business as usual || open
ambitious-alvarez:
Carter blinked in shock, confused by the seemingly random question. Not only had it come out of nowhere, but it also felt like the answer should be obvious. Carter had to remind himself that this was the same boy who didnât know which students were on the quidditch teams, and who hadnât even known Josh Matthews. ButâŠthe Head Boy badge rarely, if ever, left Carterâs uniform - he hadnât taken it off his cloak since he had received it in the mail. It meant a great deal to him. It was then that Carter realized he had left his cloak in his dorm room in order to keep it clean. Judging by the state of the rest of his uniform, that had been a wise decision. âUh, yes. I am. Why?â He asked curiously, his brow furrowing slightly. With a small nod, Carter glanced down at the ground. âWell, perhaps itâs that then,â He said kindly, smiling slightly to avoid biting his lip again.
Glancing back up, Carter chuckled at Teddyâs reply. He wanted to ask what excuse he had used to get out of lessons, but that felt a little rude. If Teddy wanted him to know, he would tell him. So, Carter kept his mouth shut and let it go, resolving that it probably wasnât a big deal anyway. âThe Olympics are pretty entertaining! Iâm afraid I donât watch all of it, though. Only a few sports,â The water sports were usually the most interesting to Carter. He wasnât much of a swimmer himself; he hated swimming in unclear or murky waters like the lake. He did enjoy watching the divers, though. They were always so graceful; almost as amazing as the gymnasts. Carter watched them as well, of course. âI suppose that could be true. I would think it would be less frightening for students to know if they had found someone, though. I would certainly feel more at ease,â He wasnât particularly worried, though he could understand the concern others had. Some parents hadnât wanted their children to return to school, which did make some sense. Carterâs parents hadnât felt that way, though; they knew Hogwarts was probably the safest place for all of them, now.
âSure,â Carter grinned, feeling himself get swept up in Teddyâs excitement. It couldnât hurt to stay in shape, even if Carter wasnât over the moon with the idea. Plus, Teddy seemed like a really nice guy, and it was always good to make more friends. âYes, of course. Thatâs fine. Youâre the expert here,â Carter pointed out. He didnât know where the best places to run were, so he was relying on Teddyâs expertise. He trusted Teddy to make the right call on this. A shiver ran down Carterâs spine, making him nod in agreement with Teddy. âThat sounds like a good idea,â He said, looking around one more time to be sure he had grabbed all of his books before he followed Teddy. âNo, of course not. It was informative, really,â Carter reassured, rubbing his thinly covered arms and mentally cursing his decision to leave without his robe again. âThatâs definitely true. I understand that thereâs only so much time in the day for classes, but it would be helpful for all of us to have a more rounded education. Iâd love to take some Muggle subjects,â Carter agreed. âI should try to read more outside of classes like you do. It definitely wouldnât hurt.â Perhaps he should owl his mother and ask her to pick up some Muggle books on Political Science. They would certainly help him in the long-run. At Teddyâs words, Carter glanced over at him with a small grin on his face. âThank you.â
Teddy shrugged, âWell I wasnât sure, and I just thought itâd be best to ask instead of wonder.â He was now truly embarrassed by his question. Who doesnât know who the Head Boy is? Itâs quite the title for a student to hold. He could tell that heâs embarrassed himself by Carterâs look of shock at his question. Teddy laughs at Carterâs next statement. âWell as Head boy, and surely involved in plenty of clubs, I find it hard to believe youâre ever bored.â Teddy notes quietly, rubbing the back of his neck, worried the other boy would take offense to his words.
As he watches Carter bring his head back up, he is relieved that he doesnât inquire any further into his absence from flying lessons. Some people  surely would, and it would leave Teddy in an extremely uncomfortable situation. Which he often ends up floundering more in, his mind jumping from one thing to the next, consumed by anxiety and fear. âThe Olympics are, truly. I can understand, some of the sports they do can be quite boring.â Teddy tells him. Teddy himself isnât a huge fan of the fencing, boating, or archery things. He is much more interested in the flashier sports that are shown, along with volleyball and gymnastics and the like. Ice skating is also quite amazing, and in Teddyâs opinion, one of the most physically exerting sports there is. âYeah, but it hasnât been very long, and from what Iâve heard, not much has been found so far as to who did it or why.â Teddy himself is more at ease when he is by himself, almost always, but with the news of Joshuaâs death, even more so. He doesnât find himself desiring to be surrounded by people, one of whom may have been the killer in this crime. He knows his mother almost had him stay home, and transfer to Beauxbatons for the rest of his studies, but he had assured her that nothing would happen to him, and that he would run and floo home immediately at anything else occurring
.âI wouldnât call myself an expert in much of anything,â Teddy notes, somewhat quietly, not really meaning the let the words come out. Except for being by yourself, his mind supplies, not very helpfully. âBut I appreciate that you think that.â He adds with a wide smile, probably the largest heâs given anyone besides Isadora since returning to Hogwarts. Carter is very easy to talk to and he doesnât seem like one to start judging Teddy all of a sudden, and he seems genuine enough. Teddy has always been put off by fake or manipulative people. They set him on edge, more so that he usually is, always having him second guess himself and them. âThatâs good then.â He says, happy to help someone learn more about topics they donât often hear about. Teddy sees Carter rubs his arms and without realizing it, has already taken off his sweatshirt, leaving only a zipped jacket with another sweatshirt underneath left. âIf youâre cold,â Teddy says, having no other option now but to see if Carter wants to wear it. âYeah, I agree. Personally, I think it would be nice to learn things such as English, for proper grammar and such, or maybe even just normal maths classes.â He says with a shrug. âI could loan you a few of the books I have. Iâve read all but the Psychology books I just had owled in.â Teddy tells him, happy to let Carter have a crack at more broad and interesting topics. âI have a lot though, so Iâd have to like test you a list or something. Canât remember all off the top of my head.â
