The next morning Victorie woke up with a sense of urgency. She sat up and planted her feet on the ground.
Tonight I am going to a party. She let the words sink in.
How she was going to get through that ordeal she wasn't entirely sure. Let's face it: Teddy's attempts at preparing her had not worked as well as either of them had hoped. Perhaps some of the blame for that could be accredited to herself... But who's pointing fingers?
Regardless, Victorie felt about as prepared for a social event as Peeves the Poltergeist.
She also felt stressed about yesterday's grievance with Teddy. He was someone who she was beginning to really like having around, but she feared she had blown her chances of that.
While pulling her socks up by her ankles, she made a decision to convene with him at some point before the party. The boy might be able to give her some helpful tips on how to get through the night at least. If not she might have to make the tough decision to cancel her plans...
She pushed the thought aside — giving up was not something she had any plans on.
She stomped out of her dorm, swung the door open and shut it with a twirl. Her plans to scan the common room for a dark –or blue or red– haired boy were put to rest abruptly when right in front of her, on the top of the staircase to the year seven girl's dorm, stood the boy in question.
This time he had big messy light blue hair. The sight of him radiated warmth throughout her insides. But outwardly she could only stare blankly.
He stood uncomfortably close to her. It wasn't his fault. The landing wasn't big and he did try and take a step back, but remained at a not-comfortable distance.
"How did you get up here?" She wondered.
When Teddy was too startled to reply, Victorie moved on. "I need help." She spilled. "The party tonight... I don't know what to do..." She stammered and clutched the railing tightly to remain steady in the small space.
Teddy instinctively reached for her arm for a brief moment, but retracted it almost immediately. He began fiddling with his hair and she took a moment to forget about her own worries and appreciate the ironic scene before her. His bright blue hair, band t-shirt and the studded wristband combined with the insecure mannerisms.
Her eyes flickered to his. They stayed like that for a moment, until Teddy leaned back and cleared his throat.
"Um... Yeah... Well..." The shyness he displayed gave her for a brief moment a window into his old self, the way he used to be at dinner parties at the burrow when they were about ten years old. "I suggest we meet in the library later and I can give you some advice." He finally managed. "I mean, if that's what you want." He quickly added. "...Of course."
Victorie's eyes darted around the room. "Sounds good." She peeped.
"Should we say after lunch?" He asked.
Victorie nodded in response. Having dealt with her own matter, the door behind her now circled it's way back into her mind, and the fact Teddy had been standing right outside it for some unknown reason.
She pointed with her thumb behind her and asked shrilly, "Why were you outside our dorm by the way?"
But Teddy didn't seem to want to indulge her any longer. "We'll talk after lunch." He blurted nervously before rushing down the stairs and out of her sight.
"Who are you trying to impress then?" A judgemental voice said from behind her.
"Shut up Myrtle." Victorie repeated for the third time and applied some more blush to her cheeks.
Myrtle hovered behind her, looking pouty as usual. The ghost had not stopped observing Victorie with prying lustre since she had first (according to Myrtle) intruded on the girls' lavatory.
But the cold and stale bathroom was empty, and Victorie was not about to turn it away for the sake of a bitter ghost. So she applied her make-up with meticulous care and paid the ghost no mind (with the exception of a snide comment now and again, as a reward for her own everlasting patience).
She cocked her head to the side and watched Myrtle in the mirror as she hovered back and forth behind her. "Are we feeling unusually crabby today perhaps?" She asked Myrtle with an insensitive cheeriness.
Myrtle stopped in her tracks and glared at Victorie. "Don't pretend you care about me!" She fumed. "I know there's a party tonight! ...And I wasn't invited!" She yelled and turned her back melodramatically, sniffling.
The ghost leapt into the air and dove into one of the stalls, out of sight. With a loud splash, Victorie knew that she had escaped into the pipes of the toilet.
Feeling suddenly nervous at the mention of the party, Victorie shut her rouge palette with a click and placed it in the pocket of her favourite chequered tweed blazer.
