Theo paced up and down the Captain's office. It was 6pm on a Saturday evening, and he had scheduled the first round of recruitment for the Slytherin team. He could hear the laughter, screams, and calls from the field above him, but it did nothing to settle his nerves.

He had been ecstatic when he got the Captain's Badge over the summer, but now the reality and responsibility was starting to set in. Marcus and Montague had made this position look so easy, but he had only seen the front, he hadn't seen all the work that it came with, all the time spent creating plays, or responsibility of scheduling practice, or even selecting team members.

The door creaked open, and he looked up to see Teddie scurrying inside. Technically she wasn't supposed to be in here, no one other than the captain was supposed to be behind the door, but he had asked her to meet him here for the sole reason that seeing her, being near her, calmed him down. He already felt his heart rate slowing the very minute she walked through the door.

"You look greener than our uniforms," said Teddie, closing the door behind her and leaning against it. "It's a good colour on your clothes, but not your face."

Theo chuckled, even though he could've thrown up there and then.

"What's the matter?" Teddie asked. "You've seen Marcus do this thousands of times."

"I saw Marcus led the team; I never saw him create it."

Teddie shrugged. "What's the difference?" she asked. "You were there for the try-outs in second year, you know what he did. Can you remember?"

"Partially," said Theo. "But, Marcus had Adrian and Derrick to help him. I don't have anyone yet."

"What am I? Roadkill."

Theo smiled.

"Theo, we've spent a whole week talking about this night," said Teddie. "I don't regret staying up late with you, but you have to put what we talked about into practice. The field is filling up with Slytherin students, you have to show your face."

"What if I pick the wrong ones?" Theo asked. "You saw how people reacted when Marcus chose me, and we didn't do any better when Montague chose Malfoy."

Teddie grabbed his hands, holding them firmly between her own "First of all, you are not Marcus or Montague," she said. "This isn't their team anymore. It's yours. You make the decisions. You choose the players that do well. You need three Chasers, three reserve Chasers, a Keeper, a reserve Keeper, two Beaters, and two reserve beaters."

"I also need a reserve Seeker."

"We could always give the position to Malfoy," said Teddie. "He doesn't get to be the star of the show, but he can have a chance if you can't play. But then… is it wrong for me to think that I'd rather him suffer by realising he doesn't get to play at all?"

Theo shook his head. "I have to remain at least a little partial," he said. "I can't just say no based on the fact that I don't like him."

Teddie pouted. "Fine," she said. "Fine. We'll give him a chance. Unless…"

"No," said Theo, pointing a finger at her. "No interfering. I'm glad you're willing to help me, but I don't want to risk my badge by doing something to Malfoy."

"Party pooper," Teddie teased. She took a deep breath. "Okay. You ready?"

Theo took his own deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Let's do this," he said.

~X~

"I can't believe it's October already," said Mason. "It'll be your birthday, soon, Ted."

"Seventeen," said Blaise. "I can't believe you're of legal age."

Teddie furrowed her brow. "What do you mean? Eighteen is the legal age, isn't it?"

Blaise shook his head. "Nope. Wizarding law lists the age of seventeen to be legal," he explained. "It was established in 1875 when the Ministry released the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery."

"So, before 1875, the age limit was, what?" Daphne asked. "Because, as we all know, Hogwarts was founded in 990 A.D. Did they not have a legal age until 1875?"

Blaise furrowed his brow, looking curious.

"Or do you not know that one, Professor Zabini?" Daphne teased.

Teddie and Theo shared amused glances, each one biting back smiles.

"I don't know it yet," said Blaise. "But I will find it out."

"I look forward to it," said Daphne.

Mason sniggered.

"Wait, so you're telling me that you don't know, either?" Astoria asked, staring at her best friend with a shocked expression. She was so used to Mason sprouting out the answer in class, that she had got used to it and never questioned his inability to not know an answer on Wizarding knowledge.

Mason shrugged. "I have read almost every book in this castle," he admitted. "But I don't recall ever coming across the legal age prior to Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery."

"You're telling me that the legal age in the Muggle world is eighteen?"

Mason and Teddie nodded.

"Fascinating."

Daphne smiled and shook her head. "I wonder if we'll learn that in Muggle Studies this year?" she wondered. "Or would it be next year? Maybe they'll do a comparison or something?"

