TEDDY

Teddy decided that maybe going with Reyna, Nico and Hedge wasn't his best idea. They had landed in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in some sort of restaurant.

He had finished his letter and put it in an envelope Nico had gotten from the gift shop of the cruise ship. Teddy was pretty sure it was stolen but it was just a piece of paper really. They had it stamped and given to the postal office on the ship to be send with the post of the vacationing muggles once they reached land. That would be in three days. Then the letter would go to the airport and be flown to London, that would take another two days. Or at least that is what Reyna had said. Teddy did feel bad that his family would have to wait so long for a word from him, but there was no other way.
Teddy had sat with Hedge behind the bar and watched him pour smoothies when it happened. A sting to his neck and a strange dizziness and Teddy had known no more.

When he had come too Reyna had been gone and after calming down Hedge Nico and Teddy had sat and brainstormed about what to do before going shopping for some new clothes. Teddy had also pressed Nico for some answers as to what was actually happening.

The answer, demigods and a war against the literal earth, hadn't helped calm his nerves. Nor had the strange girl with the spiky black hair and electrifying blue eyes called Thalia. Nico didn't seem to like her very much and Hedge had yelled at her for kidnapping Reyna. It didn't help that she didn't seem very fond of Teddy and regarded him more as a nuisance than the help he could provide.
It had all gone to shit when another girl had stormed in and yelled something about an 'Orion'. Then they were running down the streets of San Juan, into a house and up a pair of stairs were they met even more girls.

"I really do hope you can defend yourself", Nico had told him.

Teddy hadn't been sure if that was supposed to be encouraging or threatening. He had pulled out his wand and held it in a defensive position. Most of the girls had eyed him with disdain or confusion but one had twirled her own wand and had nodded at him. So she was a witch.

Thalia had yelled a battle cry and everything had turned to chaos. Teddy had tried to stay out of the way of the fight, firing a couple Stupefys and Leg-Binding-Jinxes at the man they were fighting. For a couple seconds Teddy had thought it was a bit unfair, all of them against only one, but then the man started fighting back and all qualms were forgotten.
"Run, you silly wizard!", Hedge had yelled and grabbed Teddy be the scruff of his bright yellow shirt.

Teddy had stumbled after him, noticing that they had been reunited with Reyna. And that was how they had left the place as quickly as they had come.

Buford was a drab place, but it was a lot better than Puerto Rico in Teddy's opinion. Mostly because no-one was being killed.

Reyna had told them what had happened with the Amazons – Teddy had wondered if they were from South America but no, apparently they lived in Seattle – and Teddy had been shocked to hear that the Orion-fellow had killed most of them. Also the Hunters of Artemis Thalia was with. Teddy had heard the screams of the girls as they fell in their battle, had seen the top floor of the room they had fought in explode in green flames but he hadn't realised that some of the girls were still in there. Teddy wondered if the young witch had survived.

"Sure you still want to come with us?", Reyna asked, her voice tired.

"Of course!", Teddy said, slightly affronted they would think he would ditch them now. "You helped me on the cruise ship so I'm going to help you. Besides, you seem to need any help you can get and I want to help."

"Why would you want that?", Nico asked in disbelief.

"Because it is the right thing to do. And because my parents died fighting for a peaceful future and if that Earth-Woman wants to destroy that they will have died in vain."

Reyna gave him a slight nod and a small smile, as if she could understand his reasoning and was proud of them. A happy little bubble burst in Teddy's chest. To have the daughter of Bellona be proud of him made him so very happy. Reyna was a stoic woman and brave and strong and someone Teddy could look up to. He wanted her to like him. The happiness made him even forget about the awfulness that happened in San Juan.

Hedge was happily writing letters to his wife to send through the air. Teddy had asked if it was possible to send a letter that way for him but apparently Hedge wasn't sure.

They were camping just outside of Buford in the southern United States. They had been stuck here for two days at least. It made Reyna anxious and therefore worried Teddy, too. He had heard of the deadline in four days. They weren't telling him what was going to happen then, but Teddy also wasn't sure he wanted to know.

