After a long and extremely filling dinner, Andromeda found herself staring down a door with an enormous eagle-shaped knocker. The bronze door knocker had already asked its riddle, and Andromeda knew the answer, but she simply stood there, debating on whether she should answer the question or simply sleep elsewhere. She could conjure herself a few blankets and sleep in the Astronomy Tower... No one would even notice...
She had spent the entire night avoiding her familiar home, Ravenclaw Tower. It wasn't that she didn't want to be there. She longed for the soft, warm comfort of her bed; she wanted nothing more than to grab a book and curl up on the faded rug in front of the crackling fireplace. But she did not want to see Ted. She had reluctantly left Romeo's side to meander in the general direction of Ravenclaw Tower. She had not passed up the several opportunities to slow her progress down: stopping to help a few confused first years, dropping by the library to feign interest in a few books, chatting with a few old acquaintances about their summers, etc. But eventually she made it to the magicked door of the common room.
Perhaps he'd already gone to bed; it was getting fairly late... Or he could have given up on his damnable quest to talk to her because she had done such a good job of avoiding him for the past few days... Maybe she had beat him to the common room... But would life really be that kind to her?
With a resigned sigh, she muttered an answer to the door's riddle. It complimented her and swung open, revealing the comfortable royal blue common room that was home. And sure enough, Ted Tonks was right there. He lounged in his usual chair, looking like his usual handsome self. He hadn't noticed her coming in. He clasped a paperback book in his hands, a muggle book from the looks. She could have simply slipped up the stairs and avoided him, but she was curious about his book. And so, Andromeda took a step toward certain death.
"The Stepford Wives?" she asked incredulously. "I didn't know you liked science fiction."