AN: A while ago, i changed Sarah's last name to Montague, so yeah, you might notice that ;)
Also, this is the LAST Teddy Chapter EVER! it makes me kinda sad :P
Teddy grinned widely, he had had an idea. Before he could even debate whether or not it was brave or stupid, he had done it.
As he, Mackenzie, Layla, Toby and Isabel exited the kitchens and meandered through a side corridor, Teddy flung his arm around Mackenzie's shoulders.
Her pale green eyes jumped up to his in shock.
To cover the fact that he had decided it was a bad idea, Teddy beamed down at her and, throwing all caution to the wind, winked.
The other three were up ahead, in their own world and chatting so they missed the way Mackenzie's cheeks bloomed with a pink tinge. They also didn't see the way she missed her step and fell against the side of the corridor, dragging him with her.
Such a good idea, Merlin, I'm brilliant sometimes.
His forearm was braced against the wall just above her head; his other hand was pressed to the stone just to the side of her shoulder, trapping her.
Teddy felt his stomach somersault and set the butterflies going into a frenzy. He knew that, as he devoured her with his eyes, she had to be sensing the 'I don't just want to be your friend' vibe he was giving off.
He didn't let the doubt weaken his resolve to show her how he felt, he pushed the whispers away, the ones that told him to run away and not risk ruining everything.
Wondering if he was being creepy, Teddy forced himself to shove away from the wall and catch up to the others. He didn't even let himself glance back to see her reaction.
"Toby…Toby…Toby," Teddy repeated in a loud whisper.
He kept up the chant for a good five minutes before deciding to up his efforts and body slam his sleeping friend.
Surprisingly, Toby merely grunted, showing no other response to the fact that he now had a Teddy Lupin blanket crushing him.
"Toby…Toby…Toby," it turned into a child's whingeing wail.
"For Merlin's sake!" growled Dave from the next bed over, "Toby! Wake up already!"
David then angrily rolled over and shoved his pillow over his ears.
A moment of silence painted the dorm room, then…
"Toby…Toby…To-"
The boy being addressed suddenly jumped with such force that it sent Teddy tumbling to the hard floor.
"No!" Toby shouted, "Isabel, I'm not a leprechaun!"
Teddy rubbed his injured body from his position on the cluttered ground, looking around at the now-awake room-mates who were sitting up, their terrified eyes whizzing around the room to find the trouble.
Teddy laughed at their sleep messed hair and confused expressions.
He turned back to his best friend, who was now kneeling on his bed and patting his body, as if to make sure everything was still there and in working order.
"Must have been one interesting dream," drawled Teddy.
Seemingly satisfied that everything was normal, Toby flopped back down on his bed and moaned in relief.
Teddy jumped to his feet, walked to the head of Toby's bed and, seeing that the boy had closed his eyes again, leaned close to his ear and whispered.
"Toby…Toby-"
Hands abruptly flung up and pushed Teddy's face away, sending him to the floor once more.
"…Toby."
Half an hour later, Teddy had finally annoyed everyone enough to get them out of bed and start preparing for the day.
They were all attending to the final touches of their appearances; straightening shirts, combing hair and hunting for socks under the sea of 'artfully arranged' clothes that decorated the floor.
Teddy, who was long-since ready to go, was tapping his foot and glaring at Toby with increasing impatience.
The object of his annoyance was, at that moment, hunting for his left shoe and taking his own sweet time about it.
A physical search for the shoe was the only option because, as the boys had found out two years ago, a Summoning Charm could be very dangerous in certain circumstances… Such as when one is looking for a thick Potions textbook and a cauldron…Teddy winced at the memory and wondered if David had developed a phobia of the charm.
I never did apologise for that…oops.
Teddy didn't want to wait any longer. He marched over, grabbed Toby, pulled him up from his 'searching under the bed' pose and dragged him out the door.
He talked over the spluttering protests, "Come on, Toby, I need your help, mate."
"But I didn't find my shoe!" the other boy complained.
Teddy managed to shrug while they scrambled down the stairs, "Maybe you'll be lucky and a handsome prince will find it for you."
Toby stumbled, flinging his hands out and trying to find something on the wall to hold onto, "My shoe! My shoe, why did you leave me?" he called up to the dormitory.
"Hurry up, Cinderella," Teddy grunted as he pulled his friend along.
