Well I finished this chapter and it doesn't feel rushed so here it is.

Eight, part three, Black

Teddy and Smith headed towards the lifts together. Smith was filling Teddy in on the information they had been given by Harry and what he felt was the best strategy for them to use.

“… and after we’ve been to Combe Down, we should go look in the Roman Baths. They could be disguising themselves as muggle tourists.”

“That makes no sense, why on earth would Agents who hate muggles dress up as them?”

“Perhaps they have more subtlety than you?” His chocolate brown eyes were full of contempt.

Teddy clenched his teeth, biting back the sarcastic remark that he was desperate to fling at Smith.

“Well, okay then, but I still think it’s worth having a look at the more magical places around the city.”

“Fine. Look at us, we’re compromising. Potter will be so pleased.”

Teddy fought the urge to transfigure Smith into a lemon. Instead he looked through the paperwork that Harry had given them.

“Given that we are going to search muggle areas, do you think wearing those robes is a good idea?”

Teddy looked down at his robes, which were blue with turquoise stars and moons on them.

“Good point,” he conceded grudgingly “D’you mind if we make a quick stop at my place so that I can change?”

“Not at all.” Smith stepped out of the lift ahead of Teddy, a twisted, satisfied smirk flashing across his face.


*****

Professor Boot called his second year potions class to order.

“I hope by now you have all got a sample of your Swelling Solution ready for me. Label them and then one person from each bench please bring them up to the front.”

“Ted, you’d best take these, I think I’ve done something to my cauldron” Keith looked miserable and he did indeed seem to have melted his cauldron. He quickly started to clear away the potion.

“Alright, pass it over.”

John Smith’s snide voice cut into the conversation. “I wouldn’t trust him Moore; he’ll probably fall over his own feet and smash your phial.”

“Oh what would you know pumpkin head?” Teddy was immediately defensive. No-one irritated him in quiet the same way as Smith.

“Don’t say you haven’t been warned.” Smith walked to the front of the class and placed the phials he was carrying into the rack.

“He really does think he knows it all.” Teddy’s lip curled in disgust.

“You’re right, he’s a git but just be careful yeah?” Keith looked at Teddy apprehensively.

“Oh do me a favour!” Teddy took two strides away from the desk when he felt something catch him by the ankles. With both hands full he couldn’t save himself. There was a nasty crunch of crystal as he hit the floor and both phials broke.

“Oh Lupin! Take a bit of care can’t you!” Professor Boot’s exasperated voice rang out through the dungeon. Teddy looked up furiously, pointing sausage sized fingers at Smith.

“It was him! He threatened me! He tripped me!”

“He’s on the other side of the room! He was no where near you.” Professor Boot looked at Teddy incredulously, not noticing the twisted, satisfied smirk on Smith face.

“Come here and get some Deflating Draught Lupin.”

Teddy tried to stand but his head was oddly heavy, given that his nose, cheeks and chin had swollen where they had been splashed with potion. Smith came over to him, ostensibly to help him up. He muttered “You should keep that face Lupin, it looks better than anything else I’ve seen you try.”

As Professor Boot Deflated him, Teddy seethed that Smith had managed to avoid trouble. After growing up around George Weasley, he knew what a Trip Jinx Felt like.

~

“Oh go on Mabel please; you know you want to really.”

“I’m sorry Teddy, really I am, but I’ve promised to go with someone else.”

“Well he can’t be as good as me.” Teddy flashed her a roguish grin and the young girl flushed pink with a mixture of embarrassment and pleasure.

“I just wish you’d asked me yesterday, I promised him this morning. He seemed very keen.”

“Well who is this new suitor? Who’s the competition for my fair lady’s hand?”

Teddy knew that he was getting to the sickly sweet stage of chatting Mabel up now but he also know that she loved it. He was proved right when she blushed again, turning from pink to red.

“John Smith.” The two words felt more like two sharp slaps to Teddy.

“Smith? Really? You’d rather go out with Smith than me?” All the flattery and sweetness in Teddy’s voice had vanished now, replaced with a harsh, stony quality.

Mabel Davies didn’t miss the change. “Don’t be upset Teddy; it’s not my fault you didn’t ask.” She turned on her heel and flounced away.

