Moon Child [Fred Weasley]

4

Two weeks passed without any further incident and Halloween came and went. Teddy went through the long process of clapping with as little conveyed interest as possible as Beauxbatons Academy and Durmstrang Institute of Wizardry came to Hogwarts, each of their entrances far more impressive than the sad little song the school's choir sang afterward.

Teddy remembered that night mostly because he had to all but drag another boy who was sitting beside him during the feast to the hospital wing after he fainted courtesy of receiving a wink from one of Beauxbaton's resident veelas.

Fred Weasley made sure to catch Teddy's attention on the way out and winked at him, feigning a faint. Hand to the heart and the other to his forehead as he pretended to swoon.

Teddy ignored him.

─ ⋆✩⋆ ─

The next day, Teddy was taking his break between classes in the great hall, potions textbook open on his lap as he memorized steps on how to safely dissect a Newt's tongue to use its healing properties. Every so often, he'd glance up and watch with mild interest as someone came in, a gaudy smile on their face as they slipped their name written on a little slip of parchment into the flaming goblet of fire.

The goblet itself was large, displayed on a marble slab pedestal. Around it, was a ring of light that seemed to pull itself upward off the ground in blue-tinged whisps. People passed across this age line without problem and Teddy mentally counted the number of people entering. So far there had been twenty.

Several more people loitered around the edges of the age line, debating, chatting nervously with their friends, or simply just watching.

Cedric Diggory was the first student form Hogwarts to enter. It only made sense that he was. Hufflepuff. The house of the kind. Everyone seemed to know Cedric though. He was just one of those people that everyone liked. What surprised Teddy, however, was when he came to sit down by him.

"What are you reading?" He asked.

"Just my potions book." Teddy glanced at him, and then to the small group of his friends lingering behind. "Nothing special."

"I always see you reading something different so I figured I'd ask this time." Cedric added, a small smile playing on his lips. "I don't think we've ever formally talked before."

"Sure we have." Teddy said. "Back in third year. I think we were in the same class at one point."

"I remember that." Cedric recalled.

Teddy offered a clipped smile back. He was never really good at talking to people.

"Are you going to enter?" Cedric asked after a beat.

Teddy blinked and found that his eyes must have drifted away from the boy in front of him.

"Not old enough yet." He said. "I turn 17 in December. But erm.. good luck. I saw you enter."

"Thanks." Cedric said.

One of his friends called his name then and the Hufflepuff boy flushed. "Well, I'm going to be late to class, but it was nice talking to you."

Teddy watched Cedric stand and rejoin his friends, most of whom were giving him strange looks. Because why on earth would Hufflepuff's golden boy be talking to the son of a werewolf?