"Ugh! Fine!" Toby stopped struggling, "This prince better give my shoe back, do you know how much they cost?"
Teddy rolled his eyes and wondered, for the millionth time, why he was friends with Toby Isaacs.
They survived the rest of the journey to the common room and then perched themselves on the large armchairs by the fireplace.
"So," started Toby, getting down to business, "You needed my help?"
Not capable of being completely serious, Toby leaned back in his seat, crossed his legs and steepled his fingers as if he were someone intimidating and of great importance which, in this case, Teddy guessed he was.
"You see, my plan is to sort of show Mackenzie what she's missing, that way, she'll want to go out with me," Teddy explained.
"Infallible logic, my friend," Toby deadpanned, "How can I help, exactly?"
"Well, it would require some deception and planning but, I was thinking that we could 'prank' each other and…" Teddy trailed off, knowing that his best friend would understand where he was going with it.
When a slow smile transformed Toby's face, Teddy remembered one of the many reasons why he was still friends with the guy, he made a brilliant accomplice.
They had the whole scheme mapped out within the next ten minutes.
"Did you really have to make me green?" Toby sighed in exasperation.
He and Teddy were sauntering toward the Gryffindor table, sending occasional jinxes and charms at each other.
Teddy laughed, "It's so your colour, mate. Plus, I think I heard one time that it was Isabel's favourite colour, so basically, you could say that I'm helping you out."
Toby perked up, "Really?"
Teddy shook his head, chuckling, "No."
As they took their seats across from one another, he noticed Mackenzie a few people down from him, she was lost in thought and not paying him any attention.
That's going to change soon…I hope.
He traded a few more spells with Toby over the platter of toast and then gave a small nod to indicate that it was time.
Teddy was hit by a tiny flash of purple and the feeling of his clothes rapidly shrinking.
Yup, he looked down and confidently noted the exposure of most of his torso and abdominal muscles. The dark blue t-shirt he was wearing threatened to cut of the circulation in his arms, the material strangling his biceps and triceps. Come to think of it, Teddy was also finding it difficult to breath in other places…
It's going to be worth it though, right?
At this point, Teddy was gaining the stares of a lot of people.
His eyes widened and jerked his head over to the left, showing Toby that a professor was approaching. Both boys immediately put away their wands and tried to act casual.
The professor narrowed his eyes and obviously decided that it was too early in the morning to deal with them, he turned away.
A huge grin split Toby's face and the expression became mirrored on Teddy's.
He happened to look over at Mackenzie at just the right moment.
She glanced at him, did a double take and then her mouth fell open, revealing its load of mushed food for a second before said mouthful dropped to her lap.
He tried, he honestly tried to contain his laughter…he failed.
She's so cute!
The buoyant feeling of happiness and amusement welled up in his chest; he almost considered grabbing onto the table in order to stop himself from floating away.
I think she likes me! She looked!
Triumph shined in his blue eyes as surely as there was a grin on his face.
Teddy and Toby were back in the common room, discussing the next step in their plan.
"So, we find them on the Map; go up to them and…" Toby let the sentence drift, unsure what came next.
From his reclining position on the couch, Teddy answered, "Then we somehow distract Layla and Isabel so that I hang out with Mackenzie."
Toby's eyebrows furrowed, "How's that exactly? 'Somehow' doesn't really help that much."
"Ugh," Teddy moaned, "Why do you ask such difficult questions?"
He launched himself up and started pacing in front of the fireplace, hoping that movement would stimulate his thinking and create a winning solution.
"Well," he sighed before smiling widely, "I don't know how to distract Layla, but Isabel…"
Teddy waggled his eyebrows suggestively at Toby, who promptly blushed and started mumbling his objections.
To hide from Teddy, the embarrassed boy reached over to the table, snatched up the Map and pretended to study it furiously.
It was a minute later that Toby's worried voice spoke up.
"Um, Teddy?"
"Yeah?"
"The girls are on the sixth floor and are probably headed up here right now."
"Bugger."
Teddy wasn't ready for this but, he decided, there was no time like the present.
For the second time that day, Teddy manhandled Toby up and out the door.
"We'll just have to wing it, we'll be fine," he tried to reassure them both as they strode down the corridors.
"They still on the floor?" he then questioned.
