Chapter Two
Teddy rolled out of bed at noon the next day, his hair still in braids. He slipped on a pair of jeans and opted to go shirtless before he bounded down the stairs.
The Potter house was quiet, and through the large window in the living room Teddy could see Al and Lily working on their summer fort and James watching on.
Teddy wandered into the kitchen where Ginny was waving her wand aimlessly while she read the Daily Prophet, as lunch was fixed up around her.
"He lives!" she joked without looking up from the Prophet and Teddy smirked, swiping a piece of bread from the pantry and sitting down in front of Ginny.
Ginny looked up from the paper, her grin immediately turning to worry. "Teddy, what's on your chest!" she cried and Teddy looked down, dropping his bread as he saw the inflamed red 'X' that had been scratched onto his chest last night.
"Um…" Teddy stalled as he glanced down at his wrists where the scars from yesterday had disappeared completely. "It was a cat! Yeah, um, Molly's cat the one that Percy bought form that street vendor. Wild little bugger went on a rampage on the train, scratched right through my shirt."
Ginny stared at him for a moment before she nodded in resignation, willing to accept the lie despite her doubt. "Well, I'll talk to Percy about it, a cat like that shouldn't be allowed near students."
Teddy nodded weakly, sliding down in his chair, appetite long gone after his close call. Before either of the two could start up a conversation their fireplace blared and Brandon Malfoy popped up, tripped over the mantel, and fell to the ground.
"Wipe your feet off Brandon!" Ginny called from the kitchen, after lowing her wand and returning to her paper. Teddy ran over to his friend and offered him a hand up, laughing at his friend's soot covered face.
"17 years and you still can't quite get that right, can you?" Teddy joked as he grabbed a folded shirt of the couch and pulled it over his chest before Brandon could see the weird scars.
"Don't remind me, you sound like my brother. That Git. Nice braids, new fashion?" Brandon asked as he lead his way into the Potter's kitchen smiling at Ginny before he began rooting through the refrigerator.
"Victoire-"
"Stop, I don't want to hear anymore," Brandon interrupted as Teddy brought up Victoire's name. Brandon emerged from the refrigerator a block of cheese in his hand and two things stuffed under his shirt. "Cover me," Brandon mouthed and Teddy nodded in confusion.
"Ahh," Teddy groaned falling to his knees, and Ginny looked up from the prophet worriedly.
"What's wrong Teddy? Is it your chest?" She questioned as she fell to her knees next to Teddy. Teddy looked up as he saw Brandon struggling to make it out of the kitchen with his arms full.
"Um, sure. Yes, it's my chest," Teddy moaned, rubbing at the two scars. It wasn't a totally lie, the mark was throbbing and rubbing it was doing nothing but make it worst. As Ginny looked on with concern, Teddy looked over he shoulder moaning until Brandon was clearly out of site.
When Brandon turned the corner out of site, Teddy hopped up again. "Oh, weird. I feel way better Ginny, thanks!" he said happily, bounding out of the kitchen before Ginny could question him.
He took the stairs two at a time and knocked loudly on his door. Brandon opened the door grinning, and passed him a beer as he let Teddy into his own room.
"These are Harry's…" Teddy muttered but Brandon rolled his eyes, sipping on his own.
"It's two beers Teddy, he'll never know. I thought they'd wake you up a bit, before we go," Brandon explained as he entered Teddy's closet, digging through the clothes Teddy kept at the Potter residence.
"Go where?" Teddy questioned, as he popped his beer open flopping down on his bed.
"Draco's hosting some 'coming of age' party for yours truly, big 'ol One Seven, and if you think I'm going to face a whole bunch of stiff old hags on my own, you're sorely mistaken," Brandon explained as he threw a black dress shirt onto Teddy's bed.
Teddy groaned as he took a longer sip of his beer, "Brand, you're my best mate, but-"
"We each can bring dates, I'm bring the wonderful, and very matured in the looks if you know what I'm saying, Julie Lawson, and you my dear friend are bringing-" Brandon shoved his hand into his jean pocket and pull out a folded invitation with Victoire Weasley scribbled neatly on it. "Your cousin or girlfriend or whatever you're calling her these days."
Teddy sat up quickly, grabbing the invitation and grinning. "This is tonight?"
"Yea, my git of brother didn't bother telling me until this morning. What a nice guy," Brandon rolled his eyes. "I figure we can get ready now, pick up Julie, grab Victoire, show up at the party for an hour or so and then bail upstairs. Hopefully one of my presents will be my dealer actually coming through, if you know what I'm saying, and then we can actually party. You in?"
Teddy nodded as he finished the last of the beer and shoved the bottle under his bed. Teddy pulled out his muggle cell phone; a gift Mr. Weasley had given all the grandkids plus Teddy a couple years ago, and dialed Victoire's number.
