My Yellow // Teddy Lupin

Teddy Likes Kindness

If you're thinking that Teddy didn't mind being alone in that classroom with Hazen Davies for only one second, you're wrong.

A cold shiver had already run down Teddy's spine when he'd just seen Davies' back the moment he'd entered the Potions classroom.

Then this cold voice that his tutor was using irritated Teddy, for he didn't know what he'd done to annoy Davies so much, already before they'd even started.

And last but very much not least, Davies' eyes. The cold glare shooting out of them, with irises in such a dark brown colour that the dim light of the dungeons made it impossible to tell where the irises started and the pupils ended. It was deeply unsettling.

He tried his best to work with him, using all of his calmness and patience, but even Teddy's good manners couldn't prevent him from snapping once - the first time Davies showed how stupid he believed Teddy to be.

He couldn't prevent his eyes from flashing, but he'd regained control so quickly that Davies couldn't have noticed. After that, he was prepared for the steady, snarky remarks of the grumpy Slytherin opposite him.

And after what had felt like the longest hour of Teddy's life, he finally walked back to his common room. His head was still spinning, still complaining about all of the annoyance Teddy had forced himself to swallow. And to believe that he'd actually thought Davies might be nice....

Lioba had been right. Again. Most of the rumors had to originate from somewhere, and the rumors about Davies had obviously come from how he didn't hold his tongue for anyone... Teachers excluded.

Before the metamorphmagus entered his common room, he took a deep breath to compose himself. He'd have to clear his mind if he didn't want to get drenched in vinegar again. Teddy used two fingers on each hand to massage his temples, before he sighed and knocked this week's rhythm on the wooden barrel all to the left.

The sight of the warm yellow banners and the smell of the many plants that were scattered throughout the common room immediately soothed him.

Lioba had saved him their favourite seats by the fireplace and was reading a book about Charms, but she still immediately spotted Teddy by the entrance, snapped her book shut and waved at him. He stroked his curls out of his eyes and walked towards her, getting more and more tired with each step.

Lioba, Merlin bless her, noticed and stood up to catch Teddy, so he didn't hesitate to fall into her arms for one of her comforting hugs.
"That bad?" she asked softly, her breath tickling the side of Teddy's neck. He thought he was lucky that Lioba wasn't exactly a small girl, or those hugs would only be half as comfortable with how tall Teddy was.

"Not really." Teddy sighed. "I could definitely handle it, but it was.... Exhausting..." He felt Lioba taking a deep breath before she ended the embrace and sat down on the couch, patting the space on her left.

Teddy didn't hesitate, slipped out of his shoes, carelessly dropped his bag and curled himself up next to his best friend, resting his head on her shoulder.

Lioba reached around him and hugged him sideways, stroking up and down his upper arm as Teddy closed his eyes to calm down.
He sighed.
"I did my nervous fidgeting..."

She didn't react and just kept stroking his arm.

"And of course that gave him a bad impression of me, he thought I'd make the ingredients useless. He... He was making me nervous! He kept glaring at me and he really is rude! Those aren't rumors, they are facts, Lee!"

"Don't blame yourself for giving him a chance, Ted."

"You were right, though."

"But you did the nice and right thing."

He took a deep breath. Not a single 'I told you so'. Never.

A beat of silence, only filled by the rustling and scratching of quills on parchment and students around them chattering. "What did he say?"

"Oh, nothing particularly mean. Just rude remarks, like 'I can't believe one can be bad at brewing potions' and 'suppose you just have to be stupid, then'!"

Lioba's hug tightened. "You don't believe him, do you?"

"I know that you're gonna scold me if I do, so no. They were brainless, meaningless insults." Of course they were. But Teddy wasn't a confident enough person to not feel hurt anyways.

He felt Lioba peck the top of his head.
"Yes, exactly. So what are we gonna do about it?" She twisted her head to look at him, making Teddy look up at her.

"Well, I can't just quit! I'd be showing him that his insults affected me, and I don't want to give him that satisfaction! I mean, it almost felt as if he wants me to quit!"

Lioba raised her eyebrows. "That's your Gryffindor side acting up again."

"I mean it! Why else would he make sure to insult me in every third sentence!? He can't have meant all of that!"

Lioba began to smile, and Teddy saw her affection for him shine through her eyes. "And I thought I'm the one who reads too much."

"Oi, shut up." He sat up straight, pulling both his feet close as he looked at her. "Whatever his motives are, I won't let him get away with being so rude! Kill 'em with kindness, I say."

"You're adorable, I aspire to see the world like you do. I say, ignore 'em. Escapism. My go-to coping mechanism, you should try it sometime."

"Sometime, yes. Not this time. I won't give in. He can't get rid of me that easily! Life isn't that easy!"

It was ridiculous. Unreasonably optimistic. Maybe even childish or petty, but Teddy had made up his mind. This was going to be his very personal project.

Teddy hated rude people. He and a lot of his fellow Hufflepuffs couldn't understand why so many people had problems with being nice - or just decent - human beings.

So Teddy wouldn't cave in. No, he'd do the opposite.

He'd do what he always did. He would stay kind, loving and nice, and he was going to make Hazen Davies a nicer person.