Ted Tonks - Seventh Year - Hufflepuff

Theodore Tonks. Though, I assure you, 'Ted' will do just fine. Seventeen years of age and a member of the Hufflepuff house. One of two Beaters for our Quidditch team, and recently made Captain. So watch yourself on the pitch! If we all listened to a little Rock n' Roll and learned to enjoy the little things, the world would be pristine. If you can play an instrument, or if you just enjoy music, you're already perfect enough for me. If you can't? Just prove that you're up for a good time and I'll love you equally. I'm always up for an adventure, and I expect you to be too! So be ready and try to keep up!

[slytherinandromedablack-blog]

A Session in Music ¦¦ Ted and Andromeda

[slytherinandromedablack-blog]

Ted’s compliment made her shift uncomfortably. She hadn’t been fishing for compliments when she had said it, she simply didn’t want to seem futile, relying on his help for everything. “That is an… optimistic way to think of it. A true Hufflepuff at heart.” She gave a breathy chuckle. “I guess you’re right.” Andromeda raised a finger to her lips as she thought, although she had never purposely listened to the song, she was familiar with it. The few times she had heard it on the radio, she had noted what the lyrics were, relating to them as she had brown eyes. Sometimes when the song began to play on the radio, she’d imagine a tall, dark, handsome boy singing it to her, enthralled with her beauty, wanting to win her heart. It was a typical girl fantasy and when the song would end, she’d laugh at herself for being so cliché. She didn’t know if it would be strange to do a duet with Ted with a song about love. It was true, most songs were about love, but somehow Brown Eyed Girl felt more personal.  ”Once or twice.” She smiled at him, being blasé.

She walked over towards the stack of guitars and picked up the one that sent the least intimidating vibes to her. She strummed it with her fingers, hoping musical talent would come easily to her. When the guitar strings spat out an unpleasant noise, she looked up at Ted and laughed. “It’s a good thing we have a couple of days to finish this assignment. I’m not really a natural at this.” Andromeda looked at Ted then nodded towards the pile of guitars. “I hope you can live up to the reputation you’ve got of your guitar playing. Rumour has it, you even had a Slytherin dancing to your guitar playing. Although, I am a harsher critic than she is, so don’t be offended if I can resist the charm.” Her last words came out bitterly. Ted did have an infectious charm, something that Andromeda had noticed and been unable to resist at the pitch. She didn’t like how his charm could make her feel so at ease with him. He could probably make anyone feel that way with him, he was just one of those people. Even before, when she had mocked his guitar, Ted displayed no anger or maliciousness like she expected. He didn’t even throw a rude quip back at her, to make it equal. It was bizarre to Andromeda as that was the typical Slytherin behaviour she was around all the time. Her eyes scanned over his face. It was so innocent looking, no traces of resentment or hatred at all. Just a big, genuine smile that reached his eyes and made Andromeda unconsciously smile back.

[thetedtonks-blog]

He was pleased that Andromeda seemed to know the song he'd been referencing. He thought over the lyrics briefly, and wondered if he hadn't been too forward. As was typical, Ted shrugged the matter to the outsirts of his mind. He'd already made his decision and there was no use worrying about things that were already said and done. Ted's eyes followed the Slytherin as she made away around the table and selected a guitar for reasons unbeknownst to him. He shrugged, though this time visibly. If prompted, he doubted very much if he'd be able to explain his natural inclinations towards one thing over another. As she strummed the chords, in what could only be described as not-so-graceful, Ted's face lit up with a smile as she began speaking. "Don't even worry yourself for a second. I remember the first time I picked up a guitar..." He cringed at the memory. It had been his father's, and Ted had become aggravated almost immediately that he couldn't reproduce the same tunes his father was capable of. 

Ted sensed something off in Andromeda's voice as she spoke of his 'charm'. He wasn't quite sure how to address the matter just yet, so instead he chose to remark upon something else she had said. "As for my reputation..." Ted looked away from her for a moment, bringing his right hand up behind his head and nervously scratching the hair there, "Don't let it proceed me." Though Ted did enjoy being the center of attention, and knew it would be naive to believe he didn't possess musical talent, he wasn't one who took compliments in stride. Though he was intrigued by the fact that it appeared Andromeda and Emma were sharing words concerning him. Looking back towards her eyes, Ted had finally come up with a way to address his apparent charm. "And we'll see about you resisting. I've heard it's pretty hard to do. Must be my winning smile." As he spoke in this obnoxiously albeit mocking conceited way, Ted couldn't help that so called 'winning smile' from appearing just before he rolled his eyes at himself. "Anyways. Grab a seat!" Ted motioned towards an empty desk, "I'll show you some necessary notes." He walked towards a desk and, instead of sitting elegantly on one of the chairs, plopped himself atop the desk itself while wrestling his guitar from its fabric case. 

[spoilme-emmavanity-blog]

Puff on the Pitch || Ted and Emma

[spoilme-emmavanity-blog]

Emma had doubled around, trying to shake the Bludger and get back to the falling Quaffle. She successfully caught up the Quaffle and then moves back upward, aiming for his posts once again.

And then the bastard is suddenly flying right past her, nearly causing a collision. She tries to pull back, deaccelerate. Doing so only succeeds in two things: giving the Bludger behind her time to catch up and put her in the direct path of the ball of charmed iron that was hot on Tonk’s broom bristles.

“Fuck!” she exclaims as she hears twin whistles growing louder faster than Emma can react. With no time to deliberate, Emma ushers her broom to lift higher, hoping desperately that she can clear out and let the two Bludgers meet with a crack. However, she is not as fast as the harbingers of pain. The Bludger flying from behind her goes past below her but the second catches her in the left thigh, right above her knee. It hurts like a bitch but she’d prepared for it, bracing for impact. Still, she cries out at the sudden throb of pain as the force of the Bludger’s hit sends her rolling.

Between the pain in her leg and trying to right her broom and maintain her altitude, Emma’s arm slackens and the Quaffle is lost. Ted Tonks was smarter than Emma gave him initial credit for and used her speed against her. Gritting her teeth, Emma’s still moving forward as she spins and tries to force her broom to level out. The bludger that hit her still tears off after Tonks while the one that had been hot on her broom doubles back toward her, now aiming for a head-on collision if she doesn’t do something quick.

Spinning, Emma finally finds her equilibrium in the movement and continues it as she veers to the right, just as the Bludger blasts past her. Robes billowing, Emma levels out of her spinning and sees Ted with the Quaffle under his arm and already halfway down the pitch. A string of curses leave Emma’s lips as she pushes off after him, hearing the Bludger nearing yet again. As she moves, she flexes the muscle in her thigh and flinches at the pain she’s met with. However, she doesn’t think anything broke; only bruised. A Bludger can do damage but the femur is the strongest bone in the body and they’re flying without the force of a Beater’s swing propelling them faster.

