teddy + hannah
WHO: Theodore Nott & Hannah Abbott
WHAT: Trying the friends thing.
WHERE: A cafe near his job.
WHEN: Backdated to Friday.
RATING: PG
STATUS: Complete enough.




Teddy wasn't sure what he was getting himself into. True, he really wanted to stay friendly with Hannah, but it would be remiss to say he didn't feel badly about possibly leading her down a path that led nowhere for either of them. But what if it didn't? What if it led them back to each other? Did she even want that anymore? Did he? And what about the Ministry's claims about Angus murdering Mrs. Abbott? The odds were stacked against them as a couple, but what about mates? Could they do it?

Teddy didn't know. He hadn't seen her much since they left school other than at his and Draco's party followed later by Ernest's funeral. Neither of those functions had left them much time to really talk, but a lunch meeting where there were no outs? It was risky. What if her mother came up? Or his father? There were so many taboo subjects. Nonetheless, he wanted to try. He really wanted to try. She had brought him out of his shell and he couldn't just forget that.

For all those reasons, he waited outside the small café near his job at three sharp just liked he had promised. He had briefly debated bringing flowers, but had decided that felt too coupley. Still, he had dressed up a little more than usual.

Perhaps she should have said no. But how would that have been fair to Teddy? After all, they'd agreed they'd try to be friends. They'd been friends before they'd become a couple, and Hannah had treasured it. Slytherin pureblood or not, he'd grown to be one of the few people she really let in. Maybe it was because he knew what it was like to mourn a parent, or maybe because he knew what it was like to sit just on the outside edge of everything. But he'd meant the world to her even before he'd first kissed her, and she wanted at least that much back.

Hannah was only about two minutes late, but it felt like forever and she felt guilty for it. But it was a difficult choice, trying to decide what to wear to meet one's ex-boyfriend for a casual lunch. How casual should she be? Denims and trainers casual? Nice slacks casual? Hannah had stood in front of her closet for what felt like hours, trying to decide. Finally, on a whim, she'd pulled out one of the few dresses she owned. The simple cotton dress could've been worn around town while shopping it was so casual, but Hannah knew it was flattering, too. She wasn't trying to win him back, exactly, but it didn't hurt to look her best. A swipe of the lip colour she had found with Megan and Susan and a dab of pink over her eyes, and she was literally flying out the door. The brilliant thing about being a witch was that she didn't have to wait for a bus or ask around for a ride or even wait for all that transportation to happen. She Apparated to a few feet away from the café and hurried over as fast as her flats would go.

"Sorry!" she was protesting the second she arrived at his side. In as big of a hurry as she was, it almost passed her by how nice he looked. Almost. "I'm not too terribly late, am I? I'm so, so sorry."

Teddy's natural tendency was to consider anything later than a scheduled time "late," but he knew saying such wouldn't start either of them on the right foot. Besides, she was there right? He had nearly been afraid that she had changed her mind. He grinned, stepping forth to kiss her cheek. "It's fine," he assured her. "Just glad you made it, Hannah."

Her cheeks flushed a bit at the brush of his lips, but she smiled up at him just the same. "Wouldn't have missed it," she confirmed, hoping that didn't sound too completely pitiful. "Even if Tabby thought tripping me on my way down the stairs would keep me at home snuggling her. Shall we?" she offered, nodding towards the front door.

Chuckling, Teddy made sure he reached the door first so that he could hold it open. "Those cats," he kidded while shaking his head. "Spoiled. What will we do with them?"

Though she probably should've been used to his gentlemanly ways, Hannah had been back in 'her world', for a while. Boys who would rather throw things at the table and roll their eyes when you talked to them rather than ones who held doors open. So she smiled gratefully at him and slipped inside, waiting for him to join her. "Well since we've been home, Dad's threatened to make her an outside cat, sell her to one of the neighborhood children, or give her to the boy with the boa as her lunch. I think that one was when he woke up with a hairball in his shoe." Trading cat stories was a safe subject, right? One not likely to make either of them stalk off in a huff (or, in her case, tears as she often did).

