"THERE THEY ARE!"
"Quick! In here," said Harry, seizing Teddie's wrist and pulling her through a door on their right. They slammed it shut behind them, and Teddie pointed her wand at the frame.
"Colloportus!" Teddie said. Three bodies slammed into the door on the other side, it shook in its frame, but didn't open.
Harry sighed in relief and looked at Teddie as she turned around. They could hear the Death Eaters trying to break the door down physically, as if seemingly forgetting they had magic and could have easily just used a counter spell on her charm. "That's not going to keep them out for long," he said.
"I know," said Teddie. She gazed around the room, her heart sinking as she realised, they were now back in the time room. In the bell jar the hummingbird had just popped out of its egg and was slowly transforming into an adult.
Still holding Teddie's hand, Harry led her across the room, between two tables that had various instruments on them. The door they had come through to get into this room was just ahead, but there were others around the walls.
"We should lock them," said Teddie, pulling herself free from Harry's grasp. "They know we're in here, and if they know this place better than us, then there is a chance they know which doors lead into here."
Harry hesitated. He wanted to get out as soon as possible. The plan was that they would draw the Death Eaters away, giving Theo and Hermione time to go back and find Ron, Ginny, Neville and Luna. Then they were to get back up to the Atrium and find someone that could help.
For the most part, the plan was working. The Death Eaters had spotted Teddie after she had willingly showed herself to them, and then she and Harry had made a break for a nearby door. Meanwhile, Theo and Hermione had hidden out of sight, while the Death Eaters pursued their two targets.
"One of these doors leads to the brain room," said Harry. "And beyond that their circular room. What are the chances we get it right on the first go?"
Teddie shook her head. They hadn't thought to mark the doors on the inside of the rooms, and she wasn't entirely sure if her flaming 'X's would still be visible even when they got out of here. They hadn't been cast with the intention of lasting very long, or they had been what had led the Death Eater's to them in the first place.
"It's Hansel and Gretel," Teddie whispered.
"What?" Harry asked.
"Hansel and Gretel," Teddie repeated. "They followed us here because of the breadcrumbs we left showing our path."
Harry furrowed his brow.
"The X's on the doors," said Teddie. "I thought I was being smart in indicating what rooms we had checked and which we hadn't. But, when the Death Eaters got here, if they weren't already here, that is, then they had a clear indication of which rooms we weren't in."
"We led them straight to us," Harry said.
Teddie sighed. "Harry, I'm sorry," she apologised. "This is all my fault."
"No," said Harry, shaking his head. "It's mine. I was the one who brought you all here. I was the one who couldn't tell the difference between reality and a stupid dream. You're all in danger and it's my fault."
"But -"
"It's this one," said a voice up ahead. "This door leads to the brain room. The others are split off around it, covering the other exits. If they're still inside, then they've got nowhere else to go."
Harry and Teddie stared at one another. They were trapped, like rats.
Drawing their wands, the pair shifted closer to one another. Teddie reached into her robe pocket and withdrew the orb, she was less likely to be attacked if she had it out in the open, it was clear that the Death Eaters weren't about to openly attempt on destroying it.
"Nott, forget him!" said a deep voice. "Once we get the Princess, he'll come to us."
"Theo," Teddie whispered. Her father was here. Of course, he was, he had been busted out of Azkaban just like the other Death Eaters, so it was obvious that he would be sent to retrieve the prophecy.
"He's fine," Harry said, reassuringly. "They would've have announced it if they had caught the others. They'd be using them to lure us out, rather than us trying to lure them out."
Teddie nodded, but her stomach still twisted uncomfortably. This was the only drawback of her plan - sure, the upside was that she and Harry could draw the danger away from their friends but being away from each other meant that they had no idea if anyone were in trouble. Sure, they had a plan in case something did happen - fire red sparks into the air and, if anyone was close enough, they would be there to help - but Harry and Teddie were further away from any of their friends, at least they hoped they were.
"We need to seal the doors," said Harry. "Quickly!"