Toby paused mid step to consult the Map, having never been very talented at multitasking.
"Yup," he confirmed, "Down the corridor on the right."
Teddy grinned nervously, told Toby to hide the Map and headed towards the correct passageway while Toby loped after him
Mackenzie, Layla and Isabel rounded the corner.
Still beaming, Teddy greeted them joyfully, "Hey, you three. Fancy seeing you here."
Toby snickered, clearly thinking the same as Teddy, It's not like we tracked you here or anything.
Three pairs of eyes narrowed with curiosity.
Right, don't be so obvious.
The girls were watching Toby, he was uncomfortable as he said, "Uh, hey."
A voice suddenly called out to Mackenzie, giving Teddy the opportunity to smack Toby and give him the 'what were you thinking?' face.
As the voice called out to Layla and Isabel, Teddy registered who it belonged to and felt his stomach sink.
Still don't like that guy…
He watched interestedly as Mackenzie shot a grinning, knowing look at Layla that caused the girl to blush bright pink.
Wait a minute…Eww, that's just wrong, Layla can't like Tony Hilliard…can she?
The Ravenclaw gave Teddy and Toby a nearly imperceptible nod of acknowledgement and then turned to Layla, seemingly oblivious to the way she was coloured by her embarrassment.
"Layla, I found something you'd love, can you come with me for a bit?" he asked.
The girl squirmed, appearing unsure of what she should say and of the fact that it was really happening.
She shook herself, "Uh, yeah, okay."
Whoa, this totally works into Operation Get-Mackenzie-Alone-But-Not-In-A-Creepy-Way.
Pleased with this unexpected event, Teddy barely noticed Hilliard and Layla's leaving or their shouts of goodbye.
"So," Mackenzie begun, jolting Teddy out of his mental happy dance, "What are you two doing?"
"Us?" he asked, before trying to think furiously of a way to get rid of Toby and Isabel.
"Well, we were just…hey, Toby weren't you going to do that thing…?" he asked.
Take the hint, take the hint, take the hint…
Teddy frowned when his question received no answer. He, Mackenzie and Isabel turned to see what was wrong with Toby.
Do I look that weird when I stare at Mackenzie?
He hoped not. To spare everyone the embarrassment that was Toby Isaacs, Teddy prodded the guy in the side, bringing out a swearword before Toby demanded,
"What was that for?"
Deciding it wouldn't be good manners to say what he was really thinking, Teddy simply responded by explaining.
"You were spacing out, Toby, I said, weren't you going to do that thing?"
Teddy resumed his mental chanting, take the hint, take the hint, take the hint…
"What thing?" asked Toby as his eyebrows came down.
Merlin, save me.
He rolled his eyes and sighed in annoyance, "The thing, remember? With Isabel?"
Any second now…
"Oh!" Toby cried.
There we go.
"Right, yeah, sorry, mate," the guy apologised sheepishly.
Teddy did feel bad for his friend but he felt worse for himself as he had to watch Toby fidget and force himself to meet Isabel's dark blue gaze.
"Do you uh- I mean…can you, no…would you mind, um, helping me, um, with my Herbology work?"
Whoa, cool it with the charm there, buddy.
Teddy didn't watch as the two left, he instead focused on Mackenzie. She was beaming in a 'the world is perfect and I'm happy to be alive' sort of way, so basically, she was completely captivating and there was no way he would have been able to look anywhere else.
She laughed and Teddy felt heat spread outwards through his body, starting at the heart now beating faster in his chest.
Mackenzie's smile faltered as she took in what was no doubt, a very intense expression on his face. As he tried to smooth out his features, she regained her grin.
"You and Toby couldn't have thought of anything else?" she asked in a joking tone.
What? What does she know?
Teddy decided to play confused, "Sorry?"
Mackenzie explained, "Well, a study session is hardly romantic, is it? That's what you two were planning, right?"
Oh, thank Merlin. Though, this makes things awkward, I don't really want to lie to her.
His eyes jumped around their surroundings while he debated what he should say to her. He wanted her to know the truth, that he really liked her but, he also had to be careful how he went about it, he wouldn't want to freak her out.
"Uh, yeah," he muttered.
Plus, this little lie might help her like him more and he was desperate enough to take the opportunity.
"Yeah, that's right, you caught us," he said.