She placed one hand on either side of the sink and leaned forward, studying herself gratuitously in the mirror, distracting herself with her own reflection. She pouted with her lips, watched as the light reflected off of the smooth transparent gloss. She rejoiced over how her freckles blended perfectly into her blush. She finished the look off by placing two hair clips on either side of her fringe, adding a girlish vibe to her poofy short hair.
Lastly she snatched her satchel off the floor and bounced out of the toilets, making her way toward the library.
When she got there Teddy was nowhere to be found yet, so she paced around the large cascading bookshelves for a while, getting herself lost in the sea of literature that surrounded her.
Eventually Teddy appeared before her, like a myth caught on film. She barely acknowledged him at first. Instead she stared mindlessly at the many volumes on wizarding legislation. But the more she ignored him, the closer he stepped, forcing himself to be acknowledged by her.
When he was one step beyond uncomfortably close to her, Victorie finally gave in and turned his way. She adjusted her satchel on her shoulder and leaned against the bookshelf with a sigh. "What?" She queried.
"I want to apologise." He said.
Teddy still had on that same band t-shirt as before, the only difference in appearance being an endearing smile he had acquired sometime between their conversation this morning and now.
He placed one outstretched arm on one of the shelves and leaned against it. "I should have asked you before putting you in that situation. I should've been more considerate."
Shit. Victorie thought. Her plan to remain in her safe bubble of evasiveness would have to be re-evaluated. She hadn't planned for him to out-rightly apologise to her. Now that he had... Well, it seemed only fair she should repay him some of that humility.
"Okay..." She pursed her lips and began fondling one of the books on the shelf. She grabbed it by the spine, but didn't fully commit to its de-shelving. "I forgive you... And I understand you were just trying to help."
Teddy nodded along in agreement with her deduction.
She looked between him and the book, then shoved it back in its original place. "I guess it would have served me well to go along with your efforts a little more..." She admitted.
"It's water under the bridge." Teddy said with a smile.
To her surprise he then outstretched his arms, waiting for her consent to engage. Victorie stared at him for a second, then outstretched her arms too.
When their bodies corresponded, her arms that enclosed him went pleasantly numb. She felt his soft ear press against hers. Her chest inflated and her brain buzzed.
Victorie kept her eye on the outskirts of the passage, making sure that no one could see them.
The hug went on for the few seconds that were acceptable, but a desperation lingered when they both slowly released, a refusal to let the interaction pass them by.
Awkwardness settled between them, created by their shared desire to prolong the ordeal.
Eventually they accepted, and instead of taking their seats in a designated study area they made their way over to a low hanging windowsill.
"Parties are tough, I can understand why you're concerned." He said once they had taken their seats.
"Here's what I've learned: You never want to stay in the same place for too long." As soon as he spoke, Victorie furrowed her brows. This boy never said what she expected him to.
"You should constantly be on the move while still staying in the main socialising areas, where there's lots of people. The dance floor, the drinks table, the snacks table... You should make yourself impossible to catch, basically."
"Why?"
"Well it has many benefits. It will allow you to engage with more people. It will make it easier not to exhaust conversation. It'll make it less likely you'll miss out if something amazing happens."
"I doubt anything amazing is going to happen." Victorie muttered.
Teddy took her in for a second. "You never know." He said softly.
She had no idea where the next thing she said came from. Maybe it was something about the way the light from the window hit his eyes, kaleidoscopically making them reflect all kinds of colours she had never noticed before. Perhaps it had nothing to do with Teddy, and resided instead in a secret yearning for approval. Or worse, it could have been malice caused by the night before...
Regardless, something between the heavens and the earth caused her to speak her next words, and she was going to badly hex whatever it was.
"What about flirting?"
"Flirting?" Teddy shifted in his seat.
"Isn't that something you do at parties?" She smiled through the voices in her head telling her every conceivable curse she knew.
"I mean... you could." He ran his hand through his blue hair. "But shouldn't you learn to have a normal conversation first?"
He tried to read her, but Victorie's smile revealed no truths. When he received no answer, he folded. "Okay." He pondered for a second. "Flirting is like... flattery but with a cutting twinge." He explained.
"Teach me." Victorie's evil twin-sister requested.
"Sure!" Teddy answered a little too quickly. Victorie sat perfectly still and watched him angle himself toward her. "It's the very fine line between insulting someone, and making them feel seen."
