"Hello, Teddie, how are you doing?"
Teddie shrugged as she closed the door to the study behind her. Sitting on the edge of Mo's desk was Caroline Kyle; she had arrived a few hours ago and had been escorted to the Flint's Summer house from a second safe house as not to draw suspicion, or just in case she was followed.
It seemed that in the last three months Voldemort's forces had extended beyond the British borders and was now happening abroad, too.
"Mo tells me you're still resisting the trials," said Caroline. "Any particular reason?"
Again, Teddie shrugged. She didn't mean to resist the trials, but they were so painful that sometimes fighting them was the only relief she got.
"You know that we have to do this, right?" Caroline asked.
"Yes."
"Ah, so you can speak."
Teddie glared at the woman that was supposed to be her aunt. "I'm not particularly in the mood to speak with the woman who put a target on my parents backs," she said.
Caroline sighed. "Speaking of which," she said. "Last year, Dumbledore mentioned to you about taking sessions with me. Do you remember?"
Teddie nodded.
"Well, since we didn't actually get around to doing them last year, I figured we could do them now," said Caroline.
"You want to show me how Avery grew up?" Teddie asked. "What makes you think I care?"
Caroline shrugged. "You don't need to care," she said. "But understanding Avery may help you to stop her. Of course, the choice is yours."
"Do I really have a choice?"
"Of course you do. You're eighteen now, Teddie, you can choose to say no."
Teddie studied the older woman. To say no meant giving up, at least in her mind it did. That was something she wouldn't never do. "What exactly are you expecting me to learn from this?" she asked. "I want Avery's head on a plate for what she did to my parents. I want her to feel the same agony they did, want her to scream for me as they screamed for her."
Caroline's eyes widened.
"How is showing me how much of a good girl Avery was as a child going to help me get that payback?" Teddie asked.
"As I said, it will help you understand what Avery went through in order to become the woman she is today," said Caroline. "She wasn't always so bloodthirsty, you know."
"You're supposed to say that. You're her sister."
"I mean it," said Caroline. "I remember a girl that loved butterflies and wanted to learn. Yes, she always wanted freedom, but when she met the Dark Lord she changed. He manipulated her into the woman she is today."
Teddie scoffed. She was having a hard time imaging Avery Sutherland as anything other than ruthless and cruel. "I'll go down memory lane with you, Caroline," she said. "But I can't promise that my feelings for Avery will change. Regardless of the person that she was, she murdered the only two people that loved me more than life itself. I won't ever forgive her for that."
Caroline nodded. She would be lying if she said she was disappointed to hear this, but Teddie was an adult now, she was entitled to her opinion, even if it didn't align with her own. And, on some level, while she still loved her sister, she knew that Teddie was doing what was best for her remaining family.
Everything Caroline had wanted for Avery, Teddie wanted for Mason. Love, freedom, protection. The coloration was easy to see, the only difference being Mason wasn't about to turn into a cold-blooded murder to obtain his freedom.
"Okay. We'll start with memory one," said Caroline, producing her wand and flickering it towards the desk. A book appeared, landing with a thud on the wood. "This was my diary growing up. I wrote every encounter I ever had with Avery in it, and when I was younger, my mother would write in it for me. Sometimes, when I didn't want Mother to know what I was thinking, I would ask one of the handmaidens."
"You had handmaidens?" Teddie asked. "Not house elves?"
"House Elves were considered beneath my family," said Caroline. "My parents hired witches from lesser families to work for us."
"Purebloods?" Teddie asked.
"Yes."
Teddie raised an eye. She couldn't believe that other Purebloods were treated as slaves.
"These Purebloods were blood traitors," said Caroline. "They're pureblood line was tainted somewhere with Muggle blood. It is what made them lesser in my parents eyes."
Teddie lowered her gaze. Her wizarding heritage didn't sound all that nice, and she was thankful that she would never get to meet them. "How does this work?" she asked.
"Similar to Tom Riddle's diary from your second year," said Caroline. "I'll skip to a particular entry, the diary will read it out loud, and, sometimes, if a memory is attached, it will pull you inside. Are you ready?"
"I suppose," said Teddie. "What memory are we seeing first?"
Caroline tapped the dairy and it flipped open several page. The date in the corner read - June 1955. "I was seven when Avery was born," she explained. "I had an older brother that was severely ill, and my parents knew he was going to die. They had always planned on having at least two children, so when their son was diagnosed with an incurable disease, they set to work on baby number three. My father wanted another boy, but was blessed with a girl instead."
