"You sure he said Unbreakable Vow?"

Teddie nodded. "And before you saying anything, I know what an Unbreakable Vow is," she said. "I also already questioned Snape on it. He wouldn't give me a straight answer as to why he did it."

"Well, that's perfect," said Mason, shaking his head. "Can't you at least guess why? I mean, what did he and Malfoy talk about in that classroom?"

"About some job that Malfoy had been given by Voldemort - oh, grow up, Derrick," said Teddie, tossing a cushion at her friend. They were all at the Flint Manor for Christmas, and it had been the first time they had all been together since Derrick, Marcus, and Adrian graduated three years ago.

"And Malfoy said this job was supposed to be yours?" Marcus asked. He sat beside Teddie, his arm on the back of the couch behind her head.

Teddie nodded. "He seemed… happy that he had the job, but not so happy that it was supposed to be mine," she said.

"Well, Malfoy hates being second fiddle, we all know that," said Theo. "Playing second fiddle in school is one thing but playing it to the daughter of Darkness is got to be a huge blow to his ego."

Teddie shrugged. "I don't even know what the job is," she said. "Oh, he mentioned Parkinson and what happened to her, too. He said he had nothing to do with it, but I'm not sure if I believe him."

"But do you only think he had something to do with because Harry says so?" Mason asked.

"I'll admit, in the beginning it was because Harry mentioned it," said Teddie, nodding. "But now I am not so sure. I mean, Malfoy has been pretty distance with all his friends lately, except Crabbe and Goyle, obviously. He mentioned having other people helping him, better people, oh, and he mentioned someone named Greyback."

"Fenrir Greyback?"

Teddie looked over the back of the sofa to see Mo Flint standing in the doorway. He was carrying a travelling cloak over his arm. Snow had settled on his collar, and his hair was damp from where he had been outside.

"Did you just say Malfoy mentioned Fenrir Greyback?" Mo repeated.

"I…" Teddie started. She wasn't sure if she should've answered honestly or not. Mo had instructed Cruise and his team to keep an eye on Teddie while at Hogwarts, and here she was explaining to her friends how she had blatantly avoided the team and chasing a Death Eater all over the castle.

"Teddie, please, tell me the truth," said Mo.

Teddie swallowed and nodded. "I don't know what his first name was," she admitted. "But he definitely mentioned a Greyback."

"This is troubling," said Mo, scratching his chin.

"What is it, Dad?" Marcus asked.

Teddie rolled on her knees and leaned on the back of the sofa, staring at Mo. "Who is Greyback?" she asked.

"You've never heard of him?" Mo asked.

Teddie shook her head. She didn't want to openly admit that she didn't know who the man behind the name was in fear that Mo would tell her it was better that way, but she also could formulate a good enough lie to get around the question either. What if Mo asked her what she already knew? How could she convince him that she knew about someone she obviously didn't?

"He's a werewolf," said Mason.

Teddie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, but she couldn't help the smile that came to her lips. Of course, Mason would know who the mysterious Greyback was.

"Yes, Mason, he is," said Mo, nodding. "A notorious werewolf, I'll admit. He's sociopathic if I am truly honest. Unlike most werewolves that fear the full moon, he relishes in it. He regards it as his mission to turn as many people as he can, and his favourite target is children."

Teddie felt her stomach churn. "I'm going to regret this, but why children?" she asked.

"There is no reason. The werewolf venom works regardless of age or gender, but Greyback believes if you bite them young and then raise them away from their parents, they'll develop a hatred to wizards, you get a better bunch of werewolves."

"More savage," said Mason.

Mo nodded. "Where did you hear the name Greyback, Teddie?" he asked.

"At school."

Mo nodded and snapped his fingers. A House Elf appeared at his side, and he passed her the travelling cloak over his arm before sending her on her way. "Teddie, would you join me in my office," he said.

"Uh… We were about to have a snowball fight."

"It won't take a moment," said Mo, beckoning to her with his finger.

Teddie glanced at Marcus. He shrugged and shifted aside, allowing her space to slide from the sofa and approach his father. She stopped on the door, glancing back at her friends.

"We'll meet you outside," said Theo.

Teddie nodded and left the family room. She wasn't sure if she were in trouble or not, but Mo wouldn't have wanted to speak to her alone if she wasn't. Maybe he intended to berate her for being so foolish about leaving Slughorn's party without protection, or maybe he wanted to know how she managed to slip under Cruise and his team's detection.

Would he come down hard on Fred and George if he found out she was using their products to evade her protection detail? Or would be forbid her from purchasing and using their products?

Teddie sighed and followed Mo into his study. The door closed behind her with a snap, and she took a seat in one of the high back chairs.

Mo rounded his desk and sat in his own chair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the edge, his fingers pressed together and resting against his lips as he surveyed the youngster opposite him.

"Don't worry, Teddie, you're not in trouble," said Mo, shaking his head. "But I do want you to tell me everything."

"And by everything, you mean…?"

"Everything."

Teddie took a deep breath and began to relay the same story that she had just told her friends, to the head of the Auror Department.

~X~

Christmas passed quicker than expected.

On Christmas day, Teddie awoke to a pile of presents under the tree. Most of them were books - her favourite one so far was that of Wizarding Mythologies and Legends.

