A/N: The chapter's title is inspired by the song of the same name from the TV show "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend."

13 January 1998

Without the urgency of saving his parents and grandparents looming over his head, Teddy redoubled his efforts in his classes. His marks in his classes were unremarkable - a few "Exceeds Expectations" and many more "Acceptables" were his most common marks.

Professor Snape had made it all but impossible for Teddy to communicate with or save anyone he loved. All Teddy wanted now was to make it through the term in relative peace and hope that something changed at the Battle of Hogwarts so that at least one of his parents would make it home safely. At worst, he decided, he'd come back to his Gran and life would go back to normal.

He didn't want to disappoint his Gran with his first year marks, so he decided to work harder, starting by helping the professors so he could make a better impression on them. Once the Battle of Hogwarts was over and the war was won, he could tell people who he really was. He didn't want anyone to think worse of him because he'd had to go by Edward Snape for a year.

With this in mind, he lingered after Charms class that afternoon to speak with Professor Flitwick. When all the students had gone, Teddy walked up to Flitwick with a smile.

"Mr. Snape. How can I help you?"

"I heard you were trying to make wands - from Hagrid," replied Teddy. "I helped him get the wand-quality wood and the unicorn hair, sir."

"That was good of you, Mr. Snape. The wood and unicorn hair are currently in my office."

"I was wondering…do you need help? I don't know much about making wands but I want to help if I can."

"Yes, Miss Lovegood mentioned–"

"-have you seen her?" Teddy interrupted. "Luna? Where did she go? Is she all right?"

Flitwick looked momentarily stunned but shook his head from side to side. "I do not know of Miss Lovegood's whereabouts, Mr. Snape. If I did, it wouldn't be my place to tell you, I'm afraid."

"Oh. Okay…I miss her," Teddy bit his lip worriedly. "If you know where she is or you find out, can you have her tell me she's okay? I don't want anything to happen to her."

Flitwick gazed at Teddy pensively for several moments. "If I come across Miss Lovegood I will let her now. I'm afraid I must disappoint you, Mr. Snape, as I don't know where she is."

"That's all right," said Teddy slowly. "Can I still help you make wands?"

"You may. Stop by my office on Friday at four o'clock." Flitwick flicked his wand and his classroom righted itself in seconds, as Teddy watched in awe.

"You'll learn some of these spells over the next few years, Mr. Snape. I'll see you on Friday."

Teddy grinned and ran out the door in a good mood. With any luck, he'd help all the professors and ensure he made his Gran proud when he saw her again.

…..

14 January 1998

Teddy's head throbbed. He was in his first class of the day, Potions, and first years were making Wiggenweld Potion. One of the ingredients was wolfsbane, also called aconite, which he was sensitive to because of his werewolf father. Teddy glanced frequently at Yasmin, who appeared to be in as much discomfort as he was.

He strongly suspected she had been scratched or injured by a werewolf at some point - but wasn't a werewolf herself - and it explained why she was at the infirmary every full moon. She promised that at the next full moon she'd come to meet him for steak tartare - a dish he'd shared with her at the last full moon two days before - but told him not to speak with her until February's full moon.

Teddy could hardly contain his excitement over having a real friend his age. The wait to talk to her was made more difficult by the fact that they shared a workstation in Potions alongside a new oddball Ravenclaw, Eneko Gebara. Teddy had arrived early to Potions to ensure he had a place near Yasmin, even if she said she wouldn't talk to him, but Eneko unexpectedly joined them and interrupted Teddy's plan to talk to her.

So far, the entire Potions lesson had been silent at their workstation. While the students of the other houses and workstations talked among themselves, the ragtag Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, and Slytherin trio worked in total silence. Teddy wondered why Eneko wasn't with the other Ravenclaws, but perhaps he had yet to make friends himself.

Eneko hadn't been sorted on the first of September; he arrived just after the Christmas holidays and was sorted into Ravenclaw. Teddy thought he made a fitting Ravenclaw, as the boy's beaklike-nose, bright blue eyes, and inky black hair reminded him of a magpie.

No one said anything about Eneko's sudden appearance, but Teddy thought he might have been a student whose parents were forced to send him to Hogwarts because of the Ministry law requiring all magical students to enroll. Teddy hadn't yet tried to befriend Eneko but he hadn't noticed anyone trying to befriend him, even the Ravenclaws.

