Two Sides of the Same Coin ((Lori))

[Theo Darke]

“No, flick a little more to the left than the right.” Theo instructed patiently to a fellow Ravenclaw friend as he demonstrated the basics of the spell to the younger boy. Theo’s student watched in awe, then copied his actions with a concentrated look on his face. “Yep, that’s right.” Theo said enthusiastically as his protégé constructed the spell’s effects perfectly. “Perfect!” Theo grinned in pride, and patted the younger boy on the back. “You’ve definitely got the hang of it there, Darren. Keep at it, and you’ll never get it wrong. I’m sure Professor Flitwick will be extremely pleased.” Joyfully the boy thanked Theo and ran off out of the Common Room, probably to show his friends the new spell he had mastered. Smiling contentedly after Darren, Theo tucked his wand away and returned to reading his book by the fireplace, the embers’ flames dancing across the pages as he turned them one by one slowly. Theo’s face was a calm visage of attentiveness and interest, his short blonde hair falling over his twinkling blue eyes in an attractive manner. All his attention was fixed on the hero wizard in the fantasy story, when a hand fell on his shoulder to distract him away from the intrigue of a different world. Glancing upwards and bookmarking the novel with a hand between the closed pages, Theo smiled when he recognised all-too-familiar blonde hair and smiling green eyes. “Flo!” He grinned, putting his book down, open against the couch as he stood up to hug the younger girl.

‘Flo’ embraced Theo in return and pulled away to smile at him innocently. For a first year, Florence Leigh was extremely intelligent, but also very pretty and attractive (though she probably didn’t know it). Theo loved babying his best friend’s little sister; he had grown up with Florence too, and was the only one who nicknamed her ‘Flo’. Next year, Brittany and Callum would be joining the other three Darke and Leigh children to complete the set – and his parents would be home alone, Theo thought. But, Yvonne and Wesley, and Freddy and Dana, had each other; they always had and always will. So Theo knew they wouldn’t be lonely. He couldn’t wait till his twin siblings joined him; there was no doubt they would be assorted into Ravenclaw too. “What are you doing here, Flo?” Theo questioned curiously as he ruffled her golden blonde hair, identical to Lori’s. When Flo explained that she was looking for her sister, Theo shook his head in apology. “I’m sorry, I don’t know where Lori is at the moment. We organised to meet here ten minutes ago and she still hasn’t arrived yet.” Worriedly, Theo glanced at his watch. Where was his best friend? He hoped she was okay; Lori wasn’t one to get into trouble. Florence saddened outwardly; she had always been easy to read, her emotions an open book to her family and friends. Lori was somewhat similar, but as she had matured, Theo had noticed her becoming more guarded – he supposed he had too, especially with the issue of him being homosexual until Lori had accepted him for it, and he had come out to his classmates.

“I’m sure she’ll be here soon. I’ll tell her you were looking for her. Maybe you should check back here later?” Theo suggested to the younger girl. Florence shook her head, claiming she had to go meet her friends outside, and told him to tell Lori she’d see her later. Theo agreed to pass on the message, and Florence disappeared out of the Common Room portrait door. Returning to his book, Theo found his concentration wavering more and more as several minutes passed, his agitation for wondering where Lori was eating at his attention. Although he wasn’t irritated about her lateness, he was extremely worried for his best friend. Lori had always been a punctual person. Theo and Lori were, quite frankly, attached to the hip, just not in a romantic way. Everyone knew this. They were two sides of the same coin. Both fifth years were blonde haired, blue eyed, popular and kind… and both liked guys. It was quite amusing, really. The Golden Pair were inseparable, and Theo knew he could never find a friend quite as loyal as Lori was to him. He hoped she felt the same way about him. A few more minutes passed, and Theo was about to get up and go in search for Lori, because although he was a patient, calm person normally, this was definitely abnormal of Lori to be late and it worried him. However, another hand clapped down on his shoulder, and looking up, Theo’s face split into a wide grin at an older version of his previous visitor; only this girl smiled at him with beautiful blue eyes. “Lori.”

