Log Post

[favouredson]

Who: Teddy Lupin and Regulus Black
What: Weird furry tumbles through the snow and not a whole lot of dialogue.
Where: Hogwarts
When: The other day.
Why: Because furries are awesome. Ask Megs. :|
Also: Theoretically there could be witnesses, but only if you are a Hogwarts student/teacher with rly good eyes.



Regulus crept on silent panther paws through the halls of the school that had once been so familiar to him. Though he hadn't been here in decades, and certain things looked very different, he still knew exactly where he was going. He kept to the shadows of the corridors, and when his eyes lit upon a crimson and gold scarf, he stalked it all the way up to the tower, keeping carefully out of sight. Especially when the girl announced the password and he crept in the portrait hole right behind her. It was late--too late for tea, really--so the common room was darkened, and that was a good thing. More shadows to skulk in. He moved to a dark corner, and then scented the air, trying to discern where exactly Teddy was. If he was even here. Hopefully he was, because Regulus did not want to track the boy through the whole school.

Whatever Ted could be accused of, he wasn't dim witted, and he wasn't a fool. After tucking a packet of biscuits into his robes, he waited at the window and watched Regulus approach. Then he slipped down to the common room, and waited just inside the portrait hole. When it swung open, Ted watched Regulus enter and then spoke from behind. "You're kind of predicatble, you know."

The panther whirled around at the sound of a voice behind him, hair raising all along his spine and tail, claws digging so deeply into the carpet that he could feel them gouging into the wooden floor beneath. When he recognized the boy, however, he quickly composed himself, turning to smooth down the fur along his back with his tongue. Unconcerned. There was no one else here.

When he was satisfied he looked impeccable, he rose daintily to his feet and purred at Teddy, walking right up to him and rubbing the length of his body sinuously against the boy's leg. He was definitely more than able to ignore that he'd been expected. Perhaps it would even be more fun because he had been.

Ted hadn't been expecting a panther cuddle, and he reached down without thinking to scratch Regulus behind the ears. When he realized what he was doing, he dropped his hand and cleared his throat. "So...I have biscuits. Did you bring tea?"

Regulus was chuckling before he'd fully reverted back to human. "It is the middle of the night, dear boy. If we drink tea right now, we shall be awake for hours." He reached up to run his fingers through his hair, tucking back an imaginary lock of hair that wasn't out of place. Then, inexplicably, he leaned in and rubbed their cheeks together just because he could. "Besides, where is a panther going to hide tea service?" he teased quietly.

Ted was surprised again at the cheek rub, and had to actually stop himself from bumping noses with the other man in the affectinate way he often did with friends, family and lovers.

"I could think of a few places," he said lightly.

The man snorted, failing miserably at hiding how amused he was. Teddy reminded him a bit of his brother, in a less talkative and obnoxious way. "That," he murmured, eyes dancing, "would be rather a tight squeeze."

Ted was amused to see Regulus lose just a bit of composure for a moment, and a smile filled up his eyes before he could stop it. It didn't get all the way to his mouth, but there was nothing unusual about that.

He wasn't really sure what to do with Regulus now that he was here. He decided to ask. "So...why are you here and what am I supposed to be doing about it?"

"Well, you could shout for help," Regulus suggested idly, humming softly to himself as he examined his fingernails. He guessed that that was probably unlikely, since he'd been allowed to get this far. "But no, the reason I am here, is because you suggested something very interesting to me. You have piqued my curiosity. And you know what they say about curiosity and cats. We have a tendency to find our way into trouble..." Regulus's voice was soft and incredibly smooth, fluid and teasing. He raised an eyebrow at the boy, an obvious challenge.

Ted quirked a brow back at Regulus. "You're a little strange." He took a seat on one of the sofas near the fire and gazed into the flames with one eye, keeping the other man in his peripheral vision. "You came all this way because I can sprout whiskers if I like?"

"I'm sure you are the portrait of normalcy, Pup," Regulus shot back, taking a seat at the other end of Teddy's selected couch and turning bodily so that he was very obviously watching the boy and not the fireplace. "I came all this way because I am curious about your talents, yes," he answered. His lips twisted with mirth. "Or are you shy?"

Ted wrinkled his nose a bit in distaste. "They're not talents. They're just...things I do that some people don't." He shrugged slightly, and turned to face Regulus, letting his eyes flash the pattern of the wallpaper once.

"I believe that that is the definition of the word 'talent', actually," Regulus pointed out with a grin. He leaned forward slightly. "I think you should let me see..."

