Ch 28 Teddy Escapes
Teddy took out the maps out and photographs, and put them next to his torso, fastening them on with a sticking spell. He took two duplicated out, and hid one of them. Ann and Orwant would know where to find it, but it would be risking their lives trying to take it off the island. He took the other one to give to another of the undercover Aurors. He looked at the woman he had a daughter with, one of two women pregnant with another one of Teddy's children. His normal bedmate was a wicked witch, just a terrible person, and her oldest son was growing up to be nasty too.
Leaving his daughter was tough, but better than watching her grow up in this wicked place.
He didn't know what to feel about the other pregnant witch. Everything was so perverted on the Island of the Pirate Witch Queen of the Caribbean! He knew he was going to spend the rest of his life regretting what he had to do to get these maps. He could only hope and pray that someone would get these maps back to Harry and the rest of the International Aurors.
He was so damaged that maybe it was better if he was dead, but he knew the maps and the island better than anyone. Ann and Orwant had been gone for six weeks or more, and Teddy knew of only two other undercover Aurors. For the first time in months all three would be on patrol this morning.
The three of them were flying together. Teddy told the other two, a witch and a wizard, "I have maps, and I need to escape and get these to the Aurors. Cover me." He then handed one set of maps to the undercover witch, just in case she escaped and he didn't.
"You need to get out alive, Edwardo," the witch grimly replied. "Do not worry about us."
The three dived down, and skimming the ocean flew under the spells guarding the island and hiding it, before flying well above the waves again, heading towards the nearest friendly island. Teddy send a Patronus to Dan VanLente, saying, "I am trying to escape. Heading due north. Intercept the three of us, please!"
Dementors were pursuing them, but all three conjured Patronus to fend them off. Then a couple of wizards followed, on the fastest pursuit brooms available, catching up to them. The witch and wizard turned to fight, as Teddy climbed, trying to see the next island. Out of the corner of his eye Teddy could see as first one, then the other undercover Magi was killed.
I'm the only one left! I have to get these maps to the Aurors! I see friendly Aurors coming to intercept me.
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!
Teddy didn't think there could be that much pain. He was falling towards the ocean. Someone intercepted him and putting something over his head flew with him under the water, coming up … Ahhhhhhhhh … it was so painful he couldn't think.
October fourteenth, twenty-twenty-one, Harry received a call from Dan VanLente. "Harry, you need to be at St. Mungo's in about half an hour. We're bringing Teddy."
Harry said "Dan, how is he?"
"He's alive, Harry, and I hope he'll live. I'll be there in a bit. Only immediate family; don't let anyone else know Teddy is back."
Harry wondered if he should tell Ginny, should he tell Andromeda. Andromeda did not handle bad news well, so he decided the less said to her the better. He knew that Ginny was at the New Burrow, and he took the Floo over there and quietly told Ginny to have others take care of the children and come with him. He thought about Victoire. Was Victoire working? They rushed over to St. Mungo's. There they were met by a wizard who told them, "Come into the restricted section." They walked through a door that was not there. "Unless you have been approved to come in this door does not exist," the wizard explained.
"Victoire?" Harry wondered. "Is Victoire going to be here?"
"They told us that Teddy asked for her, and she would be very unhappy if she was not," the wizard admitted. "She was at home, but she will be here shortly." Just about that time a very harried looking Victoire came running in. The wizard told her, "He's not here yet."
"How is he?" asked Victoire.
"Be prepared for the worst," the wizard consoled the young witch.
"He's alive," Harry elaborated, "but Dan VanLente did not have many hopeful words."
They waited for about ten minutes. There were nine medical witches or wizards, not counting Victoire, waiting, and more types of medical equipment than Harry realized the hospital possessed. Suddenly a large box escorted by four wizards, one on each side, appeared, and then the box opened and inside were Teddy and four more medical wizards. They quickly moved Teddy onto a bed.
Teddy's face was a mess, with a large gash just missing his right eye but going from the top of his head to under his chin. His right arm was at a horrible angle, but at least it was all there. Two thirds to three fourths of Teddy's right leg was missing and one wizard was working trying to stem the flow of blood. Teddy was also obviously in a great deal of pain, but he was conscious.
"I wouldn't let them put me out until I saw you, Victoire, if you still want me," Teddy cried.
Victoire moved to his head, staying out of the medical personnel's way. Harry and Ginny hovered behind her so he could see them as well.
"Teddy, you're a mess," Victoire moaned, tears streaming down her face.
"That's the best you can do," Teddy sniffed. "I bet Ginny had some tender words for Harry when she first saw him after the Battle of Hogwarts."
