Teddy Lupin and The Untouchables Chapter 38: The Girl in White, a harry potter fanfic

Hello, I bet you thought you'd seen the last of me!

This was one of the hardest chapters to write. I wasn't being lazy, it just literally took me months to write this. It's probably ten pages too long and I'm still not 100% happy with it but whatever, I just needed to finish it and move on!

P.S - For all of you who are correcting my use of Theodore instead of Edward and other nitpicks, please look at the date this fanfic started, YEARS before Pottermore and all those Rowling interviews so yes, this ff is subsequently not 100% canon but I'm sticking with names/families I had at the beginning (DeanxLuna ftw!)

Thanks, Enjoy and Please for love of Merlin's pants, review!

Chapter 38

"Happy Birthday Harry."

Teddy looked up at his godfather who sat beside him in the waiting area of Heathrow Airport's Terminal 5 and handed him a small gift wrapped package.

"Teddy, you really didn't have to," said Harry, taking the present nonetheless.

"Harry, I think after everything's that happened this past year, this is the least you deserve."

Harry smiled at his godson as he opened up the gift, his green eyes widening in surprise as he surveyed the bronze plated photo frame and the photo it held inside. It was a picture of Harry and and a six year old Teddy pulling faces.

"Do you like it?" asked Teddy anxiously.

Harry stared at the photo for a moment and then grinned, "I love it," he answered without looking up, "Where did you find this?"

"Behind some old boxes in my room."

Harry chuckled suddenly.

"What?"

"No, I just remembering when this was taken. It was on our way to the League Cup Final at Puddlemere. You ate three packets of Bertie Botts every flavour beans and a family sized pack of chocolate frogs and then threw up on Ginny when we got home."

"Did I really?" asked Teddy, trying to remember.

"Yes, we still can't get the stain off the carpet," Harry quipped. He turned back to the photo and sighed wistfully, "I really miss those days."

"Me too."

Harry looked up at his godson with a sad smile, "Can't believe you're really leaving."

"It's only a few months."

"I know, but it's just so strange to think you're all grown up now. You're not six any more, you're eighteen. Oh god, I'm thirty six," Harry realised out loud. Teddy laughed.

"You're off to South America, James will be at Hogwarts in a month, then it'll be Al next year and soon Lily. It's all moving too fast," Harry finished with a sigh. He turned back to look at his three children who had accompanied him and Teddy to the airport. They were in the nearby duty free store.

"Harry, are you having a mid life crisis?" Teddy asked with a smirk.

"Now that you mention it, I have been thinking about buying a motorcycle and getting my ears pierced," Harry answered dryly.

Suddenly there was an announcement through the speakers overhead.

"For all passengers to Quito, Ecuador, please be advised your flight will be boarding in fifteen minutes, once again, for all passengers to Quito, Eduador, your flight will board in fifteen minutes."

"That's me," Teddy said, standing up immediately.

"Wait, aren't you going to wait for Caspian?" Harry asked, "There's no point getting on the flight without him."

"Don't worry, Cass will be here," Teddy answered firmly, "Punctuality isn't his strong suit. He'll turn up two seconds before the flight takes off, it's guaranteed."

"Well if you're sure," Harry replied, he stood up and looked at his godson with a serious expression, "Promise me you'll take care of yourself Teddy."

Teddy nodded, "I will."

"No messing around with your food, don't drink too much alcohol and if anyone offers you a potion or a herb-"

"I know Harry, just say no."

Harry sighed and smiled.

"Just please try not to get into any trouble, Teddy. This whole Rosier incident-"

"I had nothing to do with that," Teddy interjected immediately.

"I know, but it's not good to have your name caught up in all of it. Teddy, you're an adult now so you should know, not everyone is rooting for you to succeed. Your achievements at Hogwarts have not gone unnoticed at the Ministry and what might impress some people, intimidates others. You know I will always protect you Teddy, but it's going to be hard to do that when you're thousands of miles away."

"I can protect myself," Teddy answered, he hadn't meant it come out sharply but it did. Before Harry could respond, his children came over.

"Are you going now Teddy?" asked James.

"Yes," Teddy said looking down at his watch, "In fact I only have a five minutes to get to my gate."

"Oh no, please don't go Teddy!" Lily cried wrapping her arms around him. Teddy smiled down at her and kissed her forehead.

"I'll be back soon."

"When?" asked Albus.

"Soon," Teddy repeated giving him a hug.

"Come back with lots of presents," James cried as Teddy gave him a bear hug.

"Only if you do well at school," Teddy replied, "Remember what we talked about."

James looked down at his feet sheepishly but nodded.

"I'll be saintlike I promise," he mumbled before looking up with a sudden grin plastered on his face, "unless I don't get onto the Quidditch team, then I'm going to burn the place down!"

"James," Harry warned. His first born smiled back at his father innocently. "Take your brother and sister back to the car park, I need to have one last word with Teddy," Harry told him.

The boys groaned while Lily looked on the verge of tears as she gave Teddy once last hug before she followed her brothers.

Once the kids were completely out of earshot Harry turned back to his godson with a solemn expression, "Before you go, I just thought you might like to fill me in on the Victoire situation."

Teddy could feel his face flushing, he had thought he'd successfully managed to avoid that elephant in the room.

"So you heard about yesterday?" He asked timidly.

Harry nodded, "Ginny got a letter from Charlie this morning, apparently Bill told him he found Victoire in your bed last night."

"Ugh, the Weasley grapevine," Teddy muttered.

"Teddy what were you thinking?" Harry asked.

