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Bella


"What's wrong with you, Teddy bear?" Delphi raised an eyebrow, sitting back in her seat on the Hogwarts Express as she looked from the young boy to her friend "And you, Elara . . . Well, I can understand why you're not the chirpiest right now what with the prospect of avoiding your father for a whole summer but Lupin? Really, neither of you are being any fun today at all."

"Sorry," Elara sighed, forcing a small smile at Delphini.

"Hmpf," Delphi rolled her eyes, "if you're that worried about seeing your father then simply ignore him, you've done a good job of that so far—and I've told mother she's apparating the both of us out this time so there's no need to run through the station again. She's going to apparate us straight to her room so Rodolphus doesn't turn up at the same place as us."

"Thanks," Elara gave her friend a small smile before she looked to her brother, "sorry, Teddy."

"It's fine . . ." the boy sighed, forcing himself to redirect his gaze from the window, "we're almost here . . . I'm going to pop to the loo quick."

Delphi watched as the boy rose from his seat, narrowing her eyes slightly in thought for a moment before she exited the carriage ignoring Elara calling her name. She ignored the usual gazes from her fellow students, speeding up until she caught up with Teddy just before the bathroom and grabbed his arm.

"Oi!" Teddy yelled, reaching for his wand as he turned until he realised who had grabbed him, looking down at her delicate hand gripped tightly onto the sleeve of his cardigan "W-What do you want, Delphi?"

"I—" Delphi looked up and down the train, rolling her eyes as she noticed the few stares of her peers before shoving the boy into the open toilet, she ignored his yelp of surprise before she quickly followed him inside and shut the door behind them.

"What are you doing!?" Teddy's eyes widened at the girl's close proximity, his face flushing red as he pressed himself up against the wall of the small room.

"People were listening," Delphi shrugged, "I wanted a private conversation."

"So you shoved me into the bloody toilet?" Teddy tried to calm himself, shaking his head as he perched uncomfortably against the sink in the small space of the room, "People will talk."

"Let them talk," Delphi laughed, "spread rumours about us? Honestly, Teddy bear that's preposterous. I simply wanted a private conversation."

"R-Right . . ." Teddy shook his head at the ridiculousness of the older girl, taking a deep breath as he tried to regain his composure, "What's wrong?"

"That's my line," Delphi said, "What's wrong? You've been acting . . . odd . . . Like your brain is preoccupied or you're . . . up to something."

"That's ridiculous," Teddy laughed, reaching up and running his hand through his hair, "I'm fine." He thought for a moment as the girl narrowed his eyes at her, "Maybe I'm just preoccupied with studies and returning home. It's not exactly a fun notion to be spending the summer locked in a wing when you've had the freedom of a castle all summer, having a sick brother and trying to avoid bumping into a bastard for months."

". . . I'd think of a stronger word for Rodolphus than a bastard, really," Delphi smirked, slowly looking the boy up and down for a few moments before she carried on, "maybe I can get you out of the wing for a bit . . . send a message through Elara and I'll get you out."

"Thanks . . ." Teddy murmured, standing awkwardly as the girl nodded, " . . . I actually do need the toilet, Delphi."

"Right," Delphi sighed as if she had completely forgotten they were stood within the cramped confines of the train toilets, "see you back at the carriage, Teddy bear."

Teddy nodded, waiting for the girl to leave before he let out a large exhale of breath. He rested his head against the wall, closing his eyes as he tried to calm himself.

Delphini was true to her word. The moment they arrived at the station Teddy could see Bellatrix was already stood a few paces ahead of Rodolphus, grinning as soon as she saw Delphini and quickly walking forward to meet them. By the time the three of them exited the train Bellatrix was far ahead of Rodolphus, though she spared a quick moment to turn around and smirk at the man as she took the hand of his only daughter along with her own child. Rodolphus seemed as if he was about to protest, though before he could get a word out Bellatrix had disappeared with the two young girls.

"Well . . ." Rodolphus flinched at the sound of the young metamorphmagus, clearly not having noticed the boys slow walk up to him through his frustration, "looks like she still doesn't want to talk to you, I—"

Rodolphus turned and grabbed the boy harshly by the arm, glaring into his young face, "Don't think just because we're in public I won't curse you boy."

"You could," Teddy shrugged, "if you wanted to . . . I'm sure Elara would love to hear all about that."