"She said you're filthy or something like that," Harry admitted, "and then told me to take off my clothes and go take a shower."
"He WAS filthy, Teddy," Ginny confirmed.
"Oh great! Harry, here is the information we have been working hard to get," Teddy remarked, grimacing, obviously in a great deal of pain, pulling out a big packet of material. "I wanted to give it to you in person. Make sure Dan gets a copy."
"Was it worth it?" asked Harry.
"Have to shut it down, capture them. They still do regular human sacrifice. Terrible stuff," Teddy spat out. "Terrible stuff." Teddy turned to Victoire and grabbed for her hand. "I'm not the man who left you, Victoire," Teddy cried. "Sorry about that. Still have the babymaker, though," he grinned, reaching down towards his private parts.
"Teddy!" Victoire loudly snapped, with a disapproving look on her face, then as tender as she could she sniffed, "I still love you. Are you finally ready to settle down?
"I had to do really horrible things to stay alive, to get the maps, Victoria. I'm not sure you still want me."
"Yes, I want you, Teddy," Victoire insisted. "I want to make babies with you, you know that. I know you had to do horrible things to stay alive on that island, and I still want you. I love you."
Teddy was crying. "I don't deserve your love. I had to … Oh Torie."
"I'm still going to make babies with you," Victoire insisted, wiggling her chest in a provocative manner.
"Oh Torie, you don't' understand. It is not the physical scars. I'm too damaged. I love you but … Do you still want me?"
"Like my mom married my dad after his face was destroyed," Victoire muttered. "Just proves I'm marrying a hero. Yes, Teddy, I'll marry you."
At this a wizard insisted, "Harry, Ginny, you are going to have to leave. Victoire, you can stay, but this is going to be rough. The only way we can get the bleeding to stop is going to make it impossible to regrow the leg, and it's going to be very painful."
"Save his life," Victoire insisted, touching his cheek. "Teddy, I'll stay with you. Let them put you asleep, and I promise you I'll be with you when you wake up."
"Promise!" Teddy cried.
"I promise," Victoire confirmed. "I love you. I'll stay with you through anything!"
Harry and Ginny were let into an adjoining waiting room. There in the room were Bill and Fleur, holding hands sitting down, and Dan VanLente pacing. Harry gave the packet of material to Dan, who looked at it. "All the pages are blank," Dan noted, "except for a small "mm" at the bottom.
Harry took his wand out, touched the packet of material, and proclaiming, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good." The packet of material suddenly had information on it. "I'll explain later," Harry smiled.
"It's like the Marauders Map!" Dan exclaimed as he sat down and eagerly looked at the packet.
"How is Teddy?" asked Fleur.
"He's in real rough shape," Harry very quietly admitted, speaking just to Fleur and Bill. "Terrible shape. Most of his right leg is missing, and to stop the bleeding they are going to have to do something that will keep them from re-growing it. His face is a mess. His right arm is at an awful angle but they say they can heal that. He's obviously in a lot of pain."
"How is Victoire holding up," Fleur wondered.
"There is a lot we are not going to know for a while," Harry admitted. "Teddy asked Victoire if she would marry him, what's left of him, and she said yes, it just proved that she like her mother is marrying a hero." At this Fleur turned to look at Bill's scarred face, gently touched her fingers to his face, buried her head into Bill's chest, and began to cry.
Dan was saying, "Extraordinary!" and, "I can't believe it!" and the like. He finally turned to Harry and exclaimed, "Teddy has more information here, vastly more, than we have been able to gather in hundreds of years. We knew there must be an unplottable island, but here are the coordinates, and maps, good magical maps that show people moving around, not only of the island but of individual buildings in detail." Dan pulled out several outstanding maps. "Photographs and biographies of key people." Dan showed a couple of pages of pictures. "Head witch and her daughter," Dan exclaimed. The head witch was frightening to look at, and it was easy to see she was a nasty person.
It was obvious that Cleo was related to those two. Same oversized hips, relatively narrow waist for their size, reasonably broad shoulders and mammoth bust. A little further on there was a picture of a man and woman and their small daughter. The daughter was not Cleo, but a younger sister, and the two adults were Cleo's parents. The other two were grandmother and great-grandmother.
Dan told Harry, "I'd give my right arm and leg for this sort of information!"
"Dan," Harry retorted, "Teddy did lose his right leg, did you know that?"
"Oh, it was just a figure of speech," Dan admitted sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I knew he was in bad shape, but I didn't know he had lost a limb."
Harry added, "His face is scarred, and although they say they can fix it his right arm is at a horrible angle and looks bad. He was obviously in a lot of pain when we left the room."