"You had a brother?" Teddie asked.
"His name was Johnathan," said Caroline. "He was my best friend. He was only three years older than me, and I was heartbroken when I lost him."
"You named your son after him."
Caroline nodded. "Johnathan Emrys Kyle," she said. "After my brother and my father."
"Why not his father?"
"Because my father would've disowned us both if I had tried," Caroline explained. "There is more on that later. But, first, let me show you the day that Avery was born."
Caroline tapped the page and an ethereal voice echoed from its pages.
It's early morning. I can hear my mother screaming from the other room. Handmaidens have rushed to her aide, carrying with them bowls of warm water and plenty of towels. I sit in bed, trying hard to block out the sounds but it is pointless.
Quietly, I slip from my bed and make my way out into the hall. A handmaiden is standing outside my parents room, she shoos me away as soon as she sees me, and I scurry down the hall to Johnathan's room. He is awake, sitting up in bed reading. He looks up when I enter, smiles, and taps the bed beside him.
I crawl under the blankets and curl up beside him, staring at his book. "What are you reading?" I ask.
Johnathan glances at the door before leaning down and whispering in my ear, his breath brushes my neck and I shiver, but his words are what stop my heart cold. "It's an old Muggle book that I found in one of the maiden's rooms," he says.
If Mother and Father knew they would surely kill him before the disease does. I stare at him with wide-eyes, and he chuckles,
"Don't look so shocked, Caroline," Johnathan says. He shows me the front of the book and I sigh in relief. The book is a magical storybook.
I lay my head back on his shoulder. "Read me a story?" I ask.
"What would you like to hear?"
I shrug. I don't really care; I just want to drowned out the sounds of my mother's screams. "Do you think Mother is in pain?" I ask.
"Yes. But don't worry, she'll be fine."
"How do you know?"
"Because I had to endure this when she was giving birth to you," said Johnathan. "She made it through that birth. Father is also with her; he'll look after her."
"I hope so."
Johnathan kisses my forehead. "Now, which story would you like to hear? How about the Three Brothers?" he asks.
I nod and snuggle further down under the blankets as he starts his tale.
Teddie glanced at Caroline. Her and Johnathan's relationship sounded hell of a lot like the one she shared with Mason. An older sibling that was willing to do whatever it took to distract the younger sibling from hearing something that was scary or loud.
"How does this tell me about Avery?" Teddie asked. "So far it's just about you and Johnathan. Not that seeing your relationship with him isn't fascinating, but it's hardly going to help me when I face Avery."
"Avery didn't know Johnathan," said Caroline. "She only knew stories, and to say that she was disappointed, even angered that she didn't get to spend as much time with him as I did, is an understatement. Even though she didn't know him well, Avery worshipped everything I told her about our brother. She wanted so desperately to please him."
Teddie cocked her head. "I don't think coming at Avery with 'your brother would be disappointed in you' is going to make her stop and reconsider. She will probably think that he would be proud of her, especially since she is putting Muggles in their so-called rightful place," she said.
"Let's carry on," said Caroline. If there was one thing Teddie had become good at, it was counteracting an argument. Growing up, Teddie had always been the type of person that would rather use her fists than her words; yet suddenly she was becoming well-spoken and logical.
Caroline tapped the diary one more time, and the voice echoed from it again.
It wasn't until the next morning that I was able to see my mother. Father found me asleep in Johnathan's bed and awoke us both to escort us to the master suite.
My mother was sitting up in bed, resting against plump pillows of satin. She smiled at me as I entered, beckoning me closer and looking down at the bundle in her arms. The baby was swaddled in a cotton blanket, her name threaded along the side in silver.
Avery.
A small face protruded from the top, a tuft of brown hair falling in the centre of her forehead. She was cute, and immediately I was in love. This was to be my baby sister. Someone I could look after, play with, read too, just like Johnathan does for me.
I look back at my brother, there are tears in his eyes, and I am unsure if they are tears of joy or happiness.
"Do you want to hold her?" my mother asks me.
I am stunned at the question. Then eagerly nod.
"Come sit with me," says my mother. "Emrys, if you will."
My father plumps up another set of pillows beside my mother and I clamber into a sitting position. Between them, Mother and Father shift baby Avery to my arms — she doesn't stir, cry, or even awaken.
I smile down at her.
