Me ... actually posting when I said I would ... it must be a miracle

For some reason, this was a lot easier to write than the last few one shots have been. Let's just hope it's any good ~ 

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Early morning lectures had to be, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst thing for a university student. I was certain they were scheduled purely to catch us out, to see who had been able to force themselves out of bed first thing so they could catch the bus onto campus. Not that the buses were the most reliable thing either.

"Why on earth do you look so grumpy?" Jocelyn who was far too chipper first thing in the morning nudged me with her shoulder.

"It's too early," I said plainly, because what other answer could there be?

"It's 9.30." Jocelyn shook her head incredulously, still not understanding my distaste for morning lectures. It was already our second year and I still hadn't warmed up to them.

Rather than contesting her words and getting into our usual squabble about my love of sleeping in and Jocelyn's love of waking early to 'give the day the best start', I gestured to our approaching stop. We stood quickly, making our way through the bus and sharing a look of mutual annoyance at the giggling first years who were still excited at their newfound freedom, and thanked the bus driver on our way out. Stepping out into the centre of the campus, we walked a short distance to the campus map.

"I'll tell you what, one thing I absolutely don't understand is why they decided to change the buildings," Jocelyn grumbled under her breath.

She searched the map with a pointed finger, trying to locate where our lecture was supposed to occur at 10 o'clock. Silently, I agreed with her but knew to keep out of her way whilst she was searching. Instead, I cheered her on from the sidelines, hoping that she found it soon so we had enough time to stop by the campus coffee shop so I could get my much-needed caffeine fix. When Jocelyn jabbed her finger triumphantly against the map, I knew she'd found it. Peering over her shoulder, I took a quick reference of the location of the building and tried not to make a face; of course, it would be on the outskirts of the campus.

"Come on," I said determinedly, taking Jocelyn by the arm and lugging her into step beside me. "If we're going to make it to the lecture and get a coffee beforehand, we need to move quickly."

This time Jocelyn was the one who knew to do nothing other than match her footsteps to mine. Even if she did laugh lightly as she remarked, "I swear coffee is the only thing that'll get you moving so quickly before lunch."

I didn't rise to her bait. Instead, I led her through the crowd towards the coffee shop which would likely be packed at this time in the morning. But by some minor miracle, and clearly, some higher being was smiling down at us, because the coffee shop was occupied by only a handful of students and there was no waiting queue. After ordering my usual coffee, I waited patiently but glanced at my watch; there was plenty of time left.

Accepting my coffee with a thankful smile, I watched as Jocelyn accepted hers and then we at last started to make our way to the lecture hall. As we walked further from the centre of the campus, the fewer students walked around us and the less certain I was about our location. Taking a sip of my coffee, I surveyed the unfamiliar buildings with a curious furrow in my eyebrows. Our campus was clearly larger than I'd first thought.

"There!" Jocelyn called out, pointing to the left. It looked like an older building, not at all similar to the newer more modern ones at the centre of the campus. But even from a distance, I could see other students from our course walking into it.

I surveyed the area, trying to commit the location to mind so that when I needed to, I wouldn't struggle to find my way. My eyes settled on the structure directly opposite our destination. It stood out slightly from those around it, aesthetically appearing to match the newer properties on the campus. It was, however, the only newer construction on the outskirts of the university grounds.

"Jo," I started, turning curiously to my friend who was also studying the unfamiliar place, "that wasn't on the campus map, was it?"

"It wasn't," she confirmed. But she didn't sound surprised. Not like I'd expected her to, and not like I was certain I sounded. Instead, she lowered her voice as we continued towards our destination, not wanting to be overheard with each step we took closer to our lecture hall, and its newer, more attractive twin. "There's a rumour about it and it's majorly weird. But it's an academic building, filled with loads of lecture halls except no one talks about it and the students who use them are so secretive."

"Well clearly people are talking about it, or else you wouldn't be telling me this."

Jocelyn shot me a look, not appreciating my words. "Be serious here, I'm telling you it's a spy school."

Scoffing, I took another sip of my coffee. When she looked incredulously at me, I reminded her, "You said to be serious and then you proceeded to talk about spies. Come on now, Jo."

"I'm telling you!" When I levelled her a disbelieving look, she insisted, "People have even speculated that they have particles or something in the air that deters students who aren't given authorisation from entering."

"You've been reading too many thrillers."

Jocelyn grumbled at my words but said nothing else on the matter. She knew I wouldn't believe her until she came up with some cold hard evidence. We continued towards our destination, but my eyes lingered on the group of students who were headed for the strange structure and tried to study them as discretely as possible. They didn't look strange, rather they looked completely normal, just like the other students on campus. If I didn't know they were heading into the property opposite our destination, I would've easily mistaken them for students from my course. If anything, they were probably students who were on a niche degree course, one that had a very small cohort and so they were relegated to having all of their teaching in the lesser-used location.