Ted Tonks, you crafty bloody wanker.

[thetedtonks-blog]

Ted couldn't help but cringe at the word 'fuck' followed by a heavy thwack of ball meeting flesh. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, a Bludger managing to tackle you, but Ted wasn't going to allow sympathy to ruin his game. He'd grown, as always, more competitive as soon as he found himself on his broom. He'd learned many years ago that sympathy didn't have a place on the Pitch, least of all for the team's Beaters. As he had prepared to do, Ted twisted around and raced towards the Quaffle that was now unpossessed by either player. 

He soon changed that fact, however, as he caught the ball and wedged it between his elbow and arm. Without so much as a backwards glance, he was gone. Emma would be tied up, if only momentarily, and every second counted. For, naturally she was going to win this match, but he could at least prevent it from being a massacre. In fact, if he could even land one more goal, Ted would be pleased. He'd entered this competition with no serious notion that he'd leave it the victor, but the amount of goals he had landed was at least somewhat admirable against a naturally talented Chaser such as Emma. 

He reached the goals, and could practically feel Emma closing in. She wasn't going to be happy, he knew, and so threw the ball without hesitating. Without an obnoxious Keeper halting his progress, Ted knew he'd manage to score without having too much of an issue. However, as his hand was in front of him, having just launched the Quaffle, he'd forgotten an important detail. With the adrenaline of the game pulsating throughout his body and the unfamiliar feeling of the Quaffle wedged tightly between his arm, Ted had forgotten the murderous black balls roaming the Pitch seeking blood for only a second.

Unfortunately, a second was all it took for a Bludger to cause harm. Ted was crudely reminded of the Bludger's existence as soon as he saw the Quaffle ring through the hoops, the black Bludger found his hand in midair. With yet another sickening crunch, Ted's hand was almost torn from his arm. Loosing several feet of altitude, Ted reflexively drew his hand to his chest. Forgetting, momentarily, about the game, he began massaging his fingers and clenching and unclenching his hand into a fist. Thankfully, because of the free reign his hand had had through the air upon impact, Ted had avoided any broken bones. However, he knew it'd hurt something fierce throughout the next few days without some kind of medical attention soon. 

Still, the game was afoot Ted realized with a start. There wasn't time to feel pain. He turned in midair to see what had become of Emma and that damned Quaffle, reminding himself to keep an eye out for the Bludgers in the process. 

[thetedtonks-blog]

Shattered Diamonds || Alastor and Ted

[thetedtonks-blog]

thathufflepuffkid:

Alastor nodded at his friend’s observation of how the fire was ‘fed’ by their responses. 

“Don’t worry, mate, it was just a reflex, there was no way you were to know.” He paused, arm slung over Ted’s shoulder. “And if I couldn’t work out how to fix it, how were you supposed to?” He added, pretending to act thoughtful but instead erupting in laughter. They’d began walking down the corridor, Alastor listening to Ted’s string of unrelated questions and trying his best to formulate answers, when he realized they’d arrived, not all that surprisingly, at the not-secret-amongst-hufflepuffs entrance to the kitchen. 

“Well…” Alastor began as the large painting swung open, behind which a hot breath carrying the homely aroma of the kitchens, a smell of wood fires and cinnamon, roasting chickens and just a hint of warm wine, greeted both of them. It was an entirely pleasant atmosphere that they stepped into, and another thing for Alastor to add to his list of reasons he’d miss Hogwarts greatly.

“… you’re going to kill me, but I was talking to Emma Vanity the other night, do you know her? She’s chaser for Slytherin. I sort of walked straight into her and we ended up talking and… drinking.”  He paused, dwelling on the memory. “She’s not at all what you’d expect, I have to say.”

Not waiting for whatever reaction Ted might have to this revelation, he continued. “Ancient runes is a pain in the back side, but my father says it’s necessary, magical theory is fine, quite interesting though somewhat stale.” Alastor seemed to be deciding whether or not to indulge his friend in the next piece of information. “And I sort of reacquainted with Narcissa, the other day during my free period. I don’t know what to think about that.”  

The banter of house elves was both lively and quite distracting, and not very coherant either. They worked away on their various stations in the hot, steaming and completely surreal kitchen that splayed out infront of the two Hufflepuffs. The 5 tables, identical to those in the Great Hall above, sat empty, awaiting being lavished with dishes to be transported to the tables above. It was known  widely that the houselves of the kitchen were quite open to Hufflepuffs making themselves at home here, so long as they were kind and didn’t take too much food or gave the secret entrance away to too many other people. 

Alastor palmed a cooling cinnamon roll from a rack to his left, one of the elves giving him a look of distate but going back to his work of rolling out pastry for tonights meal. 

“What did you want my opinion on?” Alastor managed around a mouthful of hot, fluffy pastry. 

The door swung towards them, carrying a rich smell that immediately set Ted's mouth watering in anticipation. Truly, the kitchens had become one of his favorite hubs throughout his years at Hogwarts. Not only was the aroma rich with varying flavors each and every visit, but the House Elves who occupied the vast room catered to Ted's every fanciful edible desire. He listened as his friend spoke, keen to hear rather than to be heard in this moment. Though Ted was, admittedly, a talker, he also employed the opposite skill in equal amounts. His eyes opened slightly wider at Alastor mentioning his Slytherin company, though Ted continued to allow his fellow Hufflepuff time to explain. It wasn't really like the students of Salazar and Helga to get along quite so easily, but this year was proving to change that stereotype. Naturally, there were still boundaries that weren't ready to be crossed, but Ted was a firm believer in inter-house unity, and thus couldn't fault his friend. 

Ted couldn't respond before Moody was elaborating on his classes. Though a smile did light up his features. Ted took Alastor's suddenly talkative mood as a sign of nervousness. Perhaps Ted's reaction regarding Alastor drinking with Emma was filling the guy with nerves. And then, just as quickly as it had come, the smile faded from Ted's features. Inter-house comradeship was one thing. However, Narcissa Black was a whole different kind of poison. Ted watched as Alastor snagged a pastry, but still remained quiet for a moment longer while he thought about this new piece of information being brought to light. Throughout his years here, Ted had intentionally steered clear of Narcissa. Though they frequented many of the same underground parties, Ted knew Narcissa wouldn't give him the time of day. Truthfully, the girl seemed like she was a real snob. On top of that, he had gauged her as a superficial being. Both of these things were attributes Ted was less than fond of, and had thus come to the conclusion he wasn't meant to ever cross paths with the Blonde Black. 

