The next morning, Teddie sat in her usual place at the Slytherin table, her head down and eyes scanning the timetable that had just been handed out by Professor Snape. To say the interaction between her and her Head of house had been frosty would have been an understatement, she hadn't spoken to him since he had rescued her from Little Hangleton last year.
Teddie knew that at some point they would need to talk, but for now, while she tried to deal with everything that happened, she was happy to avoid him. She understood that, while being at Hogwarts, it would be difficult to avoid him indefinitely, he was her Head of House, after all, and also her Potions Professor, she had classes with him at least twice a week – sometimes four.
"Morning," Marlene chirped, sliding into the seat beside Teddie. She looked happy, refreshed, and ready to face the day. "Sleep well?"
Teddie shrugged.
"After last night, I'm surprised any of us slept, to be fair," said Judy, sliding into a seat opposite Marlene.
Teddie licked her lips and lowered her timetable. She reached for a crumpet and some butter. She had been waiting for someone to bring up last night, Daphne had briefly mentioned it last night after coming to bed, and Teddie was already asleep when Parkinson and Bulstrode had come up.
"You know we're on your side, right?" Marlene asked, glancing at Teddie.
Again, Teddie shrugged. She would not be surprised if they weren't.
"Yeah, my mum and dad may think you're loony," said Judy. "But they don't know you."
Teddie glanced up. "Why would they think I was loony?" she asked. "I'm not the one saying that Voldemort is back. I mean, he is back, I can confirm Harry's story, but still…"
"Well, a lot of people think your loony for claiming to be Faye Sutherland," said Judy. "Haven't you heard the whispers?"
Teddie furrowed her brow. The only whispers she had heard were from people pointing and talking about her, wondering why she was back at Hogwarts and not locked up in Azkaban. Sure, not everyone was openly saying that she was Voldemort's daughter, but the whispers conveyed that, didn't they?
Teddie paused. Now that she thought about it, she had not actually heard someone say, "that's Faye". She had heard some people say "that's his daughter" but maybe she had only thought that because she was already guessing what people would say.
"Hey," Marlene said, nudging Teddie and jarring her from her thoughts.
"Sorry," Teddie sighed. "I'm just – "
"Good morning, Faye."
Teddie took a deep, calming breath, and looked up at Parkinson as she slid into the seat that Blaise usually occupied.
"That seat's taken," said Teddie.
"Oh, I know," Parkinson nodded. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay."
Teddie cocked her head to the side. "Why wouldn't I be?" she asked.
"Well, I heard you moaning in your sleep last night," said Parkinson. "It sounded like you were having a nightmare. I wanted to wake you, but mum has always warned me about waking people up. I did not want to hurt you, or myself. You settled down after a while, but I was still concerned."
Teddie glanced sideways at Marlene. Parkinson had never cared about her wellbeing before, why did she seem to now?
"You don't have to tell me, but what did you dream about?"
"Why should she want to tell you that?" Daphne asked, arriving with Blaise and Theo. She and Theo took their seats, while Blaise waited for Parkinson to move.
Parkinson huffed and slid back into her usual seat, allowing Blaise to sit opposite Teddie. "I was just making sure my roommate was feeling okay," she said. "Her so-called friends obviously didn't care. You didn't even wake up last night when she was having a nightmare. What, did you cast a silencing charm around your bed so that you didn't have to listen?"
Teddie glanced at Daphne.
"Of course not!" Daphne snapped. "In the past four year, I have slept without magic around my bed to make sure that Teddie is okay. If there is any residual magic around then someone else put it there, probably you, to make it seem that I don't care for my friend's wellbeing."
Parkinson shrugged and turned her attention back to Teddie. "I know you're scared, and probably wondering who you can trust right now, but I assure you, I am here to help," she said. "I know we have had our differences in the past, but I was wrong. I'm here for you, Faye, just say the word."
Teddie stared at Parkinson.
Parkinson smiled, it looked, to Teddie, that it hurt her a lot to have to play nice, and then turned to Millicent as she arrived.
As Breakfast played out, Professor Snape returned with the last of the timetables for students that hadn't been present during his first sweep, and then returned to the teacher's table.
Teddie watched him settle back into his breakfast, and then turned to her friends. "I have to go meet Mason," she said, packing away her things. "He's meeting me in the Entrance Hall after breakfast, and class starts in less than thirty minutes."
"Do you want us to come with you?" Theo asked, swallowing a mouthful of orange juice.
"Finish first," said Teddie. "I'll see you in History of Magic."
Theo nodded and while Teddie stood, he remained seated with Daphne and Blaise. They both looked concerned as they watched Teddie stride away, swinging her book bag up onto her shoulder as she left the Great Hall.
