Chapter 3: Red Trains and Old Hats.
Teddy stood, more nervous than he had been in years, staring at the huge red train billowing out steam before him. His hair was white, and sticking up in every direction. He tried to turn it jet black, like Harry's, but he was too nervous, and it kept shifting back to white.
A constant chatter was around him, people saying goodby to their kids, teenagers calling out to friends they hadn't seen since last term. The big red train sat on the tracks, impatiently puffing out steam. And Teddy stood quietly in the crowd, wondering if he ought to board the train, or if he could just sink into the floor.
A reassuring hand dropped on his shoulder, and Teddy looked up to see Harry's smile.
"You alright there mate?" Asked Harry. Teddy managed a tight nod, but seeing Harry's sad smile helped him calm down. "We'd better get on that train, before it leaves without us." Teddy just nodded again. They climbed onto the train, and started down the aisle. Teddy glanced into a compartment with a redheaded girl, who smiled shyly at him. He looked to Harry, and Harry just nodded him on.
"I'll be in a compartment at the back." He whispered "so make sure you talk to that girl. Make some friends, I'll see you at the sorting ceremony." Teddy nodded again, and his godfather walked off.
"M-mind if I sit in here?" Asked Teddy, hardly keeping his voice from breaking.
"I don't mind." Said the girl, so Teddy dragged his trunk into the compartment and (with some difficulty) shoved it up above the seat. He sat down by the window, opposite the girl, and placed Stella Luna's cage next to him.
"My name's Gwen." Said the girl, holding out her hand formally, "Gwen Blackbaud." Teddy shook her hand, wishing his wasn't sweating so much. He couldn't help feeling awkward at her regal behavior, suddenly imagining he was at a tea party, and feeling rather silly.
"I'm Teddy Lupin." He said.
Gwen smiled, and returned to staring out the window. Teddy tried to look out the window to, but his eyes kept wandering back to the girl in front of him.
He decided she was really quite pretty. Her red hair was long, and almost as curly as aunt Hermione. Soft blue eyes looked curiously out of her heart shaped face, and her lips seemed to be pulled up into a perpetual smile.
The train called out a long whistle, and started moving. The city sped passed, a blur of grey concrete. They sat like that for a while, staring out the window in silence, when Gwen suddenly spoke up.
"Do you think the it's gonna be hard? The sorting, that is."
Teddy blinked, pulling out of his thoughts. "The sorting? Um, I think it's easy."
Gwen was staring at him now, her blue eyes seeming to stare right through him.
"W-well, don't we just put on a hat?"
"I heard we had to cast a spell." Said Gwen, but before Teddy could say anything in reply the trolley door slid open.
"Hi." Said a boy, sticking his head in. "Mind if we join you? My brother kicked us out of the compartment we were in." Teddy and Gwen both nodded their accent, and two kids walked in, shoving their trunks up above the seats and flopping down. The boy ran his fingers through his brown hair, then flashed them a smile.
"I'm Jake, and this is my twin sister, Nellie. Nice to meet ya." Nellie smiled, but quickly pulled out a book disappeared.
"I'm Teddy," the boy said, but noticed that Gwen was blushing, and seemed unable to introduce herself. "And this is Gwen. We were just talking about the sorting."
Jake grinned, "I'm excited. I know exactly what house I'm going to." He paused for effect. "Gryffindor."
Nellie snorted behind her book. "Yeah, because you're too stupid to make it into mum's house."
"I guess your mum was in Ravenclaw?" Teddy asked, trying to see Nellie's face.
"Of course." She said, and Teddy got the impression she was rolling her eyes at him. The boy decided he didn't like the snobby twin much.
"Where do you think you'll be?" Asked Jake.
"I dunno, maybe Gryffindor?" That's where my mum and dad were." Teddy shrugged, as if to say he didn't care much what house he ended up in. That couldn't be further from the truth. All the stories Harry had told him made the Gryffindor common room sound so much like home.
Gwen looked at the ground. "I don't know much about the different houses. My mum's not magic."
Teddy grinned at the opportunity, launching into a full blown description of the different houses as the train picked up speed, rushing down the track.
oOo
It was just getting dark outside when someone pushed open their door again.
"First years, huh?" Said a boy, already dressed in his Hogwarts robes with a shiny prefect badge pinned to his chest. "You're gonna need to go ahead and change. We'll be there soon."
Teddy felt his stomach sink. He was going to be sorted soon. He was really going to Hogwarts. Why was he so nervous? He had been waiting for this ever since he had accidentally turned the neighbors cat blue. Harry had roared with laughter at that. The memory made him smile, and Teddy's hair shifted back into a messy stock of black hair.
Gwen gasped. "Did you just do magic?" She asked, her eyes wide.
"No." Said Teddy. "I'm a-"
"Metamorphmagus." Cut in Jake. "I've heard of them, but I didn't think I'd see one."
"Y-yeah." Said Teddy. "Basically I can-"
"Change your appearance at will." Cut in Nellie, still hidden in her book. "So ... cool."
Teddy frowned. The twins were quickly getting on his nerves.
"Betcha didn't know I can do this." He said. He grabbed his ears, making them grow bigger and bigger, until they looked like elephant ears, flopping around and smacking his face. The others howled with laughter, even Nellie laughed.
The group changed into their robes, and soon the train was slowing down. Everyone looked nervous, and as they finally stepped off the train, the first years huddled together, as if something would come up and attack them.
Teddy perked up when he heard a familiar voice calling out,
"Firs' years, over here!"
