FIC: A Chance For Us To Be Heard Aloud (Our Time Now)
Title: A Chance For Us To Be Heard Aloud (Our Time Now)
Fandom: Harry Potter Next Generation
Pairing/Characters: Teddy/Lily L. (very slight, more like friendship/sibling love)
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I do mean seriously nothing.
Summary: What happened, on the day that you were not saved? That was the day that you saved yourself. Lily finds her own path, away from the Potter fame. And there is Teddy.
A/N: Title and lyrics from Leona’s ‘Don’t Let Me Down'. Summary quote from Sady Doyle’s incredible ‘Ellen Ripley Saved My Life’. This is for the gorgeous HeartofPaperBloodofInk who is going through a tough time, and who I know will be alright because she is one of the bravest people I have ever had the pleasure to know.
Comments are food for the soul, please feed the author (i.e comments are greatly appreciated, especially con-crit)
That’s what you’re living your life for
Fighter, that’s your name,
Trying to hide but it’s obvious you’re a survivor
Believer, go ahead and travel on your own -
That look in your eyes puts fire in the hearts of the cold
***
She sits in the car looking at the building, her hands drumming out an erratic beat on her knees. She’s not scared. Definitely not scared.
‘Lils?’ even that said softly makes her jump. Not scared, she tells herself, not scared at all.
‘Are you stalling?’ he asks, laughter fringing his words ‘after all that palaver at the airport -what are you doing Teddy? We’re going to be late! Hurry up Teddy!’ he puts on a shrill, grating voice to mimic Lily and she has to pick up a rolled up magazine and hit him with it until the splutters of laughter disintegrate into outraged yelps, when he recovers he turns back to her ‘ after all that , are you stalling?
‘No,’ she says making an impatient sound and throwing the magazine to the back seat,‘whatever do you mean? I’m just making sure you have time to adjust before I leave, y’know, take a mental picture ,all that jazz...’
‘Oh I see,’ he replies, screws up his face and stares at her for a beat ‘Okay done, mental picture taken, archived, everything, now get out,’
‘What? What in the name of Merlin is wrong with you? You can’t just tell me to get out!’
‘The hell I can’t,’ he pushes her shoulder and she pushes back until they’re a tangle of limbs, squabbling like cats on a hot tin roof. A sharp hit to Teddy’s head soon sets him straight. Rubbing his head mournfully, he scowls, ‘where did you learn to fight that dirty?’
‘From the best,’ he bats her away affectionately when she tries to ruffle his hair.
‘Y’know what? Enough is enough.’ He gets out of his end and walks purposefully over to her side of the car, opens the door and half drags her out. She struggles against his grip on her arm but he holds her close. ‘What are you so afraid of Lily?’ he asks against her hair ‘This is all you’ve ever wanted,’
‘I know,’ she admits, what use is there in pretending? She is afraid, so very afraid.
‘Then why are you scared?’
‘Because, because Teddy, what if I fail, what if I hurt my parents, left home, travelled across the bloody Atlantic for nothing? What if I was wrong, what if it doesn’t work out and I have nothing, because I threw it all away for becoming a Muggle lawyer? What then?’
‘Then you’ll pick yourself up and try again,’
She laughs shortly, not really a laugh at all ‘Easy for you to say. I’m not that strong you know, I’m nowhere near as strong as you seem to think I am,’
‘Rubbish,’ he says ‘you’re stronger than I ever give you credit for,’
‘How do you know that?’
‘Because,’ he says, ‘because you are the most stubborn little fucker I know,’
‘Is this meant to make me feel better?’ she asks, eyes dancing.
He rolls his eyes ‘I haven’t got to the good part yet,’
She laughs, that warm from the belly laugh he hasn’t heard for a while ‘wow , if calling me a little fucker was just the beginning, then I can’t wait to hear the good part,'
‘My point is, Lily, you’ve always done what you’ve wanted, you haven’t ever given a fuck what anyone said or thought, you ate that worm and threw up for a week when you were five, and when I told you not to eat it again, you ate another three-‘
‘Is that all you’ve got Lupin? A worm eating story from eighteen years ago?’
‘Well maybe, if you’d let me finish, and not be so rude, you would hear something else’
‘Fine,’ she says, rolling her eyes ‘you can stop with the wounded puppy eyes,’
‘All I know that’s is that you can do anything you want, you gave up the Potter name, the name that could’ve given you anything you wanted, any job, any place at any school, you fucking snapped your wand, that was pretty fucking badass!’ She laughs at the memory of feeling that twig snap under her sure fingers, they way her hands hadn’t shaken at all, the looks on her parent’s faces. It felt good, feeling all that drop away, it had felt really good.
‘You really shouldn’t ever say badass again, it just sounds wrong if you’re not all Yankee,’ she replies.
