Three's A Crowd ((Scott & Lori))

[Theo Darke]

“C’mon guys! Let’s go!” Wrapping an arm around Scott’s arm, and the other around Lori’s, Theo yanked his friends into the entrance of Hogsmeade. “Isn’t this fun?” he asked with a bright grin on his face. He tightened his grip around Scott and Lori, sensing both their underlying insecurities. Determined to brush them away for a few hours at least, Theo dragged the two fellow fifth years into the nearest shop, which happened to be the one the Weasley brothers owned. It wasn’t Theo’s favourite shop; he was the type to be too serious to be interested in such playful things. But, he appreciated them, and always enjoyed browsing at what was on display. As usual, the popular boutique was packed with other Hogwarts students, mostly the younger years that were allowed into Hogsmeade. Theo noted some familiar seventh years and shook his head to himself. Some people never grew up, he thought with a wry smile. It was good that they retained something childish, or related to being a child, though. Theo didn’t believe in turning yourself completely into an adult and forgetting all things fun and innocent. He hoped he’d retain some naivety by the time he graduated Hogwarts, which was a long away yet. Glancing at Scott and Lori’s faces, he urged them through the trickster items the Weasley twins were successfully selling. “I’ll never understand the hype for this stuff,” Theo spoke aloud with a chuckle. The trio remained in the shop for only a few minutes more, since none of them were interested in buying anything, and it was becoming unreasonable packed. Finally, they struggled out of the excited crowd and ambled down the street.

“I’m glad you’re both with me today,” Theo eventually spoke after a short silence. They walked side by side now, Theo’s hands thrust into his jean pockets. It was a fair day, and he was clad in muggle clothing – a crumpled sky-blue shirt, long-sleeved, over a pair of denim jeans, and a pair of rather new, white trainers. Theo let a hand run through his crop of short blonde hair, and smiled widely. “Where do you guys want to go now? Any suggestions?” When neither Scott or Lori could think or any, Theo sighed and rolled his eyes jokily, “You’re both useless,” he pointed down the road, “Let’s go to that ice-cream parlour there. It’s new, and it looks pretty nice.” Gaining the approval from his friends, Theo led them towards said destination. Seating themselves outside, with the sun shining on their backs, Theo found himself relaxing into the comfy chair. “Hm…” he said aloud, gazing down the menu, “I think I’ll have this one,” he pointed at his choice to the waitress, who nodded. “I’ve always been partial to vanilla ice cream,” Theo said to Scott with a smile, since Lori was already well aware of this fact. “Well, I like ice-cream, full stop.” He added, chuckling, “Some things never change, huh, Lori?” Theo turned to his best friend, waiting her reaction, but she was ordering her ice cream. “What are you having, Scott?” Theo asked and peered over his friend’s shoulder to look down an identical menu.

Finally, the three of them had placed their orders, and the waitress disappeared back into the shop. Theo sat back and eyed his friends. They seemed more comfortable in each other’s presence than before, certainly, and he was glad of it. They began to talk without the need of his initiation, and pleased, he listened to their conversation silently. They were chatting about trivial things – something about having bumped into each other a while ago. Theo was glad to hear it; glad to see that his friends were getting along. He had worried over it after the Winter Ball, what with Lori acting oddly cold, and Scott therefore anxious about Lori’s reaction to him. Theo was still confused now about why Lori turned so distant sometimes, but he’d learned not to question it anymore, otherwise she’d just snap at him to mind his own business, something that rarely happened, and Theo hoped to avoid, since it hurt quite a bit when it happened. “You guys are getting on better than I do with you both,” Theo decided to interrupt once their conversation lapsed a bit, “At this rate I’ll be unneeded,” he joked good-naturedly. Noticing the intimacy of how close Lori and Scott sat, Theo felt his heart plummet a little, though he wasn’t exactly sure why. Still, he ignored it, and glanced at his watch. He’d promised Dylan to meet him soon in The Three Broomsticks, leaving Lori and Scott for some alone time, so they could bond. But it seemed they had already done that and were now extremely close… It was as if, now, it was Theo that was struggling to come between the two. Somewhat caught off guard by this new development, Theo lapsed into quiet silence.