The pair broke up, each one heading to opposite sides of the room, and sealing the doors that came into their path. Teddie was just sealing her last one when she heard Harry yell out from behind; she spun around just in time to see him flying backward through the air.
Five Death Eaters surged into the room through two different doors - Teddie spotted Bellatrix Lestrange and Cyrus Nott amongst them. The latter caught her eye and sneered, and Teddie tightened the grip on her wand. This man had been the one to hurt her best friend, this man had murdered his wife because she had the guts to stand up to him. This man had caused so much pain in her friends' life, that she was ready, willing, and able to put him down for good.
"Teddie, go, get out of here!" Harry yelled, picking himself up from the floor. She had the prophecy, so it was only natural that they would go for her. Sure, Voldemort wanted him, but right now, she was a little more valuable than any of them. Not just because she was holding the weapon that Voldemort desired, but because she was a weapon that Voldemort desired.
"I'm not leaving you!" Teddie yelled back, ducking a Stunner.
Bellatrix laughed. "Aw, aren't the wittle babies sweet," she mocked.
"Harry, look out! Stupefy!" Teddie shouted, pointing her wand at him. A red beam shot out of her wand and hit the Death Eater that had tried to sneak up behind him. He flew backward and crashed into the Grandfather clock with a loud chime.
"Avada -" a second Death Eater started.
Harry launched himself across the floor, grabbing the Death Eater around the knees and causing him to topple over. His aim went awry.
"Harry, hold on!" Teddie yelled, ducking out from under Cyrus Nott's arms as he made a wild grab for her. She kicked him in the shin, causing him to howl, and topple backwards into a table. Sliding across the room, Teddie pointed her wand at Harry and the Death Eater he was grappling with and shouted - "EXPELLIARMUS!"
Two wants soared into the air.
"Stupefy!" Teddie added, her wand trained on the Death Eater has he sprang from Harry and chased after his wand. He grunted and toppled forward, landing on his stomach, mere inches from his wand.
Harry picked himself up and snatched up his wand, he turned and aimed it at Cyrus Nott. "STUPEFY!" he shouted, striking the man in the chest. He flew backward into a glass cabinet, shattering it to pieces. The pieces paused, suspended in mid-air, before springing back up, fully mended, then fell down again, and shattered.
"Get Potter!" Bellatrix ordered, sending two more Death Eaters into the fray. She, herself, seemed to be staying as far back as she possibly could.
Finding one another in the chaos, Harry and Teddie pointed their wands at the charging Death Eaters.
"Stupefy!" Harry shouted.
"Impedimenta!" Teddie yelled.
The two spells struck their intended targets. The one that had been charging at Teddie, stopped; his eyes wide as the spell struck him in the chest and lifted him off of his feet. He soared backwards, colliding with a table and sliding across the surface. As he hit the other side, he fell against the cabinet that held the bell jar, causing it to topple sideways and land on top of him.
Teddie watched, her mouth open is stunned surprise as the jar struck the man in the head, but instead of knocking him out it sank through and clattered against the ground, the man's head still inside. "What?" she murmured, stepping closer to see what had happened.
"Teddie," Harry warned.
Teddie's eyes widened as she realised that the bell jar was, just like everything else in the room, recording a version of time. The cabinet had held time turners which was why the cabinet was repairing and shattering itself every five seconds, whereas the grandfather clock was taking a lot longer and taking its time in repairing.
With a grunt, the Death Eater lifted his head from the bell jar, his eyes narrowing as he spotted Teddie standing over him. He lunged forward, grabbing at her ankles and toppling her over onto her back. Teddie winced and pushed herself up onto her elbows, looking up as the man, she recognised him now as Dolohov, stood up and towered over her.
Teddie swallowed, she grasped her dropped wand beside her, her eyes never leaving the Death Eater as he sneered down at her. He reached forward, stopping only as his head started to shrink very fast. He grew balder and balder, the black hair and stubble retracting from his skull, his cheeks smooth, his skull round and covered in a peach-like fuzz.
