Chapter 1

Out of Bed

Eight AM meetings with the deputy head master is a not a good way to start out a Thursday morning Teddy found out. Flitwick was standing on top of his desk—bringing him almost eye level with Teddy, but , even still, the little man could make quite a racket.

"Out of bed in the middle of the night! Tried to sneak in around ten? Oh yes, Mrs. Norris saw you and don't think you'll ever be getting past her. Especially when you break rules as incredibly as you did! Fifty points from Hufflepuff. Now, hurry along and get to class. You'll be late. Don't make me have this conversation with you again, Mr. Lupin! My word!"

After sleeping in, Teddy hadn't had time to eat any breakfast and a good scolding had made him hungrier than most mornings. To make it worse, Teddy's first class on Thursdays was History of Magic which (like always) was always the same—always long, always boring and always horrific. Always. It didn't make things any better when Teddy staggered into class late. Professor Binns didn't say anything but took good care to cease lecturing and watch his tardy student with all intensity as he took his seat. A few people in the back snickered.

An hour and half and several doodles later, the second morning bell rang, and Teddy was out the door before anyone else. He took the long way to the dungeons just so he could walk by the open air walkway. It was a lovely March day, and the sun was pouring in mercifully, shooing away any lingering snow. Some first years were out in the quad, throwing slush balls at one another; Teddy enjoyed possessing some of the balls to smack unsuspecting throwers in the back of the head. He giggled incessantly until the students grew suspicious of him, and he ran off back into the warmth and stagnation of the halls.

Octavius Mortimer was Teddy's best friend and (of all things) a Slytherin. Luckily Hufflepuffs shared dungeons with Slytherins for Potions and, while they got quite a few stares on the first day of classes, Teddy and Octavius always sat together. His astute behavior usually brought Octavius to all of his classes eons before Teddy, and today was no exception. Just as the bell was finishing, Mr. Lupin was only dashing in the door and Octavius, meanwhile, already had his quills sorted out by length on his desk. Teddy managed to sneak into the seat next to him, but not without Professor Kraklow, the potions mistress, giving him a meaningful stare.

The lesson began with a review of what they had covered last class period: Babbling Beverage. All in all, the class was a bore to Teddy. He enjoyed Potions, but only when they got to actually do something. While much of Professor Kraklow's classes were hands-on, it didn't mean she didn't shy away from the occasional lecture now and then. During such spots, Teddy was usually back to his doodling. His boredom, mixed with his hunger from missing breakfast, made the two hours of Potions seem an eternity. He stared, almost longingly, at the assortment of different kinds of flies, all pickled in jars and sitting on the wall behind Professor Kraklow. He had never eaten a fly before. Surely, it had some kind of nourishment in it. Plus, some of these were easily the size of a dinner plate. There had to be some kind of meat on their bones. Metaphorically speaking. While Care of Magical Creatures was not his best subject, Teddy knew at least the basics of an exoskeleton.

He was just about to begin a debate with himself over whether flies would taste more like chicken or beef when (of course) Professor Kraklow's voice rang out a familiar name.

"Lupin!"

Teddy jolted up and searched frantically for the professor's face. It wasn't the nicest thing to look at when he finally did see it. Professor Kraklow was wearing an odd knowing smile and a raised eyebrow. While she had never admitted it, Teddy was sure the professor was excellent at Legilimency.

There was an awkward silence as Teddy waited for someone to say something.

"Yes? Professor?" He finally asked.

"The answer, please, Mr. Lupin" Professor Kraklow was just torturing him now, and Teddy knew her sadism would keep her from repeating the question unless Teddy asked.

Unsure of how to go on, he tried pulling out what he hoped was a catch-all answer for potions.

"Let it simmer and then ten spins clockwise?"

Immediately, the class erupted into a sea of chuckles. Professor Kraklow even laughed a bit before approaching Teddy's desk and questioning, "So, you are telling me that the effects of Angel's Trumpet Draught are…let it simmer and then…ten, you said? Ten spins clockwise?"

Professor Kraklow was relatively small in stature with thick brown hair pulled back and out of her face. In her simple black robe, she looked considerably smaller than the other members of the Hogwarts faculty. Teddy was sure she bought her robes second hand for they were always too big for her. Still, as odd and tiny as she looked, looming just a hair over Teddy's head as he sat in his desk, he couldn't deny that she also looked fierce.

When no answer came from Teddy, Professor Kraklow began again, "Is that what you're telling me, Mr. Lupin?"

Unsure of what else to say, Teddy simply nodded, "Yeah. I guess so, professor."

Teddy's belief in Professor's Legilimency ability was strengthened, if not downright solidified, by the two next things that she said to him. First off, he knew daydreaming during class was not the worst offense he could do, but he also knew that Professor Kraklow regarded class time as near sacred time. He felt her punishment would be somewhat harsh but expected a hefty loss of house points from Hufflepuff (something, he told few other people, that didn't bother him much at all for he thought the whole House Point game was silly.) What he feared more than Hufflepuff losing the stupid House Cup was getting detentions, which was, of course, exactly what Professor Kraklow gave him for the following night.

Secondly, before heading back to the chalkboard to begin a lecture on Wolfsbane Potion, the professor turned to Teddy and said simply, "What you're looking at up there is Mannotabanus, and their flesh is poisonous unless sautéed properly with garlic, onions and red wine. Even still, I wouldn't eat it if I were you."

::::

Kelly Quickly always felt funny being a Hufflepuff who sat at the Slytherin table. He wasn't sure if it was technically allowed and often felt the Slytherins gave him odd looks.

