Old Friends and New Fancies || THEODORE

Ted was dreaming about Andromeda Black again. Ever since their tutoring session, she was all he thought about, and she'd somehow manage to crawl her way into his dreams, as well.

In this particular dream, Ted was a knight - as he so often was in his dreams, to be honest - who rode a faithful, white steed, wearing a suit of armor, and brandishing a mighty broadsword. This was the standard uniform for Dream Ted, except for that one particular dream in which he goes to Great Hall for breakfast, unaware of the fact that he is completely nude. Of course, that was more of a nightmare, and one he wished would stop showing up. Anyway, he was a knight in this dream, and Andromeda - or Meda, as he affectionately called her - was a princess, locked away in a tower guarded by an army of trolls. All he had to do was defeat the army, rescue her, and they would live happily ever after. A more than do-able task for Dream Ted.

Urging his charger forward, he and the white horse maneuvered easily through the ranks, trampling over them like daisies. If they thought they were a match against Sir Theodore, they were wrong. Soon enough, the princess' love would be his.

Suddenly he was faced with an especially difficult enemy. It was a troll, but a troll that was significantly larger than all the others. The swaggered toward them and swung his massive wooden club. Ted dodged, but it was a close call. He swung his sword, nicking the troll's leg. To his dismay, the troll faltered very little, and instead, swung the wooden club again. This time, he knocked Ted off his horse, and Ted came crashing to the ground. He laid there for a moment, but then gathered his strength and stood up. The troll's stomach gave a fearsome growl, indicating his growing hunger. For a moment, Ted was shaken, but knew that the princess' freedom depended on him. The troll opened it's mouth wide, prepared to eat Ted alive, and--

Ted awoke with a start, still reeling for his vivid dream, but also shaken awake by what appeared to be the bellow of his most tactless friend, Hestia, otherwise known as Tia. One of Ted's roommates flopped over in bed, and mumbled angrily, "Can it blondie! Some of us are trying to sleep." Intermixing between the dormitories was hardly uncommon, it was simply a matter of making sure that no pencil-pushers caught you in the act, something that was a bit difficult considering they were in Ravenclaw House where nerds and brown-nosers abounded. If Tia had been Ted's girlfriend, everyone's cavalier response to it all, might not be quite so... well, cavalier. Regardless, it was no secret that the pair often snuck in and out of one another dormitories for midnight adventures. Ted laughed softly and whispered to his roommate, "Sorry Basil," but the other boy had already fallen back asleep. Ted shot Tia a look of mock disaproval and then grinned. "Another trip to the kitchens, I'm guessing? You just love the perks of my being a prefect, don't you?"

If Tia had been anyone else, Ted would have been enormously embarrassed to be seen the way he was now. He was sporting pajamas with a matching top and bottom; a cotton blend in light blue with fire-hydrant red choo-choo trains printd all over. Inexplicably, the trains all had happy smiley faces and rosy cheeks. His mom had picked them out and apparently thought he was still eight years old. Regardless, he wore them anyway, mostly because they were insanely comfortable. His dark brown hair was a frenzied mess with the back of it sticking up in a massive cow-lick. Because he couldn't see without his glasses, he was squinting, and lastly, he was wearing mis-matched socks. Yes, he was quite the sight to behold at this present moment. But with Hestia, it didn't matter, because she was, without a doubt, his best friend.

Ruffling his hair, Ted smiled. At the sight of Tia he'd practically forgotten he'd been asleep peacefully only just moments before. Friends had a way of doing that. He yawned and then moved to the edge of his bed, sliding his feet into his slippers. At the mention of his child awkwardness, Ted punched her playfully on the arm. "Oh yeah? Well, I happen to recall a little blonde girl who wore a French beret every day know matter what and would always pronounce the word 'squirrels' as sqwellers."

A light laugh escaped his lips, but he couldn't help but make a mental note to keep Tia and Meda from meeting for as long as humanly possible. He couldn't have her knowing that he'd had acne! Not to mention all the other embarrassing tidbits Tia knew about him. He knew his fellow Ravenclaw would never intentionally humiliate him in front of the girl he fancied, but Tia, as much as he loved her, also had a big mouth. It was beyond her feasible control. They were the kind of friends that knew absolutely everthing about each other. They always divulged their deepest desires and secrets; they could practically read each other's thoughts, Ted felt. Ted was relatively popular - at least in the nerd and geek crowd - but he would much rather have a few close friends than a whole posse of them. He thanked Merlin every chance he got that he had a girl as amazing as Hestia in his life.

