"What did Slughorn want?" Daphne asked, leading the way into the Great Hall.

Teddie shrugged. She didn't really want to rehash what had happened in compartment C in fear of getting angry again, but Daphne was like a dog with a bone, especially when she and Mason had come back the former shaken and in tears, and the latter shaken and angry.

"I didn't recognise the name until I saw him," said Blaise. "But my mother knows all about Horace Slughorn. He likes to surround himself with gifted witches and wizards. One of my many ex-step-fathers called him: The Collector."

"The Collector?" Daphne asked. "What, like those muggle people that collect really weird things like stamps?"

Blaise nodded. "Except he collects people. After you left, Ted, he went on about how he taught the Captain of the Holyhead Harpies," he said. "Then he gushed about how he knew the new Minister. He wasn't happy that you upped and left, to be honest, and he did mention something about not realising the Daughter of Darkness was so disruptive."

"Course he did," Teddie muttered.

"What did he do that got you so upset?" Daphne asked.

"He went on about how my parents were good, exceptional students," said Teddie. "That I should be proud of who they are. I tried to remind him that my parents are dead, and that the 'exceptional students' of which he speaks are either the ones who killed him, or the reason they are dead."

"That's when Mason got upset," said Daphne, the pieces connecting inside her head.

Teddie nodded. "Yep. I went to Mason, and we left." She looked to Blaise. He was the only one who stayed in the compartment after her departure, as Theo left shortly after she did. "What else happened after I left? You didn't come back until five hours later."

"He wanted to know more about my mother and who she had settled down with now," said Blaise, sniffing. "Then he turned on Potter, of course. Wanted to know all about what happened at the Ministry last year. Didn't seem impressed when he, Longbottom, and the Weasley girl tried to tell him that the Daily Prophet were lying, as usual."

"What's Malfoy laughing at?" Theo interrupted, nodding at the platinum blonde across from them.

Teddie swallowed a mouthful of food and glanced up. Malfoy was sitting a few seats away tonight - normally he was directly opposite her with Parkinson and the rest of his goons - and was imitating a sort of fight where someone had smashed something of someone else.

Meeting her gaze, Malfoy smirked and nudged Parkinson. The pair turned in her direction and Teddie quickly looked away.

"Have you seen Potter tonight, Green?" Parkinson called. "How's his nose?"

Malfoy and the others roared with laughter.

Teddie furrowed her brow at the question.

"You're obviously dying to boast about something," said Blaise. "Spit it out before you choke, although, that wouldn't be such a major problem."

Teddie, Daphne, and Theo snorted.

Parkinson glared at Blaise. "Potter was caught skulking around in our compartment," she said. "So Drakie, here," she pawed at Malfoy's arm, "taught him a lesson. I wouldn't be surprised if he is halfway back to London right about now."

"I'm going to stop you there, Parkinson," said Daphne, nodding toward the back of the room. The double doors had just opened and Potter sauntered in. He was wearing his normal clothes - denim jeans, trainers, and a pale blue flannel shirt - but it was his face that drew most of the attention.

Teddie sat up straighter. "Why is he covered in blood?" she asked.

"That's what he gets for sneaking around," said Malfoy. "Listening to things that he shouldn't be listening to."

"Like anything you say is worth eavesdropping in on," said Teddie.

Malfoy narrowed his eyes. "I'll have you know, Princess," he sneered. "My standing was risen over the summer. Everything I now say is worth something."

"Of course, it is," said Teddie, mockingly. "Keep telling yourself that, Malfoy. But just remember, I know what really happened at the Ministry of Magic, and I know why your dear old dad is locked up in Azkaban. Did you tell your friends how much of a failure he is?"

While Malfoy didn't retort, Teddie could see anger flash in his eyes. He drew back and turned his back, as much as he could anyway, on Teddie and her friends.

"Malfoy's not some merchant you can scare, Ted," said Theo. "He probably does have some sway these days."

"I don't care," said Teddie. "Voldemort may be punishing Malfoy because of his father's mistakes last year, but at least I have a legitimate reason for people to fear me."

"Doesn't mean you have to use it," said Daphne.

Teddie nodded and picked up her spoon as pudding appeared. "True," she agreed. "But, I would rather use it to do some good."

"Is that possible?" Blaise asked, helping himself to some gateau. "Can you use evil for good?"

"Why not? If it can happen in stories then it can happen, right?" Teddie asked. "You should ask Mason how many anti-heroes there are in his books, or how many people use black magic for good. We all have a moral compass, after all. It's just about picking the right moments to stand and fight."

Daphne scoffed. "Well, that's you out," she said. "I mean, it's been six years, and we still can't get you to pick your battles."

Teddie rolled her eyes. "You know, this year may be different," she said.

"Yes, and pigs can fly."

The quartet burst into laughter.

~X~

Dinner continued until the very last plate was empty. Then, a hushed silence fell over the hall as Dumbledore stood from his chair and took his rightful place at the podium.

"The very best of evenings to you!" Dumbledore called, beaming out at his students.

"What happened to his hand?" Daphne whispered. She glanced at Teddie.