"Hello, my sweet girl," I whisper, leaning forward and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I love you."
The voice silenced and Teddie glanced at Caroline. "That's it?" she asked. "No memory."
"Not this time," Caroline said, shaking her head. "I was too young to remember the exact memory, and only managed to get this written because Johnathan helped."
"When did Johnathan die?"
"Not long after Avery was born. Maybe a month or two," said Caroline, sadly.
"Did you write about it?"
Caroline nodded. "But it doesn't have Avery in it, so you won't see it," she said. "It's too painful for me to experience again, even now."
"I'm sorry, Caroline," said Teddie. "For the loss of your brother."
"Thank you. I would ask if you wished to see more, but I'm afraid we're out of time for today," said Caroline, checking her watch. "I have to get back to John."
Teddie caught her neighbours arm. "I'll make you a deal," she said. "I'll continue these sessions with you, and promise to stop resisting Mo and the trials, if, next time I see you, you're honest with me and tell me what is happening back home. Marcus says I don't need to know, but I beg to differ. I don't want to be out of the loop."
Caroline looked thoughtful and then took a quill and piece of parchment from the desk. She scribbled out a word and handed it to Teddie. "Use the wireless that Ursula has, tap it three times with your wand and say this password. Your friends, Fred and George Weasley, have created a radio station that broadcasts news about the brewing war."
"And what of Harry?" Teddie asked. "Is he okay? I haven't heard from him since his birthday."
"Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ronald Weasley are considered MIA," said Caroline. "They disappeared at the beginning of the summer, and no one has heard from them since."
"What?" Teddie asked.
Caroline considered the teenager before her. "You don't need to play coy with me, Teddie, I know you know what they are doing. You may not know where they are, exactly, but the nature of their disappearance…" she raised an eyebrow.
Teddie's face remained neutral.
"I thought so," said Caroline. "Don't worry, I'm not going to ask you what they're doing. I just hope you know that if they are caught."
"They won't be," said Teddie, abruptly.
"Okay. Right, well, I'll let you go," said Caroline. "You have another session with Mo tonight, yes?"
Teddie nodded.
Caroline placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know it hurts, and I'm sorry that I am partly responsible for what you are going through; but when this is over, you'll be blown away at what you can do," she said. "I'm just sorry that it has come to this. If I had my way, you would never be in this position."
"When does anyone ever get what they deserve?" Teddie asked. "Life screws us all in the end."
Caroline squeezed Teddie's shoulder, stood, and strode to the fireplace. "I'll tell you what," she said. "Keep the diary, browse it at your own leisure, and if there is any memory in particular that you wish to know more about tell Mo and he will contact me."
Teddie eyed the diary. The desire to know more about Avery was minimal, but Caroline was giving her the chance to dive into her life without restraints.
"Okay," said Teddie.
"Good luck," said Caroline. "I will see you soon."
Teddie nodded. As Caroline disappeared, she picked up the diary and flipped through the pages, stopping on a page dated October 31st, 1981. It was simply titled - The End.
~X~
"How did your session with Caroline go?"
Teddie shrugged. "She left me her diary," she said, showing Mason and Theo the book. "She said that she wrote everything that ever happened between her and Avery down in it."
"That's what you're doing?" Theo asked. He and Mason were playing chess. Not the Wizarding kind, but the regular muggle one. So far, Mason was winning.
"What?" Teddie asked, looking up from the diary. While she knew the spell that would bring the diary to life, she had had her fair share of books that had a brain of their own. The last thing she needed was to risk being sucked into another diary and not being able to get out.
"Reading diary entries."
Teddie nodded. "She wants me to understand Avery a little better," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why I should care is beyond me."
"Maybe it's like what Dumbledore had planned for you and Potter?" Theo asked. "You know, the lessons he gave you on You-Know-Who last year?"
Teddie looked thoughtful. That was a thought. While she didn't completely agree with how Voldemort had turned out, she couldn't deny that she understood him a little better. He had been abandoned by his family - mother died in childbirth and cast out by his father, - raised in an orphanage without any love or affection. Not to mention conceived in a loveless marriage.
The desire to be loved and have companionship she could understand, what she didn't get was how one went from wanting someone to love him into someone that only craved power.
"Ted, you alright?"
Teddie blinked and looked from Theo to Mason. They were both staring at her, concern etched into their faces. "Yeah, sorry, what did you say?" she asked.
"I asked if you were planning on meeting with Caroline again?" Mason asked.