"Hello?" Her light voice came over the phone and Brandon rolled his eyes as Teddy all but swooned. "Teddy?"
"Yes, hey Victoire, I was wondering what you were doing tonight," Teddy bit his lip nervously.
"Well I was supposed to go on a date, but Papa has all but locked me up for the summer," she complained and Teddy let out a disappointed sigh. "But Papa likes you, so he may be okay if we did something. What did you have in mind?"
Teddy grinned as his spirits began to grow again, "Well Brandon's been roped into a 'Coming of Age' party and I, being his best mate, have to go to make sure he doesn't have a good time with all his brother's friends. I was wondering if you'd like to accompany me?"
"Well, like a date?" She asked cautiously, and Teddy's confidence took a deep turn downwards.
"Oh, um no! Not a date at all!" Teddy ignored Brandon's inquiring look. "No, just as friends of course. Of course…."
"Oh! Well I'll have to ask Papa, can I call you back?"
"Of course," Teddy sighed as he hung up the phone groaning.
"What was-"
"Better go get some more beers Brandon, this is going to be one hell of a day," Teddy cut his friend off as he covered his head with his pillow.
Brandon shrugged he continued to rummage through the closet, "No mate, you got to pace yourself until the party. Then we'll get wasted."
"What party?"
Brandon turned around quickly and Teddy sat up even faster has Harry entered the room. "What party?" he asked again and Teddy and Brandon stared at each other for a nanosecond before Brandon's Sly Slytherin blood kicked in.
"My 'Coming of Age' party Draco's throwing, big social function. Teddy's invited, of course, in fact we were just working on his outfit. Mr. Potter, you look exceptionally handsome today. Is that a new tie?" Harry rolled his eyes at Brandon before turning to Teddy.
"You plan on 'getting wasted' at this party?" He asked, folding his arms and Teddy began to squirm under the look.
"Course not Harry!" Teddy exclaimed, scoffing at the idea, "Brandon was just being stupid, right Brand?"
Brandon nodded eagerly, his blond hair falling into his eyes. Harry looked between the two teenagers before sighing. "Alright, but remember, when I was your age I never drank or smoke or did anything of the sorts. I expect just as much from you Teddy, do you understand?"
Teddy nodded seriously, before Harry smiled and ruffled Teddy's hair before heading to the kitchen for lunch.
When the door was shut Teddy slid back down on his bed. "Of course he never did any thing bad, he was the 'Boy Who Lived' he was too busy almost being killed to have fun," Teddy spat out angrily his hair changing to a deep shade of red, " 'I expect just a much from you Teddy', just how the hell am I supposed compete with the man who killed the most dangerous Wizard ever when he was 17."
Brandon sat silently in Teddy's desk chair as Teddy continued to rant, until Teddy's menacing words faded.
"You done mate?" He asked and Teddy shrugged standing up off of his bed and stretching.
"For now, let's go eat," Teddy led the way into the kitchen where Harry and his family were already seated. Ginny had set an extra spot at the table for Brandon, without question, and Teddy took his spot in between James and Brandon.
Teddy loaded his plate up with sandwiches and began munching on them while James explained the construction of the summer fort this year. As he began to lists the cost of all the supplies needed Teddy glanced at Harry, whose eyes were widening bit after bit as the price continued to rise. Leave it to poor Potter to have the most spoiled son on the block.
"James, maybe we could cut down on those costs somehow," Harry ventured, cutting his son off. James' face fell as he looked down at his sandwich.
"Like how?" he mumbled and Harry sighed, wiping his mouth.
"Well, I'm not sure if a you really need a fountain in a fort-"
"But it's my wishing fountain," Lily piped up sadly, and Teddy watched in amusement as her eyes spilled over with tears. "I'm never going to get my wishes!" She wailed and Teddy watched as Harry cracked.
"So, Brandon and I are going to go now!" Teddy yelled to Ginny over Harry's consoling and Lily's tears. Ginny waved him off and Brandon quickly hopped out of his chair as the two boys barreled back up to Teddy's bedroom.
"Wishing Fountain?" Brandon asked and Teddy rolled his eyes.
"Who knows, but that little girls has this entire family wrapped around her little finger," said Teddy as he pulled off his shirt to change.
"Your stomach-" Brandon piped up but Teddy pulled the black shirt over the scars before his friend could continue.
"Cat. What time does this thing start?"" He quickly changed the subject as he continued dressing into black dress pants.
Brandon sighed, slouching down into Teddy's desk chair. "Five, but Dicko wants me there by four so we can 'rehearse' my entrance', or something along those lines."
Teddy nodded as he threw on his black dress robes and began working on his red tie. He muttered the rhyme Harry had taught him, as he tied the tie, admiring his handy work in the mirror.
"Yeah, yeah, you look smashing. Are you ready? We have two hours to get me changed, pick up Juliet and Victoire and then report back to the hell house."