Ted waved the encouragement to discuss his newfound predicament away for the moment. He'd address Alecto, but Ted needed to make sure he looked out for his friend's best interest before anything else. "I'll be truthful," Not that the fact needed to be reitterated. Ted couldn't remember the time he hadn't been all but truthful with Alastor, "I actually have come to enjoy Emma's company. We've played a match of Quidditch and I respect her as a Captain." Ted's voice couldn't maintain seriousness forever, so he continued in a lighter tone, for a moment. "And I expect you to explain more about this whole drinking thing. Anything good happen?" Ted couldn't help but wink, but then reverted back to his more serious demeanor. "As for Narcissa... well. You know how I feel about that particular Black." Ted liften one side of his mouth up, almost in an apologetic glance. "Don't forget her roots. She's related to Bellatrix." However, Ted's mind argued, she was also related to Andromeda. 

He shook the thought to the side for the time being. He didn't have enough information to report on the middle sister just yet. In time, Ted promised himself. "Anyways," He continued before Alastor could respond, "speaking of run-ins with Slytherins... I sort of had a few words with Alecto. You know that nutty Carrow girl?" Ted glanced around, making sure the elves were busy doing their own thing, before leaning slightly closer to Alastor and lowering his voice. "I sort of... found out something about her. I think there's a deeper reason as to why she's so volatile." 

[prettyrigidstature-blog]

Alecto & Ted || Past and Present

[prettyrigidstature-blog]

She jumped at the sound of his palm hitting the table- not because she was scared but because she hadn’t expected it, she hoped the mistake on her part would make her more believable, more fragile looking-more fearful. Really she was just surprised that she could stir such emotion from someone who only days before had denied her any help. “I don’t have anybody else” she said blankly- “Mom is dead, dad is worse” she drew her hands away from him, rubbed her fingertips against her small arms and leaned back a little. She felt like she had loose lips- or maybe not so much loose as she suddenly felt the urge to want to share what had always been eating away inside her- perhaps for the simple truth that he’d tell her that she was wrong. That that would make her feel better for only a moment, if she was going to use him like this, she might as well use him to shell out her worries. She was getting everything she wanted and all she really needed to do was prey on someone who listened. 

“He’s punishing me- for what I did” she reasoned to him, she wanted him to hear her- she wanted him to acknowledge her predicament, she wanted one person to know and then be too fearful to tell anyone else, not that Amy was the one who punished her- her father did. Too fearful due to the damage that she was sure Amy would bestow when he put two and two together- a man who’d seen the cut so high up her thigh had to be the one who’d rolled around in her bed. Someone who knew her deepest darkest woes, he’d be overwhelmed with jealousy, he’d be poised to destroy. “Mom died while giving birth to me so I killed her” she nodded and she did believe this- she believed it down to the core in her small body. Mom had died because of her, she’d sucked the life out of her- she’d caused this woman’s death and in turn her father and her family’s misery. She DID deserved to be punished- she was a bad seed from the get-go, a bad seed since birth and since she was so terrible- she’d live to her rightful fate and continue with her misdeeds. She’d make herself feel better the more harsher she was with her victims, the more cruel, the more deceptive, the more manipulative. 

She stared at him- he was suddenly so hellbent on protecting her and she wondered why so many people were this way, why they cared so deeply for others and their misfortunes. Were we all not created to survive merely for ourselves? Was that not written into our evolutionary nature? And why was she missing this thought process- this gene, had it died along with her mother? “Okay” she nodded, looking down at her knees- “But I have to warn you… he’s scary” she mumbled and boy, was that an understatement. 

[thetedtonks-blog]

Ted became, admittedly, slightly crushed at her words. The thought of having nobody to turn to but your abuser was incomprehensible to Ted. Being the person that he was, Ted had a vast and wide array of friends he felt he could turn to if ever he found himself in times of troubles. However, beyond that even, Ted knew he could always count on unconditional love from his family. Ted, though not in the material way, had been coddled to an extreme by his parents from his first day on this Earth. He had always received positive attention, and felt strong bonds between himself and his elders. Though he had no siblings of his own, and thus couldn't quite comprehend what it would be like to have a brother so close in age to him, Ted was sure that any sibling of his wouldn't be cold and brutal as Amycus was proving to be. Sympathy was running thick through Ted's veins, as he simply couldn't imagine her awful predicament, and was only growing in volume as Alecto continued to speak. 

The poor girl in front of him. He had always outwardly despised the blonde Slytherin girl, as she had outwardly tormented Ted and his own. If only he had known the depths of her troubles, he would have developed a larger pool of patience or at least understanding for her vile acts. Ted wondered if Amycus truly believed Alecto was responsible for their mother's death. Apparently, as he remembered the many bruises and cuts blotched along Alecto's body, he did. For what other reason would a sibling have to cause such physical harm to their own flesh and blood? Though Ted didn't agree with her statement, he couldn't help but imagine what it would be like to believe he was responsible, to have been told he was responsible, for his Mother's death. The thought made him feel slightly ill, but he would like to believe he'd have enough sense to realize that the hypothetical death was an accident, rather than his fault. Of course, if there were people constantly enforcing the idea, Ted supposed it would be an easy one to adopt as fact. Ted believed maybe, just maybe, he could dispose of the false ideas that had been implanted within the girl's mind. Looking towards her, again rather serious, Ted spoke. "You. Are not. Responsible." He looked towards logic and reasoning, as he so often did, to emphasize his point. "After all, how could you have been? You were just a baby, Alecto..." 

Then Ted shrugged aside her warning, telling her with his body language that he wasn't scared, but then reiterating the fact with his words. "I'm not worried about your brother. He can't lift a finger, not really, without the fear of being expunged from this castle. I'll be sharing words with him, just words for now." Ted wasn't a huge fan of the idea of ending up in a legitimate scuffle with the Carrow boy. He'd heard, rather the whole school had heard, how vicious Amycus could be. "But I do need you to promise me one thing. You'll let me know if he hurts you further. Then I'll be sure things are handled accordingly." Ted picked up the book he had originally entered the library for in the first place, and found a home for it in the depths of his bag, before returning his gaze to the Slytherin girl, silently insisting she make her promise. 

[slytherinandromedablack-blog]

A Session in Music ¦¦ Ted and Andromeda

[slytherinandromedablack-blog]

Andromeda’s face crumpled slightly at his questions, then even more so at the word ‘Cithara’. She wasn’t a musical genius and was yet to even pick up a guitar. “Um,” She started, pouting slightly as she thought of a way out of his questions without seeming completely clueless. “Oh, yeah. Something like that. But it seems like you know that already, so there really is no need for me to explain.” She started to smirk, feeling relieved she wouldn’t have to try to pronounce-let alone explain- cithara. By the look of Ted’s expression, she could tell he was having some fun with her, knowing she knew nothing about the subject. She didn’t so much as glance at the pile of instruments of the table that he pointed to. “I’m more of a… vocalist. Boxes with strings are not my thing.” She quipped intentionally, watching his reaction. By the sounds of it, he was rather attached to his guitar and she couldn’t help but want to see his take on defending his stringed beauty. Although there was a smirk on her face, a trademark of the Slytherin house, she kept her eyes light, not wanting him to be truly offended. After all, she did find it impressive that he could play the guitar.