"Well," Ted shrugged again. "It isn't like I worked for it or anything." He stood up, keeping Regulus in his peripheral vision and touched the warm stones in the walls, letting his hand take on their hue. "You didn't mean the other thing, did you?"

Regulus frowned as he watched the chameleon-like reaction. He'd seen metamorphmagi before. Of course, he'd also seen werewolves before. But not one capable of what Teddy was implying. "I meant the other thing," he answered, his smile sharp.

Ted frowned. He wasn't particuarly proud of his wolfier side. He took his hand down from the stones and thought of people he knew with facial hair, sprouting a full beard. "There. Whiskers." He smirked.

The man was not impressed. He leaned back on the couch and scowled. "You know that isn't what I meant. Do you hate what you are, or are you just afraid?" he prompted.

Ted laughed. He didn't mean to, but he couldn't help it. Regulus wore the sme expression as a cat whose tail had been pulled. Ted lifted the corner of his robes a bit and swished the tail. "Can't have whiskers with no tail," he said.

Regulus's eyes widened and he was out of his chair and kneeling on the floor in a flash. He didn't touch, but it took a great deal of restraint. He hadn't even noticed the boy concentrating. Did it really come so easily for him? Regulus required a great deal of meditation to affect his own partial transfigurations.

Ted swished his tail again, vaguely uncomfortable with the way Regulus was staring at it. "What? The white spot just happens, I think it's a mark." Ted made the little white spot colour in black like the rest.

When the tail moved, Regulus reached out unthinkingly and brushed his fingers along it, as if he were surprised to find it solid and real. "No, no, bring it back," the man murmured, trying to find the place where the spot had been. "It's your natural colouring. Why change it?"

Uncertainly, Ted allowed the spot to fill back in. He'd always thought the spot was sort of silly, a sickle-sized daub of snowy white surrounded by otherwsie perfectly normail fur. He flicked the tail again and looked at Regulus curiosuly. "Your turn."

"Oh, but you've seen my tail," Regulus chuckled, grinning widely. Nonetheless, he closed his eyes in concentration and a moment later a muscular length of black velvet tail snuck up from the waistband of his slacks. He curled it around Teddy's comfortably, the tip of it twitching back and forth pensively.

It was a strange thing to see grown man sprout a tail, and stranger yet that he hadn't been hexed first. Teddy didn't actually know anyone else who could change, except for professor McGonagall, and it was interesting, really. He wrapped his tail around his own ankle. "So...that was the whole show."

"Liar," Regulus snorted primly. "If you can sprout an appendage your body doesn't normally have, then you can certainly alter the ones you already have." He stood and reached out his hand, pressing the fingertips lightly to Teddy's chest. In the next instant, they were a paw with claws, a strangely gentle pressure against the boy's collarbone. "This one is actually the first I learned to do..."

"Oh." Ted eyed the claws for a minute. "Yeah, I guess there's that, too."

Hazel eyes were all for Teddy. "Yes, there's this, but you're still hiding. If you can transfigure parts, why wouldn't you be able to do all of them at once?" he suggested, as if he were thinking through the hypothesis to himself. "You seem to be very good at changing your appearance," he directed to the boy.

Ted carefully kept his expression blank. "You want to see me change."

Regulus deadpanned as well. The Slytherin poker face. (If Slytherins were to play Muggle card games, anyway.) "Yes."

"Turn around." Ted started to loosen his school tie. He wasn't even sure why he was going along with this, but he was.

The man frowned, searching Teddy's face for some indication of what he had in mind. Was he going to? "Turn around? Why?"

Ted tossed the tie onto the sofa and started undoing the buttons on his shirt cuffs. He gave Regulus a look. "The clothes don't change with me."

Regulus stared back, completely unfazed. "But if I turn around, I won't be able to watch the transformation," he pointed out, as if Ted were being particularly obtuse.

Ted snorted. "Have it your way, then" He let go of his sleeves and tossed his hair out of his eyes. "It really isn't all that interesting anyhow."

"Maybe not for you." The man probably should have felt more abashed than he did. Or abashed even a little, since he wasn't. A teenaged boy was apparently going to strip for him. Well, when it was worded like that it really did sound wrong. Regulus was far more interested in the transformation than the boy's body, after all.

"Hmm," Ted sighed. "Fine." He stepped behind the sofa and started undoing his shirt buttons again.

Regulus snorted. The modesty was almost cute, if it were not completely ridiculous. He couldn't imagine why someone who turned into an animal would even have any. He supposed it must just be age. He certainly did not have any kind of restraint when it came to that sort of thing. "If it will make you feel better, I could return the favour~" he teased lightly, his lips a languid smirk. No shame whatsoever, he had no qualms about stripping in the common room of a house (and school, for that matter) that he should not have been in.

