I wrote this story for one of my very close friends! I didn't think I liked this ship, but it grew on me...
Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to the beautiful J. K. Rowling. I own nothing.
Throughout the whole graduation ceremony, Teddy Lupin had his eyes fixed on her. Her fiery red hair that fell around her shoulders in soft waves, her warm light brown eyes, the light dusting of freckles across her nose, and the way she was chewing her bottom lip nervously as she anxiously waited for her name to be called. He knew he should have been paying attention to his other family members on the stage, but that one ginger girl was taking up all of his thoughts. Finally, Headmistress McGonagall read out "Lily Potter!" from her list. Lily started and walked up to accept her diploma. The Great Hall was filled with claps from not only Lily's family, but everyone who knew the name 'Potter'. Lily stammered out short speech, which was really just a list of her family members and saying thank you, then beamed winningly at the audience and stood aside. Teddy was filling with a burning impatience while the other graduating students gave their speeches. Finally, McGonagall and all the other teachers shot sparks from their wands in celebration. Rainbow lights were cast on Lily's face as she watched the fireworks in delight. Teddy felt his stomach twist into a knot at the look of ecstasy on her face. He loved seeing her look so happy, and there was nothing he loved more than being the one to make her smile. Lately, his feelings had been in less of an older brother/cousin role, and more in a... What? Teddy tried to squash those thoughts. They did nothing but drive him mad, knowing that Lily could never be his. No, stop, you don't want her to be yours at all, he told himself furiously. You are twenty-seven years old, Ted. Get back with Victoire. Find a new girl. Grow old alone. Whatever. Just get Lily out of your head! These firm directions were soon forgotten as quickly as if Teddy had been Oblivated, though, for the ceremony was over and the students were leaving the stage and heading for the crowd.
He could see her, although she couldn't see him yet. She was trying to navigate her way through the mass of students and families in the Great Hall, scanning the crowd excitedly. Her eyes rested on her parents and brothers, and Teddy watched her face light up (once again, his stomach did flip-flops). But she didn't stay looking at her family for long. She craned her neck, looking around more frantically, searching for someone. A new sense of urgency now dominated her features. Finally, Lily's eyes locked with Teddy's.
To say her face glowed was an understatement. No, her face was shining with a brilliant radiance. And then she was running, literally pushing past the students that were still milling about and not even looking back. Lily threw herself into Teddy's arms, and would've knocked him over if he hadn't been ready. Instead he used the momentum to lift the red-haired girl off her feet and spin her around once, twice, three times. She laughed, breathless as he set her down gently. Teddy was feeling dizzy, not just from spinning but from the fact that Lily's hair smelled delicious, a little like strawberries. Lily stared up into his eyes, and as her warm brown pupils met his, Teddy felt a deep stirring in his chest. He refused to think about what that meant, refused to tell himself not to feel, and ignored all the common sense he owned screaming at him in his mind. Instead he set fire to the spark that had been waiting not too patiently for so long and pressed his lips to Lily's.
Lily was stiff for about two seconds, then she relaxed and twisted her hands in Teddy's hair, which was slowly turning bubblegum pink. It must have only been about a thirty second kiss, but Teddy felt like it had been an hour at least. It was far too cliché, he knew, to call the kiss magical, but what other word was there? Reality was slipping away and nothing else mattered but how close her body was to his and what their mouths were doing. Finally, they broke apart, breathless.
"What just happened?" Lily asked quietly, her voice almost lost in the noise of the crowd. She looked, Teddy realized happily, absolutely delighted.
"I have no idea," he answered, taking her hand in his and squeezing. "But let's go find your parents so I can see the look on your dad's face when I tell him I snogged his daughter."
It's pretty short, sorry. Thanks for reading! Like always, reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!