The rest of October passed faster than anyone could grasp. On October 31st, Teddie received several books from her friends – every year she had a new Charms book from Daphne and Blaise, they had found a series of books back in second year and vowed to get each one from the series for Teddie every year until it ended.

From Theo she received a book on Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Teddie made a mental note to show Harry when she saw him next. The spells inside these books could come in handy for the D.A.

Mason, on the other hand, had pooled his money together and purchased a second-hand book on Magical Myths and Legends, adding to the growing collection that Teddie had gathered over the years. This year's book, however, wasn't about any Gods, but rather mythical creatures in and around the Magical World.

Marcus, Adrian, and Derrick had sent her their presents, along with letters telling her to stay out of trouble and to be safe. Marcus had always apologised for not being able to meet her in Hogsmeade the week before her birthday, stating that his Quidditch practices with the Amsterdam team were getting more and more frequent now that they had a new captain.

The evening of October 31ST found Teddie sat at the Slytherin table with her friends enjoying the Halloween feast with the rest of the school. She gorged herself on savory and sweet foods, before the lull of the Hogwarts Ghost's annual performance sent her to sleep on Theo's shoulder.

When she climbed into bed that evening, she was asleep before her head hit the pillow, and, for the first time in two months, she had no nightmares.

~X~

Teddie's eyes widened as she looked around the Room of Requirements. It was completely decorated in streamers and baubles of red and gold, some of which were so large that she could see her whole body reflected in the surface.

A banner hung on the back wall, and Harry was in the process of trying to remove it. He clung to the wooden ladder with one hand and leaned over to detach the piece of string that held it up from the wall.

"You know you have magic, right?" Teddie asked, startling Harry. She gasped as he wobbled on the ladder but managed to remain on it without sliding off.

Harry sighed and glanced around. "Teddie!" he exclaimed.

"Sorry," Teddie apologised. "I didn't mean to almost kill you."

"You'd do a better job that Voldemort," Harry laughed. "He's tried to kill me since I was a baby, and hasn't succeeded, and all you had to do was speak and knock me from a ladder."

Teddie's face fell. "That's not funny," she said, heading for a cushion and dropping her back down onto the floor.

Realising what he had said, Harry shook his head. "Sorry. I didn't mean –" he started.

"I know," said Teddie, cutting him off. "I'm sorry. It's hard, sometimes, and I know other people wouldn't see the funny side."

"Good thing it's just us then, huh?"

Teddie forced a smile. She cocked her head to the side and read the partly fallen banner out loud. "A Very Harry Christmas – let me guess, Dobby?" she asked.

Harry blushed.

"Do you want some help taking them down?"

"Please," said Harry, climbing down from the ladder.

Teddie smiled and pulled her wand from inside her sleeve. She pointed it at the decorations and muttered an incantation under her breath. The baubles froze for a second before disappearing entirely.

"What spell was that?" Harry asked.

"Ursula Flint taught it to me," said Teddie. "It comes in handy. Although, I only use it at school. While I love putting up decorations, I hate taking them down, but my parents say that, despite having magic, doing things the Muggle way builds character. So…" she shrugged.

"There's also the fact that we aren't allowed to do magic outside of school," Harry pointed out.

"Yeah, there's that, too," Teddie agreed.

The pair smiled.

A silence fell, and Harry rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Um, not that I mind, but how come you're here early?" he asked. "Aren't you and your friends usually joined at the hip?"

"They're finishing up some last-minute homework," said Teddie. "I was getting restless."

"You've finished your homework?"

Teddie shrugged. "I don't sleep all that well at night due to nightmares, so I tend to do my homework when everyone else is asleep," she explained. "I also attend a three-hour study session with Judy and Marlene three nights a week, so I'm pretty much caught up."

Harry's eyes widened.

"Don't look so surprised," said Teddie, laughing. "I actually take my studying seriously."

Harry grinned.

"So, what we learning today?" Teddie asked. "Anything new?"

Harry shook his head. "I just thought we'd go over what we've already done," he said with half a shrug. "You know, revision and all that. Besides, most of us go home tomorrow for Christmas – are you looking forward to Christmas?"

