just do it -- [tag:teddy!]

[Alex Weasley]

Theodore,

You remember you said you'd help me? Well...I have a meeting idea in mind. This Thursday, meet me in the Come and Go Room at ten o'clock. I'll have books, don't worry. And do be subtle...the professors won't really come after me if I'm wandering because I don't cause trouble, but you're a different story. Also, as soon as you read this, it will disintegrate.

-- Alex Weasley

She'd sent him that letter about a week ago, quite sure that gave him enough time to sort things around enough to make it work. She waited impatiently in the room, though he wasn't late...she was just hellishly early. The room had offered them a nice array of things; a chalkboard, which she took full advantage of by writing down the steps to becoming an Animagus, a few desk which were now littered with reference books, and a nice, large area to practice in. The room never really failed her, however.

Alex still seemed a little jumpy, and everyone was noticing. By everyone, of course, I mean the professors. She was also oddly not concentrated on anything, though tonight would change. She'd managed to make a potion which did not physically allow her to go too far off from becoming an Animagus, so she would be plenty focussed tonight. Her leg bounced up and down as she sat on a plain brown chair, staring forward at the chalkboard and taking in what it said.

1. Focus.
2. Imagine as if you can already do it.
3. Do it.

And that was it. That was literally all the book gave her...it always depended on how able the person was. Thankfully, Alex was able, and she wouldn't back down from this--not whatsoever. She crossed her legs, still wearing her Ravenclaw uniform, except the tie was a little loosened for the purposes of learning. She looked curiously down at her arms, imagining Kallie's arms. She was released from the hospital about twelve hours after being admitted, so she didn't get to talk to Kallie for very long, but...well. It was eventful.

Alex laughed. How funny it was that the man sent to protect her was the one who did it. And it was kind of funny and ironic, even if it was awful at the same time. She rose up, and thought it would be nice to practice some transfiguration moves while her mind was still on this. She flicked her wand at what furniture the room gave her, turning them into animals before turning them back into furniture. She smiled as she watched a fox run across the room before she turned it back into a foot rest.

But as her mind wandered, the animals became less and less of interest. She sat down after turning a pincushion into a porcupine and back, staring forward and seeing his face. "I must have made the potion wrong..." Alex mumbled, and shook some of her red curls from her face. Either that or it was so much on her mind that it trumped the potion. That was just silly, though.

Alex looked to her watch, seeing it was exactly ten. Well, she supposed he still wasn't technically late...late would be ten-oh-one. She slumped back into the chair and crossed her arms, staring forward still as some of the furniture disappeared, because she didn't need it anymore. She felt...sluggish. Depressed? No. Alex Weasley didn't get depressed.

She was perfect, right?

[Teddy Lupin]

The first few weeks of seventh year were proving to be a tad more difficult than Teddy had anticipated. Sixth year had had a lot of grueling school work, yeah, but this was a thousand times worse. Whenever Teddy accomplished the miracle of finishing one of his essays there were still more to complete before the night was out, and the next day he was burdened with even more schoolwork. After noting the rapid increase of his assignments to his grandmother Andromeda in a letter sent the week before she had had her owl deliver a package in the suspicious shape of a book. Though he knew it made him sound like a brat he was a little less than thrilled to have received something so useless- he didn’t really find a need to read much outside of classes. But then upon opening the package he found it was an organizer. Oh, well. That was nice.

Only a few days later it was already overflowing with notes, doodles, with pages torn where he had scribbled down instructions in haste. The cover was torn and already frayed, a reflection on both Teddy’s strange and usually forbidden extracurricular activities and the always random school he attended and lived in. As he walked through the corridors, trying his best to be silent and probably failing entirely, he flipped the small leather-bound book through the air and caught it carelessly each time it fell back from his throw, a mindless routine to keep his hands busy while his mind wandered.

He might have forgotten the meeting with Alex that evening if he hadn’t thought to write it down in his geeky little organizer. So maybe it was good for something after all, right? Of course he could only go into so much detail when a teacher could find it should he leave it behind somewhere. What was he supposed to write? Oh, illegal meeting with Alex Weasley in secret room I shouldn’t know about,? He had kept it simple, just writing Come and Go, Weasley in the margins beside the later times of the date. That was sorta inconspicuous, right? Even if it was after hours- he did have a few Weasley boys in his house. And who would guess it was Alex? No one.