"I wasn't," answered Teddy honestly, "With everything that happened at Caspian's birthday party and with me leaving, we just need some time together. Nothing happened at all, I promise Harry. And if it makes you feel better, we're on a break now anyway, everything's far too messy."

"Too right it's messy Teddy," Harry sighed, "As much as I don't want you to leave, I can't help but feel it might be good for the family to have a bit of space from you so this can all blow over."

It was hurtful to hear those words come from his godfather but Teddy nodded. "Tell them I'm sorry," he said slowly, "Bill, Fleur, everyone. We never meant to lie to them and we really do care about each other."

"I will," Harry promised, "so, have you two decided to see other people or...?"

Teddy shrugged, he wasn't exactly sure of what he and Victoire had agreed but he knew how he felt, "Doesn't matter, I couldn't never look at another girl," he said firmly.

Harry placed a hand on Teddy's shoulders gently, "If it's meant to be, it'll work out. Happened for Ginny and I and your Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron and i'm sure it'll happen for you too."

"Thanks Harry," said Teddy appreciatively. He checked his watch, "I've got to go." He hugged his godfather tightly before waving goodbye and racing through the security checks and to his gate. When he finally got on the plane, he was surprised to find a familiar face sitting in his seat.

"Cass?"

"About bloody time," Caspian replied, moving over to the empty seat next to him to allow Teddy to sit down, "Where the hell have you been?"

"Me?" asked Teddy indignantly, "I've been at the airport for more than two hours, where have you been?"

"I was in the airport lounge," answered Caspian simply.

"There's a lounge?" asked Teddy.

"Please put on your seat belts gentlemen," interrupted a young, buxom air stewardess.

"I don't know how to put mine on, can you help me?" asked Caspian innocently. The stewardess smiled and bent over Teddy to help Caspian fasten his seat belt. After she'd moved along Caspian smirked, "I think I could get very used to muggle planes."

Teddy rolled his eyes. A couple minutes later, the plane took off, it was ghastly experience for Teddy and Caspian, who had both thought nothing could feel worse than the sensation of using a port key but they were wrong.

"I'm going to be sick," moaned Teddy miserably, half an hour into the flight.

"Me too. Oh shit, look how high up we are," Caspian said in shock as he looked through the window to his left, "Why on earth did I ask for a window seat? Swap seats with me Teddy!"

"No chance," Teddy answered as he clutched his sick bag.

Caspian frowned but managed to find a way to pull down the blinds to cover the window. He turned to his best friend and sighed.

Teddy turned to Caspian realising he had not laid eyes on his friend properly since his birthday party, as he looked at him, Teddy suddenly saw how weary Caspian looked, there were bags under his grey eyes and his dark hair was lacklustre and uncombed.

"Are you okay Cass?" asked Teddy in concern.

Caspian shrugged, "Haven't exactly had the best of weeks if I'm honest. The ministry won't leave me alone, I'm basically dead to Draco and I haven't been able to sleep at all since my party." He sighed again and looked away, "I just keep reliving it, Teddy," his voice dropped suddenly as he turned back to his best friend, "I can't stop thinking about the Rosiers, their eyes... they were so...so...empty."

Teddy stared at the fear in Caspian's face as he spoke. Caspian had always had a slight tan quality to his skin but he looked deathly pale now. There was a slight pause before Teddy said, "me too."

"What?"

"I see them too, the eyes, can't get the image out of my head actually," Teddy admitted. Caspian's relief was immediate and Teddy too felt a sort of release from being able to speak candidly about what had happened last week.

"So, I spoke to Silas yesterday while I was at the Ministry for the umpteenth time," Caspian said conversationally as they were served some snacks by the cabin crew.

"What did he say?" Teddy asked, suddenly remembering that Silas Merchant was the one who was supposed to be keeping an eye on the hot tub that night.

"I asked him where he was at the time of the murders obviously," Caspian replied, "he said the hot tub was full until about quarter to eleven when Johnny started playing the "Salem Shuffle" and everyone left to go to the dance floor, including him."

Teddy nearly smiled. The Salem Shuffle was a corny but infectious party song with an equally corny dance routine that not even he could resist doing.

"And what about Grisella Gerstein? She was covering the party, do you think she might have seen anything of interest at the time of the murders?"

Caspian grimaced, "Don't mention that wretched woman's name to me ever again. You were right to be wary of her." He pulled from his bag a magazine and handed it to Teddy. "It's a preview of the next issue of Witch's Weekly, Grisella kindly sent it to me."

Teddy looked down at the cover. Front and centre was a picture of a heavy lidded Caspian standing with a bevy of bikini clad girls, popping open a bottle of champagne outside Malfoy Manor. The headline read: Death and Decadence: A first hand account of this years' most infamous birthday party by our very own Grisella Gerstein.

Teddy opened up the magazine and found Grisella's article was seven pages long and full of unflattering photos of Caspian and others at the party.

"Oh god," Teddy muttered as he observed a photo of himself chugging a bottle of firewhiskey with the caption 'Teddy Lupin, Harry Potter's golden rated godson, mercilessly finishing his sixth bottle of firewhiskey.'

"If you think the pictures are bad, you should read the words," Caspian said, "She basically describes us as horny hedonists who will stop at nothing to sate our thirst for thrill."

"What a cow," Teddy responded, his eyes locked on a photo of the party guests doing the Salem shuffle on the dance floor. As he watched the guests dance, he noticed in the distance, at the top left of the photo, a blurry figure scuttling across the grass.

"Who's that?" Teddy asked showing the photo to his friend.