"I could say for example..." He looked her over. "Why do you always wear cute skirts like that? It makes it hard to notice anything else."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Victorie started blushing profusely. "Oh." She replied in acknowledgement.
Teddy winced at himself, but soldiered on after only a small gulp, "So you see how I was kind of complaining, but indirectly giving you a compliment?"
"I do."
"Do you want to try?" He directed his question at the ceiling, a blush creeping up his neck.
Victorie gathered her thoughts, feeling a touch of boldness. She ran through every scenario in her head. When her brain gave her nothing, she turned to her last resort and gave Teddy a once over in an attempt to find the most blatant button to push.
She lifted his wrist with his edgy looking bracelet. "I don't understand why you feel the need to accessorise like this — what are you trying to prove?"
Teddy scoffed and took his wrist back. "Where exactly is the compliment there?"
But before Victorie could start to worry, he assumed a perplexed smirk. She laughed and shrugged sheepishly.
"Try again, you idiot." He ordered, giving her shoulder a small shove with his own.
She giggled once more. "Stop making me laugh then, so I can focus!"
"That's better! It's biting, but flattering. But you can do better." Teddy expressed enthusiastically.
With her head tilted forward, Victorie gawked at him. "That was not my attempt!" She defended, as if worried about an imaginary grade.
"Oh." He scratched his arm awkwardly, but his cockiness washed back over him before the young girl could take notice. "I didn't know flirting with me would come so naturally to you."
He wagged his brows until having annoyed her to the satisfactory level of physical abuse, Victorie proceeded to slap him on the shoulder and scowl.
"Please, you're lucky you're one of the few who gets to experience it." She crossed her arms and legs.
"Ooh, confidence! — A very useful tool when flirting. Make sure to nurture that and use it to your advantage."
"I'm going to a party, not into battle."
"Well..." Teddy was about to continue, but stopped.
A while later Teddy and Victorie were walking along the seventh floor corridor of the castle. He had his hand on her back, almost pushing her forward.
He looked significantly happier since their time in the library. Currently he was amused by her clear reluctance to move closer to their destination. Her eyes anxiously scanned the corridor, expecting to see more movement, but the corridor was dead quiet.
She was beginning to question if they were on the right floor, or if there even was a party. Suddenly she felt silly for having dressed up. She was wearing a plaid strap dress in purple, and she had charmed her hair to sparkle, but that was most of the effort she had gone through. Her arms were around herself, protecting against a supposed threat.
"Alright, we're here." Teddy whispered. He began pacing back and forth. She wondered if he was nervous, but when the door began to appear, she remembered that this was the Come and Go Room.
She could hear the faint sound of Halloween-themed rockabilly music from behind the door.
"Are you ready?" Teddy asked. His eyes flickered to her hands that were still firmly hugging her elbows.
She inhaled sharply, like gasping for guts, then marched up to the large doors and dragged them open with all her might.
When the doors opened thick mist rolled out into the corridor and loud music numbed her ears. It was dark inside but she could see that there was a flock of students in there. It became clear to her that the reason the hallway was so deserted was because everyone was already at the party.
Teddy caught up behind her. They both quickly stepped inside and shut the doors behind them before anyone who wasn't supposed to could take note of the party.
The usually cluttered room had taken the form of a big hall with high ceilings. As Teddy and Victorie made it further inside, their eyes adjusted to the darkness. She noticed that a few heads had turned upon their entry, curious as to why Teddy was accompanied by her. Forcing herself to ignore the looks, she instead took in more of the room.
The walls were covered in (hopefully) fake bloodstains. The lit candlesticks had cobwebs on them and the floors were covered in fog. On the ceiling all kinds of monsters were dancing around in an animation. Around the room ghouls were flying about. It looked like some form of enchantment. The pumpkins on the tables were giggling wickedly, and every now and again loud howls and evil shrieks echoed around the room.
Victorie grinned broadly, and Teddy leaned in to whisper in her ear, "Try and move between the stations." Reminding her of her task at hand.