Not even he would have guessed Alex would or could do something like this. He knew she was always studious to the point of insanity, but…well, this was insanity. It was illegal and would probably take years to master it, if she could even master it at all. Teddy had kept to his end of the bargain and read the books she had sent him. They were actually pretty interesting and made him eager to give a shot at the whole animagus thing some day himself. Not now obviously, when he was already loaded with schoolwork. Teddy wasn’t the brightest but he wasn’t an idiot, either. He knew he couldn’t handle something so reckless when he already got in so much trouble as it were. Only one more year left at Hogwarts. He couldn’t screw it up now.

Of course there would be penalties for trying to help Alex but that was just silly to consider. He trusted her obsessive need for order and composure to keep them out of trouble. Not to mention the nifty map he had inherited. Though he often ignored the original source of the object, it was dead usual. And when Moony tried to talk to him he could always fold it back up and slip it back into his pocket. It wasn’t important. Nothing about all those years ago was important, really.

Perhaps he should have been a bit more grateful for the gift his father had given him. As he checked it over now to see that he was in the clear it was obvious how easily he could have been caught if he hadn’t had it. His original path was supposed to be through the west corridor, but the caretaker was haunting that hall at the moment. If he hadn’t had the map…he’d be set with yet another detention. And even though he couldn’t play he still liked going to Quidditch games. It was Ravenclaw versus Slytherin that weekend and he really didn’t want to miss it.

With this in mind he opened the door carefully as he could, closing it quietly before him while taking in the room and its sole resident. With a frown he noted he should have gotten to summon the room. He would have thought of much more interesting decorating. But the arrangement didn’t surprise him. It was Alex, after all.

Folding his hands behind his back, he pretended to take in the rest of the room, though there wasn’t really much to observe. A sly smile slipped onto his lips. If these meetings wouldn’t be good for anything, like helping Alex achieve her so needed perfection or his grades improving, then at least he could one-up her. That sounded fun.

“You know,” he said, tone both a shade sour and amused, “you could have told me the note was going to melt in my hands at the beginning instead of the end so I could have, I don't know, time to drop it.”

[Alex Weasley]

Alex looked up to him quickly, her eyes wide, and she smiled to him. "Ooh, right, yeah..." she mumbled, and she cleared her throat, picking up the book to at least hide her shaking hands. He had startled her. "I'm sorry about that, Theodore, it had slipped my mind that anyone could find that note, really, so I had to add it at the end. You're not hurt, are you?" she asked, looking a little...worried. She glanced at him, but upon finding no immediately injuries, she looked back down at the book.

Immediately, she was reminded of the task at hand, and she put down the book, smiling to him. "Well! Thanks for coming." It was like she was speaking to a class, even if he was technically supposed to be the teacher. "I'm not unfamiliar with self-transformation, though I am incredibly novice. So I guess first we should try that..." she looked hesitant in leading, so she grabbed the right book that she needed, flipping through it with ease. "You can...err. Change your hair skin color, right? Because I think that's where we should start. I learned how to change hair color by watching this odd girl in my house change her color almost everyday in the bathrooms."

Alex sighed, looking anxious, and she set down the book. "So there we'll start. I guess...err. Any pointers? I mean, you're using wandless magic, and I suppose you have some kind of technique...?" Alex asked, and she sat down, very unsure of herself at this moment. How was she going to do this? Wasn't changing his appearance very much like moving his arm? Was this even able to be taught?

Alex sat down the book once she'd memorized the incantation before looking up to Teddy. "Ooh! And I've also stated the rules on the chalkboard, which I'm sure you noticed..." And then she paused. "Are you going to try and learn this as well? I mean, it should be easy for you...you've already got this down, so why not try for an animagus?" she asked, and shrugged up at him.

[Teddy Lupin]

Teddy blinked in surprise. Since when had he ever caught Alex off guard before? His brows knitted together, a frown pulling at the corner of his lips as he studied her a bit more closely. Maybe no one else would have had so easily recognize her jumpiness but he had known her so long that seeing her act like this was garnering the reaction equivalent to as if she had grown a second head. He moved a step closer, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “You alright Alex?” he asked, concern growing stronger when she actually looked…worried?

“It’s Teddy,” he mumbled, as he always did in greeting. He knew it would change nothing- simply a reflex to his full name being used. In a clearer voice he added “Nah, I’m fine. It just caught me off guard.” That and the few of his mates that had witnessed the suddenly acidic residue of the note. That had taken awhile to explain though they had already come to their own conclusions. An angry ex-girlfriend, his grandmother finding out he had gotten detention…again. Maybe a prank? No one had even thought for a second or would ever imagine the true source or reason behind it. Which was definitely for the best. He didn’t want Alex getting in trouble. Nevermind the probable expulsion or at least heavy punishment for him.