Caspian squinted at the image before seeing the blurry figure, he face growing paler as he realised what he was watching, "I have no idea..." he muttered finally, "but whoever that is, they're running in the direction of the hot tub." Caspian looked up at his friend suddenly, "Teddy, you don't think it's the murderer do you?"

"It's a damn good bet, but the picture's too blurry," Teddy said in frustration. He sighed and put away the magazine. "Why would someone kill Roman and his brother anyway?" he asked suddenly, turning to Caspian who still looked shocked at what they just discovered in the magazine.

"A more logical question would be why wouldn't someone kill them?" Caspian answered after a pause, taking a sip of the red wine he had been served, "That's the problem with murdering people like Roman, too many suspects and unfortunately we're two of the prime ones."

"Don't say that."

"What? it's true," insisted Caspian, gulping down his drink. "Who hated the Rosiers more than you and me?"

Teddy shrugged, "Johnny? Hubert?"

Caspian laughed derisively, "Hubert couldn't murder a fly, let alone two people both considerably bigger than him and well Johnny, why would Johnny kill them?"

"Roman did call Chastity a mudblood."

"When?"

"Outside, when the Rosiers tried to get into party saying they were invited."

"Oh yeah, those morons at the Ministry kept asking me about that. Apparently they found a invite personally addressed to Roman in his pocket," Caspian paused for a second and looked at Teddy, "Why would Roman have had an invite to my party?"

"I don't know, did you invite him?"

"Of course not," Caspian snapped, "but someone obviously did on my behalf." Caspian paused again, turning to his left and pulling up the window screen so he could see the clouds whizzing past, "This whole thing is strange, Teddy," Caspian muttered, "The more I think about it, the more I think maybe this isn't even about the Rosiers."

"What do you mean?" asked Teddy.

Caspian turned to his best friend, his tired grey eyes suddenly wild, "The Rosiers, our known enemies, somehow invited to my party, at my house, murdered when neither of us were around?" he laughed bitterly, "Don't you see Teddy?"

"See what?"

"Maybe this is about us Teddy," Caspian whispered, "Maybe...someone trying to frame us."

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Eighteen hours later, Teddy and Caspian arrived in Ecuador. They were greeted by stifling heat and humidity and after reclaiming their baggage and passing through customs found themselves wandering through the airport listlessly.

"You did tell Vanessa we were coming right?" asked Teddy as he decipher the Spanish signs around him.

"Me?" answered Caspian in bemusement as he wiped sweat from his brow, "Thought you were going to?"

Before either of them could start an argument, they heard their names being called and turned round to find Vanessa racing towards them with a giant smile on her face.

"Cass, Teddy!" she cried engulfing them in hugs, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe you're really here!"

"Hey Ness," said Teddy as Vanessa finally let go and stood back to survey her friends, her face beaming in delight. Teddy looked at her too, noticing how different she looked to her usual Hogwarts self, here she was wearing shorts and sleeveless crop top. Her black silky hair was longer and left loose and even her glasses had changed from her normal black to sparkly red frames.

"How was your flight?" she asked, taking Caspian's suitcase and beckoning them to follow her out of the airport.

"Horrible," answered Teddy as they went outside, "I threw up."

"Twice," Caspian added as Vanessa guided through the crowded airport car park, "The only good thing was the muggle movies. I watched an excellent one about a guy who gets bitten by spider and develops spider like superpowers. I think it was called Arachnidboy or something."

"Oh Cass," Vanessa said bursting into laughter, "It's not called Arachnidboy, it's Sp-, HEY!"

Out of nowhere, a car reversed out almost running them over. Vanessa spun round immediately and slammed her fists on the car's trunk, yelling out something in Spanish. The driver stuck his head of the window and shouted back before Vanessa replied with another yell and kicked the car, making a rude gesture as it sped away.

"What on earth was that about?" asked Caspian in alarm.

"Nothing," replied Vanessa, pushing up her glasses, "I just asked him why he didn't look before he tried to reverse and he said we should have been more observant so I told him he's the son of a whore and that he should go drown himself in a toilet."

"Wow Vanessa," cried Teddy in shock, "I didn't think you were capable of raising your voice let alone using that sort of language."

Vanessa giggled, leading them to the far edge of car park where there was a small yellow car and standing beside it smoking, was a young man of about sixteen with messy black hair.

"Hola Nessa," said the boy, taking a deep draw of his cigarette before stubbing it out on the floor, "Son sus gringos?" he added with a smirk, pointing rudely towards Teddy and Caspian.

"Did he just call us gringos?" Caspian asked indignantly. The boy looked up at him in surprise.

"You really know how to make a first impression Manny," Vanessa said with a sigh, "Guys, this idiota is my next door neighbour, Manuel."

"Hola," said Manuel sheepishly offering his hand out.

"He's half English like me," Vanessa explained as Teddy and Caspian reluctantly shook hands with the boy.

"But I no can do the magic like Nessa," Manuel put in.

"He means he's a muggle," Vanessa explained with a laugh. Teddy and Caspian looked at Vanessa in surprise.

"He's a muggle?" Caspian asked, "And he knows about us?"

Vanessa laughed again and opened the car door for them, "Things are different over here guys, we don't have to hide as much."

Teddy and Caspian got into the back seat of the small car while Vanessa and Manuel got into the front with Manny driving. Vanessa and Manuel immediately starting speaking Spanish rapidly while playing loud Ecuadorian rock music from the car's sound system.

"I feel like we've transported to an alternate universal where Vanessa is cool," Caspian whispered as they watched Vanessa take a draw of Manuel's cigarette.