The older man's grip tightened, "Don't test me, boy."

"Or what?" Teddy glared, "You don't scare me. You're pathetic."

Teddy gasped at the speed of the man's apparation, barely managing to stand firmly on his own two feet as they near the prisoner's ward. He struggled to keep up with the man's strides, yelling at the man to let go of him and barely noticing the man drawing his wand as they neared the ward. As they passed the wards of the prisoner's wing he was thrown to the ground, letting out a grunt of pain as he collided with the stone floor.

"You won't dare tell Elara, boy," Rodolphus growled, pointing his wand at the child, "do you honestly think you can threaten me?"

"I think you're an idiot if you're still hurting her family!" Teddy yelled, "She's right, you're just an abusive old shit!"

"Crucio!" The man yelled in fury, smirking as the boy's hair shot white and he convulsed on the floor for a few moments before he finally let out a yell of pain.

"Rodolphus!" Nymphadora shrieked as she ran from her room at the sound of her son's cries, though the man barely acknowledged her as he was too intent on harming her son. All reason quickly left her, running at the man and lunging for his wand. He turned with a yell of fury, grabbing hold of Dora's bright red hair and digging his wand into her neck.

"G-Get off o-of her!" Teddy stuttered, still shaking with the after-effects of the curse.

"I don't think I will," Rodolphus smirked, backing the woman into a wall as she gasped in pain as he pulled her head back, "see little Teddy thinks he can control what I do with threats, don't you boy?"

"Teddy go to your room—Ah!" Dora gasped as her head slammed into the stone wall.

"No, no, no," Rodolphus pouted, "little Teddy needs to learn a lesson."

"Get off of her!" Teddy growled, pulling himself to his feet. The older man merely laughed, surging a curse through the woman as she instantly writhed in pain against the wall, he threw his hand up just in time as the boy came charging at them only to be thrown against the wall again.

"Rod . . ." Dora panted as the man paused in his curse.

"What?" Rodolphus raised an eyebrow, "Going to threaten to tell Elara too?" he waited for her reply for a moment before he pulled her back only to slam her into the wall again, "Well?!"

"No!" Dora shouted, closing her eyes as she couldn't bring herself to look at her eldest child struggling to stand again, "J-Just leave Teddy out of this."

"But Teddy has to learn a lesson, Nymphie," Rodolphus pouted, "he thinks he controls what I do. But you know better than that, don't you?"

"Rod—" Dora's words quickly morphed into a scream as the man ruthlessly ran a curse through her, kicking out to try and move the man away from her to no avail.

"You see Teddy," Rodolphus growled through gritted teeth, glancing at the boy momentarily, "you two can't do anything. You're useless, weak . . . pathetic." The man yelled in outrage as the boy tried to go for him again, pausing in his curse as he threw a spell at the boy to bind him to the opposite wall.

"Rodolphus . . ." Dora breathed, having slumped forward onto the man in her weakened state, "please . . ."

"You should take a lesson from your mother boy," Rodolphus sneered, "she knows when to pick her battles . . . and she knows what happens when you misbehave. Don't you, Nymphie?" Rodolphus smirked as he brushed the woman's hair from her sweaty brow.

"Leave. Her. Alone." Teddy repeated, his hair pure red as he struggled in vain to get to his mother.

"No thank you," Rodolphus sighed, "in fact, I think I'm only just getting started. Why don't you just stay out here and think about your actions for a bit, little boy? Come on, Nymphadora."

Rodolphus ignored the boys yells as he lifted Nymphadora off of her feet, carrying her into her room he locked the door behind them though he took a moment to give the boy one last malicious smirk as he removed the usual soundproofing charm from the woman's bedroom.

"Mum!" the boy cried out as he heard the sound of his mother's body hitting a wall. He continued to struggle as he heard her yells of pain, screwing his eyes shut as he violently tried to escape his bonds despite the pain it caused him to do so, not stopping in his yelling for his mother. He almost screamed in shock as he felt a hand on his arm, "GET OFF! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

"Teddy!" a concerned voice yelled back at him, "Calm down!"

Teddy snapped his eyes open to look directly in the face of his concerned grandmother, panting for breath as he momentarily stopped in his pursuit to get away, "W-We have to stop him . . . M-Mum . . ."