Susan leaned forward. "Well, as promised, I took Muggle Studies up last year," she said. "We haven't started any comparisons between the worlds, but I can ask."

"We could both ask," suggested Daphne. "Professor Babbling should still be in her room."

"But we're going to Hogsmeade," said Astoria. "You'll miss the carriages if you go now."

Daphne sat down. "Okay. I'll do it later," she said.

Astoria smiled.

"What are your plans for Hogsmeade?" Marlene asked. "Shrieking Shack, again?"

Teddie shook her head. "I want to go to Honeydukes. I want some Chocolate frogs," she said. "They're also supposed to be getting some new stock in. Derrick said that they had some new sugar quills using lemon sugar, I want to see if he was telling the truth."

"Oh, did you hear that they're getting whistling sweets in, too?" Judy asked. "They're stocking up on some sweets from Weasley Wizard Wheezers, too. That'll be interesting."

"Fred and George never mentioned branching out to Honeydukes," said Teddie. "I wonder if it's a new thing."

"Probably. Point is, for two pranksters, the Weasley twins have done alright for themselves," said Judy. "We should check out Zonko's, too, see if any of their stuff are in there. I'm sure Mr. Zonko would be doing business with them."

"They were his best customers," said Susan. "I don't see why he wouldn't."

Marlene shook her head at her friends. "Tell you what," she said to Teddie. "You guys do what you got to do, and then meet us at the Three Broomsticks. We'll get a Butterbeer and head back to the castle after, shall we?"

Teddie looked around at her friends. They each nodded. "Okay," she said. "I planned on finishing some homework tonight, anyway. I still got my Defence essay to do, and I need to finish marking some essays for Flitwick. He needs them tomorrow morning ready for Monday."

"How is that going, by the way?" Astoria asked. "I'm guessing you're not marking any essays that are year six up?"

"You'd be right," Teddie confirmed. "I'm also not allowed to mark yours or Mason's work - I have a bias, you see - so I have half of Flitwick's case load. I'm also helping him out in the classroom from Monday. I'll be using most of my free periods to help him set up."

Mason grinned. "Bet you can't wait," he said.

Teddie nodded. "He said if I carry on the way I am then he'll elevate me to junior Charms tutor," she answered. "Meaning, he will send students who are struggling in class my way, and I can teach them what I know, and supervise them while they practice. It can happen both inside and outside the classroom."

"Aw, Teddie, that's wonderful!" said Marlene. "You'll be a junior teacher."

"The references you can get for a job like that will get you into Wizarding University for sure," said Judy. "My mum knows a teacher there that did the same - he was a Potions assistant, not a Charms one, but I digress - he got into University based on his references alone, and he now runs his own Potions school in Ireland."

Teddie looked impressed. "I don't think I'm ready to open my own Charm's school, just yet," she said. "Besides, I could never compare with Hogwarts."

"Mr. Rogers is called into review a lot of potion exams," said Judy. "The Ministry also asks him to review the potions created by Auror recruits. You could be asked to do the same, but for Charms."

"That does sound interesting," said Teddie. "But, I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm only marking papers now. If I do get promoted to Junior teacher, I'll consider my options and bridges for the future then."

Judy winked.

The group finished their breakfast and then filed out into the Entrance Hall. The rest of the students that were thirteen or older filed in around them, some were going into Hogsmeade, others were planning to spend the day on the grounds, while anyone younger than thirteen did not have permission to leave school grounds just yet.

"Marlene!"

Marlene turned to the sound of her name and spotted her sister running down the staircase. "Jasmine!" she called, waving.

Jasmine Weatherperson stopped beside her big sister. "I'm glad I caught you," she said. "Can I come to Hogsmeade with you? I asked the other girls, and they want to stay here and catch up in Homework. But I really want to visit Flourish and Blotts, they have a new book that I want to get."

"Yeah, that's no problem," said Marlene. "Judy and Susan want to check out Zonko's, too, then we're meeting this lot in the Three Broomsticks." She pointed her thumb at Teddie.

Jasmine's smile slipped as she met Mason and Astoria's gazes. The three had been closer than close in first and second year, but as soon as the news about Teddie had broken, and the world knew she was the Daughter of the Dark Lord, Jasmine and Cassie had split ways with Mason and Astoria.

"Oh," said Jasmine, smiling briefly.

