Disclaimer: I make no claim to the rights of any characters that are owned by J.K. Rowling or Warner Bros., and make no money from this venture. This work is purely for entertainment purposes.
—CHAPTER ONE—
An Unlikely Visitor
"When you're sad and when you're lonely,
And you haven't got a friend,
Just remember that death is not the end."
- "Death is Not the End" by Bob Dylan
September 1st, 2003
There was silence. The cold stone walls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry stood as they had for so many years, though without the usual commotion surrounding them. No First Year students scurrying to find their first classes. No Seventh Year students striding confidently through the many secret passageways. No teachers prowling, looking for wrongdoers. No ghosts, lingering after death. Nothing remained. Not even Peeves, the castle's once permanent poltergeist. Peeves had vacated the school when he realised what had happened to its inhabitants.
In the fifth year following his conquest, Lord Voldemort made his annual trip to the now abandoned castle. It was something that he relished doing. This was where his ultimate conquest had started and this was where it had finally ended. He walked into the Great Hall, empty of everything, and found the precise spot where he had been standing when he finally and unequivocally bested Harry Potter. He stopped and turned on his heels. For a second, he could have sworn that the boy was right in front of him, risen again from the dead. But the momentary vision passed from his eyes and his thin lips curved upwards into a smile as he surveyed the empty Great Hall in front of him.
After he killed Potter, the battle was easily won. The entire population of the Great Hall had been shocked and silent when Potter's body fell to the ground, the Killing Curse beating out the Disarming Charm sent by the weaker wizard. Bellatrix, he remembered with an odd pang, was dead on the floor. By the wand of the Weasley matriarch, much to Voldemort's anger. Everyone else, Death Eater or otherwise, had stood, looking on in utter disbelief and astonishment at the scene in front of them. Voldemort had given the word and the Death Eaters apparated away. It was not usually possible within the wards around the castle, and yet they still disappeared. Voldemort cast two spells in quick succession before leaving. One locked the great oak doors to the Great Hall, while the other filled the room with Fiendfyre. Voldemort's greatest regret from that night was that he had to get away quickly to avoid the flames. He never saw them die.
But they did die. And with them, the hopes of Magical Britain went as well. The rest of the community seemed to give up all hope. Those that didn't fall in line were killed. When Magical Britain fell, Voldemort felt somewhat content. He would move on to the rest of Europe eventually, but he needed to be sure of his power over Britain first. It was almost time to move. Next in his sights was Beauxbatons and France.
His smile grew into a laugh that echoed off the walls. To Voldemort, it sounded like music. He slowly walked out of the Hall and eventually came to the tomb of Albus Dumbledore. He had not entered it since discovering the Elder Wand. He looked at the tomb for a long while.
"I won old man," Voldemort said with a smile, pulling his features grotesquely. "Your best wasn't good enough. I spent so many years needlessly in fear of Harry Potter. A child. He was not the saviour, old man. I was."
With that, Voldemort flew away from the entombed body of his greatest foe and the empty Hogwarts castle, using nothing but his mind.
Dennis Creevey
September 5th, 2003
Dennis Creevey had assimilated himself right back into the Muggle community following the Battle of Hogwarts with very little difficulty. He had never really found out the complete truth of what happened during the Battle of Hogwarts, but he knew that Colin was dead. He was sure of that fact, if no others.
The day after the Battle, he was approached by a ghost. Nearly Headless Nick. Dennis, who had been hiding out in London with his parents when Colin went to fight, would never have expected to see any ghost appear in London, let alone one he was familiar with.
"Do not return to the magical world," Nick had told him gravely, a pained expression on his face. "It's over. He won." Nick did not have to say who he meant.
"Colin?" Dennis had asked, a catch in his throat. Nick shook his head sadly, causing it to move slightly out of place. Dennis wanted to cry. "What about the rest?"
"He burned all the ones in the Great Hall," Nick said, with the most emotion Dennis had ever heard in the voice of a ghost. "I saw some get away. Not many."
"Burned?" Dennis asked. He could feel himself shaking.
"Just after he killed Harry Potter for the second time," Nick said solemnly. "You cannot stay in this world anymore."
That had not, however, been the final contact with magic that Dennis had over the next five years. He recognised Justin Finch-Fletchley from Dumbledore's Army when he was shopping once. He tried to get his attention, but Justin didn't hear him. Later that same year he saw Zacharias Smith with two older people who had to be his parents. When Dennis spoke to them, Zacharias took Dennis away from his parents.
