teddy's pov:

I hate Xavier Zabini.

Okay, that's not fair. I don't hate him. I just really really really dislike him, loathe him even, and would prefer he stay as far away from Juniper as humanly possible. I don't want to be nice to him. But he's Junie's boyfriend.

Boyfriend.

Junie has a boyfriend.

I mean, I'd kinda guessed. She hadn't been hanging around us as much, gone at odd hours, sneaking off between lessons. She was weirdly giggly at times. She never said anything about it though, so I just pushed it to the back of my mind. It wasn't something I particularly wanted to think about, and if she wasn't telling us it couldn't be serious. It wasn't something I had to worry about. Right?

Wrong.

Merlin, when I walked in on her and Zabini in the classroom, it felt like I would explode. All I could see was red, and I wanted to charge in there and punch him in the face until he let her go. She looked so pretty that night too, and I'd told her so. Stupid. Wish I hadn't done that. And then she called him her boyfriend.

I didn't know why I was so angry. Why was I so angry? Yeah, I'd done everything humanly possible to prevent her from dating, but that was over. Yeah, for some reason I wanted to kiss her all the time now, but she was still my best friend. I should be happy for her. I should be happy for her. She likes Xavier. But why? Why not-

No. Not doing this today, Theodore. You're just being protective. Like James would. Or Charlie. Or Leo. Like a big brother. She wanted me to get along with him. And I was going to try my very best. Little did I know how hard that would actually be. Half the time I was around him I wanted to beat him into a bloody pulp, and the other half I wanted to clutch Juniper close and never let her go.

It started with the incident on the Quidditch pitch. Her leg was bothering her again. I could always tell. And it was especially bad because she'd played through the pain the other weekend at the game against Hufflepuff, even though I'd told her to sit out. I didn't know what I expected. She was the stubbornest girl I'd ever met, never listened to anyone, least of all me. I wondered if she listened to Xavier. I wondered if Xavier even knew she had an injury.

"Oh good you're here," Juniper called to me, black ponytail bobbing as she exercised. She grabbed my hand and led me over to the grass. Though I'd helped her stretch dozens of times since that first morning, my pulse still raced when she guided my hands to her waist.

She bent over and reached for her toes, effortlessly contorting her body into what looked like a very hard position. God, speaking of hard. I angled my body as far away from hers as I could, staunchly looking skyward and not at her long, long legs. Christ. What was wrong with me? She has a boyfriend. She has a boyfriend! You can't have her Teddy. Off limits. Off limits.

I just couldn't help it sometimes. When she told me to shut up, or fell asleep with her glasses still on, her hair in the morning, her lips. I could write poems about those lips. Like last week before the party, when I'd been teasing her about her skirt. Okay not just teasing. I was flirting. Definitely flirting. Which was so so wrong because she was there with another bloke. Who knows, I might've kissed her right there and then if fucking Zabini hadn't walked in.

"Hey!" Juniper waved a hand in front of my face, "Earth to Teddy." She rose, brushing her leggings off.

"Sorry." I stepped back, "Leg okay?"

"Yeah." She shrugged, letting her hair loose. The dark tangles tumbled down her back, and I wanted nothing more than to grab a fistful of them in my hand and- ugh. Deep breaths Teddy. Think about Alison Leavenworth, you're seeing her this weekend remember? She's very pretty, good snog, but she's not- nope. Also, pay attention! Junie's talking again.

"You know, you don't have to come out here every morning. I can manage on my own." Juniper told me.

"I know." I grinned, "Doesn't mean you have to though."

"I'm really fine, Teddy, you don't-"

"Junie," I gave her a look, raising my eyebrows. "Shut up."

She gasped in mock horror, "Using my line?"

"I hate you," I said with a wink, watching in delight as Junie tried not to laugh.

"You don't sound like me at all." Junie crossed her arms haughtily.

"I beg to differ," I replied cheekily, nudging her arm. "I think my impression was spot on."