Teddy chuckled as he waited for the maitre d to show them to a table. "Your poor father. He just has to get used to her. Mum's thrilled to have Kala full time again." He smiled wistfully. "I've been thinking of maybe getting her one of her own. Not sure why I didn't think of it sooner." He paused, realizing they were headed into dangerous territory. Determined not to go there, he kept his smile firmly in place and rushed on. "I mean she loves cats!" Was that as corny a "save" as it felt?

Hannah wouldn't have even noticed it as the dangerous territory it was thought to be. She adored Mrs. Nott. Kaleigh had always been good to her, even in the very beginning. Many of the more strict pureblood families might have written off Hannah's feelings for Teddy as an annoying little crush that needed to be stamped out, but not Kaleigh Nott. She reminded her so much of Hannah's own mother that she couldn't help but love the older woman, even after the split from her son.

She smiled, taking the seat offered by the man in the black jacket and grinning up at him in thanks. "You should. I'm sure she'd love one. And Kala could get a full time playmate out of it. I know it's been difficult for Tabby going from being one of hundreds of cats around to being on her own, but she's adjusting fairly well. Or maybe she'd like a pygmy puff, everyone seems to be getting them lately."

Teddy recalled Megan's entry. "Oh, yes, I saw that." He shook his head, smiling slightly. "I'm afraid Kala might think it was a chew toy." He grimaced. "Not to bring up what happened with Crookshanks..."

Hannah winced at the comment and shook her head. "Maybe a good-sized puffskein, instead. Ernie's got them, they're precious. Almost as cuddly as cats, too." Pausing, she thought a moment and then a grin crossed her face. "Know what? Just get her the cat! I could help you pick one out, if you wanted." Maybe she shouldn't have said it. Maybe he wouldn't want her help, or maybe that was something he'd rather do himself. But it was just in Hannah's nature to offer help where she could.

She wanted to help him pick out a cat for his mother? That sounded promising; maybe they could handle the friends thing. He felt some tension leaving his shoulders as he nodded at her idea. "If we don't find any nice ones, we'll think about the puffskein." He opened his menu, glancing it over. "I always have the worst time deciding."

"On food or on cats?" she teased, glancing over her own menu. It was still nice out, a little too warm for soup, but it might be perfect for a good crisp salad. Or a sandwich. Or pasta. Goodness, and here he thought he had a hard time. "It's what you get for being a picky eater, you know." But the teasing tone was still most definitely in her voice.

Teddy made a face at her, but it was in good nature. "Not a picky eater," he corrected, "I just didn't like the weird things they tried to shove in me when I was little! They traumatized me. Blame them!" He tried not to directly mention Angus, but it was difficult not talking about his parents.

Hannah had a suspicion he was trying to avoid talking about his father, but she couldn't prove it. It really wasn't fair. Even if, in the end, it turned out his father had been the one to turn her life upside down, she didn't blame Teddy. She trusted him. And, as he'd said, it was just too suspicious that the Ministry had picked that pair of Death Eater and victim to match up. So she smiled, then, and shrugged. "Now, Teddy, if your dad told you to eat asparagus, he was only doing it because it was good for you. Not that I'll touch it within an inch of my life, but there you have it."

He knew he was flushing even before he dropped the menu over his water glass. "Oh! I'm sorry!" He bit his lip and grabbed around for a napkin.

With a small smile, Hannah used her own napkin to dab at the impending doom spreading over the table. "Oh, watch this," she offered and, touching the wand in the pocket of her purse, she whispered the charm meant to dry the table. It wasn't as effective as it would have been had she taken her wand out and done the spell properly, but she wasn't sure what the muggle to wizard ratio in the restaurant was. "You taught me that one," she reminded him, resting a hand gently on his arm. "It's okay, you know. He's not going to go away if we don't talk about him, and it wouldn't be fair to ask that he did."

