Diagon Alley had changed. The colourful, glittering window displays of spell-books, potion ingredients, and cauldrons were lost to view, hidden behind large Ministry of Magic posters that had been pasted over them. Most of these sombre purple posters carried blown-up versions of the security advice on the Ministry pamphlets that had been included in copies of the Daily Prophet, while others were moving black-and-white images of Death Eaters that were still on the loose.

Cyrus Nott was sneering from the nearest one, and Theo clenched his hand into a fist as he stared up into his fathers, cold, dead eyes. "It's not fair," he said.

"What's not?" Teddie asked, standing beside him.

"He kills my mother, and they can't find him."

"They'll find him."

"How?" Theo asked. "When?"

Teddie shrugged. "I don't know, but they will," she said, reassuringly. "In the meantime, you're safe. He can't get to you."

Theo sighed and reached for her hand.

"Move along, you two," said Cruise, appearing behind them. His reflection askewed in the dirty window glass.

"Can't we have a minute?" Teddie asked.

"I'm afraid not," said Cruise, shaking his head. "We have a time limit on how long you can be seen."

Teddie rolled her eyes.

"Where to first?" Melanie asked. She had been walking ahead of the group, looking in every direction for any potential dangers. But the alley was empty. There was a slight commotion at the end of the road, but it was too far away to be of any trouble to them.

"Ursula says that they all need new robes," said Cruise.

"Madam Malkin's is on this stretch," said Melanie.

Teddie looked up. "We don't have money," she said. "I haven't seen Professor Snape today. He normally gets my money from Gringotts."

"Professor Snape has given me the key to your vault," said Cruise. "He has instructed me that you are now old enough and know enough to enter your own vault."

"It's not my vault," Teddie grumbled.

Cruise shrugged indifferently. "Nevertheless, I have the key," he said, handing her a small silver key. It was attached to a thin black cord, which Teddie could see was frayed at the ends. "He says you should keep it around your neck for safe keeping."

"Why did he give it to you?" Teddie asked. "Why not me, like usual?"

"Professor Snape is a busy man, Miss Green, he can't address every student's whim. At some point, you have to grow up."

Teddie clenched her hands into fists. "Grow up?!" she spat, stopping in place, and spinning around. "What's that -?"

"Is there a problem here?" Melanie asked.

Teddie looked at Cruise, her brow raised. "I want to know what he is implying by stating 'sometimes we all need to grow up'," she said. "I have seen and done things that no other fifteen-year-old should have to see and do."

"You are acting like a child right now, Miss Green," said Cruise. "Throwing a temper tantrum over the fact that Professor Snape is unable to cater to your every whim."

"It was a simple question," said Teddie. "You answered it perfectly fine the first time."

Cruise sniffed and looked up at Melanie. "How far to Gringotts?" he inquired.

"Not far," said Melanie. "If we can get there without any more delays then I'd reckon, five minutes, max."

Cruise nodded and looked back at Teddie. "If it is so important to you that someone else enter your vault, I shall assign Quinn and Dominic to secure your money," he said. "I reckon 200 should be enough for you and your brother, don't you think?"

"And what pray tell do you wish for us to do until then?" Teddie asked. "Just sit around in the street. I don't need for someone to wait on me hand and foot, I was simply asking why Professor Snape couldn't do what he has always done."

"And, as I said, Professor Snape is a busy man," Cruise repeated.

"Busy doing what?" Teddie asked.

"I don't see how that is any of your concern."

Teddie narrowed her eyes. She really didn't like Cruise.

"Now, are you big enough to enter your own vault, or do I need to send someone?" Cruise asked.

Biting her tongue, Teddie turned and strode away. She knew she was acting like a child, but Cruise really irritated her the wrong way, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe it was because he wasn't Cerberus Langarm. Merlin, she missed him.

"Wait, what happened to Ollivander's?" Mason asked, spotting the wand shop. It was all boarded up. Some windows on the upper floors were cracked, and glass was missing from the panes, while the insides were dark and covered in soot. The boxes with wands inside still rested on the shelves.