Teddy saw his opportunity to make a new friend when he smelled something unusual in Eneko's pile of ingredients. He surreptitiously sniffed around Eneko's cauldron and found that Yasmin was eyeing a bright green leaf suspiciously as well.

"Err…Eneko?" Teddy said. "I think you've got the wrong ingredient."

Eneko frowned and looked at his ingredients. "No, I don't. My name is not Ee-nee-ko. It sounds like 'an echo.'"

"Eneko," Teddy pronounced correctly, "this is supposed to be mint, not catnip." He was surprised to hear Eneko speaking for the first time, as he spoke with an accent Teddy didn't quite recognize. "How did you even get catnip?"

Eneko turned pink but disagreed. "This isn't catnip. It's mint."

"Suit yourself," Teddy said, shrugging. He rubbed his own mint leaf in his hand and put it up to his nose. The scent was surprisingly clarifying among the nauseating scent of aconite, so he rubbed more of it around his nostrils to keep from smelling the aconite anymore.

Professor Slughorn came around the dungeon twenty minutes later to oversee the first years' progress. Slughorn was another professor Teddy had difficulty understanding. At first, Slughorn had praised Teddy's "father" for his excellent potion-making skills and hoped Teddy would follow in his footsteps. When Teddy turned out to be an average potions student at best, Slughorn became disinterested in him. Then, around Christmas, Slughorn had a "Slug Club" party and invited him to go at the last minute. Teddy didn't go to the party, as he had no one to go with and no one he'd know if he went.

Slughorn nodded approvingly at Yasmin's potion; Teddy had quickly learned that Yasmin was a very good student, even if she wasn't very friendly. Slughorn made a few small remarks over Teddy's - he was still "nothing like the Headmaster, but had room for growth."

Slughorn frowned when he saw Eneko's potion.

"Mr. Gebara, why is your potion so thick?" Slughorn said, while picking up Eneko's ladle. The entire concoction came out of the cauldron in a large, jelly-like blob; the other students around them laughed at his expense.

"I told him he had catnip," Teddy interjected, leading Eneko's face to sour. "It didn't smell right."

Slughorn took the remainder of Eneko's catnip and rubbed it between his fingers. "Excellent observation, Mr. Snape! Five points to Hufflepuff!" He turned now to Eneko and tsked disapprovingly.

"Next time perhaps you ought to take Mr. Snape's advice, Mr. Gebara." He vanished the entirety of Eneko's potion and strode off to the next table.

"What did you do that for?" Eneko said angrily. "Now I don't have anything!"

"I'll help you," Teddy offered. "I've got plenty of ingredients left. Use mine."

"I don't need your help," he snarled, as he took out more ingredients from his stores to remake the Wiggenweld Potion.

Eneko began preparing the new set of ingredients and hastily chopped his aconite, nauseating Teddy further; the way he chopped it made it strongly aromatic. He saw Yasmin grimace and glare at Eneko; Teddy hoped Yasmin would be bold enough to say something when–

"Could you be more careful with that?" snapped Yasmin. "Some of us hate that smell."

Eneko paid attention to Yasmin and slowed his chopping. Teddy, meanwhile, took his extra ingredients and shoved them to Yasmin's station, hoping she'd get the hint to pass them to Eneko.

"Here, take mine," said Yasmin, pushing Teddy's ingredients to Eneko's station. "I've got too many."

"Thanks." Eneko made quick work of rebrewing his potion; it wasn't as good as Teddy's or Yasmin's, but Teddy thought it would earn a passable mark.

Slughorn came around and made a few more derisive comments on Eneko's work but admitted it was an improvement. He called the students to provide samples of their potions in vials and to write an essay on why Wiggenweld Potion could be brewed in so many different colors.

Teddy was walking out of the dungeon classroom when he saw Eneko standing against the wall on the other side of the corridor.

"Why did you help me? I saw you pass the ingredients to Shafiq," Eneko said, with his arms crossed and his lip curled.

"I like to help people?" Teddy said uneasily. "I'm helping Professor Flitwick make wands and I like to help Hagrid feed some of the creatures…"

"What do you want from me? You're not trying to trick me, are you?"

Teddy stared at Eneko, frustrated. No matter what he did or said, no one seemed to trust Teddy. He took a deep breath and decided to ask, "Why would I do that?"

"You're the Headmaster's son," said Eneko flatly. His arms were still crossed and his expression sour.

"So?" said Teddy. "Why does that matter?"