Teddie shook her head. Dumbledore's right hand was blackened and dead-looking, and they were not the only ones that had noticed. Whispers swept the room, students turning to their friends and neighbours.

Smiling patiently, Dumbledore shook his arm and his purple-and-gold sleeve fell over his injury.

"Nothing to worry about," he said airily. "Now… to our new students, welcome, to our old students, welcome back! Another year full of magical education awaits you. Before we start, I would like to remind you all that Mr. Filch, our caretaker, has asked me to say that there is a blanket ban on any joke items bought at the shop called Weasley's Wizard Wheezes. Also, those wishing to play for their House Quidditch teams should give their names to their Heads of House as usual. We are also looking for new Quidditch commentators, who should do likewise."

Teddie squeezed Theo's arm. Over the summer holidays, the day after his booklist and O. W. L. Results had come in, a second package arrived for Theo. Inside was a letter from Professor Snape and a shiny silver and green Quidditch Captain's badge. He had been selected as Quidditch Captain for Slytherin based on his skill as a player, and his potential leadership qualities.

At first Theo had been nervous to accept the position, but after some talking to Marcus, who had been the Captain before he had left, he had sobered up to the idea and was now more excited than ever.

"You should look into the commentor's position, Ted," said Blaise. "You'd be good at it."

"No thanks," said Teddie, shaking her head. "I'd spend most of the time yelling at the other team. McGonagall and Snape would have to physically wrestle the microphone away from me."

Her friends sniggered.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year," Dumbledore continued. "Professor Slughorn" - Slughorn stood up, his bald head gleaming in the candlelight, his big waistcoated belly casting the table below into shadow - "is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post as Potions master."

"Potions?"

"Potions?"

The word echoed all over the Hall as people wondered whether they had heard right.

"Professor Snape, meanwhile," said Dumbledore, raising his voice over the din, "will be taking over the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts."

"NO!" came a loud cry from the Gryffindor table. Many heads turned in their direction, while others turned to the noise that was coming from the Slytherin table.

Up and down, Slytherins were standing and cheering, some were banging the table with their fists, others stamping their feet, while the majority whistled at the news.

Snape, who was sitting on Dumbledore's right, did not stand up at the mention of his name; he merely raised a hand in lazy acknowledgement at the noise coming from his House, and Teddie could've sworn she saw a look of triumph in his face.

"Here's hoping the Defence curse doesn't happen this year," said Blaise.

Teddie frowned across the table. "Come on, Professor Snape is a master at this sort of stuff," she said. "He'd be able to see the curse coming a mile off and deal with it before it has a chance to take him out."

"She's right," said Daphne. "Besides, at least this year we're bound to learn something."

Blaise shrugged. "True. The only real professor we've ever had in Defence turned out to be a Werewolf, all the others have either been creepy, weird, or stupid."

"Don't forget sadistic," said Theo.

"Thanks to Teddie, she won't be showing her face at the Ministry for a while," said Daphne. She caught the confused look that Teddie was offering her. "Didn't Mo tell you?"

"Tell me what?" Teddie asked.

"Umbridge is still in St Mungo's," said Daphne. "Whatever you did to her last year, had some side effects. She was supposed to have been dismissed over the summer, but she took a turn for the worst and, well, she's been rushed into the intensive care unit."

Teddie's eyes widened. "Intensive Care?" she echoed.

"Hey, breathe," said Theo, reaching for Teddie's shoulder. "Whatever is happening, I'm sure the Healers will find the issue and deal with it. What you did was in self-defence."

Teddie took a deep breath and nodded, although she couldn't help the feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, bringing everyone's attention back to him. "Now, as everybody in this Hall is aware, Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

The silence seemed to tauten and strain as Dumbledore spoke. From the corner of her eye, Teddie saw Malfoy use his wand to hover a fork in mid-air, clearly what Dumbledore had to say was of no importance to the self-proclaimed Prince.

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe," Dumbledore continued. "The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose on you, however irksome you might find them…"

Teddie shared a look with her friends. Dumbledore's words were clear - no sneaking around the castle after hours, something she and a few other students at Hogwarts were famous for.

"…I implore you, should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others, safety. But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us, therefore, say goodnight. Pip, pip!"

All over the hall, the deafening scraping noise of benches on stone floor sounded as hundreds of students began to file out of the Great Hall.

Daphne and Blaise told Theo and Teddie they would see them downstairs and hurried off to escort the first years to the dungeons, leaving the two friends to linger in the Great Hall.

"Hey, Harry," said Teddie, dragging Theo over to the other side of the Hall. "I heard Malfoy laughing about what he did to you. Are you okay?"

"Why do you care?" Ron sneered. "Bet you were laughing with your dear ferret about what he did, weren't you?"

Teddie ignored him, her gaze solely on Harry. "Do you want me to clear up the blood?" she removed her wand from her sleeve.

"Sur -" Harry started, but Ron removed his own wand and pointed it at Teddie. This notion resulted in Theo drawing his wand and pointing it at Ron.

Teddie rose an eyebrow at Ron. "Really?" she asked. "If I wanted to harm Harry in any way, do you really think I would do it here, in the open? Especially after all the years I could've not helped him and just left him to die?"