I went to turn my eyes away, to return to my attempts at committing my location to memory, when my eyes locked rather awkwardly with one of the boys from the group. He stood slightly taller than his friends on either side of him and continued to address them, even as his gaze remained locked onto mine. I watched, growing mortified, as his eyes - clearly appraising - searched my features. It didn't matter that I'd taken the opportunity to study him and his pleasing features and his strange hair that was streaked with blue -

He smiled then. Flushing scarlet and mortified beyond belief, I blurted out, "We need to get a move on or we'll be late."

Jocelyn didn't need to be prompted again. She linked her arm through mine and tugged me after her into the lobby of the Godric Centre so we could find our lecture hall. I forced myself to keep my eyes locked forward, to not even risk a peek over my shoulder to see if that boy was still looking at me. I tried not to wonder why I was certain I wouldn't mind if he kept looking at me.

**********

With the lecture beginning to draw to a close, some of my coursemates had started to pack their belongings, talking amongst themselves. I remained seated, straining slightly to hear the last of my professor's words over all the dispersed chatter. Jotting down the final comments at the bottom of my notes, I made sure to note the important deadline for the piece of coursework that would be due at the end of the semester. Only after my professor had finished talking did I begin to pack my belongings away, zipping my bag shut and drawing it over my shoulder.

Making my way through to the front of the lecture theatre, I wove amongst the loitering students, trying not to roll my eyes. Just because they didn't have anywhere to be didn't mean they needed to keep me behind. Of course, I knew that if Jocelyn had chosen to take this module as well, then I would be loitering just like that - but currently, that wasn't the case. Currently, I had lunch waiting for me back in my flat and the rest of a series to finish watching. Finally reaching the exit of the lecture hall, I quickly navigated through the building and made sure to keep an eye on the time. The last thing I wanted was to miss my bus and have to wait another half an hour until the next one.

Stepping out onto the campus grounds, I stopped and searched for my phone. Drawing it out of my pocket and finding my earphones, I plugged them in and scrolled for the next episode of my podcast. Finding it and pressing play, I tucked my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and prepared to head off again. My eyes, as they irritatingly tended to do more frequently, darted across the short distance to that strange building, as if I was seeking out the next sighting of that random boy with the blue-streaked hair. I could admit to myself that maybe I was hoping to see him again, purely because he was nice to look at, but I wasn't willing to fully admit it. To my immense horror, as if he was responding to the next cue in his script, the boy stepped out foyer of the cryptic hypothetical cult compound whilst chatting with one of his friends.

I hurried to avert my eyes, focusing on the voices in my ears that were talking me through the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, as I set off for the bus stop. My steps were brisk as I walked, refusing to miss my bus just because I'd wanted to catch sight of a beautiful stranger. Reaching the bus shelter with a few minutes to spare, I settled onto the bench and reached for my phone again, ready to preoccupy myself with doom-scrolling.

Jocelyn, who I swore had to be part psychic, messaged me as if she knew my phone was in my hand. Opening the message, I read her apologies for finishing the last of the milk and her promise to buy some more when she finished with her lectures for the day. Just as I went to type my response, someone settled onto the bench at my side, waiting patiently for the bus. My eyes flickered briefly to the boy seated at my side and I swore my heart jumped out of my chest, but I forced myself to remain steady, to act like a normal human being. Even as I messaged Jocelyn, I silently confirmed that I'd been right; his dark hair was streaked with blue. Sitting this close to the stranger, I could see the glint of the winter sun off of his stud-adorned ear.

Closing my phone again, I held it steady in my lap between both my hands. Drumming my fingers against my case, I silently willed the bus to appear, if only to stop me from having to over analyse my every motion. The sooner I got away from him, the sooner I was sure I could breathe, if only because I wouldn't be embarrassed by the idea that this stranger might have realised I was seeking him out.

Luck wasn't in my favour. Not only was the bus running late, but yet another student sought to make me more uncomfortable, sitting on my empty side and squeezing themselves into the tiny space there. Shuffling further down the bench so I wasn't being half sat in, I shot the blue-streaked stud-wearing stranger an apologetic smile for encroaching in his space.

"Sorry," I said, taking out an earphone so I wasn't shouting.

"No worries," he assured me, turning to look at me. Just as I went to look out again, so I wasn't looking into those beautiful brown eyes, he offered me a smile. "I'm Teddy Lupin."

Before I could stop myself, I asked, "Your name is Teddy?"

"Well," he started, ducking his head slightly as a flush travelled up his neck, "it's actually Edward Remus Lupin, but Teddy is what I prefer."

"Right."

He straightened up suddenly, all signs of bashfulness fading, as his smile widened further. It almost looked like he was teasing, "Don't you think it makes me sound cuddly?"

Startled by the unexpected response and not knowing how to respond, I said slowly, "If you say so."

His smile only grew as he leaned back slightly, resting his back against the bus shelter. His shoulder brushed against mine as he considered me, "You're awfully judgy for a stranger."

