.tonks

a jovial laugh escaped ted at her comment. “ ‘m so glad someone shares the sentiment. been feelin’ like shite havin’ t’ hide m’excitement about seein’ kenmare. ” ted responded as his laugh died down. he tugged on the grey and teal scarf around his neck as he glanced down towards the empty pitch. “ dis ‘cha hear that kenmare’s seeker got drafted fo’ the harpies next year? ”

ted + the color red  ©

                                     “ but you dream of some epiphany ”

ted’s eyes scanned the wall of cat food in front of him. his poor boy, buggy, at home and foodless, probably starving. ted loved his cat, buggy had been his rock since ted was sixteen; they were a inseparable pair. a smile appeared on his face when he finally saw the familiar brand of cat food. he hadn’t even realized another person was there until their hands collided as they reached for the same bag. ted blinked, turning to face the owner of the hand. “ oh, eh– go ‘head. m’little bugger can survive on wet food for a few days. ” he said with a chuckle, stepping back from the shelf.

ted remembered the stories andromeda had told him about narcissa very well. he doubted she had gotten any better since then. he sent a silent prayer to anyone who would listen when his hands finally found a small stack of abandoned books on a nearby table. he adverted his gaze as she smiled, an icy feeling going down his back. ted had been planning on just keeping his head down, nodding when she spoke. the fact he kept resorting the pile of the same three books a sign of how nervous he was; but as soon as she said his name, he felt a defensive switch inside of himself. “ maybe. what’s it to you? ” he asked, trying to sound as calm as possible, but the pitch of his voice raised slightly still. the name tag attached to his chest gave it away of course: edward tonks - student assistant. “ you’d think with all the gabbing your family does, you’d be able to come with a new word. ” ted barely whispered under his breath. he’d been called a mudblood more times than he could count over the last ten years, at first it had hurt, now he was barely phased.

“ sorry your party went shit, boyo. kind of don’t feel that bad missing it now... no offense. ” ted spoke, trying to sound as genuine as possible he approached the younger boy. “ if it makes you feel better, i snagged this week’s copy of the quidditch report a day early– with the exclusive interview with puddlemore’s new seeker. thought you might enjoy it. ” he cracked a smile as he tossed the magazine onto the table. nothing like abusing your library powers for the common good.

“ excuse the mess... wasn’t ‘pecting people ‘round today. ” ted muttered as he unlocked the door. small piles of clothes grew from corners of the little common area and a mountain of plates and cups was forming around the kitchen sink. his face flushed in pink as he kicked a lone sock under an empty bookself against the wall. “ if you eh... want to wait in here, i can go grab those cobra lily shots ya asked for, should be all set now. ” he spoke, turning around to face the girl, before sneaking into one of the doors off the common area, presumably his room. ted came back out a few moments later, prints in hand. “ your lillies were extra nasty, ” he joked, “ don’t remember the ones at hogwarts tryna bite so much. ”

ted found himself rereading the same paragraph over again for the fourth time. it was unusual for ted, most of the time he’d plow right through the books. he glanced at the cover of the book in his hand and then allowed his eyes to wander towards his companion across the table. “ i can’t tell if my coffee is too strong or this book is just dryshite... can’t focus on a damn thing. ” ted muttered as he placed the paperback on the table, giving his head a shake. picking up his cup with one hand, he pointed towards remus with the other, “ what part ya at? spoil it for me so atleast i feel like this has been productive. ”

time seemed to slow down at the library. the minutes ticked by in slow motion as ted began the tedious task of putting books away. he looked down at his watch: 11:35 pm. he let out a sigh as he looked back up towards the bookshelf in front of him. but, a stray lamp on in the corner of his suddenly caught his attention. it was the beginning of the semester, no one should have been here this late in his mind. he placed the book in his hand on the cart before he began to walk towards the desks. “ oi, pack it up, boyo— we close in thirty and i don’t feel li... ” he started, his voice trailing off as he immediately recognized the woman. he stared at her like a deer in the headlights, mouth slightly agape. “ i- i should uh... ” ted began to sputter, eyes desperately flying around his nearby surroundings for some sort of distraction.

adjusting the canon camera currently hanging around his neck, ted glanced around at the few fairies fluttering around. “ when you said you needed some photos... i wasn’t expecting these guys. ” he said quietly, as if speaking too loudly would scare them off. he lifted his camera up to his face, aiming at one specific fairy resting on an open book, “ you’re the expert here not me, but aren’t fairies those little blue lads with the horns? ”