Half-breeds at Hogwarts: PART 1 [COMPLETED]

8: The Carmine Concoction

Teddy was still in hospital and it was going on into the second week. Lila wanted to see him, but fear kept Lila only to the busiest routes through the school. She didn't dine in the Great Hall anymore. Instead she had food parcels delivered by owl. Most of these snacks went stale as Lila contemplated Tom's diabolical plan.

Both Tom and Lila were social pariahs. Whenever Lila couldn't avoid seeing him, she saw that the usual group of twittering girls surrounding him had vanished. His former teammates didn't even look in his direction, and he had obviously been banned from the Quidditch team.

People acted like any space Lila was occupying was empty. The evenings without Professor Biddable's list stretched out in tedious, fear-soaked hours. Lila wrote home, finally at her wit's end:

Mother, the W. cannot protect me here. I need to come home. Lila.

After waiting a week with no response, Lila had stopped sleeping through the night. Perhaps her letter had been intercepted? Perhaps the Circle had already killed her parents? Lila sat at a window in the common room and watched the skies for an owl to bring her news. Lila was so caught up she didn't even notice the uproar that filled the room.

"Lila?" a voice asked softly.

Lila turned to see Teddy standing in front of her, smiling sheepishly. Lila stood to hug him. As she looked at his handsome face, a few wisps of blue hair hanging on his forehead, and his eyes sparkling at the sight of her, Lila's eyes filled with tears.

"It's ok Lila," Teddy said pulling her into a tight hug. "I'm ok, all better...."

Lila wished she was more relieved to see that Teddy was fine, but she knew what she really wanted. Lila sobbed as she held onto Teddy, feeling rueful and wretched. That night before Lila fell asleep, she reassured herself that she had no choice - she would have to break Teddy's heart.

***

Lila played the part of a doting sweetheart. She went to watch Teddy at Quidditch. She stayed up with him in the evenings in the common room, giving him a store of obscure facts on magical creatures for his DADA essays. She found it easy to be friends with him and laughed wholeheartedly at his jokes, but whenever an opportunity came to sneak a touch or go the extra mile, Lila took it with the intention to steal his heart.

Teddy was hosting a party for his Quidditch team, to bolster morale before the rematch against Slytherin. Lila strung up decorations and made beautiful party favours in the colours of yellow and black. Before the party, Lila fastened Teddy's tie with a flick of her wand and the tie looped itself into a precise half Windsor knot. Lila stroked his face. How would she know if he loved her? Teddy kissed Lila swiftly and dashed off.

At the start of March, Lila asked Teddy to take her to the library. She walked hand in hand with him down the corridors.

"Is Professor Slughorn working you hard?" Teddy asked Lila in a hushed voice as she scanned the potions section in the library.

"No, this is something extracurricular," Lila replied.

Teddy placed a kiss on her forehead and said, "Beauty and brains - how did I get so lucky?"

Lila smiled back at Teddy and was immediately lost in thought. Lila could tell Teddy was fond of her. But how could she guarantee that he was in love with her? She couldn't ask him. It might push him away. He might even lie to her. Lila thought it was unlikely that Teddy was untrustworthy. Then again, Lila thought, boys could do strange things when ruled by their urges. Lila wondered about those urges and if Teddy was compelled by any of them. He had been a perfect gentleman to her during all their trysts.

Lila went back to her search. Madam Pince, the gaunt-faced librarian, had been of some assistance; she had provided Lila with a list of relevant books. Every book that Lila had eventually tracked down so far wasn't of any use. She had learnt nothing more about Tom's concealment potion. 

"I've got to dash," Teddy said as he slipped an arm around Lila's shoulders. "Come have dinner with me in the Great Hall tonight?"

Lila was thinking that perhaps it was time to take more drastic action with Teddy. She looked over his tall frame and muscled arms, and readied herself, taking a small breath.

Giving Teddy a coy look, while wrapping her arms around his neck, Lila asked, "How about we have dinner alone?"

That evening Lila waited in the Come-and-Go room. She had brought food from the kitchens, a spread of different things, and was wearing a black chiffon dress with a short slip dress underneath.

"Is all this for me?" said Teddy entering through the door and his jaw dropped.

The room had transformed magnificently. It looked like a sumptuous hotel, a mix of a fancy dining room and bedroom. Lila sashayed over to Teddy holding glasses of wine.

"Wine on a weeknight?" Teddy asked, as Lila threw the contents of her glass down her throat.

"Just a little something to get us more comfortable," Lila replied, as Teddy put their glasses aside.

Teddy pressed himself against Lila and said, "I'd hate to be making you uncomfortable."

Lila laughed, took hold of Teddy's hand and said, "You are so adorable. Are you hungry?" 

"Yes, I'm starving. What's on the menu?"

Lila glanced up at Teddy through her eyelashes and came in for a kiss.

"Me," Lila whispered, and she leapt, light as a panther, onto Teddy's waist. She wrapped her arms and legs around him. Teddy held her tight and started walking backwards.

Lila didn't know if he was walking towards the bed or the dining table. Lila wasn't sure how she really felt about either option.

As they moved past the serving cart, Teddy broke free from Lila. He lifted a lid on a tureen, and gave it a big sniff.

"Butternut soup, my favourite," Teddy exclaimed.

Lila gave Teddy a big smile, not sure if she felt relief or disappointment, and pulled a chair out for him at a beautifully laid table. Lila dished supper and insisted sincerely on hearing every detail about his day.

"... And then when I went to prune the Venomous Tentacula, it caught me by the ankle and dangled me on the roof of the greenhouse. Professor Longbottom helped me out pretty quickly though. That guy is seriously cool. He shot a few spells and the next thing I knew I was back at my bench; the plant was hiding away, and my watering can even hopped back into place and refilled itself..."

"I feel like I've made a mistake skipping Herbology. Professor Longbottom really sounds amazing," Lila said. "By the way, do you have space left for dessert?"

Teddy glanced at his watch and frowned. "I've got so many Quidditch practices to get through this week. This sucks, but I really need to get going."

"So, we could do this again?" Lila asked.

"I can't wait," Teddy said, and Lila thought she saw his eyes drift to the bed.

When Lila exited out of the room a few minutes behind Teddy, she surreptitiously cast a Disillusionment charm on herself to turn invisible. She found Teddy standing face to face with Tom on the stairs, barely any difference in their heights. Lila stood behind a bust of Prospero who was mumbling in Italian. The boys were staring at each other in silence. Tom had Teddy fixed with a hard stare and Teddy was blankly looking back at Tom. Was Tom casting Legilimens on Teddy to read his mind? Did Tom even have to use a spell to read minds? The unbroken eye contact was suspicious. There was something that Tom wanted to find out from Teddy. Lila thought perhaps it was time she did her own reconnaissance on Tom.