"Want some?" asked Vanessa turning round and offering the cigarette to the boys.

"No thanks," Teddy said immediately, remembering his godfather's words at Heathrow. Vanessa looked at Caspian expectantly but he shook his head.

"I don't touch cancer sticks."

"Oh Cass, this isn't tobacco," Vanessa said with sly grin.

Teddy blinked in surprise, "You're joking right?"

Vanessa shook her head and laughed, Teddy and Caspian stared at her in shock.

Vanessa quickly passed the cigarette to Manuel as they pulled up to an apartment block on a quiet street away from the bustle of the city.

"Is this where you live?" asked Teddy as they got out of the car.

"It's not much I know," Vanessa said suddenly going red.

"No, no, it's nice," Teddy insisted hastily as Manuel fetched their suitcases from the boot of the car. Soon they were on the top floor of the building and at the door of Number 739.

"This is my apartment," Vanessa said bringing out her keys, "Wait, Manny are my eyes red? Does my breath smell of alcohol? You know what the abuelo is like."

Manny crept closer to Vanessa as she breathed on him.

"Eyes fine, breath fine and yes I know exactly what your abuelo is like," he answered with a smirk.

Vanessa grinned and opened the door. Her apartment was larger than the exterior suggested but almost entirely cluttered by books.

"Woah," muttered Caspian as he surveyed the sheer mass of paper that filled the hallway, "Are you having a spring clean or..."

"Nope," sighed Vanessa, "This is pretty much how my house looks all the time." She guided them a little further into the house to a door decoratively painted with famous wizards from history.

"We only have three bedrooms, so you'll have to share my room while I sleep with my mother," Vanessa said opening the door to her bedroom.

The room was considerably more neat than the rest of the house, all books were organised carefully on a large shelf which stood behind a double bed. Opposite the bed was a desk ornamented on the sides with various photos, including a rather one large one of a younger looking Vanessa sandwiched between young Teddy and Caspian.

"Is that from third year?" asked Teddy picking up the photo and grimacing at his thirteen year old self, "Merlin, what was I thinking with that pink quiff?"

"At least your hair doesn't look like it's about to strangle all life from you," Caspian commented looking at the photo over his best friend's shoulder, "So glad I cut it."

"You two look fine, look at me, the most tragic overbite Hogwarts has ever seen," Vanessa said snatching the photo from Teddy and placing it back by her desk. "Right are you two hungry? We have-"

"Oh hello!"

Teddy turned round to find a plump bespectacled grey haired woman of around fifty standing in the doorway with a smile on her face.

"Guys, this is my mother, Dr. Ximena Gonzalez Perez. Mama, this is Teddy Lupin and Caspian Malfoy, my friends from Hogwarts."

Dr. Gonzalez smiled as she kissed both Teddy and Caspian twice on each cheek.

"So lovely to meet you," she said in flawless English, "Vanessa has told me so much about you. Won't you follow me to our dining room? I've made Ceviche, do you like Ceviche?"

Teddy looked at Caspian uncertainly, "I don't know what that is."

"It's really nice," Manuel piped up, "It has Shrimp, so delicious."

"If you want to stay for dinner Manny, you better go and ask your mother," Dr. Gonzalez said looking at Manuel sternly.

Manny sighed leaving the room as Teddy and Caspian followed Vanessa's mother into the dining room where dinner had been meticulously laid out.

"You'll have to excuse all the books," Dr. Gonzalez said gesturing to the heaps of literature scattered across the room, "I'm in the middle of a very important essay."

"Mum's a lecturer at the Salem Witches Institute of Advanced Wizardry ," Vanessa explained as she served out ceviche to both Teddy and Caspian. Teddy cautiously took a spoonful, it was nice.

"What do you teach Dr. Gonzalez?" asked Caspian politely.

"History of Magic and a little bit of Ancient Runes," Dr. Gonzalez answered pouring herself a glass of lemonade, "I'm also on the admission board. I've been trying to convince Vanessa to enrol for further study there this fall but she has a heart set going back to the UK to work for some reason."

"Mama," Vanessa groaned.

"What?" asked her mother sharply, "I just don't understand how you can think you're finished with your education at eighteen. This is why you should have gone to the Broomberg school, the curriculum there naturally lends itself to further study but at Hogwarts it seems everyone just graduates and goes straight to working for the British Ministry, very insular if you ask me."

Vanessa rolled her eyes and looked at her friends apologetically.

"Where's abuelo?" Vanessa asked tiredly.

"He'll be down soon," answered Dr. Gonzalez quickly, she turned her attention to Teddy and Caspian, "What do you boys think? Have you learnt everything you need to know? Do you really feel ready to live as Adult Wizards in an increasingly muggle world? Don't you think you could do with three or four years more development so you can fully realise your potential?"

Teddy glanced nervously at Caspian.

"Erm..." they began simultaneously.

"Ximena, let them eat," cool voice interrupted behind them. Teddy turned round to find an elderly wizard slowly making his way to join them at the table. The man looked well past eighty and held a wooden walking stick in his left hand, his face was half hidden by a long white beard and his head was as bald as an egg.

"Abuelo," Vanessa exclaimed standing up and kissing the old man who hugged her tightly, "These are my friends from school, Teddy Lupin and Caspian Malfoy."

The old man barely nodded, taking a seat opposite his daughter at the head of the table.

He looked down disdainfully at his plate of food and grunted something in Spanish.

"Ceviche," answered Dr. Gonzalez. The old man sighed deeply but took a spoonful and gulped it down messily, red juice slopping down his beard.