Fighting a smile I shot back, "You're awfully friendly for a stranger."

Not-quite-a-stranger Teddy Lupin let out an incredulous laugh at my words before agreeing, "You're right, I am. But we don't have to be strangers, you know. I'll just need to know your name first."

"Rafferty."

When I said nothing further, he shook his head goodnaturedly, "You're not going to give me your first name, Rafferty?"

"No, not yet." Searching his eyes and finding them already set on my face, I wondered where my sudden self-confidence had come from, "We're not quite there yet."

**********

At the beginning of their first year when students entered University, they needed to be sat down during their induction week to let them know how to use the library. The first floor was for their social chatter, where they could pretend to be studying, but every other floor and section was not for chatting. It was for students who were cramming for their upcoming deadlines and whatever else was looming. Even now, as I sat in a rarely visited corner of the library, surrounded by Philosophy texts, I eyed the nearby table of chatting first years who were regaling each other with talk of their latest conquests. I struggled not to groan, fighting the urge to storm over to them and demanding they take themselves downstairs. Not that they were likely to listen to me; first years were scary nowadays.

Instead, I had to settle for plugging my earphones in and using some white noise to drown out the chatter as I read through the assigned chapter of extra reading. Every now and then, I jotted some comments down in my notebook and glanced at the nearby table, hoping by some miracle that they would be gone. But of course, they weren't.

Reaching the end of the chapter, I closed the textbook and checked my list of recommended reading and jotted down the title and the identifying code number on a Post-it note. Picking up the text I was now finished with, I returned it to its rightful place and set off on my search. Scouring each shelf, I held the post it aloft, comparing the titles and the author's name but struggled to find it. Stepping away from the shelf, I craned my head up to read the titles of the books above my head. Of course, my luck did happen to be horrible.

Locating the nearest step stool, I set it in front of the bookshelf and checked that it was steady. Satisfied, I prepared to clamber onto the stool when a hand was there, stretching out over my head. Startled but unsurprised that I hadn't heard anyone coming towards me, I was quick to remove my earphones as the large hands hovered around the books.

Outstretching a finger towards the correct book, my helpful strange asked, "This one?"

"Yes please," I said thankfully. Once the book had been plucked from the shelf, I turned to continue to thank the stranger who stopped me from clambering onto a stool which, given the luck I'd had today, would likely have me falling headfirst to a twisted ankle. My words died on my lips at the sight of not-stranger Teddy who stood in front of me, with that easily charming smile on his face.

Holding the book out towards me, he greeted, "Hello, stranger."

Accepting the book from him, I tucked it against my chest and returned, "Thank you, stranger."

"Anytime."

He continued to stand in front of me, looking like he wanted to say something. But, he didn't speak. But I waited and when he still said nothing, I murmured something about returning to my belongings and headed back to my table. Teddy dropped easily into step behind me.

"You know, following girls will get you into trouble," I warned, casting him a glance from over my shoulder.

"I'd follow you into trouble any day," he said so easily that I fought back a laugh.

Instead, I shook my head and faced forward again. Returning to my table, I put the textbook down and settled once more in my chair. Teddy settled across from me, looking the picture of ease as he set his backpack down on the empty chair next to him. Flipping open the back cover of the book, I searched through the index. Or rather, I tried to but I struggled to stop my eyes from flickering up to the boy lounging across from me.

"You're at the library, don't you have something you need to get done?" I asked when he continued to catch my waiting eyes. His smile deepened when it happened the third time.

"I do," he said and as if to prove his point, he remove his own notebook from his backpack. "But then I saw you Rafferty and I have loads of questions that I want to ask you."

"Loads of questions? I'm not sure I'm that interesting." He considered me silently as if to say that he disagreed. Giving up my pretence of searching the index and knowing that I was unlikely to be productive with him sitting across from me in his distracting entirety, I shut my book. "Alright fine, go ahead. Consider it a thank you for getting the book for me."

"Great." Teddy leaned back in his chair, propping his chin on his joined hands. "What are you studying?"

"What am I studying?" I repeated, eyebrows rising.

"Let me guess, you expected me to ask your first name?"

I didn't bother giving him the satisfaction of being right. Instead, I gestured to the section around me and said, "Philosophy."

Teddy gave a low whistle, "You must enjoy reading, Rafferty."

"Strangely no." Teddy didn't respond but rather continued to wait. His eyes remained locked onto mine, "What?"

"I'm waiting for you to ask me."

"Why?"

"So you can get to know me," he said as if it should have been obvious.

Again, I asked, "Why do you want me to get to know you?"

He straightened up then, leaning his forearms against the table. That grin was back on his face again, the one that was all charming, all boyishly handsome and completely butterfly-inducing. "So you can decide for yourself if I'm worth your time."

"You're very straightforward," I said, watching him in surprise.

He wasn't swayed by my words and instead agreed, "It's the only way to be. So, like I said, you decide if I'm worth your time."