Astoria sniffed and turned away, while Mason offered Jasmine a small smile and a wave. The two hadn't spoken in almost two years, but that didn't mean that they couldn't be friendly for one day.

"Um, are we ready?" Teddie asked. It didn't take a genius to tell that things were awkward and frosty between the three fourth years.

Tearing her gaze away from her sister and Mason, Marlene nodded. "Yeah. However, since our groups are twice the size of the compartments, I think we should take separate ones. How about you guys go on ahead and do what you need, then meet us in the Three Broomsticks later."

"Sounds like a plan," said Teddie.

The two groups lined up behind the great Oak Doors, the side of which Filch stood with a long probe that he was using to prod students leaving the castle. Teddie remembered the probe from her first night and how her innocent question of "what is that?" got her probed twice more than anyone else. Filch had said her comment was intrusive and cheeky, but Teddie felt that he was just looking for an excuse to check her thoroughly.

"What does it matter if we're smuggling Dark stuff OUT?" came Ron Weasley voice. He was exiting a few groups ahead. "Surely you ought to be checking what we bring back IN?"

Filch sneered and jabbed the Secrecy Sensor into Ron's side a few extra times before allowing him to leave. Teddie watched as he pulled up his hood and bent his head as he, Harry, and Hermione made their way towards the carriages.

When it was their turn, Filch run the sensor over Teddie several times, scrutinizing her with his beady eyes as the rod refused to show him any evidence that she was concealing things she shouldn't have been.

"What?" Teddie asked, noticing his stare. "You want to conduct a strip search to make sure that your little rod isn't broken?"

"If I find out you're using magic to confuse me," Filch hissed.

"Discrimination from pureblood parents, I can handle," said Teddie. "But from a school worker? I thought you people were supposed to be unbiased towards students. No favourites and all that?"

"I hate all children," said Filch.

"So you decided to become a caretaker at a school?" Teddie asked. "Because that's logical."

Reaching for Teddie's hand, Mason pulled her out into the wind and sleet. "Just ignore him," he said, bending his head and pulling his hood up. "He's just looking to get a rise out of you. Don't give it to him."

"I know, I should just ignore it, but it's hard," said Teddie, sighing. "Especially since people know who I am now. Normally I can ignore being called a Muggleborn in Slytherin but being the Daughter of Darkness brings with it its own kind of problems. People are afraid of me because of what they think I can do. It's like, all those years standing up to bullies doesn't matter."

"The Daily Prophet isn't helping," said Mason, leading the way over to the carriages. "But, at the end of the day, no one knows who Faye really is. All they know is she was born into a powerful family, and her parents are known for dangerous things. However, Faye disappeared when she was two years old. You have a chance to show these people that she's not a bad person, and that just because she was born to be a weapon, doesn't make her one."

"But how do I do that?"

Mason climbed into the carriage and lowered his hood as he turned to his sister. "By being your charming self," he said with a smile. "Regardless of what other people thing, you're my big sister, and I love you."

Teddie smiled and hugged him. "I love you, too," she said. "Even if people don't trust or like me, as long as I have you, then I'm good with that."

"Good with what?" Daphne asked, climbing into the carriage. Blaise, Theo, and Astoria came behind her, each of the wet from the sleet.

"Nothing," said Teddie. She rubbed her hands, easing some of the blood flow back into her fingers. "Shall we head straight to Honeydukes?"

Her friends nodded.

"Now that Jasmine has mentioned it," said Mason. "I would like to visit Flourish and Blotts. I need to find a new series to start, and I left all my books at Flint Manor."

Blaise leaned forward and ruffled Mason's head. "We'll find you a new series," he said. "Just tell us which ones you've read, first."

The carriage lurched forward.

~X~

"Oh, looks like Judy and Susan aren't visiting Zonko's any time soon," said Astoria, pointing at the boarded-up shop on the Hogsmeade home stretch.

There was a collective disappointed sigh throughout the group. While none of them bought from Zonko's, the dark, boarded windows was a sign that today's trip was going to be boring, but also a reminder that they were in dark times, dark enough that not even jokes, practical or otherwise, could break through.

"Come on," said Mason, cheerfully. "Maybe he's just closed up shop because of Fred and George? I know we all liked Zonko, but it's hard to compete with the Weasley twins when it comes to practical jokes."

"You've got a point, Mason," said Blaise. "But, somehow I doubt it. Zonko, while a joyful man, was also a scared man. Any mention of dark magic and the dark lord send him running for the hills."

