder.
Last year, Andrea would've easily beaten all the boys in a wrestle. Now, after James' intense training program for himself and Sirius, her odds of winning against either of them were getting slimmer by the day.
"See you down there!" she called back to Marshall, bobbing up and down against Sirius' back. "Good luck," he called out. Andrea could easily hear the laughter in his voice at the scene in front of him.
"Cockblocker," she grumbled to Sirius. He huffed, rolling his eyes even if she couldn't see him.
"Troublemaker."
-//-
– ACE
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