My Yellow // Teddy Lupin

Teddy Likes Everything But This

Teddy's murderous headache only worsened when the heavy doors of the Hospital wing fell shut, but he was still happy that Lioba had finally finished her Quidditch practice.

"I'm here, I'm here," she chanted as she hurried to Teddy's bed and dropped down onto it.

Teddy closed his eyes in an attempt to drown out every noise but his best friend's voice.

"Went to your dormitory first, though, I didn't think it'd be this bad!"

"Neither did I," Teddy said softy, his voice as quiet as possible. "I've reached a new high score."

Lioba said nothing, though Teddy could almost see the straight line her mouth was probably forming. The mattress shifted and he felt her lay down next to him.
"If it's any consolation," she whispered as she snuggled closer to Teddy. "We've got matching periods this month!"

The fact alone was no consolation, but they way she said it was.
Only she would keep calling it his period. For four years straight, she'd never referred to it as anything else. And the way she said it so self-explanatory nowadays always made Teddy smile a little.

"Yaaay," he hummed unenthusiastically, his eyes still closed. "Does this mean we'll both skip classes tomorrow?"

"If you want me to," she said immediately, not a trace of humor in her voice. "I'll manage with Madam Pomfrey's potion, but if you want me to stay here in case you need to stay in, I'll do it."

"We've got Potions and History of Magic tomorrow."

"So you're saying that you'll take this excuse to skip?" He could hear her smile.

"We'll see. If it stays like this I don't even know if I can stand up tomorrow."

"Oh shit," Lioba said. From the way the mattress shifted and her head lost contact to his shoulder and neck, Teddy could tell she was propping up her head to look at him properly. "Let's stay distracted, then."

Lioba knew what she was doing. She'd been through all of it with him for a little more than five years. Even when they weren't at Hogwarts, Teddy would stay over at Lioba's home during the full moons, so that her mother - a Healer - could keep an eye on him. Keeping Teddy focused on her voice was distracting him from the pain.

"Did he insult your hair again?"

He didn't even have to ask who 'he' was.
"Nah, he never uses the same insult twice."

A snort sounded and Lioba dropped down, snuggling into Teddy again. "Is it weird that I'm kind of impressed?"

Teddy wore a full grin on his face now, though his eyes were still shut. "I was worried already, because I was thinking the same." He tilted his head even more to snuggle closer to Lioba's neck. She rested her head on his and sighed.

"I was thinking," Teddy continued to fill the silence, "That I could make him teach me. Imagine how I could verbally crush everybody! Especially with this whole drama with Anastasia..."

"Well, I don't even know why you'd want to come up with remarks for her! I'd avoid her, she's way too dumb to even acknowledge smart insults! Not worth the effort. I mean, she's taking your supposed breakup with Victoire far worse than her friend herself! Like, what the actual fuck?!"

Teddy shrugged, but had to flinch at the pain that shot through his ribs at the movement. He hissed sharply, and Lioba immediately sat up straight. Teddy knew that she was eying him, but he still didn't dare open his eyes.
"That's new," he simply murmured through clenched teeth.

"You'll definitely stay in the Hospital wing tomorrow," Lioba said softly, but firm. "As good as the Healers are, they can't make all of the pain disappear. Your case is way too rare for that."

Teddy didn't react.

"I'll join you whenever I'm not in class... Unless you don't want me to go."

"No, it's alright, you can go. I'll sleep most of the time anyway. And we don't want Davies to win your annual battle, do we?"

Lioba chuckled and laid down again. "You're right. Okay then. He's won in Potions already, but I'm ahead in Charms and Defense against the Dark Arts. I might get Herbology, too, you know?"

"No wonder he doesn't like me, if you keep preventing him from being head of all classes." He ignored the sharp pain that was appearing in his left elbow. Weird. He'd never had that before.

"Hey, it's not my fault that he's so competitive!"

"He's competitive!?"

"Oh, shut up!" Teddy knew she would've shoved him away if he hadn't been in such a fragile state. He grinned.... And then he started smelling something. Something sweet and heavenly.

He heard the door to Madam Pomfrey's study open.
Lioba gasped quietly. "You're the best!"

The old Healer chuckled as she carried the tray, filled with several potions and....

"Is that Hot Chocolate I'm smelling?"

"Precisely," the Mediwitch said as she set the tray down on Teddy's nightstand.
Then she put a hand on his forehead.
"Can you not open your eyes, Teddy? Is it that bad?"

Yeah, Teddy was a peculiar case. The Healers didn't really know what to do with him, and only the school's Healer and Lioba's mother had come up with some concepts over the years. Some more and some less effective.

"Depends. How bright is it?"

"I've dimmed the lights. It should be fine."

Teddy took a deep breath, only increasing the sharp pain in his ribcage, and slowly opened one eye to see both Lioba and Madam Pomfrey leaning over him. It was probably too dark for both of them, but the lighting was just fine for Teddy, thankfully not hurting his eyes through sensory overload, so he opened his second eye too.

Lioba was already holding her cup of the hot beverage, and Teddy threw a yearning glance at the cup waiting for him on his bedside table... He knew he'd have to be patient.

"The usual headache?" Madame Pomfrey asked while she inspected his pupils - without using a light, though.

"Yes, just twice as bad..."

The Healer let go of Teddy's head and sighed sympathetically as she tilted her head. "Well, I've already prepared your usual pain medication potion. And if that doesn't help within the next ten minutes, I can try a toned down version of the Wolfsbane Potion... Francisca and I have been talking about it, although we didn't plan to actually use it so soon... But if it's that bad?"

Teddy hated the potions. He hated the fuss and the complications and the extra work he caused, even though everyone told him they didn't mind.

"No, I think I want to try it without the extra measures. I want to save the strong stuff for when it's actually bad..."

"Umm, Ted..." Lioba's eyes followed Madam Pomfrey's hands as she handed Teddy the cup full of his go-to potion.
"You sure? Cause you really look like it already is that bad... Your hair..."

"I know." Teddy stayed calm as he sipped on the not-so-pleasant potion. He refrained from touching his lifeless, not-blue hair. "But I can handle it... I just want to take the sleeping draughts for this night and then I'll have gotten through it."

He downed the rest of the potion and grimaced at the taste, quickly taking the Hot Chocolate and clinking his cup with Lioba's before he used the warm beverage to get rid of the bitter taste in his mouth.

Madam Pomfrey smiled at the pair.
"Make sure you drink the first draught after the Hot Chocolate. And then the second one when you wake up tonight. I'll have new ones waiting there when you wake up tomorrow morning."

Teddy smiled at her, although it was cut short by a wince as a new set of pain overcame him. He still gave a thumbs up.
"Got it, Madam Pomfrey. Thank you."

Then he looked back at Lioba, her dark blue eyes seeing into the dephts of his soul. Though she hid her worries quickly and raised her cup again in mock celebration. "Gotta looove a good period."