24 November 1997
Teddy was in the Forbidden Forest with Hagrid. Teddy no longer had detentions but as he had so few friends, save for the house elves, he continued nightly visits with Hagrid in search of wand-quality wood for Professor Flitwick's attempts at making wands. This meant searching for bowtruckles; Teddy knew that they only nested in trees of wand-quality wood, but they were cheeky little things and often hid in plain sight.
That cold November night, Teddy was joined by Ginny, Neville, and Luna, who had been in detention with Hagrid for a few weeks for trying to steal the sword of Gryffindor out of Snape's office. Usually, the three older students took care of harder tasks for Hagrid but tonight they were helping to find wand-quality wood.
Teddy was overjoyed when he was paired with Luna, as he'd yet to meet the eccentric witch in this time. He was practically bouncing on his heels when she strode toward him with her radish-shaped earrings and a pair of shimmery spectacles on her head.
"Hi, I'm Edward," Teddy said brightly, holding his hand out for Luna to shake.
"Hello, Edward. I'm Luna. Hagrid said we'd be looking for wand-quality wood tonight?"
"Yes! We need to find trees with bowtruckles. They never come out for me," replied Teddy, "but I reckon they will for you!"
"You have an awful lot of wrackspurts around your ears, Edward," said Luna, placing the shimmery spectacles over her eyes. "No wonder the bowtruckles don't want to find you."
Teddy grinned at her and gestured for her to follow him into the forest. "I've looked over here but maybe it's the wrackspurts getting in my way."
Luna cocked her head to one side, smiled thinly, and walked in another direction. Teddy walked briskly to follow her deeper into the forest than he'd ever been. It became progressively darker. Teddy cast the Wand Lighting Charm on his wand to lead him further; he was silently grateful for his sensitive hearing, which helped identify dangerous sounds.
"Are you sure this is safe, Luna?"
"Of course. The Dabberblimps by the lake will keep an eye on us."
Teddy shook his head, wondering what Dabberblimps were, but followed Luna deeper into the forest until they reached a clearing. Luna looked around her until she settled on a big tree. She placed her hands on the trunk and ran her fingers up to a low branch.
"Ouch." Luna turned around and grinned, despite the cut on her hand. She held a bowtruckle on her arm, which was blowing a raspberry at her.
"You found them!" cried Teddy. "What kind of tree is this?"
"A rowan," replied Luna. "These trees used to be planted by churches to ward away witches, but it never worked. My mum liked these…her wand was made out of rowan wood." Luna held up her wand and showed it off to the bowtruckle that had migrated to the top of her head. The bowtruckle looked down at Teddy and blew a raspberry at him too.
"Be nice, Mr. Bowtruckle," Teddy admonished. "We need your help."
The bowtruckle turned its back on Teddy and crossed its tiny, leafy arms in protest.
"Why don't you introduce yourself to some of the other bowtruckles? They might ignore the wrackspurts if you brush your ears first," Luna said serenely. She reached up to her head and let the bowtruckle climb her arm to go back to the rowan tree.
Teddy brought his robe sleeves up to his ears and brushed them off as best he could. He hadn't a clue what wrackspurts were but he did what he was told and walked back up to the rowan tree.
"Hello? Bowtruckles?" Teddy said timidly. "Can we take a branch or two please?"
The whole tree shook. Several bowtruckles came flying down from the upper branches and eyed Teddy warily. Most of them blew raspberries at him too.
"They like woodlice," said Luna. "I brought some with me." She reached into a pocket and dug out a fistful of grubby looking insects, saying, "Why don't you feed them? I should be able to distract them to get a branch or two."
Teddy extended his hands and immediately regretted it. The grubby, hairy woodlice were crawling all over his hands, making his skin crawl. He winced as he felt some of them crawling up his arms, but offered his hands up to the bowtruckles in the rowan tree.
A swarm of bowtruckles descended on him. Teddy nearly screamed when several bowtruckles were wrestling for woodlice on his hands; he was sure he was getting small cuts or bites from their frenzied feeding on the woodlice. He felt something crawling up his left arm, too, hoping it was either woodlice or an errant bowtruckle in search of more woodlice.
By the time the woodlice disappeared – Teddy could hardly believe the bowtruckles feasted so quickly – Luna held several branches of the rowan tree in her arms, looking serene as ever. Teddy was disheveled, covered in the remains of woodlice and dirt, and particularly unhappy that he'd become a giant fork for bowtruckles.
"They like you now," said Luna. "They don't like me as much anymore but we can come back to get more wood another night."
Teddy did not want to return to the bowtruckle tree; his adventures getting unicorn hair were much cleaner and nicer. Luna led them back through the forest while she chatted on something called Crumple-Horned Snorkacks. When she began talking about going home for the Christmas holidays, Teddy saw his chance.
