You did it! 100 Reviews! Thanks to my Anonymous 100th reviewer, and Pearl Contana- 101, as well as everyone else who reviews consistantly! This one's for you!
Teddy and Elliot sat side by side on the floor against the far wall of the library, each hunched over heavy tombs, staring intently at the page as the others continued to search. But Teddy's eyes wandered, and he glanced at Elliot, who had pulled a long, thin sheet of card-stock out of the pocket of his robe and was moving it down the page as he squinted at each line, tilting his head differently every few seconds.
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who had noticed.
"What's up, Gryffindork?" a dark haired boy, sixth or seventh year by the looks of him, jeered, snatching the book, paper and all, out from under him. "Need glasses? Or are you just too stupid to read?"
Teddy jumped to his feet and saw, to his surprise, that the boy had on Ravenclaw robes.
"Leave him alone!" he snapped.
The boy looked mildly startled, but then sneered, "Make me!"
Teddy drew his wand.
A girl nearby, tall and blonde, also with Ravenclaw robes, looked up warningly. "Bobby," she moaned.
But the boy- Bobby- just laughed. "Curse me then, runt."
And instantly, from behind a shelf, came Mathew and Erin. And Aiden from the far corner. And Josh and Russell, from where they had been sulking near the door.
But it was Teddy who cast the spell, and the boy, laughing even harder, never saw it coming. "Petrificus Totalus!"
The boy's legs locked together, his arms snapping to his side, rigid as a board, his laughter gone, his face instead frozen into a look of pure shock.
The girl, who looked quite familiar, rolled her eyes and cast Teddy a thumbs up. "Good one," she said with a brief smile. "Hi, Russell."
"Hi Cathy," Russell said, blushing slightly. "Guys, this is Cathy Prete. She- er- helped me find my way to Transfiguration the other day."
"You can go," she told them. "I won't rat you out for dueling outside of class. He totally deserved it. And I can drag him back to the common room. If he has time to go around picking on first years, he's done studying."
"Hm hm-hm-hm hmhmm hmh h?" Bobby said indignantly, his face still frozen.
"What sort of a girlfriend am I? Well, you're not likely to find out if you don't shape up, Robert Cahill," Cathy informed him bluntly. With a flick of her wand, she levitated him a few feet above the ground and began heading for the door with a cheery wave to Madam Pince, the librarian.
And Teddy turned to Elliot, whose white-blonde head was ducked and appeared on the verge of tears.
"It's okay," Teddy told him.
"I'm dyslexic," Elliot said abruptly. "It's a learning disorder that makes reading and comprehension difficult. I don't need glasses, I'm not stupid, and I can read!"
"Okay," Teddy said again. He paused a moment, fishing for something else to say, then decided upon; "Is there anything we can do to help?"
Elliot hesitated. "Just… just let me do things at my own pace, please."
"Not a problem," Teddy replied. "Do the teachers know?"
Elliot nodded. "They've been really understanding… mostly, anyway."
Mathew glanced around and mouthed, "Professor Beekman?"
"Yeah," Elliot said. "But not really anything too bad."
"You'll tell us if he bothers you, won't you?" Erin asked.
"Of course," Elliot said.
"Don't we have flying lessons after lunch?" Russell asked.
"Yeah!" Josh exclaimed. "And it's lunch time!"
"Let's go!" Teddy said, grinning, and the group left the library eagerly.
"Ever been on a broom before?" Russell asked the group in general, sounding somewhat nervous as they made their way down across the grassy green grounds to the looming Quidditch Pitch.
"Plenty of times, at Teddy's house," Mathew replied, jogging slightly to keep his balance, as they were descending a steep slope.
"It's so much fun!" Erin said.
"My Dad uses his solely for traveling purposes," Aiden said, "But he lets me have a spin on it once in a while. It's amazing, but I almost never get to do it."
"How about you, Elliot? You're pureblood, aren't you?" Joshua asked.
"Yes," Elliot said meekly. "But I've never actually been on a broom. My Nanny doesn't like flying much at all."
"Your Nanny? Whoa-," Josh steadied himself, narrowly avoiding going head over heels down a rocky patch of the hill.
"She watches me while my parents are at work," Elliot exclaimed. "Careful, Teddy!- How about you, Katie?"
Katie Wood was hiking beside Erin, her dark blonde ponytails swinging as she jogged.
"You're asking the daughter of Oliver Wood if she's ever been on a broom before?" Katie snorted.
"Oh- yeah," Elliot said, cringing. "Sorry."
"Not at all," she replied.