Eneko gaped at Teddy disbelievingly. "So…he's one of them."

Teddy sighed deeply. Even though he knew the truth about the Headmaster's loyalties, everyone still saw him as a Death Eater who also happened to murder the greatest wizard in the last century, Dumbledore, in cold blood.

"Oh…err…but I'm not?" he said lamely. "I don't see him often…I don't really know him."

Eneko's eyes widened in surprise. His arms fell to his sides as he continued staring at Teddy. "You don't?"

"No. I only met him in August," confessed Teddy. He hoped that he wasn't revealing too much to others but he was desperate to have friendlier faces in his life.

There was a short silence during which Eneko's expression softened gradually.

"I promise I'm telling the truth," he added, trying to sound earnest and unpathetic. "I know you're new…I can show you around? I haven't seen the whole castle yet but I know where a lot of things are. I wasn't even supposed to be here."

Eneko cocked his head from side to side and looked at Teddy in confusion. "Here?"

"I was down for Durmstrang. My mum's family was from Romania."

"I was down for Beauxbatons!" Eneko's eyes gleamed with excitement and Teddy held back the giddy grin threatening to form on his face.

Something confused Teddy about Eneko's statement so he asked, "But – you're eleven? Shouldn't you already be there?"

"It's a long story." Eneko's face fell suddenly; Teddy figured he'd find out later.

"Want to get lunch together?" he asked, in another moment of inspiration. "We can go to the kitchens instead of the Great Hall."

"Is there better food there?"

"If you ask the elves nicely I think they can make what you're asking for," Teddy said confidently.

Eneko cracked a smile at Teddy, who returned it with his own wide grin. At last, Teddy felt he'd found someone to commiserate over their shared misplacements, even if his was only in time.

…..

16 January 1998

"I'm sure it will be fine, Eneko," said Teddy. "C'mon." Eneko eyed Flitwick's office warily.

"He's your Head of House. He's really nice. Please?"

Eneko relented and Teddy whooped in joy. He knocked on Flitwick's office door that Friday afternoon and the little Charms professor opened the door, surprised to see both Teddy and Eneko there.

"Mr. Snape, Mr. Gebara, come in, come in," Flitwick said kindly. "I see you've brought a friend, Mr. Snape."

"Is that all right, Professor?"

"The more the merrier, no?" Flitwick beckoned for the boys to come into his office. He had several piles of wood organized by type on one side, bundles of silvery unicorn hair tied together, and a few books on wandlore open to marked pages.

"Now, why don't you tell me about the wands you have," said Flitwick brightly, "perhaps we can make wands similar to our own and see if they work for us. Mr. Gebera, am I correct in assuming your wand is an Acajor?"

"What's an Acajor?" asked Teddy.

"The French wandmaker, Cosme Acajor," Eneko said slowly, "didn't you know that?"

Teddy shook his head. "I only knew of Ollivander, Gregorovitch, and a few American ones."

"If you were down for Durmstrang that is why," Eneko said airily. "Acajor makes the best wands. Is yours from Gregorovitch?"

"I don't know," said Teddy truthfully. "My father, Professor Snape, brought me many wands to try when I met him in August. This is the one that worked best." He held up the redwood and dragon heartstring wand and shrugged. It didn't feel as nice as his true father's wand – the cypress and unicorn hair wand once belonging to Remus Lupin – but it worked well enough that Teddy could perform magic without creating disasters.

"May I?" asked Flitwick. He took Teddy's wand and inspected it carefully, betraying only a hint of surprise when he turned it over several times. "This looks like an Ollivander wand." He returned the wand to Teddy and turned to Eneko. "What is your wand made of, Mr. Gebara?"

"Veela hair from my arrière-grand-mère and it's an elm wand," Eneko replied promptly. "She donated her hair for my wand."

"Your great grandmother was Veela? I had an auntie who was part Veela and her grandmother donated hair for her wand too!" Teddy grinned, thinking of Fleur Weasley and the delicious French dishes she'd make for her family. He missed Victoire Weasley fiercely; she was the eldest Weasley grandchild and the one closest to his age.

"Those can be temperamental, or so I've read," Flitwick said, while looking over Eneko's wand. "It's nevertheless a fine wand." He handed the wand back to Eneko and brought the boys to the piles of wood.

"What I'd like you both to do is sort the wood by species and springiness. The ends of the branches are likely to be springier and more flexible. I'm no wand maker but we shall endeavor to try," Flitwick said. "10 points to both Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff for your assistance."