"Get away from us," he said hurriedly. "My parents are pledged to You-Know-Who now. I don't like it, but it's true. He has ways of getting information out of people. Please, stay away. I don't want anyone else to die."
When Dennis turned to leave, he heard Zacharias talking to his parents.
"Filthy Muggle had me confused with someone else," he said with a disgusted tone. Dennis had never held Zacharias in any kind of high opinion, but he was grateful for what he had done.
The last person from the Wizarding world he encountered was the oddest.
It was five years after the downfall of Magical Britain and Dennis was living in an apartment near where he was attending University. How she tracked him down, he had no idea. But she did.
There was a hurried knock at his door. When he answered it, he saw a short woman wearing all pink. Dolores Umbridge was thinner than she had been years before, and he saw that her hair was greying. She was carrying a boy, about five years old, who had shoulder-length aqua blue hair. She had a look on her face that was a mixture of relief and exhaustion.
"What the hell do you want?" Dennis asked her, ready to slam the door in her face, despite the boy in her arms.
"Creevey?" she asked frantically. "Dennis?"
"Um … yeah," Dennis replied awkwardly.
"Please," she said, almost pleading. "I don't know what else to do. Please let us in."
A silence fell over the three of them while Dennis weighed his options. It was only when he looked at the boy that he made his decision and let her into his apartment. His roommates were both at class, so it was just him, Umbridge and the boy. When he closed the door, Umbridge cast several spells at the door. Dennis made the assumption that the spells were locking charms. When was finished, she found the couch, sat down and looked at the child.
"Don't touch anything," she warned, almost tenderly. The boy nodded, so she sat him next to her. Dennis sat in an armchair.
"What is this about, Professor?" he asked pointedly. It had been two years since his encounter with Zacharias Smith, so seeing someone he knew from his past life was jarring to say the least. Especially seeing a grovelling, frightened Umbridge.
"I can't stay long," she said, her eyes looking to the windows. Dennis looked, but could see nothing out of the ordinary. "He's chasing me."
"You mean Vol –" Dennis began to ask, but he was cut off with an ear-piercing shriek and he watched Umbridge cover the ears of the boy with her.
"No!" she shouted. "Not the name. Never the name."
"But it is him, right?" Dennis asked. Umbridge nodded. "I'm gonna need more than that Professor." He looked to the boy who was looking around the room, very interested in his surroundings.
"I betrayed him," she said simply. "I never wanted to even be in his service, believe me, but he left me no choice. When he won at Hogwarts, it was join or die. I didn't want to die, so I joined him. I didn't have to do the horrible things. I know what happened, but I didn't do them. After a while I realised what a horrible person I had been. I know it now. I couldn't keep doing that. I fled. I went between place and place for a month or so and came across a house in a wood somewhere. I still don't know precisely where it was.
"That's where I found Teddy here," she said, smiling a shaky smile at the boy before turning back with the same frightened look to Dennis. "He was with his grandmother, Andromeda. Andromeda Tonks. She was a good woman. Amazing. She took me in and sheltered me. Until his people came. They killed her, but I got out with Teddy. I've been running since."
Dennis was actually shocked. It was a lot to take in.
"And what does this have to do with me?" he asked Umbridge.
"I'm going to die," Umbridge said with an odd calmness that went against what he had seen of her thus far. "It's inevitable. He will catch up to me eventually and I will die for what I did. I'm fine with that. I can't keep running. I'm just so exhausted. So I thought. I thought so hard. I had seen the list of the dead, and there were so many names on there. So so many. You are one of the few students still alive and not in his service. And you're a good person. You were in that club for Dumbledore."
It hit Dennis then just how many people were dead.
"Who else is alive?" he asked. She looked so sad.
"That you would know? I found out that Justin Finch-Fletchley was, but I found him dead in his home before I came here," she replied. "There are a few older students that you might not know. Marietta Edgecomb's family defied him, so she might still be alive."
"Damn," Dennis said. A day did not go by that he didn't think about the Wizarding world, but this was the first time he truly understood just what had happened. The Muggle world just kept going. Occasional deaths that could only be Death Eaters, but everything had been quiet for the most part. "You know I can't exactly take you in, right?"
"I know," Umbridge replied. "I wouldn't ask it of you. I couldn't. I just … I can't risk Teddy's life anymore. Not now."
"I can't take a kid either!" Dennis said, surprised. "I'm still a student."