Not knowing how to respond, I could only nod and watch as he accepted it. He considered me with a tilted head, looking far too amused. Clearing my throat, I glanced back at my abandoned book and set about pretending to concentrate on the index again.

"Now, onto my next question," Teddy started, "I think it's time I got your name, love."

**********

With a long day of lectures finally coming to a close, I was all too ready to head home and climb into bed. But before that, I needed to get some work done and I'd quickly learnt that I got very little done at home. There were just too many distractions once I got home, there were things to do, watch ... or eat. Although I was reluctantly dragging my feet to the library, I would thank myself for it in the long run. I always did. But the knowledge of that didn't make it any easier to do it.

Forcing myself to keep down a sigh, I shifted my bag onto my shoulder and made my way out of the building. Navigating my way through the other students, I stepped out into the courtyard and prepared to make a direct beeline towards the library which hopefully wouldn't be so crowded at this time. A call of my name halted me. Following the sound of the voice, I found Teddy as he stood waiting outside of his lecture building. He waved at me before crossing the short distance between us.

"I was waiting for you," he said in explanation when he got close enough.

When he stopped in front of me, I asked, "Are you a stalker now?"

"No," he said with a smile. "I just thought that we could take the bus together again like we did last week."

Teddy appeared to always be smiling, I couldn't remember the last time I hadn't seen him smile. It was always infectious, the sight of his smile. It could lift the hardened band of anxiety that wrapped around my lungs and I swore it made it easier to breathe. Not that I would ever tell him that.

"As much as I would love to sit next to you in that extremely cramped and busy bus-" not that I would tell him quite how much I would like it - "I actually need to drop by the library and pick up some books."

"Well I'll go with you then," he said readily as if he wasn't agreeing to miss the upcoming bus and sticking around on campus for longer than he'd originally wanted. He gestured for me to lead the way.

"Why?"

"You ask me that a lot," he pointed out. Teddy dropped into step at my side, nudging me with his arm. When I shot him a probing look, he answered, "Because I'm still waiting for you to decide if I'm worth it."

Rolling my eyes for him to see, I asked again, "Why?"

This time, he let out a slight incredulous laugh. But again, he answered, "If I'm being completely honest, it's because I think you're fit."

Taken by surprise at his honesty - but then again, he was always honest - I could only wonder aloud, "You really are ridiculously straightforward."

"And you just dodged my remark."

"And I'll continue to dodge it," I said as we reached the library.

Teddy made a sound of displeasure but said nothing else. Instead, he remained at my side and followed me into the library as I headed straight for the Philosophy section. Searching through the aisles, I plucked the relevant texts from the shelves and when I went to hold them steady, he easily took them from me. At first, I tried to protest, but Teddy silenced me with a roll of his eyes and a prompt to continue.

Once the third book was added to the pile that was growing in his arms, Teddy asked quietly, "So? Do you find me fit?"

Rather than answering Teddy, I shot him a look before consulting my list of books. Walking to the next aisle, I continued my search with Teddy trailing after me.

I had hoped he would drop it, but of course, he didn't and instead asked again, "Do you find me fit?"

"You're not going to drop this, are you?" I asked, coming to a stop. He shrugged his shoulders, wearing an infuriating smile. "I think you know you're an attractive guy, Lupin."

"But do you find me attractive, Rafferty?"

I shot him a look. Teddy remained standing under my eyes, completely unabashed as I looked over him. He didn't falter under my appraisal and I took the opportunity to shamelessly appraise him; who knew when I'd next be given the chance to admire him so openly? So I grasped the opportunity with both hands.

Making sure not to draw the moment out too long, I fought a smile. "Maybe. In the right light."

Teddy grinned openly at my words. He looked like he was going to say something. But before he could - and I didn't dare even think about what he could say because he certainly didn't seem embarrassed to say anything - I returned to my search. He let the matter go and joined me in my search.

"This is the last one, I promise." Plucking the book from the shelf, I outstretched it towards Teddy and added it to the top of the pile.

"Don't worry, I can carry more," he assured me as if I was worried about his strength.

"Well lucky for you I don't need anymore." Checking the book titles once more, I pointed out, "You never specified what you're studying."

Teddy didn't answer me. Not right away. When the silence lengthened, I glanced up at him, startled at finding him peering curiously down at me. His expression was surprisingly soft. I swallowed nervously, searching for something to say.

He beat me to it, stating, "To be honest, my degree course has a long-winded title and it sounds majorly pretentious so I'm not going to give you more ammunition to tease me with. But, you can consider it like it's physics and I'm trying to understand why the universe works the way it does."

"Look at you, you brain box," I said, finally stepping away from Teddy and drawing out of his personal space. "Sounds like you've got a lot of reading to do as well. You must like it."

"Trust me, all the extra reading isn't for me either."