Daphne nodded. "Come on, let's check to see if Honeydukes is open," she said. "We may not be able to get jokes, but at least we can fill up on sugary snacks."

The others nodded and, heads bent against the wind and rain, followed her along the High Street. Luckily enough, Honeydukes was open, but it was so crowded inside that it was hard to open the door,

"It's going to be hard to stick together in here," said Teddie, grasping Mason's hand. "Everyone get what they want and meet up outside."

"What if we all want similar things?" Astoria asked. She pointed high over the heads of other students, at a stand near the far back. "They have extra-long sugar quills. They'd be great to suck on when doing homework."

"I'm getting sugar quills," said Teddie. "I'll get extra. What else is everyone getting?"

"Maybe we all should just get extra stuff and then share it out later?" Theo suggested.

"Sounds like a plan," said Blaise. "Let's meet up in say… ten minutes?"

His friends nodded and broke off. Teddie and Mason headed towards the Sugar Quills, Astoria and Daphne headed towards the lollipops, while Blaise and Theo headed towards the gummy sweets.

"Do you see Lemon Glazed?" Teddie asked Mason.

Mason stood on his tip toes, pointing at the very top shelf.

"Ah. Of course it would be higher than either of us," said Teddie, pursing her lips. "But, I have an idea." She took out her wand, noting how several people to her left and right tried to scramble out of the way. With a shake of her head, she pointed the tip at the top shelf and said: "Wingardium Leviosa!"

Several lemon glazed sugar quills floated into the air and then dropped, landing in the bag Teddie was holding. They slotted neatly behind one another on both sides, leaving just enough room in the centre for more sweets.

"You're really good at that," said Mason, beaming. "I can see it now - Teddie Green, Charms Professor."

Teddie smiled and hugged Mason. "What about you? Mason Green, Alchemist."

"How did you know?" Mason asked, laughing in surprise.

"You're my baby brother," said Teddie. "I know all."

Mason burst out laughing and poked her in the side. "You're weird," he said.

"Yep. But you already knew that."

Shaking his head, Mason helped himself to some extra-long sugar quills, adding just enough extras to his bag to share with the others.

"Ooh. They have chocolate crunch flavour," said Mason. "We should try them."

"Go on then," said Teddie, adding strawberry and raspberry sugar quills to her bag. The stand to her left held an assortment of crisps, some of which she noticed were Muggle flavours. She arched an eyebrow and inspected the sign that was erected to the left of the shelves. It read: Muggle Sensations. Which is your favourite?"

Mason joined Teddie, his face alight with excitement. "Oh, they're doing that trend now," he said.

"What trend?" Teddie asked.

"I read in the Daily Prophet that Honeydukes had set up a store in the Muggle World, taking our magical sweets to the Muggles, and allowing Muggleborns to have access to their Wizarding favourites over the summer. Of course, Muggles think that they're weird inventions, especially the whistling sweets, but Honeydukes have also stocked Muggle brands in their stores, too, and have brought them here for Purebloods to try," Mason explained.

"And they think that will work?" Teddie asked. "Most Purebloods want absolutely nothing to do with Muggles."

Mason shrugged. "It seems to be working," he said, nodding to the left of Teddie.

Teddie turned to see two Hufflepuff students selecting an assortment of Muggle sweets, including crisps, bottled drinks, sweets to their bags.

"They're shaped like little piggies," said one girl, adding a scoop of porky pigs to her bag.

"These are turtles," said the second girl. "They're cute!"

The two walked away with their purchases.

Teddie turned back to Mason. "Do you want anything?" she asked. It wasn't often that they got to indulge in sweets back in Spinner's End, but they did have their favourites.

"Ooh. They have popping candy!" said Mason, pointing at the third row. It was just low enough for Teddie to reach it. "Remember when I asked Dad for Popping Candy?"

"Yeah, and it startled you so much you upended the entire package all over the back seat," said Teddie, laughing. It was funny now, but at the time their father had been so angry that he banned sweets in the car.

"It took him how long to clean the sweets up?"

Teddie shrugged. "It doesn't matter," she said. "When he thought he had cleared them all, we were still finding them stuck to us a week later."

Mason laughed again. It soon dwindled and he let out a low sigh. "I miss them," he murmured, his eyes glazing over.

Teddie wrapped an arm around him. "I know," she said. "I miss them, too."

