Teddy had always liked to choose a different hair colour depending on how he was feeling. Today, walking from the Astronomy tower to his House's common room, he chose red. A saturated, brilliant, shiny shade of furious red.
He knew he was going to get in trouble. No one could talk to a professor like that and get away with it. Still, he couldn't seem to care. Anger had turned his gut into flames and he hadn't been able to stop himself after she had read his future.
"Poor child," the Professor had said."There is much pain in the coming months. This cross here certainly indicates suffering. After you've been through so much; growing up without your parents and having this terrible condition..."
Teddy had almost choked then. He had had such a hard time trying to convince some of his classmates that he was not a werewolf. He was sure that they would think that's what she had meant by condition, giving them an excuse to tease him again.
"You have broken so many crystal balls in the past month, with this condition of yours," the professor had continued. "It's simply such a bad omen! My heart breaks for you, boy, for your inelegance does not bode well for you. You have a dark future, and I pity you."
Teddy knew then that his professor had meant his clumsiness, but it did nothing to calm his anger. She had been worried for her ridiculous crystal balls, yet had managed to insult the memory of his parents.
"You do not get to pity me!" He had shouted then, shocking everyone in the classroom into silence. "My parents died in battle, trying to save our world from Voldemort. They died for us, to give us a future. A bright future. My godfather saved us all, and he was raised without his parents because they gave their lives for him. You do not get to pity their sacrifice. You only get to be thankful, because without them, you would have no future."
He didn't stop to look around and see how everyone would react to his words. He grabbed his things and stormed out of the classroom, needing to get away as fast as he could.
He would deal with the consequences later. He would try to explain to Headmistress McGonagall why he had done it; maybe then she would give him an easy chore for his detention. She would surely understand that he couldn't allow anyone to belittle what his parents had done for him and for all of the Wizarding community. He simply couldn't let anyone ruin his truth, that his parents had fought out of love. Love for their world, but also love for him. For it was the knowledge of that love that made him feel like his parents were still there with him, seeing him grow from their side of the veil, always with him.4
This short story was originally written as my submission to Ollivanders Challenge in Tumblr, week four. It's the first story I've ever written that is not Romione centered!
Congratulations to the winners! And thanks to the hubby for quickly helping me make sure there weren't any horrendous grammar mistakes.