At that moment, they reached the pitch, and upon their entrance, a whistle blew.
"Assemble, students!" A voice called loudly, and Teddy glanced around to see a tall, slim woman in referee robes, her dark braid slung over her shoulder and a cumbersome wooden box tucked under one arm. "Everyone, grab a broom, please. It doesn't matter which you take, they're all rubbish! Line up and wait quietly!"
Minutes later, when Teddy was standing between Mathew and Erin, a broom on the ground at his feet, she strode up and joined them, a handful of older students trailing behind.
"I'm Alicia Spinnet," she introduced, "And with me today are Captain Mortimer Phillips and Trey Martin of the Gryffindor team, and Captain Shane Douglas and Cathal Abercrombie of the Slytherin team. They tell me they want to keep an eye out for potential talent here, so no fooling around. "
Teddy waved slightly at Trey, the fifth year Gryffindor prefect, he remembered- the one always squabbling with Elizabeth Coleman. Trey winked in response, then jerked his head at Madam Spinnet, urging Teddy to pay attention.
"No, stand alongside your brooms, first years, extend your right hands over them, and say 'Up!'. On three… One, Two, Three!"
"Up!" the class chorused, and Teddy was pleased, though not entirely surprised, to find his broom flying up and hitting his palm roughly. He grasped it and glanced surreptitiously around at the others. Mathew and Erin both had hold of their brooms, as did Katie, Aiden and Josh. On the other side of the line, little Cory Frost and snooty Pierce Freeman were holding theirs as well, the former looking mildly surprised, though the emotion slid off his face quickly, the latter smug. A few other girls gripped theirs as well, a blonde haired girl Teddy remembered being called Rory Cade, a brunette who might have been Kendra Mullet, and another he couldn't quite place.
Those whose brooms had merely lurched, twitched, or not moved at all appeared a bit put out, but Madam Spinnet didn't appear to have expected anything better. "Try again. One… Two… Three!"
It took several more tries before everyone had hold of their broomsticks, but once they did, Madam Spinnet called, "Alright, swing your right leg over the broom. You there-Ms. Aarnol? That's backwards… Get seated comfortably, and look up at me when you're ready."
Teddy shifted, bored beyond belief. Moments later, she instructed, "Plant your feet firmly on the ground, grip your broom with both hands, and push off from the ground with your toes. I'd like you to rise about five feet in the air, hover a moment, then tilt the handle of your broom slightly to come down."
Teddy did so, smiling at the familiar rush of take-off, even if it was much slower than he was accustomed to.
"Very good! You're the first class I've had in four years where no one's fallen off their brooms! Well done! Are we ready to go a little higher?"
"Yeah!" Josh chanted from somewhere near the back of the line. A few girls giggled.
"Great! Push off a little harder this time, and tip the handle of your broom very slightly upwards. Stop when you reach about ten feet, and come back down- slowly!"
They repeated the exercise a few more times, each time taking the broom a little higher.
Next they flew to one end of the pitch and back at a fairly low level, and they were preparing for a second trip, this time at thirty feet.
Teddy shot up off the ground- perhaps a little bit faster than he was supposed to have, and was swinging the handle towards the opposite end of the pitch when he heard the scream. Moments, later, something huge was hurtling through the air towards him.
Instinctively, he applied one of his favorites of the moves Harry taught him- the sloth grip roll, gripping the broom tightly upside-down as the monstrous, skeletal dark shape soared over him.
"What was that?" a voice shrieked, following it.
"The sloth grip roll!" Another shouted back. "Way to show off, Lupin!"
Teddy, now seated upwards again, stared after the airborne animal, which appeared to be a winged horse of the sort he'd never seen before, bony and emaciated, its leathery wings as big as a dragon's.
He gripped his broom and glanced uncertainly towards Madam Spinnet, who had gone very pale. Her whistle screamed, and she shouted, "Everyone, on the ground now!"
The first years made to land, but Pierce Freeman, who, from the looks on his face had seen the horse, just as Teddy had, gave every appearance of wanting to get away from the area as quickly as possible and wheeled his broom off in the other direction.
"Pierce!" Teddy shouted after him. "Wait! There's more than-!"
But the blonde boy didn't appear to hear him, he was rocketing off towards the Forbidden Forest, and, out of the corner of his eye, Teddy saw the horse make a U-turn.
"Pierce!" Teddy cried in warning, but it couldn't have been plainer he was stopping for no one.
Logically, Teddy should have left it to Madam Spinnet, but he wasn't thinking clearly. He nearly flattened himself against the handle of his broom, flying towards his bully as quickly as he possibly could, even as the horse veered sharply, looping around Pierce.