"Don't go," said Teddy. "Please, stay here. You're safe here."
Luna sighed dreamily and smiled. "I can ask daddy if you can come home with me, Edward. I know you've been a little lonely. I felt that way too for a few years."
"No!" shouted Teddy, surprising Luna. "It's not that – well…it's not not that, I am lonely – your dad! He writes those articles in the Quibbler and…and…I'm worried about you."
Luna's brows flew up into her forehead. "You're worried about me?"
"I know, I know, I don't really know you but you're safe here."
"That's kind of you, Edward, but I'll be just fine. I have daddy."
Teddy bit back a whimper. He knew that Luna would escape from Malfoy Manor with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, but Dobby would die in the process. Dobby!
"Luna, wait," Teddy said suddenly. "Dobby!"
The little elf appeared with a soft pop before Luna and Teddy.
"Mister Edward calls for his friend Dobby?" Dobby said, grinning toothily. "Mister Edward made a friend!"
"Dobby, this is Luna," Teddy said. "Luna, this is my friend Dobby."
"Dobby is honored to meet Mister Edward's friend!"
Luna extended her hand to Dobby and he shook her hand vigorously enough that the hats on his head shook slightly.
"Dobby, is it all right if Luna calls for you sometime if she needs help?" asked Teddy. "You can find her, can't you?"
"Dobby will help Mister Edward's friend Luna whenever she needs!" Dobby agreed happily.
"Thank you, Dobby," Teddy said kindly. "You're a good friend." Dobby burst into happy tears and compared Teddy's kindness to Harry Potter's, to Teddy's amusement. If he ever saw Harry again, he would be sure to tell him about Dobby's comparison. Dobby shook both their hands again and disappeared with another crack.
"See, Luna? Just ask for Dobby. He'll come help you if you're in trouble. He's a free elf, you see, and he works at Hogwarts."
Luna gazed at Teddy pensively for a few moments. "You remind me of a professor I had before – maybe you've heard of him? Professor Lupin?"
Teddy gasped and nodded; was it possible she knew?
"You remind me of him," Luna said absentmindedly. "He was a good professor and very kind. You have the same facial expressions."
Teddy squawked awkwardly and Luna laughed. "I heard Professor Lupin make that sound once after a lesson on werewolves. Did you know he was a werewolf? I knew it right away. I hope he's all right – I heard he got married last summer."
Teddy was relieved when they reached the edge of the forest. Luna was too perceptive for her own good, he thought, and he didn't need anyone asking after his true parents. Luna greeted Ginny and Neville brightly, who in turn politely greeted Teddy. They held armfuls of different kinds of wood. Luna winked at Teddy, as if to say they were they only ones with wand-quality wood.
"I'll take these to Professor Flitwick," offered Luna. "He's a good friend of mine now."
Hagrid came around to look at the four of them. "Good ter see yeh all. Go on up ter the castle now – s'not safe ter stay out here fer much longer!"
Teddy followed Neville, Ginny, and Luna back up to the Entrance Hall. When they parted ways and Teddy was back in his Hufflepuff dormitory, he undressed to find a bowtruckle still hiding up his sleeve.
"What are you doing here?" asked Teddy, surprised. "Did you mean to come with me, Mr. Bowtruckle? I can't take you back now." The bowtruckle blew a raspberry at him and turned around, crossing its branchlike arms together in protest.
"It's not my fault! I've got curfew!" The bowtruckle leapt off Teddy's arm and settled on one of the posters on Teddy's bed.
"You can stay if you like but I can't take you back till tomorrow," said Teddy. "I have to close my curtains too." The bowtruckle kept its back turned to Teddy. Sighing in defeat, Teddy got into bed and put the usual charms on his curtains. He would simply return the bowtruckle to the forest the next chance he had.
…..
14 December 1997
Teddy was on a mission. He was set to return to the Hospital Wing that evening for a few potions to help him through the full moon. He hoped Yasmin would be there again so he could talk to her. He had a plan, which required the help of the now-named bowtruckle, Puck. When Teddy tried returning Puck to the forest, the bowtruckle balked and blew raspberries in Teddy's ear until he turned around and returned to the castle. Since that day, Puck became Teddy's constant companion. Puck usually hid in one of Teddy's robe pockets during the day; he delighted in taking Teddy's quills and hiding them in various spots. Teddy didn't mind having Puck in his pocket. It was nice to have a little companion, even if it was a mischievous one.
That night, Teddy planned on having Puck deliver a note he'd written to Yasmin. He hoped that if Yasmin stayed in the infirmary again, she might speak to him. Teddy longed for a friend closer to his age, especially one who didn't have to hide their friendship. As kind as Ginny and Neville were sometimes, they kept him at an arm's length. Luna was busy with them most of the time; the three of them led a sort of anti-Death Eater resistance in the school. Teddy couldn't be seen anywhere near them in public because of this.
