Closed can't forget your friends

[Ten Layton-King]

"You said we can get away with a lot more than professors imply," Ten had said through a grin in Teddy's ear that morning over breakfast, careful not to let any of the professors or prefects overhear her as she stood behind the Gryffindor bench, half bent down so only her housemate could hear. "Do you want to test that?" she'd asked cheekily, not waiting for a reply before quickly standing up straight and wandering innocently out of the Great Hall. She would have looked ridiculous if Teddy hadn't followed her, but maybe it would have been the perfect plan to see how far he would have believed his own words, as well as how willing he was to let his curiosity get the better of him. Sure, Ten could have invited Ned to her experiment instead, but Ten spent her life attached to Ned at the hip and while she loved her aunt and best friend, she was determined to at least try to fix some of her friendships from their first year.

Without looking over her shoulder, red hair free and flowing down her back, Ten had practically skipped out the front doors and out across the Great Lawn to where the rest of her plan was set up. After a moment she reached the area of the gardens where she had a small cauldron simmering away on a makeshift burner, propped up on a number of rocks in the grass out of sight of most walkways. Monty may well have had a heart attack if he saw it, but it was okay, because he wasn't here. It was only then Ten turned to see whether or not Teddy had joined her, before sitting on the grass before the cauldron, dressed in her light trousers and a shirt that seemed more than appropriate given the sun that was shining high in the sky. For all Ten knew, Teddy could well have had a lesson soon too, but she hadn't waited to find out if he was free or not. Ten was free, so here she was, making the most of the supplies she'd found lingering around her bedroom.​

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy was halfway through his bowl of cereal when he heard Ten's voice behind him. He paused, spoon hovering just above the milk, to listen. Teddy turned to respond, but the red head was already walking away.

He watched her for a moment wondering what was she up to, and something told him this was going to be one of those times he wouldn’t want to miss. Hastily shoveling one last spoonful of cereal into his mouth, Teddy stood up and followed her out of the Great Hall. He quickened his pace to keep up as he was led him to a secluded area of the gardens, a corner her had not previously visited. As he approached, he saw a small cauldron simmering on a makeshift burner. Teddy was impressed. "Wow, you dark horse, Ten. What are you brewing here?" Rolling up his sleeves, Teddy moved to sit beside her to watch what she was doing.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten had been called many things before, but a dark horse wasn't one of them. She supposed she quite liked the idea of being mysterious, usually more accustomed to being read like a book. "I.." she was about to explain her mysterious plan when Teddy rolled back his sleeve. It wasn't often that Ten was lost for words, but as her eyebrows rose, it took her a second for her to recall she'd been asked a question. "Huh?" she asked, watching him as he sat beside her on the grass and back at the cauldron. "Oh, well. Yeah, this," she began again regaining her composure, "I'm just.. practicing one of the potions from last year," she explained with a seemingly innocent smile on her face. She left out that she intended to pass it off to one of the younger students at their earliest convenience. "I remember you said potions wasn't your thing, but.." Ten shrugged, "I needed to get rid of the ingredients. Better not waste it, aye!" She chuckled to herself before looking back to Teddy. He was just as curious as he had been a few years ago. "Congratulations by the way, on the dueling."​