Lori took a seat next to Theo on the couch, and before she could speak, he launched into a worried tirade about her lateness. “Lori Lexi Leigh – where have you been? I’ve been so worried. It’s not like you to be this late.” He glanced at his watch. “Half an hour. I was just about to look for you. In fact, Flo came looking for you before. She left you a message, said that she wants to talk to you later.” Theo smiled at Lori as he curled his socked feet up onto the couch, wrapping his arms around his legs. “You gave me a bit of a scare.” He added gently as he reached for her hand and squeezed it. His book lay on the couch, forgotten. “You still up for me helping you with that Transfiguration homework?” Theo grinned after a short pause.

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori crunched the leaves with her heals as she walked. The wind moved her blonde hair about her face as it normally did. Lori’s hair was always in her face when it was windy outside, but she refused to put it in a pony-tail. She often thought that pony-tails were for the models in the fashion magazines that Lori skimmed through from time to time. They always had their hair pulled back and it always formed something rather tight. Lori preferred her hair to be worn loose and wavy. She loved her blonde locks even though she never really mentioned that she did. Lori didn’t want to sound full of herself or anything of the sort. She was a bit more modest than that really. Lori pulled her cloak closer to her. Lori wasn’t exactly a fall or winter person, but ever since the start of the school year, Lori had ventured out to the grounds alone. She liked her alone time even though Lori was much more of a people person. Well, she couldn’t be around people all the time. Besides, it was easier to hide her true feelings with some time to herself. That way, things that were meant to be a secret, could remain that way.

“Hey Lori!” A group of Gryffindor girls called to the Ravenclaw. Lori smiled and greeted them by name. However, after a quick conversation, Lori was alone again. Lori made her way toward the lake. If it wasn’t so chilly outside, she would dip her feet in the water. But, it was November so those days were over. Well, until spring at least. Lori continued walking, laughing as her shoes crunched the leaves. Even as a kid, Lori had been delighted to hear the simple sound. She had always been easily amused at times and that never really faded from her even though she was more mature than she was in those days. Lori soon found her favorite tree and sat under it. She wasn’t even thinking about how she was going to be late to meet Theo. No, Lori needed this time. In the few moments that Lori ever had alone, she thought of how she should stop loving Theo. She thought of more ways that she could hide it until her love for him was gone. Lori was convinced that her love could go away. With time. She told herself over and over. But, did love really work that way? Lori wasn’t sure, but she was convinced that it had to.

“Oh boy!” Lori exclaimed as she jumped up from her tree and raced up to the castle. She had been in a deep sea of thought. After a minute of thinking about not loving Theo any longer, Lori thought about the ‘Golden Pair’ before they were deemed the name. Lori and Theo had been two adorable children. They looked like siblings even as children which was fitting as they acted that way back then. Lori even remembered that for a period of name, she really thought that Theo was her brother. But, this only came when Dana joked about it over and over. Yep, Lori had been naïve even then. She still could be at times, but usually, her level headed side kicked in. Lori dashed to the school and speed walked as she entered the castle. What was she supposed to tell Theo? Lori was never like. She imagined that the extremely sweet Theo Darke was even worried about her. Lori tried to think of what to tell him, but it was hard. After all, she already kept one secret from him. She couldn’t keep two.

Lori touched Theo’s shoulder after she entered the common room. She had to wince at the moment that she felt the usual tingling feeling. Lori was instantly glad that Theo hadn’t witnessed this. Well, at least the feeling left her quickly and the best-friend in her took over. Lori was Theo’s best-friend no matter what. And the best-friend Lori was loyal to Theo even with his being gay. The Lori that was in love with Theo, well she was more heart-broken than anything. “Sorry Theo.” She apologized as she slid into the chair that was next to his. “I lost track of time I guess. You know, talking to people and such. But, I promised, next time I will put a lock on my chatterbox and run away.” She smiled lightly. Well, the half-truth would have to work. “I’m sorry.” She repeated as he told her how late she was. “I don’t think I’ve ever been that late, have I?” She already knew the answer, but she liked stating the obvious sometimes. Lori immediately felt guilty when Theo mentioned Florence. “Yikes. I can’t believe I missed her. I should really let her tag along with us in the halls or something some days. I miss her really.” Lori smiled. It was rather difficult to spend time with her little sister. After all, Lori and Theo were on the verge of the OWL exams and Florence was a first year, trying to master the way of life at Hogwarts. Lori was lucky if she got to see Florence for five minutes every couple of days. Lori nodded slightly. “I know and that’s why you are such a gem, Theo Darke.” She smiled. She tried to ignore the feeling of her heart jumping as Theo squeezed her hand. It was hard, but she managed a friendly smile. Lori shook her head slightly. “Can we not and say we did? I mean, I want to have good grades, but I don’t think anyone has ever been more dreadful in the subject as me.” Of course, Theo knew that Transfiguration wasn’t exactly Lori’s best subject. She sighed as smiled as she pulled her cloak closer to her body and inched closer to the blazing flames.

