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."​

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy sat down so that his head was concealed behind the shrubs to avoid giving away this private area. He watched Ten’s face as she tried to maintain her mysterious air. "Practicing a potion from last year? Sure, let’s go with that," he said, giving her a knowing look. "Potions still hasn't grown on me. Turns out I'm not very good at following instructions like that." He had still achieved Outstanding so he couldn't be that bad.

He settled beside her, continuing, "Thanks. I had to go beat my best friend for the title, which was pretty wild. She almost had me," he said with a grin. "Never a dull moment, you know?"

 

[Ten Layton-King]

A laugh escaped Ten's lips when Teddy went along with her plan. She hadn't been sure whether he would have looked down on her for it, so it was a relief when he seemed happy to see how things turned out instead of scolding her for it. That was the trouble with being away for a few years, she wasn't sure if her friends had changed so much that they were now different people than they'd been when they met, or if they still even wanted to be friends. Her smile dropped a little as he went on to explain he wasn't good at following instructions, but not because of the reason one may have expected. "You know, potions isn't really my thing anymore either," she said after a moment, still looking at Teddy but no longer with an air of amusement on her face. "I am using the ingredients up, I don't want to have them hanging around anymore." She glanced at the cauldron that was still simmering away before back at Teddy.

"Sounds like Charms definitely is your thing then," she leaned back on her arms, elbows propped into the grass. "And at least you beat them. Would have been embarrassing if they'd beaten you," her chuckle returned for a moment as she imagined Eluned beating her in the tournaments, she never would have lived it down. "Who's your best friend?" she asked curiously, feeling as though she'd missed out on so much around the castle, the groups that had formed, the houses that had won and the students who had flourished.​

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy could appreciate the coming and going of hobbies and interests. His was chocolate frog cards and though he still had his collection, he no longer looked at them or paid much attention to new cards. "Oh, any particular reason?" he asked.

It was a bit strange reconnecting after time apart, knowing that Ten had been living her life just as much as he had. If potions were no longer her thing, then so be it, but Teddy did wonder if there was more to it than that. "No point in keeping stuff you don't need, and it's good you're not wasting them," he said with an agreeable shrug.

"Well I have more than one best friend, but I'm talking about Audrey Beauchamp, a Ravenclaw. Do you know her?" he asked, considering the idea of introducing them but unsure how Audrey would react. She didn't have the best track record with Teddy's Gryffindor friends.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten shrugged, figuring she had no reason to hide her thoughts, especially since she'd already spoken to Eluned about it and come to a pretty decent conclusion. "My mom was a potions professor here once," she explained, her eyes fixed on the cauldron between them. "She died when I was really small, I never really knew her that well." Ten explain as casually as if she were reading off the things she'd had for breakfast that morning, "And because of her," and her dad, and Monty, although she didn't add that part, "I wanted to do potions too. I wanted to be like her. I thought if I did potions too, maybe a little part of her wouldn't leave me, you know?" she glanced up to Teddy, not really caring if he thought it too deep of a topic to tell. Ten wasn't going to hide who she was, her friends could take her or leave her.

"But, being in Scotland where she went to school, I realised that's pointless," Ten continued, giving the contents of the cauldron a stir, "It doesn't really matter what I do she's never coming back. So, now I'm trying to do what I want to do, for me. Not for her." she explained. It had been a lot less eloquent when she'd tried to get the words across to Ned, but at least her Aunt knew what she'd been meaning to say. "I like plants," she added, picking at the grass that was in close proximity to her fingers, "always have. I guess that's as good a starting point as any to an alternative," she gave him half a smile, wondering if it would join the dots in his head for why she had so many lying about her room. It was true that some of them were ingredients, but in truth she just liked the way she could use them for other things, too.

Ten racked her brains to think of Audrey, and although she vaguely recognised the name from her classes she was pretty sure she'd never spoken to her before. Ten shook her head, wondering how many best friends he had. She'd come to understand there was a lot she was missing having been away for so long, and now she was back it was as though everyone had moved on without. She'd had to ask Ned soon if she felt the same way, but at least no matter what she'd always have her in her life to support her.​

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy listened as Ten opened up more than he'd expected her to. He felt out of his depth (he had just been thinking about chocolate frog cards after all) but had enough compassion to listen to her experiences. He had never lost anyone that close before, nor had his friends confided in him about such deep topics. He was usually the one messing around, not having deep conversations with people. But he wasn't messing around now. He was just listening, letting Ten get her thoughts out.

"I'm really sorry," he swallowed after a short pause, struggling to find the right words. "I can't imagine what that's like, losing your mum and all." He paused, feeling inadequate but sincere. "But for what it's worth, I think it's really brave of you to find your own path. You're doing what you want to do, for yourself. That takes a lot of strength and plants are a great starting point. They’re alive, growing, changing. Kinda like us, I guess." He gave her a small smile, hoping it would offer some comfort. "You want a hug? I feel like this is a huggy moment," Teddy laughed gently, really hoping he wasn't making things worse.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

There was a time and a place to talk about her mom, Ten was discovering. It made sense of course that she was thinking about her more than usual at the moment given she'd just come back from Scotland, but as Teddy apologised it occurred to the fourth year that maybe it wasn't a good thing to keep mentioning her every chance she got. How long would it be until Ten just let her be at peace, move on with her own life, like Ned had said. "It's fine," it was in truth. Ten wanted to honor her, but she wasn't sure whether or not she was sad about it because she'd not been old enough to know who her mom was. Felix, who'd been no more than just a few weeks old at the time, never mentioned her at all.

