TEDDY

Being dragged into a strange and scary darkness was not on Teddy's To-Do-List for his last day of school. Wind was ripping about him and noises sounded in the distance. It sounded like wails. Teddy shuddered and wrapped his arms around the piece of rope that had landed him in this mess. He wasn't sure what would happen to him if he were to let go and he didn't want to find out.

The trip didn't take long. The bright sun and a pleasant warmth greeted him. The smell of salt water and the loud chatter of multiple people was the next thing he noticed. Teddy blinked to get his eyes used to the sudden brightness.

He sat up from where he had landed on his knees and looked around. They were at some kind of public place. There was a huge pool in the middle of it, with sunchairs and a bar surrounding it. It was filled with a lot people sitting or swimming around, laughing and talking loudly to each other. No-one seemed to give them a second look even if they just emerged from nothing. Were these wizards? Or more of the strange people that had disrupted their dinner at Hogwarts?

There was an angry sort of noise behind him and Teddy turned around in surprise, only to come face-to-face with a spear that girl from earlier was holding.

What are you doing here? Why did you follow us?", she hissed.

Teddy scrambled backwards a bit, or as good as he could with the ropes wrapped around him. He seemed to have tangled himself in them during that trip.

"Where did you take me?", he asked instead.

"Take you? We didn't take you, you came along!"

"No! I swear I didn't mean to!", Teddy yelled. He put his hands up before his face, scared Reyna would stab him if she was dissatisfied with his answer. Instead the spear was lowered and Reyna looked at him with a contemplating look.

"How did you do that with the hair?", she asked.

Hair? Oh, that. Teddy reached up to his head and pulled a string of hair over his eyes. It was bright red. He had gone to the feast with his favourite blue colour.

"I'm a metamorphmagus", he said.

"What's that?"

"I can change my hair colour at will. I mean no harm, I swear!"

Reyna sighed and brushed a hand down her face. She looked tired. Her dark hair was in a messy braid and there was a bit of dirt on her tanned skin. She seemed as if she needed a break.

"Can you get me back to Hogwarts?", Teddy asked quietly. Reyna shook her head slowly and looked at something behind her.

"Sorry, but we don't even know where that was. And even if, we can't make that trip right now", she sounded apologetic.

A knot formed in Teddy's throat and he gulped. He couldn't get back home? But what about his friends or his grandmother or his uncle Harry? They would worry if Teddy didn't return from Hogwarts. But maybe, if he knew where he was he could send a message and they could come and get him.

"Can I send a letter? Do you have an owl?", he asked Reyna.

She turned back towards him with a confused look. "An owl? What do you need that for?"

"To send a letter of course. To let my family know where I am so they can come and get me."

"A letter delivered by owl? You wizards are strange."

And there it was again. 'You wizards'. She definitely wasn't one, Teddy was sure of that now.

"Who are you?", he asked and quickly slapped a hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to ask that, it was rude.

Reyna sighed again. "I'm Reyna, these are Nico and Gleeson Hedge", she said and waved behind her. Then she relaxed her face a bit. "Don't worry, we won't harm you. Maybe you can ask one of the mortals to lent you a phone to call your parents."

A slight pang went through his heart. Teddy's parents had died 13 years ago during the Battle of Hogwarts. And he didn't know how to use a phone. That was muggle technology he had only seen before but never used. Wizards like him normally communicated via owl post or floo powder. Reyna of course didn't know that. What number would he even call? No, post would be the best way. He had learnt how to use the muggle system once when he was on vacation with his grandmother Andromeda Tonks.

"I would rather send a letter", he whispered.

"Whatever you want. But it will take a while to deliver, we are in the middle of the ocean", Reyna said.

Teddy tilted his head in confusion and looked around. The middle of the ocean? But how? Where they on a boat, but if, that would be a really big boat to fit so many people and a pool. Reyna seemed to notice his confusion. "This is a cruise ship."

"What?"

"You don't know – Whatever, it's a big ship where mortals go on vacation. You wizards don't have that?"

Teddy shook his head. Why would you go on vacation on a boat?

"Anyway, I will help you send a letter, but that will have to wait a couple hours. Is that alright?", she asked.

Teddy nodded. He could wait. As long as he could let his family know he was safe a couple hours didn't make a difference.

He found himself on a sunchair later on. The sun was setting by now, letting Teddy know he was in a different time zone. Hedge had fetched a piece of paper and a pen for him but Teddy struggled to find the right words to write. What would he say to Harry? They apparently were on a ship called 'The Sea's Treasure' and en route to the Caribbean. They wouldn't arrive there for another four days though.

Reyna had suggested they find him a cabin to stay in and then his Uncle Harry could pick him up once the ship stopped in Jamaica once he send his letter. Teddy didn't like that plan though. Apparating across the Atlantic wasn't possible and international portkeys were expensive. Not that Teddy didn't think Harry wouldn't be willing to pay for that but Teddy wasn't willing to make him pay. It was his own fault after all. And besides, Teddy didn't even know if there was a wizarding community in Jamaica. No, Teddy wanted Nico to bring him back to Hogwarts. Or even London. But that wasn't possible.

Apparently the three of them were on a mission to save the world and didn't have a lot of time. Teddy wasn't sure how much he believed of that but he was willing to go with it. Also, Nico was passed out on the chair next to him and wasn't going anywhere. Reyna had stitched up his arm earlier but the wounds still looked rugged and an angry red. She had said they got attacked by werewolves of all things.

Teddy always felt unsure when he heard of werewolf attacks. His father, Remus Lupin, had been a werewolf and according to his family he had been a gentle and brave soul. He would have never hurt someone on purpose. On the other hand there were those like Greyback, one of Voldemort's most awful followers, or Lycaon that apparently liked to hunt and inflict pain. Nico could be glad it was just a scratch.