He started dragging her to the punch table. A few people were flocking around it, looking mildly amused. She looked into the big bowl as Teddy poured them a cup each. A hand of ice floated to the surface of the thick red liquid. She made a face but accepted her drink. After using her wand to check if it had been tampered with, they drank in silence, scanning the room.
Out of the crowd came Maya, fighting her way forward in her black Victorian dress and fake vampire teeth, which she immediately recognised as a Weasley's product.
"That's a look." Teddy positively remarked.
The girl gritted her teeth in response. "I know." She let out a breath and leaned against the table. "What's up with the music they're playing? I get that it's Halloween, but I'm sure they could have found something better than this."
"Terrible." Teddy agreed.
"What's wrong with it?" Victorie asked.
"It's just a bit dated, don't you think?" Maya looked mostly at Teddy when she spoke, and he was quick to tune into her disposition.
Victorie couldn't disagree more, but she wasn't about to start arguing, that much she had learned. She was going to stick to what Teddy had taught her.
"What would you prefer they played?" She gripped her cup tighter in her hand and plastered on a smile.
Maya stopped to think for a second, and Victorie relished in the fact she had successfully indulged her roommate. "Something modern, something with more power."
She rolled out her next question as if on a conveyor belt, "Why?"
But this time, Maya regarded her with a confounded expression. Teddy began noticeably twitching next to her. She tried not to wonder why the air had changed, instead focusing on Maya's hums.
"Uuh, I guess I just like that music better?"
Beginning to feel insecure Victorie instantly fumbled for her next question, terrified of dropping the ball. "And what's your favourite type of music?" She tried to lean with her elbow on the table behind her, but it was too far below her, and she almost lost her balance.
Before Maya could answer, Teddy grabbed Victorie's arm to steady her. In the same act he pulled her closer and murmured, "Ease it on the questions."
She turned and gave him a telepathic 'what gives'–look. "I'm doing what you told me."
"You're interrogating her. This is why you need to balance the conversation out with your own thoughts. You can't have one without the other." Teddy whispered intently in her ear.
Thankfully the music drowned out what they were saying, but Maya still looked on in puzzlement as their private display dragged on.
Victorie shooed Teddy away finally, and was about to put his advice into practice when a Slytherin girl came up to them. More specifically, she readily approached Teddy.
"Watch this." He shot Victorie's way before engaging the girl.
Maya rolled her eyes at them and went to re-join the crowd.
"Allison!" He greeted and stood up straighter, puffing his chest out. "I was hoping I would see you here."
Allison seemed content with his remark. She beamed sweetly while pouring herself a drink.
"Are you enjoying the party?" He asked with an exaggerated pleasantness.
She nodded and took a sip of her drink. "Greatly."
Teddy drank along with her. The two girls watched his cup as he tilted the liquid into his mouth. Allison looked pleased, but Victorie manifested only unimpressed detachment.
"You should come to our launch parties. They can get pretty crazy." He said.
"I'll be at the next one." She replied with a warmth that had Teddy clearing his throat nervously.
"The music is great too, isn't it?" He continued.
"I love it." Allison agreed. She swayed to the song with the cup in her hand.
There was a break in conversation and Teddy seized the moment to turn back to Victorie. "You see how I combined questions with my own reflections? I'm not just interrogating, but also contributing. It makes conversation flow better."
"I see that now." Victorie agreed cooperatively. The two of them peered back at Allison to make sure she wasn't catching what they were saying. They all smiled politely at each other. "The flattery was also a nice touch." She added in a hush.
Like a proud teacher Teddy smiled and put a hand on her shoulder blade. "I'm glad you see that."
Victorie expected Teddy to turn back to Allison then, but when he didn't she decided to go on, and with only minor facetiousness she said, "You are actually quite good at this. Perhaps it is a skill and not just a default of your fame."
The boy's eyes went slightly wider and his smile more tender. "Really? You think so?"
"You're very skilled." She confirmed and smiled with the tip of her tongue between her front teeth.
Teddy paused for a second, then lowered his head further and asked barely audibly, "Hold on... are you trying to flatter me?"
Frozen Victorie stared at him; terrified he'd caught her act of flirtation.
"We really are getting somewhere!" Teddy shouted over the music and high-fived her.
Thank Merlin, she thought. His cluelessness had saved her.