Teddy grinned and sat down to work with Eneko while Flitwick fiddled with the unicorn hair.

"Is your family French, Eneko?"

"A little," said Eneko. He snapped a twig at the end of a branch and moved it to a pile to his left. "My family's Basque."

"Where's that?"

"The Basque country is in northern Spain but there are a lot of French people who call themselves Basque," explained Eneko. "We speak both Basque and Castilian Spanish. The Basque language is ancient - Non-Magiques don't know it's an old wizarding language and that's why it sounds so different from Castilian Spanish or French."

"That's wicked," said Teddy. "Sounds like Welsh."

Eneko set a rather large branch aside and asked, "What is Welsh?"

"You don't know what Welsh is?" Teddy said, confused. He separated several branches easily; to his surprise, Puck was helping by shaking his head at branches he disliked. Teddy thought that meant they weren't good enough for wands, so he set them aside.

"I'm not from here," Eneko said flatly. "Remember?"

"Oh, right…well, Welsh is a very old language spoken in Wales. My da–granddad's family was Welsh, from Cardiff." Teddy remembered the few times he'd been to Cardiff to visit the elder Lupins' graves - Lyall and Hope - his paternal grandparents. They'd died long before he was born, but he wanted to visit their graves just as he did with his parents' graves and leave flowers or wreaths there.

"Welsh is its own language that's loads older than English," said Teddy. "The Welsh have their own customs and schools for Welsh. I wish I could've learned it."

"The Basque people are like that also," said Eneko. "I miss home."

"Me too," Teddy lamented. "I miss my real family…especially my Gran."

"Why aren't you there?" asked Eneko. "In Romania?"

"Gran got sick and couldn't take care of me…my mum died when I was a baby…I didn't have anyone left so I'm here now," Teddy said unhappily. "I'll never be able to go back."

Eneko grimaced when he picked up a branch filled with wood lice. Puck's beady eyes shone with hunger and Teddy said, "I'll take that branch. My bowtruckle loves wood lice." Puck was already leaping to the branch and Eneko tossed it aside with a frown.

"Why are you here?" asked Teddy. "At Hogwarts? Not Beauxbatons?"

Eneko's face fell and his shoulders hunched forward. "Very, very bad luck."

"We both must have bad luck." Teddy offered Eneko a small smile as Puck returned to Teddy's side with a full stomach and sleepy eyes.

"You do not have bad luck. Your father is the Headmaster," Eneko said dejectedly. "You can do whatever you like."

"He doesn't care about me. He took off 50 points from Hufflepuff because I sent a letter to my Gran. He doesn't want me talking to her."

Eneko dropped the branch he was holding and gaped at Teddy. "Why?"

"He doesn't want me talking to her." Teddy shrugged and pulled out another branch filled with wood lice. Puck stared at them longingly but was somewhat comatose from his previous feast.

"Mr. Snape, here is a jar for those wood lice," Flitwick offered a glass jar for the wood lice with a kind smile. "I couldn't help but notice your bowtruckle. What do you call him?"

"Puck, sir. When I looked for some of this wood with Luna he came back with me," Teddy said cheerfully. "He's cheeky but he's my friend now." Teddy put the wood lice from the branch inside the jar and showed it to Puck, who half-heartedly waved a leafy arm in approval. "I think he means to say 'thank you,' professor."

Flitwick gazed at Teddy pensively for a few moments and returned to his previous task of sorting through unicorn hair.

"Why did you have very bad luck, Eneko?"

"My ama – mother – fell ill and the only hospital with treatment was St. Mungo's in London. We moved away from home for her to get better. The Healers said it would take a year or more to cure her disease, a blood malediction," Eneko said quietly. "I turned eleven on the thirty first of August and got my Hogwarts letter, but my parents didn't want me to go here. The Ministry woman told my aita – father – that if my mother wanted to be at St. Mungo's I had to go to Hogwarts because we were going to be British or get out."

"That's awful! That's not fair!" cried Teddy. "You shouldn't be forced to be here!"

"I do not have a choice," Eneko said bitterly. "It is Hogwarts or my mother. My father did not want to leave her alone in London."

"When she gets better will you go back home?"

Eneko shook his head. "Probably not. My ama is a little better but it is going to take a long time until she is done with the hospital."

