The Enemy of my Enemy

The Christmas Present

Other than Halloween, Christmas was Teddie's favourite holiday of the year. On Christmas she was allowed to upturn her entire house and decorate it with tinsel, baubles, lights, and a tree to make it a little more joyful and festive. The tradition had even continued after she went to Hogwarts.

In her first year she had witnessed Hagrid, the gamekeeper lugging two massive trees up the castle and displaying them in the Great Hall for Professor Flitwick to decorate using his Charms knowledge. Upon asking, she had acquired permission to decorate the tree — much to his surprise as Students normally didn't want to get involved — and every year since she and her friends would help out.

This year was going to be no different. Despite the fact that they were in lockdown, Teddie still wanted to maintain some normalcy in hers and Mason's life, and after the incident that was her birthday she felt that she had to make it up to her brother somehow.

In retrospect, she didn't remember the Halloween incident at all. It was just like her first year at Hogwarts, where she had beaten up Draco Malfoy after her had made fun of her for being poor and bad-mouthed her brother for being a Muggle. She had seen red and just lunged for him, her memory of the day was clouded as she could remember crashing into him, but not beating the crap out of him until Professor Snape had pulled her off.

The same went for Halloween. She could remember sitting in the conservatory with Caroline, she could remember pacing and getting angrier and angrier about Avery... and then nothing. The next thing she remembered was Theo standing in front of her holding her hands between his own, and then he had kissed her.

Teddie smiled bashfully at the memory.

"What you smiling at?" Marcus asked, dropping an unopened box beside the sofa.

"Nothing," said Teddie, shaking her head. She turned to her friend. "Is that the last box?"

"Nope. Mason and Theo are coming with the last two," said Marcus. He squatted down and turned the box to face him, allowing him to read the label on the side. "These are for the tree. You sure you don't want me to get -"

"Nope. I want to do this," Teddie interrupted. "I used to do it all the time at home and at school. I want to continue to do it now."

Marcus shrugged. "Why not," he said. He knew better than to argue. "You going to tell me why you were smiling like an idiot?"

"I told you; it was nothing."

"Huh-uh. You sure it weren't because of what happened?"

Teddie rolled her eyes. She hated how he was able to read her. "I was hiding my true feelings for so long because I didn't know if he felt the same way," she said.

"Are you kidding me? Theo has been in love with you for years," said Marcus. "Everyone could see that."

"Everyone except me."

"Well, love is blind to everyone but those in love."

Teddie shook her head. "I didn't even know I was in love with him until I was fifteen," she admitted. "I just knew that I loved him since long before that."

"We don't all know until we're ready," said Marcus. "Mum said she didn't fall in love with Dad until her seventh year."

"But didn't they get married straight out of school?"

Marcus nodded.

"Whoa."

Marcus chuckled and pulled her into a side hug. "Point is, you and Theo were meant for each other," he said. "Everyone could see it from the get-go. So don't feel guilty for not admitting it until you were sure."