As he watch her rush away from him, long blonde curls bouncing as she went, Teddy heard someone sniggering behind him. He whipped around, wand out.

“Peeves? Show yourself!”

Smith stepped through a door that was pretending to be a wall.

“That was excellent Lupin! I know just how not to talk to her now. You never know what she’ll give me in return for my attentions. Let’s face it, she can’t have been having such a great time with you, or she would have said no to me.”

“You arrogant” Teddy felt his tongue suddenly become glued to the roof of his mouth.

“Now, now growler, no bad language from you. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you all about it, what she feels like when she’s really enjoying herself.”
Teddy tried to hex Smith but found that he couldn’t as his tongue was still glued to the roof of his mouth.

“Not able to do non-verbal magic then Lupin? And your parents were an Auror and a Professor? Well they can’t have been any good.” Smith flicked his wand again and Teddy’s arms snapped to his sides, his legs snapped together, he became as rigid as a board and fell over backwards.

~

“Lupin collect the homework essays please”

“Yes, Professor Vector.”

The Arithmancy homework had been particularly difficult and Teddy was glad to be handing it in. As he walked around the room and beautiful idea struck him. He could get revenge for both him and Mabel, who was the subject of some very nasty rumours that had been spread by Smith after their Hogsmeade visit. Words like ‘tart’ and ‘easy’ seemed to follow the poor girl around the place like doxies feasting on fairy eggs. He took Smith’s two rolls of parchment and turned his back. He slipped his wand out of his pocket and under the cover of taking Keith’s essay from him, he whispered “Evanesco”. Smith’s homework Vanished.

At the end of the next lesson, Professor Vector could be heard lecturing Smith about the importance of handing in homework in his OWL year, deaf to his protests that he had handed his homework in, that he’d spent hours researching it in the library.

~

Teddy ambled down to dinner, after spending an afternoon cosseted in the library, realising that he only had fifteen minutes left in which to get something to eat. He knew that preparing for his NEWTs should be stressful, but he was sort of enjoying the challenge. Hermione had predicted that he would feel that way. He was very glad however that the honour of Head Boy had fallen to someone else. Being a prefect was enough extra work. As he neared the bottom of the marble staircase, he mulled over the idea of visiting Amelia Richards at Christmas and he couldn’t help grinning widely. He saw Victoire rushing through the doors and into the entrance hall and his grin faded. Rather than her usual picture of elegance, she was a mess. She was holding her robes together at one shoulder, her hair was ruffled and she kept glancing backwards, as though she expected someone to be following her. She ran straight into Teddy and screamed.

“Hey! It’s me, it’s Ted, calm down! What’s wrong?”

“I… He… and I didn’t…” she gabbled, making no sense whatsoever. Tears streamed down her face.

“Vic, calm down and tell me what happened.” They were attracting a crowd now; people were goggling at the two of them as they left the dinner hall. Victoire collapsed against his chest, sobbing. He pulled her into a firm hug and she winced and pulled away. He looked closely at her face and realised that someone must have hit her, her eye was swelling rapidly.

“Vic, who -”

He swallowed the rest of his question. John Smith strode into the entrance hall wearing his twisted self-satisfied smirk.

“You! What have you done to her?”

Smith sneered at Teddy. “Me? Nothing. I wouldn’t touch that dirty Gryffindor tart with yours.”

“Shut you filthy mouth!” Teddy flicked his wand trying to silence Smith, but Smith deflected the spell easily, laughing coldly.

“You’ll have to do better than that.”

The crowd had pulled back getting out of the firing line. Both Teddy and Smith had drawn their wands and were holding them in a combat stance. Teddy was both hugging Victoire and attempting to shield her. A long tense silence stretched between them.

“Ted what’s going on?” Keith’s soft whisper in Teddy’s ear almost made him jump.

“Look after Vic. Take her to the hospital wing.” Victoire seemed to want to stay with Teddy, but he could hear Keith coaxing her gently out of Teddy’s arms and into his own.

“You’re going to pay for that Smith.”

“Oh Lupin, I could destroy you with my wand hand tied behind my back.”

“Ever the arrogant Claw! You really need to get over yourself!” Teddy flicked his wand again and again Smith deflected the spell.

