The year after her brother James graduates, Teddy Potter returns to Hogwarts for her final year. With the Marauders gone, it should be a quiet, peaceful year despite the mounting tensions in the world outside of school.
The problem, naturally, lies...
tw: some unwanted touching in this chapter, just be aware!
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Teddy mumbles thoughtfully to herself as she pens a letter to James. Christmas holidays are in two days time, and she's hoping that he'll come and pick her up from the station in London. She also adds a few bits of latest Hogwarts gossip, because she knows he enjoys reading about all the news, and tells him about the party Gideon Prewett had planned for tonight.
A second letter, addressed to her parents, is already tied to her owl's leg. He hops impatiently on the window of the Owlery as he waits for her to finish up and give him her other letter. Teddy swears he's glaring at her, demanding her to hurry up and give him owl treats. "No more owl treats," She murmurs, eyeing him out of the corner of her gaze. "I swear you've gotten twice as big in the week you've been here. Are you even fit to fly all the way home?"
She gets an indignant hoot in response, and then someone says, "Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness, you know."
Teddy jerks in surprise, then glares at the door to the Owlery. "Black," She sighs, managing to keep her voice even as she signs off her letter to James. "I swear you're following me around."
"You wish, Potter," Regulus murmurs, his nose scrunching in exaggerated distaste. A tiny, fluffy owl hops over to to greet him on a nearby ledge and he reaches out to scratch under its beak absentmindedly. He seems to catch sight of the letter in her hand, and he raises an eyebrow. "Writing home? How's my traitor of a brother?"
Teddy shoots him a scathing look. "He's doing great. Come here, Fat Bastard."
Black's eyebrows shoot up until they practically disappear into his hair, but he lurches towards her so quickly that it's almost startling. "Bit harsh, Potter-"
"I- no, the owl." Teddy interrupts hastily, straightening up as her owl hops over to her. "The owl is named Fat Bastard!"
Regulus pauses and gapes at her for a long moment, before a slow, genuine smile begins to break out over his face. His features are handsome anyway, but he's intimidatingly good-looking when his cheeks dimple with his smile. Teddy wants to see him look like that all the time, and then she wants to kick herself hard for even thinking that. "You named your owl what-?"
"James named him." Teddy admits, her cheeks colouring in embarrassment.
A couple more chuckles escape him, before he reaches out and strokes Fat Bastard's beak. The little traitor closes his eyes and hoots happily, delighted with the attention. "It's a good name." He says. "Very creative."
"Yeah, yeah." Teddy rolls her eyes as she ties her letter to Fat Bastard's leg, but her lips are quirking up a little too. "Don't think I didn't notice that you nearly tripped over yourself to get to me when you thought I was telling you to come over here."