The pair stood in silence for a moment. The hustle and bustle around them seemed to drown out as they held one another. Soon, a loud crash echoed from the front of the store, and the two broke away.

"Sorry! Sorry!" came the familiar voice of Horace Slughorn.

Teddie groaned as she spotted the overly fat Potions master making his way through the crowded store, his gaze set on the back room. He met her gaze, and in that second Teddie realised she couldn't escape.

"Teddie!" Slughorn boomed, reaching her in seconds, which was an incredible feat for someone with such a massive protruding belly. "Ah, and Mason. Excellent! I've been looking for you both everywhere."

Teddie arched an eyebrow. Because that didn't sound dodgy at all, she thought.

"What can we do for you, Professor?" Mason asked.

"I want to inquire why you have missed three of my dinners," said Slughorn. "I know you received the invitations. I charmed them myself to alert me when their recipient touches them. Such a fun little charm, I'm surprised you don't know how to do it, Teddie. From what I hear from Flitwick, you're a right little charmer, yourself." He chuckled at his own joke.

Teddie and Mason shared a look. Yes, they had received the invitations, but they hadn't gone because they didn't want to. Teddie didn't feel the need or desire to be stuck in a room with people who despised her, except for Hermione and Blaise, but it still didn't fill her with excitement.

As for Mason, he didn't feel the need to be forced to confront his parents, like he had been on the train. Any mention of Voldemort or Avery to Teddie set her off on a tangent about how her parents were dead, and the reminder was enough to make him feel sick to his stomach.

"I am determined to have you both," said Slughorn. Obviously, he didn't hear himself speaking, if he did, he would've realised he sounded more like a crazed collector every word. "For that reason, I am hosting another event this Saturday, and I am personally delivering the invitations to those who are avoiding me."

Teddie stared at Slughorn. Ah, so she wasn't the only person that was avoiding him. "Maybe that's a hint, Professor?" she suggested. "We're all sixth years now. We don't really have time for extracurricular activities with the amount of work we have to do. Today was just a short break, but we're heading back to the castle soon to continue."

Mason nodded feverishly.

"I'm sure one evening won't harm you," said Slughorn. "Plus, my events on a weekend for a reason."

"But you said it was a Monday this time," said Mason.

"Alas, my Saturday is booked solid," said Slughorn. "But I am determined to have a night with my favourites. So, will you be there?"

Teddie shrugged. "I don't know, Professor," she admitted. "I have a lot of work to do of my own, and I am now Professor Flitwick assistant. We schedule meetings throughout the week, so I can report back on homework and get assignments from him. Normally we meet on a Monday."

"Maybe I can speak with Filius," said Slughorn. "Don't you worry, Teddie, I'll sort it out for you."

"No, that - that's okay, Professor," said Teddie, alarmed.

"Nonsense," said Slughorn, waving away her concern. "I'll speak with Filius as soon as I return to the castle. Now, the only matter left is you, Mason. What's your reasons behind not attending my events?"

Mason gulped and glanced at Teddie.

"Mason only does things if I am with him," said Teddie. "We're a joint package. You take both or neither of us."

Slughorn's eyes twinkled. "Excellent. I will take both of you then," he said. "See you Monday!" He turned and left before the two siblings had a chance to protest.

Mason turned to Teddie. "What we going to do?" he asked.

"Blaise is invited. But Daphne, Astoria, and Theo aren't," said Teddie. "I'm not leaving them out just because Slughorn can't appreciate how amazing they are."

"Why does Blaise enjoy them so much?" Mason asked, turning back to the shelves of Muggle sweets.

Teddie shrugged. "We can ask him later," she said. She scooped up a handful of fizzy cola bottles and added them to her bag, while scooping up several packets of popping candy for Mason.

"I'm done, if you are," said Mason, looking into his bag. He wasn't sure if he could eat all these sweets and was kind of glad everyone had agreed to share.

"Yep. Let's go pay and get out of here," said Teddie. "I'm starting to feel claustrophobic."

Mason nodded and followed Teddie as she squeezed through the crowd towards the register. Astoria, Daphne, Theo, and Blaise were already there.

~X~

The Three Broomsticks were just as packed as Honeydukes had been. All booths and chairs were full, and neither of the teenagers felt the desire to stand while drinking.

"Shall we just head back to the castle?" Daphne asked. "We could get drinks to go."