He shrugs ‘yeah, it felt wrong. Point is, you were proud to be a Slytherin even though your family’s more red and gold than anyone in the Northern Hemisphere, you are the bravest person I know, so if you can’t do something, no one can, and you can do this,’
She squints up at him ‘You practised that, didn’t you?’
He laughs, ducking his head, rubbing the base of his neck ruefully ‘oh yeah, big time. I was reciting it in my head the entire flight over here,’
She kisses him on the cheek, reaching up on tip toes and holding on to his shoulders for balance ‘Well, thank you, even if you did call me a little fucker’
‘A pleasure, m’lady,’ he bows, nose almost touching his knees while Lily laughs, rolling her eyes. ‘I’ll get the luggage,’ he says when he straightens up, she nods.
Shoving her hands into her jeans, she looks around, Stanford, it can’t be that bad. Just like that, Lily Luna Evans steps into the rest of her life.
Three months later, she’s crying as she dials his number. In front of her is the last of her money, barely enough to last a month let alone enough for the flight home.
‘Teddy?’ she whispers into the mouth piece and as soon as she hears his voice, her heart rate slows, Teddy’s there and he’ll sort everything out, everything will be okay.
‘Lily? What’s wrong?’ there’s that panicked edge to his voice even though he knows she can’t be hurt, she’s still talking, but she’s crying too and that makes his heart hitch and mind flood with the images of terrible scenarios. He holds his breath.
‘I want to go home,’ she says ‘I can’t do this, I just want to home,’
‘So come home,’ he takes a breath, long and hard, trying to calm himself down, forcing himself to not jump up and get on his broomstick.
‘Okay, so when are you coming to get me?’ she’s not crying anymore.
‘I’m not, I’m telling you to come home if you want to,’
‘Well how am I supposed to come home if you won’t fucking come get me?’
‘I don’t know, maybe buy a plane ticket?’
‘I haven’t got enough money and you bloody well know it,’ her voice rises in anger, the things they say about girls with red hair, it’s true more often than not.
‘So get a job, earn the money, buy a ticket and come home,’ he says it slowly, calmly, clenching his hand in a fist.
‘Y’know I could apparate! Just because I snapped my wand, doesn’t mean I can’t apparate!’
‘Sure you could apparate, if you want to be splinched in the middle of the Atlantic, but then again who really needs their right arm, or y'know, a nose?’
‘Fuck you, Teddy Lupin!’ she screams down the line and slams the phone down. Teddy presses end call and shoves his phone into his back pocket. One day she’ll realise it was for the best. He hopes anyway.
****
If I need a hero,
I got my mirror
Got to go on with the show
Fandom: Harry Potter Next Generation
Pairing/Characters: Teddy/Lily L. (very slight, more like friendship/sibling love)
Rating: PG-13 (for language)
Disclaimer: I own nothing, and I do mean seriously nothing.
Summary: What happened, on the day that you were not saved? That was the day that you saved yourself. Lily finds her own path, away from the Potter fame. And there is Teddy.
A/N: Title and lyrics from Leona’s ‘Don’t Let Me Down'. Summary quote from Sady Doyle’s incredible ‘Ellen Ripley Saved My Life’. This is for the gorgeous HeartofPaperBloodofInk who is going through a tough time, and who I know will be alright because she is one of the bravest people I have ever had the pleasure to know.
Comments are food for the soul, please feed the author (i.e comments are greatly appreciated, especially con-crit)
That’s what you’re living your life for
Fighter, that’s your name,
Trying to hide but it’s obvious you’re a survivor
Believer, go ahead and travel on your own -
That look in your eyes puts fire in the hearts of the cold
***
She sits in the car looking at the building, her hands drumming out an erratic beat on her knees. She’s not scared. Definitely not scared.
‘Lils?’ even that said softly makes her jump. Not scared, she tells herself, not scared at all.
‘Are you stalling?’ he asks, laughter fringing his words ‘after all that palaver at the airport -what are you doing Teddy? We’re going to be late! Hurry up Teddy!’ he puts on a shrill, grating voice to mimic Lily and she has to pick up a rolled up magazine and hit him with it until the splutters of laughter disintegrate into outraged yelps, when he recovers he turns back to her ‘ after all that , are you stalling?
‘No,’ she says making an impatient sound and throwing the magazine to the back seat,‘whatever do you mean? I’m just making sure you have time to adjust before I leave, y’know, take a mental picture ,all that jazz...’
‘Oh I see,’ he replies, screws up his face and stares at her for a beat ‘Okay done, mental picture taken, archived, everything, now get out,’
‘What? What in the name of Merlin is wrong with you? You can’t just tell me to get out!’
‘The hell I can’t,’ he pushes her shoulder and she pushes back until they’re a tangle of limbs, squabbling like cats on a hot tin roof. A sharp hit to Teddy’s head soon sets him straight. Rubbing his head mournfully, he scowls, ‘where did you learn to fight that dirty?’
‘From the best,’ he bats her away affectionately when she tries to ruffle his hair.