Instead he was studying his Defence Against the Dark Arts Book he had had on him when he was whisked away from Hogwarts. There were some Jinxes in it he thought could be helpful if they encountered another enemy.

Teddy looked up from his book, glancing across at were Nico and Reyna were engrossed in a conversation and then to Hedge, who was folding his latest letter.

"Can we try sending a letter to my godfather?", he asked quietly.

Hedge looked up.

"You know I'm not sure your magic doesn't interfere with mine. It could end up everywhere but at the wanted destination.", Hedge explained again.

"I know, but it's worth a try, right? He's an auror and I'm sure he can help us somehow. Maybe send some help for the fight?" Hedge looked unsure but shook his head. "And if I send a letter to MACUSA? They could help us deliver the statue or something.", Teddy pressed on.

He felt slightly useless just sitting around. The others were the ones who did something and Teddy was pretty sure it wouldn't make a difference if he was here or not. He wanted to make a difference.

"That could be an idea.", Hedge said. "Let's ask Reyna, its her quest after all."

He jumped to his hooves and trotted over to were she was sitting. Teddy grinned and quickly packed his book into his bag and ran after him. Reyna was sobbing and Nico was trying to comfort her when Teddy reached them.

"Is everything all right?", he asked worried. Reyna nodded and brushed the tears from her eyes, Nico didn't seem to know what to say. "Um… I have an idea that could help us", Teddy said quietly, hoping it would cheer her up some.

Instead of Reyna someone else spoke: "Oh, you will need all the help you can get. Patricide is a crime you will be executed for. Thank you for your confession, praetor, you made my job much easier."

Teddy whirled around his wand out and pointed at the newcomer, his heart sinking into is pants.

"Who are you", he demanded to know.

The others got to their feet as well and pulled out their weapons.

"Bryce Lawrence. Octavian's newest attack dog", Reyna said.

Teddy didn't know who Octavian was but it sounded like he was the enemy. Was he the one they were trying to stop in New York? While Teddy contemplated who Octavian was and what Bryce wanted from them, he had started taunting them. Talking about his godly parent and how much he would enjoy executing Reyna. She argued back, saying he didn't have the right to arrest her but Bryce just laughed, taking a small step forward.

Teddy fired an Incendio towards the grass in front of his feet, setting it on fire.

"Stay back or I will set you on fire", he threatened, hoping his voice didn't sound as weak as he felt.

Bryce actually faltered at the fire, before stomping on it and stepping it out.

"Well, that's interesting.", he muttered before looking up at them again with a smirk. "Telling a mortal about the gods is also against the Roman law, and that wizard over there is mortal. I will bring you in for trial on accounts of having broken multiple Roman laws."

Teddy was furious, both with Bryce and with himself, he shouldn't have done that. Hedge put a hand on his shoulder and swung his bat. "I agree with the kid, one more misstep and I will bash your head in."

Teddy shot him a grateful look. Instead of a verbal answer, a bunch of skeletons rose from the ground. Teddy had heard that was one of the things Nico could do, other than travelling through shadows, and so glanced to him. But Nico looked as surprised as the rest of them. So he didn't summon them?

Bryce was talking but Teddy was more focused on the skeletons slowly advancing towards them. They were the most awful beings Teddy had seen in his short life and he wasn't sure he would ever forget what they looked like. Teddy took a step back but the fear made it hard to think and then the skeletons were on him and held him captive.

Bryce was now taunting Nico, who was trying to get control of the situation. Reyna and Hedge were captured as well , both struggling. Teddy was frozen in his cage, the cold hard bones of the skeletons digging into him and the smell of decay and earth filled his nose. He wanted to go home. Back to their cottage with his grandma and his soft bed and the nice garden full of flowers. He didn't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere in America held captive by dead humans while him and his friends were taunted and threatened with death and torture. What was he thinking going on this quest. It wasn't some nice adventure, no it was a journey of danger and death and now it would end right here in stupid Buford.