Teddy tried to focus back on his letter. So far he had written 'Dear Grandma, Dear Uncle Harry'. It wasn't much. He looked up again when he heard a clatter of hooves coming his way. Hedge stopped in front of him, his bat over his shoulder and a glower on his face.

"So wizard-kid, have you decided what to do?", he asked.

He said wizard as if he still didn't believe they were real. As if that man could talk. He was a satyr, so he was supposed to be a fairy tale too. And if Teddy had overheard his and Reyna's earlier conversation correctly, they were at war against a goddess. That sounded pretty unbelievable too to Teddy. They were also on their way to New York and Teddy knew there was a big wizarding community there.

"Can't you take me with you? Just to New York. I will be fine from there. I could make my way to MACUSA and take a portkey back to London", he asked.

Hedge laughed harshly. "No way kid. We are on a time sensitive and very dangerous mission. You said you can't do magic outside of school and so can't defend yourself. You are going to Jamaica!"

Teddy pouted and let his hair turn a depressing shade of grey. This trick always worked on Harry. Even Hedge's face seemed to soften at that. "We can't afford to take you with us, sorry. You don't want to come either."

Teddy thought about that. Their journey did seem a bit dangerous from what he heard. Teddy might not be a Gryffindor himself but his father had been so there was a sense of adventure in him. And this would be a great adventure. His grandma had always coddled him and never let him go into any danger. He could understand where she was coming from but that didn't mean he didn't want to experience an adventure for himself. He was 13 years old, he could go on a trip to New York. Harry had already battled Voldemort and a basilisk at this age.

Teddy also wasn't completely defenceless. He had learnt quite a few offensive and defensive spells over the years, most from Harry or Ron. And after the Second Wizarding War the rules about underage magic use had been lifted slightly. In dangerous situations they were allowed to do magic outside of school. Plus, he wasn't in England anymore so the Ministry of Magic didn't have an legal pull on him. He wanted to help Reyna, Nico and Hedge for taking care of him on the cruise ship. He was still a Hufflepuff after all. And suddenly he knew the answer, to both Hedge and his problem with the letter.

HARRY

When Harry Potter had received the floo call from Neville he had immediately gathered some of the best aurors on duty and apparated to Hogsmeade. Neville Longbottom was a professor at Hogwarts and had just called them because three people had travelled through the wards and into the Great Hall. They feared they had used some unknown dark magic. Of course Harry went to help himself, not the least because his godson Teddy Lupin was attending Hogwarts at the moment.

The aurors arrived in front of the Hogwarts Gates and made their way up the hill towards the school. Harry ordered his men to be vigilant and secure their surroundings. It could be that there were more intruders. They reached the entrance quickly and slipped in.

The doors to the Great Hall were opened and Harry could see the entire student body facing towards the front of the Hall. As he slipped into the Hall, Harry made out the sound of voices. One was McGonagall the other a younger female voice. Harry quickly surveyed the scene. There was a huge statue lying on the floor between the house and the teacher's tables. Before that stood three figures armed with some weapons. Harry could make out a javelin and a black sword as well as a baseball bat of all things.

Between the student and the intruders stood the professors, McGonagall in the front. And behind her, at the very top of the Hufflepuff table Harry spied familiar blue hair. Teddy. Harry paled slightly in worry. Teddy was too near the action. He raised his wand and the other aurors followed suit.

Suddenly McGonagall said "I can't let you do that!" and then all hell broke loose.

The trio of intruders disappeared in the shadows while several professors and aurors fired stunners at them. Harry on the other hand could just stand and stare at the spot Teddy had disappeared after them.

It had been nearly two days since Teddy had disappeared. After the students were dismissed and shipped off back to London at the same evening, the aurors had searched every speck of Hogwarts, Hogsmeade and even parts of the Forbidden Forest. There had been no sign of either Teddy Lupin or the intruders. Harry had returned back to the Auror Office late at night and stayed there until the early morning, trying to track the missing people. They had crafted Wanted-Posters of the intruders and even asked around Diagon Alley if anybody had seen something. But even 48 hours later no-one had. It was as if they had disappeared from the face of the earth. Robards had suggested that they had fled the country and so the International Wizarding Committee had been contacted. By now most major wizarding communities around the world knew the faces of the Hogwards Intruders and their hostage.

By now Harry was back at Grimmauld Place. Ginny and Hermione had dragged him from the office saying he couldn't do anything worthwhile without resting first. Andromeda was also there, sobbing over the loss of her only remaining family. Hermione and the children were trying to comfort her but without any luck.

Harry longed to be back at the Office, or better yet, out there and searching for his godson, but he knew the women were right and he needed to rest.

It was at this moment that a slight knock sounded on one of the windows. An owl was sitting there looking disgruntled and exhausted. Harry walked over to it and let it in. The owl dropped its letter in Harry's hand and then curled up next to a plate of cookies to snack and rest.

"What is it?", Hermione asked, coming up behind Harry.

Harry shrugged and opened the letter, quickly reading through it, paling at every next sentence.

"Harry?", that was Ginny. "Is everything alright? You look … is it Teddy?"

Harry could only nod, trying to comprehend what he had just learned.

"They were sighted", he said, unsure of how much he could tell them. It was still an ongoing investigation and neither of the other adults in the room were aurors, not to mention the kids being here. But they still deserved to know how Teddy was doing, especially Andromeda. "They were seen in Puerto Rico. That's all I can say. I have to go to the Office."

Harry rushed out of the room before Hermione could ask more. He was unwilling to disclose more of what he learned. He had to get to the Office and then probably take a portkey to Puerto Rico. Because now it wasn't just the case of a forceful break-in and a hostage. No, now there were a bunch of dead girls.