[Theo Darke]

Theo smiled reassuringly at Lori. She was forgiven for her lateness. Theo had never been one to place blame on others, become angry or be vengeful. One of his mottos was to ‘forgive and forget’, which he swore by. It was so rare of Theo to become worked up nowadays that many people believed there was no such thing as a raging Theo. He could turn sombre and serious, there was no doubt about that, and despite his soft centre he wasn’t a vulnerable fool who could be walked all over. Theo still commanded respect from his fellow peers, and he was a good leader when he needed to be. Although Theo seemed like such a shy boy, there was a charisma hidden within. “It’s all right.” Theo smiled gently as he stopped Lori’s flow of speech after her second apology. It was obvious she as truly apologetic. “You know I forgive you. It’s no big deal.” He grinned. “Maybe I should buy you a key for your chatterbox.” He suggested light-heartedly. Lori was the chattier of the pair; although Theo was better at leading others and helping them in a practical way, Lori had always been the happy, friendly type Lori brought out his extremely cheerful side best, and he helped shield her from the vulnerability that came with being so open and nice. People took advantage of you; boys in general.

Maybe Theo had always been a bit protective over Lori. Not in a parent kind of way though; he had always let her do what she wanted to do, because he believed strongly it was her life and those were her decisions to make, not his. However, Lori still came to him for advice, and he gave it best he could with as little bias as he could afford to extract. On the other hand, when it came to other boys, Theo did like to shield Lori a lot, and that wasn’t because he fancied her – far from it, because Theo was gay, and he had never seen Lori in that kind of way. Lori was like a sister to him... a twin sister, his best friend. She was the world to him in a different way than boyfriends and girlfriends were to one another, but Theo valued her all the same. He needed her by this side. Theo didn’t prevent Lori from being with other guys (she rarely was anyway! She, to Theo’s gratefulness and relief, liked to stick by him all the time, and the feeling was mutual); it was silly to stop her from being herself and having other friends. But Theo did... or rather, would, interfere if he felt a guy was trying to take advantage of Lori, which had happened a few times so far. Lori was a pretty girl; popular and intelligent, albeit a little innocent. That’s what some evil guys liked, and Theo was on a mission to keep them away from poor Lori.

“Yeah, you do that. I know you miss her, I miss Brittany and Callum even more...” Theo trailed off, thinking about his family back home in Essex. He was glad he had Lori, and now Florence, by his side; their union seemed unbreakable, as if Lori would be walking side by side with him all his life. He hoped he would be there for her too, just like his and Lori’s parents were. That closeness was something Theo revelled in and yearned for. He loved his parents, and wrote to them frequently, as did Lori, but Lori had Florence now, and that had made her happy this year, Theo felt. However, there was also an under layer of uncomfortableness, Theo felt, and he didn’t know what it was exactly. It seemed Lori was adamant not to tell him either.

“You’ll see her around. I’m sure you’ll bump into each other soon.” Theo nodded comfortingly, before chuckling in amusement. “I am indeed. Very shiny and polished and beautiful, hm?” He finally extracted his hand after a final quick reassuring squeeze, hoping Lori was feeling okay. She did seem somewhat deep in thought at the moment, though a smile lingered. “Lori Leigh, are you running away again?” Theo raised a critical eyebrow, though his outward impatience was merely a facade. “How can you let me down like this? First you’re late and now you turn down my offer and my great teachings.” He pouted a little, a twinkle in his eye. “I am disappointed in you. And I thought you were a fellow Ravenclaw.” Theo laughed and dropped his game. “But really, Lori. Are you sure? I mean... you sure do need to practice some of those spells. They’re not easy, even I can admit that, but I’m sure with a little bit of my help you’ll get the hang of it.” Theo smiled enthusiastically, though he wasn’t pressurising his best friend. He knew what was best for her though. “Theo knows best.” He added solemnly as he stood up with his book and turned to smile down at Lori. “Theo is a good teacher, right?” He grinned, before reaching out his free hand for Lori to take. “Let’s go to my dorm? We can slack off after you’ve done one spell for me.” Theo offered, a playful smile still twitching at the corners of his lips.

