Chapter 8

T.D.

I think the way that you write is so elegant and mature; I guess that is what interested me the most from your letters. At least, in the search for your identity, I can rule out the younger kids at Hogwarts. I had quite a concern that you were Colin Creevey. Oh, Merlin, you aren't Colin Creevey are you?

Anyway, yes we do have a dislike of Harry Potter in common, which I guess is a good way to start any friendship, with the same likes and dislikes. So, aside from that horrid scar-head (and this is going to sound incredibly gay), what kinds of things do you like? I love to read anything I can find in the library. My favourite thing to do is find a good book and read it in the snow outside. I love the snow. Do you prefer winter or summer? I'm going to hazard a guess and say that you're a summer. I can be kooky like that, I think you'll find, I have a bit of a knack for emotions and the supernatural I guess you could say. Sorry if I'm freaking you out, but I suppose that's the benefit of exchanging letters – you can run away from me whenever you like. Trust me, enough people have done it in person I'm sure I'll get used to the pen version.

Well, I've blathered on enough now, time to sign out and get back to the homework resting unwanted underneath this letter. You don't happen to know anything about Wolfsbane and Hezimpah Cheese Leaves do you? Snape has given us this impossible case study to do. Who even knew cheese could grow on trees?

Arh! I ramble yet again. Until next time, T.D!

Ginny

I was quite impressed with my letter-writing skills. I think I was actually improving. Jayda mocked me and laughed at me for the corniness of it all but to me it was rather romantic. I was being optimistic – perhaps this could actually lead to something? Well, I guess it all depended on who this T.D. truly was. I began to obsess just a little bit, speculating on who the mysterious guy could be. Sometimes I found myself rereading his letters, trying to discern some sort of clue or sign that probably didn't even exist.

Well, he did say 'certain people wouldn't be too happy'. Maybe that meant he was a close friend of Harry's, or at least someone he knew and so liking me (Harry's ex-girlfriend) went against the Boy's Strict Moral Code. If that even existed. I made a mental list of all Harry's friends and slowly ticked off each one as a definite no. Seamus Finnigan – absolutely not. He struck me as the slightly stupider, immature kind. Dean Thomas – maybe? He certainly was a possibility but that seemed unlikely. Obviously not Neville Longbottom, with his apparent interest in Luna, which was rather cute. Apart from those three and my brothers and their mates, I didn't know many other males.

It had to be a different House, then. At meal times I would casually look around the Great Hall, quietly observing all members of the opposite sex that were possible candidates. A Ravenclaw kept passing me furtive glances, looking nervous but I was sure he had been doing that since Marcus Flint gave him the hiding of his life last year. I wasn't there, but sources say he was jinxed and hexed a number of times, giving him a permanent twitch in his eye. Poor guy. Could it be him? He caught me staring at him, so as a kind of test I gave him a friendly, coquettish smile. His eye twitched more than I had ever seen it and he went bright red. Then he gave me a look as if to say 'what the hell are you staring at, bitch'. I quickly looked away.

"Ginny, what are you looking at?" Jayda piped in as I continued my study.

I turned back to her and shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "Just looking…" I trailed off, suddenly becoming incredibly interested in a knot of wood in the table.

She knew what, or rather who, I had been searching for. "That's kind of pointless, Gin. He's not exactly going to stand up and say 'oh, gee, I guess you found me, let's make love'." She teased in a gruff imitation of a guy's voice.

I laughed in spite of myself. "I just want to know who he is." I whinged, feeling a lot like a spoilt little girl wanting to know what was inside the present under the tree.

"Just wait it out, I'm sure he'll reveal who he is one day. Or are you two going to have a strictly ink and parchment relationship for the rest of your life?" She brought her hands up, mimicking someone writing. "Do you, Ginny, take T.D. to be your husband? I do." She cracked up into laughter at her joke.

I scowled at her and stabbed at a piece of pumpkin on my plate. "Shut up, Jay. Don't you have somewhere else to be right now?" I asked moodily. Usually she would be gone to spend some more time with Ryan by now. We were like a divorced couple sharing custody – I got mornings and he got evenings.

"Nah, Ryan's got NEWTs to be worrying about tonight. Besides, this is much more fun." She giggled evilly, grabbing some parchment from her bag. "Ooh, here's one." She quickly drew a dreadful drawing of a boy's face and wrote TD underneath. Then she brought the parchment to her lips and starting making oohs and aahs and kissing sounds.

Before I started laughing, which would only encourage her more, I instead let my temper get the better of me and flung a forkful of vegetables at her. They splatted on the parchment and she yelped in surprise. I snorted at her as I stood up to leave, lifting my heavy bag onto my shoulder. "C'mon, maestro." As we walked out together, I cast a quick glance back to see if anyone was watching us. No one was, unsurprisingly. I turned back to Jayda and smirked, tapping my cheek. "You have pumpkin just here. How on earth did that get there, Jayda? You messy eater."

Ginny,

Don't worry, I'm not Colin Creevey so you can be rest-assured there. You should give the search a rest – all in good time, my friend.

