The year after her brother James graduates, Teddy Potter returns to Hogwarts for her final year. With the Marauders gone, it should be a quiet, peaceful year despite the mounting tensions in the world outside of school.
The problem, naturally, lies...
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Apparently, Regulus Black and Evan Rosier are a package deal.
Teddy isn't entirely sure how to feel about this — Rosier isn't exactly the worst company, but all of a sudden it's like he's just everywhere. If she's in the library, Rosier appears to sit with her. If she's leaving breakfast by herself, Rosier falls into step with her. When she's sitting out by the Black Lake with Mary and Alice, Rosier appears with a big stupid grin and an armful of snacks.
Irritatingly, him and Mary seem to get on fantastically. Teddy supposes it shouldn't come as a big surprise — they both seem to bond over cheerfully teasing both Teddy and Regulus, though the latter is becoming increasingly difficult to find.
"Where exactly is he, anyway?" Teddy asks one day as her and Rosier are wandering around outside. It's a free period, but Rosier was getting so fidgety that there was no point in trying to study any further, so Teddy had ended up hauling him up to go for a walk instead.
"Library, probably." Rosier shrugs, reaching out and tugging leaves off a bush as they walk passed. "Doing his research."
"Again?" Teddy frowns. "What is it that he's researching, anyway?"
"Dunno." Rosier is bouncing on his toes. He's practically dripping with excess energy, just like always, and he looks like a dumb excitable puppy. "He never tells me. Guess he thinks that I'm not very good at keeping secrets. Must be serious, though — he's always in the restricted section. Why, you feeling neglected? I can always search for him and tell him that you need him to take care of your needs-"
Teddy just reaches out to shove his head, irritated. "Maybe I'm just getting sick of you."
"Nah!" Rosier grins, not bothering to move even as she shoves him. "You love me, really."
In the week since the wedding, Teddy has only seen Regulus a handful of times. He's been a perfect gentleman, greeting her with little gifts each time; chocolate, flowers from the greenhouse, a halved pear, neat notes on whatever they've just done in Potions. That doesn't change the fact that he doesn't stay long and hasn't touched her at all, and she's beginning to get impatient.
He's even begun to skip classes, which means that Teddy only sees him across the hall at dinnertime when he's arguing with Carrow. She can't help but wonder if she's done something wrong, or if he's changed his mind about being with her despite his ardent proclamations at the wedding.
Flexing her jaw, Teddy glares off into the distance. The Black Lake ripples, and the giant squid pokes a tentacle above the water to wave towards the castle.
"What's the point in showing up at my brother's wedding and making a big dramatic speech only to disappear?" She asks, irritated now.
Rosier glances at her a little nervously. "He meant everything he said at the wedding, Potter."