[Lori Leigh R6]

Lori smiled lightly. She never doubted that Theo would forgive her. Theo was just that kind of person. ‘The sweetest boy Lori had ever met.’ That’s what she would say when someone asked her about Theo. And it was a fact. Lori didn’t know another boy that was so smart and kind as Theo Darke was. This was one of the many reasons that Lori had fallen in love with him, but she wasn’t thinking about that now. When she was with Theo, she was a best-friend. She missed being a best-friend. True, they were still the ‘Golden Pair’ but Lori felt more distant from him since his confession. They still spent the same amount of time together. Lori could just feel a wall build up inside her even if Theo hadn’t realized it yet. Maybe the wall would break. Lori was hoping for this because she couldn’t bear to be without Theo. She needed him no matter what. Theo was almost like Lori’s protector. He didn’t fight or anything of course, but he stood up for her in his subtle way. Lori was easily manipulated and Theo was there at the times that she needed him most. Lori wouldn’t throw this away because she was in love with the boy. No she wouldn’t give up on the wall inside her breaking. She would never give up on that.

Lori smiled. “Thankies.” She said brightly. Lori used silly words like that rather often. What could she say? She had always been bright and cheery. She never wanted to feel sad, but that feeling often came and went. Lori liked being positive more than anything. “A key would be good.” She agreed with a joke. “Maybe one with the cute designs on it.” Lori was the type of girl that bought anything that had a cute design on it. She loved anything with bright colors and designs. She particularly loved pink polka dots which one could tell by taking a visit to her dorm. Dana always bought Lori gifts with polka dots, particularly at Christmas. Florence would always jeer at the pinkness of it. She was less girly than Lori and she loved anything yellow and didn’t care for pink. Lori smiled. What could she say? She had always been a naïve little girl at heart. With years however, Lori grew up a lot, but she would always been the cheerful girl who adored her best-friend and anything pink.

Lori’s smiled faded as Theo talked about his family. She knew that he missed them. Lori and Theo were both very close to their families. Actually, both of their families sort of seemed like one big one at times. Lori offered Theo a sweet smile. “You know in less than a year Brittany and Callum will be here nipping at our side.” She smiled trying her best to give Theo a little hope. Even though Lori and Theo had each other, Theo missed his family just like Lori did. But Lori did at least have Florence now. “And Winter Holidays are around the corner really. Everyone together, craziness and all.” She joked. Really, the families were quite normal. They were all caring and fun to be near. Lori adored the holidays as she got to spend a lot of time with both her family and Theo’s. Really, Yvonne and Wesley were like Lori’s second parents. Lori smiled. Yes the holidays would be a fun time. And Lori couldn’t wait to hug her parents like she had since she was a child.

Lori nodded as Theo said that she would see Florence around. This was true. Florence was probably running around with her new friends, Lori was sure. She wondered how things would change when Brittany and Callum came to school. Lori smiled. The Hogwarts would really feel like home. Lori laughed as Theo talked about himself. “Just like a gem. I diamond really.” She joked lightly. Lori shook her head at Theo next comment. “Not running away. Avoiding the issue.” She smiled Lori would rather being doing anything besides working on Transfigurations. But Theo kept her in her place. He was like her guardian really, but in his own way. Lori could always count on Theo no matter what. She laughed as his little act. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” She smiled brightly. “Oh teach my great Theo.” She joked. Really, Theo was quite helpful to Lori when it came to studies. Usually, Lori could do quite well on her own, but she really did need Theo’s help when it came to Transfigurations. Lori smiled and stood up. “You do know best and alright, but I’m holding you to that.” She pointed a playful finger at him. “One spell because that’s all my little hard can take.” Another smile. Talking to Theo was the most easy thing in the world. And as they were in the common room joking around, Lori realized how much she had missed hanging out with Theo without feeling that sense of loss. She was trying her best to forget everything. She just wanted to be his best-friend without any complications. Lori took Theo’s hand and didn’t wince at all. She was just concentrating on having fun with her friend. She smiled as they made their way up to his dorm. When the door opened, Lori ran playfully and jumped on his head. “Okay great teacher. What spell will it be today? Oo do say that I get to transform you into a fish!” She joked. This was fun. This was what Lori needed to remember every time she thought of how she loved Theo. Maybe alls he really needed was to be his best-friend. Could that just be enough?

