I’m Fine — When am I Not? Ch. 7&8
A/N: another long one because, and I’m sure you’re tired of hearing it, i am extra
Vincent’s heart dropped to his stomach the moment he saw the handle. “That’s the gift I gave Teddy for his birthday.”
Everyone’s first instinct was a collective “What?”
“Is it surprising?” Vincent asked with a resigned sigh.
“Not you,” Emcy gaze flickered over to Castiel. “You knew?”
Castiel nonchalantly looked up from his fingers and scoffed in offense. “Do you truly believe this little secret would bypass me?”
“Well, no,” Leander pulled Tony a little closer towards him, “we’re just…shocked.”
“I got my own gift in return.” Castiel regarded Vincent, whose brows were raised by a fraction of a millimetre. “Okay, let’s hurry! Let’s go save one of my fiances!”
“Never heard that one before,” Tony whispered.
The group stormed inside the Athenauem in one go. Without a second thought, Emcy shot a basic cast at the switch over head, and everyone ran across the bridge, through the hallway, across another bridge, through another turned hallway—
“Why are there so many bridges?” Leander shouted in exasperation as they ran across the third bridge. “And it’s all the same mechanics too?!”
Tony shrugged. “Maybe the builders liked building magical bridges.”
His boyfriend sighed irritably. “I swear to Merlin, if there’s another brid —“ The group screeched to a stop at the top of the staircase. “…is that?”
“Teddy,” Carina sighed in relief.
“Y’know, it’s taking them an awfully long time,” Myrna said after ten minutes had passed on the grandfather clock. “Do you think they’re okay?”
“I’m worried,” Andrew replied. His legs were already numb, but Imelda was leaning on his shoulder while taking a nap, so he didn’t dare shift a hair. “Do you think they got caught by Peeves?”
“I think…” River jolted. As if they had thought the same, he met Ray’s gaze. “What if they’re stuck in the…whatever that place is called?”
“The Athenaeum?” Lyra asked from upstairs. River marvelled at how she said it so easily. “Yeah, that.”
Zachary stood up immediately. “Well, what are we waiting for then? Let's go get them!”
Andrew protested, “but Imelda’s still asle —“ Nevermind, she was already stirring awake from the commotion. “Nothing. Let’s go — woah!”
Mylene giggled as Andrew winced. “Your legs haven’t woken up yet?”
“Y-Yeah…” Andrew replied sheepishly. “You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up with you.”
“Uhm, no you’re not,” the Scottish witch sat back down next to him. “You guys go. We’ll catch up later.”
“Okay, lovebirds. Don’t miss us,” teased Lyra before she rushed to join the others.
When the storage room door shut, there was a brief moment of silence between the two.
“…I’m sorry for keeping you here,” Andrew whispered.
Imelda stared at him like he was nuts. “What are you talking about?”
“I…I know you want to help…but now you’re stuck here because my legs fell asleep.” Andrew gave her a shy grin. “Thank you for staying.”
Imelda’s jaw tightened. Ugh! Stupid adorable stupid Andrew! “…It’s nothing.” She turned away before he could notice her blush.
Her eartips are tinted red. Andrew smiled.
There, on the edge of the platform, sat Teddy Lancelot.
Castiel and Vincent rushed down the stairs.
“Teds…” Emcy looked around frantically for a short brunette and deflated. “Wyanne isn’t here.”
“We’ll find her later, mate,” Leander comforted. Tony nodded as well, and Carina squeezed her boyfriend’s hand.
Castiel and Vincent both nearly slipped on the floor when they stopped by Teddy’s side. “Teddy?”
The Gryffindor didn’t acknowledge their presence, and they almost thought he was asleep until they bent down and found he was actually awake.
“Teddy…” Castiel whispered before sitting down, mimicking Teddy’s position. “Hey. It’s us.”
Teddy’s head moved a few inches in his direction, but his hair still draped around his face, like curtains hiding what was behind.
“Gryffindor,” Vincent sat down as well, letting his feet dangle over the edge like Teddy and Castiel. “Talk to us. Say something.”
Teddy just shook his head.
The two Slytherins glanced at each other nervously before looking back down at the boy.
“Well, if you won’t talk, I will,” Castiel whispered. “I was very worried when no one knew where you were.” Vincent nodded, “we all were.” “And we all grouped up, split into teams, and started looking for you. We looked through the whole castle. Tony, Leander, Imelda, Ray, Andrew, Zachary, River, Lyra, Carina, Emcy, Mylene, Myrna, Lukai, even Leo helped — everyone was looking for you. And if Reika wasn’t at her father’s, I’m certain she’d rush to aid too. We all cared and were so scared we weren’t able to find you.”
