Andromeda still hadn't been able to reach a decision by Valentine's Day, despite the fact that she thought about nothing else. Ever since the idea of dating Ted Tonks had popped into her head, she couldn't seem to make it leave. She was certain that, if she spoke to him, she would remember why she found him so repulsive in the first place.

But Ted avoided her, always vanishing around a corner or darting out of class before she could even tell him hello. Her heart felt heavy with regret whenever she saw him. At night, she found that the only way she could fall asleep was by imagining what it might be like to have his pale, thin arms wrapped around her.

I'll just have to tell my secret admirer that I'm not interested, she thought to herself. And then I'll go find Ted and…

"What will I say to him?" she asked herself. She had put on one of her nicest dresses – a burgundy thing that rose up to her knees – and the falling snow was seeping into her high-heeled shoes. She pulled her wool coat tightly around her body as she wandered to the back of Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop.

And there he was, leaning against the wall with a bouquet of pink roses in his hand. He had slicked back his messy blond hair, but it was already starting to stick out. He looked as though he had tried to put some effort into his outfit; there was a suit jacket over his usual jeans and t-shirt, and today he was wearing both shoes.

"T-ted?" Andromeda stammered, hardly able to believe her eyes.

His head jerked up, "Hmm? Oh…"

"What are you doing here?" she asked, her smile growing by the second. It seemed too good to be true, and yet…

"It's me," he said quickly. "It's been me all along. I'm you're secret admirer."

Of course, she thought. How come I didn't see it before?

"And at first, I thought it was a really good idea," he went on. "I spent all summer working on that charm bracelet, and I spent ages writing those clues."

"They were all very clever," said Andromeda. "I never would have guessed it was you."

"Um, no," said Ted. "I meant that I kept having to rewrite them because my handwriting sucks so much. I didn't think you'd be able to read them at all."

"Oh…"

"Look, I know you're disappointed," he said, turning his head away from her. "I'm really sorry; I shouldn't have even bothered showing up."

Andromeda gulped, "No, Ted-"

"You don't have to say anything, Andromeda," he said. "After this I'll leave you alone, I promise. I'll stop messing with your life and-"

"Ted, shut up," Andromeda said, taking a step forward. He looked mortified as she reached up to grab his face, pulling him into a kiss.

At first, his whole body went stiff, and Andromeda worried that she had made the wrong decision. But after a moment, she heard the roses land in the snow and felt his arms around her waist. There was something messy about the way he kissed, but there was also a sort of tenderness to it. Her heart thumped wildly in her ears, and she thought she could hear Ted's as well. Her whole body felt warm by the time they pulled away.

"Wow," Ted said, sounding breathless as he leaned back against the building, his hands still rested on her hips. "Andromeda… I… wow…"

Andromeda giggled, wiping the saliva off of her chin, "Yeah…"

"I've never done that before," he confessed, a light blush creeping across his cheeks.

"You've never kissed a girl?" Andromeda asked. "Really?"

Ted nodded, "Never. Could you tell?"

"It was a little… sloppy," she admitted.

"I'm sorry," he said, tucking her long hair behind her ear. "I'll try to be more careful next time."

"No, don't say that," Andromeda said, holding herself close to him. She rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I loved it, Ted. I… I'm so sorry."

He tightened his hold on her, and she felt his chin on top of her head, "You don't have to apologize."

"Yes I do," she said, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes. "I was so awful to you. I can't believe you haven't told me to take a hike."

"I could never say something like that to you," Ted said, kissing the tip of her nose before he dabbed her tears away with his fingers. "I… I love you."

"I… I don't think I'm r-ready to say that, just yet," said Andromeda.

"Its fine," he said, smiling with a hint of disappointment. "I don't want you to say something like that if you don't mean it."

"But I have every intention of falling head over heels in love with you, Ted Tonks," she said, gently caressing his face. The areas of his face that weren't covered with acne felt soft under her fingertips. "I like you so much; it just took me a while to realize it. You're the nicest guy I've ever met, and I've decided I don't care what anyone else things. I'd regret it for the rest of my life if I didn't give this a chance."

"I'll take that," he said, leaning forward to kiss her again. This kiss was much slower – gentler – and Andromeda stood on the tips of her toes so Ted wouldn't have to lean down so far. After a few moments, she felt one of Ted's warm, bony hands slip inside her coat before it found a cozy hiding place under her breast.

Andromeda couldn't help but giggle, "Ted, are you trying to feel me up?"

"N-n-no," he stammered, his hands retreating to his sides instantly. His face was glowing red.

"I don't mind, if you do," Andromeda said, feeling her own cheeks start to grow warm.

Ted took a deep breath, his eyebrows furrowing with concentration. Andromeda watched his face curiously, almost jumping when she finally felt his hand cupping her chest.