Ted glanced at Regulus, but didn't bother to acknowledge the joke, he just continued slowly opening buttons, then shrugged the shirt off of his shoulders and started undoing the clasp on his belt. "It can't possibly be the first time you've seen someone transform into a big, black canine," he retorted.

Point. "Well, of course not," Regulus agreed. "However, the animagus transformation is probably a bit different from the werewolf transformation. And I've never witnessed that."

Ted draped his trousers over one arm of the sofa and kicked off his pants, then he rolled his eyes a bit as though he thought the whole thing was sort of ridiculous. Then he sprouted a pair of ears.

He made sure to change as far as he could standing upright so Regulus would get to see as much of the transformation as possible before the sofa blocked his view. The last thing he changed was his legs.

Instantly, Regulus also transformed, more for safety reasons than anything else. After all, he didn't know if Ted could control himself during these voluntary transformations or not, and he didn't want to take any chances. A panther padded silently around the couch and rubbed the length of his body against that of the wolf, purring.

The wolf sniffed the panther, but made no aggressive movement towards it.

Very friendly, the panther leaned companionably against the wolf, resting his head across Ted's shoulders. Then he slipped in front of the wolf, flicking the tip of his tail teasingly against the other animal's nose teasingly. He inclined his head curiously, and then skirted towards the portrait hole, and looked back again, eyes obviously forming a question.

The wolf took a step forward, following after the panther.

Regulus scratched lightly at the back of the portrait until the Fat Lady opened out of sheer curiosity, but then melted into the shadows before she could see him, creeping along the walls. He wanted to go play outside. Maybe race Teddy. That would be interesting.

Ted followed Regulus silently out of the portrait and melded into the shadows as well, perfectly used to sneaking out at night on occasion. He silently followed the panther and wondered again why Regulus had come at all.

As he led the way through the corridors, Regulus kept doubling back to rub himself teasingly against the wolf. It was all a very deliberate tease, and he was just waiting for Ted to get impatient with him. When they got to the main hall, he purred into the wolf's ear and then slinked quickly to the door and reared up to push it open with his forepaws, just wide enough so that he could slip out into the more-complete darkness of the Hogwarts grounds.

Ted wasn't bothered by the panther and his attempts to be annoying, but followed him outside curiously. The wolf stretched happily in the moonlight, thankful for the chance to be out of doors. He cocked his head at the panther, silently asking what exactly they were doing roaming the grounds that night.

The panther stretched too, his movements fluid and unhurried, despite the question in his companion's face. He yawned, baring large fangs, and dug meathook-sized claws into the ice-hard ground beneath his paws. Finally, he turned to regard Ted fully, though his disinterested expression served almost a challenge as he lifted a paw to his mouth and began cleaning himself.

Even as a wolf Ted was fully capable of rolling his eyes, and he did. When the panther began to lick himself in a disinterested way, the wolf gave an impatient huff and set off to sniff the grounds a bit on his own, keeping one ear perked in Regulus's direction. Just because he was out for a run with the big kitty didn't mean he trusted the man.

Regulus was watching Ted, too. And as soon as the wolf wasn't looking in his direction, he slipped away, darting quickly and silently into the shadows, lurking where he wouldn't be seen, and wondering if he'd be able to catch the boy by surprise.

Ted wasn't terribly surprised when Regulus darted off into the undergrowth. He couldn't see the panther at all, and it didn't make enough noise for him to hear it terribly well either, but he could easily scent the thing. It annoyed him a little, being tested like that, but he might have done the same thing if he'd had half of a chance.

Still careful, cautious, and above all things silent, Regulus crept around the wolf in a wide, sweeping circle, doubling back on his path a few times in hopes of confusing his scent and direction. He wondered if he would be able to frustrate Ted into actively hunting him, or whether he would have to end the game himself.

Ted took a long, slow path around the castle, minding the panther but not actively pursuing him. After the third loop of the castle, the wolf sat and waited. Someone ought t teach the kitty how to have actual fun, he thought.

Finally, impatience won out, and Regulus skirted around a final time and began creeping up slowly behind the wolf, and at the last moment he pounced, claws carefully sheathed so that he wouldn't actually cause any damage as he tackled his companion.

The wolf huffed again in annoyance when the cat pounced, and nipped lightly at his ear before taking off at a trot, into the forest. Finally.

Regulus purred at the boy teasingly, as if to say 'You too of age to play around?' He easily kept pace with the wolf, deliberately padding through the forest at Ted's shoulder. It took no effort, and he let his tail curl around that of the other creature as they moved.