**********

The bus into campus was always crowded - sometimes too crowded - and was an absolute pain. Especially on those days when there were no seats left and so Jocelyn and I had to resort to standing and bracing ourselves every time the over-eager bus driver took a corner. Jocelyn, who struggled with travel sickness whenever she had to stand, kept her eyes resolutely focused ahead. Thankfully before she could empty her breakfast into her handbag, the bus pulled into the campus.

As soon as it came to a stop, Jocelyn was forcing her way out of the bus, clambering to the front to step off the vehicle and onto the campus. I followed behind her every step of the way, mumbling my apologies but not being apologetic enough to let anyone off ahead of me. When Jocelyn rested by the bus shelter, taking the moment to catch her breath, I rubbed her back slowly.

"How are you feeling Jo?" I asked, watching her bring her water bottle out of her bag. She took hearty gulps.

"I'll live," she said, screwing the lid back onto the bottle. Tucking it back into her bag, she rifled around briefly before sighing. "Any chance you have some gum?"

"Yeah, hang on a minute." Finding my chewing gum, I offered her the packet and Jocelyn gratefully accepted it. Once she had started chewing on it, she appeared a little better.

Before I could prompt Jocelyn to take a seat for a little bit, a voice, one that I was becoming very familiar with, called out, "Hi there, stranger."

"I thought we agreed that we weren't strangers anymore?" I replied, my eyes easily locating Teddy as he waved away his friends before approaching us.

At my side Jocelyn, no longer looking even a little bit ill, looked between us both with confused eyes. Once Teddy drew close enough, she nudged me pointedly in the ribs but said nothing; I knew the moment he was out of earshot Jocelyn would be demanding answers from me. Not that I was sure what answers I would be giving her. Still, I kept my eyes on Teddy, offering him a smile.

Coming to a still in front of me, Teddy easily took my hand in his and despite myself, I was smiling at him. I probably should have attempted to pull my hand away from him, but I didn't. If anything, it felt nice having him hold my hand so securely in his. Appraising me silently, Teddy grinned widely and I was fairly certain it had something to do with my lack of protest. I didn't even dare look at Jocelyn who I was sure was analysing every moment of this interaction.

Finally remembering that I wasn't alone, Teddy fixed his warm eyes on Jocelyn and introduced himself, "Teddy Lupin at your service."

"Jocelyn Darby," Jo returned doing a fantastic job at shielding her uncertainty at being approached by someone who - as far as she'd known - was a stranger, and potentially one of the 'spy school' students.

"Have you gone from being a stranger to being a stalker?" I asked, rolling my eyes when he swung our joined hands.

"Not a stalker, just pure luck that I caught sight of you," he assured me. Teddy released my hand, bringing his to his chest in a show of earnestness. I tried not to think about how cold my hand felt now. Instead, I rolled my eyes for him to see. "Anyway, it's a good thing I saw you. I've got lectures all day, so at least I got to see you now or else I wouldn't see you all day."

All too aware of Jocelyn listening in, I asked, "And you wanted to see me?"

"I always want to see you," he said, so simply that his candour didn't surprise me much anymore. Jocelyn on the other hand - I didn't need to be looking at her to know that her eyes had widened dramatically. "But before I forget - this weekend, are you busy? And even if you are busy, are you going to let me take you out?"

Mildly baffled that he was asking me out whilst I was with my friend, and majorly baffled that he even wanted to take me out, I found myself staring dumbly at him. Not that Teddy seemed to notice. Instead, he continued to wait patiently for my response. It was only when Jocelyn pointedly cleared her throat that I realised that maybe I was taking too long to answer him. But really, what was there to contemplate?

Forcing myself to act unaffected, to pretend that my stomach wasn't suddenly filled with anxious yet excited butterflies, I murmured, "Sure, why not."

That was enough for Teddy. He reached for my hand again, and before I could protest - not that I was sure I would protest - he dropped a quick kiss to my fingers. Surprised at the action, and rendered speechless, I could only wave him away when he took off in the direction of his lecture building. He walked backwards as he went, offering me a large wave over his head, before turning to face forward again.

Only once he'd disappeared out of sight did Jocelyn pointedly clear her throat. Knowing I had to give her an explanation, but not knowing what I could say, I started walking towards our lecture theatre.

"Well?" Jocelyn probed when I made no attempt to breach the silence. "Are you going to tell me how that happened?"

"Truthfully? I'm not sure."

She wasn't satisfied with my answer. Sighing, Jo nudged me with her shoulder, "Don't get me wrong, he's cute and all, but I'm telling you, he's part of the cult."

I glanced sharply towards her, eyebrows raised in incredulity. "What?"

Pointing towards the structure opposite our building, she emphasised, "The cult. It has to be a cult, everyone is saying so."

"Well," I said dryly, adjusting my bag on my shoulder, "if everyone is saying it's a cult then it absolutely has to be a cult."

Not appreciating my words, and likely knowing how strange the speculation about the students entering the Circe Centre - the building opposite our lecture theatre - she said nothing. Honestly, clearly, the students weren't working hard enough if they had all this time to make rumours about a cult. As if Teddy would be part of a cult.