“And some of us insisted on searching the Restricted Section after Imelda’s group couldn’t access it,” Vincent said, trying to keep a light-hearted tone, “and I’m glad we did.”
“I also promised I’d bite you when I found you.” Castiel and Vincent both shared a laugh. But Teddy didn’t. Didn’t budge, didn’t even seem to hear.
“Teddy…” Vincent handed him the handle they’d found at the entrance. “This is yours, isn’t it?” He gingerly took Teddy’s hand in his and put the wand in his palm, curling his fingers around it for him. “You should keep it safe. Put it back on your wand, hm?”
Teddy still remained immobile.
“…Is there something you don’t want to say,” Castiel glimpsed at the rest of the group still standing at the stairs, “in front of them?”
Teddy clutched the wand handle tighter. Castiel took that as a yes and waved the others away. “…Well, they’re gone now. What is it?”
Teddy finally blew a breath, long and resigned. “…I don’t belong with you guys.”
Vincent frowned strangely. “…what are you talking about?”
“I don’t…” A tear landed on the fist squeezing on the wand handle. “I don’t…belong…”
Castiel grabbed his empty hand. “Teddy, why would you say that?”
“I f-feel like an intruder i-in your lives.” Teddy wasn’t holding his hand back. Teddy wasn’t holding Castiel’s hand in return. “I’m not… I shouldn’t stand by your side. Not you two, not Lukai, not Myrna or Ray or River or Emcy, not anyone.”
Vincent would’ve laughed if he wasn’t feeling so furious. “Who said that?”
“I did. I am not…I’m not part of your group. I was just a surprise. It was just chance. If Emcy hadn’t been practicing colouring, if Wyanne hadn’t turned me into a doll and stuffed me into Cas’s arms, I wouldn’t have made that joke with the ring and Vincent wouldn’t have kidnapped me and none of this…none of this would’ve happened…” Teddy was holding back tears as he uttered each word. He meant it. He meant every painful, harsh, brutal word. He didn’t belong, no matter how much he wished he did. “I wasn’t meant to become anything like this. I wasn’t meant t-to know you all. Yet you all accepted me because…because it would’ve been weird if you didn’t. This is all obligatory. The gift, the ring you keep on your finger, the good mornings and goodbyes, the sweet words and worries, the bickering — this is all just an aftermath of what I did. I forced you guys into this.”
Vincent was really going to slap him. “You didn’t force anyone to do anything, Teddy. We would’ve gone our own ways if we didn’t want anything to do with you.”
“That’s what you should say…” Teddy messily wiped the tears away, only for more to fall, “…only because I’m crying.”
“I think you forget that we’re Slytherins, darling,” Castiel squeezed his hand, “we won’t do anything we don’t want to.”
“But you’re all good people,” Teddy sobbed, “good people do nice things. For lost puppies like me. You’re just doing this because —”
“Because we care about you, silly,” Vincent hugged him just as Castiel wrapped an arm around his shoulder, “we do it because we care. Not because we’re good people.”
Castiel ruffled his hair and followed with, “good people follow the rules and do what they’re told to do. That’s Emcy. I don’t think that really applies to the rest of us. And sure, you were a very unplanned surprise for us.”
“A bit unwelcomed at first,” Vincent poked Teddy’s cheek, “but only because I didn’t know what you wanted.”
It finally brought a smile to the boy’s face. “Even I didn’t know what I wanted,” Teddy sniffled a laugh, “I just went along with it and…” his smile dropped, “and now I’m…here.”
“With us,” Vincent whispered, “and Lukai, Lord of Threesome.” The three boys laughed in unison. “Okay, so. You think you don’t belong because the rest of us have known each other for a long time, and suddenly you popped in, and you think we were forced to accept you.”
Teddy sighed and pouted adorably. “More or less.”
“But only because you are overthinking it,” Castiel tapped Teddy’s lips, red from him biting on them, “none of us ever said or expressed anything of the sort, now did we?”
“…No…” Vincent and Castiel laughed at how guilty he looked.
“And none of us think so either,” Vincent leaned in and rested his head in the crook of Teddy’s shoulder. “Never have, never will, alright?”
Teddy finally breathed a sigh of relief. “Alright…”
“So the next time such an intrusive thought occurs,” Castiel pressed a kiss to Teddy temple, “you come to us. Don’t run off all alone and hide. You may be as cute as a puppy, but you’re not one, alright?”