"This is my grandfather," Vanessa told Teddy and Caspian, "His name is Alfredo Gonzalez Espinosa. He's a retired professor. He used to teach at the Broomberg school and before that at Sao Paulo School of Magic."

"What did he teach?" asked Teddy.

"Wizthropology," answered Alfredo, wiping his mouth.

"Wizthropology?" repeated Caspian in confusion, "What's that?"

"It's the study of Wizards, how we came about, where we might go next," Teddy answered, "Kind of like muggle studies but about us."

"Very good," said Alfredo, looking at Teddy curiously, "I would have doubted you to have heard of the subject since they don't teach it at Hogwarts."

"I read a book about it a few years ago," Teddy replied with a shrug, "It's a really interesting subject, more useful than some of the subjects they do teach at Hogwarts."

"My thoughts exactly," Alfredo agreed, "I did try and get it into onto the curriculum in Europe back in the late 70s, I even met up with Albus Dumbledore to discuss teaching it but we disagreed on our preferred teaching methods, shame really."

"You should try again," Teddy suggested.

Alfredo laughed which sounded more like a heavy wheeze, "I'm an old man now dear boy and I've long given up hope on encouraging British wizards to expand their intellectual horizons. No, let them continue with their seven years of charms and potions while young wizards and witches in China are apparating from their cribs."

"Hola," said Manuel genially he entered the room, taking a seat beside Vanessa and immediately starting to serve out food onto his plate. Vanessa's grandfather looked up at him in disdain.

"Do you think this is your personal restaurant Manuel?" he asked severely.

"But Señora said I could stay for dinner if I asked my mother," Manuel argued.

"Ah, but did she say you must forget your manners and behave like you were born in a barn? Can't you see we have guests? Take your elbows off the table immediately."

Manuel did as he was told, turning red in embarrassment. Teddy watched Vanessa give his leg a little squeeze as she smiled at him and after several minutes of silence, he finally spoke up again.

"So," he began casually, looking up from his plate, "How long are you two in Ecuador for?"

"Couple days then we're flying off to Brazil," Caspian responded as Dr. Gonzalez stood up to clear the plates.

"Brazil?" repeated Manuel in excitement, "Oh man, I've always wanted to go there. I've been saving for five years."

"And you'll be saving for fifty more on that paltry wage you get at the cinema," Alfredo replied harshly, he turned to Teddy and Caspian, "What will you be doing in Brazil?"

"I'm going to see my mother," Caspian answered after a pause.

"Mother?" repeated Vanessa in surprise, "Caspian, I didn't know you had a mother. I mean obviously you have a mother, but you never talk about her."

"Well, I didn't really know anything about her until a few weeks ago," Caspian responded.

"Whereabouts in Brazil does your mother live?" asked Alfredo.

"In the Amazon," Caspian replied briskly.

"You'll have to be more specific than that," Alfredo pressed with a small laugh.

"Near the Peru border,"

"Where on the border?"

"Near the red headed troll kingdom apparently."

"There are dozens of wizard settlements around there, which one exactly?"

"I don't know," Caspian answered.

"Then how are you planning on finding her?" The old man enquired.

"We just will," Caspian snapped, his face colouring slightly. Teddy could tell he was thoroughly uncomfortable talking about such a personal matter with strangers so he stepped in.

"The food was lovely Dr. Gonzalez," he said quickly, "Do you need any help washing up?"

"Thanks Teddy but we have a dishwasher and his name is Manuel." Dr. Gonzalez gestured for Manuel to stand up and help her clear the table which he did with a frown on his face.

"You're better off going through Peru if your mother lives that side of the Amazon," Alfredo continued looking up at Caspian, "Do you have a map to where you're going?"

Caspian shook his head.

Alfredo stood up and went behind a pile of books, pushing several of them aside before picking up a dusty brown leather one and bringing it back to the table. He opened up the book to the middle page where there was an intricate coloured map, which he tore out and handed to Caspian.

"It has all the locations of the major wizarding tribes in the Amazon," Alfredo explained, "It's a four day drive to that part of the rainforest from here, so if you wish, Manuel will drive you there which in my opinion is far better option than flying. Once you reach Brazil, it's only a couple hours walk to Kaia's tribe, it's the purple dot on the map."

Caspian stared at the old man in shock, "How do you know my mother's name?" he demanded.

Alfredo smiled, standing up from the table with the help of his stick, "You look so much like her," he murmured, walking past both Teddy and Caspian nonchalantly. When he reached the door, he turned round and smiled again, "And I never forget the face of my students."

"So my grandfather taught your mother, how weird is that huh?" Vanessa said as she sat beside Teddy and Caspian who were both studying the map Alfredo had given them on Vanessa's bed.

"There's so many things I want to ask him about her," Caspian murmured, tracing his fingers over the route to his mother's tribe.

"You better wait until tomorrow," Vanessa suggested, "He's teaching Manuel right now and he doesn't tend to be in a good mood after that."

"That Manuel," began Teddy, "Is he trustworthy? Because if we're going to go on a four day road trip with him..."

Vanessa made a face, "Of course you can trust him! Manny is brilliant."

"Then why is everyone so hard on him?" Teddy asked.

Vanessa laughed, "Because we love him."

"Your family has a strange way of showing affection," Caspian commented.

Vanessa laughed. "Right, I'm off to bed now," she said briskly, "I'm so happy you're here! See you in the morning, I'll take you on a tour of city if you like?"