Teddy took a deep breath before he opened the door to the Hospital Wing. He morphed his cheeks a very delicate shade of green to pretend he was sicker than he was.
"Mr. Snape," Madam Pomfrey said crisply. "You're looking ill."
"I've got a headache and I don't feel well at all," Teddy replied truthfully. With the upcoming full moon he did feel chills, body aches, and slightly queasy in his midsection.
"Take a bed. I'll be with you in a moment." Pomfrey rushed off to her stores to find several potions for Teddy. Puck was hidden in Teddy's pocket, which held the note to Yasmin. He sat down on the first available bed in the middle of the infirmary. Various other students were in the infirmary, many of whom sported physical injuries. Teddy bitterly thought the injuries came from the Carrows' "practical" lessons on the Dark Arts. He hated the Carrows more than he hated Snape; at least Snape fought for the right side, while the Carrows were sadistic and cruel for no reason.
The infirmary doors opened and in came Yasmin Shafiq, looking unhappy as ever. Teddy decided to wave at her but she scowled and turned her nose up at him.
"Puck," whispered Teddy. Puck stuck out his head from Teddy's pocket. "That's her, over there. When Madam Pomfrey closes the curtains and leaves her alone you take the note to her, all right?"
Puck gave a tiny, leafy nod and disappeared back into Teddy's pocket. As a reward, Teddy had a handful of woodlice waiting for Puck in a little jar.
Madam Pomfrey brought Teddy several potions before turning to Yasmin. Teddy took his potions dutifully and waited patiently for the hospital matron to finish with Yasmin. As with the last moon, Pomfrey closed the curtains around Yasmin's bed after speaking with her. Teddy heard everything, of course, and set Puck off with the note as soon as Pomfrey was out of sight. He had finished his potions and quickly went out of the infirmary to wait for Puck to return with Yasmin's reply. He was sure she'd offer her friendship to him.
The minutes passed and Puck came out from under the Hospital Wing doors with a scrap of paper in his tiny mouth.
"Puck! You did it!" Teddy said gratefully. He lifted Puck from the ground, took the note from him, and then Puck tucked back into Teddy's robe pocket.
Teddy opened the note excitedly but his face fell when he read Yasmin's reply.
"Sod off, Snape."
"Why doesn't she want to be my friend?" Teddy said dejectedly, looking back at the infirmary doors. Puck stuck his head out of Teddy's pocket and frowned at him. "Well, at least you're my friend, Puck. Let's get you some more woodlice. You did a good job, even if it didn't work out for me."
Teddy walked back to the Hufflepuff common room in low spirits. He'd been so sure his note would be well received, but as with his many attempts at making friends, it was another spectacular failure.
…..
21 December 1997
It was the last day before students left for the Christmas holidays. Teddy was one of the only Hufflepuffs staying behind at the castle. He didn't want to go back to Spinner's End, where Snape's home was, to be alone for two weeks. Teddy hoped to spend more time with Hagrid over the holidays and maybe get some fairy eggs for Puck to eat for Christmas.
Teddy was at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, foraging for fairy eggs, when a familiar, sing-song voice called his name. He turned around and beamed, having spotted Luna at the edge of the forest too.
"Luna! I haven't seen you in ages!" Teddy said brightly. "How are you?"
"Very well, Edward," Luna replied. "I'm going home tomorrow. It's going to be good to see daddy and our gnomes again."
Teddy bit the inside of his cheek. He knew that Luna would be kidnapped on the Hogwarts Express and taken to Malfoy Manor as a punishment for her father's articles in The Quibbler. This, in turn, would lead Xenophilius Lovegood to try to turn Harry, Ron, and Hermione into the Ministry when they visited him to talk about the Deathly Hallows.
Weeks before, he'd tried to convince Luna to stay behind at the castle, but she'd refused. At least she knew Dobby now, thought Teddy – Dobby could be called on to keep her safe.
"What's wrong, Edward?"
"Nothing," Teddy mumbled. "Remember Dobby can help you, please. Other people, too, probably." He added the last words while thinking of poor Mr. Ollivander, who was probably being tortured by the Death Eaters that very moment.
"Don't worry about me," Luna said dreamily. "You're a kind boy to think of me…are you going to see your family for Christmas?"
"No. I'm staying here. I really miss home, especially my Gran."
"Can I ask you something, Edward?"
"Okay?"
"Is your Gran a vampire?"
Teddy looked at Luna incredulously – where had she gotten that idea? He heard some people thought Snape was a vampire, simply because of how pale he was and how bat-like his billowing robes made him look, but there wasn't any way he could've been one.
"No…why do you ask?"