“Heh,” Teddy snickered at the compliment. “Okay, fine.”
“Grand.” Vincent messed up Teddy’s hair again and stood up. “Let’s go back.”
Teddy stared at Vincent’s outstretched hand and finally took it. Castiel stood and pulled him up as well. When Teddy let go of them, he finally noticed what he’d been digging his grip into the entire time. His wand handle.
He wordlessly fetched his wand out and popped it into the socket. It fit like a charm.
“…I’m grateful for you guys,” Teddy whispered shyly, his ears slightly red from embarrassment.
Vincent and Castiel just pressed a kiss to his cheek and grinned at poor Teddy’s burning face. “Now that’s a first,” Vincent teased. “Hush,” Teddy shook his head. “Let’s go then.”
The three boys turned around…and Teddy swore he could’ve melted into a puddle right then and there.
Everyone — I mean every. single. person, including Imelda and Andrew who’d arrived a few minutes ago — had gathered by the end of the staircase, smiling at what they’d witnessed.
“Ah,” Castiel pinched the bridge of his noise in annoyance, “and how long have you been here?”
“…A while,” River admitted. Mylene lightly slapped him for exposing them.
“Well…I’m grateful you all came to my rescue,” Teddy scratched the back of his neck. “But like…shouldn’t some people be looking for Wyanne?”
Everyone froze then. Right. Wyanne. They’d practically forgotten about her in the midst of their excitement (and a tinge of frustration).
“Well c’mon!” Teddy started for the door. “We can’t just leave her to fend for herself, can we? She’s short! What if she’s met a giant?”
“We’ll have to hold a Shorty funeral then,” Lukai grinned as the group followed after Teddy. Mylene laughed along, “with shortcake and shortbread biscuits.”
“You two are too mean,” Myrna rolled her eyes. “And yet you’re smiling.” “Shut up, Luke.”
The doors opened to a pensieve, lonesomely standing in the middle of the chamber.
“Ah, right, I forgot,” Carina slapped her forehead. “We’ll have to go the other way around.”
“Fuck that,” River cursed. “If this is at one of the deepest ends of Hogwarts, the Map Chamber can’t be that far.” He started resonating with his magic, and it was only a moment later when he started honing his abilities and making a tunnel in the wall.
“Are you sure that’ll work, Cain?” Emcy asked uncertainly. “It would be safer if we just — oh.”
“Well, let’s go.” River led the group through the tunnel, and sure enough, they came out of a stone wall, across a bridge, and found themselves in the Map Chamber.
“That was unexpected,” Emcy looked back at the tunnel, then at River. “That was smart.” “Thank you.”
“Okay, everyone,” Lukai stared at the crazy sight in front of him, “have I gone loony, or is that…”
Everyone looked up. Emcy’s jaw dropped. Carina bursted into a fit of giggles. Imelda and Andrew had their heads tilted in curiosity, while Ray looked just as shocked as Emcy, minus the jaw-drop. Zachary smirked a little while River was full-on belly-laughing. Myrna’s eyes were a tad wider, Mylene looked like she couldn’t decide whether to yell or smirk, Leander hands were still in Tony’s hair but had stopped fiddling with it while Tony looked horrified at what he saw. Lyra stared. Vincent was smiling proudly, Castiel didn’t look all that surprised, and Teddy was…well, Teddy.
“Shorty!” He yelled at the tiny figure, floating in the air with the help of her obscurus. “What are you doing?”
Wyanne finally noticed them and smiled, waving both her hands at them. “Hi guys!” She shouted. “I’m renovating the place!”
She grabbed her Engorgio’d brush and drew a long, nearly perfectly straight line across her “canvas”.
“Who’s supposed to be standing here again? Rookwood?” She asked no one in particular, but definitely loud enough for everyone to hear. “Well I hope he appreciates the glass — AH!”
An absolutely monstrous figure approached into the frame. Professor Rackam entered the scene, thoroughly displeased at the sight. “What in Merlin’s name is this?!” His voice bellowed in the room, louder than ever before. Wyanne froze when two large eyeballs zeroed in on her. “You! Who are you?!”
Emcy shouted, “don’t — “ “I’m not obligated to tell you just because you’re shouting at me, you old man!” Wyanne hollered just as loudly. “Either you quiet down and we’ll talk civilly, or you can watch your canvas get burnt!”
Rackham was livid. “You wouldn’t dare —“ A ball of fire erupted in Wyanne’s hands. “Try me,” she threatened.
