Tp part 4
Teddy was looking at the bottle of fire whisky sitting oh so temptingly on the table in front of him. He wanted to pick it up and swallow all of the gorgeous liquid in one gulp. It would be great. He would lose all of his pain about Vic and confusion over Lily… But something was stopping him. Lily didn't like guys who would drink. He realized after a month of teaching at Hogwarts and seeing her every day that his new found feelings for Lily Luna Potter weren't the delusions of a drunken man or fading away as they got to know each other again. He had tried to fight it, and ignore the feelings that wouldn't stop growing, but he couldn't. She was just too perfect.
She smiled and the room would light up. She would laugh and the day would get a little brighter. She would blush and he would want to grab her and kiss her terribly perfect pink lips before slamming her down onto his desk and making her his. But that would be very VERY wrong. She was just 16 (17 in three days… not that he was counting…or anything…) and he was still 27 and far too old for her. Besides, her dad, brothers, uncles, cousins, and grandfather would all kill him before he had a chance to try anything with her. Not to mention, he was her TEACHER and she was his STUDENT! He could lose his job and any hopes of getting another good job and she would lose all of her friends and credibility and be quite traumatized for the rest of her life. He wouldn't do that to her.
He grabbed hold of the glass and lifted it to his lips. He was giving up. Lily was too perfect right now for him to destroy anything in her life. She was so happy and he was so miserable and it wouldn't be right for him to hold her down. She deserved better then that. Her smiles should be spent on another guy, someone who could love her and give her everything she needed. She didn't need his baggage dumped on her.
'She's too good… too young… too perfect…she doesn't need you in her life… she proved that be cutting you out of it so easily all those years ago… back when you didn't want her with everything you have…' he thought to himself. But those words she had said to him still haunted him.
'Because Teddy, you're different'
He looked down at the much desired drink, and was about to bring it to his lips when he suddenly something stopped and he dumped it into the trash.
He may not be what Lily deserved right now, but he could turn his life around. It wasn't too late. He still had time. He was only 27 damn it! Screw what her family thought! Lily made him happy and they would understand that! He would stop this strange downward spiral that he was on and try is hardest to make damn sure that Lily was happy… and if he was lucky that would mean that she would be happy with him. If this was going to work, he was going to have to start work immediately… starting with his room. He didn't think that Lily would be seeing it too much for a long time, if at all, but it was late and it was the only thing that he could actually work on at the moment.
It took a while, but finally his room was Lily approved. All the alcohol was in the trash, (he had filled up a couple bags… maybe he had some slight alcoholic tendencies… But not anymore!) And his closet was organized but not neat freaky and his bed was made. Feeling proud of him self, Teddy rewarded himself with falling onto said made bed, and falling to sleep with a smile on his face.
Teddy awoke feeling light and happy. He loved his decision to try to make Lily to fall for him. He would try to be the man she wanted and deserved all in one. He was going to commence phase one of his plan. Find out what kind of guy she liked, (he knew far too little on the subject) and try to become that to a tee. He wasn't going to change himself completely, he would still be Teddy, but he would eliminate all negative things about himself that he knew Lily would dislike. For example, he knew that she didn't like drinking so all alcohol was banned in his book.
It was a Saturday, so Teddy didn't have any classes, and he really needed to talk to Lily and begin his courtship. He walked to the Great Hall after he washed up and dressed. It was still a little early so there weren't many students or faculty eating breakfast, but to Teddy's great luck, Lily was up and sitting by herself, reading a book. Containing the sudden desire to do a happy dance, he walked over to the little minx and grabbed her book from her playfully.
"Lils, if you keep your nose in a book all day, it will get stuck to your face," He said as she looked up at him and smiled. Why was it so easy for her to take his breath away?
"Professor," Lily said, as she had called him since that day in his room where she had told him he was different. "Please give me back my book, I have to study." He could tell that she trying not to fight back. That would have to be rectified.
"Lils, it's Teddy to you, and who studies on a Saturday morning… or even on Saturday at all?" He teased, pulling the book even farther out of her reach.