"I heard some students say you told them your Gran is dead," Luna said calmly. "But other people say she's alive because you wrote a letter to her before. Only a vampire can be dead and undead at the same time."
Teddy's eyes grew wide. He'd completely forgotten his Gran was supposed to be dead…or was it deathly ill? It had been weeks since he'd bothered to see his supposed "father" Snape and re-confirmed his backstory. Not knowing how else to answer, he tried to smile weakly and shake his head.
"It's all right if she's a vampire, Edward. I won't tell anyone."
Teddy darted his eyes back and forth from Luna to the trees. He kept his jaw clenched and nodded, feeling his cheeks burn in the process. Andromeda Tonks was definitely not a vampire, but he could pretend his fake grandmother, Ana, was.
"It's okay," Teddy said slowly. "You can tell some people…that's why I can't live with her or see her anymore." He hastily returned to the trees to look for fairy eggs, to avoid Luna's piercing gaze.
"What are you looking for?"
Teddy sighed in relief at the sudden change in subject. "Fairy eggs. My bowtruckle friend, Puck, likes them and it's for Christmas."
"There are fairies this way." Luna gestured for him to follow her into a bright clearing in the forest. She pointed up and Teddy was pleased to see plenty of fairies up in the branches. "Look for the underside of leaves. A single leaf can hold up to fifty eggs but make sure they're still tiny or the fairies will be upset with you."
While Luna made some high-pitched screeching sound to distract the fairies, Teddy reached around the trees and found a few leaves that held several fairy eggs each. He smiled to himself, thinking Puck would have the happiest Christmas of his life.
When he'd placed the leaves into a glass jar and closed it tightly, he joined Luna, who was covered from head to toe in bright, twinkling fairies. From where he stood she almost looked like a fairy herself.
"Thank you, Luna," said Teddy. "You have no idea how much this means to me."
"What are friends for, silly?"
Teddy waited for the fairies to leave before giving Luna a hug. He hoped with all his might she'd remember Dobby and come back to Hogwarts in the new year, safe and sound.
…..
24 December 1997
There were fewer than fifteen students remaining at the castle for Christmas in 1997. The only other Hufflepuff staying behind was Ernie Macmillan, but he'd only stayed because he was a pureblood and Head Boy. He was relatively safe and he thought it was his duty to stay behind. He and the Head Girl, a nasty, pug-faced Slytherin girl called Pansy Parkinson, shared quarters somewhere else in the castle, leaving Teddy completely alone in the Hufflepuff common room.
A few Ravenclaws – all older students – stayed behind. Not a single Gryffindor remained at Hogwarts. The rest of the students who stayed at the castle were Slytherins.
The near silence of the castle was unnerving, so Teddy took to exploring it during the daytime. He wished he had the Marauder's Map – it was meant to be his as soon as he started at Hogwarts – but he thought it was with Harry while he was on the run. Harry promised Teddy that since he too was a son of one of the Marauders, the Map belonged with him.
Without the Marauder's Map, Teddy was left to his own devices to look through the castle and learn for himself where all the hiding places could be. He learned quickly that taking Puck with him was a good idea; the little bowtruckle was talented at lock-picking, even when Alohomora wouldn't work.
Today, his goal was to find the Room of Requirement to see if Ravenclaw's diadem was still there. He had no intention of removing it – the thought that a piece of Voldemort was held within it was enough to terrify him. When Uncle Harry told him about the soul bits just a few weeks before Teddy's time travel accident, he said the magic was so Dark it affected him, Aunt Hermione, and Uncle Ron very badly when they were on the run and made them say and do hurtful things to each other.
Teddy just wanted to know it was there and ready to be destroyed once the Battle of Hogwarts came around. He still didn't know what he'd do when the second of May arrived…or if the Battle of Hogwarts would even happen the way it did originally. He had no hope that he could save his parents or grandfather anymore but he hoped with all his might that something would happen to help them stay alive.
Teddy knew the Room of Requirement was on an upper floor. He started with the fifth floor, but the only item of interest there was the portrait of the Fat Lady that led to the Gryffindor common room. He hoped that one day he'd see the inside of it to know what it was like when his father and godfather went to school at Hogwarts.
The sixth floor had a few classrooms, but nothing interesting. Teddy was ready to give up hope on the seventh floor when he noticed a set of doors appear out of thin air in the middle of the wall.
Teddy gleefully rushed toward the doors and opened them to find a gigantic space filled with the strangest collection of items he'd ever seen. There were old, battered broomsticks. Stacks of dusty tomes lined beaten bookcases. Old owl cages, tattered robes, and even a broken record player came into Teddy's line of vision.
He had arrived at the Room of Requirement; thus, he began the hunt for Ravenclaw's supposedly lost diadem.