[Scott Ryder G7]

The day had arrived more quickly than Scott had expected it to. Still, he was happy that the end of the school year was winding down, for he was getting to the point where studying and completing homework assignments was beginning to wear him down. Today though, he could put all thoughts of school aside as he enjoyed the company of Lori and Theo during a relaxing trip to Hogsmeade. The weather couldn't have been nicer, and Scott knew that it would prove to be a fun day. His relationship with both Theo and Lori had been growing with each meeting, and he started to feel more and more that he finally belonged somewhere. He had his place, and he took a bit of comfort in that.

Smiling, Scott gave Lori a knowing look when Theo energetically seemed to take the lead as the trio entered the small village of Hogsmeade. Deciding not to answer Theo's rhetorical question, Scott simply entered the Weasley's shop without much interest in buying anything, though browsing the particular store was always entertaining. They didn't stay long though, which was fine with Scott. The store was much too noisy and crowded for his liking.

On the street again, Scott finally spoke when Theo said that he was glad to be with them for the day. "Meee to," Scott replied, dragging out his words to express his genuine thankfulness to have some friends to share this outing with. Hogsmeade trips for Scott usually were brief and uneventful. He normally would go just to get out of the castle for a bit. He never really looked forward to the trips as much as he had been anticipating this one.

As Theo questioned where they should go next, Scott simply shrugged and looked at Lori. He took notice of her pretty features and thought that she seemed to be enjoying the company of both boys. Scott couldn't help but wonder though if Lori felt that Scott was interfering. Theo made it more than clear that he wasn't, and even though Lori seemed to agree, Scott wasn't quite sure. He didn't blame her though, and he couldn't quite tell what the girl was thinking most of the time. She was like a mystery to him, but there was something about that which intrigued him. Theo finally suggested the ice-cream parlour, and Scott found no reason to object. "Sounds good to me."

They found a seat and Scott began to browse the menu. He wasn't too picky when it came to ice-cream, but his mind was busy observing both Lori and Theo to really think about what kind he wanted. When Theo asked him, Scott stammered as he randomly picked out something that looked half-way appetizing. "Oh... um, the peanut butter sundae looks good." Scott looked from Theo to Lori, almost as though he were still trying to gain their acceptance. As odd as he felt with the two of them, there was an equal sense of belonging that balanced him out.

"So how did the Charms essay end up?" Scott asked, looking at Lori and remembering her mentioning the essay during their last meeting. After a bit of small chit chat between Scott and Lori, Theo spoke up. "That's not true," Scott said immediately. The last thing he wanted was to make one of them feel unneeded. If anything, Scott was the one who should feel unneeded; not Theo or Lori. Scott then wasn't sure what else to say. The conversation died down, and their ice-cream had finally arrived. "That looks delicious!"he said, admiring Lori's treat selection. "Makes my peanut butter sundae look less appetizing," he joked. Then, he eyed up Theo's vanilla ice-cream. "That's a bit plain for you Theo, don't you think?" Scott smiled and took a bite of the chocolate ice-cream which had chunks of peanut butter swirled in. Then, he licked a bit of whipped cream from his finger.

((Sorry, I didn't feel that I did well with this. I was rushed, but wanted to get it out before I left for the day! Hope it's satisfactory. I will change it if I come back later and find that I absolutely hate it. Lol.))

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori smiled at Scott before Theo broke her glance and dragged her and Scott along. It was a Hogsmeade weekend so of course Theo and Lori were partaking as usual. But lately Scott had come along as well. And Lori would be lying if she said that it didn’t used to bother her, but it was getting better. She was getting used to it now and she wasn’t even trying. He was easy to talk to, cute, and extremely sweet. Theo had wanted Scott and Lori to bond and he got what he wanted, maybe more than he wanted. But Lori was happy. She was finally used to Scott being around and she actually liked his company. Okay so maybe more than just liked it a little..but she wasn’t ready to admit anything quite yet. But still, Lori wasn’t entirely happy with the situation. How could she be? She had fallen in love and had her heart ripped out only a year before. Then, Theo became attached to this guy and that threatened everything that Lori and Theo had so Lori tried to ignore him. But Theo pushed them together and now she was falling for him? It was crazy. Insane even! It was something that Lori had never even considered in the past. But now? She was confused. Just as confused as she had been almost a year before. Why couldn’t that stupid feeling just go away?

