Note: Sorry for the lack of updates everybody, busy busy…!
This is rather a filler-chapter! I'm sorry if it bores you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, J K Rowling does. I own nothing at all.
6: Aboard the Hogwarts Express
The train ride from Platform 9 ¾ to Hogsmead Station was usually something that excited Teddy greatly, for it was a chance to catch up with his best friend Chester and blow vast amounts of his pocket money on sweets from the lunch trolley. But this year he bought a single liquorish wand and sat twirling it around his fingers silently, watching Chester eagerly tear open a box of Every Flavoured Beans.
As he selected an alarmingly bright green bean and eyed it suspiciously, Chester continued to tell Teddy all about his summer holiday, oblivious to the other boy's sombre mood.
"…so then my dad had to go all the way back to the hotel to try and get it back, my mum says he'd loose his head if it weren't attached to his neck! They rowed right the way to the train…"
Teddy paused in his twirling to look up at his fellow Gryffindor.
"Do they do that often, your parents?" He asked.
Chester threw the bean up into the air and smartly caught it in his mouth, looking smug at the manoeuvre.
"Do what much?" He asked as he chewed noisily on the sweet.
"Argue and stuff." Teddy clarified, his expression deadly serious.
"Nah, not all that much. Just as much as everybody else, y'know?" Chester shrugged, selecting another bean and popping it into his mouth.
"Do they love each other, like properly love each other?"
Chester chewed thoughtfully at this question, frowning as he swallowed.
"Properly love?" He repeated and Teddy nodded, listening hard. "I suppose so, Teddy mate, I mean they're married aren't they? You don't just marry somebody if you don't love them, that would be stupid." He put the box of beans to one side and studied the troubled look that appeared on his friend's face. "What's up, Teddy?" He asked.
Teddy shrugged dismissively, but his expression did not change.
"Nothing, was just asking." He mumbled, taking a bite out of his liquorish wand.
"Weird thing to ask about." Chester observed.
"So's you asking Victoire Weasley what flavour lipgloss she was wearing last year, but it didn't stop you."
"It was raspberry."
"I don't care what flavour it was, Ches! Point is, she thought you were a freak for saying it, but you still did."
Chester was silent for a moment as he thought this over. At last he nodded slowly.
"So why are you asking about my parents?"
At Teddy's silence things slowly seemed a little clearer to Chester.
"Your dad been rowing with your mum, Ted?" He asked quietly, suddenly more serious.
"Kinda." Teddy admitted, and, after Chester had frowned at him for long enough, he told his friend all about the letters.
"Wow," Chester said at last, looking strangely excited. "I can't believe you used the term "knocked up" in front of your DAD!"
"Shut up Ches, it's not bloody funny!" Teddy snapped, folding his arms across his chest defensively. He was about to berate his friend further as Chester sniggered uncontrollably, but it was then that their compartment door was slid open and a female voice interrupted.
"Oh, sorry, wrong compartment!" The voice said cheerfully.
Teddy and Chester looked up to see a second year Gryffindor girl with long silvery blonde hair standing in the doorway.
"Hi Victoire," Teddy greeted, and she graced him with a smile that was scarily similar to that of her mother, Fleur
"Hello Teddy, did you have a good summer?"
"It was awesome!" Teddy announced, although he was pretty sure that it had been the worst summer he had ever had. "What about you? Did you go to France again?"
"Yeah, I did." She told him, not sounding all that enthusiastic.
Teddy didn't blame her, he supposed he would get bored after going to the same place every summer for twelve years. He himself rarely went anywhere much in the holidays, as Head of Aurors his mother rarely got enough time off.
"Well, I was just looking for Emma and the others, so I'll be going." Victoire announced and with that she turned and stepped back out into the corridor. Poking her head around the door just before it had slid shut she gave Teddy one last gleaming smile. "See you around, Teddy-Bear!" And with that, she was gone.
As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Chester burst into hysterical laughter.
"Teddy-Bear?!" He cried, practically falling from his seat as he shook with laughter.
Teddy merely shrugged, not fazed by his friend's mocking at all. Victoire Weasley had been his friend for as long as he could remember and she had referred to him as Teddy-Bear for an equally long amount of time. It had never bothered him in the slightest, it was just a nickname given by a friend. It would appear however, from his uncontrollable laughter, that there was no use trying to explain this to Chester. Clearly such a concept was beyond him just now. Instead Teddy announced that they ought to change into their school uniform.