**********

The bus pulled into another stop, and I drummed my hands on my lap as I waited. I needed to do it to get rid of the nervous energy that was filling my body before I met up with Teddy. The last thing I needed was for him to pick up on it and then tease me about feeling nervous. Although I wasn't sure if he would tease me about it, I wasn't sure how he'd react at all when realising that I was nervous because I'd never really been nervous around him. Of course, that would only matter if he noticed, to begin with.

Spying a young woman who stood at the front of the bus, a fidgeting toddler clutched in her hand, I glanced around the bus. There were no spare seats. Catching her eye, I gestured her over with a smile and offered her my seat. She hesitated to take it.

"Honestly," I insisted, stepping out of the way so she could sit. She settled the toddler onto her lap with a thankful smile, "I'm off on the next stop anyway."

"Thank you," she said, sounding as if my small act had made her day.

Offering her a final smile, I made my way towards the front of the bus and wrapped my hand around the railing to secure me. As soon as the bus set off again, I was back to my fidgeting, drumming my thumbs against the rail. There wasn't long left now. Sure enough, it took a few minutes for us to arrive at the next stop, right in the middle of the city centre where we'd agreed to meet for our ... well, was this a date? We hadn't agreed on what this was and I certainly wouldn't be the one to ask that question.

Thanking the bus driver, I stepped out onto the street and stood out of the way. Searching for Teddy, I found him all too easily, waiting a short distance from the stop. He hadn't found me amongst the crowd yet and I took the opportunity to let myself have one final moment of panic. Then, once he caught sight of me, the furrow between his brows eased and he was smiling, waving me over. Letting out one sharp breath, I gathered myself and crossed the space between us.

The moment I was within his reach, Teddy took my hand and spun me under his arm. I laughed incredulously as he said, "Look at you, not in your comfy uni clothes. You look cute, Rafferty."

"Thank you," I said once he'd stopped spinning me. I took his words as silent permission and looked him over with little shame. "You look cute too."

Teddy's smile widened at my words as led me by the hand towards the city centre. I made no move to take back my hand and was content following him. Not that he seemed to be complaining either way. Was this a date? Or was Teddy one of those very tactile male friends?

He glanced down at me as he assured me, "I am cute."

Shaking my head, I wondered, "Have you always been like this?"

"What? Cute?" When I raised an eyebrow, shooting him a look, he laughed.

Before Teddy, I hadn't thought that I was a funny person, and even now I was certain that I wasn't a funny person, but he always seemed to laugh around me. He had a good laugh, deep and warming. It was a sound I enjoyed, but I was certain I enjoyed being the one to make him laugh just as much.

"Be serious." I nudged him with my shoulder.

"No, I haven't always been like this. My self-confidence has been really hard won."

Accepting his words but not wanting to pry, I glanced around as we walked, trying to come up with some clue as to where we were going. Teddy had insisted that he had everything sorted and that all I needed to do was turn up, but it certainly didn't help my curiosity.

As if he knew where my thoughts were, Teddy poked my forehead with his free hand, "Stop your brain from running and just follow me. We're almost there anyway."

So I held my tongue, forcing myself to be a little more patient. It would only be a little longer before I found out where we were headed and why Teddy had insisted that it was perfect for the pair of us. I briefly contemplated the idea that it was a coffee shop to feed our mutual caffeine addiction, or maybe even a bookshop to pay respect to the irony that we both hated doing the academic reading but were taking reading-heavy courses. What I hadn't expected was for Teddy to come to a stop in front of a pottery painting studio. He released my hand and gestured expectantly towards the small shop.

I glanced hesitantly between the shop and Teddy. "I don't have a single artistic bone in my body."

"Neither do I," he said, smiling in the face of my uncertainty, "which is why this is perfect. We can laugh at each other."

"As if we don't do that enough?" I asked dubiously but followed his lead when he headed inside.

We were greeted at the door by an employee who, after finding out that it was our first time visiting, ran us through the various options and some tips and tricks. I could only nod and make encouraging sounds to prove that I was listening because it was all a bit overwhelming. After stating that she hoped we enjoyed ourselves, the employee left us to our perusal of the premade pottery objects that were there and ready to be painted.

"So, what are you in the mood to paint?" I asked as I looked over the various ceramic animals that were on display. "They've got some paperweights, and plates and I think those are some vases over there?"

"Why don't we paint something for each other?" Teddy suggested, lowering his voice a little as he came to my side. He reached around me, and picked up a teddy bear paperweight."

"Very original," I said dryly.

"I'm always original. Go on, your pick now."

I hesitated, looking at all of the available options. There were too many choices and well, he had picked something that was clearly representative of himself. Did that mean I needed to do the same? Except, what here would work for that?

He beat me to it. Picking up a ceramic cat, he held it out expectantly towards me. I accepted it, even as I met his eyes with blatant confusion.