"Your Mother wouldn't want you hurt," Andromeda said simply, though he could tell from the expression on her tired features that it pained her to hear the cries of her daughter as she tried to calm her grandson, "come on."

"No," Teddy immediately tried to go to his mother's door as he was released from his bonds, though the strength of his grandmother's grip surprised him, "let me go! I'll kill him!"

"Will you now?" Andromeda asked, "What do you plan to do? Run at a man with years of duelling experience with your three years of schooling? Sounds like a wonderful plan. Come on."

Teddy resisted again as she tried to pull him towards her own room, though she did not relent in her grip, merely pausing to glare at him as he refused to move.

"What do you think will happen if you manage to get in there, hmm?" Andromeda raised her eyebrow, "Do you think your mother wants you to see that? Do you think he'd stop? Or do you think you'd end up stuck in there and be put through your own mental torture of watching your mother suffer?" she waited for the boy to reply for a moment, "Come on."

Teddy hesitated for a moment, wincing as he let his grandmother pull him away into her room though he quickly pulled his arm away once she had closed the door.

"How can you let him get away with that!?" Teddy yelled, "That's my Mum screaming in there! Your daughter!"

"Do you not think I know that?" Andromeda narrowed her eyes at the boy, "Do you not think if I could stop it I would in a heartbeat?"

"You could! You might be able to out-duel him!" Teddy cried.

Andromeda looked at the boy for a moment before she sighed and shook her head, "You're too young to understand, Teddy."

"I understand he's an abusive piece of shit that deserves to die," Teddy growled.

"You're not wrong," Andromeda scoffed, "though it could do without the colourful language . . ."

"Any normal man wouldn't treat the mother of his children like that!" Teddy yelled, kicking his grandmother's bed in his frustration, "No matter how he got those children! Why would he risk them finding out about that, let alone do it in the first place!?"

"He's not normal, Teddy—and please don't abuse my furniture," Andromeda sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed, "his mind is addled . . . He's unhinged, what with years in Azkaban, the way he was raised, not forgetting putting up with Bellatrix for so many years, he doesn't think logically. I don't think he even knows how to control himself anymore, he just . . . releases his emotions."

"On my mother!" Teddy snapped.

"Teddy please," Andromeda rolled her eyes, "calm down—come over here, you're still shaking."

"I'm fine," Teddy murmured, leaning against the opposite wall and shuddering as another of his mother's screams echoed the walls. He barely noticed his grandmother soundproofing her own room to silence it, "I'll tell Elara . . ."

"You will not," Andromeda insisted.

"I will," Teddy argued, "if Elara knows and he finds out—"

"He'll stop? Do you think it's that simple?" Andromeda raised an eyebrow, "Or do you think it will just deepen her hatred for him? Do you think she would try to hurt him? How do you think he would react to that?"

"He wouldn't—"

"Can you guarantee that?" Andromeda asked seriously, "Can you guarantee that you wouldn't make it worse?"

"I—"

"I assure you any thought running through your mind has already been thought of," Andromeda said.

"Elara should hate him," Teddy huffed, sitting down next to his grandmother as he glared at the floor, "he doesn't deserve her love. I don't understand why Mum keeps on trying to fix it, it's ridiculous."

"I think . . . I think your mother worries about what will happen if she doesn't forgive him. I often wonder myself what Rodolphus would do if Elara completely disowned him . . . You see, there's a long history of pureblood fathers turning on their daughters when they no longer obey them, that terrifies your mother."

"Elara deserves to know," Teddy said.

"Perhaps," Andromeda nodded, "I would want to know . . . but sometimes it's not about what we want or what you think is the best next step. Unfortunately sometimes naivety is the only way forward . . . Rodolphus didn't visit your mother half as much before everyone knew what was going on. Yes, I wish I had known before but it was better for her before I knew. Now that Elara knows . . . it's only gotten worse, Teddy. He uses her as his outlet, it's wrong and I wish to merlin that I could stop it but . . ." Andromeda sighed, closing her eyes for a moment, she smiled sadly as she felt her grandson's hand on her own.

"We'll stop him one day, Nan," Teddy said in his most reassuring tone, "I promise."

"Perhaps . . ." Andromeda squeezed the boy's hand, frowning as she realised the boy was still shaking slightly, "but perhaps for now we'll just focus on releasing some of your pain, hmm?"