While she talked he settled on a nearby stool, only half-listening to her words. He never knew what was up with Alex; did she really feel it was necessary to lecture him, or was this just nervous rambling? Or the result of a childhood spent with Percy Weasley? Much as he loved his pseudo-adoptive family Teddy didn’t really care to know. He would do most anything for Alex but she offered little in the ways of amusement. They got along well enough to not snap each other’s necks at family gatherings. He certainly wasn’t going to push it.

At the lilt of a question in her tone he lifted his head, grinning. “Huh? Oh, yeah. I can change just about anything,” he said conversationally, glancing down at his arms and watching a row of scales replace the tan skin before it fluffed up into thick, tawny fur. He was only just beginning to experiment with animal skins and features, figuring it would be useful for their lesson. Unfortunately he was fairly certain he could not turn all the way into an animal based on his Metamorphmagus gift alone. Apparently there was only so far his bones would shrink or grow before it would hurt, resulting in him only being able to shoot up or shrink a few inches. There was hope this would change with time and it was only now that he remembered that he had wanted to, over the summer, take advantage of the Hogwarts library for this subject. With a curious look resting upon Alex, he wondered if she knew anything herself about it. Probably.

A slightly more serious look replaced the one of wonder. “That’s a good place to start. To change your hair you used wand magic, right? I’m not sure you can much without the wand though. This is going to be a lot different. You’re changing yourself. Composing yourself into a new being. It’s not a flick of your wand and you’re an…owl or something,” he laughed softly. He imagined that would be the most practical animal for her. Suddenly he looked sheepish, almost uncomfortable, rubbing a hand up the nape of his neck. “You know, I don’t know how much I can help you…while it’s all Transfiguration at the core, it’s really all very different. Wand magic, non-wand magic, being..what I am, or what you want to be. I’ll try to help but I’m not sure how much I can,” he shrugged, looking nonplused once again.

“Technique?” he asked doubtfully. “Um. I sort of just…I don’t know,” he murmured, watching the strip of fur on his arm smooth over to soft, pricked hairs, an almost scintillating white. The essence was almost veela like, he noticed, though when he had conjured the thought it was leaning more towards unicorns than anything…thoughts wandering off, the fur suddenly shrank back into his skin, leaving his appearance ordinary. Changing his appearance in this way was completely natural, so ingrained in his disposition that it was like breathing, or blinking. Not at all how Animagus were supposed to perform. “I guess if you had to ask anyone to help you, it should be me.” If only because it was illegal. He glanced at the chalkboard, the smile against flickering on his lips. “Focus, huh? Well then. Just focus Alex. Become the animal.” He suppressed a snicker at his ridiculous words and pretended to cough instead.

He had been thinking about joining her in learning the process, but figured it was unnecessary for now. With schoolwork and the fact that it was illegal…not that he didn’t do things against the rules all the time, but Hogwarts ruling and the Ministry of Magic’s were two very different things. Alex could do this if she pleased but he’d rather wait until he was ceritifiable. “I’ll just observe for now.”

[Alex Weasley]

"Of course I'm alright," she said with a smile. "Why wouldn't I be alright? I'm fine." She shrugged, and she looked around, feeling a little ill now. He knew, he bleeding knew. What was she supposed to do now? Come clean? No, no...how could he know? He wasn't tied in with St. Mungo's. He was, however, tied in with her family. Had her parents told another Weasley? Surely not...and besides, while Teddy was raised with her family, that didn't make him a Weasley. Harsh, perhaps, but it was the truth. And she knew any other Weasley would agree. Except for the Potter kids...them, not so much.

"Teddy, right..." Alex mumbled, but there was no way that stuck. He had been correcting her for years, but it was all in vain. She would always call him Theodore. "Right. Yeah, I had forgotten, but...you already know that." She chuckled nervously. Was she nervous because she was alone with him? Yes. But Theodore would never hurt her...right? She never thought the Guard would hurt her. Alex rose up, and began to pace. With that illogical paranoia in her mind she stepped back, looking down at her feet with a small frown. She twirled her want, as if daring him to try. But this was silly.

