Chapter Text
Teddy was already having a terrible day, but shoveling hippogriff shit was truly the final straw. His grandmother had always warned him that if he didn’t break his habit of saying yes to every request, he would end up like an old friend of hers from Hogwarts, now stuck running a dilapidated farm, drowning in debt, with a wife who kept presenting him with children that weren’t even his.
Teddy wasn’t entirely sure this friend even existed, but he would never dare question his grandmother. Anything that came out of Andromeda Tonks’s mouth was law. So, Teddy tried to behave, though he was fairly certain that cleaning up after hippogriffs was not among the brighter prospects for his future.
Still, whenever someone asked him to do something unpleasant, he convinced himself it was a humble task, something that would surely build character. He tried, truly, to say no, but failed miserably every time. The words just wouldn’t come. Especially when people insisted, even after he explained he had other commitments.
Once, his friend Drew had suggested a more… direct solution.
“Mate, it’s not your problem. You said no. They keep pushing? Then they deserve it.”
Drew, however, was completely unhinged, so Teddy usually just gave him an encouraging smile while silently wondering how he would defend him in court when he inevitably ended up in Azkaban for assault.
Even if Teddy had wanted to follow that advice, he couldn’t have. Picking a fight with a sturdy half-giant was hardly a winning strategy. Teddy was tall, yes, but muscle had never quite been on his side. Besides, Hagrid would either laugh in his face or take pity on him and send him straight to bed.
Which didn’t change the fact that, at eleven o’clock on a Saturday night, Teddy was standing near the Forbidden Forest, shoveling piles of hippogriff shit.
He liked hippogriffs. He truly did. He thought they were among the most magnificent creatures in existence.
He just couldn’t say the same about their droppings.
They smelled like something that should never have been created.
Hagrid had suggested dumping the dung on the western edge of the forest, so that no one would be forced to enjoy a romantic picnic accompanied by such an… exotic aroma.
As Teddy walked between the trees, a slow wave of anxiety began to creep up his spine. Not because he was outside the castle well past curfew, that was the least of his problems. He was Head Boy, after all, which came with certain privileges. Privileges that Hagrid had apparently decided to exploit.
No, his anxiety had nothing to do with breaking rules. It was the forest itself.
Teddy had never liked the Forbidden Forest. He was, quite frankly, a coward. He startled easily, and the idea of wandering through that vast, shadowy expanse had never once struck him as thrilling, despite the constant begging of his two Gryffindor friends, Lucas and Matilde.
But, contrary to what one might think, Teddy was rather fond of being alive.
He would have liked to be brave, like his godfather, like his parents. Unfortunately, whatever Gryffindor blood his father had clearly hadn’t made its way into Teddy’s veins.
Of course, he was painfully aware that being a coward only reinforced every stereotype the other houses had about Hufflepuffs. Which was exactly why Teddy Lupin kept that particular detail to himself. Partly for the dignity of his house… and partly for the sake of his romantic prospects.
Because, realistically, no one found cowards attractive.
Not that Teddy particularly cared about society’s expectations of masculinity, but still… he would quite like to get laid at some point in his life. So really, no judgment.
His anxiety spiked sharply when he started hearing strange noises around him.
At that point, he was seriously considering dropping everything and getting the hell out of there. Fuck Hagrid, fuck hippogriffs, and fuck their disgusting shit.
He wanted to live.
The exact moment he decided he was absolutely done with all of this, a figure suddenly appeared in front of him.
Teddy’s soul immediately left his body and began its journey toward a long-awaited reunion with his parents.
“Hey, Lupin. It’s me, Levi.”
Teddy’s soul paused, reconsidered, and promptly returned to his body.
Brilliant. Still alive. Bloody miracle.
The person standing in front of him was, unfortunately, one of the very few people Teddy genuinely despised.
Levi.
A seventh-year Gryffindor. A… particular kind of person.
He was Muggle-born, from Birmingham, and there were certain things about him that made it painfully obvious. His accent, for one. His clothes, for another. Not that Teddy had anything against self-expression, of course. Everyone was free to dress however they liked. Even if that meant going to Hogsmeade with trousers hanging halfway down their backside and wearing a cap that looked deeply out of place in the wizarding world.
No, Teddy didn’t hate him for that.
It was his attitude.
Teddy didn’t want to be judgmental, but Levi had the look of someone who sold dodgy stuff to twelve-year-olds in abandoned parks and stabbed you if you didn’t pay up. On top of that, he was one of those people who constantly felt the need to assert dominance over everyone around him, which, frankly, he wasn’t even very good at, considering most people just took the piss out of him.
Teddy had never really interacted with him. Mostly because Levi intimidated him, and partly because Teddy preferred a peaceful, problem-free existence.
But the real reason he hated him?
He was Victoire’s boyfriend.
And that, Teddy simply could not understand.
How could someone like Victoire, graceful, intelligent, elegant, end up with… this?
“Hey, Levi, you scared me.”
“Yeah. That was the point,” Levi shot back.
“Anyway, what are you doing here?”
“I was looking for you.”
Brilliant. The Birmingham accent was not helping. Teddy could practically feel a panic attack knocking at the door.
“Listen,” Levi continued, “I want to get this sorted quickly. I don’t have time to argue with you. Not when you’re wearing that shitty sweater.”
The shitty sweater in question was a carefully tailored cashmere jumper, embroidered with the Hufflepuff crest by his grandmother.
That hurt. Deeply.
