black is the kiss [teddy]

[esme]

^{Esme was in a bad mood, irritation rolled off of her in tangible waves. Although there was no hurry Esmeralda strode quickly toward the great hall for dinner, what a god-awful day she was having. At least no one was bumping into her like they normally did, being a first year and kind of small people always brushed her in the hallways but now it was like everyone could sense that she was ready to blow. Her teeth were clenched and she bore a shocking resemblance to her aunt Bellatrix by the slightly mad glint in her brown eyes. Just as she was turning a corner her bag split open spilling books, ink, quills, and parchment across the second floor corridor. Esmeralda didn't swear, that was for people who lacked imagination, but she was so close her nails dug into her clenched hands. Stamping her right foot, the combat boot making a loud noise on the stone floor, she knelt and began picking up her things and shoving them into her bag. the little witch was so furious she didn't even think of using her wand.}

[Teddy Lupin]

First years spread before him, staring in awe as Teddy's hair changed from color to color. It had been a bad day in which he gotten two more detentions, for who knows what. And all that pent up energy was causing his metamorphmagus powers to go out of control. In fact, he really didn't even know he was doing it, at least until his hair turned pink and a Hufflepuff first year started to giggle. With a start and a sigh Teddy quickly changed his hair into it's muggle mode, a very conservative light brown cut which spiked only slightly. The Ravenclaw had an admitted obsession with spikes, to the point a classmate had threatened to send him to the loony bin if he didn't quit it out. That had been the day he'd come downstairs with 6 inch long lavender spikes sticking straight out in every direction. A second year had fainted in the common room.

The sixth year rounded a corner quickly, slipping on a loose sheaf of parchment on the floor. "Bloody Hell!" Arms waving madly the metamorphmagus struggled to regain his balance, failing miserably. Down he fell, his feet thrust before him as he nearly slid into a small, silent first year with long blonde hair picking the contents of her ripped bag off the floor. With a roll of his icy blue eyes Lupin started helping her, hating the fact she was blonde. Blondes were everywhere, and ever so boring. His dark tan hand gripped the very papers he had slipped on and held them out to the anonymous girl. It was then he saw her face. His eyes widened, filling with surprise that was rapidly replaced by hate. This little monster was a Lestrange. Torturers and murderers that had killed his parents. His voice was strangled and firey, hardly contained to the low-pitched volume he managed. "Lestrange." The word was spit out like a curse, so vile it left a film of the nastiest taste in teh world on his tongue.

[esme]

<sup>A swear echoed loudly down the hallway, glancing out from behind her curtain of dirty-blonde hair Esmeralda smiled vindictively at what seemed to be a fifth or sixth year slipping on her spilled parchments. Not caring whether he was okay or not she continued to gather up her spilled items. Finally remembering her wand she muttered a hasy Reparo! to mend her split bag. Esme looked around at her scattered possessions, only a few peices of parchment, an ink bottle, and her special swan feather quill remained on the floor of the corridor. Looking in front of her she realized that the boy who had slipped was holding out some of her parchments, she looked up to see the person that was being so kind to her. Deadly brown eyes met icy blue ones, and danger was recognized immediately. Teddy Lupin, sixth year, metamorphmagus, godson of Harry Potter; her brain quickly categorized him.

Her first impulse was to jink him until his brains leaked out his nose but her cool rational side, the side that had helped her survive ministry officials, classmates, and teachers of anti-Death Eater sentiment reminded her he was a sixth year, and even though she knew curses he didn't even dream of, he could still easily over power her. Her best chance was the innocent look that so well charmed people. E-excuse me? she whimpered, apparantly frightened by the venom in his voice. Esmeralda opened her clear brown eyes as wide as they would possibly go, they shimmered as if she was on the verge of fearful tears. One hand clutched her necklace (silver, with a serpentine E in emeralds) the other one held her bag. Half her long blonde hair hung over her face, the other half was tucked behind her ear. One lip was caught adorably between her teeth, she looked the perfect part of a fawn cornered by a hunter.</sup>




<<i've decided that at the point they almost kill each other I'm gonna bring Gwendolyn in lol. she's the were-wolf.