"Hold on, where did Allison go?" He asked, looking around the room.
"Yeah, she left after you started completely ignoring her." Victorie explained with a sub-textual hint. "So much for social skills."
"Oh." His posture slacked. He seemed genuinely disappointed. Victorie felt a slight pain in her stomach at the sight. "We're going to have to find someone else to practise on then." He determined and Victorie relaxed at that.
He guided her toward the middle of the room. The crowds swarmed around them. Some people were dancing, some were just trying to get past — and everyone was spilling their drinks.
"So do you actually like the music or not?" Victorie challenged with a smirk.
"It doesn't matter what I think of the music." He responded. During a small break from dodging people, Teddy threw her a glance and noticed her confusion.
"How come?" She was indoctrinated enough not to bother with a jeer at his weird logic.
Having safely made it through most of the crowd to the other side of the room, Teddy deemed it safe to stop. He grabbed her arms. "I know Maya is really into punk rock, so I know she's not going to like this." He gestured disapprovingly at the speakers. "Allison however, is the kind of girl who likes all sorts of music. With her, I love this."
"And what about being earnest? Is that not important?" She asked with growing frustration. She couldn't believe that he was standing by this.
"I'm teaching you to triumph in the social game, not to be a model citizen."
Victorie glared, but he didn't seem to care. He was scanning for someone to talk to. Since she didn't have much to lose, she made the decision to go along with his reasoning for the rest of the night, as an experiment.
I can be a blank canvas with zero personality for a night, why not?
The party unfolded graciously. At first Teddy kept by her side. He found candidates for her to practise on, all friends of his. She spoke to them as uninhibited as she could while Teddy whispered advice into her ear like a coach.
For fun, she began telling the most blatant lies.
"Victorie, this is Winston."
"We have potions together, don't we?" Winston asked.
"I think so... Being a squib I'm not very good at it." She spilled. "But potions is one of the few classes McGonagall allows me to take. She's my grandmother so she's made an exception."
Teddy stuck his tongue in his cheek and dragged her away from the boy without another word.
"You told me I could lie." She defended.
"Small lies. White lies. Inconsequential lies." He rushed her over to the next friend he spotted. "Ian, this is Victorie."
"I can't talk for long." Victorie explained with a sneer sent Teddy's way. "Got an early shift tomorrow. I work at the Hog's Head. You should come by sometime."
Teddy sighed loudly and put his hands in the pockets of his jeans. But then something changed, and he unexpectedly went along with the joke. "She makes a mean Fluxweed Mojito."
Victorie gave Teddy an approving look before adding, "Alcohol free, of course."
Her eyes sparkled as she responded to every question Ian had about her job. The night went on like that for a while. People either didn't realise that she was lying, or they just didn't care.
Teddy eventually relaxed a little, and got more enthusiastic about going along with her ploys. He began feeding into her lies, and seemed to enjoy himself in the act.
...
"I'm an inventor of joke-quills."
...
"I'm a spy sent here by the ministry."
...
"I'm a bat animagus."
...
"I'm a seer."
...
On more than one occasion the two broke down laughing, unable to uphold the façade. As Victorie gasped for breath, a laughing fit having left the both of them unable to breathe, she realised that she was having fun for the first time in a long time.
Some of the conversations had even gone pretty well, despite being with (more or less) strangers.
She then found herself in front of a boy with short brown hair, who she immediately recognised. "You don't need to introduce us Teddy, I know Ethan." She said quickly, before Teddy had a chance to give away his name.
Ethan touched her side with his elbow. "Finally managed to learn my name, eh?"
"Having been permanently damaged by a particularly gruesome memory charm, it's not always easy." She explained with a solemn expression.
This time Teddy didn't burst into laughter, or even indulge her. He rubbed his forehead and looked at her, mentally sending out a plea for caution.
Ethan nodded along, although not once breaking eye contact. "Memory charm, huh? Tricky spell." He had one hand in the pocket of his suit trousers. With his other hand he took a swig of his drink while looking intently at her.
His self-assurance only served to egg her on. She stood up straighter. "Yes. But don't worry, no amount of memory loss could make me forget you, of course." She wasn't sure if it was the right call, but the boy did look pretty strapping in his white shirt with the arms rolled up.