"Thank you," she smiled at Teddy, surprising herself a little by caring about what he thought of her. He was right too, plants changed a lot and would grow just as much as they would, "how philosophical," she mused, trying to debate how she was going to steer the conversation back from such a topic to the light-hearted plan she had in front of her. "A huggy moment?" Ten chuckled, sitting up on her patch in the grass to cross her legs, facing her fellow Gryffindor. "I don't really, do hugs," she admitted. She'd only hugged Eluned for the first time a few days ago! She wasn't sure why that was the case, but it just didn't come naturally to her. "But, you owe me one. One day, I will come back to claim a hug from you Teddy Pirrip," she announced, hoping that he didn't mind it was the best she could do. She'd wait until she really needed it, then she would cash it in.

"Besides, this is nearly done," she nodded her head to the cauldron, picking up a couple of vials that she'd tucked underneath, carefully handing one to her friend. It took a few seconds for the burner to go out, and with a last stir their next job was to let it cool down a little so before it was safe to touch. "Have you ever tried the forgetfulness potion?" she asked, a cheeky smirk on her face, realising almost immediately that it sounded as though she was about to ask him to sample it. "I'm thinking there might be a few first years that need to calm down, you know, from the anxiety of moving to a new school. It would be nice if they could be given a break for a few hours to relax."​

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy chuckled at the philosophical comment, relieved to see her mood lighten. When she mentioned not being a hugger, he grinned. "Well, I'll be here when you decide to cash in," he said, matching her light-hearted tone. In truth, Teddy was still reeling from what she'd told him. He had never faced anything remotely similar and felt like a fraud trying to offer support without truly understanding what she'd been through.

Teddy took a vial then raised an eyebrow when asked if he'd ever tried this particular brew and wondering where she was going with this. "I don’t remember ever taking it," he joked. He smirked, surprised by Ten and the ideas that she had, and failing to mask that surprise. "You're going to use this on first years?" He had not expected her to say that.

 

[Ten Layton-King]

Ten was getting the feeling that Teddy preferred to keep the humour in situations rather than letting anything get too serious. She could work with that, appreciate it even when things were getting difficult. The fourth year moved swiftly on, smiling at his joke about the potion. "I mean, not all of them," she said, it would have taken a lot more than the amount she'd already brewed if she intended on using it on all the new students that joined them that year. "Just one in particular," the sly smile reappeared on her face, "my brother, actually." She'd already been having a lot of fun playing with him since he'd made Gryffindor, and she just knew he would find this funny too. "It will be fun to see what happens. Do you know how long the effects last for?" she asked Teddy, trying to remember although from her own memory, it really could just depend on lots of different factors. ​

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy grinned his relief evident as he preferred to keep things on the lighter side. He wasn't so much a hell-raiser but just someone with the occasional tendency to go a bit overboard, like a kid knocking over a vase in all his excitement. "Ah, just your brother? That's much more manageable," he said, "Who's your brother?" Teddy wouldn't normally ask about first years because the likelihood of him knowing them was practically zero, but now that he was president of the Brotherhood, he just might if they'd signed up.

Drawing an exaggeratedly thoughtful breath, he replied, "I didn't realise this was going to be a Potions lesson. I should have brought my notes!" He joked, "I believe the effects last anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours, depending on how strong the potion is and how much he drinks." He answered, "How long do you want him gone for?"

 

[Ten Layton-King]

The smile crept back onto Ten's face when Teddy seemed more agreeable that the potion should only reach her brother rather than all the first years. "Felix, he's in Gryffindor too," In truth Ten thought he would have made a better Hufflepuff or maybe even a Slytherin, taking after their dad or half-sister Asphodel instead of her and their mum. "He mostly keeps to himself, I think he's a bit of a hermit," she explained, doubting whether Teddy had come across him. "Maybe if he drinks a forgetfulness potion, he'll forget he doesn't talk to many people, and start making some new friends," Ten didn't really know what it meant for someone to be shy or anxious, nor that Felix was neither of these things she, in reality, she'd just been too blind to see the friends he had made. "I'm just looking out for him like a good big sister," she said, believing her own words.

She grinned again at Teddy's joke, finding him easy to talk with and glad she'd asked him to meet with her after all. "Well, as long as possible really, although if it was more than a day it might start getting in the way of his classes. I'm trying to give him more friends, not make him lose his memory so that he fails his exams." ​

 

[Teddy Pirrip]

Teddy smiled, shaking his head slightly at Ten’s logic. He really enjoyed how her brain worked. "Felix, huh? I don’t recognise the name. I don’t think he signed up for the Brotherhood," he said. Leading the Brotherhood had been a great way for Teddy to learn the names of a fair few first year boys, at least the ones who signed up.

He leaned back, considering her plan with a thoughtful expression. "But what if he ended up forgetting social skills?" Teddy mused. "I’d be more inclined to perform the Cheering Charm on him. It’s a lot less hassle than brewing a potion and without the side effects."

 

[Ten Layton-King]

It didn't surprise Ten to know Felix hadn't signed up to the club Teddy ran, Felix didn't seem to do anything unless he was following someone else like a lost sheep. "His social skills?" Ten repeated, trying to keep the light chuckle out of her voice, "and what if he didn't have of those to start with?" she asked, the grin forming on her face. "The Cheering Charm might be nice, but it wouldn't be as funny," Ten admitted, knowing half the point of using this particular potion was to see how Felix got on trying to navigate things during and after. There wasn't anything funny about watching him cheer, unless of course, he was due to have a serious conversation with someone soon. "Maybe next time," when Ten had more time to prepare, perhaps that would be the next thing she could make for him. "Besides, the potions already made now, it would be even more hassle to try and find somewhere to dispose of it!" ​