The Fool, Upright - Teddy Lupin/Victorie Weasley

Chapter 2: Lost in the Dungeons

The week that passed was egregious to say the least. The cute new boy in the famous band was all that anyone could talk about.

Apparently he was attending the seventh school year so that he could graduate with a full set of N.E.W.T's. They were vital if a witch or wizard wanted a chance at anything remotely resembling a job.

Not that Victorie tended to engage with the gossip of other students anyway, but she unfortunately often found herself within hearing distance of it.

Between her classmates scribbling his name in their notebooks during class; students gradually gathering around him wherever he went and making a racket; to twice being asked by students (along with her cousin Roxanne, who had also known Teddy back before) to give him love letters from them — Victorie rarely found herself at a comfortable distance from it.

But that's all a prelude to the now, she thought as she walked through the candle lit hallway deep down in the castle where few students went, except for maybe Slytherins. Now she knew for sure that for the next hour or two, she would be far from any of that nonsense.

Except that when she jauntily turned a corner, that nonsense happened to be right in front of her, same as ever before and leaning casually against the stone wall.

His hair was now bright blue and spikey, unlike last time she'd seen him, and his usual crowd of people were nowhere to be seen.

Teddy jumped to life at the sight of her, hand flying into his hair nervously. "You lost?" He asked.

Victorie huffed. "You think I don't know the castle? I've gone to school here for six years."

There was a bitter subtext to her words. As though she was but a millisecond away from adding an: 'unlike you' to the end of the sentence.

Teddy took a cautious step closer, shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. "I think I know you have potions right now, and this is not the way there."

When he stepped closer, Victorie noticed one of the pins on his robe that stuck out to her. It was in the shape of a small vial with a violet liquid inside. On the vial two letters read: 'DP'

It stuck out to her as she had seen a multitude of students in the last few days suddenly adorning their robes and bags with this little badge. It was everywhere.

Uniquely to Teddy's pin however, he had enchanted the little bubbles in the vial to dance around.

"How do you even know that I have potions?" She asked, once again playing her favourite little game of feigned stupidity.

Before he answered she set off in the direction of where she needed to be, hoping to no avail that Teddy wouldn't follow her.

But so he did.

"Because I take that class." He explained, two steps behind her. "And I've seen you there." Teddy chuckled as they turned another corner and continued, "You're the one who always smiles and laughs at the teacher's jokes."

Victorie held her head high and refused to let the idea that Teddy had this knowledge about her get to her.

"Professor Slughorn." She corrected. She may be a person who doesn't always treat the teachers with the utmost respect, but enough to address them accordingly.

They descended another stairwell, as quickly as possible on her part, in an attempt to shake the boy off while simultaneously taking them further down the abyss.

To her frustration Teddy was as quick, if not quicker, at descending stairs.

"And you're the guy who always disregards the instructions given to you, and resorts to coming up with your own potions — now I remember." She nodded in feigned recollection.