"Maybe you were waiting for the perfect opportunity," said Ron. "Your dear old dad being back from the grave is a good enough place to get started. Mummy and Daddy would be exasperated to hear that you've kicked off your evil career by taking out the Chosen One, won't they?"

Teddie looked at Harry. "I see you didn't tell him everything about the prophecy," she said, lowering her wand. Ron refused to lower his and so did Theo.

"What do you know about the prophecy?" Ron asked. "It was destroyed.

"Really?" Teddie asked, raising an eyebrow at Harry. Why was he keeping secrets from his supposedly best mate?

"Yes, really," said Ron. "So, what would you know about it? Harry heard it from Dumbledore. He told me and Hermione, he wouldn't have told you."

"Did you ever stop and think, Weasley, that maybe I was told at the same time as Harry?"

Ron scoffed. "Yeah, right, because Dumbledore would tell the Daughter of Darkness about something as valuable as the Prophecy that could take down your dad."

"He is not my dad!" Teddie bit out.

"He is your dad, and you can deny it as much as you like, but it doesn't change the fact that you share his blood," said Ron. "You're just like him… and Avery. You even have her abilities. A shield. Yeah, Hermione did some research on the Sutherland family over the holidays, their gifts… no wonder people like Slughorn are interested in you."

For the first time, Teddie glanced at Ron, a tired smile coming to her face. She then shrugged. "Maybe Slughorn is interested in me because of my double identity," she said. "But at least he is interested in me. I see you didn't get an invitation to his lunch today, guess you're not that valuable." She grabbed Theo's hand and turned away, dragging him out into the Entrance Hall.

Out in the Entrance Hall, Cruise and Melanie met the pair.

"What was that about?" Cruise asked, eyeing Ron and Harry over Teddie's head. "Anything we should know?"

Teddie shook her head. "I can manage Weasley," she said. "He was just trying to throw his weight around and, as per usual, he failed."

Melanie pursed her lips and then lowered her gaze. "We should get you two downstairs," she said. "Professor Snape has already been to see us. He says he has an announcement to make before you all head to bed."

"Teddie!"

Teddie turned and found Harry hurrying towards her.

"I'm sorry about Ron," Harry panted. "I keep telling him that you're on our side, but he just -"

"He doesn't want to believe that anyone from Slytherin can be a good person," said Teddie. "He's also afraid of Voldemort, and it's easy to blame me for everything that man has done, maybe because I am the same age as him. But, I don't care about your friend, Harry, I care about you."

Harry smiled. "Thanks. I also wanted to apologise on my behalf," he said.

Teddie cocked her head. "You don't have to apologise to me for anything," she said. "As far as I know, you haven't done anything that warrants an apology."

"I didn't write to you all summer," said Harry. "I said I would, but once I got home everything just sort of fell away."

Teddie smiled and reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I get it, Harry, it's hard to maintain a social life in the Wizarding World when your relatives hate it so much," she said. "I wouldn't expect you to do something that would anger them."

"Thanks," said Harry, beaming.

Teddie returned it. "Listen, I had a visit from Professor Dumbledore this morning," she said. "He told me about the lessons he is giving you throughout this year."

"Yeah. He is," said Harry, suddenly confused. "But, why did he tell you about them?"

"He's invited me to join you."

Harry's face lit up and Teddie giggled. "That's great!" he exclaimed.

"I don't think your friend is going to be equally as pleased," said Theo, spotting Ron as he scowled in their direction.

"Forget him," said Teddie, shaking her head. "I'm also taking training lessons with Professor Snape and supposed to be having sessions with Caroline Kyle."

Harry furrowed his brow. These weren't sessions he had been invited too. Not that he was complaining, having lessons with Dumbledore trumped lessons with Snape any day, but he knew how close Snape and Teddie were, so he wasn't all that concerned about her being alone with him. Snape may have acted like he didn't care about anyone, but Harry knew he cared about Teddie.

"Who is Caroline Kyle"? Harry asked.

"Well, for a while, I thought she was just another neighbour of mine," said Teddie. "But, it turns out she is Avery Sutherland's little sister. She was the one who brought me to the Muggle world the night Voldemort fell."

"Oh," said Harry. "I wonder what she intends to tell you?"

Teddie shrugged. "Probably why she did what she did," she said. "To be honest, I'm only doing it because Dumbledore thinks it will be beneficial to me, I wouldn't be bothering otherwise. I want nothing to do with her after what happened to my parents."

"But she didn't kill them, did she?"

"No, of course not!" said Teddie. "But, it was her decision to leave me with the Greens, and that is what put a target on their back for when Avery resurfaced."

Harry murmured in agreement. The reasoning sounded logical.

"Miss Green," said Cruise, interrupting. "It is getting quite late. We should be getting you and Mr Nott down to the Slytherin common room."

Teddie glanced up at her head of security and then back at Harry. "He's right," she agreed. "We should head to bed. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Ted," Harry said. He waved and headed back towards Ron.

Placing his hand on the centre of Teddie's back, Cruise led her across the Entrance Hall, through the door parallel to the Grand Staircase, and down the steps into the cold dungeons.