"Ok, ok. Gotta feed that bottomless pit you call a stomach. Actually, I have some things to fill you in on, anyway." Perhaps it was too soon to say, but Ted was fairly certain he had met the love of his life yesterday. Andromeda Black. He honestly didn't know what Hestia would think of his new crush, but he knew she would be happy for him. He hoped she could give him a fair bit of advice; he desperately needed it. Hopping off his bed, he started out the dormitory and toward the kitchens. Unfortunately, being in a tower, after all, the kitchens were a bit of a trek. However, as much as waking up in the middle of the night bothered him, he loved these nightly walks with Tia. It was always so thrilling to be the only wands walking the corridors, listening to the hushed snoring of the paintings.

A wide grin spread itself across his face, waiting for the inevitable moment Hestia would burst out into her usual, delighted laughter. It was for these reasons that Ted adored her so. She was always bright and cheery, an optimist that could spell his blues away with just that laugh of hers. The charming Ravenclaw always knew the best ways to get Ted to feel better when he was down, knew every conceivable thing about him that no one else did. That was just the sort of thing that happened when you'd known someone for a good deal of your life, and Ted didn't expect that would change anytime soon. Occasionally he feared that they would grow apart some how, that something dreaded or uncomfortable would slip in between them and wreck the strong bond they'd forged. So often friends grew apart, never spoke to each other, and that was that. Often there was no reason at all for it! It just happened, and Ted feared that so much. Usually though, he was able to quell his doubts and remind himself that their friendship was one that would stand the test of time. No matter what.

When Hestia finally burst out laughing, in spite of the slumbering Ravenclaws around them, Ted puffed out his chest in mock pride, hands on his hips in a victorious stance. Then he followed her out into the dark corridors, realizing he'd forgotten his wand in his room. He was relieved though when Hestia flashed hers out, lighting the path for them.

Making their way down the dark corridorso, Ted gave her a wry smile and replied, "I'll tell you everything when we get there and grab something to eat. I'm feeling a bit peckish myself." The journey they took to the kitchens was a bit of a lengthy trek, given that their dormitory was high in the Ravenclaw tower. However, the trip always flew by when he was with Tia. Somehow her company always managed to make time seem meaningless. He remembered when the were little and they would stay up to the wee hours of the morning, discussing every possible subject, hardly aware of the sun peeking above the horizon. Admittedly, they still did that and he felt that they probably always would.

Sighing with relief when they reached the kitchens, Ted immediately stationed himself behind the counter. Ted as a fairly decent chef, at least in his opinion, as his mother had taught he and his sister and brother all the ways of the kitchen when they were young. Sifting through the pantry, he cast a backward glance over his shoulder at tea. "Anything strike your fancy, Tia? I'm thinking a sandwich for myself. Uh... fish and chips... some left over pumpkin pie... roast beef," he began removing the supplies for his sandwich, whipping out a knife and beginning to slather it with honey mustard and mayonnaise. He hadn't realized how ravenous he was! That dream of his had certainly given him quite the hunger.

Ted stuck his tongue out at her jokingly when she called him a fatty. He admitted, he could have quite the appetite, but Hestia here was the last person to be making such accusations. "Speak for yourself," he replied. Assembling his sandwich, Ted took a seat at the counter, feeling the rumbling growls of his stomach growing more and more confident. He shook his head with mock disapproval as she began to slice the new pumpkin pie. "Tsk tsk, Tia. Well, while you're there selfishly taking the new slices for yourself, I will be the grown-up around here and responsibly eat the leftovers." He cut a slice for himself and immediately took a bite. Merlin, how he loved pumpkin pie.

His face reddened when she mentioned Fanny Francis. He could deny it all he wanted, but it was a known fact that the good goody, brown-noser Fanny Francis was madly in love with her. It had all happened their fourth year when he and Fanny were paired together in Divination. She was a bit of an odd one, always going on and on about something or other, and possessing a love affair for the mysterious and occasionally ludicrous art of Divination. As much as she talked though, Ted was always polite and nodded his head, feigning interest, though all he really wanted to do was cut his ears off. He supposed that was why she liked him so, because he was the first person to tolerate her incessant bouts of chatter.