The boys nodded and Vanessa left. Soon afterwards Teddy and Caspian got ready for bed. While Cass fell asleep almost immediately, Teddy was still awake nearly an hour later. He found himself thinking about what Caspian said about the Rosier murders on the plane and then about what Harry had said to him at the airport earlier.

He didn't know what time it was when he ventured into the kitchen to get some water but it was pitch black outside and only the small shine of a reading lamp lit up the kitchen.

"You're still up?"

Teddy nearly dropped his glass in his hand as he turned round to find Vanessa's grandfather peering at him from behind the reading lamp.

"Sorry, I was just getting water."

"No worries dear boy."

Teddy gulped down the water and made to leave but Alfredo's voice stopped him.

"What are you doing here, Teddy?"

"Getting water, I just said."

"No," Alfredo laughed softly, his white beard bobbing up and down, "What are you here, in this part of the world, so far away from home? I do not believe for a second you came all this distance to simply accompany a friend to reunite with his mother."

Teddy stared at the old man for a moment. There was something about the elderly man that made Teddy feel he could trust him.

"I want a test out a potion," Teddy said finally.

"I see," Alfredo said. He returned back to the book he was reading.

"Well aren't you going to ask what the potion does?" Teddy questioned after a long pause.

Alfredo looked up at him curiously, "I'm afraid I have no interest in potions my boy but by all means go and test yours, no doubt you've come to do it here because you've heard that magical laws are not greatly enforced in this part of the world. Ah, don't worry my dear boy," Alfredo continued seeing Teddy's nervous face, "You are not the first nor will you be the last to exploit our laws but I would have thought such a smart boy like yourself would have done more research into why magical laws are less enforced here."

"What do you mean?" Teddy asked, feeling very confused.

Alfredo smiled strangely. He beckoned Teddy closer to him and gestured to a map which lay on the table by his right hand side, it was the same map he had given Caspian earlier except this one was black and white with some areas shaded darker than others.

"Can you see that the whole area near where your friend's mother lives is very dark?" Alfredo commented after allowing Teddy a moment to observe the map.

Teddy nodded.

"Why do you think that is?"

Teddy eyes glanced over the map before settling on the key at the bottom right, "The shade corresponds the strength of magic in the area," Teddy surmised, "So, does that mean there's more wizards in those areas?"

Alfredo shook his head. He turned to the book in front of him, on the page he was on there was a map of the UK shaded in the same way as the other map. "The UK has three times as many wizards as the Amazon but less than one eighth the total strength of magic, why do you think that is?"

"I don't know," Teddy said a quick shrug, he wanted answers not more questions.

Alfredo smiled knowingly and put a hand on Teddy's shoulder, " My boy, where you're going is one of the most magical places on this planet," he whispered, his grin growing as wide as his face, "You will see things, meet things, feel things that only exist in that small part of the rainforest. Where you are going, there are no Wizards or Witches or Muggles or Trolls or Goblins or Ghouls, only those who have magic and how it manifests itself in them. So to answer my own question, there is no need for magical laws because magic is the law there."

The old man stared at Teddy suddenly, his eyes twinkling with delight as he viewed the young man in front of him.

"Oh, you are going somewhere incredible my boy, you may have come here for a potion but believe me you will leave with so much more, I mean that is of course, if you ever do leave."

"What do you mean?" asked Teddy, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable with the way Vanessa's grandfather was staring at him.

"I see you dear boy, I know you. The way you speak, the way you walk, you're an academic like me. You hunger for knowledge because you know knowledge is power, B=but where you are going...well there is far too much to learn. You could stay ten thousand years in that jungle and only have scratched the surface. For someone like you, going to a place like that, well there is only two possible outcomes."

"What?" asked Teddy.

Alfredo smiled wickedly, licking his right index finger before turning the page of his book, "It will either consume you or spit you out."

Teddy and Caspian left for the Amazon early on Wednesday morning. Vanessa, her mother and her grandfather were all there to see them off in Manuel's small yellow car. The trip to Amazon took more than the four days originally anticipated. Manuel's car broke down several times and they got lost at least half a dozen times so it wasn't until the afternoon of the fifth day they reached the Peru/Brazil border.

"This is the place," Teddy said as Manuel stopped the car and Caspian followed Teddy out, grabbing their prepacked backpacks with them. Teddy studied Alfredo's map.

"We enter the rainforest here on foot and it shouldn't be more than a couple hours walk to your mother's tribe."

Caspian looked up at the sky, it was half past two in the afternoon.

"Soon we'll be there well before sundown?" He asked hopefully. Teddy nodded. He spun round to speak to Manuel who was still sitting in the car.

"You stay here, once we find Caspian's mother's tribe we'll come back and get you," Teddy promised.

"Stay here?" Manuel looked around the empty, deserted surroundings of the small grainy road they had stopped at, "What if you don't come back?"

"We will," Caspian answered impatiently, "And anyhow, the border is only a few miles that way if we don't."

Manuel frowned and Caspian started heading off into the rainforest. Teddy lingered for a moment, listening to Manuel mutter angrily to himself.

"We will be back," Teddy told the young man firmly. We have to, he added to himself silently as he jogged to catch up with Caspian who was already well into the rainforest. Ever since his night talk with Alfredo, Teddy had been feeling uneasy about visiting the Amazon and the long, uncomfortable, five day drive had only heightened his anxiousness.

What am I doing here? He thought to himself as he and Caspian trudged through the muddy swamps, crossing several tiny streams as they moved westwards as instructed by their map. Teddy looked up, he couldn't even see the tops of the trees they were so high and suddenly he was starting to feel claustrophobic.