“I’ll be honest.” She said, tilting her head an inch as she looked at him. “My family are not so much the musical kind. My sisters followed suit, not taking Music either.”   She took another quick scan of the classroom, instinctively at the mention of her sisters. “But I… I wanted to see what we were all missing out on. Maybe it is something worth while.” She sighed, thinking of her family dynamics. Music was not a thing that was overly popular in her family. It was often associated with muggles, as they too had many musical instruments alike to the wizarding instruments and that was not something her family wanted to associate themselves with. Andromeda had insisted she had taken the subject of Music purely because it was an easy third election, but the truth was that she wanted to explore something that was so forbidden in her family. She couldn’t understand how something so innocent could be deemed wrong. And maybe life with a little music could be a bit brighter.  It made sense, after all. Ted, an assumed music-holic, had always seemed to have a bright, infectious smile on his face. 

As the students in class began to chat, working out their plans for the assignment, Andromeda smiled at herself in defeat, walking towards the pile of instruments and picking up a unknown wooden thing. “So which of these are easiest to play? You can use your music knowledge to help me out.” She gently threw the wooden thing at him. “That’s twice you’ve seen me clueless. First-” She cleared her throat, lowering her voice even though the room was filled with a loud buzzing sound of talking. “On the pitch and now with this.” She laughed at herself, looking down at her hands. “I swear I’m not always this useless.”

[thetedtonks-blog]

Ted noticed the gleam in her eyes, the one that told him she was joking even though a sly smile rested upon her lips. He feigned pain, though didn't make any other comments, as Andromeda taunted him by calling his precious instrument a mere box with strings. Ted was taken by the easy going nature this girl possessed, and wondered how she had managed to stray so easily from her parents beliefs. This question burned deeper as Andromeda continued speaking, elaborating upon another difference she shared with her family. 

A softer than normal smile appeared on Ted's face as Andromeda explained why she had taken the Music class. So, she wanted to discover the secrets this branch of study provided, to see what she was missing out on. Ted made a mental note to ensure she discovered the beauty of it all, walk her through the steps if he had to. "I assure you," he shot a glance around the classroom before looking back into her eyes, "music is definitely worth it." Throughout his life, Ted had become accustomed to receiving very little in the way of material possessions. The three things, material wise, that Ted had received throughout his life were admittedly the things that he cared most for. Besides, of course, his friends and family. The first was his wand, as it signified a greater part of him that he hadn't, up until his eleventh birthday when a representative from Hogwarts had met with him and his family, fully understood. The second was his guitar and the third was his phonograph. Both items provided Ted the ability to entertain, sure. However, his love for all things music went much deeper than that on an oddly personal level. Music, particularly rock n' roll, had the ability to rally the thoughts within Ted's mind and set him at ease. Music had the ability, beyond anything else, to act as therapy for Ted. So frequently the singers and idols that he listened to provided Ted with valid advice or perspective. 

Ted didn't hesitate to follow Andromeda towards the table housing the plethora of instruments, as he was growing more eager to adopt her into this world he loved so much. He caught the lute that she had tossed to him easily, but set it back down on the table. The small wooden instrument, though similar to a guitar, was one he was entirely unfamiliar with. Growing slightly more serious at her words, Ted spoke quieter than normal. "I don't think you're useless. Not at all. Useless people don't try, and the fact that you're both here and on the Pitch mean that you're giving it your all. That's what counts, you know? There's only room for improvement and all that." Ted mentally berated himself for how cliche the words had sounded, but had meant every last one of them. Still, a desire to change topics suddenly overcame his thoughts. After a brief pause, he spoke again. "You say that you can hold your own while singing. Maybe we could snag one of these guitars," Ted motioned towards several leaning against either side of the table, "I could teach you a few chords. Then we could do Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl." The song was appropriate, Ted believed, as he looked, a smile on his face, into Andromeda's eyes. "Have you heard of it?" He wasn't worried if she hadn't. The song was simple enough where they could manage to create a decent duet using only their voices and their guitars. Besides, the teacher was now explaining how they would have several days to complete the assignment. It looked as though Ted would be spending several hours in the company of this Black, a fact he found he wasn't entirely bothered with. 

[thetedtonks-blog]

Brown.

A relationship. I'm truthfully not entirely comfortable with sporadic 'hooking up'. I suppose it's just not my thing. Plus (and I say this with a distinct fear of losing my "man card" in the process), I feel like any 'benefits' you receive while in a real relationship make a larger impact than when you're just 'fooling around' with a friend. 

[thetedtonks-blog]

I'll play.

Yellow: When you get older, where would you want to live?

Orange: Where do you want to be right now?

Lilac: What is your dream vacation?

Beige: What is your favorite dream?

White: Who was your first kiss?

Purple: Who was your last kiss?

Tangerine: Give a description of who you like.

Gray: Share a relationship story.

Green: Share a family story.

Gold: Share a story that makes you smile.

Black: Share something you did embarrassingly.

Blue: Are you still friends with the people you met in elementary school?

Magenta: What is something you barely tell anyone?

Red: What are your hobbies?

Brown: Would you rather have a relationship or friend with benefit? Explain.

Peach: Who is your favorite teacher so far?

[thetedtonks-blog]

Shattered Diamonds || Alastor and Ted

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

Truth be told, Alastor was ashamed he did nothing but sit there, wide-eyed and speechless as the blue flames he’d assumed had been a simple mispronunciation or lack of concentration, continued to grow and grow, engulfing the class room in a sinister blue light and intense heat. 

He was vaguely aware of Flitwick dismissing them, shouting above the roar of the flames, and a scamper of student’s feet as everyone rushed to leave the room. Alastor was still sitting there, racking his brain for a counter charm when he decided, actually, he best be getting out fo there too.

He bundled his books together, pushed his desk aside, and scrambled for the door where Ted was waiting for him, looking back to see the blue flames swirling around in random patterns, as Flitwick tried to battle them down, wand in hand, and large book perched in the other.

Once safely out of the classroom, Alastor turned once more to his friend, who was equally wide-eyed. “I- yeah, he’ll be fine, I’m sure of it.” Alastor looked back, biting his bottom lip but the professor had evidently swung the door shut in order to contain the flames to the room, and not let them spread and envelop the entire castle. 

“What was that?!” Alastor asked, searching the crowd of now-dispersing students, for the Ravenclaw girl who had produced the incorrect charm. She apparently had vacated rather quickly, no surprise really. 