A witch came out of the room Teddy was in with tears in her eyes. "Teddy will survive, we think, and we think he will be all right, but it is real rough in there right now. It may be a while before anyone can come out and talk to you. Good thing we have Victoire in there. They cannot safely put Teddy out and he is in terrible pain. I think only having Victoire in there is keeping him sane."
About an hour later a sad looking wizard came out. "The worst wounds are not the ones you can see. Those are under control. The worst wounds are the curse wounds. Teddy is in terrible shape with some of the curse wounds, and he cannot go to sleep until we get them under control. The best tool we have is the love of someone close, ideally a spouse or parent. Victoire is ideal, and since Teddy proposed and she accepted she is in fantastic shape to help him. The problem is that the pain that Teddy is fighting is so extreme that Victoire is going to have a hard time standing the pain. She has to have support. Bill, Fleur, I want you to take turns being with Victoire.
Bill and Fleur looked at each other and nodded yes.
The wizard added, "I do not think you are even remotely prepared for how hard this is going to be. Have you ever suffered the Cruciatus Curse?" Harry and Ginny looked at each other in horror. "Bill, Fleur, you are going to feel like you have been under the Cruciatus Curse. What Victoire is going through is worse, and what Teddy is going through is worse yet. I want each of you to have a parent supporting you."
Fleur told Bill, "Arthur and my maman." She then went into the room. Bill called the Delacour's and explained the situation, then called Arthur. Fleur came out within an hour, and Bill and Arthur went in.
From the next two days every four hours either Bill and Arthur or Fleur and her mother Apolline were in with Victoire and Teddy. The first two days were horrible, and towards the end of the second day one of the wizards asked to see Harry Potter.
When Harry arrived at to St. Mungo's the wizard told him, "Physically Teddy should be able to survive, but the curse wounds are terrible, and we are afraid we may lose both Teddy and Victoire.
"I did some research on healing the worst types of curses. It seems that if you can call in help from beyond the grave, dead parents or others, it can work. An obscure scroll suggested that the Resurrection Stone could do that, and it could be safely used if it was used for someone else, not yourself.
"Didn't you at one point have the fabled Resurrection Stone? Didn't Dumbledore? I know it's dangerous to use for your own pleasure, but could you use it to get Teddy's parents help."
"How much time do I have?" asked Harry.
"Hours not days, we think," the wizard admitted.
Harry called Ginny and briefly explained the situation to her, then tried to think of the best way to find the Resurrection Stone. Just going into the forest and trying to find it seemed to be a really bad way to start, especially since it was going to be getting dark shortly, and trying to find a small ring in the dark in a forest, one that had been lying there for over twenty years, was probably going to be an exercise in frustration. Maybe the Centaurs knew where the ring was, or how to find it. Al had been talking to the Centaurs since the end of his first year. Maybe he would know how to get in touch with them.
Harry went home to get his latest version of the Marauders Map, then he Apparated to the Hogsmeade entrance to Hogwarts. He said hello to the guards at the entrance, and went in to find Albus. Albus, Rose, Cleo and Scorpius were in the library, and Harry went up and found them. Harry sat down on one side of Albus. Cleo was on the other side of Albus, and Rose and Scorpius were next to each other on the other side of the table. All were typing away at virtual keyboards, and as they did, assignments were being written on paper, it being much cheaper than parchment. Occasionally one would take their wand and draw it across a section of a book, and that section would be copied with appropriate quotation marks and end note citations. Harry though how marvelous this melding of magic and technology was.
Harry got right to the point. "I need you to come with me to a private room."
Albus led them to a small private room.
"What I am going to tell you is very confidential. Please never hint that you know anything about what I am telling you!
"Al, I need to find the Resurrection Stone. It was lost in the forest where Tom Riddle and I, where I let him … kill me … before we fought in the Great Hall. The stone was in a ring. A ring with a stone that had a crack down the middle. Teddy is back, but he is seriously hurt, and at St. Mungo's they think that getting the Resurrection Stone and getting his parents help may be the only way to save him. Do you think the Centaurs could help us find the Resurrection Stone?"
"They knew where it was," Al admitted, trying to think how he was going to tell his father that the ring was in his pocket. Rose, Cleo and Scorpius knew he had it, but no one else, and he only used it once, after rescuing Cleo. The only other people he told were Nausicaa and Apollo Scherica, who had said that he could not safely use it to satisfy his own curiosity, but would be obliged to use it to help other people.
Al told his father, "The Centaurs showed me where to find this," and he took out the ring and put it on his finger. "They told me not to use it until I needed it to help someone else. I did use it once, to save Cleo after she was captured, but only then. What do you want me to do?"