Pierce flinched away, which wasn't really something you could afford to do on a broom and sure enough, moments later, he was falling.
Teddy felt his hands leave the room as he urged it downwards in a sort of dive, and he swung the handle at just the right moment, only yards away from the ground, to position himself directly under the screaming, falling Slytherin.
Less than a second later, Pierce was on top of him, and both fell towards the ground, Teddy just managing to keep a grip on the back of the other boy's robes as he grabbed onto the side of his broomstick with the other.
Both boys hit the ground hard, but they landed on their feet, and a cheer rose up from the few students who had had time to realize what was happening.
Wincing, Teddy straightened up, wiggling the impact pains out of his shins. "What was that thing?" he asked Madam Spinnet, but she didn't appear to hear; she was already shrieking at him.
"Lupin, are you mad? You could have been killed!"
"But I wasn't! And I couldn't let Pierce fall, could I?" Teddy asked, rubbing his ankle. He rather suspected it was twisted…
Pierce rounded on him. "You… you set that thing on me!" he accused.
Teddy started at him, nonplused. "I…. what?"
"You- you set him on me! You shouted at it, and then it went after me!" He shouted, pointing accusatorily at him.
"Why would I do that?" Teddy asked, kneeling defensively.
"You hate me!"
"Yeah, well, you spend half your life teasing me," Teddy reminded him. "And if I hated you, or I set that horse thing after you, why would I practically jump off my broom to save you?"
"Who knows?" Pierce snarled. "You're a little mutant freak, aren't you? Stay away from me!"
"I've never done anything to you!" Teddy shouted indignantly. "You stay away from me!"
"Enough!" Madam Spinnet said. "Both of you are on grounds for expulsion!"
The two boys turned to stare at her, mouths gaping.
"And Mr. Freeman, I can understand it perfectly if you were scared by the Thestrals, but that is no reason to take it out on Mr. Lupin. Apologize."
"No!" Pierce snapped.
"Yes," Madam Spinnet said dangerously. "Five points from Slytherin."
"I-Sorry," Pierce spat, glaring at them.
"Thank you," she replied calmly. "Now, is either of you hurt at all?"
Before Pierce could respond, Teddy asked quickly, "Madam Spinnet, what's a Thestral?"
"They're a type of flying horse that can only be seen by those who have seen someone die, Mr. Lupin."
Teddy frowned deeply, thinking back to the sight of his Gran, lying cold on the bed.
Taking in the expression on his face, Madam Spinnet said gently, "Let me take a look at that ankle."
As she bent down, Pierce exploded, "That's a lie!"
"Excuse me?" Madam Spinnet asked.
"I could see them, and I haven't seen nobody die! You're lying!"
"I'm sorry, Mr. Freeman, but I'm afraid it's the truth," Madam Spinnet replied, her dark braid slipping over her shoulder.
Pierce kicked at the ground, his white blonde spikes a tangled mess, expression defiant. His hands were shoved deep into his robe pockets, and he looked almost- scared?
"If you aren't hurt at all, why don't you and your classmates head back up to the castle?" Madam Spinnet suggested. "I think that's quite enough flying for one day, and I'd like to speak to the headmistress about why the Thestrals are so far from the forest at this time of day."
Pierce nodded and turned back to the group, muttering, "Freak," under his breath to Teddy as he passed.
The others turned back to the castle, but Mathew, Erin, Aiden, Elliot, and Katie hung back, looking slightly concerned.
"Go on," Madam Spinnet instructed gently, "Mr. Lupin will be right along."
They shrugged and turned to leave, Mathew glancing worriedly over his shoulder.
"This way, Lupin," Madam Spinnet said, guiding him over to a row of benches outside the locker rooms. "I want a better look at that ankle."
As they turned, Teddy heard running footsteps. "Madam Spinnet! Madam Spinnet!"
She turned. "Trey?"
"That dive of his, that was pretty sweet, don't you reckon?" the fifth year asked eagerly, running a hand through his brown fringe.
She smiled slightly. "Indeed it was, Mr. Martin."
"And he had a pretty much textbook sloth grip roll earlier, wouldn't you say?"
"I might, yes, Mr. Martin."
"And he positioned himself almost perfectly under that Slytherin kid, didn't he?"
"Without a doubt, Mr. Martin."
"So d'you reckon he should try out for Chaser on the house team next year, Ma'am?" Trey said.
Madam Spinnet glanced skyward. "I'm sure that if he does, we'll support him to the fullest extent, Mr. Martin."