Teddy began to lose hope after some time. Puck was tired too and he waved around his leafy limbs in protest.
"Sorry, Puck," Teddy said apologetically. "Give me a few more minutes. We can always come back later after you've gotten your Christmas present."
Puck blew a raspberry at Teddy and went back into the robe pocket to pout. Teddy rolled his eyes; for every sweet thing Puck did for Teddy, he would have a miniature tantrum over something innocuous.
Teddy reckoned he'd been in the Room of Requirement for at least two hours and still hadn't found a thing that could be a diadem, crown, or tiara. He wished Uncle Harry had taken a picture of it before it was destroyed but he remembered that before the diadem was destroyed, Uncle Draco narrowly escaped with his life with Uncle Harry's help.
Something shiny distracted Teddy. He looked in its direction and found a tall, wardrobe-looking thing with a shiny bit of gold that had strange letters poking out from the top. It was covered in a large cloth, so Teddy removed it and coughed off the dust that fell onto his face.
Teddy fell over backwards and onto an old dresser when he saw what lay in front of him. He took several double-takes and turned around in a circle three times before he was sure he was alone.
Based on what he saw, he knew what he was looking at. He was standing before the Mirror of Erised, the same mirror that had once shown Uncle Harry his dead parents when he was an 11 year old first year.
It was Teddy's turn in front of the mirror and his eyes watered at the sight of seeing himself with his parents and grandparents all at once, all alive, and just the way he pictured them.
His Gran, Andromeda, was smiling and kissing Dora's temple. Teddy knew how much his Gran missed her daughter and seeing his Gran so whole and happy was a mesmerizing sight.
Standing next to Gran was Granddad, big-bellied, fair-haired, and grinning in the same way as Teddy had seen for so many years in pictures. Teddy put his hand up on the mirror, amazed to see his namesake so alive.
The real treasure, thought Teddy, were the two people standing on either side of him. Nymphadora Lupin, on his right, had bubblegum pink hair in soft curls that flopped onto her forehead, though the sides were shorn. Her dark eyes twinkled and crinkled in the corners. She was laughing; if Teddy thought hard enough, he could almost hear her laughter, imagining the wonderful sound it would make.
On Teddy's left was his true father, Remus Lupin. Teddy gasped, seeing that Remus didn't have any scars on his face or hands. He was still wearing shabby robes, as he did in all the pictures Teddy had ever seen of his father, but he too was healthy, whole, and very much alive. Remus was smiling broadly in Teddy's direction. He pressed a kiss to Dora's other temple, causing her to giggle all that much harder.
Teddy looked like himself again, too. His skin looked healthier. His hair was like his mother's, but instead a bright turquoise and with a straight fringe that fell into his eyes. His eyes were his father's – a honey brown that glistened with joy. The 11 year old Teddy in the mirror looked so happy. All Teddy wanted was to reach into the mirror and have it all – he wanted a life where his grandfather lived. He wanted a life where he was raised by his pink-haired mother and his shabby father. He wanted them so badly it made his heart hurt.
"What are you doing here?"
Teddy turned around again and squawked upon seeing one of the big ape boys from Slytherin staring at him. This one was called Crabbe.
"I…was looking around?" Teddy said lamely. "It's not past curfew."
"Leave the kid alone," another voice drawled. "Remember? That's Snape's kid."
Crabbe narrowed his eyes at Teddy and growled. He turned on his heel and lumbered elsewhere.
"We're using this space now." Draco Malfoy looked down at Teddy with contempt. It wasn't an unusual look for Draco at all, but Teddy still didn't like seeing it, especially after seeing his parents in the mirror.
"What's that?" Malfoy asked, pointing to the mirror.
"It's the Mirror of Erised," Teddy said promptly. "It shows what you want most in the world."
Malfoy pushed Teddy out of the way and stood in front of the mirror. He gasped and stumbled backwards, just as Teddy had done.
"What did you see?" asked Teddy eagerly.
"None of your business," Malfoy snarled. "Get – out."
"You can't make me leave!"
Malfoy flicked his wand at Teddy's backside, where he felt a painful sting in his right thigh.
"Ow! What was that for?" Teddy yelped.
"I told you to get out," Malfoy said coldly. "Now."
Teddy limped to the doors of the Room of Requirement, whimpering as he walked. He'd been hit with a Stinging Jinx, which hurt terribly. Puck stuck his leafy head out of Teddy's pocket and frowned.
"It's all right, Puck," Teddy mumbled, trying to keep the tears back. "It hurts but I'm okay."
Puck blew a large raspberry behind Teddy in Malfoy's direction.
Teddy limped all the way down from the seventh floor corridor to the infirmary. His right thigh was throbbing by the time he arrived there and his eyes were watering from the jinx.