Harry looked at Al, and it was obvious that as far as Al was concerned the ownership of the ring and stone had passed to him some time ago. He could begin to feel a little panicky. "How long have you had the Resurrection Stone, Al?"
Al promptly replied, "Since the end of my first year, Dad. I always knew what it was, and both the Centaurs and Mr. and Mrs. Scheria told me to keep it and not use it, to never ever use it because I wanted to, but to be ready to use it when someone else asked for and needed help. I talked a little more with Cleo, with the Centaurs, with Mr. and Mrs. Scheria, and they said I should be able to make the decision about helping someone, but to be sure to ask if I had any question. I also confirmed that I did the right thing by using it to heal Cleo after the Merpeople captured her."
Cleo jumped in with, "Oh Mr. Potter, I think it's real important we go right now. Al?"
Harry had decided that he did not want the Resurrection Stone, and he did not know what to do but to acknowledge the obvious; if someone was going to use the Resurrection Stone it was going to be Al. Harry was also very aware that this made Albus Master of the Deadly Hallows. Harry had given Al the cloak the end of his first year to see the Centaurs, and THE wand, Albus's wand, Albus Dumbledore and now Albus Severus Potter's wand, had come to Albus Potter from Albus Dumbledore's hands when Al needed a wand. Again, and again, Harry was reminded that in some ways it was easier walking to what he thought was his own death than to know your son was in danger, and there was nothing he could do but let what was going to happen, happen.
Harry told the four, "We need to go to St. Mungo's, to Teddy's room, and call on his parents and anyone else good we can to help heal him." Harry looked at the four students, and though of how much help Ron and Hermione had been to him so many years before. "Who should go, Al? Just you, you and someone else, or all four of you?"
Al looked at his three best friends, and they all looked like they wanted to come. "Best if all of us go, and everybody has to remember," at this he was looking at the other students, "that we are only doing this for Teddy, not for ourselves. Do not tell anyone what we are doing. Never mention this to anyone!"
Harry found Minerva, and told her that he needed the four students for a few hours, but he hoped they would be back that evening or at the latest the next morning. They then left for St. Mungo's through the private Floo in Minerva's office.
When Harry and the students arrived outside the room Andromeda was there, along with a healer.
Cleopatra saw Andromeda and told her, "We are going to call on help from beyond, from the dead, to heal Teddy and Victoire. Come in with us. Maybe your husband and daughter can help heal you too."
Harry looked at Albus, and Albus added, "I've learned to trust Cleo's instincts, dad. I feel good about this." So Andromeda went into the room with Harry and the students.
When the group walked into the room Fleur and her mother were there. Teddy and Victoire were awake but looked awful, and the wizard said that their vital signs were not very stable.
Al looked around and tried to think what to say. He turned to Harry and asked, "What do I say, dad? Who do I ask for?"
Harry replied, "Ask for his parents and any other help, help from good people, that you can get."
Albus turned the ring on his hand around three times, remembering what he had done when he had asked for help for Cleo, saying, "I call on Teddy's parents and any other help from those who truly love Teddy and Victoire, to come here and help, if your presence will truly help heal these two people."
Al and Harry, Rose, Cleo and Scorpius saw, walking to them as if they were coming out of another dimension, Remus and Tonks, and then Ted Tonks, and then to Harry's great surprise his parents, and at a distance several other people. Remus, Tonks and Ted put their hands on Teddy, and Lilly and James put their hands on Victoire. This seemed to last either a very long time or a very short time, or in the logic that is part of the spirit world maybe both.
Teddy and Victoire saw the same thing in their minds, Remus and Tonks holding Teddy and James and Lilly holding Victoire. The healers in the room did not see what the others saw, but they could tell that something was going on.
Remus spoke first. "Teddy, know that our love for you did not die when we did. We have been storming heaven and earth praying for you ever since, and our prayers have been answered. We regret you did not get to know us, but from the other side we know you better than if we had been alive. You will recover, and marry that beautiful woman by your side, and give us many grandchildren. You have become a hero, and we are very proud of you."
Tonks added, "Thank you for living, and growing up to be such a fine young man. I am so sorry I left you before the Battle of Hogwarts."
Teddy was very aware of the child and two pregnant witches he left behind on that cursed island. Three children that he hoped would live, and be able to be raised by him and Victoire someday. He knew that, to get the maps, he had done some terrible, dirty things. He could see that his parents knew. He also knew, in the logic of the spirit world, that they would never say they approved of what he did, but he was forgiven.
Remus and Tonks then turned to Harry and Al and Al's friends.