"Kitten," he elaborated, before walking off as if he hadn't rendered me a flustered mess. "Let's go find some aprons."

**********

Jocelyn, who was busy gathering her things, hurried around the sitting room of our shared flat. She, like she always was on the days she slept in, was like a whirlwind as she tried to make sure she had everything. Every now and then I could hear her mumble her checklist under her breath. I watched her as she went, from the safety of the sofa until she was satisfied that she had everything.

"Right." She said resolutely, slinging her bag onto her shoulder, "I'm off to Uni, I'll see you this evening?"

"See you then," I called out as she walked towards the front door.

I listened out for the sound of the opening door, only to hear Jo say "Oh!" in surprise.

"Jo?" I called out questioningly, rising from the sofa and walking into the corridor

"It's nothing, just your cult member here to see you," she said on her way out, passing Teddy who stood on the other side.

"Don't worry, we'll indoctrinate you too," Teddy teased, waiting for Jocelyn to walk past him before he came in.

"I'll hold you to that promise," Jo warned before glancing at her watch. "I really need to go. Bye kids, have fun!"

Rolling my eyes at her words, I waved her away. Without waiting for me, Teddy made his way towards the living room and I shut and locked the front door. Following him, I watched as Teddy made a point of pressing the nose of the teddy bear paperweight that rested on our bookshelf as he removed his backpack and set it aside. I lingered in the doorway, watching him.

He returned his attention to me, coming to stand in front of me. He greeted me with a smiling call of "Kitten," as he pressed a kiss to my forehead.

Surprised at the gesture and struggling not to smile, I rolled my eyes and pushed him away from me. "Steady on you."

Teddy gave me an easy smile before making his way over to the sofa. He made himself comfortable, taking a handful of the popcorn that I'd had ready and waiting. Settling down at his side, I drew my legs up and tucked myself slightly against him. Reaching for the tv remote, I navigated through the title screen.

"I can't believe you've never watched Legally Blonde," I said, shaking my head. "It's a classic."

"I haven't seen it. I didn't grow up watching a lot of films," Teddy said, draping his arm around the back of the sofa. He absentmindedly played with some of my hair.

Swatting his hand away, I shot him a narrow-eyed look, "Maybe Jocelyn is right, maybe you are part of a cult."

He huffed out a laugh, adjusting his positioning slightly as I pressed play. Settling back comfortably, I helped myself to some of the popcorn as the film started to play. Welcomed back once more into the world of Elle Woods, I tried to pay attention to what was happening on the screen. But it was proving to be incredibly difficult given the way Teddy's eyes appeared to be magnetically drawn to my face. It was difficult to stuff your face with popcorn when you were acutely aware that you were being watched.

"I can see you're not paying attention," I said, even as I didn't look away from the screen.

He didn't respond to my words. Not verbally anyway. Rather Teddy took the arm he still had draped over the back of the sofa and wrapped it around my shoulder. I drew in a slow breath, being careful not to react, even as I continued to watch him from the corner of my eye. He did nothing else for a short while and I let myself breathe easier. I focused back on the movie and watched as Elle demonstrated the Bend and Snap.

Not that Teddy seemed too willing to let me concentrate on anything besides himself. His fingers brushed lightly, absentmindedly against the column of my neck. Swallowing heavily, I tried once more to watch the film that might as well have not been playing. He shifted once more, his fingers skimming along the side of my jaw and gently turning my head towards him. Looking at him with wide eyes, I waited, searching his gaze.

Teddy lowered his head towards mine, closing the space between us and kissing me soundly. I didn't protest, reaching out to hold onto his shirt and kissing him back. It was a short kiss, barely lasting more than a few seconds before he straightened up, keeping his eyes on mine. He averted his eyes briefly and I swore that for the first time since I'd met him, he almost appeared bashful. But, he returned his eyes to me, searching my face as I continued to peer up at him.

Quietly, his words no more than a whisper, Teddy asked, "You're not the sort of person that kisses her friends, are you?"

Rather charmed at seeing this uncertain side of Teddy, a side I was sure very few people got to see, I shook my head and said softly, "No, I'm not the sort of person that goes around kissing my friends."

"Right." He nodded, just once. "Okay."

He looked uncertain, as if not knowing what to do next. Smiling, I tightened my hold on his shirt and tugged expectantly. Taking the thing, Teddy lowered his head again, and this time I was the one to kiss him. His arms drew around me, holding me close as he let out a relieved breath against my lips.

"Just so we're clear," he said, cutting our kiss short and drawing back only far enough that he could talk. His eyes were still closed, "we're not just friends, right?"

"Right," I agreed, laughing a little.

This time, he needed no prompt as he kissed me soundly. One of his hands finding purchase in my hair and tilting my head closer to him. Elle Woods was talking in the distance but she was the last thing on my mind.