[Teddy Lupin]

Oh, the little hag. She was, admittedly, a good actress, but Teddy saw straight through her innocent look and that scared and teary look in her eyes. "Don't screw with me Lestrange I know who you bloody are!" Teddy had lost the battle to keep his voice under control and he changed now as he stood to his short height of 5'6", disgraceful for a sixth year. His hair grew and lengthened once more into six inch spikes, but not the humours shade of lavender, no, these were black as pitch tipped with blood red that seemed to drip convincingly down their lengths from the tips of the surely sharp points. A growl grew deep in his chest and a snarl formed on his lips, showing canines that were elongating maliciously into something like a wolf's. A were-wolf, you ask? No, just a subconcious desire to be more like Remus Lupin, his father. He had been a brave man, and if he had been confronted with a daughter of the line that killed his wife surely he would do something, wouldn't he? harry Potter surely would, and with Remus dead it was him Teddy had looked towards as a father figure.

Out came his wand, an eleven inch elder wood with a strange, unique core. Ollivander had been at a loss after all the wands in his shop hadn't worked for Teddy, scratching his head and looking worried, yet still exclaiming that Ollivander's ahd the perfect wand for everyone, and that he loevd a challenge. Off th old man had plunged, digging though cases that looked as if they hadn't been touched in centuries. And poor little Ted had shuffled his feet, looked down, and blushed as James laughed hilariously behidn his back. Even Harry had had to hide a snigger. So when Ollivander brought forth a battered box, holding it firmly in two hands, the kid had been terrified. Yet with the wand in his hand and a wave in the air a flock of canaries had flown from the tip, silencing the sniggers in the background. Mr. Ollivander had been delighted, rubbing his hands, anxious to spill the secret of the core. "Hair of werewolf! Haven't made one in decades!" Teddy still had that wand, and he cherished it with every spell that worked carefully. "And you better not try anything."

[esme]

<sup>And we'll all dance alone to the tune of your death,

As Lupin shouted at Esme she immediately dropped her innocent act, she was slightly dissapointed, it had been her best one since she'd been seven and had been taken in for 'Ministry Questioning.' All in all though Esme was pleased that the wizard hadn't been fooled, she loved a good challenge. Silencing the part of her that told her he was a sixth year and could grind her into dust if he so chose she stood, forgetting the bag of school supplies. At the same time she drew her wand from her pocket in a fluid motion. Though she was small, only about five feet tall and 89 pounds Esme Lestrange managed too appear to be looking down at Teddy, down out of her heavy lidded dark eyes.

We'll love again, we'll laugh again
And it's better off this way

Esmeralda cocked her head as Lupin changed unconciously, genuine interest and a kind of childlike wonder crossing her face instead of the harsh cruel look she normaly had. A slight smile crossed her face, a smile of amusement, with his hair that way he looked like Laefe. A Slytherin with black and red hair, when Laefe spiked it up (with lots of gel not natural abilities) he looked nearly identical to Teddy right now. Although the fangs were definately not something you saw everyday. With her smile and innocent amazement she truly did look like an eleven year old girl, and this look was genuine, not contrived, and something most people never saw. No one truly understood Esmeralda, not her parents, not Andromeda, not even herself. Raised by death eater ideals, constantly persecuted becasue of her heritage, and the neice of one of the most famous dark witches in history the child could be most likened to Regulus Black. But her childlike expression twisted again when Teddy drew his wand on her.

And never again, and never again
They gave us two shots to the back of the head

The cedar wand rose, pointing at Teddy's chest. "And you better not try anything." Esme laughed coldly, "What? Am I supposed to stand here and say La-Di-Da while you hex me? I don't think so." the last word was merely a whisper, like the hiss of a snake. Esmeralda bared her teeth in a mockery of a grin, looking quite as mad as the late Bellatrix. Putting her hand on her hip she spoke again You were raised by Harry Potter, reputed to be valiant and chivalrous, she cooed unknowingly echoing his thoughts, What would you're dear godfather say about you attacking an eleven year old? Hm? She taunted him mercilessly, as Bellatrix Lestrange had taunted Harry Potter after killing Sirius, Harry had attacked Bella. What would Teddy do to Bellatrix Lestrange's neice?