"This war ruined so many people's lives," muttered Teddy, while violently ripping apart a branch. "It's not fair." He snapped several more thin branches in pieces out of anger. He never gave much thought to what the students' lives were like when Harry was on the run. He knew it was terrible for most of them because of the Carrows but he never stopped to think about the students caught in the middle – like Eneko – and who had no choice but to be part of the war.

"It's okay," Eneko mumbled. "I learned English. My ama and aita always say it is good to know more languages."

Flitwick cleared his throat. "It's almost dinnertime. I suggest you clean yourselves up and go down to the Great Hall. Thank you for your assistance - you can have another 10 points to Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff."

Teddy felt proud of himself that day; he'd earned twenty points for Hufflepuff by himself and definitely had a new friend.

…..

19 January 1998

Teddy and Eneko were going up several staircases that afternoon. Now that they were friends they spent more time together. Teddy only wished that Eneko had been sorted to Hufflepuff so they'd share a dormitory but he was happy to have someone at school who wasn't ashamed to be seen anywhere near him. Eneko didn't seem to mind that others found him strange too, or that he spent time with the Headmaster's son.

"You say this Room has everything in it?" Eneko panted, as they approached the seventh floor.

"It's amazing. It can turn into anything you want," Teddy replied, also breathless, as staircases had moved on them so often that they'd taken twice as long to get to the seventh floor as it should've taken. "I just hope no one's using it right now."

Eneko grumbled but followed Teddy faithfully upstairs until they were in the seventh floor corridor that contained the Room of Requirement. Teddy was excited to show Eneko the Room of Requirement and see if he had any better luck finding the lost diadem of Ravenclaw as a Ravenclaw himself.

"Shh, wait," mumbled Teddy, holding Eneko back against a wall. "I hear someone."

Eneko stared at Teddy in exasperation. "I don't."

"I've got good hearing." Teddy led Eneko behind a tapestry and the two hid there as two whispering figures emerged on the other end of the corridor. Teddy tried not to look smug about hearing the others coming; Eneko couldn't help that Teddy had extra sensitive hearing.

"That's Neville and Ginny." Teddy pointed to the older students; he hadn't seen much of them since Luna disappeared and he wondered if they thought Snape had anything to do with it. "Ginny's a sixth year and Neville's in seventh year…you might have better luck talking to them than I do."

Eneko made a face at Teddy. "Why? I am new. They do not know me."

"That's exactly why. Everyone knows me and no one trusts me," Teddy whispered. "Go tell them something like 'I heard there was something special here' and see what they say."

"I don't want to go alone." Eneko shifted from one foot to the other anxiously. "I speak with an accent."

"They won't care. They're nice."

"If they are nice why won't they talk to you?"

Teddy wanted to bang his head against the wall in frustration. If only he could just morph to look like another student; they would never suspect him. He couldn't morph in front of Eneko but his friend didn't want to go alone. Neville and Ginny stopped in front of a stretch of wall and a set of doors began materializing.

Teddy decided to take a chance and ran out from behind the tapestry. He grabbed Eneko's robe sleeve and dragged him out to see Neville and Ginny.

"What are you doing here?" Ginny said, startled. "You're not—"

Neville and Ginny stood in front of the doors, both pale and worried-looking.

"I know what's in the Room," Teddy said, in as non-accusatory a tone as he could muster. "It's the Room of Requirement."

"That doesn't mean you know what's inside this room," Ginny said coolly, while eyeing Eneko, who had turned pink with embarrassment.

"This is Eneko. He's new and he's from Basque—"

"I'm from Spain," Eneko corrected, "the Basque country is in northern Spain."

"You heard him," Teddy said. "I wanted to show Eneko because he's new and he's my friend now…please, Ginny? Neville? Please?"

"There are other people inside the room now, Edward," Neville said gently. "I don't think they would—"

"—want to see me," Teddy said miserably. "Can you show Eneko? And do you know where Luna is?"

Neville and Ginny glanced at each other; both of them looked conflicted.

"Can you give us a minute, Edward?" Ginny said, in a strained voice. Teddy had heard that voice and phrase many times before whenever he asked about the war when he was younger.

"We'll go back to the other side of the corridor," Teddy said, nodding for Eneko to follow him. They went to the other side, near the tapestry they'd hidden behind. Eneko started to speak but Teddy shushed him; he wanted to hear what Neville and Ginny were saying first.

"What do you think?" whispered Ginny, to Neville. "Obviously not little Snape but the other kid could see it for a minute."

