Written for Anastasia the Goddess of Drama. Hey Ana, see, a Delphi/Teddy!

Trapped

The bell clinked as he entered the café, lost in his thoughts. The café, Ced Café, as Amos Diggory had named in the memory of his only son, was deserted as was usual in the afternoons. Teddy flung his bag on the nearest table and went to the counter.

Old Amos was sitting in a chair behind the counter, and, a pretty, young girl he had never seen before was standing by his side, engaged in a conversation with him. She was a couple of years older than him and had silvery-blonde hair, died blue at the tips. When she looked at him, he noticed that her eyes were dark as ink, sparkling slightly as if they held a deep mystery. Teddy couldn't help but feel intrigued.

He greeted Amos and sent a questioning look in her direction. "She's Delphini, my niece," the old man said.

"You never told me you had a niece," Teddy said in a teasing tone, "And one as beautiful as her." Winking at Delphini, he said, "Nice to meet you, Miss Diggory. I'm Edward Lupin."

"How may I help you today, Mr Lupin?" she asked, taking a step towards the counter.

"I'll have a hot chocolate," Teddy replied with a grin. She raised a brow.

Amos chuckled. "The lad's addicted to it but can't boil water to save his life! Tried to work part-time here—"

"—and you kicked me out the next day." Huffing, Teddy asked, "How many more times will you repeat the story?"

"As long as you keep coming to the café or until I'm alive."

"I can't live without hot chocolate from here; guess you'll have to die, old man," Teddy said with a grin.

Amos laughed, but his laughter was cut short as it turned into a bout of coughs. Delphi rushed to him and rubbed the man's back, as Teddy looked at the elderly man in worry. Amos wheezed and leaned back in his chair. "Oh, for God's sake, I'm fine!"

"Are you really?" Teddy asked, shaking his head. "Take care, old man. I need you to make my hot chocolate." He would never admit out loud, but Teddy had come to care for the café owner. Amos' son, Cedric, had died at a very young age, and his wife had followed soon after. Teddy had been coming to this place for years, and he had always thought the man didn't have any family. He felt relieved knowing his niece was now there to take care of him in his old age.

Speaking of the girl, he looked at her as she returned with his drink. Blowing on the surface to cool it down, he took a small sip, staring at the girl, who had now gone back to Amos' side, over the mug. He couldn't pinpoint it, but she had this mysterious aura around her, making her look like an unsolved riddle he needed to solve. He squinted at her as she animatedly talked to Amos. To a common person, this would look like a close uncle-niece relationship, but to Teddy, her actions looked rather fake. And Teddy was quite good at reading people. This girl definitely had some s—

What was he thinking about, again? He definitely needed to cut down his night-study schedule. Shaking his head, Teddy took another sip of his drink.

o§o

Teddy entered the café and stretched his back. The day had been really exhausting, and he wanted nothing more than a steaming mug of hot chocolate! His gaze turned to the counter and was surprised to see only Delphini, who was scribbling something in a diary. She closed it shut and looked up at him. At his questioning look, she said "Oh, Uncle is a bit sick." She discreetly slipped the diary in her pocket (which Teddy noticed) and sent a charming smile in his direction. "Hot chocolate again, Mr Lupin?"

"Teddy," he said, and she raised a brow. "Call me Teddy. And yeah, plain old hot chocolate for me."

She nodded. "Take a seat; I'll bring it to you in a moment, Teddy." She turned to prepare his drink, and Teddy's lips curled into a small smile. He liked the way she called his name.

He headed to a table, knocking a stray chair on the way, and sat down, placing his bag on the floor. As he tapped the table with his knuckles, his thoughts turned to the blue-blonde-haired girl. She had this magical aura that called attention to her. As he thought of her mysterious, I-know-something-you-don't smile, the way she talked, the way she held herself with confidence, he realised this wasn't the first time he was thinking of her since yesterday. He shook his head, and leaning back in his chair, he closed his eyes.

Someone tapped on the table and he sat up, a smile forming on his face when he saw Delphini standing by the table, two drinks in her hands.

"Your hot chocolate." He took the cup, and his fingers brushed her skin, sending a tingling sensation up his arm. He pulled his hand back, spilling a bit of the liquid on the table. "I'm sorry," he said, his cheeks turning red

"Don't worry; I'll take care of it later. May I sit here?"

Teddy nodded. "Sure." The two sat in silence, sipping their drinks. "I hope Amos gets well soon," Teddy said.

She smiled. "I'll pass on the greetings. So, what do you do?"

"Studying Literature. You?"

"I just got my degree in Art and Craft," she said.

"That's so cool!" He could picture her, sitting by an easel, her delicate fingers painting each stroke with the skill of an artist. Wait, what?

"So, what's with the turquoise hair?"

Teddy ran a hand through his hair. "I don't really know. I guess it is a tradition of sorts. We have this slogan in the family: Cool, clumsy, colourful. Before me, my mum was really clumsy. Everyone describes her as this lively, cool girl with bubblegum pink hair. I worked through a lot of colours and got stuck on this one. And I don't know about cool, but I'm always knocking into things. That's the reason Amos has nothing between the door and the counter. Broke a couple of things before he finally got the idea." She laughed. He gestured towards her head. "What of yours?"