Alastor burst into a slightly nervous laugh. “I guess we’ll never know who was going to master the spell first.” he chuckled. “Seeing as I don’t think we can acquire any diamonds of our own to practise in our own time…. but let’s just assume it was me who won.” He added, smiling at Ted and dropping his books into his shoulder bag that he’d luckily been able to grab on the way out.

“So what now? It’s still a while before this period ends” he looked back one more time, all the students from the class had dispersed now, but the faint roar of the flames was still audible behind the closed classroom door, although it was a little less violent then it had been moments ago. “I’m sure everythings fine in there…” 

[thetedtonks-blog]

"Yeah.'' Though Ted was audibly reassuring Alastor, he was truthfully reassuring himself just as much. "Everything is fine. Flitwick is a genius, he'll probably have it handled in a matter of minutes. But that was crazy.." Ted scanned the classmates of theirs that had been let out early, looking for the girl who had conjured the flames accidentily but coming up short in his search. Returning his gaze to his friend as they walked through the corridors, Ted addressed the situation they had just experienced. "I've never seen that kind of thing happen before. Did you see how the water practically fed the fire? I feel a little bad.... like maybe I shouldn't have even tried. But I just acted, reflexively. Not much I could do about it, to be honest." Secretly, Ted felt like he had failed in that situation. He was a NEWT student now, and he felt as though some magical flames, though they were amped, should have been something he was able to handle with ease. Once again Ted was reminded that he wasn't the most able Wizard. With a soft sigh, he let the fact go. Though he did make a promise to himself that he'd ask Flitwick what had happened and what was the proper charm to have used in that situation first chance he got. 

"How about we go somewhere that we can talk? It's been far too long since we've caught up." This true statement didn't really bother Ted much. Alastor and him had the kind of friendship where they could go long periods of time without seeing one another, but then pick up immediately from where they'd left off. The long line of questions, as Alastor was surely used to receiving from Ted at this point, began pouring from him. "Surely there've been some new developments in your life since we've been back? Who've you been talking too? Anyone catching your eye in this last and final year of Hogwarts we've got? What's been happening in your electives? Have you taken the time to practice Quidditch at all? And, actually, there's something I'd really like your opinion on." A small smile played on Ted's features at the prospect of catching up with one of his oldest friends, despite the fact that Ted wanted to discuss recent events regarding Alecto Carrow, a girl who had proved to be a thorn in Ted's side, and he suspected Alastor's as well, for many years now. 

The pair of them had wandered aimlessly, so it was somewhat funny to Ted that they currently found themselves in the hallway between the entrance to their common room, just past those large wooden barrels, and the picture of a large bowl of fruit. "Looks like our stomachs led us to the right place." Ted reached up and ticked the picture in just the right spot, revealing the entrance to the kitchens. This little secret was common knowledge amongst the Hufflepuffs, but Ted suspected the other houses weren't as knowledgeable about the fact. 

[spoilme-emmavanity-blog]

Puff on the Pitch || Ted and Emma

[spoilme-emmavanity-blog]

Emma is quick to get moving once she sees Ted take off with the Quaffle. The whistle of the Bludger that nearly took her off her broom sounds again as it rounds and makes for her once again. Without delay, she leans in close to her broom and takes off in a streak after Ted, fueled by the heightened risk to their game with the errant Bludgers at their heels.

Jaw clenched, Emma hates to have the Bludger at her back but at least without Beaters to fire them in different directions, the magic that controls them leads them to target their prey and remain on that course until knocked differently, meaning they will chase after but not come at them from different angles then the one they’ve set themselves on. Holding to that knowledge, she presses forward, increasing her speed until she’s just upon Ted on his way to her goals. What the Bludgers do mean for them is that any struggle for the Quaffle has to be done fast or the they will be met with painful blows.

Emma comes in immediately at Ted’s right side and runs into him once more. Her hand is frantic as it searches for a way to free the Quaffle from his iron-tight grip, her mind forced to remain aware of the two Bludgers making straight for them both. When she can’t get it away from him, she growls under her breath and decides that trying to regain possession is futile at this point. With her forty point advantage, so long as she takes the Quaffle after each time he scores, she’ll win the game.

Confident in her choice, Emma withdraws and pushes her broom to its limit—106 miles per hour—and beats Ted to the posts. Circling behind, Emma weaves between the posts, hearing the whistle of the Bludger that has targeted her. She has to stay moving, remain ahead of it and hope it doesn’t wise up and decide to come at her from another direction. But once Ted scores, Emma is quick to latch onto the Quaffle on is fall to earth, nearly losing her grip on it and scrambling to regain control as she simultaneously shoot off for the direction of Ted’s hoops and bitterly cursing herself for agreeing to let those bloody balls of iron go free.

Too focused on maintaining her speed and make it to the posts, Emma doesn’t know where Ted is. However, she vaguely notes that she no longer hears the mad whistling sound of the Bludger that had taken to her. At first, halfway across the pitch, the knowledge passes through her head without sticking, but she realises the problem with not hearing the ball just before the other Bludger streaks toward her from her right side.

Wrenching herself off to the left, the Slytherin goes into a barrel roll as she drops several feet, barely avoiding a broken arm as the Bludger passes just over her head. Circling around and leveling rightside up she pushes her broom onward as the Bludger doubles back and comes mere inches from the end of her Nimbus. The girl’s heart pounds in her chest, the sound pulsing through her, as she flies hard for the nearest goal. She knows what happened. The damn balls has decided to switch targets and Emma berates herself for thinking that a break-neck pace and straight aim would keep her from coming to blows with one of the black monsters of the pitch.

The brunette feels the wind bite at her face as she lobs the Quaffle through the hoop and follows after it just as the Bludger sweeps in for her again. This one has decided to swing from right to left in its attempt to knock her from her ride but as she flies through the hoop, the ball circles the post and comes for her on the other side. This is hell, she thinks as she draws sharply to the right, giving up on repossessing the Quaffle as the Bludger moves in toward her.

It isn’t until now as she turns around that she sees Ted and she bitterly hopes he isn’t so lucky with his Bludger lover and they can put this game to an end before one of them breaks a bone.

[thetedtonks-blog]

Ted chuckled as he began making his way to Emma's side of the Pitch. He couldn't help it, this is what he lived for. The adrenaline rushed through his veins in an almighty flow, filling him with a jubilant anxiety. Adding the Bludgers to the mix, Ted truly believed, was going to work deeply in his favor. Though he reminded himself to refrain from growing cocky, as that could potentially be his downfall.

Literally.