Teddy's stomach dropped at the word Victoire, realizing he wasn't even sure if she could go or not. He hurried to his bed knocking off some pillows until his phone was visible. He opened up the voicemail and held it cautiously to his ear.
"Hello Teddy, it's Victoire. Papa says I can go, as long as I stay with you the whole time, not that I need a nanny anymore. If you could call me with the time your going to pick me up, I'd be very appreciative. And Mama says not to wear that red tie of yours, if you're going to wear your hair red, it clashes dear. I'll see you soon Teddy!"
Teddy hung up the phone with a smile, his red hair fading into a dirty blonde. Brandon looked up from the Quidditch Magazine he was flipping through and grinned at Teddy. "Let's roll," Brandon said as he rolled off of Teddy's bed, landing on his knees and popping up.
Teddy opened his door and led Brandon down the stairs. He swiped his wallet from the counter, and grinned at Lily who was cleaning up the dishes in the Kitchen. "Bye Lils!" He called and Lilly waved her soapy hand at him.
Brandon was waiting by the fireplace, looking at the many pictures of the Potter Kids and their parents. "You're in a lot of these," he muttered distantly as Teddy came up behind him and Teddy shrugged as he too looked at the pictures.
He was indeed standing next to the Potter's in the majority of the pictures. A few were from the trips to America they took a few times before Teddy started school. A couple pictures were of Teddy holding a newborn James, Al, or Lily. And then there was one with a young Harry holding a baby Teddy, which was right next to the pictures of Harry holding his kids when they were babies.
Teddy cleared his throat and slapped Brandon casually on the back. "Let's go mate," he muttered thickly as he grabbed a handful of Floo Powder. "Malfoy Manor!" he yelled and the Potter's living room spun out of site.
Teddy stepped out of the fireplace into Brandon's room. Harry and Draco had agreed, at the end of Teddy's first year, to hook up the Potter's living room fireplace to the fireplace in Brandon's room, as the only two people using the connection would be Teddy and Brandon.
Brandon's room was large, but cluttered, and Teddy stepped over piles of clothing before flopping down onto one of Brandon's armchairs. He stared at the fireplace until it flashed green and Brandon came flying out, landing on a large pile of clothes.
"Knew I was smart to put those there," Brandon muttered as he shook the soot out of his hair. Brandon climbed over the mountains of clothing until he reached his closet, opening the door and covering his head as a collection of Wizard Cards and Toys came crashing down.
"You good there mate?" Teddy called without sparing more than a second of a glance. Brandon just grumbled as he dug to the back of his closet, pulling out his black dress robes, white dress shirt and royal blue vest and bow tie.
"Gift from father dearest for the occasion. He thinks he can make up for punching the lights out of me by telling Draco to buy some robes for me in his name," Brandon muttered, stripping off his daily clothing and pulling the stiff new dress clothes over him.
The clothes hung from Brandon limply and he cursed under his breath. Teddy laughed quietly at his friend, who rolled his eyes as he began shuffling to the door, tripping along the way. Teddy followed behind, still laughing, as Brandon wandered slowly though the Manor. He stopped in the ballroom where Astoria was supervising the set up for the evening.
She turned to Brandon and sighed as she briskly strolled over to the two boys. "Teddy," she greeted warmly before she turned to look down at Brandon. "You'll grow," she said condescendingly as she began waving her wand so that the Dress clothes shrunk. Brandon just rolled his eyes at the thought. When she was done she took a step back, admiring the two boys and smiling. "You both look dashing."
"No! The Minister is to sit on Brandon right side, honestly!" Draco's booming voice was heard from the dinning room and Brandon rolled his eyes.
"Brandon, he's just trying to do good for you," Astoria admonished, as she turned over her shoulder. "Draco, the boys are here!"
Draco came wandering in, already dressed in his dark green dress robes; his blonde hair slicked back and white teeth glistening. He pecked Astoria on the cheek before looking Teddy and Brandon up and down.
"No Weasley hair for the occasion?" Draco said and Teddy's hair quickly turned to a bright Weasley red.
"Thank you so much for reminding me Malfoy," Teddy replied and he saw Brandon bite his lip to keep from laughing.
"Anyways Drake, Ted and I are going to go pick up our dates-"
"Five o'clock Brandon," Draco cut Brandon off before turning and walking back into the dining room.
"Whatever you say Boss!" Brandon called after his brother, grinning. "I will be here, promise," he said to Astoria, kissing her cheek before strolling purposely toward the garage where the car Draco had begrudgingly bought him stayed.
Teddy climbed into the passenger seat of the BMW, and began messing with the radio dial as Brandon backed the Muggle Car out of the driveway. After taking Muggle Studies as a way to rebel during his fourth year, Brandon had become obsessed with the Muggle world in ways that would almost rival Mr. Weasley. The car was his pride and joy, and so were the fake IDs that he and Teddy both had so they could drive it..