"Dolly," he heard Teddy say quietly. "Are you going away?"
"Please, Dennis," Umbridge pleaded. Her eyes filled with tears. "Would your parents take him in? Please?"
Dennis considered it as he looked at the boy.
"What about the Trace?" he asked. Umbridge shook her head.
"Andromeda was a Black," she explained. "Her family knew how to get rid of it, so she did it not long after he took over. He cannot be tracked. He's not a danger. I swear."
"Dolly?" Teddy asked, touching Umbridge's arm. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing dear," she said comfortingly. It was apparent to Dennis that it was a lie, but it seemed to sate the boy.
"Can I at least call my parents first and ask them?" Dennis asked. Umbridge nodded, and Dennis went to the phone. He had a hurried and somewhat confused conversation with his father for about ten minutes in which Umbridge seemed to constantly wring her hands when she wasn't muttering reassurances to little Teddy who seemed to be almost as confused as Dennis' father.
"Dad," Dennis said into the receiver, finding himself to be more concerned than he had felt before, "he's just a kid. If we don't take him, he'll die with Professor Umbridge."
"I need to talk to your mother," his father replied after a moment's silence.
"I don't think there's any time for that," Dennis said, looking at Umbridge who was now hugging Teddy to her and watching the window intently. "You need to make a decision." His father swore.
"Damn it all, Dennis," he said. "Fine. You're going to need to get him here today though. You can't keep him there."
"I know," Dennis replied, feeling relieved. "Thanks so much Dad. I'll see you later on."
"God I hope your mother is okay with this," his father said.
Dennis hung up the phone and walked over to where Umbridge was standing, holding Teddy's hand. She was crying.
"Thank you so much," she said, reaching with her free hand into one of the pockets of her jacket. She pulled out a notebook and handed it to Dennis. "You'll need that. It's all the information I have about Teddy and also some stuff for your parents to raise a kid like him."
Dennis opened the notebook to the first page.
Edward Remus Lupin
Born: 11th April, 1998
Parents: Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin, both deceased.
Carer: Andromeda Tonks (Grandmother) Dolores Umbridge
Ability: Metamorphmagus
Potential Health Issues: Remus Lupin, his father, was a werewolf. Unknown if there were any complications.
Dennis recognised both names. Colin always knew too much about people, and what Colin knew, Dennis was bound to know. Teddy was the son of two prominent members of the Order of the Phoenix.
"He hasn't shown any symptoms of being a werewolf," Umbridge explained before reaching in and drawing out a bigger, much thicker book from her pocket. Undetectable Extension Charm, Dennis thought. "This is for you. You never finished your education, so this should come in handy. You'll need to teach Teddy when the time comes. Do not send him anywhere. It's too dangerous."
"Okay," Dennis said, taking the book from Umbridge's shaking hands. It was much lighter than it seemed to be at first. She then handed him a box.
"Just tap it with your wand and say 'Remus', and it will open," she explained. "It's everything I have that I could salvage for Teddy. Clothes. Books. Toys. Whatever was left."
"Thank you," Dennis said. He was feeling slightly light-headed. Umbridge knelt down and looked into Teddy's blue eyes. The boy could see the tear-tracks on her face.
"Dolly has to go now," she said sadly, clearly holding back tears.
"Where are you going?" the boy asked, worried.
"I don't know," Umbridge admitted. "I'll find somewhere. You have to be a good boy for Dennis, okay?"
"Okay Dolly," the boy replied, his eyes wandering to Dennis. Dennis could see confusion in his young eyes. Umbridge leaned forward and kissed Teddy on the forehead.
"Thank you so much," she said without looking at Dennis. She then waved her wand and exited the room, never looking back.
"Who was that?" Patrick Stevenson asked, entering the room after she left. He then spied Teddy and the notebook, magic book and box in Dennis' hands. "What's going on?"
"I don't have time to explain," Dennis said quickly. "I have to go see my parents. Just … forget this happened. It's way too much to explain."
Patrick considered this, while setting his backpack down on the table.
"Fine," he said finally. "You know, there is so much about you I don't get. Your brother was sixteen. I worked it out. How the hell did he die in the army?"
"Seriously, I don't have time," Dennis said, putting the things Umbridge gave him into a backpack. He looked at Teddy. "Just wait here, okay?" The boy nodded, and looked towards the door.
Dennis ran into his room and picked out some clothes, shoving them into the bag with the two books and the box. He also moved some stuff around and found his wand. He picked it up out of the box for the first time in months. It felt good.