"If they're friends he's going to tell Snape all about it," Neville countered quietly. "We can't risk it."

They finished their conversation and beckoned for Teddy and Eneko to come back. Predictably, Neville and Ginny made up some excuse about needing the Room of Requirement for something private – Eneko made a face at them and Teddy bit back the urge to laugh – and the two first years were sent on their way.

"Is that what the Room is for? Boyfriends and girlfriends?" Eneko said, once they were on the sixth floor.

"They're not together. Ginny is with Harry Potter and Neville will be or may already be with Hannah Abbott," Teddy explained.

"Harry Potter? The Harry Potter?" Eneko said, with a look and tone that conveyed his obvious disbelief.

"That's who she was with the last time Harry was around. You can ask her if you don't believe me."

"How do you know this?"

Teddy smirked and decided to use a new excuse. "I'm the Headmaster's son. I reckon it's got to have some privileges in knowledge."

Eneko looked momentarily stunned before he started laughing. "I do not think the Headmaster has time to know about students like this."

"I bet you a Galleon that you'll see Ginny and Harry kissing one day," Teddy said boldly.

Eneko stuck out a hand to Teddy and agreed to the terms. Teddy looked forward to collecting his Galleon come May.

…..

4 February 1998

A miracle had taken place over Teddy's last Potions lesson. Now that he had befriended Eneko, Yasmin finally started talking directly to Teddy.

It started over something innocuous – Eneko mentioning that Beauxbatons didn't have classes in dungeons and wishing he'd gotten to go there – that Yasmin asked about Eneko's past and why he wanted to go to the French school of magic. When Eneko had explained his tale, he casually mentioned that Teddy was to have supposed to have studied at Durmstrang and was also unhappy with his situation.

Teddy didn't have the heart to say he was now happier at Hogwarts because he had a friend and looked forward to being reunited with his Gran before his second year. Luckily – and miraculously – Yasmin admitted she wasn't supposed to be at Hogwarts either.

"You aren't?" Teddy said, shocked. "Where were you supposed to go? Ilvermorny?"

"My parents were going to teach me at home," Yasmin said softly. "Because of…she shook her head and went back to her potion."

"Because of what?" Eneko asked. "The Dementors? I hate them."

"I don't have to tell you anything," Yasmin snapped. Teddy was sure it had to do with whatever werewolf-related injury she had and changed the subject.

"Yasmin likes to keep things to herself, Eneko," Teddy said, changing the subject. "It's not your fault she's tetchy."

Yasmin glared at Teddy but returned to her potion and stirred it cautiously until it reached the textbook-perfect pale blue hue.

"Is your dad a Healer?" Teddy blurted, realizing a moment too late he'd disregarded her directive to not talk to her until the next full moon. She did look up from her cauldron, somewhat startled by Teddy's question.

"Why do you care?" Yasmin said, looking at Teddy disdainfully.

"Your father is a Healer at St. Mungo's?" Eneko asked, now rather interested in the answer. His potion was a lime green color; for whatever reason, Eneko's potion making skills were even worse than Teddy's.

"I had an…accident in August and my Healer was called Shafiq. Is that your dad?"

Yasmin stiffened but nodded, explaining that her father was a Healer at St. Mungo's while her mother stayed at home with Yasmin and her younger brother, Imran.

"What are you smiling about? I told you facts." Yasmin ladled a vial full of her potion to present to Slughorn.

"I know why I'm smiling," said Teddy, "but Eneko, why are you so happy?"

"Healer Shafiq is my mother's Healer. He is very kind to my family," Eneko said, looking awed by being in Yasmin's presence. "He is the reason she is getting better."

Yasmin's jaw dropped and Teddy grinned even more widely. He'd learned more information about Yasmin and found that both he and Eneko's mother had something in common.

Eneko continued his praise of Yasmin's father, to her continued shock. Teddy was grinning giddily by the time the three of them were walking together from the dungeons to the Great Hall. There was a brief moment in which they looked at each other, each about to part ways for their house tables, and Teddy suggested an alternative.

To his absolute delight, they followed him to the kitchens and enjoyed their first lunch as a trio.

…..

9 February 1998

"Oi, Edward!"

Teddy looked up from his spot in the library. Madam Pince looked very irritated but Ginny didn't seem to care. She pushed past several tables and furrowed her brow upon seeing Teddy with Eneko and Yasmin. The three of them were completing their History of Magic essays together.