Teddy then remembered her reaction from that morning and when she had stared at him during their big 'moment'.
She likes me.
The thought slapped a mega-watt grin on him and he felt confidence flow through his body and strengthen him. It also brought its friend, Courage, with it, for which he was rather grateful.
Teddy started walking backwards slowly and as Mackenzie began to follow, he winked at her before saying,
"Just me and you, now."
She stumbled and he knew then that, without a doubt, Mackenzie Millark fancied him.
He also knew he was smirking, but he could help it.
Hmm, he tilted his head and wondered, maybe I should experiment…you know, just to be sure...
Let's see…if I stare deeply into her eyes and say something seductively, what will her reaction be?
He tried his hardest to not laugh as he locked gazes with Mackenzie and said in a low voice,
"What are we going to do?"
When Mackenzie stopped breathing, he couldn't decide if he was happy with the result of his experiment or not.
She fell forward, throwing out her hands just in time to break her fall.
Teddy caught a glimpse of silver but quickly dismissed it as being not important as he came closer to Mackenzie to check on her.
Ouch, that had to hurt a bit, maybe I shouldn't experiment…its clearly bad for her health.
Sad guy that he was; the thought made him want to laugh. He hoped she couldn't hear it in his voice.
"Mackenzie?" he asked as he leaned near enough to smell her shampoo, "Are you alright?"
She gasped a little as she looked up, making Teddy realise that it was probably indecent for him to be so close.
She's a bit rattled, he observed, his concern became stronger.
"Are you alright?" Teddy asked again.
Mackenzie was confused in her answer, "Uhh, um, yes? Um?"
Teddy wondered if the shock from hitting the stone floor had travelled up her arms and to her brain, short circuiting it.
He watched with reluctant amusement as she stood up in the most awkward way possible and as she got hit in the face with that flash of silver that he now realised was a necklace.
Mackenzie seemed unsteady so, being the gentleman that he was and ignoring the fact that he was the cause of her fall, Teddy held his hands out, prepared for the possibility that she might fall down again.
She blinked a few times, swayed on the spot and then said, "Whoa, I stood up too fast."
Instinctively, Teddy parked his hands on her shoulders to keep her upright.
Mackenzie gazed up at him for a moment before trying to tell him that she was fine.
He didn't believe her, he flicked his eyes over her in a quick inspection of her person and it was then that he noticed the pendant on her necklace.
She's wearing it! Merlin…
Pride, hope, happiness and all those other good emotions surged through Teddy. He was surprised that he even managed to get the words he wanted to say out.
"You're wearing the necklace I got you."
Awww, look at that blush.
Mackenzie was uncertain as she replied, "Um, yeah, I found it in my bag…is that alright?"
Alright? It's fan-fricking-tastic!
Teddy just gave a laugh, said "Yeah," and tried not to add 'please wear it forever!'
Mackenzie brought her hands up and they both observed the red splotches on the skin of her palms.
"You're not usually so clumsy," Teddy stated, amusement in his tone.
She was quick with the defence, "It has nothing to do with you, I didn't fall over because of you."
Ha-ha, keep telling yourself that, Kenzie.
He raised his eyebrows, wondering if she would realise how she betrayed herself, "I never said you did."
By the way she grew so nervous and glanced around; Teddy knew she had seen her mistake.
"Um…" she strained.
As her eyes rested on his hands on her shoulders, he wondered if he should let go of her but then she looked into his eyes and he knew he wouldn't be able to move unless she told him to.
There it was again, that sparkling, shimmering and, dare he think it, magical feeling charging the air around them with crackling electricity.
For Teddy, no-one else in the world existed except for the girl before him, the one whose pale eyes were lowering to stare at his mouth.
This is it, this is it, this is it...
Mackenzie jerked back then and Teddy's hands slipped away from her.
Or not.
It was then that he heard the sounds of footsteps and chattering approaching.
Oh.
Disappointment kicked him in the gut and laughed in his face, redoubling its efforts as it listened to Mackenzie's sigh of relief.
Bloody first years…
Frustration joined disappointment in the abuse of Teddy, causing him to run his hand through his hair and half turn away from Mackenzie.
There came a squeaky, "Um," from the girl before she cleared her throat and tried again to speak.
"I h-have to, uh…bye!" she stumbled.