"Uh, Dennis?" he heard Patrick say from the door. Dennis didn't have time to conceal the wand, but he thrust it into his pocket anyway. He turned around to find Patrick leading Teddy into the room. The boy's hair was no longer aqua. It was a bright pink.
"Um …" Dennis couldn't think.
"What the hell is going on here?" Patrick asked accusingly. "I know it's not some prank. I saw the kid's hair change. And what was that you were holding?"
"Look, Patrick," Dennis said hurriedly, pulling his backpack on, "I'll tell you later. For now, I have to get Teddy to my parents'. I promise, I'll tell you. But don't tell anyone else. Especially Sam. It's important."
"Okay. We'll talk when you get back," Patrick replied. "But I want the truth."
"You'll get it," Dennis replied. It isn't like it matters anymore. The Statute of Secrecy barely matters while Voldemort's in power, Dennis thought bitterly. He crouched down to Teddy's height. "We're gonna go on a little trip, okay? Can you change your hair to the same colour as mine?"
Dennis wasn't sure what exactly Teddy could do. He screwed his face up as if he was in pain and his hair receded back into his scalp and changed from pink to the mousey brown colour that Dennis had.
"Christ," Patrick said. "You've got a lot to tell me." Dennis smiled at him.
"If Sam asked, I had to go home because of some family matters. I never told you what it was," Dennis said, leading Teddy to the door. "Got it?"
"Sure," Patrick said, bemused.
Dennis took Teddy to the car park and found his car. He put his backpack in the back seat and then went around to the passenger's side seat. He realised then that he didn't have a car seat. He had no other choice, so he sat Teddy in the front seat and fastened the seatbelt, much to the annoyance of the five year-old. He then looked around and, seeing no one, performed a cushioning charm on the seatbelt so that, in case there was an accident, Teddy would be more protected.
The drive to his childhood home was only two hours, but Dennis found the trip to be extremely odd. For a five year-old, Teddy was remarkably quiet. He was also slightly terrified until Dennis calmed him down. As it turned out, Teddy had not been in a car before. Dennis played the radio at a low volume, listening to the hit music of the day while he drove in and out of traffic.
When they finally reached their destination, Dennis pulled to the side of the road and breathed a sigh of relief. He had been concerned that something might happen on the trip over, especially now that he had a wizard in his care. In the end, he saw nothing out of the ordinary and was not stopped once by the police. He got out of the car, grabbed his backpack and then unbuckled Teddy, who was looking around the place in wonder. Dennis' parents had found a rather nice neighbourhood and it was even sunny.
"Come on," Dennis said kindly. Teddy stepped out of the car and held Dennis' hand.
"What's going on?" he asked. Dennis then came to the realisation just how much had happened in Teddy's life in just one day. The only person who cared for him left him, he was left alone with a stranger and was whisked away somewhere he didn't know. Dennis sighed and sat on the grass. He pulled Teddy lightly down to sit next to him.
"Dolly had to go away," he told the boy, who looked at him inquisitively. It seemed odd calling Umbridge 'Dolly', but he felt it best given the circumstances. "She couldn't take you with her because it was too scary."
"Is Dolly okay?" Teddy asked. Dennis heard a door open behind him, but ignored it.
"Yes," Dennis lied. "She will be fine."
"That's good," Teddy replied with a smile.
"Dolly wanted me to look after you, but I can't," Dennis explained. "My Mum and Dad are going to look after you, okay? You're going to stay with them."
"Oh," Teddy said. "Why?"
"It's all we can do," Dennis said truthfully. "You'll be safe with them. They're fantastic parents. I promise you'll be okay."
Dennis stood up and helped Teddy to his feet. When he turned around, his father was standing in the doorway.
When inside, Dennis explained everything to his father. Brian Creevey was an average sort of man. He was not tall, and was skinny. He was clean-shaven, and it was clear where Dennis and Colin had gotten their hair. After the explanation, his father was still apprehensive, but said he would try. He decided to start dinner and asked Teddy if he wanted to help. Teddy was very enthusiastic about that.
Dennis found his bedroom relatively untouched, but clean. When he entered, he immediately fell onto his single bed and looked at the ceiling. He was feeling apprehensive about how his mother would react to Teddy and how Patrick would react to his explanations. For the first time in many years, for better or for worse, he felt the presence of magic in his life again. It was almost as if he was standing in the Great Hall in Hagrid's coat waiting to be Sorted.