And we're all dead now....</sup>

[Teddy Lupin]

Lestrange's innocent expression had slipped away as Teddy yelled at her, replaced with something else, something more genuine, though still far more cynical then anything Lily would have worn on her face. It was so strange, such a sharp contrast resided between the two girls, despite their same age. But if you took away all the iron, the arrogance, and the hate, you would come up with something very like what Lily would wear. Childlike, almost innocent, a truer look Lupin had never seen the girl child wear. But she was still a Slytherin, and still cunning to the core. Een that oh so innocent look was probably merely hiding some alterior motive, some strange desire to hex. The roots of Teddy's ridiculously spiked hair stood even more on end, if that was even possible, alerting him to the fact he was quite thoroughly creeped out. That appraising look in Lestrange's eyes was far to mature for a girl her age, and it seemed as if the eyes of an old woman stared out from the unlined face of eternal youth.

The girl's face became twisted once more, completeing its transformation into something truly hideous. Teddy ran through a list of hexes in his mind, considering each and every possibility. Of course he would hex her, what else could he do? She was right before him, and no one was there to hold him back. He had no doubt she deserved it. Maybe Densaguo, or the Bat-Bogey Hex, or Furnuculus. Finally Teddy decided on teh Bat-Bgey hex, since it wouldn't actually hurt her. Well, unless you consider your boogers growing larger and sprouting bat wings hurting you. And if you don't consider them attacking you as well... Besides, he'd been taught by the best, Ginny Potter, a celebrated user of the hex. Teddy ignored both Lestrange's first words and her rather insane grin, so focused as he was on his choice. "Valiance? Chivalry? I save those for those who actually deserve it." Her next words stung, but Teddy knew without thinking what his answer was, and he felt the words rage in his heart and soul as he spoke. "Ah, but it is not an eleven year old I attack today. It is a cunning Slytherin who carries the blood of tortureers and murderers." And with that the Ravenlcaw waved his wand and shouted out his curse, letting the corridors ring. "Batogey!"

ooc//ew

[esme]

<sup>At the same time Teddy was categorizing his list of spells Esmeralda was doing the same, dismissing hexes and curses as fast as they popped into her mind, then replaced them with others. Her first thought was sectumsempra, her father had taught her that one before he had been imprisoned, but she hadn't been able to practice it in ages and she wasn't sure she could make it work right. What a joke she would be if she cast the spell and it barely made a mark. Serpensortia was next on her list, it would be symbolic enough but again, she wasn't sure it would be effective enough. The Conjunctivus curse was too tame for her tastes, as was Relashio. Finally she had settled on three, Levicorpus, Incendio, and Oppugno. Esme grimaced at him as he went on about chivalry, well, that was why he wasn't in Gryffindor then.

It is a cunning Slytherin who carries the blood of torturers and murderers. This one hit the girl hard, and she couldn't let it pass without responding. "Oh, don't you dare give me that self-riteous rubbish! Your a fool, and a liar, and a hypocrite," Esme could feel herself getting worked up, sparks shot from her wand in her anger, "You're no better than any other Slytherin. It's all blood, perhaps you don't persecute mudbloods, but you attack me because of my parents? Did you chose who your parents were? Or what kind of blood you have?" The injustice of the situation stung at the little witch without mercy, she was related to Bellatrix by marriage, nothing else, Esmeralda had never even seen her aunt. The Slytherin paid for her short rant though as she saw Teddy flourish his wand, Protego! she shrilled desperately trying to shield whatever Lupin had sent her way.

<<you're post isn't ew, its fine. how do we decide if it hit her or not? should we get someone to flip a coin?</sup>