Disclaimer: Wish I'd thought of them first. *grumbles*
Warnings: Obnoxious adolescent prank; Bill Weasley not exactly at his finest.
A/N: The prank was a suggestion from a friend who used to do some pretty crazy things herself (though not usually involving pyrotechnics).
Chapter 10: Teddy the Troublemaker
It would take at least two weeks for the broomsticks to arrive, and a few more after that for the robes. Draco settled into a comfortable pattern of visiting the shops, spending time at the Three Broomsticks, and talking to the villagers. Naturally, he managed to squeeze in a visit or several to the Silver Quill—for the sake of looking through the Quidditch books, of course, not to see Potter.
There were a fair few children around now; they followed him nearly everywhere. It wasn't entirely unwelcome—after all, he was supposed to have been teaching them how to fly. He was merely surprised that their parents had begun to let them out again. Draco decided that the adults obviously thought they were his charges. He wasn't sure how he felt about that.
Draco's frequent browsing in the Silver Quill appeared at first to cause considerable consternation on Potter's part. There was something that felt right to Draco about being able to get under his skin like that. He had missed it, somehow. And if he was spending some of his time just watching Potter at work, half-admiring his ease with the people who came in, what difference did that make? Draco convinced himself that he was simply biding his time, looking for an opportunity to use the gossip he'd heard from those witches.
The blue-haired boy that Potter referred to as Teddy was in as often as Draco. Sometimes he came with the other boys; other times, he was alone. Draco wondered where his parents were, as he never seemed to be with any adults.
One quiet, hot afternoon, Draco was enjoying a few rare moments of solitude by strolling along the high street, trying to decide whether or not to visit the Silver Quill again. As Draco approached, Potter was just leaving his shop for lunch. As he pulled the door to and locked it, a mighty BOOM shook the buildings. Startled, Potter dropped his keys.
Draco reached down for them. Straightening up, he passed the keys to Potter. "What the hell was that?" he asked.
Potter shook his head. "Dunno. But if I were a betting man, I'd put my money on Teddy having something to do with it."
Sure enough, as the two men turned back toward the street, Teddy and three other boys came pelting up the road, laughing. Chasing after them was the Town Councillor.
He looked particularly angry. His face was red and contorted with rage, and he appeared unable to speak. As the boys closed in on them, Potter twitched his wand and muttered something Draco didn't catch. At the same moment, Draco, unthinking, grabbed his as well, murmuring a hasty, "Incarcerous."
The spells hit Teddy simultaneously. He found himself both bound with ropes and thrust into the air, head down and feet up. The other boys continued up the street, but stopped when they realised Teddy had been caught.
"Teddy! What is going on?" Potter demanded.
By this time, Councillor Weasley had caught up with them. He was panting. "Harry. You—have got—to get—control of him. I mean it."
"What did he do this time?"
"From the looks of it, nicked nearly every explosive available at Wheezes, and set them off behind my house!" He looked about ready to strangle Teddy.
Potter was glaring at Teddy. "Is that about right?"
Teddy held his chin up, his eyes hard. "We didn't steal those fireworks. We bought them," he said defiantly.
Draco turned away, coughing slightly in a weak attempt to conceal his amusement. Potter frowned at him. "Look, Bill, can I speak to you a moment?" He cancelled his spell and pulled the very angry Councillor Weasley away, leaving Teddy to drop unceremoniously onto the ground, still bound with his arms pinned to his sides.
Teddy glared up at Draco and said, "You can let up now. I'm not going anywhere."
"Finite incantatum. What was that all about?"
Rubbing his shoulder where he had hit, Teddy pulled a face. "Aw, we were just having fun. There's nothing to do around here."
"Why weren't you there for the flight demonstration then, if you're so bored?"
"That's for little kids. I already know how to fly."
"Surely," Draco agreed. "But we need kids like you, who can help coach the younger ones. I can't do it all alone, and eventually I will have to leave."
"What's your point?"
"You're obviously a natural leader. I could use someone like you to help coach the younger children."
Teddy appeared to be thinking it over. At last he said, "I guess I could manage that. What do you want me to do?"
"First, I need you to promise me that you won't set off anymore fireworks in anyone's back garden."
Teddy huffed. "Why do you care what I do?"
"I don't, really, but I'd rather not have to deal with explaining to the parents why I'm letting a delinquent near their precious babies."
"Fine. Then what?"
"Then meet me tomorrow morning behind the Shrieking Shack. I'll teach you my method, and you can help me out. Got it?"
"Yeah, I got it."
By this time, the others had returned. Councillor Weasley looked a bit less red in the face, but he was still scowling. Potter looked harassed.
Councillor Weasley got up close to Teddy. "I expect better of you, Teddy. Stay out of my back garden from now on. And if you know what's good for you, you'll stay away from my daughter, too." He backed off and turned away from them, walking briskly back down the street.
Potter shook his head. "Teddy, we've talked about this before. If you keep pulling these stunts when you go back to school, you're not going to last long." He sighed. "Go home. Just…go home."
For the first time, Teddy looked abashed at the disappointment in Potter's voice. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone."
"I know," Potter told him. "But you're not doing yourself any good by making Bill upset. It's hard enough, with so much fear still hanging on. Don't make it worse."
While they stood there talking, three girls came around the corner, chattering and laughing. When they saw Teddy, they stopped. One of the girls leaned over to whisper to the others, who giggled madly.
Draco smirked. It was good to see that some things never changed. Adolescent girls were no more mature than they'd been when he was that age. A thought occurred to him. He approached the trio.
"Excuse me, young ladies," he said, adopting his polite air. "Where are you headed?"
The girl with the long, blonde hair, the one who had been in Potter's shop that first day, gave her most charming smile. "We were going to see if Harry's shop was still open." She looked questioningly at Potter. "But you've already closed for lunch."
Draco fumbled in his pockets for a moment, then drew out a handful of galleons. He turned to Teddy and said, "Here. Why don't you take Miss—"
"Victoire," she replied.
"—Victoire to Madame Pudifoot's for a bit while you wait. Then you can escort her back here."
Victoire giggled. Teddy flushed and accepted the money. Draco placed her arm in his, sending them on their way. The other girls, down a friend, continued up the street, stealing backward glances at Teddy and Victoire as they went.
Draco turned to Potter, who was standing there, open-mouthed. "What—what was that?" Potter choked.
"That boy obviously needs someone to look out for him. Where on earth are his parents?"
Potter's lips thinned and his eyes narrowed. "His parents are dead," he said shortly.
Surprised, Draco asked, "Then with whom does he live?"
"Until last summer, he was living with his grandmother. But she passed away. Now he lives with me." Potter pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up slightly. "It hasn't been easy for him. He didn't transition well to living here."
"Good god, is everyone in this town mental?" Draco exclaimed.
Potter, startled, gave a slight jump. Then he started laughing. "Yes. Yes, I suppose we are," he said, grinning.
"Well, with any luck, I've set him on track, at least for the moment," Draco said.
"Oh, really? Think you've got him figured out, I suppose. Tell me, how does one go about solving a problem like Teddy?"
"I've given him a job. He needs something to do, something to make himself useful. And I've sent him on a date, of course."
Potter snorted. "I suppose so. But you might want to be more…selective about the dates you set him up with."
"Why's that?"
"You just sent him to Madame Puddifoot's with Bill Weasley's daughter."