“Fun, fun.” She said smiling just a tad. Yes going to Hogsmeade was fun, but not when she felt Theo dragging her into the city. But she knew he was just glad that they were all going together. Since the beginning Theo fully showed how much he wanted Scott and Lori to be friends and now they kind of were. So couldn’t he just chill? Not likely. But Lori still loved him for it. In two very different ways. Theo dragged the two to the Weasley’s Shop. It was safe to say that it wasn’t really Lori’s taste. Well, she did like to buy these things for Florence and that was fun, but Lori would never actually buy them for herself. And every now and then it did make her smile when she saw the corridors lit up by rainbow colors, but that was about the only like of the toys that Lori had. Lori was about to say ‘Me either’, but settled for a nod and smile instead. Lately Lori had been oddly silent. She didn’t exactly know why nor did she care if Theo noticed. For once, Lori was happy with just being herself and that was a big deal for her.

Lori smiled and looked to the ground for a moment when Theo said he was glad that they were both with him. She eyed her brown sandals before looking back up. “Yea well. I tried to get out of it, but someone woke me up this morning.” She joked a bit and poked Theo. Well an alarm woke her up, but Lori hadn’t set it herself. Anyways, she of course planned on coming. She wouldn’t let Theo down like that. Lori looked to her outfit for a second before looking to Theo. She had decided on a white and pink summer dress that was pretty casual and yet had a feminine flair. Lori liked dressing up even just a little bit, and it wasn’t like she was trying to impress anyone or anything.. Ha. Yea right. Theo asked where they should go next and Lori simply shrugged. Whenever Lori, Scott, and Theo were together, Theo did all the talking and Lori and Scott took to being pretty quiet. But Lori liked it that way. She liked that Scott was pretty silent and mysterious. It made him seem even cuter to her. Lori nodded when Theo suggested the ice-cream parlor. “Me turn down ice-cream? Never.” She smiled brightly and followed the boys into the parlor.


Lori took a seat at the table and began browsing the menu. She smiled when Theo said he liked vanilla. “Boy am I surprised.” She smiled at her fake sarcasm and then glanced at the waitress who wanted her order. “Umm, a Strawberry sundae.” She said politely. The sundae was her favorite. The waitress nodded and then proceeded to take Scott’s order. Lori was glancing at the menu as she closed when Scott asked her about her Charms essay. She smiled. “Oh well it went okay. Nothing special, but I did decent. Now it was a Transfigurations Essay..” She shook her head at the thought. “I would have that kind of luck.” Lori just wasn’t good at Transfigurations. She never had been. But luckily she didn’t have to continue it into the NEWTS classes. Lori eyed Theo and shook her head. Why did he say that? Lori would always be there for Theo. Scott was a friend. Wait, didn’t Theo want Lori and Scott to be friends in the first place? Lori remained silent about it and then looked to Scott. Lori smiled as her sundae came out. Strawberries were her favorite fruit and this was about the only flavor ice-scream Lori ate. It had chunks of strawberry lining around it in a cool way and then whipped cream on top. Lori nodded as she took a bite. “I’m obsessed with Strawberry ice-cream. Dunno why.” She smiled and shook her head. Most people would think it was because it was pink, but that was silly. Well maybe it was true just a little. Lori smiled to Theo’s ice-scream at Scott’s statement. “Theo’s signature flavor. Even as kids he would insist on vanilla when all of our friends got chocolate.” She smiled. “It’s okay Theo we still love you.” She smiled and looked to Scott and back to Theo. More than would ever know..