"I shouldn't have come," he muttered.

"What?" Caspian turned back to face him, looking at his friend in concern, "You okay Teddy?"

"Yes, brilliant," Teddy lied but his pale face gave it all away.

"Do you want to go back and wait with Manuel?" Caspian offered, wiping the sweat from his face.

"No, no," insisted Teddy marching ahead of his friend, "I'm just a little hot, less air in here than I thought."

"You've been acting weird ever since we left Vanessa's," Caspian commented, catching up with Teddy, "You haven't been sleeping and you're not eating properly. You're not having one of those...episodes again."

"Episodes?" repeated Teddy with a confused frown.

"Nervous breakdowns then, I don't know what to call them," Caspian amended with a shrug.

"I am not having a nervous breakdown," Teddy snapped indignantly, "But... yes, I am nervous," he admitted after a pause.

"Why the hell are you nervous?" Caspian demanded, slowing down to a stop in bemusement, "I'm the one who's about to meet my mother for the first time in my life!"

"I know," Teddy said quickly, suddenly feeling guilty about his behaviour. He sighed deeply, "Honestly I think it's just all this stuff with the Rosiers and Victoire and not knowing how the hell I'm even going to do human trials of my potion. It's just all catching up with me. But I'm fine, I will be fine, promise."

Caspian stared at Teddy, his best friend's eyes were yellowy but he managed a strained smile. Caspian sighed, "Good because I really need you to be fine, Teddy. I can't do this without you and by you, I mean proper you, not weird depressed Teddy, okay?"

Teddy nodded and just as he did, Caspian grinned suddenly.

"Look Ted, above you, look!"

Teddy looked up and smiled as flock of brightly coloured macaws whizzed past overhead.

"Amazing," Caspian breathed as they started walking again.

"I think we're lost," Teddy said two hours later.

"Yep," Caspian agreed as he handed over the map to Teddy to read.

"So we crossed that first stream like we were supposed to," Teddy murmured leaning on the nearest tree as Caspian sat cross legged on the dirt, "And then we turned left at the clearing by the river. Did we see any mermaids?"

"Not to my knowledge," Caspian said as he sipped on some water and lay on his back.

"Oh, I think we were supposed to. Okay, I think we're like five miles north of where we should be," Teddy determined, "If we head south, we should reach another river and then we'll be in a better position to figure out how to get to your mother's tribe."

"That's the wrong way,"

"What?" Teddy asked spinning round to face his friend.

Caspian looked at him startled, "I didn't say anything."

"It was me," said a voice from above.

Teddy and Caspian looked up to find a girl in white with bright blue eyes sitting on the branches of a tree above them smiling mischievously.

"Merlin's beard, how long have you been up there?" asked Caspian, drawing out his wand as Teddy did the same.

"You're going the wrong way," said the girl calmly.

"How do you know?" Teddy challenged.

"I can show you the right way," the girl replied. Without warning she disappeared.

Teddy looked at Caspian tensely, they kept their wands raised, slowly walking towards each other.

"That was weird," Caspian whispered when they were back to back.

"Alfredo says this whole place is weird," Teddy replied.

"You need to go this way."

The girl appeared again this time standing directly in front of the boys. Now that she was closer, Teddy could see she was around the same age as them with long silky black hair that fell down to her waist, blood red lips and bright blue eyes. She wore an enticingly thin white dress which barely covered her knees, leaving most of her skin on show including her bare feet. While she was strikingly beautiful there something about her that made Teddy instantly uncomfortable. It took him a moment to realise what it was but when he did he could feel goosebumps on the sides of his arms.

"Who are you and how do you know where we're going?" Caspian inquired.

The girl smiled, it was a sickly sweet smile which made Teddy grip his wand tighter.

"Your mother Kaia sent me," . ?docid=38341476 the girl, "We've been expecting you."

Caspian glanced at Teddy uncertainly.

"Prove you know my mother," Caspian demanded.

The girl's blue eyes narrowed slightly, "Your mother is Kaia, chieftess of my tribe, she gave you up to your father Lux Malfoy, when you were six months old. You live with your father's family in England and attend Hogwarts school of Magic but you are of the Rio and have finally found your way home. Is that enough for you to believe me, Caspian?"

Caspian stared at her in shock but nodded, lowering down his wand, "Okay, I believe you. So how do we get to my mother's tribe?"

"Just follow me," answered the girl turning round and gesturing for them to follow her but Teddy stopped Caspian.

"Cass, you're not seriously going to follow that girl?"

"Why not? She knows where my mother lives."

"We don't know her."

"She knows me and plus she's hot," Caspian added with a grin.

"Doesn't mean she's safe."

"Look Teddy, I know you're spooked about the Amazon but she's a five foot two teenage girl, I think we'll be okay."

"But I know her," Teddy hissed, pulling Caspian back as he started following the girl.

Caspian looked at his friend in bewilderment. "What do you mean you know her?"

Teddy's eyes darted to the girl who was waiting patiently for them a little way ahead, dipping her bare feet in a stream.

He took a deep breath before whispering, "She's from my dreams."

"Your dreams?" Caspian repeated in confusion. Teddy nodded. A grin suddenly crept onto Caspian's face, "You mean your kinky ones?"

Teddy blushed, "They're not kinky. They're just dreams where I'm in a rainforest, just like this in fact, and she's dead and then I wake her up with potion. She's the exact same girl except with blue eyes instead of brown ones."

"And what's so bad about the girl in your dreams?"

Teddy frowned, "Nothing, but that's besides the point. Dream people aren't supposed to turn up in real life," said Teddy defiantly, "There's something not right going on here."