[Theo Darke]

Theo chuckled at Lori’s ‘Thankies’. He always thought her childish odd words cute rather than annoying, though some people just labelled her as blonde even more if they caught that snippet of their conversations. Theo was all for being oneself rather than a fake personality just to please other people, but he wasn’t against avoiding some things; he didn’t want Lori to hide her character, but he knew it would be more beneficial for her if other people whom he knew would not accept her ways were avoided at all costs. “How about one with a bright pink background and pale pink polka dots?” Theo suggested with a twinkle in his eye, knowing Lori’s liking for cute patterns and all things pink, and how most of all, polka dots were her favourite design. He wasn’t really a pink person himself; more of a blues and greens guy, hence why most of the things Lori bought him were in those shades. He also preferred stripes and plain things in comparison to polka dots and spots. “Now I’ll know what to get you for Christmas.” He declared, but then backtracked, “Then again, Dana snatches that idea off me every year so I have to think of something else.” He laughed, having already decided secretly on what to buy Lori for the coming Christmas. Every year they went shopping together for presents, but they always split up at the end of the trip and purchased each other’s gifts. Both coming from well-off families, Christmas was usually quite the spending spree for Theo and Lori, but extremely fun when they browsed the shops together. Lori’s reference to the holidays really raised Theo’s spirits, and he couldn’t wait for Christmas to come.

“A diamond?” Theo chuckled, leaning back and looking at Lori in amusement. “I always viewed myself as more of a... hm... I suppose a diamond would do fine. My other choice would’ve been lapis lazuli or sapphire. You know I like my blues. Ravenclaw forever.” He added with a fond grin. “You’re a pink diamond.” Theo commented, “A sparkly, small one. Oh, and a very expensive one at that!” He quickly avoided any comeback Lori had to that by going back to her topic with a grin. “Fine, but you know who will be affected at the end of the day. Who will regret when the exams come round.” He reminded her softly, his harsh tone fake. He did a mock bow before Lori when she apologised, and grinned. “Of course.” His eyes twinkled as he took Lori’s hand and helped her up, “I’ll make sure to take great care of the royal hand.” He remarked, before leading her up to his dormitory.

Theo smiled as Lori jumped onto his bed, noting the empty dorm. His fellow inhabitants barely spent time here, so it was convenient for him and Lori to pop up now and again for a private conversation, or a lesson in Transfiguration as it was, without leaving the security of their Common Room. It was always somewhat dangerous to go wandering around Hogwarts for a spare room, and daunting if teachers found you doing something against the rules. Not that practising Transfiguration was forbidden; in fact, Theo knew Professor McGonagall was grateful to him for helping Lori. Otherwise, it was obvious she would struggle through her OWLs. At the rate she was currently going at, Theo hoped she would get at least an Acceptable at the end of the year. She was improving, without a doubt, and he loved teaching her. Although Lori lacked the skill needed, she was a keen learner (she said it was because he was the teacher, but he didn’t believe a word of it), and she listened well (usually, when she wasn’t distracted by the entrance of someone, or even Luna).

Theo smiled down at Lori and thought a moment, before drawing his wand and tapping his alarm clock. It turned into a mouse, though it was a shade of cerulean blue (the colour of his clock, in fact). Frowning, Theo rolled his eyes and tapped the mouse again, the colour finally reverting to a dull brown. “It’s not a rat. A mouse.” Theo said quickly, before Lori freaked out over it. “We just did it a few weeks back. I know it’s hard, but you can try and I’ll help you.” He smiled gently, and changed the mouse back into his alarm clock. “I hope you don’t break it.” He added with a chuckle.