((Gah didn't have much to say, but it's Lori's fault. She wants to be quiet to be more like Scott. *pokes Scott* He's a bad influence. ))

[Theo Darke]

Theo smiled brightly despite Scott and Lori’s reactions to his words; perhaps they hadn’t been too tactful, for they seemed to have struck a chord in both of them. However, Theo had meant nothing by it; it was a passing statement, and he quickly bypassed it so his friends wouldn’t take him too seriously. Theo was a serious kind of guy, but he was also very loose with his friends; they seemed to have forgotten that fact. Thankfully, the ice cream arrived before Theo could interject with a casual comment. “Thanks,” Theo smiled politely at the waitress, before taking up his spoon and eating a spoonful of the vanilla-flavoured substance. “Lovely,” he commented with an approving smile. Scott questioned him on his choice of ice cream, and he proceeded to give a wry twitch of the lips in response. Lori was ahead of him, though, and answered for him. “And I love you too,” Theo grinned back at Lori jokily, patting her hand to show his appreciation. “Yeah, vanilla is my signature flavour. It’s plain, that’s exactly why I like it,” he explained to Scott. “You don’t have to flatter me by saying I’m not plain,” he continued with a small smile, “I like being in the background usually. It suits me. Sometimes it’s nice to appreciate the common things.” He ate another cold spoonful and savoured the taste. “Are yours okay?” Theo gestured to Scott and Lori’s ice cream choices; they looked appetising indeed. “They sure look good,” he nodded, before taking a large spoonful of his own and offering it towards his friends, “Anyone up for a taster of my vanilla?” he grinned, before popping the rather overflowing spoonful in his mouth. He gasped and made a grimace, before chuckling after he swallowed. “Man, that’s cold!” he exclaimed. Theo pushed his dish towards Scott and Lori with an encouraging smile. “Take some if you want. I don’t mind.”

Small talk began again, and Theo found himself fading more and more into the background as Scott and Lori chatted away animatedly. He didn’t mind lack of attention – he hadn’t been lying when he’d said he ‘appreciated the common things’ – but he wasn’t used to being wallpaper, a mere decoration against the wall, unnoticed and invisible. It was a foreign feeling, one he’d never experienced. Theo deduced he only felt it now, because of who he was with: Scott and Lori; two of his closest friends. One was his childhood friend whom he had spent all his life with, from the moment they had taken their first breaths. The other was his newest friend, and Theo didn’t know why, but he valued Scott a great deal already too; the two boys had a natural bond. Theo guessed, after some inner analysis, that he felt upset because Lori had never put anyone else above him before, especially not another boy, and now that she was directing her attention at Scott in a way Theo thought was similar to the way she treated him – in fact, he felt it was more like Scott was a potential boyfriend if anything – it worried and agitated Theo. Scott, too, he assumed it was because he and the Gryffindor had been getting closer, and his best friend was now taking that privilege away from him. Not intentionally; of course not; Lori would never do that. Why should she? She had no reason to, and she wasn’t malicious like that. That was what Theo admired in Lori - she was a kind, caring person, and she put others before herself.

The fact Scott and Lori could indeed become a couple had certainly crossed Theo’s mind. Only, after their initial meeting at the Winter Ball, he’d ruled out all possibility of them ever being attracted to each other. However, this was looking more and more likely as the two chatted away quite friendlily, comfortable in each other’s company. Yes. Theo had to admit he was just a tad bit upset. He felt hypocritical admitting this, and it took him at least ten minutes of silent contemplation and forced smiles and nods to show the other two he was listening. When he finally realised quite how upset he was, he scolded himself; he had wanted Scott and Lori to become friends; it had been his dearest wish. Now that it had been fulfilled, he was extremely horrified that he wasn’t delighted, for his own and their sakes. He suddenly felt very imperfect – sinful, hypocritical, selfish. Theo could accept weaknesses that he was sure every human being held, but this was something he had not accounted himself to hold – jealousy. For his whole entire life, Theo had never been jealous of anyone; why should he be? He had everything he wanted – a loving, close-knit family, an inseparable best friend, supportive mates, and classmates who admired and respected him; Theo was also academically gifted, with a mind of wit and curiosity that earned him teachers’ admiration; he was socially, creatively, and sportingly skilled also. No. Theo had never envied anyone, because he knew how lucky he was. He’d always had everything he’d ever wanted. Suddenly, he realised this wasn’t going to last.