"Mr. Snape," Madam Pomfrey said curtly. "How can I help you?"
"Stinging Jinx," Teddy replied. "Here." He pointed to his thigh and tried rolling up his trousers but it was too painful to bend over.
"Who did this to you?"
"N-no one."
"You jinxed yourself?"
"Yes?"
Pomfrey looked at him dubiously but helped him onto a bed and pulled a curtain around. She removed his trousers for him, making him blush, but had Dittany ready for him.
"Thank you," Teddy said softly, as the wound healed itself quickly. "Can I stay here for a little while longer, please?"
"Are you ill?"
"No…I, err…" Teddy didn't want to say he would be spending Christmas Eve alone, even though it was the truth. Though Madam Pomfrey wasn't the warmest witch he knew, he preferred some company over none.
"Then you have no need to be here," Pomfrey said crisply. "Go on."
Teddy wasn't sure what had done it, but Pomfrey's stern directive led him to burst into tears. He hated feeling like a crybaby, especially at 11 years old, but it was too much to contain. Seeing his parents in the Mirror of Erised, combined with the heavy loneliness he'd carried for months, had tipped him over the edge.
"Oh dear," Pomfrey said, concerned. "Are you all right? What hurts?"
Teddy wasn't all right. He felt almost nothing but scorn and disdain from nearly everyone he'd encountered at Hogwarts and he was beside himself with grief and loneliness. He felt no physical pain – instead, a cavernous emptiness had replaced whatever he used to feel.
He sobbed loudly from where he sat on the thin infirmary mattress, putting his face in his hands to try to hide his tears from the hospital matron.
Teddy heard her fussing over him now until she gasped loudly and took a few steps away from him.
He took his hands away from his face only to realize that his long curtain of black hair was no longer framing his face. Instead, he put his hands on his head and grasped at the fine sandy brown hair he'd been naturally born with and stared up at Madam Pomfrey, who was gaping, openmouthed at him.
"You…just like…spitting image," Pomfrey whispered, from behind her hand. "It can't be."
"No, no, no, no, no!" Teddy said, panicked. He closed his eyes and morphed his hair back to its inky black and focused on changing what little he could to go back to his "Snape" morph.
"A…Metamorphmagus? But…it can't be…she's too young…" Pomfrey muttered under her breath, looking searchingly into Teddy's face.
Teddy's panic was threatening to overwhelm him. He stood suddenly in an attempt to run away but slipped on the sheet and knocked into something very, very hard.
…..
25 December 1997
When Teddy woke, he was still in the infirmary. Curtains surrounded him on all sides and he coughed lightly, wincing as he felt his head throb.
"You're awake," Madam Pomfrey said gently. Teddy gasped when he realized his Snape morph hadn't held, as the black hair was nowhere near his face. He pushed back into the bed, terrified, until Pomfrey put her hand on his knee.
"I'm not going to ask you any questions about your appearance, current or otherwise. I'll give you a moment to adjust and when I return, you'll be the same Edward Snape I saw yesterday afternoon, all right?"
She disappeared behind the curtain and Teddy scrunched his eyes together until he knew his Snape morph was set where it should be. He cleared his throat lightly and she returned to see him.
"You fell and hit your head. Not the first time I've seen it from a Metamorphmagus, I might add," Pomfrey said wryly. Teddy's jaw dropped and he held the thin hospital sheet up to his nose in fear.
"You don't need to tell me anything. Am I to understand I should know you as Edward Snape?"
Teddy nodded, still terrified to say anything else to her.
"Very well. You are Mr. Snape as long as you are in my care. If I were to ask how you react to aconite, would I be correct in assuming you react poorly to it?"
Teddy nodded again, his eyes growing ever rounder under the questioning. To his shock, Pomfrey smiled; it was the first time he'd ever seen a warm expression on her face.
"I found this note next to Miss Shafiq's bed at the last full moon," Pomfrey said, levitating a small bit of parchment into Teddy's hands. "I think the person you're referring to in the note is a mutual ginger-haired acquaintance."
"Yes," Teddy said, in barely more than a whisper.
Pomfrey's smile grew even wider while Teddy cowered further in fear. No one was supposed to know! No one could know Snape was a double agent! The war would be lost!
"Very well, Mr. Snape," Pomfrey said kindly. "Happy Christmas. Take a few of these vials with you for Pain Relief Potion. I hope to see you at the Christmas feast this evening."
"Y-you…you're n-not…I need to obliviate y-you," Teddy said shakily.
"Even if you could do that at your age, Mr. Snape, there's no need. You are Edward Snape, the son of the Headmaster, Severus Snape," Pomfrey said calmly. "I keep my patients' information to myself, no matter what its nature is."
"O…kay," stammered Teddy. "Please…"
"You are welcome to come back for potions on the twelfth of January. I'll be expecting you then, unless you need to see me sooner."