"And yet didn't even think of using it." Teddy sat back down, groaning at himself. Could he embarrass himself any more? Truthfully, he was still getting used to being a real adult. Even though he had been allowed to use magic outside of school for quite awhile, he had never grown accustomed to it. In many ways, he still felt like Kaleigh and Angus' sheltered little boy. It was ludicrous considering he was 19 with a full time job. He used the napkin to wipe at an imaginary spot on his face. "Fair?" He finally asked. "Is it fair to ask you to hear about him?" He sighed. It had been a bad idea, after all.

Sighing, Hannah shrugged her shoulders. "I told you how I feel about all of this, Teddy. No, I'm not happy with the way things have worked out. Who would be? But... I trust you. And you say he wouldn't have." Maybe she was foolish, putting blind faith in a man she'd never met simply because she still cared so much for his son, but that was Hannah. "And, no matter what he may or may not have done, he's still your father. And I wouldn't ask you to quit talking about him any more than I'd ask Ernie to never mention his." The two men were entirely different, she knew that, but it didn't stop her from caring about either of their sons.

Teddy tried not to think on Ernest much, but it was difficult when he worked at the man's company. He didn't feel he really had a right to grieve as badly as, say, Hannah or Justin. However, that didn't mean Teddy lacked those sentiments. The Slytherin simply hid it for when he was alone. He hadn't even said as much to Draco out of fear of causing Draco pain. But when Hannah brought it up, he looked down at his hands which rested neatly in his lap. "No one should ever forget Mr. MacMillan," he said softly.

"No one will," she reassured him. "He was a good man who did a lot of good. And I see a lot of him in everything Ernie does." She leaned back a bit, sipping at the water at the table. "He'd be proud of you, I think."

Surprised at the expressed words, Teddy said nothing for a moment. Ernest's face flashed before his eyes followed by some quick memories from his youth. "I hope so," he dared to confess. "I hope...I hope he's okay. Maybe with my father even." It was a lot to ask for; Teddy knew that. Angus had done horrible things while Ernest had been a beautiful soul.

She knew most people would think that, considering his crimes, Angus Nott could hardly be in the same place as Ernest MacMillan. But Hannah also believed in redemption. And sacrifice. And Angus had paid the ultimate price in his efforts to protect his son, and she had to believe that was worth something. "Maybe they are," she agreed, smiling gently. "Watching over their boys, trading awful stories you hope they both forgot, intervening when awful things are about to happen."

It was exactly the right thing to say to make him laugh. "Oh, Merlin, I hope not!" He pushed away the hair that fell into his eyes. "And if they are watching? I sincerely hope they didn't see that little clumsy moment of mine." The look he gave Hannah was one that showed thanks. "What are you going to get? It's my treat, of course."

"Oi, you don't have to do that!" she protested, but smiled just the same. It was sort of nice, after all, and who was she to argue? "Hadn't really decided. See, I thought I had, but then this really sweet bloke thought spilling his water everywhere would be better than ordering food and I got all confused."

"Stupid bloke!" Teddy huffed. "Where is he? I'll hex the klutzy dolt!"

Wrinkling her nose with a giggle, Hannah shook her head. "Don't. He's sort of cute when he's clumsy. It'd be a real shame to hex that."

Teddy's cheeks burned for the second time that afternoon. "I don't know. He has those odd teeth..."

Pretending to give it a load of thought, Hannah shook her head. "Nah, his smile's kind of brilliant. He can't even use the hair as an excuse anymore, it's much too well taken care of."

Teddy felt a stab of guilt. Were they flirting? What if they were? Was it bad? Good? He didn't know and for someone who always liked feeling in control, that was quite awful. "Well, then he'll keep his face in tact. For now anyway." He busied himself with looking over the menu again.

Had she said something wrong? He seemed to look away so quickly. Maybe she was being too forward. She should've known that would happen. It was just so easy to revert back to who she'd been with Teddy that it hadn't occurred to her that though she was with him, she wasn't with him. "Asian chicken salad," she declared, closing her menu with a ceremonious 'thump'. "See, that was easy? Don't know why you're having such a hard time."

Teddy's mouth twitched. "I told you! Trauma!" He closed his menu finally. "Steamed clams. There."

Playfully, her nose wrinkled again, this time in disgust. "People actually eat those?" she teased, then ducked as if preparing for any attack he might be about to launch.