She watched as he changed his skin, and she offered a hesitant smile. "Brilliant," she mumbled, and looked back up to him. "I didn't know you could do animal skin...you know that means you're just that much closer to being an animagus?" She asked, and grinned up at him, but it wasn't the good kind of grin. It was a very nervous grin, still.

Alex watched him, and her smile fell. "Well...I thought you..." she looked for words, her heart beating. "I mean, surely you can help somehow? Once I began to get the hang of it? It shouldn't take me but a year or so, right?" she asked. "That's about how long it took James Potter and Sirius Black, or so they say. And I'm just as smart as them." She almost seemed threatened, but not by him. By time, and how much of it she had to do this. Alex sighed, looking worried, and she twiddled her thumbs.

"Become the animal," Alex mumbled. "What sort of animal do you think I'd become? I mean, it's based on who you are, isn't it? What do you think?"

[Teddy Lupin]

He eyed her with something close to suspicion but more like worry before letting it drop. He didn’t know what to say even if there was something wrong. She was probably just stressing about some exam or the other. If someone was giving her trouble, he would know, wouldn’t he? Victorie would have surely told him. Even though they had broken up they were still friends at least, right? “If you say so,” he said slowly, deciding not to push it. If Alex needed his help she’d ask. There wasn’t much he could do beyond that, if she didn’t want his assistance.

Oblivious to the nervous edge of her voice Teddy just rolled his eyes. He had always been called Teddy; it had been too hard for his grandmother to call him anything else. His grandfather had only ever been ‘Ted’. So christened Teddy, it had stuck. He had never had any complaints despite the fact that it was a somewhat childish nickname. It seemed to fit his bouts of childish antics anyhow.

Distracted from his changing skin tones, he glanced up. “Oh, thanks,” he said cheerily. “It’s not very hard at all. There’s only a bit of exertion on my part. I don’t think it’ll be the same for you,” he commented uneasily. Wasn’t this all supposed to be a bit painful, too? Well, if she wanted to…”And I read up on it last year. Animal skin, animal features, too, but I’m still working on that. It’s hard to get nose shapes just right. Eyes are easier though..” he rambled, grinning. This was always interesting to talk about for him. The one thing that set him apart from everyone else. Why shouldn’t he be proud?

A surprised laugh escaped him. Was she serious? “Alex, ‘course I’ll help. Just saying, don’t get your hopes too high. I’m not an expert or anything. But I won’t jump ship. And I don’t know how long it’ll take. Uh…” he bit his lip and narrowed his eyes in thought, trying to recall on of the chapters of the books she had sent him. “Books said it depends on the person. Knowing you, I’d bet it’ll be quick compared to most people. But a year? I..I don’t know,” he shrugged. “We’ll just have to wait and see, I guess. But that’s true. I’m sure if they can do it, so can you,” he praised through his teeth. It was hard to feed Alex’s ego.

He didn’t want to be mean so he let the fact that he had been being sarcastic slide. “I would guess your patronus. That’s usually right. But who knows?” Certainly not Teddy. “What animal would you want to be?”

[Alex Weasley]

Alex nodded at his thanks, a big smile crawling across her face. She sighed some, looking down to her feet. "Can you really do animal features, like...can you grow wings, or something like that?" she asked, looking up and smiling a little like a child, which was odd, coming from her. Usually she was domineering and she took control of a situation. It might have had something to do with Teddy's being older than she. Or maybe she was nervous.

Alex smiled when he did praise her ego. "Ooh, well thank you," she said smoothly, and she looked back up to him, nodding gently. "I've heard of it being done in six months, but that was probably a rumor...they said it was Voldemort, who learned how to transform himself into a snake. It wouldn't be surprising, of course, but..." she shrugged a little. "Who knows, right?" she asked, smiling.

"There is a spell that can change your skin color and pattern, but I dunno about fur just yet. Watch." She smiled as she put her wand to her arm. It took a little while but after about five failed attempts a bit of her arm turned into a leopard pattern. She grinned proudly, and showed him, nodding. "This is just step one...obviously it has to be a lot more unconscious, with wandless magic and all..." she mumbled, and tucked her wand back into her skirt, not removing the skin just yet. Maybe someone would see it and note how brilliant of a witch she was.

"What kind of animal?" she asked hesitantly, and she looked down, thinking about all of this very carefully. "I suppose I would like to be what my patronus is." She took out her wand, and after a moment, a large owl appeared before them, flying around the room. The only odd thing about the owl was it seemed to be wearing a pair of horn-rimmed glasses, similar to the ones the Minister wore.