Teddy remembered that the twelfth was the full moon…she figured it out. She figured him out. He swallowed hard and took the offered potions.
"Mr. Snape," Madam Pomfrey said, just as he reached the doors, "I promise. Whatever it is you are keeping, it is safe with me. You're most welcome to come back whenever you need."
Teddy squeaked a "yes" and ran as fast as his legs could take him to the Hufflepuff common room. Once there, he began panicking and pacing the space while talking to himself.
"She knows, she knows, she knows!"
"It's only a matter of time till someone finds out!"
"I've ruined everything, everything, everything!"
"Edward?"
Teddy recoiled and walked back into an armchair upon seeing Ernie Macmillan arrive to the Hufflepuff common room.
"Ernie," Teddy greeted nervously, hoping that the older boy hadn't heard any of what he'd just said.
"You all right there?"
"Yes."
Ernie eyed Teddy warily but produced a small package from his pocket and offered it to him. "Susan and Hannah sent me this to give to you. They didn't tell me why they had it sent to me instead of you."
Teddy grabbed the little package and opened it immediately. Inside lay a little badger pin with a note that read "Thinking of you. Happy Christmas from S&H."
"You got the badger pin," Ernie said, surprised.
"What's so special about it?" Teddy pinned it to his robes immediately, pleased to see the little badger shining on his lapel.
"It means they think you'd make a good prefect one day."
"They do?"
"They must. It's how Professor Sprout identifies students that others hold in high esteem. I got the pin my first year, too."
"Wow," Teddy breathed. "Wicked."
Ernie shrugged but his eyebrows were still arched. "The feast is in a few hours. We'll see you there, yeah?"
Teddy nodded enthusiastically, still astonished by the shiny badger pin on his robes.
"Don't be late, Snape," Ernie said seriously, as he went out the entrance to the common room. "Wouldn't be proper for a future prefect to be late."
Teddy smiled softly as he looked at the pin. His only wish was someone to share his joy with, so he retreated to his dormitory.
He was unsurprised when he opened the dormitory door and found Puck sitting on his bed with his leafy arms crossed in anger.
"I'm sorry, Puck," Teddy said apologetically. "I didn't mean to fall and crack my head open, or whatever I did yesterday."
Puck stuck his tongue out and growled.
"I have something for you. Trust me, you'll like it." Teddy reached into his trunk and pulled out the jar full of leaves and fairy eggs. Puck was already on Teddy's arm before he could even present the jar to his bowtruckle friend.
"See? I told you that you'd like it. Happy Christmas, Puck." Teddy unscrewed the cap of the jar and gave it to Puck, who stuck his leafy arms inside and began feasting on the fairy eggs.
Teddy now turned his gaze onto his bed, which had a small pile of presents on it.
"Wow, more presents! See, Puck? I didn't expect anything!" Puck was too busy devouring fairy eggs to bother with Teddy, so he tore open the first package to find a colorful, hand-knitted jumper from Dobby. Teddy's eyes watered upon seeing it. It reminded him of the hand-knitted jumpers Auntie Molly always made him, year after year, even though Teddy wasn't a true Weasley.
The only other package was from Hagrid, who'd gotten him a book on the care and keeping of bowtruckles. He showed it to Puck, whose midsection was slightly swollen from his feast of fairy eggs.
"It's not much, but it's better than what I expected," Teddy said to himself, as he put his new jumper on. It was striped in many clashing colors but he loved it for all its color. Dobby lovingly made it for him, making Teddy wonder if Luna was all right or if she'd found a way to get Dobby to help her.
His thoughts drifted to what others might be doing that Christmas Day. He thought of his parents and Gran, trying not to let his loneliness run away again. He thought of his grandfather, somewhere on the run with a goblin and a few Muggleborns. He thought of Harry and Hermione, who were probably in Godric's Hollow or would be there soon enough…he hoped with all his might that they would find safety soon.
Teddy even thought of Ron, who would come back to Harry and Hermione soon, assuming he'd still left them in the first place.
"Puck, I know you don't care about my problems very much, but do you think you could get off my head for a minute?" said Teddy. "It's almost time for the feast and I don't want to miss it."
Puck lazily crawled down Teddy's head and nestled into his jumper. Though Puck liked to complain about almost anything, he stuck to Teddy like a Sticking Charm.
"All right, Puck, you've got to be good. Hannah and Susan think I'd be a good prefect and I wouldn't want to disappoint them, okay?"
Puck moved his leafy head around as if to agree. With the bowtruckle's promise of good behavior, Teddy made his way out of the common room and up to the Great Hall for the Christmas feast.
…..