"Yeah. I get to see my parents again," said Teddie. "I have missed them a lot this year. But I think most of it is to do with everything that's been going on."

"Do they know about everything?"

Teddie shook her head. "No. I don't want to burden them with it," she said. "Plus, it's complicated. I can't really explain it all, mostly because I'm still trying to wrap my head around it, too. But I'm just excited to be going back to Spinner's End. How about you?"

"I'm spending it with Ron and his family," said Harry.

Teddie smiled. "I hope you have fun, Harry, you deserve it," she said.

"Same to you."

~X~

The next morning, Teddie lugged her trunk into the common room, prepared to deposit it with the other cases of Slytherin students returning home for the holidays. She huffed as she dragged it off the last step, dropping it with a thud on the floor.

"Stupid thing," Teddie muttered. She could have used magic to levitate it down the stairs, but her parents words of 'building character' run in her ears. What was the point in using magic for menial tasks when she had lived her whole life doing things without it?

Gripping the handle, Teddie turned to pull her trunk across to the portrait hole and stopped as she spotted Professor Snape standing beside the fireplace. The green flames flickered and cast shadows across his face.

"Good morning, Professor," said Teddie, dragging her case across the room. She left it near another students and returned to the fireplace. "Is everything okay?" she added, noticing the look in Snape's eyes.

Snape took a deep breath and finally met Teddie's gaze. "I'm afraid, Miss Green, it isn't," he said.

Teddie furrowed her brow. Her heart sank the longer Snape stared at her, and she suddenly felt very conscious and sick. "What happened?" she asked. "Is it Mason? Where is he? Is he in the Hospital Wing?" she made to pass him, but Snape caught her arm.

"Your brother is fine," said Snape. "Professor Flitwick is collecting him, just as I am you."

"Collecting us?" Teddie repeated. "Collecting us for what?"

"Professor Dumbledore has asked for you," said Snape.

The sickness in her stomach was rising into her throat, and Teddie could feel her heart beating a mile a minute in her chest. It felt like it was going to break free. If Mason was okay, then why was Snape here to take her to Dumbledore.

Did he know? Did Dumbledore know about the D.A.? Teddie shook her head, banishing the thought. If Dumbledore knew they he would be calling for Harry and not Mason. But then, it had to be someone on the outside.

Marcus, perhaps? Or the Flints? What about Adrian, Derrick, or even their families? Again, Teddie banished the thought. Yes, Mason was close to all the of them, but it didn't warrant him being called to Dumbledore's office, her, yes, definitely, because she was under Mo Flint's protection, and she was extremely close to Marcus. So, if anything had happened to him, she would have wanted to know about it.

It could be nothing. She could've been overthinking the situation, and Professor Dumbledore was just making sure that she was ready for the trip home? Maybe he had additional information on her transfer from Spinner's End to the Flint's at the end of the holidays, seeing as she always spent New Year with Marcus and his family.

Please let it be nothing, Teddie thought desperately.

"Fizzing Whizbee," said Snape, stopping outside of the stone gargoyle that concealed Dumbledore's office. Teddie had only been in here once, and that was after Harry and Ron had rescued her from the Chamber of Secrets in their second year.

The gargoyle sprang to the side and Teddie followed Snape up the winding staircase. They stopped again outside Dumbledore's office door, and Snape knocked twice. The door swung open and Snape, grasping Teddie's shoulder, walked her inside.

Mason jumped out of his seat at the sight of his sister. He crossed the room and threw his arms around her, burying his face in her chest and sobbing.

In that moment, Teddie knew what had happened. Her heart stopped in her chest and she looked up, meeting Dumbledore's eyes and the knowledge that something bad had happened reflected within them.

Tears sprang to her own eyes, and Teddie looked down, burying her face into the top of Mason's head, her arms tightening around his shoulders.

It couldn't be, she thought miserably. Out of all the people she had thought it could've been, she hadn't once thought of them. But it was them. Mason wouldn't have been sobbing this hard if it had been anyone other than them.

Her parents were dead.