**********

1 YEAR LATER

Anyone who had attended University knew that the final year of your degree course was always the most stressful. There was the looming pressure of the dissertation and the ultimate goal of graduating with a 2:1 or a 1st. So could I really be blamed for not wanting to start my third year before I technically needed to? My first lecture of the year was scheduled for 11 am tomorrow and yet, here I was, standing in the middle of the campus when I would much rather be straightening out the final adjustments to my flat for the year.

"I don't even know how you managed to convince me to come here a day before I actually needed to," I grumbled aloud to Teddy who looked far too pleased with himself. He reached for my hand, tugging me into his side as if to soften my annoyance.

"No convincing needed," he insisted, smiling down at me when I rolled my eyes. He dropped a kiss to my forehead, "You, being the good girlfriend you are, like making your boyfriend happy."

"And you clearly do not like being a good boyfriend because you've dragged me here when I would've rather been sorting out the curtains in our bedroom." Despite my grumbles, I looped my arm around his waist and let him begin leading me through the campus. He'd claimed there had been something he wanted to show me and now here my body was when my mind was thinking about curtains.

"Hey!" He protested, pretending to sound hurt. Not that it lasted for long. The corners of his mouth curled upwards in a way that, if we were alone, would've had warmth pooling into my blood. But we weren't alone, we were in public, and I could already feel mortification creeping its way into my heart. "I am a good boyfriend and because I'm such a charming boyfriend, I even promised to do that thing you like when we get home."

Mouth dropping open in surprise, I pulled away from him and glanced around. Sure enough, there were students walking past who had overheard his words and were snickering. He was dead. I was going to kill him.

"Stop saying that!" I hissed through my teeth, swatting at his chest.

Teddy wasn't perturbed. Rather, he laughed, rubbing the spot where I'd hurt him with an unsurprised, "Ow."

'I jabbed a finger accusingly at him, "You promised to take the bins out from our flat."

"Okay, okay," he said cajolingly, drawing me back to his side. We started walking further from the middle of campus as Teddy glanced around. This time, when he spoke, it was a quiet whisper by my ear, "But just to clarify, you do want me to do that other thing you like don't you?"

"Teddy."

When he continued to look at me as if he was the picture of innocence, I narrowed my eyes before nodding, just once. But it was enough. He continued to lead me towards our destination, now with a very obvious skip in his step. Honestly.

"We're here," he announced abruptly, coming to a halt.

Stopping at Teddy's side, I followed his arm as he gestured towards the secretive Circe centre. Glancing uncertainly between Teddy and the strange building, I watched apprehensively as he offered me a reassuring smile. He held out his hand towards me, but I didn't take it straight away.

"Come on," he encouraged, "It's just a building."

"That very few people are allowed to enter," I pointed out, even as I slipped my hand into his. He linked our fingers together.

"And you're getting the special privilege," he said as if that did anything to combat the unease that filled me. It didn't.

Instead of voicing my concerns, I walked with Teddy towards the building which definitely looked harmless. And yet, with every step we took closer to the entrance, everything in my being was screaming out for me to turn away, that there was nothing to see in there. Maybe I would have if Teddy's hand hadn't been holding me steady, and squeezing it every so often as if to remind me what we were doing. Still, I struggled to fight the urge to turn around and find the library, the cafeteria, the coffee shop, or anywhere that wasn't here. Maybe Jocelyn hadn't been so wrong about the particles after all? I dismissed the ridiculous thought as soon as it arrived.

Once we reached the entrance, I expected Teddy to reach for his lanyard to allow him entry into the building, just as was needed with every other building in this campus. But he didn't. Rather, he reached under his shirt, drew out a necklace of some sort and that was it. I watched him with thinly veiled suspicion; this was beginning to be very strange.

Teddy stepped forward then, pushing the door of the building open. Again, that was strange. The other lecture halls all had automatic external doors that opened as soon as the security point registered our IDs. I contemplated turning and running away, and then when Teddy found me I'd come up with some excuse. But he didn't give me the opportunity.

Drawing me after him into the building, Teddy wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pressed a kiss to my temple. Standing in the foyer, I glanced around, expecting to see something - anything strange, that hinted as to why it was so difficult to get into the building. But there was nothing. No other students were loitering around, but it looked ordinary. My shoulders drooped a little in disappointment, but at least my urge to run away had disappeared.

"So," Teddy said, gesturing to the open space around us, "this is what the cult headquarters looks like."

"Clearly."

Locking his eyes onto mine, Teddy grinned and winked mischievously. "Come on Kitten, I'll show you my lair."

This time when I went to swat his chest, he easily dodged it before holding me close to him once more. I melted against his side, agreeing to let him show me around. Maybe I'd finally get to see into his lecture theatre and get some inkling into what he was studying.

____________________ 

As always, let me know what you thought ~

The next one shot should be posted on the 25th, and I anticipate it being another long one. Here are the hints:

* Pureblooded

* Captain of the house quidditch team 

* Played as a chaser on the team