He shut up, eyes wide as saucers, eyeing the ball like it’s the tiny spider in the corner of your bedroom, waiting to pounce or flee.
“Now,” Wyanne withdrew the threat, “what was it you were asking, mister?”
Emcy facepalmed. Carina was sure she was going to die from giggling. Everyone else was either gaping or smiling at their Shorty talking back at the old wizard.
“You…” Rackham significantly lowered his voice. “What have you done to our portraits?”
“I merely repainted them,” Wyanne said matter-of-factly. “I think it’s pretty nice. Wouldn’t you agree this place needs some change anyway?”
“Child. This is the Map Chamber,” Rackham sounded absolutely exasperated. “This is a place of solemnity and importance to the existence of Ancient Magic wielders! It is not a playground for you to paint!”
“I was under the impression the canvases were empty of any main subject,” Wyanne grinned slyly, “no one was here when I called. It’s not really my problem that no one was standing guard here anyway. That’s on you.”
“Well, you were wrong in your assumption! Now you must take responsibility a-and clear this dismaying mess!”
“Uh huh,” Wyanne looked down at her nails and frowned to find one in need of a trim. “Like how you take responsibility over your students?”
Carina stopped giggling. No one was smiling anymore. Rackham was stunned frozen, rigid in posture, hardly breathing.
“I mean, really, you oughtn’t be the one, out of every person on this planet, telling me to be responsible when you yourself never learned that even during the hundred-ish years you were alive.” Wyanne laughed at how absurd it sounded. “That’s like a rabbit teaching a parrot how to swim! It sounds bonkers and is, in itself, a stupid idea!”
Rackham's face grew red with fury. “That is not how you speak to your elders, child!”
“My gosh, you sound like my mother,” Wyanne cringed, “only, you look much older, and I really don’t respect you, so I don’t really care in that regard.”
“This is outrageous!” The Map Chamber nearly shook at how loud his voice bellowed. “Do you not have manners?!” “I have manners in front of people I have respect for. You’re definitely not on the list.” “How dare you use such a tone at me! I am Percival Rackham, respected Seer and Hogwarts Professor, the first to research the uses of Ancient Magic and the only Ancient Magic mentor there has ever been!”
“…and?” Wyanne pointed down at her group of friends in the middle of the chamber. “My friend Teddy is a Seer. My friends Emcy, Vincent, Ray, River, Lyra, Castiel, and Carina all wield Ancient Magic. They don’t go around boasting about it or shouting about it at a child! And bloody hell, why am I a child? Are you honestly dismissing me for my age? Or, oh, maybe every single person younger than you is a child because ‘we don’t know anything’. Well guess what?! We may not know as much as you do, but we genuinely know a lot! So stop diminishing our experiences for our age and treat your students like actual human beings! Oh, I’m not done, so you can shut it and listen with those ears for once in your life! You were a person who abused and purposefully withheld information when your student needed your guidance most. You stood idly by when Isidora was digging her own grave in front of your eyes, you ignored the warning signs when students started missing in the night despite countless Prefect reports, you disregarded my friends who were exhausted and literally bleeding out due to your cursed trials, you turned a blind eye when Anne Sallow clearly needed help, you disappeared after Ranrok infiltrated the school! You just said ‘we leave our legacy in your hands.’ What legacy? The legacy that Isidora is a bad person in your eyes because she was desperate and none of you were willing to help the slightest bit? The legacy that no one knew about, had nothing written down for future consultation? The legacy of abuse and hurt, and leaving every single one after you wondering what consequences there may come as a result of their special ability? You were horribly irresponsible as an Ancient Magic mentor! All you did was show a few memories, mostly of Isidora doing her own research and the consequences for her actions, and you use these memories to tell everyone else ‘don’t try to use your magic this way, otherwise you’ll become a dark wizard’! That’s not telling anyone shite about Ancient Magic! That’s rewriting and framing Isidora as the sole villain in her story when you failed her as well! You are nothing but a biased man who somehow thought you were more powerful because you were the only one who had Ancient Magic during your time until Morganach came! You are a shallow coward, an ignorant hypocrite, and an old painting who only barks demands!”
She panted heavily when she finally finished. The Map Chamber was silent, deathly quiet as a graveyard. And really, it felt like one when the only long-term residents were already dead.
“You…” Rackham seethed, “are really nothing but a child.”
This piece features @lyra-prag Lyra @vagrandeer Castiel and Tony @cherryray-hl Vincent @mayui-ao Andrew, Ray, and Zachary @amus2110 Carina @ravenothere Lukai, Myrna, Mylene @mostboringcrossover River