The others nodded. Blaise and Theo pushed themselves through the crowd to the bar, while the girls' and Mason lingered near the door. From where she stood, Teddie eyed the crowd, taking in the stares, glares, and whispers of other patrons.

"Ignore them," said Daphne, blocking Teddie's view of a table full of Warlocks. "They don't know you. They're just basing their assumptions off a stupid paper that's been around longer than anyone knows."

Teddie sighed. All her friends were telling her to ignore everyone else, but that was easier said than done. Plus, it wasn't them that had to endure the whispers and talks from other people, no one knew what she was going through, and while they were trying to reassure her that if she just ignored them, everything would be okay, she knew deep down that it wouldn't.

How many people in this pub had lost someone or something to Voldemort and Avery? That anger would be enough for them to consider blaming her and trying to take revenge on her or one of her friends. They were only teenagers, they couldn't fight off fully grown adults, even if they did have Cruise and his team at their disposal.

Speaking of Cruise and his team, Teddie had been thankful that he was holding true to his word and not smothering her while she was at school. While they did patrol the corridors when she was in class or stationed themselves outside the Great Hall when she was at Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner, and she did occasionally clock them lingering in the courtyard and grounds when she was on break - they were even in Hogsmeade today, spaced out systematically, and always watching.

"Oh, hey, Teddie," said a cheerful voice.

Teddie snapped out of her thoughts, looking up as Harry and Hermione passed her, heading for the door. "Hey, you heading back?" she asked.

"Yeah. Today hasn't been what we thought it would be," said Hermione. "We're heading back to finish some homework."

"Not bloody likely," said Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm heading back to finish some homework," she said. "How about you?" she looked around at the other Slytherins, and two Ravenclaws. Theo and Blaise had re-joined them and was handing out bottles of Butterbeer.

"Yep. We're heading back, too," said Teddie.

"They do Butterbeer in to-go bottles now?" Ron asked, longingly.

Blaise smirked as he sipped his drink. "Yep. All you have to do is ask Rosemerta," he said. "They've done them for a while, actually.

"When you lot have finished your little meeting, some of us would like to leave!" snapped a shrill voice.

The two groups parted to see Bulstrode and Parkinson standing behind them. Teddie frowned as she stared into Parkinson's face, her eyes were glazed over, but the sneer on her lips was real. Everyone stepped aside, making a clear path to the door, and the two Slytherin's ambled out, Parkinson carrying a weirdly shaped package in her hands.

"Did you feel that?" Mason asked Teddie.

Teddie shook her head.

"I could feel magic coming from Parkinson," said Mason. "I think she's been enchanted or something."

"Or Imperiused," Teddie muttered.

"You what?" Daphne asked, shocked.

Teddie shrugged. "I saw it in her eyes. They were glazed over," she said

"She could've just drunk to much or eaten too much," said Hermione. "There's no pure evidence to say that someone cast an Unforgiveable on her."

Ron sneered at Teddie. "Unless you did it," he said.

Unable to help herself, Teddie turned on Ron. "Yeah, I did it," she snapped. "I did it without moving or even seeing my target all day."

Ron narrowed his eyes. Around her, he could see Daphne, Blaise, and Theo glaring at him, also. Why was he surprised to see them standing up for Teddie? They always did.

"I saw Teddie enter," said Harry, soothingly. "She hasn't left this spot."

Ron scoffed. "I thought you were supposed to be my best friend?" he asked. "You're supposed to support me, not defend the enemy."

"Teddie is not the enemy, Ron," said Hermione.

Ron glared at his friends. Why couldn't anyone seen what he could? "Whatever. I'm leaving. You coming?" he asked.

"Yes," said Hermione.

"We'll walk back with you," said Teddie. She turned and pulled her hood up as she headed out of the door, the others followed her.

Turning the corner at the end of the High Street was Pansy and Millicent. Despite leaving the pub ahead of the others, they hadn't gone extremely far. They looked to be squabbling about something, but they were too far away for anyone to hear, and the wind was raging more than it had been.

Teddie caught sight of Cruise, leaning against the side of Honeydukes. He nodded in her direction as she passed.

"I can't believe you got out of another event with Slughorn," said Hermione. "They're actually quite fun, you know."

Harry shrugged.

"You've been avoiding him, too?" Teddie asked.

Harry nodded. "He's persistent though, I'll give him that," he said.