12 January 1998
Classes were back in full swing at Hogwarts. Luna was nowhere to be seen, no matter how hard Teddy looked. He tried summoning Dobby but the house elf didn't reply. He grew worried that something happened to both Luna and Dobby; what if they got hurt? Or worse, killed? He tried to push the thoughts out of his head…he would never forgive himself if Luna died or Dobby died when he wasn't "supposed" to die.
Teddy was trying to soothe himself when he arrived at the infirmary for potions at the full moon. He'd avoided Madam Pomfrey since Christmas, hoping she wouldn't bring up anything that she saw that day. So far no one had made any comment towards Teddy that would make him believe his secret was revealed, but he worried endlessly that sooner or later, his true identity would be uncovered and everyone he loved would be in even more mortal danger.
Teddy rushed into the infirmary and took the first available bed to wait for Madam Pomfrey. He grinned upon seeing Yasmin in the bed across from his, but she turned her nose up at him and scowled.
"Mr. Snape, I'll be with you in a moment," Madam Pomfrey said. "You may stay overnight if you'd like."
He nodded and she pulled curtains around Yasmin's bed. She cast a Muffling Charm, but Teddy still heard the conversation with his heightened sense of hearing so close to the full moon.
"I found the note Mr. Snape left you last month," Pomfrey said quietly. "I know he's telling the truth."
Something clattered behind Yasmin's curtain and she made a strangled sound from the back of her throat.
"You don't have to talk to him, Miss Shafiq, but I have every reason to believe that he's honest," Pomfrey continued. "It may help if you had someone to talk to about all this."
"I don't want to," Yasmin said firmly. "I'm fine."
"As you wish, Miss Shafiq. Take your potions and I'll see you in the morning."
Madam Pomfrey returned to Teddy and gave him similar potions before closing his curtains and placing both Locking and Silencing Charms on them for the night. Before Teddy fell asleep, he asked Madam Pomfrey to ask the elves for a special treat for Yasmin in the morning, hoping she would like it as much as he did the morning after a full moon.
When Teddy woke early the next morning, he decided to try waiting for Yasmin again to ask if she liked the treat. He hoped that with Madam Pomfrey's support, he might win her over. He almost giggled to himself in the corridor outside the Hospital Wing, thinking of the many tales Auntie Molly shared of how his mother, Nymphadora, had tried to wear down his father Remus's insistence that he was no good for her. Teddy admitted to himself he might've been more like his mother than he previously thought.
Yasmin stepped outside of the infirmary and frowned upon seeing Teddy waiting for her.
"What now?" she snapped.
"Madam Pomfrey said I was telling the truth!" Teddy blurted. Yasmin stepped back, startled.
"You heard – but the charm."
"I told you," Teddy said impatiently, "I'm sort of like you…did you like what Madam Pomfrey had for you?" Yasmin's expression softened slightly before going back to her suspicious glare.
"What do you know?" she hissed, furrowing her brow at him. She crossed her arms over her chest now.
"I had her send us both steak tartare," Teddy said, with his hands up, as if in surrender. "It's a French dish. My aunt made it for my uncle – the one like us – and she made it for me once and I loved it. Did you like it?"
Yasmin still held a guarded expression but nodded. Teddy forced himself not to whoop with joy and startle her further.
"If you liked that," Teddy said, his heart thumping loudly, "I can show you the kitchens. They're by the Hufflepuff common room and the elves will make it for you whenever you like. I have it every moon."
Yasmin slowly lowered her arms and brought them to her sides.
"I promise I haven't said anything to anyone," Teddy said quickly. "I don't really have friends, except for him." Teddy nudged his pocket and Puck came out to glare at Yasmin and blow a raspberry at her. Despite Puck's nearly indifferent behavior toward Teddy, he was outright hostile to anyone who was unkind to his friend.
"Please, Yasmin?"
"Why do you care?" she snapped. "You don't even know me. What do you want from me? To spy on me?"
"No! I just thought…you could use a friend."
"I don't."
"Okay, I could use a friend," Teddy admitted sheepishly. He mustered his best smile for Yasmin. "Remember? It's just me and Puck…and Hagrid sometimes."
"That's pathetic," accused Yasmin.
Teddy winced but noticed Yasmin hadn't left yet. He stood patiently, buying time until Yasmin made a decision.
"Maybe we don't have to be friends but I'll take you to the elves?" Teddy suggested. "We can have steak tartare together the next moon?"
Yasmin appeared deep in thought. After a few moments of tense silence, she said, "Fine. But I'm not going to the kitchens with you now. I'll meet you at eight o'clock the next moon and we'll go then."
"Really?" Teddy yelped. "You will?"
"What did I just say?" Yasmin said flatly. "I'm going now. Don't talk to me for another month."
Teddy bounced from one foot to the other. If all went well, he'd have a new friend in the next month.