He was nearing Emma's hoops and noticed that the Slytherin was taking far longer than normal to intercept him. Good. A smug smile appeared on his face, and Ted hoped that his favorite Quidditch ball was forcing Emma to dance with it, buying Ted enough time to score a couple times, perhaps earn a few more goalsin the process. But then she was there, next to him, and as the bristles of their brooms met in the air, the struggle for the Quaffle occurred again. But Ted immediately knew that Emma wasn't as confidant. She only tried to wrestle the Quaffle from his clutches for a moment before rushing off towards the other end of the Pitch. Ted knew, from experience, that the Bludger was surely closing in. Reflexively, as soon as he heard the whistling coming towards him, he barrel rolled which allowed the fiendish ball to pass him and tear after Emma instead. He scanned the skies momentarily, ensuring his safety from the other Bludger before continuing on and launching his shot at the hoop. 

Emma hadn't even tried, Ted realized. It made sense, the more he thought about it. So long as she recovered the rebound, she would win this match. She was faster and had more experience as Chaser. Plus, she already had a forty point lead. With a sigh, Ted realized he was going to need to become slightly more crafty. Ted launched himself down the Pitch and stayed slightly ahead of her for the moment, but looked desperately around for the Bludgers. He knew she'd speed past him and any efforts made to prevent the fact would be futile. Instead of trying to stop her scoring, and increasing her lead by fifty, Ted concocted a plan in the back of his mind. 

He spotted them, the beautiful black balls. One seemed Hell bent, currently, on destroying Emma. The other was making its way closer to him. With a grin, Ted lifted himself up about ten feet further in the air in an effort to gain its attention. Thankfully he managed, and sensed it zooming behind him, targetting his back. Ted looked down in time to see Emma score yet another shot, and he rolled his eyes. She was significantly ahead of him at this point.

Now was the time to act.

Maintaining a downwards slope in the air, in such a way that he knew he'd intercept Emma's rebound before she reached his hoopsagain, Ted sped up. His plan was fairly simple, and he'd used it plenty of times in real games already. Though the tactic wasn't exactly typical, Ted was always in the mindset of, "Why the Hell not?". If it worked, after all, it worked. He'd cut her off, leaving a few feet of air between himself and her as he did so. Because of his timing, hypothetically, the Bludger should ram straight into the unsuspecting Slytherin, probably forcing the Quaffle (which Ted now saw was once again resting in her arm as she made her way around his hoops in an effort to score) from her clutches as she attempted to maintain her balance. It was dirty, yes, but Ted had learned that Quidditch was a dirty sport. Besides, Emma wasn't exactly a princess on the Pitch.

Taking a deep breath, Ted leaned forward on his broom to carry out the plan. He would immediately turn around in the air if he heard the Bludger making contact, tearing after the Quaffle and hopefully scoring before Emma recovered her bearings, leaving her at his side of the Pitch. 

[prettyrigidstature-blog]

Alecto & Ted || Past and Present

[prettyrigidstature-blog]

This wasn’t what brothers did to sisters. She knew that long ago from talks to others that found her abused and shaken by one of her brother’s bouts of anger- it was like an abusive relationship, no matter how many times she was bruised and scarred she’d come running back for more, craving their love- not feeling good enough for it due to the brainwashing her father had done to her for years. She felt faulty and shameful and she hid it in violent acts- anger built up inside her was forced upon her unlikely victims, she wanted them to feel how she felt inside, she wanted them to feel that pain. She wondered sometimes what life had been like if mom had stayed alive, if she hadn’t killed her. Would she of been protective of her and Amycus? Let them sleep in her bed and hold them like she’d always yearned- as a child she’d always wanted to be lifted into her father’s arms, a small child on the ground with her arms up and begging to be picked up, to be coddled- the physical desire a child feels to be comforted, he’d hit harshly at the top of her hands and little red welts would pile on her pale skin and miniature fingers. It wasn’t difficult to play the victim because sometimes she thought she was, she was smart and she knew there were several layers she’d poured time into hiding, sometimes they were caked away like wallpaper but only when she was alone- that was how shallow they could be. 

She was caught between difficult portions- a part of her knew it was wrong to be marked this way, to want to be caused pain and punishment by her own sibling- it was wrong to want to feel punished because she felt at fault for her entire life but the other knew that at times it felt very right- the only thing she couldn’t question was the love for her brother. They’d both had very dark times- a darkness she was sure that students at Hogwarts would never know, she wasn’t sure that anyone could ever understand the traumatics that had scowered her life. She’d been driven crazy but at the same time she’d chosen it. So, though she wouldn’t admit it- it felt good to tell Ted these things- it felt good to let them leave her mouth for awhile because some of them were really how she felt and that was a fearful context she didn’t like to place herself in. 

So she let herself out a little as he healed her, her eyes focused on his wand as each new cut was fixed, she stopped him when it came to her inner thigh, “Not this one, he’d be mad if it wasn’t there” she spoke quietly, her eyes moving up to scan the library overhead- she wanted to make sure they were still alone. “Do you judge me?” she spoke with watered eyes- “For not wanting to tell anyone? For wanting to protect him even though he….” she bit down on her own cut up lip, rolling her purple wrists up so he could fix them as well, reflections of when he’d held her down. “I don’t know” she mumbled at his question, she sort of wished you could heal someone with hands- that she could feel a gentle touch for once and see what it was like, just to see- she regretted the wand at the tip of his fingers. Her thoughts tracing to when he’d backed away so suddenly from her loose grip on his hands, Alecto was never meant to be touched gently- she supposed she just wasn’t the type of girl who ever would be. “Maybe you shouldn’t talk to him at all… maybe I should just leave it…” she spoke hopelessly, this technically was apart of it, he wouldn’t guess that she was trying to just trick him if she didn’t even suggest the idea. 

[thetedtonks-blog]

Ted let Alecto speak her jumbled sentences without interruption. He continued healing her as she whispered her thoughts and questions for him to hear. His blood had immediately started boiling when she'd refused to allow him to heal the freshly carved initials blotched upon her leg. It took most, if not all, of his self control not to track Amycus down in that moment. Who was he to go around branding people as though they were his personal possessions? How did he get off, slicing into Alecto both mentally and physically? He tried to ignore the anger, focus on his healing, and for a moment the task seemed to hold the uncharacteristic aggression at bay. Until, of course, she suggested that they ignore the situation and leave Amycus un-confronted.

With an almost urgent, desperate and pleading look dominating Ted's eyes, he looked Alecto into her own and forcibly spoke one word, "No." He hadn't even noticed, but one hand, the one not wielding his cedar wand, had slammed against the table absently emphasizing his anger at the idea of standing idly by while the torture continued. Realizing, perhaps, that he had been too loud, Ted shot a nervous glance around the library before continuing to speak in an urgent whisper, keeping his eyes pointed at the table and for some reason unable to stare back into hers. "If you ignore this..." Ted waved to her body for emphasis, "Don't be fooled for a second. It will continue." He was practically pleading with her, willing her to stay away from the abuse that was bound to only worsen. "And I don't judge you. I mean, not for this anyways." He'd be lying if he said he hadn't judged the girl sitting idly before him in the past. Alecto had proven to be a cruel, malicious, and despicable girl. But, despite all his instincts yelling at him for doing so, Ted couldn't help pitying the frail figure before him.