‘Y’know what? Enough is enough.’ He gets out of his end and walks purposefully over to her side of the car, opens the door and half drags her out. She struggles against his grip on her arm but he holds her close. ‘What are you so afraid of Lily?’ he asks against her hair ‘This is all you’ve ever wanted,’
‘I know,’ she admits, what use is there in pretending? She is afraid, so very afraid.
‘Then why are you scared?’
‘Because, because Teddy, what if I fail, what if I hurt my parents, left home, travelled across the bloody Atlantic for nothing? What if I was wrong, what if it doesn’t work out and I have nothing, because I threw it all away for becoming a Muggle lawyer? What then?’
‘Then you’ll pick yourself up and try again,’
She laughs shortly, not really a laugh at all ‘Easy for you to say. I’m not that strong you know, I’m nowhere near as strong as you seem to think I am,’
‘Rubbish,’ he says ‘you’re stronger than I ever give you credit for,’
‘How do you know that?’
‘Because,’ he says, ‘because you are the most stubborn little fucker I know,’
‘Is this meant to make me feel better?’ she asks, eyes dancing.
He rolls his eyes ‘I haven’t got to the good part yet,’
She laughs, that warm from the belly laugh he hasn’t heard for a while ‘wow , if calling me a little fucker was just the beginning, then I can’t wait to hear the good part,'
‘My point is, Lily, you’ve always done what you’ve wanted, you haven’t ever given a fuck what anyone said or thought, you ate that worm and threw up for a week when you were five, and when I told you not to eat it again, you ate another three-‘
‘Is that all you’ve got Lupin? A worm eating story from eighteen years ago?’
‘Well maybe, if you’d let me finish, and not be so rude, you would hear something else’
‘Fine,’ she says, rolling her eyes ‘you can stop with the wounded puppy eyes,’
‘All I know that’s is that you can do anything you want, you gave up the Potter name, the name that could’ve given you anything you wanted, any job, any place at any school, you fucking snapped your wand, that was pretty fucking badass!’ She laughs at the memory of feeling that twig snap under her sure fingers, they way her hands hadn’t shaken at all, the looks on her parent’s faces. It felt good, feeling all that drop away, it had felt really good.
‘You really shouldn’t ever say badass again, it just sounds wrong if you’re not all Yankee,’ she replies.
He shrugs ‘yeah, it felt wrong. Point is, you were proud to be a Slytherin even though your family’s more red and gold than anyone in the Northern Hemisphere, you are the bravest person I know, so if you can’t do something, no one can, and you can do this,’
She squints up at him ‘You practised that, didn’t you?’
He laughs, ducking his head, rubbing the base of his neck ruefully ‘oh yeah, big time. I was reciting it in my head the entire flight over here,’
She kisses him on the cheek, reaching up on tip toes and holding on to his shoulders for balance ‘Well, thank you, even if you did call me a little fucker’
‘A pleasure, m’lady,’ he bows, nose almost touching his knees while Lily laughs, rolling her eyes. ‘I’ll get the luggage,’ he says when he straightens up, she nods.
Shoving her hands into her jeans, she looks around, Stanford, it can’t be that bad. Just like that, Lily Luna Evans steps into the rest of her life.
Three months later, she’s crying as she dials his number. In front of her is the last of her money, barely enough to last a month let alone enough for the flight home.
‘Teddy?’ she whispers into the mouth piece and as soon as she hears his voice, her heart rate slows, Teddy’s there and he’ll sort everything out, everything will be okay.
‘Lily? What’s wrong?’ there’s that panicked edge to his voice even though he knows she can’t be hurt, she’s still talking, but she’s crying too and that makes his heart hitch and mind flood with the images of terrible scenarios. He holds his breath.
‘I want to go home,’ she says ‘I can’t do this, I just want to home,’
‘So come home,’ he takes a breath, long and hard, trying to calm himself down, forcing himself to not jump up and get on his broomstick.
‘Okay, so when are you coming to get me?’ she’s not crying anymore.
‘I’m not, I’m telling you to come home if you want to,’
‘Well how am I supposed to come home if you won’t fucking come get me?’
‘I don’t know, maybe buy a plane ticket?’
‘I haven’t got enough money and you bloody well know it,’ her voice rises in anger, the things they say about girls with red hair, it’s true more often than not.
‘So get a job, earn the money, buy a ticket and come home,’ he says it slowly, calmly, clenching his hand in a fist.
‘Y’know I could apparate! Just because I snapped my wand, doesn’t mean I can’t apparate!’
‘Sure you could apparate, if you want to be splinched in the middle of the Atlantic, but then again who really needs their right arm, or y'know, a nose?’
‘Fuck you, Teddy Lupin!’ she screams down the line and slams the phone down. Teddy presses end call and shoves his phone into his back pocket. One day she’ll realise it was for the best. He hopes anyway.
****
If I need a hero,
I got my mirror
Got to go on with the show