"Anyone feel like she's pulling away?" Blaise asked, lowering his voice.
Theo and Daphne nodded.
~X~
History of Magic had never been Teddie's favourite subject at Hogwarts. She usually spent it snoozing on Theo's shoulder, especially when the lesson was the first one of the days, and on a Monday no less. But the only downside to it this year was that the other students, the ones that weren't listening to Binns, at least, where huddled together in groups and glancing back at her from over their shoulders.
Shrinking down in her seat, Teddie pulled the heels of her feet up onto the edge of her chair and buried her head in her knees.
"Try not to think about it," said Theo, sliding down in his own chair. "They don't know what happened."
"I think that is why they are whispering," said Teddie. "If they had any clue then they wouldn't be spending as much time speculating about it."
"Aw, come on, Ted, you don't normally care what people say or think about you."
Teddie glanced up at him. "This is different, Theo," she protested. "They aren't talking about me because I was a simply Muggleborn that got put into the 'bad' house, they're talking because I am the daughter of him."
"You're still you," said Theo. "You're nothing like him."
Teddie sighed and lowered her gaze. She knew was nothing like Voldemort or Avery, but she was tired of people whispering about her behind her back. Over the summer, she had been able to hide away from the gossip, her parents were subscribed to the Daily Prophet, and neither Mason nor Theo dared get a copy in fear of her seeing it.
The only reason they knew about the article concerning her truth being leaked was because John Kyle had rushed over the night before their return to Hogwarts, brandishing a copy and looking terrified.
"I know you're mad at me, and I don't blame you, but you have to see this," said John, pushing a copy of the Evening Prophet into Teddie's hands. "Mum is trying to get to the bottom of who leaked the news, but they know, Ted."
Teddie sucked in a breath, her eyes skimming each word and her heart dropping further into her stomach. She felt tears prick the corner of her eyes and, by the time she had reached the bottom of the article, she was shaking in both fear and anger.
The truth was out, and her life was about to become a lot worse than it already was.
The dungeons were almost as cold as the air outside. Teddie pulled her robes tighter around her as she stood alongside her friends outside the Potions classroom, waiting for Snape to permit them entry. In recent years, Teddie had been used to standing opposite her fellow Slytherins, usually being at odds with them, but this year she found, and probably because they believed her to be a weapon to the Dark Lord, the rest of her house stood alongside her.
Teddie kept her gaze down as the Gryffindor's shuffled in, each one leaning against the wall opposite the Slytherin house, no one spoke, and the silence seemed to get heavier by the second.
Words like 'traitor' and 'dangerous' flittered through the air, the only words used to break the silence, but Teddie refused to look up and acknowledge whoever had said them. In recent years, she would've been the first one to jump forward and defend herself, but right now she only wanted the floor to open up and swallow her, at least then she wouldn't have to deal with the shame of being related to a mass murderer.
"Hi, Teddie," said a small voice.
Teddie blinked and looked up, surprised that someone was addressing her. Her gaze met Hermione's warm brown eyes, and suddenly she felt like all her problems had melted away, and everything was normal again. If a Muggleborn witch could talk to her like she wasn't about to kill her, then maybe others would, too.
However, normal didn't last long, as Parkinson stepped forward, putting herself between Hermione and Teddie, like a barrier.
"Faye doesn't talk to Mudbloods, Granger," Parkinson sneered.
"Don't call her a mudblood!" Teddie snapped, despite herself. She knew that speaking up and defending Hermione would earn her the attention of everyone in the corridor.
Both Hermione and Parkinson turned to Teddie.
"You're defending her?" Parkinson asked. "She's filth compared to you."
"Until last summer, I was filth to you," said Teddie. "Nothing has changed, Parkinson, so I don't see why you're acting like it has."
Parkinson looked like Teddie had just slapped her. "I am trying to protect your reputation!" she said.
"I don't need you to protect anything!" Teddie said. "I can stand up for myself." She looked back at Hermione and offered a small smile. "Did you have a good summer?"
Parkinson huffed and turned her back.
Hermione shrugged. "Not the same as it normally is," she said. "But, I suppose, that goes for everyone, huh?"
Teddie nodded slowly. "I suppose it does," she agreed.
The ominous door of the dungeon opening, broke up any further conversations. The two houses filed into the room, each one taking a table and either pairing up with their usual partners – Theo and Teddie, and Daphne and Blaise – or choosing a table that allowed three people to sit together – Harry, Ron, and Hermione.
