𝗽𝗶𝘅𝗶𝗲 𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁, teddy lupin

˗ˋ 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
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-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH MAPS ARE PROCURED

. . .

"One updated map for you!" 

Celeste Weasley was stood by the end of the Hufflepuff table, the area that seemed to have become a set area for the new first years. Further up the table, the students didn't care about anything like that.

In front of her sat little Alice Longbottom, who was staring up, wide-eyed at the girl. Her inappropriate-for-school heels had her towering up above the group, and one arm lay across her waist, hiding the corset belt that McGonagall had been eyeing since she had seen her since earlier that morning. 

"Oh.. thank you." Alice smiled, hurrying to take the piece of parchment from her. 

"No worries, I made sure to make just a few notes in the margins - oh, especially this classroom right.. here." Celeste had bent down just slightly, a green-painted nail pointing at a room surrounded with a red circle. 

"What's in there?" Alice sat up a little, shifting in her seat to try and get an even better look. "Is it something special?" 

"Remember how Teddy told you how I might not want to talk to you because of my 'clique' or whatever - that is completely untrue by the way." Celeste managed to slide into a seat beside the younger girl, elbow resting on the table and pushing her temple up with her hand. 

"Yes.. he said about it being full of Slytherins." The Longbottom girl looked almost guilty as she recited what Teddy had told her. It wasn't a lie, but there was no doubt Teddy had seen it as an opportunity to joke around. 

"That's true. But haven't you heard, this isn't what it was like last year. I'm a Weasley, not only am I seen as a blood traitor to the elitist purebloods but part veela as well. I'm so tainted you might as well call me the Diadem of Ravenclaw. Things are different these days, so I was thinking that I could perhaps start incorporating others into the traditions." Celeste smiled. "I'm the so-called 'Queen' of Slytherin, but that title extends to the rest of the school, so why couldn't a Hufflepuff be a part of it. You could start something new. Think about it, alright?"

"I will do." Alice nodded, eyes wide at such an idea. "And if I decide I want to.. I go to this room?"

"At precisely ten tomorrow morning - that's when the twenty minute break is, right? And even if we go over, well I'll hand out excuses when we get there." Celeste grinned, patting Alice on the cheek before standing up. "Have a think, Alice." 

The girl nodded, watching as the fifth year began towards the Slytherin table, only to halt in her tracks, her eyes focused on a certain sixth year with turquoise hair.

"Edward Remus Lupin!" Her voice rose above the low chatter of students arriving into the hall for the hour study period before dinner. In front of her, in the midst of his group of similarly-sorted friends. 

"Uh oh." Beside Teddy, Bridget's brother Adonis grinned, shaking his head when he saw Celeste stalking up the aisle between the tables. "Someone's in trouble." 

"Shut up." Teddy's eyes were wide as he nudged his friend. But then, moments later a grin was crossing his face as well. "Looks like another Weasleys' on a warpath." 

"Don't smirk like that you look like an idiot." Celeste ignored the jeers of his friends, grabbing onto the Hufflepuff's forearm and out of the hall.

"Do we really have to have any conversation we have in private?" Teddy's expression died and was replaced with a smile. "How was your first day as queen?"

"Mediocre." Celeste puilled him down into a corridor, slumping against the wall. "Every time I step into the hall there's a group of girls staring at me. I need to set up a meeting with all of them."

"And you couldn't wait until seven until you saw me properly?" Teddy cocked an eyebrow, watching as the girl in front of him grew to look rather confused. "Last night, stood at the end of the hall? Before McGonagall sent everyone to bed?"

"Oh.. of course, yeah." Celeste nodded, finger reaching to twist a finger around the bottom of a ginger hair. "Sorry.. I've been busy."

"It's the first day of term. You're gonna kill yourself if you keep this up." Teddy rocked back on the balls of his feet. "But it's fine, we don't have to meet up later.. just confused on why you didn't wait." 

"No, we can, it's fine. The empty classroom at the end of the sixth floor corridor." Celeste grinned, letting of her hair and reaching to take the end of Teddy's tie, curling it around her thumb before tugging on it. "I just wanted to know why you told Alice Longbottom that I wouldn't speak to her. Why I would be too busy with my clique, as you call it." 

"I honestly thought you would be too busy." Teddy shrugged. "I'm sorry, seems like I underestimate just how well you divide your time."

"Yeah.. well say that to me come June time." Celeste smiled, standing up and letting go of his tie. "I should go back. Bring your art stuff to the classroom, you can help me make my Quidditch tryouts poster and invitations to the classroom." 

"Tonight? How many have you got to make?"

"Far too many. And I have to deliver them tonight." Celeste called back to him, pausing at the end of the corridor. "I'll bring you a tie, so you can sneak into the Common Room and help me with that as well."

"Would you look at that, a prefect and the Slytherin queen, breaking rules for a lowly Hufflepuff Lupin like me." Teddy watched as she left, a sigh leaving his lips as he fiddled with the end of his far-too-loose tie. 

He had meant what he said. If Celeste continued like this, then it really would lead her to an early grave.

But she had never been one to let others tell her what to do.

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