He exhaled, "Wow…"

He's such a dork, she thought, unable to keep herself from snickering. "Do you like them?"

"Of course," he said frantically. "They're wonderful!"

"Bella always says that they're too big," said Andromeda.

"Too big," Ted snorted, as if it were the most absurd thing he had ever heard. "She's probably just jealous; you're so beautiful… Oh! We should go inside!"

"Do we have to?" Andromeda asked. "Everyone will stare at us…"

"Embarrassed to be seen with me?"

"No!" Andromeda said, hugging him so tightly that she was afraid he might snap in half. "I just… I'm so happy right now, and I don't want them to ruin it…"

"I know, I know," he whispered, kissing the side of her face. "I was just teasing. Don't fret, my love; I've got a surprise waiting for you inside that I think you'll quite enjoy."

"A-alright," Andromeda said as she allowed him to lead her inside the tea shop, through the back door. The door opened to reveal tiny kitchen, where Madame Puddifoot herself was preparing a kettle of water on a small, ancient stove.

"I asked her if we could somehow get a private room," Ted whispered, gently tugging her towards a tiny white door on the left. "I didn't want your friends spoiling our date, either. That is, if you changed your mind about me... Erm, anyway, she agreed to let us use the broom closet."

Andromeda wrinkled her nose, "The broom clos-"

She clamped her mouth shut as soon as Ted opened the door. The closet was small – two chairs and a table just hardly fit – but Andromeda couldn't help but find it romantic, in an odd sort of way. Tiny pink candles levitated around the table, and a cute tea pot sat waiting for them, with two cups to match.

"Ted, this is so sweet," she said, clutching his hand tightly.

He laughed nervously, "I know you deserve better than a closet, but this was all I could come up with."

Andromeda shook her head, "This is one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me."

Ted gestured to one of the chairs, shutting the door once Andromeda had taken her seat. He had to fold his long, lanky legs up tightly to fit into the space. "Oh, I'm sure Mulciber or one of those other guys could come up with something a lot nicer than this."

"Something more extravagant, maybe," she said. "But you've put your heart into this; into all of the things you've done for me this week."

He smiled, "You really liked all the gifts?"

"Of course," she said, leaning over to pour them each a cup of tea. The amber liquid smelled strongly of honey.

"You're wearing the bracelet," Ted said, pointing to the trinket around her wrist.

"I wear it every day," she said, touching the little charms fondly. "I love it so much."

"And the kitten?" Ted questioned, spilling his tea down the front of his shirt as he attempted to drink it. "Oww, shit! Oh, excuse me-"

"Here, let me get that…" Andromeda said, grabbing her napkin. She tried to reach over and wipe up the mess, but ended up having to crawl up onto the table to do so. She couldn't help but notice that his eyes were flickering back and forth from her face to her breasts, like they couldn't decide which offered a more aesthetically pleasing view.

Mother would throw a fit if she saw me, she thought, smiling at Ted when she was finished. Crawling across the table like this to wipe up a sloppy mudblood.

"You're not burnt, are you?" she asked, caressing his face again.

"N-no," he stuttered, his eyes darting back up to her face as he adjusted his glasses. "Thank you, Andromeda."

"You're welcome," she said, pressing her lips against his before she sunk back into her chair. She lifted her own cup of tea delicately, savoring the tea as it slowly slid down her throat.

Ted cleared his throat, "You know… when we first met, I didn't like you at all."

Andromeda almost choked. There was the socially awkward Ted Tonks she was used to. "Jee Ted, thanks."

"I just m-meant that I thought you were like all those other pureblood snobs," he said. "But then, when we were both prefects, and I actually spoke to you, I couldn't help but like you. You were so smart, and you were nice, sometimes…"

She chuckled, "Yeah… I didn't like you at first, either. I used to think you were really annoying."

"Yeah," Ted laughed. "I kinda got that feeling. I tried really hard not to like you, because I didn't think you'd ever be interested… But this summer, I got this whole secret-admirer idea. I thought, maybe I could get you to fall for me if you didn't know it was me."

Andromeda ran the tip of her finger around the edge of her cup, "I see…"

He reached across the table and grabbed onto her hand, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking… that I don't think I've felt this happy in a long time," she replied. "But… I'm scared, too."

"Will your family be upset, when they find out we're together?" he asked nervously.

She nodded, "I might get disowned."

Ted gulped, "Harsh…"

"B-but," Andromeda said, doubting what she was about to say the second it popped into her head. "Times are changing, you know? There aren't a lot of pureblood wizards left. I don't think they'll be happy about it by any means, but maybe… they would at least understand."

"Yeah," Ted said, kissing her hand softly. "And if they don't... I'll always be there for you, Andromeda. I'll stay with you for the rest of my life, if you can stand me for that long."

"It'll be tough," Andromeda joked, smirking at Ted from across the table. "But I think I could manage it."