"We don't know," said Quinn, placing her hand on Mason's shoulder and steering him away from the store. "He was here one minute, gone the next. The Auror department examined the shop thoroughly, there was no sign of a struggle. So, we're not sure if he left voluntarily or if he was kidnapped."

"Ollivander wouldn't have left voluntarily," said Theo. "He was here when my great-grandfather was in school. He was just a boy himself, sure, but he used to watch all the school kids get their new wands. He loved the shop."

Teddie looked mournfully up at the wand sign. Diagon Alley really was different, not just because everything had changed, but without Ollivander to see new witches and wizards wands for school, nothing felt the same as it used to. Receiving your wand used to be the best experience of magic, and she could remember her own even after four years.

"Florean Fortescue is gone, too," said Mason, pointing at the ice cream parlour. He could remember sitting outside the store with Teddie and the others two days before his first year at Hogwarts. The ice cream sundae he had was bigger than his head, and he could remember that he couldn't finish it all.

Quinn squeezed his shoulder, reassuringly.

"What happened there?" Teddie asked.

"He was dragged off, too," said Quinn. "There is no rhyme or reason for why these specific people are disappearing, just that they are."

"What would Voldemort want with an ice cream shop owner and a wandmaker?" Teddie asked.

Must you say his name?" Dominic whined.

"Yes," said Teddie. "I'm not afraid of him. People who fear his name give him power, and I refuse to do that."

"You know what they call the people that aren't afraid of anything?"

Teddie shrugged.

"Fools," Dominic said.

"Maybe. But, I never said I wasn't afraid of anything," said Teddie. "I said I wasn't afraid of Voldemort."

Dominic shuddered again.

"Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself," said Teddie. She lifted her gaze to the ice cream shop as she passed. She could still hear the laughter of her friends as they sat outside it no more than two years ago. It was sad to think that that memory was all they would have of Florean's store.

Teddie looked down as Theo reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. She looked up and met his gaze, smiling as she squeezed back.

However, while most of the stores were boarded up, shabby-looking stalls had sprung up along the street. One had been erected outside the Flourish and Blotts, underneath a striped, stained awning, had a cardboard sign pinned to its front:

AMULETS

Effective Against Werewolves, Dementors, and Inferi.

A seedy-looking little wizard was rattling armfuls of silver symbols on chains at passers-by. "One for the little boy, miss?" he called, leering at Teddie. "Or maybe for your own pretty little neck?"

"Even if they did work," said Teddie, her eyes narrowing at the man. "I wouldn't purchase from you. You're haggling people and using fear as an excuse to rob them out of their money. Do you have any sort of conscious?"

The man's eyes widened then narrowed. "Hang on, aren't you - yes! Yes, I thought I recognised you. You're her. The Sutherland child. What was her name… Faith… Flora… Freya…"

"Faye?" Teddie offered.

"Yes. That," said the man, snapping his fingers. "You're Faye Sutherland."

Teddie smirked. "So, what if I am?" she asked. "You going to try and haggle me?"

The realisation of his words seemed to sink in, and the man suddenly scurried backwards, tripping over his robe, and sprawling out on the road behind his stall. "Don't hurt me!" he squealed. "I'm sorry. Please, take whatever you like."

"I don't want anything from you," said Teddie. "Except maybe pack up your stall and go home."

"Yes. Yes, I shall do that," said the man. He scrambled to his feet and started to pack away his items, they clanged together as he dropped them back into boxes. Within minutes the stall was empty, and the man had disappeared with a pop.

Theo stared at Teddie with wide eyes. "That was both fascinating and scary," he said.

"Yeah. It was like you had some sort of control over him," said Mason.

"That wasn't control," said Teddie, shaking her head. "That was fear. Fear is a good motivator when you use it right. The energy it gives off is enough to make people reconsider their actions."

Cruise cleared his throat, caught hold of Teddie's upper arm, and steered her away from the other stalls. Most of the merchants had turned to watch the fiasco, and he had seen the fear in their faces as Teddie asserted her power and will over the old man.

"You should be more careful, Miss Green," said Cruise, releasing his hold on Teddie. "Spectacles like that are what get people killed."

"I just did your job!" said Teddie. "You should've arrested him."

