This is for round 4 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. The prompt was to start and end the story with an adjective. The additional prompts used were 'Wide Awake' by Katy Perry, "Children aren't happy with nothing to ignore, And that's what parents were created for." Ogden Nash and bird.
Tired, but unable to fall asleep, Teddy Lupin sat in the middle of his bed, with the burgundy curtains drawn so that none of the other boys in his dorm could have a chance to see the state he was in - especially not James, who he'd been able to share a dorm with even though they weren't in the same year as there had only been three boys in a room capable of keeping four. He had used a light charm his aunt Hermione had taught him before he had started his first year at Hogwarts - "It's easier to study in the dark when you have both hands free, rather than casting lumos and having to point your wand at your work" - and the faint light was the only illumination in the dorm room. He had also put up a silencing charm around his bed earlier, although he had no idea if it was still holding.
He'd never wanted to just crawl into bed and forget the day so much in his life. Not even when he was 6 and had spilled ink all over the floor, then attempting to clean it himself because he didn't want to get into trouble; of course, Harry had eventually found him, sobbing as he scrubbed futilely at the ink stain on the floor, muttering about how he didn't want to get into trouble. Harry had gently pulled the sobbing boy away from the mess, cleaning it with a simple flick of his wand, before cuddling Teddy until he stopped crying, telling him that it was alright and that there was no need to be sorry or upset because there was no harm done.
He could really do with one of those cuddles from his godfather right now.
He looked down at the necklace clenched in his fist, the small bird pendant, its wings spread out in flight, dangling in the air. It had reminded him to much of her when he saw it...Victoire had made falling for her feel so easy. She didn't have to be in the same room as him to distract him and make him smile.
Of course, he had been too much of a chicken to tell her. That's what his plan had been. At the thought of his naivety, he tightened his grip on the necklace, the metal chain biting into his skin. He had pictured it like some kind of cheesy romance story: he'd tell her how he felt, she'd admit she felt the same and then they would kiss and be happy together.
But life isn't the perfect cheesy romance story people want it to be.
Finding her had been all to easy - she had been in one of the empty classrooms. What she had not been, was alone. He cringed slightly, feeling like he wanted to start crying all over again. The image of her. joined at the lips with some Ravenclaw he couldn't remember the name of...he didn't know how long it would be until the image left his mind and gave him peace.
He wasn't stupid - he knew she could kiss whoever she wanted, but seeing it...it broke him in ways he had never imagined possible. His godparents warning ran through his head, 'Be careful Teddy - she'll break your heart even though she won't mean to.' He'd ignored them of course - even her own parents had warned him not to get too close and he'd ignored them too, the idiot he was. He had thought that he would be different than all the other guys. She wouldn't hurt him.
He should have listened.
Not that it would have made much difference - logic has no place in any form of love. But maybe if he had really listened, he'd be better prepared for what happened...he shook his head slightly. He knew that even if he had given the warnings about Victoire his full and proper attention, he still would have ended up in the exact state he was in now.
Teddy finally understood what Harry had meant when he told him about when he first fell in love with Ginny. How he'd had to keep his distance, how much it had hurt to see her dating other guys...the whole story made a lot more sense to him now.
He started to wonder if his dad had problems like this when he was Teddy's age. Maybe that's where he got his inability to easily express his true feelings? Or maybe it was from his mum? Maybe...the thoughts of his parents mixed with his thoughts about Victoire and before he could stop himself he started crying again.
The bed dipped slowly as someone sat behind him on his bed. He heard someone murmur the silencing charm, confirming his earlier belief that his had faded away. He felt someone shift closer to him, wrapping their arms around him to pull him into a firm and comforting hug. He looked up, his vision blurred by tears, to see James Potter, looking a lot like his father as he hugged him. His black hair was particularly flat at one side, and his eyes still looked a little glazed from sleep. Teddy felt a pang of guilt as he realised it was his fault that James had woken up in the first place. He was frowning slightly, although he didn't look confused as to why Teddy was crying. He just looked concerned. And a little angry. He seemed to be glowering at Teddy's hands, and as the older boy followed his gaze he realised James was looking at the bird necklace that he was still holding tightly in his fist.
"She doesn't deserve you." James said finally, his voice a hoarse whisper. "Not if she's going to make you feel like this."
Teddy shook his head, "J-James, d-don't. Please."
He looked away from the necklace to Teddy's face, his expression softening within seconds. "Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry, you probably don't want to think about it." He mumbled, looking a little guilty that he hadn't thought of that in the first place.
James just held Teddy as he continued to cry, the sounds of his sobs heart-breaking. He soothingly rubbed his god brother's back, hating Victoire for what she was doing to him. He had known, just like his parents, that she would break his heart. It was inevitable. She broke everyone's heart and James was scared that she'd left a permanent mark on Teddy. He wasn't like the usual guys who went after her. When he fell, he fell hard. She wasn't just another fling for him and Victoire was too blind to notice when someone genuinely loved her.
Slowly, Teddy started to calm down, his sobs fading away until he was just sniffling. "Are you alright?" James asked softly and Teddy simply nodded, barely moving his head and looking like he was too tired to even speak. "Go to sleep. We can talk in the morning." James promised before letting go and climbing out of the bed, stumbling around in the dark to find his own, his eyes not adjusted to the darkness after sitting in the illumination within Teddy's bed-curtains.
Teddy sighed, picking up his wand and taking away the light charm. The dark swallowed him whole as the light faded into nothing. He put his wand away before slipping under the thick duvet covers, curling up underneath them. He closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep. He had never felt so tired.