MISSED CALLS ➡︎ TEDDY LUPIN [2] ✓

liv. GRYFFINDOR COMMON ROOM

Avalon and Victoire had set up on one of the tables in the common room before the flood of students from other houses had arrived, and the blonde turned to her favorite cousin with a wicked grin.

"Alright..." Victoire began, spreading her deck of tarot cards face-down on the table in front of Avalon. "Pick three cards that you feel the most drawn to."

Avalon rolled her eyes and hovered her left hand over the spread of cards, feeling for any that sent some sort of signal.

She had been reading tarot for almost seven years, and she knew how to tell when a card stuck out—it would feel strangely hot or cold to the touch, or it would literally stick to her hands. Sometimes, she would see a certain card and feel in her gut that that was the one.

So as she ran her hand over the deck, she felt a tug on her heart over one in particular. She pointed at it, and Victoire pulled it from the spread.

She chose the other two with relative ease, and once Victoire had retrieved them from the deck, she observed them with a thoughtful expression.

"Alright, so we've got the world, the star, and... the lovers." Victoire said, smirking slightly.

Avalon knew what that meant, and she sighed, leaning back onto her elbows in preparation for her reading.

"You're in a fulfilling, positive relationship. It'll bring you harmony and happiness. Very limited trauma, I'm sensing. Although I'm also sensing you might be holding something back from him—maybe a secret? An unsaid confession of love, perhaps?" Victoire said with raised eyebrows, looking like she already knew and was just asking for confirmation.

Avalon shoved her cousin. "He told you?" She said, almost like an accusation.

"No, he didn't tell me. Clarissa did." Victoire replied.

"I forgot you two were friends." Avalon grumbled.

Victoire reached across the table and grabbed the redhead's hands. "Av, I love you. You're one of my favorite people, and I know things were rocky between us when Teddy and I were a thing—I'm still sorry about that, by the way. If I'd known you liked him I would never have gone out with him, even if he was using me to get over you.

"But you need to tell him if you love him. He deserves the truth. And I know why you haven't yet. Because trust me, my mum and dad are the same way and every relationship pales in comparison to theirs. But someone like Teddy only comes along once in a lifetime. I don't want you letting him get away because you're scared to tell him you love him."

"You act like he'll break up with me just because I haven't told him I love him yet." Avalon said, not meeting Victoire's eyes. But then another thought popped into her head. "Wait, you knew he liked me, even back then?"

Vic laughed cynically. "Oh, please. Everyone knew he liked you."

Avalon was about to respond, but Beth came thundering down the stairs from the girls' dormitory and looked at the set of cousins expectantly.

"Well?" She said, doing a quick spin to show off her outfit. "How do I look?"

Avalon laughed. "You look like you're out of my brother's league."

Frowning, Beth replied, "You really are so mean to him! He's not that bad once you get to know him!"

"He calls me ugly on a daily basis! And he's my brother. I would like to think I know him fairly well!"

—

The rest of Avalon's cousins and siblings arrived a little while later, and when Oliver came into the Gryffindor common room, Teddy was surprisingly not with him.

"Where's Teddy?" Was the first thing Avalon said to her older brother as he came into the room and began to pour himself a drink.

Oliver sighed. "Your boyfriend decided he didn't like what he was wearing—said it 'wasn't good enough' to be hanging out with your friends." He punctuated a few of his words with air quotations, and the grumpy look on his face told her that he still wasn't too thrilled about his best friend dating his sister.

The remaining members of the Gryffindor quidditch team, as well as most of the upperclass students from her house, came down the stairs, and Clarissa immediately went to hug Victoire. The two chatted in the corner for a while while the rest of the group hung around.

"So?" Alaina and Josephine said at the same time, looking at Avalon excitedly.

"Are you going to tell him?" The latter girl asked.

Avalon looked over her shoulder at Victoire. Her cousin had given her a shockingly good pep talk; she was still scared, terrified, even, to admit how she felt to him, but the reassurance Vic had given her was enough to give her the courage to do it.

She nodded. "Yeah. When he gets here, I'll tell him."

Teddy arrived only a few moments after the words left her mouth, and she bit back a grin.

"What're you waiting for, idiot?" Alaina said, shoving Avalon. "Go get your man!"

She did as she was told, flipping off the pair as she walked away.

"Hey, pretty girl." Teddy said, pulling her into him.

Avalon heard his heartbeat racing as her ear was pressed to his chest; he was nervous, she realized. Probably just as nervous to have this conversation as she was.

She pulled back and took a moment to look him over. He wore a pair of black jeans, a green t-shirt, and a pair of Vans. He looked ridiculously good.

"Alright, so, I'm going to say a few things and you're going to listen, yeah?" He said just as she was about to speak. She shut her mouth and nodded. "Okay. So, I really am sorry for dropping the bomb on you like that. I get that you weren't ready for it, and I'm prepared to back off until you're ready.

"But I do have to tell you that I really, truly love you. I'm not saying it to hear it back—you just deserve to know how I feel." He finished with a deep breath, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Avalon tried to fight off a wide smile, but she was unsuccessful. "Teddy Lupin, you're an idiot."

"Uh, why?"

She rolled her eyes and grabbed his face with both hands. "Because I bloody love you! Have since I was six. I'm surprised you haven't noticed by now." She said quietly enough for just the two of them to hear.

He went pale. "I—Really?"

"Yeah."

She pulled his face towards her and kissed him hard on the lips to drive her point home, and he was left smiling dumbly, looking happier than she'd ever seen him.

alternatively titled: avalon and teddy are simps