A baby's head now sat grotesquely on top of the thick, muscled neck of Dolohov. He reached his head up, feeling the small head on his shoulders and let out a wail of fear and surprise. But, even has he grappled with his new head, it started to change again. This time it grew bigger, the hair and stubble returned, as if someone were peeling off a mask and revealing the true face beneath.
"Teddie," said Harry, grabbing her under the arms and pulling her back to her feet. Teddie snatched up her wand, finding it had slid under a table and came to a rest beside a box of instruments, she guessed that they were things that could be used for time control, too.
There was a shout from a room nearby, then a crash and a scream.
Teddie and Harry turned away from Dolohov, his head once again shrinking back to a baby's.
"Ron?" Harry yelled.
"Let's go!" Teddie gasped, fear striking her core at the very idea that the Death Eaters had found her friends. Maybe her plan hadn't work, or maybe, once Bellatrix was sure that she had Harry and Teddie cornered, she had sent others off to find the rest of the students.
As the pair started for a nearby, open door, Dolohov roared and lunged for them. He stumbled, knocking into more and more cabinets around him, his warms waving wildly in the air as he tried to keep his balance.
Harry raised his wand, but Teddie seized his arm.
"You can't hurt a baby!" Teddie hissed.
"But -"
Teddie shook her head.
Harry sighed, lowered his arm, and followed her through the open door to the left.
~X~
They were in an office.
Ron, Ginny, Luna, Neville, Hermione and Theo were also there.
Teddie's eyes lit up and she dashed forward, throwing her arms around her best friend. Theo responded by hugging her close, his arms tightening around her waist and all-but lifting her off of his feet.
"Never consider splitting up again." Theo said releasing her.
Teddie nodded. She had realised the repercussions of her plan a while back, but she wouldn't deny that it had served its purpose. The only place she had gone wrong was, she and Harry hadn't left the time room quick enough. They had lingered, and the Death Eaters had created their own plan to coincide with hers.
"What happened?" Harry asked.
Teddie turned to see him kneeling beside Ron and Ginny. The latter's face was white, and she was clutching her ankle, meanwhile Ron's looked almost giddy. His face was completely white, and something dark was dribbling out of the side of his mouth.
"Harry," Ron giggled weakly, lurching forward and seizing the front of Harry's robes. "There you are… Ha ha ha… You look funny, Harry. You're all messed up."
Teddie looked to Hermione, Neville, Theo, and Luna. "What happened?" she asked.
"I think her ankle's broken," said Luna, pointing at Ginny. "I heard a crack. Four of them chased us into a dark room full of planets, it was a very odd place, some of the time we were just floating around in the dark -"
"Harry, we saw Uranus up close!" Ron said, still giggling feebly. "Get it, Harry? We saw Uranus - ha ha ha -"
"Sounds like a Cheering Charm mixed with something else," said Teddie. "But I can't be 100% sure."
"We've got to get out of here," said Harry firmly. "Luna, can you help Hermione with Ginny?"
Luna nodded and stuck her wand behind her ear for safekeeping. She and Hermione then lifted Ginny up, wrapping the red-head's arms around their shoulders, and their own arms around her waist.
"It's only my ankle," said Ginny. "I can do it myself."
"I wouldn't," said Teddie. "If it is a break, then -" she cut off as Ginny collapsed sideways and grabbed Luna for support.
Harry pulled Ron's arm over his shoulder, as Theo stepped up on Ron's left to help. The two considered one another coolly, before Harry nodded and the pair supported Ron between them.
Teddie looked between her friends and then turned to Neville. "Are you okay?" she asked, noticing the weird angle of his nose and dried blood on the side of his mouth. "Did they hit you?"
"Kick," Neville answered, his voice thick.
Teddie winched. "I can't fix it now," she said. "But -"
A door on the opposite side of the hall burst open and several Death Eaters piled in.
"There they are! Get them!" Malfoy shouted, pointing his wand in their general direction.