"Don't hide now. It's when the clams come out that you need to worry." Teddy's eyebrows raised meaningfully. "That is if we ever get waited on of course." He looked around the busy restaurant. "Who knew three o' clock was so popular?"

"It's the early bird crowd," Hannah whispered conspiratorially. "The old blue hairs, you know? Besides, it's between shifts, they're probably understaffed." She had a theory that contained a considerate waitress not wanting to interrupt a young couple talking, but she wouldn't dare speak it. How was the waitstaff to know they weren't actually together, though?

Hannah's last thought never would have crossed Teddy's mind, mostly because, besides Hannah, he had never really dated. "Does this mean we starve?" He looked around, but no one was paying them any mind.

Tapping her chin thoughtfully, she finally gave a decisive nod. "Yep. Or we go in the back and make it ourselves. I vote for option two." Instead of doing so, however, she glanced around until she caught a younger waiter's eye and smiled in his direction, lifting a finger to signal they were ready to order. He probably wasn't even their waiter, but he came willingly enough and she wasn't about to complain. She placed her order, and quickly, smiling as she handed him her menu. The bloke did seem a little tired; maybe they really were just short staffed that afternoon.

Teddy smiled at the waiter too, thanking him profusely. He too had noticed the waiter's harried expression. "Well, now I feel badly."

"Don't," she told him, leaning back with a smug look. "He only came over because I looked desperate. Maybe he was afraid I'd eat the table cloth or something."

"I can see that looking bad for business..." Teddy sipped the iced tea that was finally placed in front of him. "I hope you had enough time for this. I didn't expect to be so long."

This time, her smile was somewhat bittersweet. "What part of, I'm not exactly doing anything else these days did you miss?" Not that she'd have passed up this afternoon for anything. She just hadn't had to break any prior engagements to do so.

Teddy wished she would stop being so hard on herself. She deserved so much good from life. He was sure she'd find what she was meant to do in it. "Still considering delivering carry out then?" He made sure his tone was light hearted, but his eyes shone with the desire to really know.

She shrugged, her heart constricting a bit at the question. No, she didn't really want to do it. But the problem was, she didn't know what to do with her life. "I wish wizards had a school, honestly. A proper primary school, I mean. That I could see myself doing."

"Teaching you mean?"

"Mmm hmm," she agreed, tucking her hair behind her ears. "Both my parents taught, but at university. My oldest sister teachers secondary school, too. When I was little, I used to play school, making all of my dolls and bears be my students." Probably too much revelation right there.

The thought of a small Hannah teaching her dolls made Teddy grin. Of course, if she knew what he made his stuffed animals do then, she'd laugh too. "Then why don't you? Who says you have to take a job in our world? I mean...I'm sure Hogwarts can figure something out to show you have basic skills...or, you know, forgery."

Her eyebrows lifted in amusement as she took him in. "Forgery? As much as our Ministry hates me right now?" she snickered, though there was less mirth in it than anger. "I'd love to, honestly, but it seems like... I don't know. It feels like I'd be a traitor to everything I've seen and done the last seven years. Does that make sense?" That and she didn't want to isolate herself even more, though she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to reveal that to even him.

"It doesn't seem fair," he started slowly, "that muggle-borns suffer for eleven years before they are made to enter this completely unknown world. I mean..." He paused as their food was placed between them. "I mean...it seems cruel almost."

She'd never really considered it cruel, exactly. But she knew the differences between herself and the likes of Ernie or Teddy. It was something she and Justin had talked about several times. "I don't know that I'd say that," she replied, putting some unnecessary pepper on her salad. "I never looked at it as suffering, exactly. But some warning might've been nice. I'm living day to day one moment, the next thing I know some bloke's at our door telling us I'm a witch and all the crazy stuff I've been doing all those years is actually magic and not just a slightly insane daughter."

"Well, good news for your parents," he joked before digging into his entree. After a few moments of quiet chewing, he cast Hannah a gentle look. "Then maybe you could tutor younger wizards. It's not a classroom exactly, but I still actually talk to some of my old tutors."