Remus spoke first. "We meet again, Harry, with you on this side of the veil and me on the other. Thank you for killing Tom Riddle, and for taking care of Teddy. Teddy will recover."
Tonks was next. "Harry, thank you for taking care of Teddy, and for bringing Teddy to our graves and for telling him about us. Be sure to thank Ginny and Molly and Arthur for taking care of Teddy andmy mother. You have never been without our love and have always been in our minds."
Both then said to Al, "Always use the Resurrection Stone to help others, never for yourself. If you do that other blessings will come, for you and for many others. Thank you for calling us to help Teddy."
They then said, "We need to talk to Andromeda."
Ted spoke first. "I still love you, Andromeda. You have felt too alone these last years. Please know that you can ask for help from beyond, help to keep you sane and strong these last years of your life."
Remus added, "It took a lot of courage to allow your daughter to marry me, and to bless the marriage. Thank you. It took courage to stand up to your family and marry Ted. Summon that courage, and know we are always with you."
Tonks then proclaimed, "You have one fight left, mum. Practice dueling. I cannot foresee if you need to practice just to become strong mentally, or if you will really be called on to fight, but practice and get strong! We all love you."
All three gave Andromeda a kiss before walking off into the distance and vanishing.
Harry then saw his parents, who smiled at him then turned to show two other people, Fred Weasley and someone who looked like another Weasley, like Fred's brother but with the beautiful hair of the Prewetts'. Fred had the latest Weasley's Wizard Wheezes uniform on, and the biggest, "we've gotten away with something" smile on, as he proclaimed, "The good guys are winning, thanks to some help from this side. Let me introduce Fabian Prewett Weasley."
Fabian was a young good looking man, but in the peculiar way the spirit works you could both see the full of life and fully grown young man and, at the same time, visible but not the focus of your attention, the most horribly mutilated baby Harry or the students could imagine. Somehow at first you did not notice the glimpse of the baby Fabian.
Fabian gave an exaggerated "pleased to meet you" bow, proclaiming, "Let mum and dad know that my sacrifice did not happen in vain, but ever since I have been storming heaven and earth praying for all of you. Teddy had a lot of help from the other side when he escaped." Fabian paused and grinned at Fred, then laughed, "It would have been a lot of fun growing up as the best looking of the Weasley brothers, but Fred and I have been busy here." They slapped their hands together with great big grins on their faces. "Great family we've been watching over," they roared together.
Everybody turned to Al and told him, "You bear a great responsibility. Do not bear it alone!"
The Weasley brothers then turned to Scorpius. "Ron really likes you. You have the blessing of Roses' uncles on this side." Harry could see that that Rose and Scorpius were getting closer and closer, and he could sure see them getting married. The dead brothers were correct. Despite himself and his hatred of Draco, Ron was beginning to really like Scorpius. The thought of Rose becoming a Malfoy was something that Ron was beginning to contemplate.
Somehow Harry then knew that Fabian was talking only to him, and that Rose and Scorpius would not remember this part of the conversation. Harry also knew that Albus and Cleo would share this memory.
Fabian then insisted, "You need to show this memory to Arthur and Molly. Mum, Dad, yes I suffered horribly. It was torture of the worst kind. People on your side will say that nothing can make up for that kind of suffering. They are wrong. One real moment in eternal bliss will make up for all I suffered and more. There is justice, terrible justice, on this side for those who do not ask for mercy, but heaven rejoices for everyone who turns away from evil. Rejoice for me and with me. Martyrs are awarded a special place in heaven, and my prayers for you and all the family have power. It is time to get out the few photos of me and the family. Give Harry the one photograph, and display other ones. Remember this brief view of paradise. Fred and I will be waiting for you."
Harry then saw his parents hugging Cleo, and then saw Cleo and Al together. Harry turned to go over to his parents, but everybody who had come because of the Resurrection Stone had started to fade.
"What did my parents say to you?" asked Harry of Al and Cleo.
"They welcomed me into the family," Cleo beamed, almost jumping for joy. "I said we were not married yet, but they said that they were delighted I had joined the family, and," looking at Al with obvious love in her eyes, "if I am honest they are right." She turned to Harry. "We are trying to be so good, Mr. Potter. It's getting harder and harder."
"I cannot imagine a life without Cleo, Dad," Albus added, "and I know we are way too young to be this serious about each other, but we are." Harry did not have anything to say about this, and just let it pass. Albus and Cleopatra had been linked on the Tapestry since their first year. It was obvious to everyone that those two were a couple. He took the four young people back to Hogwarts.
Harry then went home to see Ginny, to fill her in on what had happened before going back to Teddy.
2021