Stunning spells shot across the room; Harry smashed through a door ahead and flung Ron unceremoniously from him and stepped aside to let Theo pass through. Next came Luna, Ginny, and Hermione, and finally Neville.
"Teddie, come on!" Harry yelled, holding out his hand. He grasped her elbow and pulled her behind the door, slamming it shut and sealing it with his wand.
"We're back in the brain room," said Luna, looking around.
Teddie spun from the door, her eyes dragging from one door to the next, glossing over the tank of brains. This room was just like the time room, it had doors all around its walls, and too many of them for only one or two people to seal alone.
"Neville, Luna, stay with Ginny and Ron," said Teddie, racing across the room. "The rest of you, we have to seal these doors."
Harry, Theo, and Hermione followed her. Each one using their wands to seal the doors with the Colloportus charm. But just before she could reach the last door, it opened and Teddie stared into the face of Lucius Malfoy. He sneered at her and made a swipe for the orb in her hand.
Teddie danced out of his reach.
"Just give it to me," Lucius growled. "Then you can all leave."
"Yeah, right!" Teddie said, sliding across a table to get away from the older man.
"Hey!" called Ron. He had staggered to his feet, evaded Neville's attempt at grabbing him, and was tottering drunkenly toward Harry, giggling. "Hey, Harry, there are brains in here, ha ha ha, isn't that weird?"
"Ron, get out of the way, get down -" Harry broke off as Ron pointed his wand at the fish tank.
"Accio Brain!"
Teddie watched as a brain splashed out of the tank, suspended itself in mid-air and then hurtled towards Ron, spinning as it came, and what like ribbons of moving images flew from it, unravelling like rolls of film.
"Ha ha ha, Harry, look at it -" said Ron, his free hand outstretched.
"No!" Teddie yelled. She didn't know what would happen if Ron touched the brain, but she was sure that it wouldn't have been good. She darted forward, ducking under and around two Death Eaters that stepped into her path, but she continued on her course to help Ron. He may not have done the same for her, but this was not the time to be petty.
Mere feet from Ron, Teddie skidded to a halt as she watched the tentacles of the brain wrap around Ron's forearm.
"Harry, look what's happen - no - no, I don't like it - no, stop - stop -" Ron yelled, flinging his arm around in hopes of dislodging the brain.
"Diffindo!" Teddie yelled at the same time as Harry, each of them raising their wands and pointing them at the brain.
With a squelch, the brain split in two and slipped from Ron's arm.
"Stubefy!" Neville shouted, wheeling around and waving his wand at the oncoming Death Eaters. "STUBEFY! STUBEFY!"
But nothing happened - one of the Death Eaters shot his own Stunning spell at Neville but missed as Theo threw up a shield between them.
Teddie stopped down and helped Ron into a sitting position. He babbled to himself, his eyes sliding in and out of focus. A blood bubble burst as it popped out of his mouth, and he giggled as she pulled him against the wall. She could hear the fighting going on behind her - Harry, Theo, Neville, and Hermione were doing their best to keep the Death Eaters at bay, while Luna remained with Ginny and Ron, watching over them.
"What are you going to do?" Luna asked.
Teddie gave a startled yelp and jumped back. She hadn't heard or seen Luna sidle up beside her. "I'm not -" she started but cut off as Luna stared at her with her big, wide knowing eyes. She sighed and looked down at the orb that she was still clutching in her hand. "Don't follow me," she warned.
Luna didn't nod or say anything. She didn't try to stop Teddie as the young Slytherin stood, raising her the orb into the air. "Hey!" she yelled, catching everyone's attention. "You want it? Come get it!" She turned, hearing Harry and Theo call after her, but she ignored them as she sprinted back up the room and through the door at the end. All she could think about was drawing the Death Eaters away from the others.
~X~
It had worked, or at least she thought it had worked. Several Death Eaters were on her tail, but not all of them. She guessed that many had stayed behind to capture Harry. The ones that were chasing her, however, streaked through the air that Teddie wasn't sure if they were entirely running. She couldn't hear their footsteps following her, but yet they were there.
