Hey Readers!
I've created another Teddy Lupin fanfic, as I woke up this morning full of more story plots. The story is called 'Moonstar' and I've already posted the first chapter.
Chapter 17
- Shedding Skins -
"I don't like this, Harry."
"Hermione, she knew Dumbledore. She might have the sword. This is where they died, Hermione. This is where he murdered them."
Teddy listened to the two whispering as he trudged through the street behind the old lady. "You're Bathilda, right?" He asked, but Bathilda didn't seem to notice he'd said anything I she shuffled into her house. Teddy and the others followed in after her and were quite squished up within the tight corridor.
Bathilda didn't say anything and when she looked up she looked only at Harry.
Her wrinkled, boney hands fiddled with a box of matches, trying to light a candle. Teddy wondered why on earth she didn't just use her wand. "Here let me." He offered, taking the box and lighting the candle. Bathilda again stared straight past him at Harry.
Harry didn't notice as he was too focused on a small portrait of a blonde haired man resting on an old cupboard, that had begun to mold in several places. Teddy didn't wrinkle his nose at the smell because he didn't want to be rude, but occasionally he would cough at the revolting stench. "Miss Bagshot," Harry said, his voice loud in the pin dropping silence. "Who is this man?"
But Bathilda was shuffling off slowly towards the stairs. Teddy grabbed Harry quickly as he passed by. "Harry, I agree with Hermione. There's something off here."
"Teddy she's our only hope." His whisper was sharp like an iron blade. "Do you have any better ideas?" When he didn't reply Harry nodded. "Just have a look around. I'll try talking to her."
Teddy watched him through the darkness, running to help Miss Bagshot up the stairs. From beside him Arkie sniffed and gagged. "Lumos." He murmured and the tip of his wand lit up. From above he heard creaking sounds as Harry and Bathilda walked on the unstable floorboard.
"Come on." Arkie had also lit her wand up and was pulling Teddy through the cramped house full of stacks upon stacks of papers. The house felt tinier than his old room at Hogwarts.
He regretted reminding himself of it. Instantly, he begun to worry for his friends. He missed them. He missed the crowd halls full of students, the Great Hall, the Ravenclaw Tower, the duelling team. He even missed the Shrieking Shack and not too far from it... his home.
"Ahhh!" Teddy hadn't even noticed that Arkie had gone on without him. Panicked, he ran towards her scream, knocking over piles of parchment as he went. She was standing along at the end of a hall. Teddy looked around her, and come face to face with the source of the soar stench.
Bathilda's body laid dead upon the floor, and by the looks of her decaying face, she'd been there for quite a while. "But then who's..." His voice trailed off and Arkie looked back up at him. She wasn't in tears, but her hand covered her mouth in shock. "Harry!" He shouted, running for the stairs and hearing Arkie and Hermione behind him.
He flew into the room upstairs just in time to see the fake-Bathilda transform. It was a truly horrific sight. Her skin peeled away like a snakes. And sure enough, Nagini slithered across the floor, preparing to strike Harry, who was lying wandless on the ground. "Confringo!" Teddy's spell bounced over the snake's skin, leaving no mark. Just like it did with the locket.
"Teddy look out!"
Nagini had changed her coarse of attack and was raising her thick scaled head towards him. "Repulso!" The spell ricocheted around the room, missing Harry but an inch and causing the floor beneath the snake to crack. Nagini released a vicious hiss as she fell down through the hole in the floorboards. Teddy leaned forward, picking up Harry's wand, still pointing his at the hole.
Hissssssssssss! Snap!
Teddy grabbed the others, apparating them away just before the snake could close its jaws on Harry's leg.
Crack!
Sorry for the short chapter, having some writes block. You all understand. :)