Teddy hadn't been this happy in months; Yasmin was still reluctant to share anything about her life, but Teddy thought that with enough time she might open up. Eneko won her over by being in awe of her father; Teddy was thrilled that there were now two people who didn't seem to hate him on sight.

"Ginny," Teddy gasped. "You came to see me?"

"You and your friend," Ginny nodded in Eneko's direction. Yasmin scowled and returned to her essay.

"Yasmin is my friend too," Teddy said firmly. "Her dad is a Healer at St. Mungo's. I met him before and he is very nice."

"He is my mother's Healer," Eneko added, beaming at Yasmin. She buried her head behind a book, and Teddy stifled another laugh. When Yasmin wasn't being antisocial – which was most of the time – she could be funny and awkward.

"She's a Sly—"

"—it doesn't matter," Teddy snapped. "Not all Slytherins are bad. Merlin was a Slytherin. The maker of Wolfsbane Potion was a Slytherin." Yasmin perked at hearing this and poked her eyes and nose over her book. She and Teddy still hadn't discussed anything relating to the full moon or werewolves, but he knew that will a little more prodding, he might get the truth out of her.

Ginny breathed evenly for several moments and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. She looked as if she was weighing several options as she darted her eyes between the first years.

"Fine. Come with me, all three of you. It's about the Room."

"I'm not going anywhere," Yasmin snarled.

"She is all right, Yasmin," said Eneko. "Her boyfriend is Harry Potter."

"What? How do you—" Ginny took a step back and gaped at Eneko.

"I, err, heard from someone else," Teddy said ruefully. "That you dated."

"He's not my boyfriend," Ginny said, through gritted teeth. "I have no idea where he is."

"I knew you were lying!" Eneko said. "You owe me a Galleon!"

"Not yet – that wasn't our deal," Teddy hissed. "I told you to wait!"

"Why did you make a deal—" Ginny stopped herself mid-sentence and shook her head. "You know what? It doesn't matter. Edward, you can come with me now or not. This is your chance."

"C'mon," said Teddy. "You have to see this Room, Yasmin, please."

Eneko managed to convince Yasmin to go with them; Teddy hadn't the foggiest how Eneko had won her over so quickly but he wasn't going to complain about his luck that day, or his good luck as of late.

Ginny led the ragtag trio out of the library and up to the seventh floor corridor. She unfurled a parchment that was almost empty, save for the initials "D.A." at the top.

"What does D.A. stand for?" asked Teddy. He thought it stood for "Dumbledore's Army" but asked for Yasmin and Eneko, who wouldn't have known this information.

"You'll find out if you agree," Ginny said tersely. "You can see inside the Room if you put your names on this. If you betray us, you'll suffer the consequences."

Eneko blanched and took a step back; Yasmin looked surprisingly curious at the parchment. Teddy already had his quill ready to sign.

"I'm signing it," Teddy told Eneko and Yasmin. "You two don't have to but I am. I promise I'm not going to betray anyone."

Teddy hesitated for a moment, as he'd begun writing his name as "Ted." He scratched it out and wrote "Edward Snape" on the parchment. He felt a jolt of magic as he signed the parchment, thinking it was enchanted somehow, but he didn't know what the members of the D.A. had planned for traitors.

Yasmin followed suit. Teddy thought her curiosity might've gotten the better of her and she made a face at Eneko until he signed, too. As soon as they signed the parchment, several other names appeared – many of them were unknown to Teddy, but several more were names he recognized from among Harry and Ginny's friends.

"Good. Let me take a few steps and you'll see," said Ginny. She paced in front of the stretch of wall three times, confusing both Eneko and Yasmin, but they both gasped audibly upon seeing the doors materialize before them.

"I'm going to make this very clear," Ginny said menacingly. "If any of you betray us we will know."

Teddy swallowed hard; the only chance he would betray anyone was if Snape read his mind and found out about the Room of Requirement, but as Teddy hadn't bothered trying to save anyone in his family lately, Snape hadn't interacted with him in weeks. Meanwhile, to Teddy's left, Yasmin was as stony-faced as ever but Eneko, on Teddy's right, was trembling from where he stood.

Ginny opened the doors and the Room of Requirement appeared before them. Teddy rejoiced upon seeing the new headquarters of Dumbledore's Army, as a banner brightly displayed indicated their new location. There were three – no, four – house flags in the space with several hammocks and other homey touches.