Extremely disgusted by his feelings, which seemed to be growing with each passing minute and conflicting dangerously with his horrified conscience, Theo quickly finished off his vanilla ice cream, barely tasting the sweetness as he continued to give brief smiles to keep his company sated - he didn’t want them to suspect his true thoughts, he had to keep the truth from them - he then subtly rolled his sleeve up and glanced at his watch, Theo managed a genuine, relieved smile as he noted the time. “Oh, would you look at that? There’s some place I’ve got to be… I agreed to have a short meeting with a friend; I don’t want to stand him up.” His expression guarded and mysterious, Theo stood up, his bowl empty. “You guys enjoy the rest of the trip together. I’ll probably sit the time out with my friend, so I’ll see you back at Hogwarts.” Forcing a tight grin, and without waiting for either Scott or Lori to protest or form coherent words, Theo grabbed his coat and rushed off in the direction of The Three Broomsticks, where he had agreed to meet Dylan – half an hour later. Still, it wasn’t too long till the Slytherin turned up; hence Theo’s relief when he’d seen the time. He was so glad to get away from Scott and Lori – he couldn’t bear to look them in the eye. He would have to train himself, between now and the time they returned to Hogwarts, to control his emotions. Theo had always been good at that. Then again, there hadn’t always been much to control.

Theo finally comprehended a common phrase he’d never really understood: be careful what you wish for.

[Scott Ryder G7]

As the conversation continued, Scott found himself settling in comfortably, hardly having the odd feeling of whether or not he belonged. Lori and Theo had been so accepting of him as a friend that Scott was thankful to sometimes get the feeling that he'd been part of the group since he could remember. It was a nice feeling, enough to give him the extra boost of confidence that he often lacked in himself. Lori and Theo both seemed to have an abundance of confidence, something that Scott quite admired in both of them. Sure, he may have been brave to a point, after all he was a Gryffindor, but Scott didn't have the inner confidence that he could sense in his two friends. He was gradually developing it though, simply by spending time with them.

Before long (around the same time Scott found his spoon scraping the bottom of the ice-cream dish), Theo had quite suddenly announced that he was meant to meet someone elsewhere and that he would be leaving. Scott found this a bit disappointing, but didn't protest. At least he felt a lot more comfortable alone with Lori compared to the last time Theo left them together. Then again, Scott wondered if he really did feel completely comfortable around Lori. Something about her made him the slightest bit apprehensive, but it wasn't something he could quite recognize aside from the twinge of fluttering in his lower abdomen.

"Have fun then," Scott said as Theo was standing and on his way out of the ice-cream parlour. Glancing back at Lori, he thought for a moment that he saw a look of disappointment on her face, but couldn't be quite certain. Perhaps she had simply taken too big of a bite of the freezing cold strawberry ice-cream. "So what shall we do next then?" he asked, hoping Lori might suggest something. Scott was never good at making decisions on the spot. He took his wand out and tapped the edge of the ice-cream dish as he chanted the basic cleaning charm. His mother had always taught him to clean up after himself, and so it was a habit that he took with him wherever he went. Within seconds, the ice-cream dish looked good as new. As Scott went to pocket his wand again, his other hand brushed against the cleaned ice-cream dish, sending it falling across the table. It rolled, and rolled, and teetered on the edge. Scott's instincts had him extend his hand just in time to reach it, but whenever he went to sit back upright, he felt his head smack against something hard. Moaning, Scott realized he had bumped it on the underside of the table.

Attempting to sit up again, he rubbed the back of his head as he sat the ice-cream dish back on the table and looked at Lori with a wry grin. He soon burst into laughter, realizing how silly he probably looked as the other patrons averted their gaze toward he and Lori. "Sorry to draw attention our way," he said in a hushed voice, a slight smile of embarrassment crossing his face. He was sure that his face was now as pink as Lori's ice-cream, but Scott tried not to worry about such things. "Sometimes I can be so clumsy," he explained, finally managing to pocket his wand without causing any more of a ruckus. As he caught Lori's eye, Scott felt again the same flutter that he had noticed recently, and it made him completely forget about the pain he felt in his head. For a moment, he even found himself starring off into space, and when he realized it, Scott shook his head and just smiled.

((Hope this is sufficient! Had to run, and I apologize that it took so many months to get this up. I will try to be better if you can get a quick reply, Lori.))