"I'm fine," Teddy assured her, sitting up straighter.

"Nonsense, you're shaking, don't lie to your grandmother." Andromeda rolled her eyes as the boy blushed slightly, drawing her wand to release some of the boy's pain.

Over an hour had passed and the boy was left alone in his grandmother's room after she had gone to check on Reuben who was apparently with Narcissa, having left him to lie down for a moment on her bed. He had only recently started learning how to notice the changes in the wards, though as he had been silent for some time waiting for the familiar change of someone leaving the wards he knew Rodolphus had left. He carefully rose from the bed and crossed the room, biting his lip almost scared to hear his mother's screams again before he pushed open the door to the room. The young boy made sure the coast was clear before he quickly went to his mother's room, he hesitated for a moment, reaching his hand out to the door as if he could predict what would be in there before without another moment's thought he opened the door and slipped into the room.

"Mum . . ." Teddy breathed.

The witch was sat on the edge of her bed her wild hair falling over her face and the freshly blooming bruises on her features, she winced as she heard her son's voice.

"Teddy . . ." Dora's voice cracked as she spoke.

The boy couldn't help but notice that she was wearing a different dress than she was when he last saw her, nor the way that she held herself hunched over on the bed.

"D-Do you want me to get Nan?" Teddy asked timidly, unsure what to do or say at the sight of his broken mother.

"No . . ." Dora forced herself to look at the boy, a small smile tugging at her bloody lip, "why don't you give me a minute? I'll come to see you . . ."

"No," Teddy shook his head, quickly going over to his mother's nightstand and handing her a tissue, "I'll help you."

"Thanks," Dora couldn't help but laugh slightly, "but I'm fine, honestly . . . Pass me the mirror?"

Teddy didn't hesitate, taking a small mirror from the stand and handing it to his mother, wincing as he saw the look in her eyes as she caught a glimpse of her features. He looked away as she drew her wand, cleaning herself up slightly before she morphed away the worst of the damage. He looked back just in time to see the bruise on her neck disappear.

"Morphing doesn't help the pain, Mum . . . They're still there . . ." Teddy murmured.

"How do you know that, hmm?" Dora asked, looking to the boy for a moment before she shook her head "Teddy . . ."

"I'm sorry he hurt you," Teddy blurted, "I didn't mean to—"

"It's not your fault," Dora insisted, "he . . . he's just . . ."

"A prick?" Teddy suggested, smiling slightly as his mother let out a small laugh.

"We say those things behind closed doors," Dora agreed, "but Teddy . . . Promise me you'll stop trying to provoke him."

"I wasn't—"

"Teddy you need to steer clear of him," Dora insisted, "don't talk to him if you can help it."

"But I'm done with the suffering Mum!" Teddy snapped, "I can't watch him hurt my Mum! I can't sit back and put up with it anymore! They're ruining the whole fucking world! I can't even leave this one wing unless it's to go to school! They're killing and torturing and doing wrong . . . They killed my Dad and they—I can't watch you get hurt any more Mum . . ."

"Hey," Dora sighed as she noted the tears in the young boy's arms, standing up and wrapping her arms around her eldest child, "shhh . . . It's okay . . . I'm okay . . . You're okay . . ."

"It's wrong," Teddy cried as he gripped onto his mother, taking a deep breath before he looked up to the woman with a determination in his eyes, "it has to stop. It will stop."

Dora looked deeply into the boy's eyes, he looked so much like his father it stabbed at her heart slightly, though as she listened to his words she couldn't help but remember the words that Rodolphus had spoken. She sighed deeply, brushing the hair from his face and kissing his forehead before she drew him close once again.

"One day . . . One day the suffering will be over . . . one way or another . . ." She murmured, "but for now you need to stay strong. You need to be strong and—and do whatever you have to do. But that time is not now, Teddy. For now, I need you safe and strong. Just . . . just keep these thoughts between us, keep your head down and maybe one day . . ."

"One day . . . Not maybe," Teddy said, "I promise Mum."

Dora gave a small nod, leading her son back to her bed and embracing him like she hadn't done in years. They lay there like that in silence, Dora gently stroking his hair as thoughts of what the future had in store ran through her mind, whilst little Teddy Lupin planned his next steps to be able to defeat Rodolphus and one day eventually avenge both of his parents.