"For what? Trying to make a living?"

"By scaremongering people into buying his useless artefacts," said Teddie. "You know those charms don't work."

Cruise pinched the bridge of his nose. "If you had taken a second to observe," he said. "You would've realised that no one was falling for his scheme. You're quick to judge, Miss Green. You need to stand back and observe."

"Tried it," said Teddie. "Never worked. If you stay quiet for too long then you lose your window of opportunity to get your point across. Some people have a small attention span after all."

"You're insufferable," Cruise muttered.

Teddie grinned.

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Oh, I know," said Teddie, still grinning. "But it's amusing that a fifteen-year-old is too much trouble for… how old are you?"

Cruise shook his head and pushed her forward.

Theo bit his lip to keep from laughing and shared a look with Mason, the youngster also seemed to be struggling to control his amusement.

~X~

After leaving Gringotts, the group made their way back up the cobble-stoned path and towards Madam Malkin's Clothes for All Occasions. Standing just outside the door was a hulking shape that Teddie, Mason, and Theo recognised immediately.

"Hagrid!" the trio exclaimed, each one supporting a beaming grin.

The Gameskeeper looked startled, but the look diminished as he saw who had called him. "Well, hullo, you three," he said. "How's yeh summer been?"

Teddie shrugged. "What are you doing here, Hagrid?" she asked.

"I'm actin' bodyguard," said Hagrid. "'Arry, Ron, and Hermione are inside." He gestured over his shoulder with his thumb. "Yeh, goin' in?"

Mason nodded. "How's your summer been, Hagrid?" he asked.

Hagrid shrugged. "Interestin'," he answered. "Bin workin' on my class schedule fer this year. Yer gunna love it, Teddie, some great creatures coming'."

"I can't wait, Hagrid!" said Teddie.

Despite her decision to take more Charms lessons in year six, Teddie knew that she needed more than just that one lesson to fill her schedule. She had decided over the summer that she wanted to continue Charms, Care of Magical Creatures, Transfigurations, and Potions, and was dropping Muggle Studies, History of Magic, and Ancient Runes.

"Did yeh get yeh booklists?" Hagrid asked.

Teddie nodded and showed him her copy. "I noticed you need a new book," she said. "It's not another one that attacks us, is it?"

"Sadly no," said Hagrid, shaking his head. He looked disappointed.

Teddie shared a look with Theo. While they were crushed for Hagrid, they were also relieved that their new Care of Magical Creatures books would not need magical, or muggle help in keeping them closed.

"Well, I should let yeh go," said Hagrid. He stepped aside to let them pass. "I'll see yeh at school."

"Bye, Hagrid," the trio said, waving. They walked past him, and Mason reached for the door handle of Madam Malkin's just as it swung open from the other side.

"Woah," Mason squeaked.

Teddie caught her brother's shoulders and looked up, her face growing hard as her eyes narrowed at the two people standing on the opposite side of the door frame. Draco Malfoy and an older woman, whom Teddie couldn't only guess was his mother. She was a tall slender woman with an elegant grace about her, her grey eyes swept from the trio to the security detail at their rear, while her long black hair fell over her shoulders and down her back.

While the two had never met, Teddie could faintly recall Marcus telling her that Draco's mother's name was Narcissa. She had been born a Black, and was a relation to his mother - cousin, maybe? - but she had married Lucius straight out of school.

Narcissa sniffed as she looked over Theo, probably silently assessing him as a Blood Traitor - no doubt Malfoy had told his mother all about Cyrus' son's association with Muggles and Muggleborns - and then to Mason, the Mudblood brother that Faye had adopted. When her gaze finally landed on Teddie, they widened in… surprise? Fear?

Teddie wasn't sure.

"Oh, great," Teddie said. "Today's been bad enough already."

"I can't believe I'm about to say this," said Malfoy, his eyes narrowing. "But I actually agree with you."

Teddie opened her mouth, paused, and then closed it again. Had Malfoy just agreed with her? How could she reply to that? Going on past experiences, Malfoy always had something to say that would ruffle her feathers, and she was always ready with a retort, but this time she was speechless, and it nerved her that he had managed to get this one over on her.