"Oh c'mon, Juniper doesn't talk anything like that." My new least favorite sound hit my ears like nails on a chalkboard. I gritted my teeth, swiveling around to face Junie's- excuse me while I go vomit- boyfriend.

"Lupin," he nodded to me curtly, snaking a possessive arm around Juniper.

I wanted to roar, shove his slimy hands off of her. Like he knows how she talks. Who's been her best friend her whole bloody life? Not you, Zabini. Me. Me. You think you know her better than me? I'll fight you. I'll- no I won't. I promised Junie. So I won't. But I really really want to. Was it even Junie if she wasn't saying shut up every five seconds? Did Xavier get her at all?

"Zabini," I greeted him, equally cool, as we always did. Our passive aggressive way of saying hello so Juniper would think we were getting along. However there was a different message behind our nods.

His "Lupin." said, I don't like you and you don't like me, but we have to hang out sometimes. And more prominently, she is my girlfriend, back off. I have her and you don't, deal with it.

My "Zabini." said, I don't like you and I wish you would turn into dust. I want to kick your arse, and I'm only being nice to you for Junie. She's my best friend, and I'm not going to deal with it.

And people say guys have trouble communicating. Me and that demon, Xavier, just had a whole fucking conversation through the nod of a head and the use of last names.

"You coming?" I heard him mumble to Junie, caressing her cheek with his thumb, and pointedly turning her face to his so I was cut out of the conversation. He was doing it on purpose. The bastard.

"Meet you in the dungeons in ten." Juniper answered. I looked away as she pressed a kiss to his lips, my gut flaming with rage.

Xavier sauntered away like the prick he was, and I heavily resisted the urge to throw a hex at his turned back.

"To the dungeons?" My tone was sour, "Again?"

Juniper tensed, immediately reverting to defense mode, "What do you mean again?"

"I just mean you've been spending a lot of time with Xavier lately." I pursed my lips slightly. I wasn't over exaggerating. Xavier took up almost every minute of her free time, these past few weeks we'd hardly seen her. And he definitely wasn't a fan of us, given how little interest he'd shown in our absolute banger of a party. Hells yeah we were immature, who gives a fuck what Zabini thinks? Not me. But Juniper does.

"And?" Her green eyes narrowed, "He's my boyfriend."

"You have best friends too."

"I know that!"

"We don't see you anymore Juniper," I said. "You're always with him."

"So it's my fault that my boyfriend and I like to enjoy each other's company? Is that it?" She glared, nostrils flaring, "It's my fault I'm in a relationship and can't do everything with you guys anymore?"

"I don't think it's your fault." My temper was rising, reaching it's boiling point

"Of course you blame Xavier," Juniper threw her hands up in frustration.

"All I'm saying is you're always hanging in his common room, with his friends," I said pointedly. "And I- we miss you, Junie!" I cried. "I'm not the only one either!" I continued. I was nearing dangerous territory, but I pushed forward, "Charlie and Leo-"

"Charlie and Leo!?" she yelled. "Now they have an opinion too?"

"And Wood and I were talking-"

"Rory?!"

Oops. I wasn't supposed to tell her that one

"I'm not dealing with this right now." She picked up her Quidditch gear, stalking up the hill and back to the castle to change. I considered running after her, but thought better of it. I should give her some time to cool off, even if it meant she was snogging Xavier somewhere in the Slytherin dungeons. Ugh. He was trying to take her away from me- from us, and there was no way in hell I was going to let him.

I kicked the ground angrily. That wasn't the way I wanted it to go. I just wanted- I didn't know what I wanted. I wanted things to go back to the way they used to be. Before boyfriends and full moons and before Junie's angry face made my stomach feel all funny. Before.

a short one, i'm sorry.

hope you liked it though

a lil bit of drama coming, and some light spice

BUT i won't be going into too much detail, there will only be mentions and scenes set before or after

i'm not a smut writer. this is not a smut story.

if you need some hardcore smut, go read something else and come back to my fanfic to cool off:)

much love,

colleen