Teddy was barely listening anymore to what was being said only focused on his rising panic and the coldness of the skeletons. He heard Nico and Reyna talk, Bryce's mocking laughter and then a pained hiss. It was the last thing he noticed before Nico exploded in anger.

It got cold, colder than before and suddenly Teddy got assaulted by a wave of pain and anger, vague feelings and memories that weren't his own flooded his head. Teddy barely noticed he had started sobbing and screaming. The skeletons disintegrated into dust and Teddy fell to his knees.

Trying to figure out what was happening he lifted his head and watched in absolute shock as Nico was snarling something at Bryce who was whimpering and slowly sinking into the earth. The ground was blackened and their air freezing cold and there was still so much pain in Teddy's heart. Pain, he realised, that wasn't his.

Teddy couldn't quite understand what was happening, but he did understand that Bryce Lawrence was dying. Horrified he watched as the Roman demigod slowly turned into a dark smoke. Then it was over and Nico collapsed.

Reyna let out a horrified gasp. Teddy didn't know what to think except that they were safe.

HARRY

Together with two of his colleagues Harry took an international Portkey to San Juan, paid for by the Auror's Office. With the new horrifying discovery made by their colleagues from across the Atlantic the case of the Hogwarts Intruders was now of the biggest priority to the wizarding community.

They arrived in a small office of the small MACUSA outpost and were greeted by a stocky woman in her late forties.

"You must be Auror Potter, I'm Auror Gills. It's good that you came so quickly", she said and held out her hand for an introduction.

Harry shook her hand. "Good to meet you. You have the necessary information?", he asked, quitting straight to the chase.

Gills laughed slightly and nodded. "They told you what we found?", she asked.

At Harry's nod she walked over to the desk and pulled out a stack of parchment. Harry and his colleagues took a seat in front of it.

"After your message to the IWC we started keeping a look out about the town. Same night as the break-in at your school they turned up here. We noticed it the next morning. Two of them and the hostage were walking down the streets with another girl. Seemed awfully in a hurry. They entered a building that was shook by what we believe is a magical explosion. So we entered after they had ran off taking the hostage with them, we sadly couldn't catch them." So far that all sounded reasonable to Harry and he was glad to hear that Teddy was still alive even if he was in the clutches of a band of crazed teenagers. He motioned for Gills to continue.

"Alright, so here is were it gets bad. A bunch of young girls and woman also quickly left the building after the explosion and were seen regrouping with the girl from earlier", Gills said, pushing a magical photograph towards Harry. On it was a young girl of about fifteen with spiky hair and a deadly gleam in her eyes, she was holding something the picture didn't quite show.

"Why is that so … unfocused?", he asked, tapping on it.

Gills shrugged. "We don't know but there's a lot of that on the other pictures too. We think it's a charm on their weapons. We know they didn't use wands so we figure it's a disguise."

"Alright, and after they regrouped?"

"We tried following them but they practically disappeared. We think they may be making their way into the States."

Harry nodded. That also made a lot of sense. "And … the dead?", he asked, not sure if he wanted to know.

Gills face sagged. "We found the corpses of seven young girls and eight women in at the exploded house and in their apparent hideout. All muggles, the youngest was eight, the oldest 27", she sighed and rubbed a hand down her face.

Harry stared at her, horrified. Why would anybody do this?

"We think it may have been for a dark ritual of some sorts. We found some weird things in that hideout. You said they used dark magic to break the wards of the school?"

Harry nodded numbly.

Zara Thorne, his colleague, started asking more questions which Gills quietly answered. Harry stared at the picture of the spiky-haired girl and the ones beneath that, showing the other kidnappers and Teddy. But they weren't just kidnappers were they? No they were dark wizards, possibly cultists, and murderers. And his little Teddy was caught in the middle of it.

Harry rubbed his face tiredly. And here he thought his problems had ceased with Voldemort's defeat.