Teddie shrugged. "She said to give the diary a read and to let her know if there is any entries I would like more information on," she said. "There is one. But I want to give it a read before I decide if I need to know more."
"Which one is it?" Theo asked.
"October 31st, 1981."
"That's your second birthday," said Mason. "The night you became Teddie Green. Caroline wrote about that?"
Teddie nodded.
"What she say?"
"Not much. She talks about how she and her mother are decorating for Halloween when the news comes that the Potters are dead. There are a few pages missing, though."
Moving his rook, Mason frowned. "That doesn't make sense," he said. "If Caroline wants to teach you about Avery then why is she removing entries from her journal? What doesn't she want you to see?"
Teddie shrugged. "Maybe what she and Snape actually did to me?" she asked.
"What more could she have done to you?" Theo asked.
"I dunno. It's obviously not good if she's willing to rip the pages out of her own diary."
"Maybe there is a solution to all this?" Mason suggested. "An easy one than the pain you've been put through."
"Again, why would she rip the pages out if there was an easy solution?" Teddie asked. "Why would she want me to go through this?"
Mason shrugged and knocked a piece of Theo's from the board. "I don't know. Maybe she wants you to build character?" he suggested. "Maybe going through this pain prepares you for anything that Avery throws at you, should she get hold of you."
Teddie swallowed and glanced down. She couldn't deny that she had worried about Avery getting her claws into her again. It was one of the main focuses of her nightmares. Being locked up in Riddle Manor with Avery, tearing the walls down piece by piece, each strand connected to some memory that made her Teddie Green and forcing it away like it was nothing but mere dust in the wind.
The door opened and Marcus entered the room. He was carrying a weird looking device under his arm. Where he disappeared to during the day, nobody knew. But he always came back more tired than he was when he left.
"You guys got a minute?" Marcus asked, sitting beside Teddie.
The trio nodded.
Marcus set the device on the table. "Do you know what this is?" he looked pointedly at Mason.
"It's a wireless," said Mason. "Kinda like a radio. It can pick up airwaves and translate them into sounds. I didn't think you or your parents had one."
"We don't. I borrowed this of Derrick."
Teddie perked up. "You've spoken to Derrick?" she asked.
"He and his parents are in another safe house," said Marcus. "They're in New Zealand, though. They were going to sit out the war in England, but Avery paid them a visit."
"Are they okay?"
Marcus nodded. "Derrick told me to tell you that it's not your fault. He stands by you, regardless of how many bastards they send after him. His parents said the same thing," he said.
"But -"
"No, Ted, this is not on you, okay?"
"He's right, Ted, Avery wants you to feel cut off from everyone. It's why she is attacking you friends, she is testing their loyalties," said Theo. "But we have your back. For better or worse."
"It's the worse part that worries me," Teddie muttered.
Mason looked back at Marcus. "Why do we have the wireless?" he asked. "What are we trying to broadcast or pick up?"
Marcus glanced at Teddie. "Caroline told you about the Weasley twins during your session, right?" he asked.
Teddie nodded. "Yeah, she gave me a password for the wireless," she said, taking the piece of parchment from her pocket. She passed it to Marcus.
"She told Dad about them, too. Mum and Dad talked about it, and they think that if you're able to hear what life is like back home, you may be more determined to figure things out with Faye."
Teddie glared at him. "That's emotional manipulation," she said. "You're trying to get me to open up based on my desire to protect people."
"I know, and if we had another way we would do it. But we don't. Either we find the key to unlocking Faye or you're left in agonising pain."
"How do you even know this is going to work?"
"Well, you said while growing up you would black out when angry, right?"
Teddie nodded.
"And you've already told us a few times when it happened — picking on Mason, for example," said Marcus. "Now, none of us really want to hurt Mason just to get a reaction out of you. So, we're hoping that your desire to protect everyone back home will be enough to spark something inside."
"You really think this is going to work?" Mason asked.
Marcus shrugged and glanced at the youngster. "Only one way to find out," he said. He reached for the knob on the side of the wireless and glanced at Teddie.
Teddie took a deep breath and nodded. "Do it," she said.
Marcus tapped the wireless with his wand, muttered the password that Caroline had given Teddie, and twisted the dial on the side. A loud, screeching noise echoed around the room.
The four occupants winced and covered their ears. As the noise started to clear, Teddie raised her head and the voice of Fred Weasley filled the room.
"Welcome back to Potterwatch…"