"Cause we're gonna have an empty spot, 'cause Mo's graduating."
"So I gathered, Mr. Martin. Although from what his head of house has told me, if he doesn't get his nose away from the quaffle and into a textbook, he'll be lucky to."
Trey snorted. "He can't be that bad, else they'd not have made him captain. But anyway, if we want Teddy for the team, could we try and give him a little extra training ahead of time?"
"That's why I am employed, Mr. Martin."
"But as something a little bit extra? To train him up?" Trey asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.
"What I'm trying to tell you, Mr. Martin, is that I cannot possibly give you permission to train a first year up to the team. It's strictly against the rules. Although Professor McGonagall has been known to bend them, that is only in extreme circumstances."
Trey's face fell almost comically, and Teddy felt rather disappointed as well.
"However," Madam Spinnet said with a wry smile, "On a completely unrelated note, coming from the teacher in charge of the Pitch records, the pitch happens to be open on Monday afternoons before dinner because Seventh years are taking N.E.W.T. preparation courses, which takes out several older players."
"Oh!" Trey said. "And on a completely unrelated note from your comment on the open period for the Pitch, would you happen to still have that Which Broomstick Order form in your office?"
Madam Spinnet pursed her lips, obviously concealing a smile. "I just might. On a completely unrelated note, I highly recommend the Galaxy 700 just in stores- it's not a Professional Standard broom, but it might just accomplish a number of purposes- none to do with Gryffindor team, of course."
"Brilliant," Trey replied easily, "And in the meantime, would the key to your broom shed still be hanging on the peg inside the door to your office? On a note completely unrelated to Teddy Lupin, obviously."
"That it is," She said, "And, on an obviously unrelated topic, I might imply that I'm having a lunch meeting with Professor McGonagall tomorrow to discuss Quidditch-related expenses, and if the topic of a hypothetical Galaxy 700 for a first year student comes up, then I may just request that she budget it in. It's an alarmingly cheap type of broomstick, you know, and excellent quality. I'm sure she wouldn't object- there are lots of uses it could be put to."
"Brilliant!" Trey exclaimed. "And on a note that actually has nothing to do with anything at all, could you see if you could get me a new pair of Keepers gloves? Mine are almost worn through, and Mum's dead annoyed because she just got me shin guards…"
"I'll see what I can do," Madam Spinnet replied with a wide grin.
"Thanks!" Trey beamed. "Oh- and Teddy? Great job!"
"Thanks, Trey," Teddy said happily.
"Should you happen to wander down to the pitch the day after tomorrow," Trey said with a wink, "I plan on taking a bit of a walk with my broomstick after Study Hall."
"Neat!" Teddy said. "I might just be seeing you."
"That you might," Trey replied, and jogged off towards the castle with a wave.
"That boy," Madam Spinnet chuckled, continuing to walk with Teddy, then seating him on one of the benches. "Alright, let's see," she crouched down, rolling up his right pant leg and slipping the trainer off.
"Looks a bit swollen," she muttered, rolling down his sock.
Teddy, staring down at the roots of her dark hair, had a thought. "Professor," he said slowly, "Those Thestrals…"
She glanced up at him kindly. "What about them, Teddy?"
"You can see them too?"
Her expression seemed a bit wary as she nodded. "I can, yes, Teddy."
Seeing him hesitate, she said, "You want to know why?"
"Er-," Teddy said guiltily.
"I don't mind," she replied. "I fought in the battle of Hogwarts with your parents, Teddy. And your godfather, and the Weasleys, and anyone else you care to mention. Anyone who can't see Thestrals after that day was wandering around with their wand out and their eyes shut tight."
She felt his ankle carefully on both sides, thinking a moment before saying, "I played Quidditch with Harry as well, Teddy."
"You did?" he asked.
"Not broken," she muttered, "Maybe slightly sprained."
She tapped his foot gently with her wand, and the edge went off the pain, which had never been terrible in the first place.
"Take it easy today and tomorrow," she instructed, "And if it really starts to hurt, go and see Madam Pomfrey, alright?"
Teddy nodded, then paused. It didn't seem like she was done.
She stared at Teddy with deep brown eyes, then smiled gently. "We used to tease your godfather about his 'saving-people-thing'," she told him. "It's not a terrible thing to be, but after seeing you today, I have to warn you." She leaned a little closer, whispering, "Don't fall down the same hole, Teddy. Don't get hurt."
Teddy stared back at her, frowning. Finally, he promised, "I'll be careful."
She stood, giving his ankle a final pat. "Good."