It didn't take long for the wolf to suss out that the panther was built for speed in a way that he himself was not. Annoyed, he flicked his tail away, and took off at a run even though he knew it was a race he would lose. Who cared, really, when there were open grounds to be run across? The wolf burst ecstatically through the tree line, dashed back to run one excited circle around the panther, and then took off again.

The panther just blinked a few moments. Normally, he would not have succumbed to such an invitation, appealing as it was. Especially if it had been his brother. However, this was not Sirius, and so he took off at a graceful dash behind the wolf, easily beginning to gain the ground he'd lost.

As the panther followed behind, Ted darted happily in and out of the trees, leaping once right between the tines of a garden gate. He bayed cheerfully and dashed once in front of the willow just so he could dodge the swatting branches.

Regulus's movements were more fluid and smooth, and he chased Ted as if he were a flutter of black silk in the wind, rather than an animal. He kept right on the wolf's tail, not fazed at all by his winding path, and still not exerting himself, not pushing himself. He had a feeling once he started to really show off, the game would end, and he was loath to do that.

The wolf hadn't had a good run in a while, and nothing had ever felt better. Ted snuffled at some loose, powdery snow and then dashed around the panther again, giving a quiet "whuff" and wondering when the older man would give his own legs a stretch. Maybe he just wants to watch me run around like a fool, said the human part of Ted's brain. The wolf part insisted that wasn't nearly so important as dropping onto his back and rolling in the snow for a bit. He sighed happily.

A soft purring chuckle of a sound erupted from Regulus's throat, and he planted his paw on Ted's snout and pushed it playfully into the powdery snow. And then, bonelessly he collapsed half on top of the other furry body, partially to be a nuisance, and partially because his fur wasn't really that thick, and he didn't like the cold that much.

Ted sneezed out a bit of snow and wriggled impatiently from under the panther. He whined once to make a point and then dashed off again

Regulus muffled a slight growl and took off after Ted again, and this time he kept a few paces ahead, using his advantage to guide their path, acting as though he were herding the wolf. He wasn't actually heading anywhere in particular; he was simply curious how long the boy would allow this.

Ted followed Regulus's lead for a while, pleased that he was finally participating, even if he was a bit bossy.

The panther emitted that teasing, purring chuckle again and tilted his head up to grasp one of Ted's ears gently between his teeth, giving it a playful tug.

The wolf dashed away and back again then, grinning a cheeky canine grin and tilting his ears forward. Tired yet, old man?

Regulus emitted a snort and then threw himself and all of his not inconsiderable weight against the wolf, sending them both into a snow bank where he struggled to pin Ted beneath him, to show him just who was an old man. Well, obviously Teddy wasn't, but Regulus was insistent he wasn't, either.

The wolf struggled against the weight of the panther, which admittedly was easily twice his size, but he was more amused than anything. It had been ages since someone had dumped him bodily into a snow bank, in spite of all the great snow Scotland had acquired that year. Ted gave a couple of half-hearted yelping growls, but he wasn't able to budge Regulus even slightly. So he swished his tail and threw a cloud of snow in the panther's face.

Regulus huffed indignantly at the moist crystals clinging to his whiskers, and then buried his face in the soft warm fur of the wolf's belly to get himself dry. He wrapped his forelegs affectionately around the wolf and tumbled them through the snow, rolling over and over until they were both coated in the powder.

Annnd just like that the human snapped right back to the front of Ted's mind. He disentangled himself from the panther and stalked back toward the castle, purposefully and kind of embarrassed for forgetting himself that way.

Regulus was on his feet just as quickly, though he didn't hurry to catch up, more concerned with getting as much water from his fur as he could. He was a jungle cat, and didn't have the denser layers a wolf would have. Only once he was satisfied he wouldn't freeze did the panther dart after Ted, leaning in to nuzzle the boy's cheek in the facsimile of an apology he didn't really mean.

The wolf gave a sigh and continued towards the castle, not angry, just not in the mood to play anymore. With an upward motion of his snout, he opened the castle doors and entered, nails clicking on the stone floor quietly.

Regulus followed, falling two steps behind Ted, head bowed with false repentance. His own steps were silent. If he'd been a man, he would have been frowning, wondering if the boy knew he could walk just as soundlessly, if he were more careful about it.

Ted sulked his way up the stairs and through the corridors -and took a few shortcuts along the way- until he was in front of the portrait hole.