Mackenzie spun around and ran off down the corridor.
Shit.
Teddy shuffled over to the wall and then sunk down against it.
A small part of his brain tried to comfort him, she fancies you, remember? And these 'moments' prove it; they wouldn't happen if she didn't like you. Everything will be fine…one day.
He was starting to feel desperate; Mackenzie had been avoiding him for the past week. Whenever he tried to talk to her, she would pretend to not hear him, walk away and start talking to someone else.
As he was making his way slowly to the common room after Quidditch practice, he grew more determined to talk to Mackenzie with every step.
Abruptly he remembered that he had left Toby with the three girls, Teddy wondered if his friend had noticed anything or gained any insights into Mackenzie's mind…then he remembered that it was Toby he was thinking about and he decided that it was highly unlikely.
Absorbed as he was in his thoughts, Teddy failed to see the discarded book that had been flung just before the corner of the corridor.
He tripped just as a slight form was turning the corner. The result was an awkward tackle and tumble to the floor.
Teddy scrambled to his feet and looked down and the girl he had accidently attacked.
"Victoire?"
Light blue eyes met his and surprise shaped the beautiful features of her face.
"Teddy? Long-time no see, friend," she stressed the last word as her earlier surprise turned to annoyance.
"What did I do?" he asked confusedly.
"It's what you haven't done," she accused, "you haven't talked to me in ages and we haven't hung out all year!"
She crossed her arms and scowled at him, her eyes glowing slightly.
"Not to mention that, for some stupid reason, I'm still getting letters from my family about that stupid kiss on the train!"
"Really?" he was incredulous.
Victoire nodded emphatically, "Yes, and they aren't listening to me when I tell them that there's nothing between me and you. I even tried to tell them about Mackenzie-"
"You what?" Teddy frowned in annoyance.
She rolled her eyes, "Well, I had to tell them something, at least it was the truth."
He was still confused, "I haven't gotten any letters from anyone about it."
He shouldn't have said anything, he should have known by now not to make Victoire Weasley angry.
Teddy winced as her bellow of outrage echoed down the corridor.
"Just breathe, Vic," he tried to calm her, "breathe."
He should have known not to say that too.
"I AM BREATHING!" she yelled, levelling him with a glare, her fists clenched at her sides.
"Um…I'm going to leave now…" he said slowly, inching to the side and trying to scoot around her.
She literally growled at him and then stomped off, shouting about the unfairness of the world.
Teddy sighed and then continued on his journey through the sixth floor.
When he was on the seventh floor, he tried to make a list of reasons why Mackenzie would be avoiding him, obviously it was because of what had happened the week before but, if she fancied him, why would she keep away from him? Maybe she doesn't want to fancy him?
Teddy could feel a headache coming on, why isn't this easy?
He wearily approached the portrait of the Fat Lady, said the password and clambered through.
He wasn't prepared for the scene that was revealed as he stepped into the common room.
Mackenzie, Toby, Isabel and Layla were squashed together on the couch in front of the fireplace, they were all red-face, grinning and with happy tears shining in their eyes. Teddy raised an eyebrow at the sight.
What…?
"Uh, I'm not even gonna ask," he said, laughing at their expressions.
A strange, strangled giggle sounded and it took him a second to realised that the odd noise came from Mackenzie.
As everyone turned to stare at her, she kept her eyes on Teddy while giving a sheepish smile.
"Um, hi, Teddy. Did you have a good practice?" she enquired.
Practice…?
The fact that Mackenzie was no longer ignoring him, scrambled his grey matter like eggs.
What was the question again? Oh yeah, practice…Quidditch practice…
"Practice was fine," he responded before adding, "Looks like you lot were all having fun without me though."
Having had enough of being on his feet, Teddy jumped into one of the comfy armchairs.
"What're we talking about?" he asked, casually.
Toby tried to answer but was cut off when Isabel clapped her hand over his mouth.
"Nothing! Absolutely nothing," the girl insisted.
Sure it was…
Teddy narrowed his eyes, hoping to figure out what happened while he wasn't there. He then realised that he didn't have to work it out, he'd just get Toby to tell him later.
"Well, then," Teddy said slowly, "if you say so…"
His ears pricked at the familiar sound of the portrait swinging open, he turned his head to see David, Chris and Darren ambling into the room.