Malfoy seemed to be thinking the same thing, but instead of surprise in his eyes it was more amusement and mischief. "What's the matter, Faye? Cat got your tongue?" he asked.

That was all Teddie needed. She opened her mouth to snap at him, but Narcissa raised a hand and cuffed him across the back of the head.

"That's quite enough, Draco," Narcissa said, her voice incredibly low.

"But, Mother -" Malfoy started to protest.

"I said enough."

Malfoy fell silent and, with his mother's hand falling to his shoulder, shoved passed Teddie into the street. Narcissa swept her cloak around her and followed her son.

The security detail parted to let them through and, as Teddie turned to look behind her, she noticed Malfoy shooting her a dark and dangerous look from over his shoulder.

Once the mother and son had disappeared at the end of the street, Teddie turned back to Madam Malkin's and followed her brother inside.

~X~

With all their items purchased, Teddie, Theo, and Mason gathered in the middle of Diagon Alley. The commotion at the end of the road was still ongoing, and their curiosity was getting increasingly hard to corral. Even to the point where Cruise and the other Auror's had noticed.

"We mustn't dawdle to long," said Cruise. "It is dangerous for you to be in public, Miss Green. The Dark Lord is still searching for you, and if he finds you -"

"He's hardly going to show up in the middle of Diagon Alley," said Teddie. "Even he isn't that stupid, and neither is Avery. Besides, you aren't the only security detail here today. I saw Harry in Madam Malkin's, he has his own, and there is Hagrid. No Death Eater will think twice of showing their faces here with such a heavy patrol presence."

Melanie looked at Cruise. "She has a point," she said.

"Besides, they're just kids," said Quinn. "I don't see why they can't have a little fun."

Cruise hesitated. He then looked at Teddie. "I'll make you a deal," he said, knowing she was the one that he had to worry about the most. "If you promise to listen to every word I say from here on out, you can go see what the commotion is about."

"De -"

"And, if it is something dangerous, we leave immediately," Cruise added.

Teddie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yeah, yeah, whatever," she said. "Do you want to shake on it?"

Cruise looked confused and Teddie reached out, grasped his hand, and shook it. "I never fully understood Muggle customs," he admitted. "How is a simple handshake a deal breaker?"

"The gesture of clasping hands represents sealing a sacred bond," said Teddie.

When Cruise continued to look confused, Teddie dropped her hand. "Never mind," she said, turning away. She linked arms with Theo and held her hand out to Mason. "Let's go see what all the fuss is about."

The two boys nodded and headed off down the street. The four Auror's following at their rear, wands drawn.

"Whoa…" Mason, Theo, and Teddie gasped as they reached the commotion. Set against the dull, poster-muffled shop fronts around them, a store front hit the eye like a firework display. The left-hand window was dazzlingly full of an assortment of goods and revolved, popped, flashed, bounced, and shrieked, while the right-hand window was covered in a giant poster, purple like those of the Ministry, but emblazoned with flashing yellow letters:

WHY ARE YOU WORRYING ABOUT YOU-KNOW-WHO?

YOU SHOULD BE WORRYING ABOUT U-NO-POO -

THE CONSTIPATION SENSATION THAT'S GRIPPING THE NATION!

Teddie, Theo, and Mason burst out laughing, causing the large group of people in front of them to turn around.

"Teddie!" Hermione beamed. Even though the group had only just run into one another back in Madam Malkin's, it was still a delight to see one another.

"If we had known you were coming this way we'd have waited," said Harry.

Teddie shook her head. "We weren't going to come down here," she said, glancing at Cruise. "Security is pretty tight these days."

Harry nodded, eyeing the four Auror's at Teddie's rear. "Yeah, I know what you mean," he agreed. "I'm sort of lucky, to be honest. My detail left me with Hagrid for the day."

"Hagrid was sort of my excuse for coming here," said Teddie. "I figure no Death Eater is going to try and attack in the middle of Diagon Alley while there are two security details and a half-giant hanging around." She shrugged.

Harry nodded. "Good reasoning," he agreed.