The panther slunk up beside him, and stared discerningly at the portrait of the Fat Lady. And then he grinned a truly terrifying cat grin, and purred at her, rubbing his body up against the painting and making a general nuisance of himself until she woke. He knew what his brother had once done to this painting, and once she'd woken up, he reared up on his back legs, planting his paws against the canvas and flexing his toes against it in threat, still purring.

"Bollywog," came an irritated voice from behind the panther, and the Fat Lady swung open in a hurry. Ted brushed past, snatched his trousers off the arm of the sofa, and pulled them on. He sat down and ran a hand through his hair.

Regulus flicked his tail pretentiously against the frame of the portrait as he slipped through the entrance after Ted, and then sat daintily in front of the boy wearing a politely bland expression that did not betray his amusement at what the boy had done.

Ted glanced up at Regulus, reached behind the sofa and picked up his shirt. "Well. That's what it looks like when I turn into the wolf." He did up the buttons quickly and sloppily. "The same as it looks when anyone else does it."

In barely the blink of an eye, Regulus had reverted to an impeccably clothed human, as if that in itself was meant as a jab to the other shapeshifter. He folded his arms and grinned. "It's too bad the wolf is far more playful than you are," he teased.

Ted tucked his pants into his robe pocket along with his tie and spared Regulus a look. "Yeah, sorry. Got a bit carried away."

The man snorted. "Not carried away enough, I'd say," he retorted cheekily. "Someone your age ought to try and have more fun."

Ted rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks, I'll keep that in mind." He took the biscuits out of his other pocket from earlier and chewed on one thoughtfully. "There must be a pretty short supply of panthers for you to run with, huh?"

"I consider myself very lucky if I occasionally have a dog to run with," Regulus responded, raising an eyebrow at the rather unexpected question.

Ted knew what dog that was in reference to, and reflected on the oddness of it all for a moment. "That sucks," he said, then held out the biscuits to Regulus. "They're ginger. I usually keep them for...you know. But we're faking tea here, so."

Regulus laughed and took one, turning it over and over between the tips of his fingers before nibbling at it thoughtfully. "This has been far more entertaining than tea. You can't possibly disagree with me on that."

Ted smiled, and it didn't get down to his lips but it warmed his eyes up a bit. "Well, you're a pretty bizarre guest." He took another biscuit and glanced at the floor tiles. "But yeah, it was ok."

"Then we shall have to do it again sometime soon," Regulus decided. The independently wealthy tended to have a lot of time on their hands.

Ted frowned. "Wait, what? I...thought you just came to see if I could really-" he swished his tail once, absently "-do that?" He wasn't sure what to make out of the offer for future fake teas to come.

"Well, of course. But consider it an audition of sorts. Perhaps even for both of us. If you had not said you enjoyed yourself, I would not have made such an offer," he pointed out with a petulant sniff.

Ted snorted, accidentally inhaling a bit of biscuit and choking. He waved vaguely at the water pitcher and a glass poured itself and floated over to him. When Ted could breathe again, he was still laughing. "You," he wheezed out "are kind of ridiculous, you know."

Regulus grinned toothily. "Is that a bad thing?"

Ted set the water aside and yawned. "If it works for you, it isn't bothering me." An audition. Hah. What a strange thing to say to another person. Maybe Regulus had been in hiding for a bit too long? "Just let me know if I'm mucking up my lines."

"I'll send you a script for next time," the man teased back. He noted Ted's yawn with a raised eyebrow. "Perhaps I have kept you up too late, however?"

Ted absently tucked the biscuits back into his robes. "Just getting oxygen to my brain cells," he said, even though he was tired, actually.

"Well, at any rate, I have places to be, manticores to feed," Regulus responded blithely, waving a hand dismissively at the pathetic excuse.

"Mmm, all right." Ted leaned back into the sofa and regarded Regulus sleepily. "I'm assuming you won't need any help getting back out?"

"You assume right," the man agreed, before a second later he was no longer a man. The sleek black panther sidled up to the couch and reared up to plant his paws gently against the boy's chest, rubbing their cheeks together affectionately. Regulus really did enjoy making a nuisance of himself.

Ted tensed for just a moment, then realized he wasn't about to be mauled or anything. "Uh," he patted Regulus on the head uncertainly. "Good kitty. Bye, then."

Regulus emitted a low, chuckling purr before dragging a sandpaper tongue up the side of Ted's face. And then before there could be any retaliation he was slinking away, scraping lightly at the back of the portrait of the Fat Lady (which opened instantly when she realized who it was).

"Huh," Ted said, and wiped the panther saliva off of his face. "That was weird." He curled up on the sofa and went to sleep.