He waved, "Hey, Dave."
I really should hang out with him more, he's a good guy.
"Teddy, I have something for you," Dave said as he neared Teddy's chair and dug around in a pocket.
Ooh, goodie, I love presents.
Teddy noted idly that the group on the couch all leaned forward, their curiosity evident in their actions.
The parchment scroll that Dave produced was small and recognisable as an invite to one of Professor Slughorn's parties.
The group all sighed, falling back against the plush cushions.
Dave spoke up again, "And you lot as well."
He pulled out four more scrolls and handed them out.
Teddy thanked the boy before asking him, "Did you get one too?"
When Dave nodded, Teddy silently promised to hang out with him at the party.
Dave and the other two disappeared up the boys' dormitory staircase.
Layla murmured, "Slug Club party…that'll be fun…"
Yes, yes it will be.
The excitement for Slughorn's party was building but there were still a few more days to go until the big event and they still had a heap of homework to do.
That was why Teddy and Toby were up in the common room while the girls were studying in the library. Neither of the boys could get any work done while in the big group, as they always ended up either staring at a particular girl or trying to be funny by humiliating each other.
Teddy flopped back into his chair, giving up on pretending to study Ancient Runes.
"You know," he said in a meaningful tone, "this party would be the perfect opportunity for you to ask out Isabel."
Toby stuck his tongue out, "Ha-ha, very funny."
Teddy sat up, "I'm serious, Toby-wan-Kenobi, you should ask her."
His friend was shaking his head with an accompanying chant of 'No, no, no'.
"Toby!" Teddy said loudly, "Listen, stop being such a baby, Isabel fancies you, there's no way she'll say no to you."
The other boy hesitated and that was when Teddy played his final card.
"I dare you."
Toby's head snapped up, "What?"
Gotcha.
Teddy smirked, "The next time you see Isabel, you have to ask her to Slughorn's party."
Toby gave a sharp nod, "Fine, challenge accepted."
With perfect timing, the portrait swung open and allowed entrance to the very girl that had been discussing, Isabel Ogden.
She noticed them, grinned, waved and then headed over to the girls dorm staircase.
Teddy shoved Toby, mouthing, "Hurry up, you git,"
Toby stumbled and called out for Isabel to wait.
It was the most painful thing for Teddy to watch, and that wasn't even the actual asking part, nope, that was just Toby making his way to Isabel and managing to knock over and trip over every object in the common room.
Merlin, he's worse than me, I didn't even think that was possible.
Teddy jumped over and onto the couch, hoping to get close enough to hear how his friend would do with the task.
"Isabel," Toby began, surprisingly steady in his voice and words, "I thought I should tell you that…" he trailed off.
Oh, no, here he goes.
Toby coughed a little, glanced around and then returned his focus to the girl in front of him.
"I…I really, really like you, Izzy, so, I was wondering if you wanted to be my date to the party."
He offered a weak smile.
Not bad, Isaacs, not bad at all.
Isabel looked confused for a second, "Is this for real? Or is this a joke?"
From his vantage point, Teddy could see the flicker of hurt in Toby's eyes before the guy turned deadly serious.
"It's real, Isabel," Toby said, "I've fancied you for…a while now-"
Nice, don't freak her out by saying it's been years.
"-and I would really appreciate it if you would give me this one chance to prove myself to you…so, what do you say?"
Izzy's eyes were wide, her eyebrows raised in surprise.
"I say…," she started, "I say I'm amazed you said all that in one go and without all the adorable stuttering."
Toby blushed, "Yeah…"
Teddy was getting impatient, "What say you, woman?" he called in demand.
They both jumped; apparently they had forgotten he was in the room.
He sunk back down, hiding from their glares.
"I'll be your date, Toby," Isabel said, a grin replacing the annoyed frown, "I look forward to it."
She then spun around and flounced up the staircase. Toby, when he turned, did so much slower and revealed the brilliant, beaming smile that had settled on his features.
The guy actually pranced back over to Teddy, sat down, jumped back up again and then did a little happy twirl in front of the fireplace.
"She said yes!" he chanted joyfully for the next few minutes.
"Um, excuse me?" an unfamiliar voice interrupted.
Toby paused and he and Teddy looked over to the second year standing awkwardly off to the side.
That kid is going to have nightmares…
"Yes?" Toby asked.