Teddy scoffed. Ethan on the other hand looked down at his shoes, hiding the smile that played on his lips. "I'm glad the loss of memory hasn't made you lose your charm."
"Since when do you find me charming?" Victorie dragged her hand through her hair.
"Since you actually bothered to have one conversation with me." Ethan took one step closer to her.
She registered his proximity and gave him a once over. "I didn't know you felt so deprived. I'll endeavour to be more chatty in the future."
"Please do. How about we chat some more while dancing?" Ethan took her hand and she allowed herself to be guided away. Only just having the time to shove her cup in Teddy's hand before being whisked off.
Ethan stopped when they were right in the middle of everything. For the first time, he smiled straight at her. She gave him a wide smile back as they began to move. People were jumping madly around her. The noise of the crowds drowned out everything else.
"I'm not just my condition you know?" Victorie shouted over the music. "I'm also one of the top exploding snap players in the world!"
Ethan rolled his eyes and kept dancing.
"I've been to every country in the world!" She spun around dramatically. "...Also I play the fiddle!" Her dance partner was still keeping silent, obviously not buying any of it. But she had managed to lure a smile out of him as she kept talking. "Once when I was nine, I transfigured myself into a knarl, but I haven't been able to do it since!" She continued, forgetting completely to not just talk about herself.
He leaned in and shouted back, "Is any of what you're saying true?"
"Yes! I'm a very honest person!"
As if needing someone to share her joke with, she turned to look for Teddy, almost expecting him to still be at her side.
Do you expect him to wait around for you? She asked herself, then clicked her tongue in annoyance at her own silliness.
For the remainder of the song she kept catching herself looking around for him. But he was nowhere to be found.
The song ended, and the small window of dead silence before the next song started playing snapped her back to reality. She realised that she was now meant to navigate the party on her own. As the next song switched on and the music began to blare once again, she excused herself from Ethan.
Move between the stations.
Once escaped from the hurdle of dancers, she caught sight of the drinks table. Like a zombie she stumbled slowly over to it and poured herself some punch.
Her head felt a bit woozy from the dancing and all the noise. She supported herself on the table and gazed out over the playing field, carefully considering all her options. The decision was basically made for her when she caught sight of Jamie chatting with Delilah up ahead. She abandoned her drink without so much as sipping it and rushed over there with her breath in her throat.
When she had caught up to them, Delilah touched her arm gently and asked slightly louder than necessary, "Vicky, are you okay?"
"Yes." Victorie replied, eyes wild. She resisted the urge to ask if they had seen Teddy.
"Have you seen Teddy anywhere?" Delilah wondered. She held her fizzy drink to her chest and peered just to the right of Victorie's eye level, as if hoping to see something behind her.
"I was with him a while ago, don't know where he went." She answered, followed by a dip in conversation. Jamie smiled and swayed to the music. It was now or never.
"Are you guys enjoying the party?"
"It's goooooood!" Jamie replied. Delilah just smiled and nodded.
A statement... Something about the music? I should probably lie and say I don't like it...
"I like the music, it's easy to dance to."
"So good!", "Love it!" The two of them agreed.
Victorie began questioning if they actually agreed or if they were doing that thing Teddy had done. Ultimately she decided that it didn't matter. She was having a conversation, and she wasn't offending someone or making a fool of herself.
Jamie nudged Delilah's arm. "Is it time for Butterbeer-Quidditch?" He asked and she clapped her hands excitedly.
The two of them made their way over to the crowded table and Victorie followed two steps behind.
After standing in line for ages, worrying about how to survive the rest of the night on her own, Delilah and Jamie each stepped up and took their turn spelling a magically shrunken quaffle to fly into a cup of butterbeer.
As she watched the two of them fail miserably, she made a deal with herself to ignore Teddy's advice and stick with the two of them for the rest of the night even if they didn't move.
She stepped up to attempt the fickle task for herself and managed to send the little thing into a cup of the golden liquid, covering the ball in the sweet froth that rested on the top.
Everyone cheered for her and she went and checked the drink, then downed the whole thing, only to subsequently find that her company had disappeared into thin air.