"Are we going in?" Quinn asked, and she looked just as excited as the teenagers?

Harry raised an eyebrow at Teddie.

"This is Quinn," Teddie introduced. "She's part of my advanced guard. This is Dominic, Melanie, and Cruise," she pointed at each member in turn.

"They're not just advanced guard," said Hermione. "They're elite squad."

Teddie nodded.

"Must be because of her," said Ron, sneering at Teddie. "Why would you need an elite squad protecting you? Who would they protect you from?"

Cruise placed his hand on Teddie's shoulder as she geared up for a response, narrowed his eyes at Ron as he drew himself up to his full height, and then steered Teddie towards the door of the joke shop. "You're just a magnet for trouble, aren't you, Miss Green?" he asked.

"Ron has hated me for years," said Teddie. "Originally it was because I was a Slytherin, and he doesn't trust Slytherin's, then he found out the truth and it's just spiralled from there. Hardly my fault he can't keep his big mouth shut."

"Ever tried walking away?" Melanie asked.

Teddie shrugged. "Not in my nature," she replied. She tugged herself free from Cruise' grasp and turned her attention back to the store. It was already jammed packed with people, of all ages, all of whom were gathered around overflowing cauldrons, shelves that rose out of the ground and reached the ceiling, a spiral staircase was in the middle or the room which seemed to lead to an upper floor, and a curtain was pulled across the door at the far back, behind a register counter.

"Oh, cool!" Mason said, bouncing off into the crowd.

"Keep him within your sights," Cruise ordered Quinn and Dominic. The pair nodded and rushed off after Mason.

Teddie turned to Theo. He was staring at a bookshelf that was rising out of the floor and had several boxes on each shelf. The sign next to them read: Patented Daydream Charms underneath which was as short explanation.

One simple incantation and you will enter a top-quality, highly realistic, thirty-minute daydream, easy to fit into the average school lesson and virtually undetectable (side effects include vacant expression and minor drooling). Not for sale to under-sixteens."

"You know, that is really extraordinary magic," said Theo, lifting a vial from a nearby box. He held it between his first finger and thumb and shook it, watching as the water swirled together and glittered.

"Yeah, Professor Snape would be impressed," said Teddie.

"For that, you can have for free," said a familiar voice from the crowd.

Teddie and Theo turned to see Fred pushing his way through. He was wearing a long magenta cloak which clashed awfully with his red hair.

"Hello, Snake," Fred said, smiling down at Teddie. "How've you been?"

Teddie shrugged. "Cooped up for my own safety, apparently," she replied. "How about you? The shops' great."

"Thanks. Come on, I'll give you a tour," said Fred, taking her arm.

Teddie glanced back at Theo as Fred pulled her off into the crowd. She watched as Melanie placed a hand on Theo's shoulder and Cruise battled his way through the throng of school-aged students to follow her, he gave up when more people pushed into him from all sides, slowing his pace.

Soon, Teddie lost sight of him all together.

"Is he gone?" Fred asked.

Teddie blinked and looked around at him. "Yeah, wait, you planned that?" she asked.

"Indeed, we did, Snake," said George, stepping out of the crowd with Harry. "We saw you all come in. Looked like you could've used a reprieve. Sorry about Theo, though, if we tried to get him out too, it would've looked suspicious."

Teddie shook her head. "Theo will understand," she said. "At least, I hope he will. I'll make it up to him. Those Daydream potions, how much are they?"

"For you?" George asked. "Nothing."

"What do you mean?" Teddie asked, brow furrowed.

"I mean what I said," said George. "You don't have to pay here. You want a daydream potion, take it."

"But I can't do that!"

"Sure, you can," said Fred. "You have no idea how much of an inspiration you've been in this place. From your knowledge in Charm spells, to your own personal shield. You've helped us create a lot of products that are selling faster than hot cakes."

Teddie blinked at Fred. "Did you just make a Muggle reference?" she asked.

"I think that's what Verity called them," said Fred. "I could be wrong."

"Who is Verity?"

"She works here," said George. "We needed to hire an extra set of hands after we first opened, so many people needed a laugh, so our business sky-rocketed from the get-go. Plus, people were putting in orders while Umbridge was still at school."