Caspian turned to look at the girl who was washing her face in the stream.

"So what do you want us to do?" Caspian whispered to Teddy.

"Let's just go and follow the map, if she's telling the truth we'll apologise to her when we get to your mother's tribe."

Caspian nodded and they turned back to where they had come from.

"What's taking so long?" said the girl appearing in front of the them out of nowhere.

"Argh!" cried Caspian as Teddy tripped backwards in shock.

The girl stared at them and Teddy could have sworn he saw her eyes flash brown in anger.

"Why are you walking this way?" She demanded.

"We're following our map," Teddy countered, standing up and dusting himself off.

"Your map is outdated," the girl declared.

"And how do you know that?" Teddy asked.

"I know everything," the girl hissed dangerously, her eyes were wide now and she was staring directly at Teddy with a look of pure venom. "We have moved location dozens of times since that map was last used. But I can see you don't trust me, wolf boy."

Teddy stared at the girl viciously, he didn't care if she was smaller, younger and female, he raised his wand to hex her but she disappeared before he could even think of which hex to use.

"Shit," muttered Caspian staring at the spot where the girl had been, "Are you okay Ted?"

Teddy nodded but he was a little shaken at the way the girl had spoken to him, "Let's keep going."

They walked about half an hour before coming to what appeared to be a deserted village.

"Is this it?" asked Caspian, looking around the empty huts.

"No, your mother's tribe is supposed to be further on but this place isn't even on the map."

All of a sudden there was a loud yell and a dozen wild naked tribesmen came from behind the huts armed with spears and blades.

Teddy and Caspian raised their wands but someone, somewhere disarmed them and before they could retrieve them, two tribesmen had them each by the neck with a blade held across their throats.

"Let's us go!" Caspian squealed trying desperately to wriggle out of his captors grasp. Suddenly Caspian was rigid and silent and out of the corner of his eye, Teddy could see his best friend had been hit with a full body binding curse.

"Please let us go," Teddy echoed staring directly at the leader, a tall large man who held the longest spear and had an ugly scar where his left eye should have been, "We're just looking for Kaia."

"Kaia?" the man repeated, his only eye quickly darted around. Out of nowhere, the girl in white appeared between him and Teddy. When the man saw her, he dropped his spear in fear and hissed viciously at her. She simply smiled and pointed upwards to the trees where Teddy saw dozens of eyes peering.

"Kaia?" the one eyed man asked cautiously.

The girl in white nodded and gestured for the man to turn round. Behind him a new tribe had arrived, headed by a tall, copper skinned woman wearing an elaborate blue feathered headdress.

"Kaia!" cried the one eyed man falling to his knees immediately. The copper skinned woman looked down at him disdainfully, pushing him out of the way with her feet and merely looking at the rest of his tribe to scare them into scurrying away quickly.

Once they had fled, she turned and smiled at the girl in white, running her hand through the girl's hair lovingly, before walking regally towards Teddy and Caspian. As she came closer, Teddy saw she had large almond shaped brown eyes and the same blood red lips as the girl in white but there was also something very familiar about her face, especially the way she smiled like she was doing now, suddenly Teddy realised, it was exactly the same smile as his best friend's.

"I've waited a very, very long time to meet you," the woman said staring directly at Caspian. With the slightest flick of her hand, she reversed the body bind curse on him.

"Mother?" Caspian asked uncertainly and so quietly Teddy wasn't sure if the woman had heard but she smiled and nodded, tears welling in her eyes.

"I knew you'd come find me eventually," she whispered with a small smile, "I've waited so long for you, Rio."

"Rio?"

"I'm sorry, I forget that your name is Caspian now."

"You named me Rio?" Caspian asked, tears starting to fall his own grey eyes.

Kaia nodded, "Because you were born in the river," She crept closer to him, hesitating for second before wiping away his tears softly. "May I hug you please?"

Caspian nodded instantly and Kaia wrapped around her son as they both started sobbing. Teddy could feel tears forming in his own eyes as he watched the emotional reunion so he turned to look away and found the girl in white about two feet away from him, staring at him curiously.

He blinked back his tears and smiled at her apologetically, "I guess you were right, we were going the wrong way," he conceded after an awkward pause.

The girl narrowed her eyes as she smiled wryly, "I know how hard it is for you to admit you're wrong Teddy Lupin, so I guess I'll have to forgive you."

"How do you know my name?" asked Teddy suspiciously.

The girl licked her red lips wickedly, "A whole month in your dreams and you only ask me how I know your name? Surely, that's the very least of your questions?"

Teddy frowned, "Who are you?" he demanded in a hushed tone.

The girl smiled, twirling a strand of her black hair around her fingers before looking up with her sparkling blue eyes, "Do you truly want to know who am I or just my name?"

"What?"

The girl crept closer to him and whispered into his ear, "You are not Teddy and I am not Blanca." She smiled smugly as she stepped back and before Teddy could even respond, she had disappeared before his very eyes.

Edited 15/04 (spelling, grammar mistakes)

A/N - How was that? So I almost felt like calling this chapter "How Cass Met His Mother". Hope you enjoyed it, I'm just glad I finished it!

I've introduced a pretty important character in this chapter and probably one of my favourite creations after Caspian. Can you guess who it is?

Right, lots of controversial stuff coming up for Teddy. Again, I'd like to kindly remind you of the timeline.

Coming up in the next chapter: More Kaia, More of the mysterious girl in white, naked dreams, the price of a prophecy and lots of dead people.

Thanks, please review!

WFG