"He's a Slytherin," said Teddie. "I'd be surprised if he weren't. He admitted to me and Mason earlier that he charms the invitations, that's how he knows we're receiving them."

"That's stalkish," Hermione shivered.

Teddie nodded. "What was your excuse for not going last week?" she asked Harry.

"Quidditch. You?"

"Homework."

"Something tells me that excuse isn't going to last for long," said Hermione.

"I also said that I have meetings with Professor Flitwick," said Teddie. "Being his assistant takes up most of my free time outside of Homework."

Ron gaped. "You're the one allocated to see our essays and mark them?" he asked. "That's not fair! What if you're marking someone's work and you don't like them?"

"I'm not marking sixth year students work," said Teddie. "I do fifth year and under."

Ron shrugged indifferently. "It's still not fair," he said. "You shouldn't have access to any students work. You're not a teacher."

"Not yet," said Astoria. "Teddie will be climbing the ranks before long, you'll see. She'll be junior teaching assistant before we all know it. I'm betting even before Christmas."

"What does that mean?" Ron asked.

"It means Flitwick can assign students who are struggling in his class to Teddie for training," said Hermione. "It's a huge achievement. Well done."

Teddie beamed. "Thanks," she said.

"Are you going out for Professor when you leave school?" Hermione asked.

Teddie shrugged. "Haven't given it much thought," she said. "But I do know I want to do Magic University in Charms."

"That place is supposed to be hard to get into."

"Being Flitwick assistant will give me a leg up," said Teddie. "His references should be enough to get me in the door."

Hermione grinned. "I wish you luck," she said. "Maybe we'll be classmates again. I, too, want to go to Magic University."

"In what subject?" Teddie asked.

"Haven't decided yet."

Teddie chuckled.

The group rounded the corner, and Teddie was stunned to see that Parkinson and Bulstrode were less than a foot away from them. They were fighting over the package in Pansy hands.

"What is it?!" Bulstrode asked, tugging it towards her.

"It doesn't matter," said Parkinson. "It doesn't belong to you. Give it back!" she tugged it back towards her.

The tug of war went on for a good few minutes, before the package ripped and the contents spilled out onto the ground. Pansy made a grab for whatever it was, and her hands had barely brushed the surface when she rose into the air. Her arms spread gracefully, her head tilted back and her eyes staring without seeing into the gloomy skies.

Six feet above the ground, Pansy let out a terrible scream. It was shrill enough to cause everyone in the vicinity to cover their ears.

"PANSY!" the Slytherin's yelled. They dashed forward; all traces of their feud gone.

Daphne caught Millicent, pulling her away from the object on the ground. It was an ornate opal necklace, and the magic it was radiating was enough to make Teddie stop and stare. Normally, Mason was the one who could sense magic, but this magic was so dark she could feel it deep in her core.

"Teddie!" Blaise called.

Teddie blinked and drew herself away from the necklace, she looked around, her eyes widening as she saw her friends trying to tug Pansy out of the sky. She dashed forward and jumped, wrapping her arms around Pansy's legs, and throwing her weight into her fall; the last time she had done this was back in first year, and it had been against Malfoy on a broomstick.

As Teddie dropped her weight, the line holding Pansy up broke and the pair dropped towards the sky, with Theo and Blaise catching them before they could hit the ground hard. Arms wrapped around her, and Teddie looked up to see Theo's face inches from her own.

"Hi," Teddie breathed.

"Hi," Theo replied. His breath felt warm against her face.

"Can't hold her," said Blaise through gritted teeth. Teddie and Theo pulled apart and glanced over, Pansy was writhing around so much that Blaise, Mason, and Astoria were having a hard time pinning her down.

Glancing around, Teddie spotted Harry, Ron, and Hermione nearby. "Help us!" she cried.

Harry and Hermione rushed forward. The pair knelt at Pansy's head, pushing down on her shoulders while Blaise, Mason and Astoria pressed down on her arms and chest, leaving Theo and Teddie to hold her legs.

"What's going on?"

Teddie looked around, her heart beating rapidly against her rib cage. She felt a flush of relief as Cruise and his team appeared from the High Street.

"Miss Green?" Cruise asked.

"We don't know," said Teddie. "She touched that -" she nodded at the necklace, "and then she rose into the air, screaming in pain, and when we tried to help her, she just dropped. She won't stop moving! What's wrong with her?"