"We heard what you did, by the way," said Fred. "That shield of yours must be super powerful to knock someone out like you did Umbridge."

Teddie blushed.

"Come check out the back room," said George, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "That's where we make the real magic."

Pushing their way through the crowd, the group of four disappeared behind the curtain behind the cash register, and Teddie found herself in a small, darker, less crowded room. The packaging on the products lining these shelves were more subdued than out in the main room.

"We've just developed this more serious line," said Fred. "Funny how it happened…"

"You wouldn't believe how many people, even people who work at the Ministry, can't do a decent Shield Charm," said George. "'Course, they didn't have you teaching them, Harry, or Snake, here's, inherited gifts."

Teddie stuck her tongue out.

"Well, we were reminiscing about Dumbledore's Army, and how your Shield kept interfering with Theo's charms, Ted, and that's where the idea came from," said Fred.

"What idea?" Harry and Teddie asked.

"Shield Hats," Fred and George answered.

Teddie cocked her head to the side. "Shield Hats?" she echoed.

"Yeah, you know, challenge your mate to jinx you while wearing it and watch his face when the jinx just bounces off," said Fred. "Course, it's not a match for your shield, that actually produces a bubble around you, this just glimmers and deflects the spell. But the Ministry bought five hundred for all its support staff, and we're still getting massive orders."

"So, we've expanded into a range of Shield Cloaks, Shield Gloves, we're even looking into creating shoes and scarves," said George.

Teddie blinked. "And you got all this from my shield?" she asked.

"Yep. But like we said, yours is more natural," said Fred. "Our's is just an advanced Protego charm. It's harmless."

"Whereas mine is dangerous."

George frowned. "We didn't mean it like that, Snake," he said.

"I know, but there's no need to beat around the bush," said Teddie. "My abilities, while out of control, are chaotic. Just be careful how you use me for inspiration. I don't want to fall short of your expectations."

Fred wrapped her up in a side hug. "That could never happen, Snake," he said, realising her. "Now, let's see what else we have here. Ah, how about these." He swiped what appeared to be a piece of goal from the top shelf and placed it in Teddie's hand. "Instant Darkness Powder, we're importing it from Peru."

"What is it, exactly?" Teddie asked, turning the rock over in her hands. It glittered in the dim lighting.

"Just toss it a few feet away from you and an instant cloud of darkness will descend," said George. "Perfect if you need to make a quick getaway. We're just sorry we didn't have these last year, they would've come in handy when Umbridge found the DA."

Teddie pursed her lips as she looked back at the rock. This could come in handy, how, she wasn't sure, but she would find a way.

"Go on," said George. "Take it."

"Are you sure?" Teddie asked, reaching for her gold bag.

George nodded. "Yep. We've got plenty," he said. "Here. Take some for Theo and Mason, too." He handed her a couple more.

"Thanks," said Teddie, sliding them into her pocket.

"What are these?" Harry asked, peering at a couple of oddly shaped toys on a low shelf.

Fred grinned and snatched one up. "Decoy Detonators," he answered. "You just drop one surreptitiously and it'll run off and make a nice loud noise out of sight, giving you a diversion if you need one."

"Handy," said Harry, impressed.

"Here," said George, catching a couple and tossing them at the two students. "Given the current climate, you may need them."

The curtain parted and a young witch with short blonde hair poked her head inside the room. She, too, was wearing magenta robes.

"There's a customer out here looking for a joke cauldron, Mr. Weasley and Mr. Weasley," she said.

"Right you are, Verity," said George. "We're coming. Harry, Teddie, help yourselves to whatever takes your fancy, all right? Remember, no charge."

Both Fred and George strode out of the room, leaving Harry and Teddie alone.

"I should go find Ron and Hermione," said Harry.

Teddie nodded. "Yeah. Cruise is going to kill me," she said. "I promised him that I wouldn't go running off if he let us come here. Granted I didn't know Fred and George had planned my little escape, but still."

Harry cracked a smile. "See you tomorrow on the train?" he asked.

Teddie nodded, waved, and disappeared back into the main room.