"Are you off your rocker, Tia?" Ted exclaimed with a laugh. Reaching over the counter, he gave his friend a playful shove. Ted didn't consider himself a stud, by any means. Perhaps he had Fanny Francis falling at his feet, but that seemed to be where the list ended. "I think you overestimate my charm. You do realize I've never even had a girlfriend the entire time I've been at Hogwarts, right?" Pausing he added as an after-thought, "Are you still fine with being my date for the formal? Unless, of course, you have someone else in mind." At that, he gave her a suggestive wink. He knew very well though that they would accompany each other. The pair of them were often dateless, perpetual spinsters it seemed. They always took each other as escorts for these kind of formal, black tie affairs. They always managed to have a good time though. Suddenly, the image of Jacen Frost and Andromeda Black dancing together at the ball appeared into his mind. His happy smile faded and he got a distant look in his eye.

Ted cleared his throat. "Actually, that sort of brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about." He wasn't sure why, but he suddenly felt nervous. He shouldn't have been though. After all, he'd divulged every crush he'd ever had to Hestia, and she'd always given him terrific advice. Why would this be any different? "Well, you know how I'm a tutor. The other day I was assigned a new student, and... it was Andromeda Black. Bellatrix's younger sister." To quell his nerves, he took a bite of his sandwich then continued. "She needed help in Potions. And at first, I kind of thought she'd be like her sisters and the rest of the Slytherins. You know, superficial, cold, manipulative. But... she was completely unlike them. She was charming, and sweet, and honest. The time we had together was short, but I'm absolutely certain of one thing now: she's the girl I want to marry."

Making a face of mock surprise, Ted brought his hand to his mouth as if he were gasping. “Me? Really? Oh my! I can't tell you how flattered I am. But what shall I wear?” He flashed her a wide, silly grin before taking another bite of his pumpkin pie. Essentially, this was the best part of his and Hestia' relationship. They were always joking with each other, able to laugh at anything. There was never a dull moment between. While it pained him that he couldn't have Andromeda on his arm for the fall formal, he knew that he and Hestia would have a wonderful time regardless.

Ted had always entertained the notion that should he and Hestia remain perpetual spinsters, that the two of them would rectify the error by marrying one another. It had been a long-standing joke between them, and one that Ted always looked on with fondness. Not because he loved Hestia. He did, but only as a friend. She was the girl he could always count on to make him feel better when he was blue, the girl that knew all of his quirks, and fears, and fancies. They knew every conceivable thing about one another. That's what made a marriage to her sound so appealing. They could stay up late watching bad comedies on Ted's muggle TV. Eat chocolate frogs and jellybeans till their stomachs burst. They would never have to worry about 'breaking up' or 'divorcing' because they knew nothing could tear them apart. It was idyllic, actually. What could be better than spending the rest of your life with your best friend? Ted certainly couldn't think of many things, at least not until he had met the one and only Andromeda Black.

In one simple tutoring session, with one simple look, she had altered his life completely. Now it was she he imagined spending the rest of his life with. It was she he imagined serving breakfast and bed to, she he wanted to take long, peaceful strolls with through the park, she he wanted to kiss, to love forever. How had it taken so long for him to come to this miraculous discovery? It seemed cruel to him that he had only just now met her. Why couldn't she have come into his life earlier. After all, he'd been waiting forever for her, it felt like. Ever since he was little, being read fairy tales by his mother, he dreamed, no longed for the day he would meet the love of his life. If there was anyone he wanted to share this news with, it was his best friend. Surely she's be happy for him.

At the sound of Tia's incredulous laugh, however, Ted had to admit he was a little taken aback. Sure, the idea of him and Andromeda Black together was a little... peculiar. O.K. It was completely absurd. Even Ted was sane enough to admit that. But she was his soul mate, he knew that for certain. Did Tia have to be so callous about it? A reality check wasn't something he had asked for, thank you very much. Nevertheless, he knew she had a point. And she had every right to think this was all some kind of jest on his part. Over the years, Ted had fallen for all sorts of girls, all very different from one another. But Andromeda Black certainly took the cake. Biting his lower lip, Ted looked down at his feet. His embarrassment was a bit evident. What he needed most right now was his best friend's support. Meeting her bewildered, blue-eyed stare, Ted offered an unsure smile. “I know it seems... strange. And no doubt you're thinking this is just another one of my absurd crushes. Just a passing fancy. But I promise you, Tia. I've never felt like this before. I think about her all the time. She's my whole life now.” He glanced away, trying to think of a better way to explain what he was feeling. “Haven't you ever felt that way about someone?”