"Uncle Hagrid!" Cried Teddy, waving at the big man towering over the frightened students. Hagrid broke into a big grin, smacking him on the back so hard that Teddy's hair turned white again.
As the students clambered into the big boats and glided across the lake, Teddy felt a peculiar feeling well up inside him. The Hogwarts castle loomed above him, and he for the first time in his life, Teddy felt that he was going to the best place in the world.
oOo
Harry Potter was terrified. He was sitting at the Professor's table, beside Flitwick, trying to pay attention to what the charms professor was telling him about the new defences added to the castle, but his eyes kept flying back to the huge doors of the Great Hall, through which Teddy would be coming. He knew it was stupid that his heart was pounding so hard, that he kept fidgeting in his seat, but somehow the fact that Teddy was about to be sorted scared him more than the classes that he would be teaching tomorrow.
His eyes flicked down the professor's table, taking in all the changes since he had attended school here. There were more unfamiliar teachers than familiar. Harry knew Hagrid was still teaching care of magical creatures, Flitwick still taught charms, and the ghostly Binns had yet to relieze he was a ghost. But in addition to that, there was a small, powerful looking woman sitting next to the Headmistress, who Harry assumed taught transfiguration, a plum little man who must have taught muggle studies, if the way he kept flipping open and closed a muggle cell phone was any indication, and finally a familiar head of pale blonde hair.
Harry growned inwardly. Why did Malfoy, of all people, have to teach potions? Harry grudgingly put up with the prat simply because he and Teddy got along surprisingly well. Harry let out a little sigh. He knew why McGonagall had invited him to the school. He was the best potions master around, and after the war, he was a big target on most pure blood families hit list. The wannabe Death Eater who got away with a slap on the wrist.
The big doors were flung open, and out came Neville Longbottom, leading a horde of frightened looking first years. Harry had almost forgotten that Neville was the herbology professor. Neville was grinning, and holding one of the first year's hands. He led them up to the long table, then stopped, let got of the kid's hand, and patted him on the back.
Harry craned his neck to get a glimpse of Teddy, finally spotting him standing beside a curly redhead. Teddy glanced up, spotted Harry, and grinned.
Neville sat an old, dusty hat on a stool, and stepped back. A rip in the hat opened up, and the hat began to sing. Harry couldn't focus on the song, and kept thinking about the last time he saw the hat, when Voldemort had set it on fire on Neville's head.
After the song, Neville stepped forward again. "When I call your name, please step forward, sit on the stool, and I'll set the hat on your head. Well then, Adams, Lily!"
The sorting dragged on, each house applauding the added first years. the redhead girl who was beside Teddy was called up with the cry, "Blackbaud, Gwen!" And after much debate, put in Slytherin. Twins, Jake Collins and Nellie Collins, were split, Nellie in Ravenclaw and Jake in Gryffindor. And finally
"Lupin, Edward!"
Harry's heart pounded as his godson stepped forward and sat on the stool. The hat was placed on his head, and it cried even before it sat on his head, "Gryffindor!"
Harry let out a sigh as Teddy hurried to the table, sitting beside the brunette twin. The sorting went on, and finally every first year was seated. McGonagall stood up, her lips pressed into a thin line as she surveyed the hall.
"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." She said. "This school welcomes you with open arms, and we hope you will find a home here." There was a smattering of applause, then she continued. "I have some quick announcements before the feast. The first is that as it has always been, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden. We have reinstated the dueling club, and it will be open to any student 5th year and up. Which brings us to the next announcement. We have a new Defence against the Dark Arts Professor, Professor Potter." Chatter broke out at this, students whispering to each other.
"The real Harry Potter?"
"He looks so young!"
"Dad said he died!"
Professor McGonagall silenced them with a look. "Please give him a Hogwarts welcome. And now, let the feast begin!"
Food appeared on the golden plates in front of them, and soon the great hall was filled with the sound of laughter and the clink of silverware. As he ate, Harry couldn't help the warm feeling spreading through his chest. Hermione was right, Hogwarts was where he belonged. As Harry gazed up at the starry sky above them, he couldn't help the little swell of pride. This was his home.
oOo
Teddy stared at the ceiling as he lay in his four poster bed, listening to the contented snores of his classmates. He was in Hogwarts, in Gryffindor, and he could hardly believe it. Soon he would be going to classes, making friends...
Teddy felt his mood dampen, as he thought about Gwen. He wanted to be her friend more than any other. But she was in Slytherin, wasn't that where all the nasty people went?
Gwen seemed like such a nice girl, and she was pretty. There's no way she was mean like the rest of the Slytherins. Teddy's heart pounded as he remembered something Harry had told him. Slytherins didn't like muggles or Muggleborn. Would Gwen be okay in a house that didn't like her just because of her parents? Teddy resolved to talk to her as soon as he could, and to talk to Harry. He rolled over, thinking about everything he wanted to tell his godfather, and fell asleep.
And that's all folks! Well, for chapter 3 anyhow. What do you think? Poor Gwen, stuck in Slytherin. Well, maybe poor Slytherins... I couldn't have everyone in Gryffindor now could I? Btw, Jake is one of my favorite characters. I'll flush him out a bit more, right now he's just a smiling face. But I promise he's a sweetheart. Please review, drop some hint as to what you think about it. I'll be delving more into the whole Master of Death thing soon.
I literally just realized that Teddy's name is actually Edward Remus Lupin, named after Edward Tonks, Dora's father. Sorry about that confusion guys!