"If the Slytherins are doing it, then the Hufflepuffs are definitely doing it," Octavius pointed out as he speared another length of asparagus and popped it in his mouth. He was polite enough to finish chewing before he added, "Besides, Kelly, I'm sure if they're laughing at you, it's not because you're sitting at the wrong table. It's because you're a boy with a name like Kelly."

Hoping to avoid another argument with Octavius, Kelly skipped the lecture on how his name had been passed down through his family for generations (from father to son). Instead, he turned Teddy (who was working on his third helping of roasted potatoes) and asked nervously, "So…what happened with Flitwick this morning, mate. Did he give you a hard time?"

Lacking Octavius' manners, Teddy spoke even with his mouth half full of potatoes, "Esh awright. Nuffin too bad. Jest a liddle lecture. Ya know."

Having heard the story already, Octavius eyed Teddy, "Just a little lecture?"

"Sure," Mr. Lupin said, finally swallowing.

The two of them were avoiding Kelly's stare too much for any of this to be true. "Teddy," Kelly said, leaning in across the table towards his fellow Hufflepuff, "What happened?"

"Flitwick just gave me a good talking is all!"

Octavius coughed then, barely hiding a clear cut, "FIFTY POINTS FROM HUFFLEPUFF!" inside it.

Trying to get bit of humor in before the volcano exploded, Teddy eyed his Slytherin friend and said, "I really hate you sometimes. You know that, right?"

There would have been time for a witty response from Octavius, but at that moment, the volcano exploded.

"Fifty points!? You lost Hufflepuff fifty points!?" Kelly's screams echoed off the Great Halls walls. Nearly everyone turned to stare, but, apparently the only one who didn't care was Kelly, "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?! Are you trying to sabotage us?!"

It took a lot of coaxing from Teddy (and none from Octavius) to calm him down to a point where fellow students weren't throwing things at the trio and telling them to shut up. Teddy even scooted under the table, abandoning his beautiful plate of fried chicken, so he could pat Kelly on the back and assure him it would be okay.

"I'm not trying to sabotage you. I didn't even know I was caught until Flitwick called me into his office this morning. I'm sorry, Kelly, I didn't mean to, but…"

"But what? Out of bed! Late at night! You're lucky you weren't expelled, Teddy!"

"Please," he laughed, immediately finding out that was the wrong response.

"I'm not kidding, Teddy! You could have been expelled! How can you be so reckless? Do you realize that Hufflepuff has been in last place for the House Cup for the past twelve years?! And the year before that, we were in third! Third! Out of four, Teddy!"

" I know! I know! I know! Believe me, I've heard it all a million times. Kelly, you have to know that the House Cup system is just so…"

"So what?!"

"So pointless! Are you going to get into the Auror program by telling them that your house won House Cup one year? Is it really going to make that big of a difference? You get a banquet. Big deal. Everyone gets to eat at it. It's the teachers keeping tabs on us. Patting us on the head.

"What's more," Teddy went on, "The system is completely rigged. Has to be. Points get added when a teacher says so. But there's no system to check when points get added or for what. They just happen because a teacher says so. How do we know old McGonagall isn't sitting up her office and spouting off, 'Ten points from Hufflepuff! Five points from Ravenclaw! One hundred points to Gryffindor!' just for kicks and giggles? Don't lose your head over it, mate. It's not that big of a deal."

Still, no amount of logic or fussing seemed to pacify Kelly. Even as the afternoon bell rang and the three of them were off, Kelly was still fuming. At the edge of the Great Hall, he even darted off in a huff too quickly for Teddy to catch him.

Attempting again to add some humor, Teddy threw a look after Kelly and asked no one in particular, "Why exactly are we friends with him?"

To which Octavius answered, "Well, I'm not his friend."

Try as Teddy did to laugh this off, he knew Octavius was telling the truth. Kelly followed Teddy, and Teddy followed Octavius. It was a simple system that worked…most of the time. The surprise came when Octavius turned to Teddy and added, "And, unless I'm mistaken, you're not his friend either. You just pity him."

And with that, Octavius was on his way to Ancient Runes. He dashed off in a swish of black cotton and was gone.

::::

That night, in the Hufflepuff common room, Teddy sat, sprawled out on the chase lounge and waiting. He checked his watch. Nearly ten. A few seventh years were seated across the way, playing a rousing (and everlasting) game of Wizards Chess.

"Go to bed!" Teddy thought, "It's late, and you should all be in bed! You have busy days of classes tomorrow!" He tried to hypnotize them with his mind, but that only made them contemplate their next move more. And it gave Teddy and grueling headache.

Nearly an hour later, the pack of seventh years finally packed up their stuff and headed off to their rooms. All was quiet. Teddy's eyes were heavy with weariness and he contemplated for a moment just curling up and falling asleep right there.

But duty shook him, and he stood, reaching into his back jean pocket to ensure his wand was there. He turned towards the exit and was nearly there when a voice cried out.

"Going somewhere, Lupin?"

He almost screamed, the voice shook him so badly. Turning, though towards its source, his fear was calmed when he saw nobody but little Anastasia Weeld standing there in her flannel nightgown and her hair neatly done in two braids. Teddy must have missed her somehow; she was incredibly small (almost dwarfish) so it wouldn't be unlikely. She had a crisp, nasally voice that bounced off all the walls. The fear of her waking someone up scared Teddy, but nothing else about her.

"I…uh…yeah…I'm doing stuff," he didn't think he had to come up with any great lie to a first year, "Goodnight," he added before turning back towards the exit door.

Anastasia didn't say anything as Teddy opens the door and snuck into the hallway. She just stood there, her bright blue eyes ablaze even in the dimming light of the common room. Even as Teddy shut the door on her, she stood there, watching.