"Actually mate," Brandon said, putting the car in park at the end of the driveway. "Maybe you should go ahead and apparate to go get Victoire. I mean, Juliet could be awhile and I don't want to keep Victoire waiting."
"You just want to bang her in your car," Teddy muttered, rolling his eyes but also climbing out of the car.
Brandon shrugged, pulling on a pair of dark sunglasses and grinning. "Five o'clock," Brandon reminded before zipping out of the driveway. Teddy shook his head, groaning as he quickly turned on the spot and faded into the air.
With a faint pop, Teddy appeared in front of the shell cottage, the sea breeze whipping his hair around, reminding him to fade the bright red hair back into a dirty blonde. He smoothed out his robes, straightened his tie and ran a hand through his hair before he began nervously approaching the front door. Not that he should be nervous, his family was inside the door, and he was just there to take his cousin to his friend's party. That was all.
Fleur answered the door, kissing Teddy on the check as she began gushing over how handsome Teddy looked. Teddy's ears began to turn red, and Bill's booming laugh caused him to turn around.
"Look at those ears!, Must be a Weasley!" He boomed, slapping Teddy on the back and offering him a chair in the living room. Teddy sunk down into it, his knees suddenly weak as he tried to conceal his nervousness. Fleur soon left to continue dinner, and Bill and Teddy were left alone in the living room.
"You know she's actually grounded," Bill stated suddenly, and Teddy began squirming in his chair. "Her grades last year, were horrible, that boy Robert got her all distracted. I swear I'm going to have to lock her in a tower if I want her to graduate, these boys keep throwing themselves at her."
Teddy tugged anxiously on his tie as Bill continued ranting. "Of course, your different Teddy, you're her older cousin. Just watch her tonight, I trust you, she does deserve to have some fun this summer but I'd rather not be a Grandfather this young. I've always though of you as an older brother to her," Bill continued on, by now Teddy could feel sweat lining his forehead. "And I know you care about her just like an older brother would, so all I'm asking is that you make sure she's responsible tonight. Alright?"
Bill's look of innocent trust nearly killed Teddy as he struggled for an answer. "Sure," he croaked out, and Bill grinned.
Just as he was about to say more, he stood up staring at the stairs and Teddy followed in suite as Victoire made her way down the stairs. Her blonde hair was curled into ringlets, half tied up in a blue silk ribbon. Her blue silk dress fell to the floor, a white sash tied around her waiste with a bow in the back. Her blue eyes sparkled as they reached Teddy's and her teeth glowed as she grinned.
"Teddy!" She greeted happily, kissing him on the cheek and Teddy could barely stop himself from touching his cheek. "Papa," she greeted as well kissing his cheek and Bill playfully pulled on one of his daughter's curls, ignoring her groan of protest.
"Be good Victoire," he said seriously, before kissing her forehead and pushing her gently towards Teddy. Unsure what to do, Teddy searched for the least romantic part of Victoire to touch before apparating. Victoire laughed lightly, before linking arms with Teddy and winking.
"Have her back by midnight!" Teddy heard Bill call as he turned on the spot and popped into thin air. Teddy's stomach clenched as they quickly began spinning and he felt Victoire's clutch on him tighten before they landed and could breathe open air again.
"Oh!" Victoire screamed turning away, and Teddy opened his eyes to find Brandon fumbling for his shirt while Juliet frantically searched for her dress in just her bra. Teddy quickly turned away too, face and ears bright red with embarrassment.
"Sorry, sorry," he muttered as he shushed Victoire who was giggling next to him.
"No, it alright, we were done-"
"Brandon!" Juliet yelled, slapping him on the head as she pulled on her strapless pink dress. She pulled her hair back into an elegant bun and then pulled on the heels that had been tossed on the floor. "Victoire!" She greeted pleasantly, embracing the girl, "How's your summer been?"
As the two girls began small talking Teddy hurried over to Brandon who was pulling on his dress robes.
"Really?" Teddy asked in disbelief but Brandon rolled his eyes, pulling on his black shoes.
"Compromise, she wouldn't do it in the car, I wouldn't take her unless we did it-"
Teddy slapped his friend in the head. "You're an Ass!"
Brandon shrugged as he finished getting ready. "I know."
Just then there was a pounding on the door, and Draco popped his head into the room. "You missed rehearsal," he hissed his eyes darting between Brandon and Juliet.
"Sorry Drake," Brandon said unapologetically, as he tied up his shoes. "But you know me, I do like to wing it," he said winking at Juliet, who giggled.
Draco's face hardened even more before he rolled his eyes, "Well we'd like to begin, if it fits your schedule. You'll friends will see you downstairs," and with that Draco held the door open as the three friends filed out, marching off to face the mob downstairs.
Review. Peace and Love.