"Uh, I was sent by Professor Slughorn?" the kid said.
Teddy rolled his eyes, "You don't seem very sure of your facts."
The little boy turned red, glared and then said firmly, "The party is cancelled."
"Wait, what?" Teddy and Toby demanded in unison.
The kid pulled a 'are you stupid?' face and then answered, "The Professor sent me to tell everyone invited, that the party at the end of the week is cancelled."
As Toby lost all of his colour and sank into the nearest chair, Teddy asked,
"Why's it cancelled?"
The second year shrugged, "Something about the guests all being too busy."
Teddy didn't notice the kid leave, he was too concerned with Toby who was looking like he'd been viciously attacked.
"Toby? Toby, it's going to be fine, we'll think of something," Teddy tried to reassure.
All he got in response was a blank look.
It was a painful squeeze on his heart to see his best friend so…disconsolate and miserable.
He had to do something but what could he do? Toby's only chance with Isabel was this party but now…that chance was gone.
Unless…
Teddy jumped up, "Toby, I've worked it out!"
Dull eyes slowly rose.
"You asked Isabel to a party, right?"
"Don't remind me," Toby mumbled.
"Well, Ol' Sluggie isn't the only one who knows how to throw a party."
Footsteps echoed and soon Isabel emerged from the staircase.
"Hey, Isabel!" Teddy called.
She looked worried for a second, like she thought he was going to tell her that Toby hadn't meant any of what he said.
"Slughorn isn't having a party anymore-no, don't pull that face-Gryffindor is going to have one instead."
He beamed, "Brilliant, right?"
Relief relaxed her and she came forward, looked at Toby and grinned at him.
"Brilliant," she agreed happily, "I can't wait."
The party in Gryffindor Tower was in full swing only an hour after the last class of the day on Friday. All of the year groups crowded together in the common room, talking, dancing and even singing.
Even a few people from other houses had been let in, Tony Hilliard and Layla Birch among them.
Teddy sat in his favourite armchair and watched Mackenzie wander around the room, stopping to chat to various people. He had hoped that, since she was no longer avoiding him, that she might've asked him out but then again, this kind of party is a bit different to what Slughorn's would have been. If he could have made it different, he would have.
Mackenzie was talking to Hilliard; he was blushing and looked to be having trouble speaking.
Teddy could so understand as he often had that problem around Mackenzie too.
"She's pretty great, isn't she?" a quiet voice said.
Teddy jumped and looked over his shoulder. Sarah Montague came around at stood in front of the fireplace.
Whoa.
He didn't think he'd ever get used to seeing Sarah so…normal, well, not that she was normal exactly, she was exceptionally pretty but…yeah.
"She is," he said slowly, "How are you, Sarah?"
She gave a weak smile, "I'm fine."
He knew she was lying.
"You know," he couldn't believe he was offering, "If you ever want to talk, I'll listen."
She couldn't believe it either, judging by her expression.
Sarah frowned then, gave a little wave and drifted away, both physically and mentally.
Teddy found a frown of his own then but it quickly disappeared as he watched Hilliard.
The Ravenclaw started out confidant as he marched across the room, he then noticed Layla looking over at him. At that point, Hilliard spun around, spun back, hesitated, turned on the spot again and then shuffled towards the Hufflepuff.
There was a lot of staring at the floor and fidgeting. Then Layla lit up the room with her bright grin. She nodded so enthusiastically that Teddy wondered when she became a Bobble head.
So, that's Hilliard and Layla sorted, as well as Isabel and Toby…when's it my turn?
The thought turned him introspective, tuning out the innumerable voices and noises and leaving everything oddly quiet.
It took him a few moments to realise that the quiet wasn't just in his head.
He glanced up and felt shock freeze his blood, Mackenzie was standing on the sturdy table in front of him.
What is she doing?
Mackenzie looked at him, a strange glint of determination in her eyes.
What?
AN:A special mention to shethecat for their review- being told that my fic is helping you procrastinate is one of the best compliments ever, i hope your essay got finished! :D
And thats the end of Teddy's point of view. Put a ':D' in a review if you're gonna miss him ;) And please tell me your favourite Teddy moment :D
Only one more chapter to go!
Thanks so much to those who reviewed the last chapter! 8 for one chapter? Thats great :D