Teddie screamed as her foot came in contact with nothing but air. Her eyes widened as she lurched forward, her heart rising into her throat and blocking the scream that rose in the back of her throat. She fell forward, landing hard on the stone step beneath her, she fell, like a slinky down the steps, landing at the bottom with a groan.
Her body ached and shakily she got back to her feet. In her hand, the prophecy was unbroken, and Teddie felt the breath return to her lungs. If the orb had smashed, then she would've lost her leverage against the Death Eaters.
"Miss Green," Lucius Malfoy called. His voice silky in the silence.
Teddie looked up, realising all-too quickly that she was in the room with the ancient archway. She could hear the whispered voices coming from behind the veil, her parent's voices amongst them, but she ignored the and turned to face the Death Eaters that now had her surrounded.
The Death Eaters halted as Teddie jumped up onto the dais. They had her cornered, there was literally nowhere else for her to run. The smiles on their faces made her skin crawl as she realised that she was severely outnumbered. But, yet none of them made a move against her.
"It's over, Miss Green," said Lucius Malfoy. "You've got nowhere else to run. Just… just give me the prophecy. There's a good girl."
"Let the others go," said Teddie. "Let them all go, Harry, too, and I'll give it to you."
A few Death Eaters laughed.
"You're not in a position to bargain," said Lucius. "You see, there are ten of us and only one of you… or didn't those Muggle fools you called parents teach you how to count?"
Teddie growled and her eyes narrowed at Lucius. "That's hardly something to say to someone that has something you want," she said. "My parents were killed by cowards."
"Watch your tongue."
"No!" Teddie snapped. "Only a coward will attack an unharmed person. Only a coward would go after someone that couldn't fight back. Only a coward fight unfairly. My parents were defenceless when they were killed, and yet they were still the courageous ones!"
The Death Eaters laughed again.
Then, high above them, two more doors burst open and several people sprinted into the room and Teddie felt her spirits' soar.
Mo Flint, Cerberus Langarm, Charlotte Jacobs, Caroline Kyle, and a man that Teddie didn't recognise entered, their wands all drawn and throwing Stunners and spells at the surrounding Death Eaters.
Malfoy raised his wand, but Mo had already sent a Stunning spell right at him. Teddie didn't wait to see if the charm made contact, she dived off the dais and run back towards the stone steps, throwing her own spells and charms at Death Eaters that made a grab for her.
"Teddie!" Mo called, relief in his voice as he caught her arm the minute, she was next to him. "Are you okay?"
Teddie nodded. "But my friends -" she cut off as Mo forced her to her knees, throwing a Stunner at one of the Death Eaters two steps away from them. He had been making his way through the benches, heading directly for them. He toppled over backwards, crashing into the bench behind him.
"Go help your friends," said Mo, pushing her towards the open door behind her. "Go now."
Teddie didn't need telling twice. She made a break for the door, stopping only as the stone slabs in front of her exploded as a spell collided with them. She turned to see what had happened, and screamed as a black mass hit her, knocking her back onto the floor, her head hitting the wall beside the door.
White spots sprang to life before her eyes, and Teddie felt a weight on her chest as she tried to catch her breath.
"Give it to me," growled a voice. "Give me the prophecy -"
Teddie squeezed her eyes shut tight and lifted her knee. It pushed against the man's stomach, and he wheezed, falling off her sideways. Scrambling back to her feet, Teddie jumped over the crater in the floor and ducked back into the room, she tried to close the door behind her but a second Death Eater wrenched it out of her grasp, towering over her as she scuttled backwards on her hands.
"You're not going anywhere!" the Death Eater yelled, grabbing the front of her robes and hauling her onto her feet. He dragged her back into the room and threw her onto the ground. She hissed as her knees came in contact with the stone floor, her hand pressed against the bench in front of her.