Cruise shook his head. "I don't know," he said. "Dominic, Quinn, go to the school! Get Madam Pomfrey, McGonagall, Snape, and if possible, Dumbledore."

Dom and Quinn nodded and took off at a sprint towards the castle.

Cruise then turned to Melanie.

"We can't Disapparate with her," said Melanie. "We could carry her between us."

Cruise shook his head. "It's time consuming. We could try levitating her," he suggested.

"Not when she's writhing like this, you can," said Teddie, interrupting. "The spell won't take because of the movement. Besides, it will be miss-proportioned. You could drop her."

Cruise turned to Teddie. "Then what do you suggest we do?" she asked.

"Someone needs to go get help!" said Teddie. She looked around at the others. "Hagrid could carry her."

"I'll go, "said Harry. He stood and sprinted off before anyone could stop him.

Mason looked around and met Ron's gaze. "This isn't a time for house rivalries, Ron, we need you!" he called.

Ron hesitated, his dislike for the Slytherin's being the only thing holding him back. He then sighed and hurried forward, kneeling beside Hermione, and holding Pansy down by the shoulders.

Pansy continued to scream. Her shrill voice pierced the wind but became lost in the air. She was still staring without seeing, and despite everyone trying to talk to her, her silence her, she either couldn't, wouldn't, or didn't know how. She also didn't seem to recognise any of them.

"What do you think she is seeing?" Astoria asked.

"Does it matter?" Mason asked.

Suddenly Harry returned with Hagrid in tow.

"Get back!" Hagrid shouted. "Lemme see her!"

"Something's happened to her!" sobbed Millicent. It was the first time Teddie, or any of the other Slytherins, had seen her cry.

"Madam Pomfrey and the Professors have been informed," said Cruise to Hagrid. "We just need to get her to the castle."

"Leave tha' to me" said Hagrid. He scooped up Pansy and ran with her down the street. Soon, Pansy's piercing screams had disappeared.

Crawling away from Pansy had laid, Teddie crouched next to the opal necklace and drew Cruise and Melanie's attention. "She touched this," she said. "I can feel the dark magic coming from it. It's been cursed."

"I've seen that before," said Harry, crouching beside Teddie. "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes years ago. The label said it was cursed. But how did Parkinson get a hold of it?"

Ron snorted, but a dig from Hermione told him to shut up. "Now is not the time!" she hissed.

"That's what we were arguing about," said Millicent. "I kept asking her what it was, and who had given it to her, and who it was for. But she wouldn't tell me."

"That's when you grabbed it," said Mason.

Millicent nodded. "It ripped and she tried grab it back, and then this happened," she sobbed.

"Where did she pick it up?" Daphne asked. "I'm guessing she didn't have it leaving the school, Filch would've caught it with his Sensory Probe."

"She went to the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks and when she came back, she had it," said Millicent. "It was really sudden. She just grabbed her cloak and said that we need to leave."

Teddie nudged Hermione. "I told her she didn't look right when she left the pub," she said. "Her eyes were glazed over, and Mason could sense Magic coming off her."

Mason nodded.

"Didn't mean she had been Imperiused," said Hermione. "Who would use and Unforgivable on a Hogwarts student in the middle of Hogsmeade?"

"That's what we have to find out," said Teddie. She looked around. Despite Pansy's shrill shrieks no one from the village had come to investigate. She stood and produced her wand, pointing it at the necklace.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked, grabbing her arm.

"We can't leave it here!" said Teddie. "Not only is it evidence, but it could help the Professors figure out what is wrong with Pansy. Mason, can you conjure a box or something? So we don't touch it?"

Mason nodded and produced his own wand. He pointed it at a nearby boulder and muttered an incantation. The boulder moulded and reshaped itself before a perfect medium size box remained. He lifted it up and set it on the floor next to the necklace.

"Wingardium Leviosa," said Teddie. She swished and flicked her wand and the necklace floated into the air. It twisted and turned before lowering itself into the box. Mason placed a lid on top and everyone stood back.

Cruise pushed past the teenagers and scooped up the box, just as a bow had finished tying itself neatly on top. "Let's get you lot back to the castle," he said. "I am sure Professor McGonagall will want to speak with you."

The group nodded and, with Daphne's arm still around Millicent, they followed both Cruise and Melanie back towards Hogwarts.