"Professor, please, it's really important," Lily pleaded. She looked too cute and Teddy was sorely tempted to give her back the book, before he saw the title.
"This isn't a school book!" He said, as she tried and failed to grab her book. "This is The Thorn Birds! It's a muggle love story!"
"So?" asked Lily starting to get angry. Perfect.
"So, Miss Lily, you are a liar. You said you were studying, and since you aren't in muggle studies, there is no way that this book would fit into the schools curriculum," Teddy said with a smug smile. Lily glared at him.
"Bugger off Teddy, and give me my bloody book back!" Lily shouted in the middle of the Great Hall. It wasn't very crowded, but still, the Head Girl shouldn't be yelling at her Professor, even if they were friends. She put her hands over her mouth as her eyes grew round and her cheeks grew pink. Teddy smiled; partly because that blush was so god damn cute and partly because it was all going according to plan.
"Miss Potter," He said in his best pompous professor tone, "Please allow me to escort you to my office." He held out his arm for his young friend to take.
"I can find my where there my self, Professor," she said angrily. He almost forgot about her independent streak. He smirked and followed her out of the doors to the Great Hall.
When they got to his office, Lily sat down in the chair across from his desk with out waiting to be asked. Teddy took a seat in his chair, and looked down at his little angel. She was lightly curling a strand of flaming red hair around her finger while looking down at the floor.
"I'm sorry, Professor. I shouldn't have yelled at you. I promise it won't happen again," She said, sounding dejected.
"C'mon, Lils," Teddy said, causing her to look up. "You and I both know that I baited you. I just wanted to have a reason to get you into my office. I really need to talk to you." Lily glared at him.
"You made me embarrass my self in public just so you could talk?" She said angrily. "Why didn't you just ask?"
"Because you would have blown me off or ran away!" Teddy said.
"That is so not tr-" Lily tried to shout before she was cut off.
"Don't even try Lily, you know I'm right. That's all you've done since that day in class," Teddy said. This wasn't where he was hoping to go with this, but maybe this would help out their relationship too. "Lily, what's wrong?" Lily looked away.
"I… don't know…" she said.
"Is this about a boy?" Teddy asked, arriving at the subject he wished to discuss. Lily laughed a little.
"I guess you could say that…" Teddy's heart fell. He knew there was someone else, but that doesn't mean he had to like it.
"What's his name?" He asked trying to keep his voice level. Lily looked at him.
"Nope! I'm not telling you that!" She said playfully. Teddy smiled as the mood quickly lightened up.
"What's he like at least? Can you tell me that?" He asked hoping for some useful information that would help in his grand scheme. Lily rolled her eyes at him.
"He's really great." She began. "I've known him for a while now, but we haven't always gotten along. He's just the one guy that really gets under my skin; even more so then my brothers."
"But what else?" Teddy asked. The information was good and he didn't want the conversation to change topics.
"What do you mean, 'what else'?" The little red head asked, sounding slightly confused. "What do you want to know about him, Ted?" She finished using the name that she knew he hated.
"I'm just curious that's all…" Teddy answered quickly trying to cover his tracks. "But what I would really like to know is what you like in guys."
"Didn't we already go over this?" Lily asked sounding exasperated.
"We've barely touched on the subject and you keep giving me vague answers." Teddy answered defensively. "I mean, come ON, Lily! This guy could be anybody! He could even be Scamander for all I know!" Lily didn't say anything for a very long time. She stared at him intently, sitting in the chair with her arms folded in front of her chest.
"Why do you want to know so badly Teddy?" She asked with a very serious tone after almost five minutes of completely silent staring. Teddy exhaled loudly.
"Because Lily," he said sounding slightly defeated. "you're different." Lily looked at him in slight shock, but before she could say anything, Teddy cut her off. "You should go. You have a lot of um… studying to do," He said handing her back her book.
"Yeah, I guess I should. Thanks for the chat Teddy," She said sounding a little bewildered before she walked out of the door. With each step she took, Teddy's heart broke a little, but the only satisfaction he got from this little chat was the fact that she had called him 'Teddy' before leaving.