“So let’s get straight to the point,” Levi went on. “Stay away from my girlfriend. Or I’ll have to call my boys, and trust me, you don’t want to meet them. Come on, don’t get yourself into trouble. You’re a good guy. I’d hate to have to beat you up. Maybe, if you behave, I’ll even sort you out with something one day.”
Teddy understood about half of that. The accent wasn’t exactly doing him any favours. But one thing was clear: this was not going well.
And he had absolutely no idea what Victoire had to do with any of this.
That same afternoon, Teddy had been helping Victoire with her Defence Against the Dark Arts homework.
He had always had a soft spot for her, ever since they were children. She had never once shown any sign of feeling the same, so Teddy had simply buried it, quietly hoping that some higher power would eventually relieve him of the burden.
He was fairly certain Victoire knew about his embarrassingly obvious crush. She had always been kind enough never to mention it. Which Teddy appreciated, mostly because he had neither the time nor the emotional strength to disappear and start a new life in Nepal.
Besides, his skin wasn’t made for high altitudes.
Unfortunately, Victoire had a weakness for older boys. Especially the kind that tried very hard to look dangerous.
Teddy’s only hope was that this bad boy phase would eventually pass, that she would come to her senses and realise that someone like him might not be such a terrible option.
Otherwise, his only alternative would be shaving his head, joining a gang, and selling questionable substances behind the greenhouses.
Which, realistically, would last about five minutes before Harry tracked him down and personally destroyed both him and the entire operation.
So, not ideal.
During a study break, Victoire had casually mentioned that her latest boyfriend had broken up with her. Apparently, he “wasn’t ready for something serious” and wanted to enjoy his final year at Hogwarts.
Victoire, however, was convinced he was lying. According to her, he was simply pretending to be distant and detached because he was overwhelmed by how strongly he felt about her.
All he needed was “one final push” to realise she was the love of his life.
Teddy had been absolutely stunned by this mental gymnastics.
He was fairly certain the boy just wanted to sleep around.
But looking at Victoire’s determined expression, Teddy didn’t have the heart to shatter her illusion. Instead, he tried to… subtly improve his own position.
“Look, Vic,” he had said carefully, “I think you should let him go. You deserve someone better. Someone kind. Responsible. Someone who actually knows what he wants.”
Teddy was not particularly kind, nor especially well put-together, but he was willing to work on it.
“You need to show him you’re not waiting around for people like that. Show him what he’s missing.”
The subliminal message had, evidently, failed spectacularly.
Now, standing in the forest, Teddy very much felt like an idiot.
“Look, there’s been a misunderstanding,” he said quickly. “There’s nothing between me and Victoire. We’ve just been friends for years.”
It hurt to say it. Almost as much as the sweater insult.
“I know there’s nothing,” Levi replied. “And there never will be. Understood?”
Something about his tone was starting to grate on Teddy’s nerves.
“Yes, I understand. You don’t need to threaten me. It’s not my fault if you don’t know how to treat a girl.”
That… had not been a strategic decision.
Teddy’s brain had apparently activated self-destruct mode without consulting him.
Levi’s expression darkened instantly.
“I warned you,” he said, stepping closer, jabbing a finger toward Teddy’s chest. “Don’t get involved in my business, yeah?”
He leaned in further.
“You’re not Vic’s type. Never will be. So stop hanging around her like some pathetic little puppy.”
Teddy felt irritation coil tightly in his stomach.
“Vic told me you’ve been in love with her for years,” Levi continued, his voice dripping with mockery. “Said you follow her around like a lost dog. And that she only puts up with you because her family makes her. Out of pity.”
That hit harder than anything else.
“Because you’re a bloody orphan.”
Something snapped.
Teddy’s hands began to shake. His vision blurred as his eyes filled with tears, a deeply unfortunate habit he had whenever he got angry.
But this was too much.
He didn’t know what hurt more, Levi’s words… or the possibility that Victoire might actually think that.
An orphan.
Was that all he was?
All those years with the Weasleys… had it just been charity?
A sense of obligation?
He wanted to hit something. A tree, preferably. Though, realistically, the tree would win.
He opened his mouth, determined not to let Levi have the last word.
Determined to say something devastating. Something powerful. Something—
“That bitch of your mother.”
Silence.
Teddy had approximately half a second to regret every life choice he had ever made.
Then Levi punched him square in the face.
Before Levi could land another punch, a voice sliced cleanly through the night.
“Stupefy.”
No shouting. No panic. Just precision.
A jet of red light burst from the darkness, striking Levi square in the chest and sending him flying backwards as if he weighed nothing at all. He hit the ground hard, the impact echoing through the trees, followed by a series of very undignified groans.
Silence settled for a fraction of a second.
Then—slow, deliberate footsteps.
From between the shadows, she emerged.
Natalie Torrence.
Perfectly composed. Wand still raised, posture effortless, as though duelling half-grown idiots in the middle of the Forbidden Forest was a mild inconvenience at best.
Her gaze flicked briefly to Levi, then to Tedd, unimpressed.
“Out past curfew,” she said coolly, each word measured, “and attacking a Head Boy.”
A pause.
A faint tilt of her head, almost bored.
“Well, Mr Brown… you’ve truly outdone yourself.”
She lowered her wand just slightly.
“Ten points from Gryffindor.”
Another step forward.
Controlled.
For a moment, the forest itself seemed to hold its breath.
Teddy, still half on the ground and very much not okay, could only stare.
Because somehow, despite the situation, despite the punch, despite the lingering smell of hippogriff shit
Natalie Torrence looked like she belonged exactly there.
And everyone else very much didn’t.