Professor Snape swept to the front of the class. "Settle down," he said, his voice the same silky smooth it was every time he spoke. "Before we begin today's lesson. I think it appropriate that to remind you that next June you will be sitting an important examination, during which you will prove how much you have learned about the composition and use of magical potions. Moronic though some of you are, I expect you to scrape and "acceptable" in your O. W. Ls or suffer my displeasure."
Teddie rolled her eyes.
"After this year, of course, many of you will cease studying with me," Snape went on. "I only take the absolute best into my N. E. W. T. potions class, which means that some of us will certainly be saying goodbye. But we have another year to go before that happy moment of farewell, so whether you are intending to attempt N.E.W.T. or not, I advise all of you to concentrate your efforts upon maintaining the high-pass level I have come to expect from my O.W.L. students."
Teddie glanced sideways at Theo. She had already decided that she wasn't going to continue with her Potion lessons after this year, she intended to go fully into Charms, if she could.
"Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up in Ordinary Wizarding Level: The Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned; if you are too heavy handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing."
Teddie opened her notebook as Snape tapped the blackboard with his wand and several ingredients and the potions preparation method appeared in white chalk.
"You will find everything that you need in the store cupboard," continued Snape, pointing his wand at the door at the back of the room, it swung open as if on an invisible release. "You have an hour and a half. Start!"
As Blaise and Theo left to get ingredients, Daphne and Teddie scribbled down the instructions, and set up their cauldrons. From what she had written, Teddie could tell that this potion was going to be very fiddly, everything had to be added at exactly the right time and in a specific order for it to have its desired effect.
Not to mention the stirring had to be done a certain number of times, both clockwise and counterclockwise. It took so much effort to focus on the potion, that those who had partnered up barely had enough time to confer with one another, except to be sure that they weren't overstepping one another or lagging.
"You should have a light silver vapor rising from your potion," said Snape, when there was ten minutes left.
Teddie glanced sideways. She and Theo had managed to get the desired effect, which meant that Snape had no reason to criticize them, not that he ever picked on a Slytherin in front of another house.
"Potter, what is this supposed to be?"
Teddie bit back a groan as she, along with the rest of her house, looked towards the back of the room. Snape always seemed to take pleasure in criticizing Harry in front of the rest of the class.
"The Draught of Peace," said Harry, tensely.
"Tell me, Potter," said Snape, softly. "Can you read?"
Draco Malfoy laughed.
"Yes, I can," said Harry.
"Read the third line of the instructions for me, Potter."
Teddie glanced down at her notes – Add powdered moonstone, stir three times counterclockwise, allow to simmer for seven minutes, then add two drops of syrup of hellebore. – looked back at her in her handwriting.
"Did you do everything on the third line, Potter?" Snape asked.
"No," said Harry.
"I beg your pardon?"
"No," Harry repeated. "I forgot the hellebore…"
"I know you did, Potter, which means that this mess is utterly worthless. Evanesco." Snape waved his wand over Harry's cauldron and the contents disappeared. "Those of you who have managed to read the instructions, fill one flagon with a sample of your potion, label it clearly with your name, and bring it up to my desk for testing."
Teddie waved her wand and a large puddle of potion floated into the flagon that Theo was holding. He sealed it and wrote both their names on the front, and then took it up to Snape's desk.
"Homework – twelve inches of parchment on the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion-making, to be handed in on Thursday."
~X~
Mason and Astoria joined the Slytherin table for lunch, and Mason spent the whole hour excitedly telling Teddie about his new classes.
"Of course, I knew I was going to love Ancient Runes," said Mason. "The work you and Theo had last year proved that, especially since I used to do most of it for you."
"What?!" Blaise and Daphne exclaimed and Teddie buried her face in her hands while Theo burst out laughing.
"Once!" Teddie protested. "He did it once for me."
Mason chuckled as Teddie shoved him playfully. "Besides, I had already read your book from front to back, so mine was barely open. You chose Berkano as your rune in your first lesson, didn't you?"
Teddie nodded.
"Well, I chose one, and Professor Babbling said that it was Merlin's mark," Mason continued. "Apparently, no one has ever been able to decipher it, and Dumbledore is supposedly to have a book that has the mark on it. I wonder if he'd let me borrow it so I could try and decipher it?"
Teddie rolled her eyes and swallowed a goblet of milk. "I'm surprised you didn't choose a rune for ambition or something," she said.
"That is what I said," said Astoria. "Granted, I didn't take Ancient Runes."
"Didn't you have Muggle Studies this morning?" Daphne asked.
Astoria nodded. "You were right when you said it was interesting," she said.
After lunch, the friends split up and headed for their different classes. Daphne and Blaise had Divination, while Theo and Teddie had, coincidentally, Ancient Runes.