"A Slytherin? Really?" a tall, sandy-haired boy said disdainfully, while looking up at the Slytherin flag that suddenly appeared in the corner of the Room. It was the smallest section in the Room of Requirement, with only one emerald green hammock now in a place where nothing stood before. "May as well—"

"Shut up, Seamus," Ginny said harshly. "They're kids and they signed the parchment. The girl's called Yasmin and she's the Slytherin. Her dad's a Healer and she's friends with little Snape." There was a collective hiss at the mention of Snape and Teddy blushed furiously. He detested being called Snape's son, even if it was for his protection and safety.

Teddy looked at all the faces of the older students to see if there were any friendlier ones – Hannah and Susan were there, smiling at him and shushing the hissing Hufflepuffs, all the oldest Gryffindors were there, with wary expressions, and so were a few older Ravenclaws with similar looks of suspicion. Just beyond the throng, Teddy saw someone he'd missed for weeks.

"LUNA!" Teddy shouted. He ran across the Room and hurtled into Luna for a hug. She beamed at him, looking slightly worse for wear, but her wide eyes still shone with happiness.

"I told you," Luna said kindly, "Edward is a kind boy. He brought his friends. I am sure they are kind, too."

Teddy beamed at Yasmin and Eneko to join him and they walked among the other students. Eneko was pale but no one batted an eye at him with his Ravenclaw robes. Yasmin was getting dirty looks from the others for her Slytherin robes but she held her head high. The Hufflepuffs were suspicious as well, but Teddy could hear Hannah and Susan murmuring to the others about him and his relative trustworthiness. Teddy tried sticking his chest out slightly to show the shiny badger pin the girls had given him for Christmas, to show he was worthy of being among the many students who would become heroes in the Battle of Hogwarts in a few months' time.

"Where were you? Are you safe? Did Dobby help you?" Teddy said quickly. "Where is he? Is Dobby safe too?"

"We don't know where Dobby is, but he did help us." Luna gestured to an older man behind her who was resting on a hammock. He looked scruffy and battered but was still alert and eyeing Teddy curiously. The entirety of the Room of Requirement was silent as they watched the interaction between Luna, Teddy, and the older man.

"This is the boy? The one you spoke of?" said the older man.

"This is Edward Snape. He sent us Dobby," Luna confirmed. She turned to Teddy and said, "Would you like to meet Mr. Ollivander, Edward? You saved our lives."

Teddy's jaw dropped. He went to Ollivander to meet him and was immediately impressed by the old wandmaker, now having spent a few weeks trying to make wands with Professor Flitwick. All their attempts had ended in disaster thus far.

Before Teddy could ask Ollivander his many questions on wandmaking, a portrait of a golden haired girl suddenly went blank. The girl walked away, as if she were going into a tunnel.

"Aberforth must be sending someone here," said Luna. Teddy watched in fascination as the golden haired girl came back with a few figures. Teddy couldn't hear or see them very well yet, but Luna gestured for Teddy and the others to make room for the newest additions to the Room of Requirement.

The portrait swung open and did reveal a tunnel. The first figure to step out was a tall Black boy who was covered in cuts and bruises, but grinned at the sight before him. Teddy thought he recognized him, but he was yet unsure. Neville and Seamus were the first to greet him, and several others in the room erupted into loud cheers at the boy's presence.

"That's Dean Thomas," Luna whispered. "A seventh year Gryffindor."

"Is it all right if we've got a couple older blokes join us?" Dean asked hoarsely. "They were traveling with me and I couldn't leave them behind."

"As long as they're on our side!" shouted a tall Hufflepuff boy.

"Muggleborns just like you, Justin," Dean said, grinning. "Found 'em on the run." Dean stepped aside and two older, equally battered wizards stepped out of the portrait hole.

The first was a tall, thin man with a greying beard and a crooked nose, likely from having been broken. Dean introduced him as Dirk Cresswell, a former Hufflepuff. The older Hufflepuffs in the Room of Requirement instantly took to him and began tending his wounds. Teddy was anxious to meet Cresswell, as the name rung a bell for him, too.

The other figure stepped out next to Dean. He was a big-bellied, fair-haired man with blue eyes and a jovial smile.

"A former Ravenclaw, Mr. Ted Tonks," Dean announced. The Ravenclaws cheered him on, but Teddy could only drop his jaw and rub his eyes to ensure he was seeing and hearing correctly.

Teddy was now staring at his very much breathing, living grandfather.