She wiped the cream sloppily off her upper lip and reprimanded herself for not being more attentive, then quickened her step and began scurrying around, searching the party for someone to save her from the distressing predicament of not knowing what to do with oneself at a social gathering.
After a significant amount of meandering, she discovered Roxanne sitting in a circle with some friends of hers and sending a large water drop between themselves, transforming its shape and colour continuously.
Hoping for the best, she squeezed in next to Roxanne, who greeted her merrily with a hug.
"You've made up with Jamie?" She asked after shaping the water drop into a little bunny and sending it her way.
"Something like it." Victorie replied and sent the drop away to the girl opposite her as a clarinet.
"Lovely." Roxanne commented.
Victorie scrunched her nose up. "I wouldn't say so, but it's getting there."
"I meant the clarinet..."
"He apologised, stopped ignoring me. I'd say we've moved past it." Victorie assessed with a shrug.
Roxanne transformed the water into a bridge and Victorie fretfully realised that she was next. She had a feeling that her frantic brain was not going to be able to keep up with this game for long.
Much to her assumptions, she melded together something that was supposed to resemble a bear when someone made a loud error sound with their mouth and the water splashed onto the floor.
"We've already had a bear." Roxanne explained delicately.
"I'm bored of this game now." One girl said.
A few people got up and disappeared off to new adventures. Someone pulled Roxanne along. Victorie tried to stand as quick as she could and leapt after them, but the crowds soon swallowed her cousin and before she knew it, Roxanne was gone from her sight too.
'New adventures' was exactly what Victorie wasn't in the mood for anymore. She wanted Teddy's and her experiment to be over.
No longer searching for the next thing to keep her at this party, she began looking for the door.
She eventually found what she thought was the exit from the Come and Go Room, having completely given up on the party at that point. But the door only took her into a mysterious tower of some kind.
It was thin and made of thick stone, only illuminated by the moonlight breaking through a small window. She wasn't sure which of the Hogwarts towers it was, or if she had seen it before.
When she made her way down the spiral staircase she caught sight of the back of someone sitting on some shadowed steps a bit further down.
She approached not as cautiously as one might think she should have. The person in question had blue hair, and from her experience boys with blue hair had yet to lead her wrong in life so far. At least that's how she reasoned in that moment.
Victorie sat down next to the boy and in her drained state saw it fit to also lean her head against his shoulder. She let out a breath, relieved to finally have someone who could whisper instructions into her ear again.
"You disappeared." She remarked dully.
"There's just a lot of people out there." He mumbled. "Besides, I'm letting you fly on your own."
All too tired to search his face for an expression, she instead kept her head where it lay against his shoulder. She settled for watching the shadow of them being cast against the concave wall that led down toward someplace. She listened intently to his voice for clues and deemed him to be relatively cheerful albeit drowsy in his tone.
"I'm all flown out, I think it's time you clip my wings."
"What kind of teacher would I be then?"
Her eyes closed and she let herself smile, feeling suddenly blissful. The quiet moment away from the music made her ears ring. The ringing numbed her. It was an otherworldly feeling.
"If it's okay with you, Professor, I'd like to get stuck here for the rest of the night."
Teddy went silent for a suspiciously long time, then replied, "Guess I can make an exception." He chuckled to himself.
"What's so funny about that?" She asked.
"I wasn't laughing at that, I just... was thinking about something."
She wondered if he was going to elaborate and lifted her head up to look at him.
Teddy had a mysterious air about him. One corner of his lip twitched and his fingers were nervously fiddling with each other.
"I was thinking of something you said once." He was half smiling, staring at his knee. "People who say they're searching for a partner who's like their best friend... Why don't they just look for a best friend?" He quoted.
Victorie nodded. "Right, because-"
"Because the friendship should be the first priority." He explained before Victorie could beat him to it.
"When did I say this?" She wondered. She didn't have a memory of having had a conversation with Teddy about this random train of thought of hers.
"A few years ago. I was sleeping next door to you and Roxanne, and I overheard it in a conversation between you guys." He chuckled again. "You guys would never talk about light-hearted things... Anyway, it has stuck in my memory ever since."