Teddie pressed her shoulder against the bench and sat back, her breathing heavy. She looked down, seeing flecks of blood on her knees from the scratches that had appeared from the rough stone floor. She sighed and closed her eyes, rolling her head to the side and then looking up at the Death Eater that had dragged her back.
"Where's my son?" Cyrus Nott asked.
"Safe from you!" Teddie spat.
"We'll see for how much longer," said Nott. He pointed his wand at Teddie. "Give it to me, and then get up. I have thought about nothing other than killing you for the last three years, and then I found out the truth. I would give anything to be rid of you, but if I deliver you to the Dark Lord myself then he'll be incredibly pleased with me."
Teddie clutched the prophecy to her chest but followed his instructions of getting to her feet. She clutched her wand tightly in her palm. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, "and neither is Theo."
"You're not fooling anyone with your bravado act," said Nott. "I can see that you're still the scared little girl you were when I entered your home three years ago. You may have thwarted me then, but not now. You hear me? You will do as I say."
"Yeah? Try me!" Teddie challenged.
Nott reached for her, his finger barely brushing her the fabric of her robes when his eyes widened, and he toppled forward. Teddie sidestepped, watching as he crashed over the benches in front of him and came to a resting stop a few feet down.
Teddie turned and sighed in relief as Theo stood in the doorway. He wrapped his arms around her as she threw herself at him, burying her head into his neck.
"Are you okay?" Theo asked, pulling back.
"I am now," said Teddie, releasing him. "How are the others? Where are they?"
"Come on," said Theo, taking her hand and pulling back into the room. Behind them the battle raged on, but the pair paid no attention. Theo held Teddie's hand firmly in his own as he led her through the now quiet room, through door at the end, and back into the brain room where the others were waiting.
Hermione sat beside Ron. She looked up at the sound of their approach, her wand in her hand. She sighed in relief when she saw it was them and lowered her wand arm. "Teddie!" she gasped, jumping up and flinging her arms around the Slytherin. "What were you thinking? You could've died."
"I had to get them away from the rest of you," said Teddie, shaking her head. "But, as you can see, I'm fine. Mo and the others arrived just in time. What happened in here?" she asked, looking around and noticing several tied up Death Eaters in various parts of the room.
"The Order," said Hermione.
"Who?" Teddie asked.
"The Order of the Phoenix," Hermione answered. "They were created by Dumbledore during the first war. He reinstated it when Voldemort returned. They're here. They came in when Lucius and Bellatrix chased after you. They stopped this lot, and then asked what had happened. We told them, and they left to come after you."
Teddie nodded.
"Wait," said Theo, looking around. His brow furrowing as he noticed that not everything was the same as it was when he had left. "Where's Potter?"
Teddie spun around, also realising that Harry was not present. "Hermione, where -" she broke off as she turned back to Hermione, surprised to find tears in the bookworm's eyes and dread filled her stomach.
"I tried to stop him," said Hermione, sniffling. "But, after you left, he tried to follow you. He was stopped. Sirius stopped him, but after Sirius left to help the rest of the Order, Harry followed him. I don't know where he is, Ted, and I'm scared that something bad has happened to him." She swallowed and looked around at the others. "I promised Kingsley and Lupin that I would stay with them, so I can't go and look for him."
Teddie looked to Theo. Hermione had made a promise to stay with the others, but they were free to go and look for Harry.
Theo sighed, but knew that Teddie wouldn't be discouraged to stay away from the chaos, especially now that she knew Potter was in the fray somewhere. "Fine," he said, without argument. "But you're not going alone."
"I wasn't planning on going alone," said Teddie. She linked her hand with his, smiling up at him.
"Good," said Theo. "Because I'm not letting you out of my sight again."
Teddie smiled and turned to Hermione. "We'll be back soon," she promised.
"Be careful."
With a nod, Teddie and Theo left the room with the purpose of returning only when they had found Harry. They had a hunch that they would find him in the fray of the battle that raged in the room with the archway, and they were both determined to drag him from there, kicking and screaming if needed.