“Such a predictable little Gryff aren’t you? Chivalry wins the day!” Smith arched one eyebrow and Teddy realised that he had targeted Victoire to provoke a fight. Teddy was so angry that he could feel the adrenaline pulsing through him. He slashed the air with his wand and this time Smith did not manage to deflect the spell. He was blasted off his feet and as he hit the ground he began to sprout a fine pair of antlers. The crowd began to laugh, and Smith twisted on the ground, trying to stand. Teddy was ready for him and tried to disarm him, but Smith deflected the spell, shooting arrows from his wand at Teddy. The crowd around them scattered, some of them screaming. Teddy vanished the arrows and tried again to disarm Smith, who deflected the spell once more. Teddy felt something whip his arm. He felt blood running down his sleeve and made a move to try and disarm Smith again when he heard someone bellow at the top of their voice:

“LUPIN! SMITH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?” Professor Longbottom was running down the stairs towards them, swiftly followed by Professor Boot. Teddy took his eyes off Smith and Smith used the opportunity to hit Teddy again in the leg. Blood splattered on the floor and Teddy buckled to his knees as the Professors disarmed them both.

“Right, hospital wing, both of you! You are both in serious trouble!” Professor Longbottom’s voice was strong and commanding. Teddy tried to stand but couldn’t, his arm and leg were bleeding copiously. Professor Boot healed Teddy’s wounds, whispering a song-like incantation as his wand sealed the wounds. The expression on his face was a mixture of shock and anger.

*****

Amelia left the Ministry and apparated across London to the quiet backstreet where the offices of the Daily Prophet were to be found. She hurried towards the entrance to the alleyway, realising that she was already five minutes late. Suddenly, something hit her. She gave a small “Oh!” of surprise as she fell to the ground. A burly masked man in black robes appeared as if from nowhere. He lifted Amelia off the ground, turned and disappeared again.

~

“Right then, cheeky monkeys! Cosmo and Caitlin first with Hermia and Remus, you can go on your own afterwards.” Remus beamed up at Ginny, clearly feeling proud that she thought he was old enough to Floo on his own. Hermia lifted a sleepy Caitlin on to her hip and took Cosmo’s hand. Remus threw a handful of powder into the flames and Hermia stepped inside with the twins.

“Lupin Cottage!” Cosmo shouted gleefully.

They stepped out of the fireplace in the kitchen of Lupin Cottage. Hermia saw straight away that something was very wrong.

“Go back Remus, go back!”

Before he could get back into the flames, a pair of strong hands lifted him into the air. He wriggled and kicked against the person who was holding him, but the hands gripped him tightly. The twins huddled behind Hermia. She stared at the two figures slumped at the kitchen table. Both Teddy and Amelia seemed to be lifeless, both showing evidence of having been attacked. Blood dripped from Teddy’s nose onto the table, pooling there, joined by the blood that was flowing from the corner of Amelia’s mouth.

Hermia summoned all her courage. “Who are you and what have you done to my parents?”

“Oh, come now Hermia, they’re not your parents.”

John Smith strolled into the kitchen as though he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Mr Smith, what’s going on? Who is this man?” She pointed to the burly masked stranger who was still holding Remus high off the ground.

“His name isn’t important but I want you to know my name.” He sounded amused, as if this was some kind of April Fool’s joke.

“I know your name,” she replied cautiously, “you’re John Smith.”

“My real name.” He grinned at her and she felt a cold shiver run through her, as though she had just jumped into a cold plunge pool. Caitlin had started to cry quietly. Hermia took her hand to try and reassure her.

“What’s your real name then?”

“Alberich.”

Hermia’s grip on Caitlin’s hand tightened as her chocolate brown eyes widened with fear.

“No, you… you can’t be! That’s a lie! He went missing years ago. You can’t be!” she spluttered; panic really beginning to set in.

“I can assure you that I am Alberich. You have a birthmark on your stomach, on the left hand side. How would I know that if I unless I am Alberich?”
She realised that it was true. There was only one word that she could think to say at that moment, despite the fear that was making her heart pound so loudly in her ears.

“Daddy?”


As a person who can't cope with cliffhangers very well, I appologise for the wait you'll have for the next chapter.