"Because light-hearted things don't stick in your memory." Victorie started. She wasn't really upset, but she was sure enough going to make Teddy suffer for his confession. "Maybe you shouldn't listen in on other people's conversations." She accused.
Expecting some backlash, Teddy already had an answer lined up. He sat forward and raised one finger. "It's not like I had a choice on that one." Then while assuming a more fragile demeanour he continued, "And I would have told you that I could hear you guys in the night, but we didn't speak all that much and... I only ever got a glimpse of your conversations, that was all."
Victorie smirked. "So you're saying you were worried that if you told me, it would be the end of the glimpses?"
The boy huffed, as though it was the silliest notion in the world. "No! Just... I didn't think it mattered so much. The stuff you said wasn't all that personal." He readjusted his position on the staircase so that he was facing her. "But I'm wondering... is that why you and Jamie aren't friends anymore?"
It didn't surprise Victorie that Teddy had caught wind of her dispute with Jamie. After all, the two boys rarely left each other's side. What caught her off guard was how he had managed to relate it to an offhand comment she had made years ago in the wolf hours of the night.
In a matter-of-fact tone she offered an objective statement on the matter. That's what seemed safest. "Jamie and I are no longer friends because when we got back to school after summer break he told me he was in love with me, and I told him I wasn't. After that he stopped talking to me."
But despite her objective stance, the sensational nature of actually telling someone what had happened for the first time sent her out of breath. It boggled her how upset this all still made her.
You've made up now, she told herself. The anger needed to be let go.
She looked at Teddy. His mouth was shaped like an O. "He froze you out..." He whispered.
She wondered what Jamie had told him. Judging by his expression, probably not the bit about Jamie having dropped her completely. He seemed a little shocked. He looked to be thinking over what she had just told him.
She considered if she was going to tell him how Jamie had after one tiny little life altering conversation started to entirely shut her out, and never even gave her a reason why. Although the reason was pretty obvious, she still would have liked an explanation.
How he had started hanging out with other people, and turned them against her. How all the places she used to have with him, she could no longer go to without feeling wrongfully ashamed. How she had lost her best and only friend over something she had utterly no control over.
But before she could formulate it all, Teddy took to words, "So he didn't treat your friendship like the first priority?"
The words that were really her own from the past resonated with her. She tried to hold it in. It was a full second and a half of fighting the storm, but then she broke down and cried. He put a hand on her shoulder, but remained silent as she sobbed.
His level of perception amazed her sometimes. How he could make her feel understood so easily. She really had no idea how switched on that brain of his was at all times, when (despite having come to him for help) she often dismissed him as not having a clue.
Victorie took a moment to sit and cry with her head down. If she was going to let it out, she wasn't going to do so in vain.
Once the moment had passed she clumsily yet admirably stumbled herself into an upright position. Teddy's hand fell off her as she stood, but she didn't want to sit with her sorrows for too long. Too curious not to, she ventured down the stairs with stale legs, not sure where they would lead her.
Teddy followed shortly behind her. They bounced down the steps in a spiral until they reached a door. She stepped aside and let him push it open.
When they got out the first thing they saw was the portrait of the Fat Lady.
"How fitting." Teddy commented.
Both looked at each other, then at the door they had escaped from. It was no longer there.
Victorie let out a thankful breath and began moving toward their common room with her arms dangling lifelessly at her sides.
They got inside the unusually desolate common room, took a few steps, then slowed down and looked at each other again. The usual awkwardness ensued between two people not sure how to say goodbye after an eventful night.
Then Victorie remembered that she still had one question mark.
"Did you like the music or not?" She asked resolutely.
Teddy let his head drop and Victorie sensed that he was still reluctant.
"I want Teddy's opinion." Her eyes were filled with emotion as she spoke, and she waited expectantly for his response.
Teddy took note of her sincerity, and she could tell that he was about to make another exception. She smiled and waited. With two exposed hands held up to his shoulders he admitted, "The music was not of my taste."
A big smile spread across Victorie's face, happy that she had got a truthful response out of him. "Goodnight." She said.
Amused and slightly baffled by the redhead's behaviour, he simply replied, "Goodnight."
Published: 16 March 2022