"Oh, this?" she said, touching the blue tips of her hair. "An accident."

Teddy grinned. "An accident which included paints, I guess."

"Something like that."

A comfortable silence fell on the pair. Finishing his drink, Teddy stood up, nearly falling down when he collided with the table's leg. "See, clumsy!" he laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Miss Diggory!"

She smiled, and Teddy couldn't help but think that it made her look enchantingly beautiful. "Call me Delphi," she said, and he almost didn't hear her.

"Okay," he said, taking a step back. He hit a chair and fought to keep his balance, and Delphi laughed. Shaking his head, he headed out, unaware of the small grin on his face.

o§o

Teddy reached the café at a run; he had been so caught up with his friends, he almost didn't make it in time. But he had to have his hot chocolate, didn't he? Though, Teddy thought with a smile, there was another reason to come here, too.

Stomping his shoes to shake off the snow, he entered the café. He shook his coat off and hung it on the peg on the wall. "I thought you weren't coming today."

Teddy turned and grinned at Delphi. "And miss our daily chats? No way." Amos hadn't come back to the place, though Teddy's visits had continued. For last four months, when he came here, Delphi would sit down with him and they would talk for hours on end.

"I was just closing the place up, you know?" Considering from the empty mugs sitting on the tables and crushed paper cups scattered at places, and the fact that it was nearly 10 in the night, Teddy could believe that. "Hot chocolate?" Teddy nodded. "It'll be a takeaway, I'm sorry."

"Make a drink for yourself, as well, then. I'll walk you home."

"There's no need." Teddy thought he saw a red glint in her eyes, but he brushed it off as a reflection from the lamps.

"The gentleman in me calls for that. I'm sorry, but I can't let you go alone, Miss." Delphi laughed and shrugged.

As she prepared the drinks, Teddy put the fire out and put his coat on. He then held the both their cups and headed out, waiting for her to turn the lamps off and lock the place up.

"Let's go," she said when she was done, taking her drink from him. They walked in silence, sipping their hot drinks, snow crunching under their feet. The wind picked up.

"I think it is going to snow," Teddy said. "Let's hurry." Laughing, the pair raced each other, going as fast as they could while balancing their drinks so they didn't slosh too much. The snow started falling slowly, and they quickened their pace. Finally, when they reached the house, Teddy took Delphi's cup. She fumbled with the keys and unlocked the door.

Teddy's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why's the door locked? Isn't Amos inside?" When she didn't reply, he supposed she didn't hear him in the wind. She turned; "Come inside," she said, "there's going to be a storm outside, I think."

"No, I'll be fine. See you tomo—Oof!" She had grabbed him by the elbow and had pulled him into the house. He stumbled and collided with an umbrella stand nearly falling to the floor. "Jesus, woman!"

He turned to see she was locking the door. "I won't run away," he said, but she ignored him. Pocketing the keys, she started to remove her coat and boots, and Teddy followed the suit. Without a word, she headed inside. Teddy went after her.

"Where's Amos?" he asked once they were in the living room.

"In his bedroom," she replied, looking at something at the table. Teddy went and stood by her side, taking in the thing that sat on the table. It was a dollhouse. "Did you make it?" he asked, and she nodded. "It's beautiful." It really was. It was a huge, French-style house, and it was crafted so perfectly, it looked as if someone had shrunk an actual château and put it there.

"Give me the drinks; I'll get them warmed." Teddy nodded and handed her the cups.

When she returned, he was sitting by the table on the carpeted table, staring at the masterpiece of craft, still mesmerised. He took his hot chocolate back and sipped it, his eyes turning to the girl who had crafted it. "You are really skilled, you know. You should try going pro—"

Suddenly, pain shot through every part of his body, and Teddy couldn't help but cry out. Delphi's lips curled up in a humourless, cruel smile. Teddy felt as if Delphi was growing tall. Then, to his horror, he realised, that he was the one who was shrinking. He eyes rolled back as the pain became unbearable, and he fell to the floor, unconscious.

When Teddy woke up, he was drenched with sweat. He shook his head; it was just a dream. He was—he was lying on a wooden surface! He stood up and looked around in utter disbelief. It hadn't been a dream—it was a living nightmare! He was on a giant table in a huge room.

A giant face of a girl came into sight. It was Delphi. "Delphi, what-what is this? How is this possible? What's happening?" She smiled a sadistic smile, and rage filled Teddy's mind. "Who are you?"

"Delphini Riddle," she said, her voice barely a whisper, but cutting through the air as shards of ice, "the greatest sorceress in the world." She raised her hand to his line of sight and pointed somewhere behind him. "That's your new residence, prisoner," she spat. Teddy turned back; she was pointing to the French dollhouse. "Have fun with your old man!"

o§o

Word Count: 2028

Prompts used:

From January Event: National Hobby Month

• Making Dollhouses: Write about someone being magically (either spell or potion) shrunk and placed within a dollhouse.

From The Ultimate Patronus Quest Challenge

• E2 — Bees: write about someone getting shrunk to miniature size

From Chocolate Frog Card Club

• (Silver) Fire Crab — Challenge: Write about someone who looks attractive, but has a horrible personality.