**Written for the Popular Songs Competition: I Will Wait**
A.N - Also written for Amber because she wanted to see it done.
Unreciprocated
It starts out innocently enough. You visit him in his cabin, just like your godfather did, just like your father did. You love hearing his stories, you can sit there for hours and hours just listening to him reminisce about the past. Your personal favourites are the stories about Norbert and Grawp, you hear them many times over the seven years you are at Hogwarts. His reverence of any magical creature soon rubs off on you: your first subject choice is Care of Magical creatures even though he doesn't teach it anymore. After every lesson you walk down to his cabin and chat about everything you'd just learnt. He listens to you, and supplements your learning with his own knowledge, ensuring that you finish top of the class every single time.
Soon though, you begin to watch him from afar. You can see his cabin from your dormitory window, and you just sit there, and watch as he wanders around tending to the many plants, and dealing with the more tame creatures. The behaviour confuses you, but still, you watch.
The topics you talk about soon get more personal, he is one of the only people who you can talk to about your father (you wonder what he'd say now if he saw you). Hagrid tells you about the times he caught him out in the forest with his friends, the Marauders he calls them. Each and every story makes you smile, laugh and even better, it makes him smile too as he remembers the 'good ol' days'.
Sometimes, Hagrid tells you the story of how your father died. You've heard it many times before but no one tells you the exact details like Hagrid does. It's Hagrid, himself, that starts crying towards the end, but you're always there to comfort him. You offer him one of his own handkerchiefs, and sit there as he blows his nose rather noisely.
You can't help but feel pity towards him as you watch him potter around making tea and baking rock cakes. Hagrid's body is old now, easily in his seventies, but his eyes glisten with a childish gleam that can never age. You find yourself staring at them, trying to get lost within the depths of them. It's easy, he holds your gaze perfectly and it's only broken when the kettle whistles. This happens to many times to be innocent.
It all comes to head one day in your seventh year. You receive a letter from him telling you that Grawp had died, you immediately drop everything and hurry to his cabin. He's a mess when you see him, his black eyes are bloodshot and his face has swelled to an even larger size. You can't help but feel sorry for him, he's been your one ally throughout your education and here he is, hurting, and you feel as though there is nothing you can do to help.
You hold him, just letting him sob into your shoulder. You stay like this until he suddenly looks up, you seen such pain in his eyes that you do the first natural thing that comes to mind: you kiss him. It's only a brief kiss, but he backs away quickly.
'No Teddy, you can' do this.'
You say nothing in reply, but nod slowly and back away to the door. As you leave his cabin you hope he'll call you back, but he doesn't. A tear escapes your eye as you shut the door; your love will never be reciprocated.
You never go back to the cabin.
