My Yellow // Teddy Lupin

Hazen Hates Perfect Skin

Hazen's temper exploded the very same moment the potion blew up in Lupin's face.

Well deserved. He'd used way too much floo powder, even though Hazen had told him to be careful with the special ingredient.

"Are you serious?!" Hazen barked, glaring at the boy now covered in a slimey green potion.
He quickly scanned his own robes and saw a few bright green spots plastered across his own black cloak as well. He'd felt drops splatter on his hair and face, too. Just great.

"Was it your intention to look like the clown that you are or did you just want to ruin my robes??"

Lupin slowly dropped the hands he'd unnecessarily held high up to shield his face - it had had no effect whatsoever - and swallowed as he looked at Hazen. Then he grimaced.

"I'm sorry... I... The spider legs distracted me and... It's no excuse, I'm just sorry." He hesitated for a second.
"Is there anything I can do to make it up?"

You could get yourself another tutor!

"You could just get better, that'd already be a great help!" he huffed instead. Then he pulled out his wand to clean himself up - leaving Lupin standing there, green, slimy and stinky.

Lupin dropped down on his chair, blinking at Hazen. "How do you do that?"

Hazen made his expression say 'how on earth can someone be so stupid!?'  and furrowed his eyebrows even more.
"What the heck, boy - you should know the cleaning spells by now!"

"No," the Hufflepuff shook his head calmly, totally not reacting to Hazen's insults, which was doing a great deal in pissing the Slytherin off even more.
"I meant how quickly you come up with all this." He made a vague gesture at Hazen's head. Hazen blinked.

"What?", he asked incredulously, annoyed and beyond irritated.

"The quick and mean comments!"

Lupin almost sounded as though he was admiring Hazen for it.

Abort mission. What was he doing?? At this point, Hazen could have had sworn that Lupin couldn't surprise him any more - and yet here they were.

He was bold enough to politely, curiously ask Hazen how he went around insulting people??

"You're seriously asking me how I insult people?" Hazen suspected that this was the most normal tone of voice he'd ever used with Lupin. Not calm, not nice, no. Never.

But the incredulous surprise was one hundred percent real and not angry. His own voice even surprised himself. He'd forgotten the sound of his sincere voice.

"I can't help it, you're really good at it! You do it so effortlessly!" Lupin explained himself defensively. The green slimey potion still dropped down from his chin and hair, but Lupin - the famous, popular, pretty boy - didn't seem to care. He was much more focused on Hazen.

Oh, this plan was failing so hard. The best seeers couldn't possibly have foreseen Edward Lupin's strong will to not break.

When Hazen still didn't answer, Lupin continued. He didn't seem angry or judging, but stayed simply curious.
"I mean, we've had three lessons so far, and you've managed to come up with at least 67 different and unique ways to point out my mistakes and call me stupid... How are you so good at this??"

The perfect opportunity to put on a taunting, mean smile - though Hazen realised that this mean and provoking version of it was still the first time he'd smiled at someone in about ten years.

Why was he doing this?!

"You make it very easy," Hazen said to Lupin. "I don't really have to come up with anything, I just have to watch you and I'll say what comes to my mind."
For Merlin's sake, why was Hazen actually talking about this?

Lupin still didn't use his wand to clean himself up, but at least he lifted an almost clean part of his robe to his face and wiped across it. It was smearing the colour all over his cheeks and forehead, but at least he wasn't dripping anymore. "So you're saying that you just don't hold back and immediately say what's on your mind?"

No. Not thinking about your choice of words may make you reveal personal information, it makes you too easy of a target.

"I suppose," is what Hazen actually said. "Which is why I'm telling you now that you have no reason asking this and I don't think I even want to know why you did. Leave me alone and clean up your mess. I'm afraid I'll see you next week." Hazen stood up from his chair, shouldered his bag and wanted to turn around to leave.

"No, wait!" Lupin shot up and gripped his left sleeve.

Hazen stilled and stared at the slighly green hand that was tightly holding the black fabric of his school uniform.

The sheer boldness of this move made Hazen stare up at Lupin's face. The audacity!

He didn't even have to say anything. The furrowing of his dark eyebrows was enough to immediately make Lupin let go of his arm again. Lupin's eyes were wide and his trembling breath was shallow as he held Hazen's glare. Good. That meant he was scared and aware of his mistake.

"Sorry," he said in a slightly high pitched voice. "I wasn't done asking questions..."
His voice trailed off as Hazen managed to look even angrier.

Now that he was standing so close to Lupin, he couldn't help but notice that - despite the green smudges - there was not a single uneven, unclean or rough patch of skin. Clean, soft looking, slightly pink (although green in this particular moment) skin and nothing else. No blackheads, no pimples, no anything.

Those were the little insignificant, absolutely aggravating details that made Hazen want to scream and trash around, as ridiculous as it was.

What fucking mutant of a teenager does not have any pimples?! Who on earth could actually really have perfect skin!? There is no such thing!!!

"Like...,"Lupin continued shyily. "How can one notice the things one can use as insults?"

And he was still asking about this??

Hazen wanted to scream. What was wrong with him!?

He didn't know why he granted Lupin that one last, snarky reply. Probably just to make him stop asking.
"There's nothing else you will notice when you only see the worst in people."

He saw Lupin gulp but didn't wait for his expression to change before he turned on his heels and walked towards the door of the classroom.

"We're done here now."

And the door fell shut, leaving behind one very confused, slimey and perfectly skinned boy.