He reached up towards the Slytherin and gently pushed up on her chin, only making physical contact with her for a second, forcing her to look him in the eyes. "And it's normal to want to protect him. He's your brother. He's you're family. But you don't need this in your life. You don't need to protect someone so obviously volatile." Ted shrugged the fact that Alecto was equally as volatile from his mind, rationalizing and insisting that she must be this way because of how Amycus had both mentally and physically scarred her. He briefly asked himself why he cared so much about Alecto's predicament. However, he immediately berated himself for even asking the question. He'd help anyone, despite who they were or what they'd done in the past, who so obviously needed it. Though the thought did calm him down slightly, and Ted began looking at the situation a little bit more rationally. "I don't think it'd be wise to go looking for physical confrontation outright. I'll try talking to him, see if that will do any good. But if he continues, or if one more mark appears on your body..." Ted's voice grew steely and cold once again and his wand hand gripped the cedar in a vice like grip, sending a few sparks shooting from the end. He let the statement die between them, the threat unfinished. 

[durrylord-deactivated20160731]

Visit Original Link

[thetedtonks-blog]

The Clash | London Calling

[thischarmlessgirl]

Visit Original Link

[thetedtonks-blog]

The Clash - “This is England”

[spoilme-emmavanity-blog]

Puff on the Pitch || Ted and Emma

[spoilme-emmavanity-blog]

Emma draws herself to a halt when she hears Ted’s loud voice call her attention. Of course when she hears what he has to say, she wishes she’d just gone straight for the goal instead.

Sucking in a breath, Emma seriously considers his suggestion. On the one hand, she would rather never deal with bludgers willingly, especially without beaters to deflect any that she can’t easily dodge on her own; they’re the most exciting balls on the pitch but also the most dangerous. But on the other hand, she started this game and she’s not going to back down just because Tonks wants to up the stakes. And Emma isn’t without the ability to handle Bludgers. A beater can’t always be there to keep the unforgiving monsters from trying to take out her broom and she’s fast and agile. The concern is if the Bludgers come from an angle she can’t see but she’ll take her chances.

“You’re mad!” she says to him as she hovers on her broom with the Quaffle still in her arm. “And I think you just feel lonely with out your big black balls but I’ll humour you. Go let those nasty things go loose and I’ll still kick your arse all the same.”

And if you put me in the hospital wing before the season’s even begun, I will make your life hell, she thinks to herself as she watches him go do just that. Then she looks back at the Quaffle in her arm and the goal post a good 20 feet away. With a grin and a shrug she flies for the goal, intent on scoring even while Ted isn’t attentive to the game. Emma has a feeling he’d call it cheating but she’d consider it a perfect opportunity.

Just as she closes the distance and lets the Quaffle go sailing through the ring, Emma hears the whistling sound and jerks her broom forward and around just in time to see a Bludger whiz past, gusting air into her face. The Quaffle is on its downward descent but Emma’s eyes are now scanning for the air to make sure she can see both Bludgers and where they’re headed next.

[thetedtonks-blog]

"Mad indeed," Ted said to himself with a smile as he made his way to the crate that had accompanied him to the Pitch. He'd come here, initially to begin Beater training. But the practice session, what with Andromeda's quick disappearance and then Emma showing up, had quickly become more eventful than Ted had originally anticipated. As he neared the box, he noticed that the Bludgers were practically fighting their way out. He kneeled down next to them and unlatched each ball one at a time. Immediately, they went tearing through the air and seemed to hone in on Emma. Ted, with a sigh, realized the Slytherin had just scored again, fair and square. That put her at fifty points while he only had ten. 

There was a brief moment where Ted almost called out to Emma as the Bludgers neared her position. However, before he could, one was on top of her and the other was weaving around the goal posts, apparently searching for unsuspecting victims. However, with a breath of relief, Ted noticed that Emma had managed to dodge the ball. He mounted his broom quickly. That was all the sympathy he'd give the Slytherin. She was leading this match, and Ted's adrenaline was officially pumping. While she busied herself, perhaps looking for the Bludgers, Ted tore towards the Quaffle and managed to latch onto it. 

Turning towards the other end of the pitch, Ted allowed his Beater training to take over. Though one Bludger was on him, the other was somewhere to his back. Presumably, it was still on top of Emma. With a grin, Ted found himself hoping so. Especially because he was closing the distance between himself and Emma's hoops. With a quick scan of the sky, he noticed Emma not far behind him and immediately located the Bludgers tearing after the two of them. He was safe, he knew, for now. Though that thought didn't prevent him from maintaining mental tabs on the exact location of where his three 'enemies' were currently residing. 

[slytherinandromedablack-blog]

A Session in Music ¦¦ Ted and Andromeda

[slytherinandromedablack-blog]

Andromeda couldn’t help but smile at the obviousness in his tone; he was so nosey. She couldn’t possibly tell him she left because she was scared of being seen with him. That was far too insulting. And strangely, she didn’t want him to be insulted by her. “I was just late for something I had promised to do with my sister.” Not wanting him to probe further, she added something that she was sure was totally uninteresting to boys. “Just girl stuff.”

A small grin tugged at her lips, but she pulled it down before it went into a full smile. The way his whole body was turned towards her, focusing on her, made her wonder why he was seeming to be so interested in her all of a sudden. And much to her dismay, she knew deep down she liked it. She didn’t mind being paired up with him, but she didn’t want to come across as eager, keeping her reply rather neutral. “Sure.” A sudden thought popped into her head, speaking in a low tone, a ghost of a smirk on her face.  ”Maybe I can teach you a few things this time.” It was a flat out lie. She knew next to nothing about Music, just the basics. A small part of her questioned why she had even said it then. Was she trying to be funny? Was she trying to look smart in front of him? Was she trying to allure him? Definitely no to the last one, she replied sternly to her brain. Biting the inside of her cheek, she turned her attention back to her professor. She whittled on, becoming more and more boring as the minutes went by, causing Andromeda to become distracted, thinking up of the conversation with Emma she had on the train. “Emma, said you play the guitar. Did a performance for some people at the Cup. I never realised you two knew each other.” She kept her eyes on the teachers, whispering to him from the side of her mouth.  