[Lori Leigh R6]

“Thanks.” Lori said brightly as her strawberry sundae arrived. Lori loved anything and everything sweet. That was just the way she was. And if it was pink..well that was that. There were two things Lori was obsessed with, the color pink and anything sweet. Lori defiantly was a girly girl, but no one really seemed to mind. Sometimes it could push Florence a little over the top, but she would always apologize and then that was that. Lori smiled as she looked to Scott and then Theo. It was weird. Months ago, Lori grimaced at the idea of hanging out with Scott. At first, she merely thought of him as the boy that was taking her beloved Theo away. But that faded. Scott was like Lori in different ways. Sure, they were still getting to know each other, but it wasn’t as bad as Lori thought it would be. And it wouldn’t be a lie if Lori said that she had a crush on him. Then again, Lori did develop crushes quickly, but she would like to think that this was different than that. Now it wasn’t love. No, it couldn’t be. Lori could only love one boy and his name was not Scott. But that didn’t matter. For once, Lori wasn’t looking for love. Lori was looking for someone to be by her side, someone to help her truly get over Theo. And if she found that, then that was good enough.

Lori had to keep her cheeks from blushed when Theo joked that he loved her too. This wasn’t the way Lori wanted to be loved. This wasn’t the way she wanted Theo to love her, but she couldn’t change reality. Theo was gay and Lori was a girl. It was the way it was. Lori wanted Theo to love her the way she loved him, but it wasn’t going to happen and Lori was sick of letting that fact make her miserable. Lori listened to Theo and then nodded when he asked if both Scott and Lori’s sundae’s were to their liking. Lori nodded as she took another small bite. “No complaints.” She said smiling. Lori laughed as Theo took a cold mouthful of ice-cream. He then asked if Scott and Lori wanted to try a bite of his and nodded and took a small scoop. Lori and Theo shared a lot of things so this wasn’t out of the normal. After all, they had been raised together. It was as if they were brother and sister and sometimes Lori wished this was true. That would make things a lot easier.

As Lori took the last few bites of her sundae, Theo announced that he was leaving. He was rather vague about who he was meeting, but Lori didn’t really mind it was probably just someone from their year. Lori waved bye to Theo and then looked to Scott. They had spent time together without Theo. At first it had been weird, but Lori was slowly getting out of the weirdness. She could learn to like the company of others. Lori did have other friends just as Theo did, but it was hard. A lot of girls were rather cold to Lori and a lot of boys liked to use her for whatever they wished. Theo was good at protecting her even if it bothered Lori sometimes. She was glad that he stuck up for her, but it was still a rather odd situation for her to be in. Scott soon asked Lori what she wished to do next. She thought for a moment. Lori didn’t mind making decisions. She would always be polite about them but she didn’t mind voicing her opinions. “Well, a new book shop opened up a couple of streets away and I promise to pick up something for Florence to read. Does that sound good to you?” She asked not wanting Scott to be bored or anything of the sort. The first thought Lori had was the Quidditch stop and even though Scott would enjoy it, Lori really didn’t have a love of Quidditch like the boys did. So she figured that this would be the next best thing considering neither of the two seemed interested in the jokes shops. And Lori wasn’t about to make Scott go clothes shopping.

Scott then began to clean his dish. Lori realized that she should probably do the same and took out her wand, but just then Scott’s nearly fell off the table. He reached down to get it and while doing so, bumped his head on the underside of the table. “Are you okay?” Lori asked before he had the chance to get back up. Lori was always concerned when she saw anyone in any kind of pain. He seemed to be alright though but Lori was still a little bit concerned. Lori looked around and all the people were staring at the two. She shrugged and looked back to Scott. Truthfully, Lori was used to it. After all, Lori and Scott were the ‘golden pair’. Plus, how many girls had a best-friend who looked nearly identical to her and just happened to be gay? Not many. People were fascinated by the two which was why a great deal of gossip about them often floated around the school. Lori was defiantly used to it. “It’s okay.” She smiled lightly. “Me too sometimes.” She nodded. It didn’t seem to anyone that Lori could be that way, but she had, had a few ‘blond moments’ in the past. “It’s okay. I won’t tell anyone.” She giggled and grinned. Lori glanced as Scott again as the two began to get up and make their way to the door. “You sure you’re okay? We can always buy something to help if you have a headache.” She offered. Lori heard the bell jingle as they stepped into the street. Lori looked back to Scott and smiled sweetly.

((Sorry for the wait, took me awhile to find inspiration for Lori.))