Sorry to burst your bubble but you got me all wrong! I actually prefer the autumn. The colours, the crunch of leaves underfoot and the slight bite of colder temperatures that let you know winter is on the way. But you were close!

I'm pretty sure Snape gave us that assignment last year. I think there's a book in the Restricted Section of the library by someone called Raux. Have a look, it should help a bit. I hated that case study. Cheese on trees? It makes absolutely no sense at all.

Do you like to fly? I like to get on a broom at least a few times a week and get out there into the sky. The feeling of the wind on your face and seeing everything so far below you is unsurpassable. Are you a member of any clubs or groups? Personally, I think they're all gay and nerdy except Quidditch (of course). One of my friends joined the Chess Club the other day but I managed to talk him out of it with my wand. He managed to attend one meeting but couldn't really understand half of what went on. I think he only joined so he could see more of this girl he has his eye on. If you are in a club, maybe I should join too.

Well, it's getting close to 2am now (I couldn't sleep) and, as you probably already figured out, I have had NEWTs thrust upon me by most all of my teachers to get me ready for next year. So, yes, I am in sixth year. It is all so tedious but necessary (I suppose).

Goodnight, Miss Weasley.

T.D.

The thrill I felt whenever I received one of his letters was like nothing I had ever felt before. Being wooed and courted was new to me too; when Harry had declared his love for me at the beginning of last year I had practically melted into his arms. I had already been in love with him since I was younger and it was as if my lifelong dream had come true. Now, though, it made me feel incredibly special and excited. I still wondered what it was about me that he liked so much and how he could know that he was so deeply in love with someone like this.

Love, to me, was caring for someone and wanting spend as much as time as possible with them just for their company. T.D. had never met me – how could know that I was the one he wanted? Sometimes I thought maybe it was a purely physical attraction. Then I realised I should not flatter myself so much.

Jayda thought she was the most clever person around, for she came up with an annoying little nickname for my admirer, which unfortunately seemed to stick. It had come about when she was once again making fun of the letters. It also happened in the presence of her boyfriend, Ryan, who seemed rather slow at times. I couldn't help thinking with amusement what a perfect match for Ruby Harish he would be. Yes, he was definitely good looking. And, I suppose, he had some measure of wits about him but a lot of the time my sarcasm and teases went straight over his head. When Jayda created the nickname, I came up with one of my own for her own beau. Airhead. Because everything seemed to go in one ear and out the other. Not surprisingly, she was not impressed.

"How's things going with T.D. anyway? I still can't get over that stupid name, Gin. It's just too gay." She complained as the three of us walked from the Astronomy Tower slowly down through the ancient castle to the dungeons where Snape awaited us. Ryan had his next lesson free so he had met up with Jayda so he could walk her to class.

"It's fine, we're still writing letters to each other. And I do apologise for his lack of a name that doesn't suit your tastes. I'm sure he could have done better but I like it just fine." I retorted coolly, starting to get slightly irked by her constant ridicule of my letters.

Jayda sniffed, unperturbed by my remark. "It's got no ring to it. T.D. T.D. T.D." She started repeating it over and over, getting faster as she did. Then she suddenly gasped dramatically, a humorous glint in her eye and a bursting smile on her face. "Teddy!"

Even as I groaned and rolled my eyes, she cackled wildly, thoroughly impressed with herself. I eyed her warily, a little concerned for her mental health. "Must you?"

She finished laughing and, wiping a tear of mirth from the corner of her eye, she tapped Ryan on his arm, who had been observing our entire conversation in silence, and looked at him questioningly, still grinning stupidly. "What d'you think, Ryan? It's good, right?"

He shrugged and reached his arm around her shoulders. "If you really want my honest opinion, I think you're crazy." He grinned as Jayda scowled playfully at him and I noticed his smile was considerably lopsided, which only further increased his cute, pretty-boy good looks.

I nodded at his response smugly. "Thank you, Ryan, that's exactly what I think too."

For the rest of the day Jayda took to calling me Teddy, Teddy's Girl or Teddy Bear. At one point she began chanting it loudly as I struggled to ignore her, doing my best to concentrate solely on chopping the blasted cheese leaves that Snape had us studying so rigorously. I didn't have to snap at her though, only snicker when she got so loud that the Potions professor came striding angrily over to our table, slammed down a huge textbook (which, I realised with a silent groan, was all about the nefarious Hezimpah Cheese Leaves) and eyed Jayda fiercely. She visibly quivered under his intense gaze.

"Leave my classroom immediately, Miss Brown, and do not return until you have written out, word for word, the entire first volume. And when you do return, Miss Brown, make sure you leave the immature, boisterous yelling outside." He sneered at her as she quickly grabbed some parchment and the heavy textbook and sidled out of the classroom. Snape turned his withering gaze on me, looking at me with contempt. All the other students were watching with breaths held for what he would do next. "And if I hear any nonsense at all from you, Weasley, you will suffer a similar fate as your juvenile companion."

He straightened and walked slowly back to the front of his classroom, looking around at them all. "What are you all gawking at? Get back to work."