[thetedtonks-blog]

Ted had no real reason to believe that Andromeda was lying about her sudden departure the other day. However, something wasn't sitting well with him regarding her statement. There was still something more to this girl, he knew, but relented and told himself he'd either figure it out or he wouldn't. He wasn't, after all, the type to press for information that others didn't want to give him. Besides, as she agreed to pair up with him, Ted knew that their minds would be sufficiently diverted during this lesson anyways. "I'm sure you could." He smiled at her and laughed slightly, though knew that she was joking. It was clear, even after only sharing a few lessons together, that Andromeda held no real fascination with the subject. She'd yet to raise her hand to answer a single question, and Ted had noticed the look of confusion as the teacher had described the necessity of transitioning gently from note to note.

The teacher began speaking again before Ted could continue. She was informing them that, today, they'd be responsible for doing their best to reproduce an acoustic performance of any song they chose. Typically, they would be learning actual musical theory, the teacher reiterated, but today would be doing a practical lesson. Loving the idea of the challenge, Ted mentally began siphoning through songs that he already knew how to strum on his guitar. "And, yes," deciding he'd address the Emma comment, "We ran into each other, literally, at the Cup. We'd never even met before that, really. But we ended up having a decent time." Ted shot a look at Andromeda, wondering how she'd take that news and then pondering the fact that he cared. Refusing to think further on the prickling thought probing his mind, Ted continued talking before Andromeda could speak. "But what was it you were wanting to show me? You should probably teach me before this assignment officially begins, eh?" Ted paused, watching the girl before him. "Was it how many strings are placed on a guitar and how many notes each can conjure...? Or perhaps were you going to tell me how the guitar is supposed to descend from the Cithara, an instrument created by the Romans?" Loving the expression on her face, and smiling widely, Ted winked at her. "So tell me, Ms. Black, why is it that you really took up Music?" And then he pointed to the large pile of instruments resting on the table for student use. "And what kind of magical ability do you currently possess?"

[thetedtonks-blog]

Shattered Diamonds || Alastor and Ted

[thathufflepuffkid-blog]

With a flick of his wand-yielding wrist, the Diamond made the short journey from Ted’s outstretched hand to his desk, where it rested once again in the center. A quick glance to his side confirmed that whilst Ted hadn’t been completely succesful, it was certainly a lot more impressive than Alastor’s. As if to reconfirm, a number of students turned mid-gasp to marvel at Ted’s handiwork, Flitwick glancing down through his spectacles with a smile and nod, before frowning at Alastor’s ugly, fractured diamond.

“My diamond must be… harder?” Alastor muttered, jokingly. He wasn’t that  disappointed. Infact he’d done better than the majority of his classmates, most of their diamonds well intact, barely moved an inch from their original positions, whilst others were flung around the floor in various states of destruction. “Nice work though” he added in admiration.

Before Alastor could answer the question of whether or not he would try again, the Proffesor answered it for him; “Keep at it, really concentrate, this is not an easy spell to master.”

Alastor cleared his throat, gripping his wand once again, assuming his neighbor was doing the same. Again he went through the process of clearing his mind, feeling the essence of the charm well up inside his mind. He tried to ignore the shrieks of laughter as apparently a few students decided to try the charm out on each other. Which looked as if to result in giddiness followed by extreme nausea. As the charm shot through his wand, Alastor knew he’d done better this time because it felt intact and more powerful. 

He prised his eyes open to see his own diamond still on the table, only this time in two clean halves, a few shards crumbling off even now. Not shattered, but still an improvement, he reasoned, as a Ravenclaw sitting opposite him managed to produce a glowing blue flame around her diamond, evidently mixing up the words in her head. Alastor looked over as he heard the whumb and crack of Ted’s own diamond, as he tried the charm again. 

[thetedtonks-blog]

Ted watched Alastor before continuing his own work. The expression of concentration, though it was one Ted was familiar with, was almost comical. A brief jolt of admiration for his friend welled up inside Ted as he looked Alastor over. His dedication to magic and his determination to master as much as possible was something Ted looked up to. After Alastor practiced the spell once again, Ted turned his own wand towards his diamond and silently uttered the incantation.

It was already clear who was going to master the spell first. As always, it'd be Moody. Ted looked upon his diamond and noticed that he'd improved since his last go, but not nearly as much as his friend. Though the fact would typically bother students at Hogwarts, Ted didn't feel annoyed in the slightest. In fact, he was more than pleased for Alastor, knowing that it would have secretly torn him to pieces had he not been able to accomplish the spell. Before Ted could speak and congratulate his fellow Hufflepuff, the blue flames that Ted had initially ignored increased dramatically in volume. Heat blasted the class, and Ted held up his hand in front of his face to protect himself from the momentary blinding light. 

Ted then raised his wand towards the flames, wanting to ensure everyones safety, but quickly realized he was out of his league. Blasting the fire with a jet of water, which seemed like the most obvious thing to do, was the first thing he could think of doing. Apparently, however, that was a mistake. The water flowing from Ted's wand, along with several other students who had apparently had the same thought process, seemed to feed the magical flames and extended its raw power. 'No, no!' Flitwick's mousy voice could be heard over the now roaring flames, 'Class dismissed!' And, as he waved his wand towards the flame devouring his classroom, it seemed as though the Head of Ravenclaw simply couldn't resist the next words to flow out of his mouth. "And for homework, practice!" 

Their dismissal was clear, and Ted took one look at Alastor before reaching for his bag and rushing to the doorway. The two of them were the last out, as Ted waited by the door to ensure his peer's safety, but when the classroom was empty besides for Flitwick and the flames, Ted turned around and quickly vacated the now sweltering room. Turning towards Alastor, Ted nodded a little wide eyed. "Flitwick has the under control, right?" 

[seriously-sirius-black-iii-deac]

Oh, yeah. We got on … quite well. When you know, I was still on the family tapestry and I called Grimmauld place home. But I haven’t talked to her in a while, though I doubt she has turned Black-psycho-bitch. I’m not sure what her blood opinions are though. Apparently not as purist as the rest of the family if she talks to you.

… are you planning on … talking to her again?

[thetedtonks-blog]

I guess we'll see if the opportunity presents itself. Not going to beat around the bush, she intrigues me. Not in the way you're thinking, necessarily. Just because I feel as though there's something she's not telling the world. I guess I want to know what it is.

[seriously-sirius-black-iii-deac]

Andromeda? Um … her ‘deal’? I’m not sure what you mean. I haven’t talked with that lot, at least nothing civil, in a year. But ‘Meda was always a good sort. The crazy of Bella has seemed to miss her, thankfully. But she’s a slave to the Black name, as are they all.

Why the sudden interest in my family member?

[thetedtonks-blog]

I mean -- I guess I was just curious. We've talked a little and I'm struck by how normal she seems, considering her sisters. She actually gives me the time of day, knowing full well what my blood status is and all that. Was just wondering, I suppose..