For Christmas Dinner, the House Elves set the table in the Dining Hall and laden it with all the trimmings - Turkey, Stuffing, Gravy, Carrots, Sprouts, Beef, Pork, Pigs in Blankets, even Bacon, although bacon wasn't a traditional meat to eat at Christmas.

Once they were all stuffed, Teddie and her friends disappeared into the family room. They played board games, both Muggle and Magical alike.

"I wish we had a TV," said Mason, laying on the sofa, horizontal to his sister, his head resting on her stomach. "We could watch Christmas Movies like we did at home."

Teddie smiled and run her fingers through Mason's hair. "Yeah. Normally around this time we're watching Santa Clause: the Movie or even Prancer."

"I miss Prancer," said Mason. "It was Mum's favourite movie."

"Remember when Dad said he would buy a Reindeer for us, and we could name it Prancer?" Teddie asked.

Mason laughed. "I thought Mum would hit the roof," he said. "As much as she loved the movie, I don't think she wanted an actual reindeer."

"It was hard enough caring for three snakes."

"Yeah, but Priscilla, Merlin and Morgana were easy to care for," said Mason. "We could hunt for their food in the back garden. The only thing we did struggle with was Priscilla's enclosure."

Teddie nodded. "Speaking of Priscilla, I need to go feed her," she said. Mason shifted and Teddie stood. "I'll be right back."

Mason lay back down, staring at the ceiling. All around him he could hear the others playing their board games, but he didn't have the desire to join in.

Leaving the family room, Teddie made her way to the kitchen where the House Elves were rushing around, cleaning up after dinner and preparing for evening meals. The head House Elf, an oldish male elf by the name of Gornak, looked up as Teddie entered.

"Miss Green, how may we help?" Gornak asked.

"I was just getting a frozen rodent for my snake," said Teddie, crossing to the freezer. She opened the bottom drawer, it had been specifically set aside for her Snakes, and pulled out a fat dead rat.

Gornak looked nervous. "We can do that for you, Miss, you should be enjoying your holidays," he said.

"It's okay. I haven't seen Priscilla since last summer," said Teddie, waving him off. "I can take over while I'm here."

"If you are sure, miss," said Gornak.

Teddie smiled and re-closed the freezer. As she left the kitchen and headed for the back stairs, she passed Mo's study, pausing outside as she heard voices from behind the door.

"- she should know."

"- it will distract her."

"- distract her from what?"

"- from whom she wants to be. She's still only a child."

"She's seventeen now, Ursula, she's not a child."

"I know that, but I refuse to let her be used as a weapon."

"That is what she is."

"Absolutely not!"

Teddie frowned and leaned against the wall; her head tilted towards the study door as she listened. Were they talking about her? They had to, right? Who else would be seventeen but still come under Ursula Flint's protection? Who else had abilities that made them a weapon? It had to be her, it just had to be.

"Dumbledore wants her unknowing. He reckons the less she knows the better off she will be,"

"Dumbledore has no say in her life. He is not her guardian."

"As far as he is concerned, neither are you. Teddie and her brother should've gone to their muggle Grandparents when Rose and Robert were killed. They're only here because of magic."

Yep, they were talking about her. But, why? What had happened to make Professor Snape come all the way to Flint Manor, on Christmas Day no less, to discuss her with the Flints. And why were they talking about her grandparents? Had something happened? Were her grandparents still alive? She hadn't once questioned how Ursula and Mo had gained custody of her and Mason when her grandparents were still alive, but maybe she should have?

"She overheard you telling the Malfoy boy that 'Faye would know her place soon enough'," said Mo. "She wants to know what you meant."

Snape sighed. "I meant nothing by it," he said. "Malfoy was talking about me having a soft spot for Teddie."

"Which you do," said Ursula. "We all do."

"Softness makes us a target," said Snape. "My feelings for her are nothing to do with my job. I must protect her, whatever the cost."

"Protect her for who, though?" Ursula asked. "For her, or for them?"

"They want a weapon, there is no doubt about that," said Snape. "But so do we. Be that weapon Teddie or Faye, it doesn't matter. Which is why she needs to know."

"Absolutely not," said Mo. "I have done extensive investigating into what needs to happen for her to become this so-called weapon, and it is very painful. I'm sorry, Severus, but I will not put her through that."

Ursula remained silent, and Teddie couldn't only wonder if she knew what her husband was talking about. What did Snape want her to go through, and for what purpose? She was seventeen, didn't she get a say? Did her going through whatever this was mean that they could turn the tide in the upcoming war? If yes, then she was determined to do whatever she could to keep those she loved safe.

"It was what she was born for," said Snape. "As cruel as that sounds."

"As her legal guardian, I say no," said Mo.

"I hate to reiterate myself," said Snape. "But you are only her legal guardian because of a memory spell on her grandparents. Plus, Teddie is now seventeen, and by legal standards of the Wizarding world, an adult."

"She's still in school, thus making her a child."

Teddie closed her eyes and clenched her hands into a fist. Granted the three adults didn't know she was standing outside the door, listening to their every word, but what they were saying didn't sit right with her.

First off, they had used magic on her family again. Modified her grandparents' memories, probably to make them forget that they even had grandchildren, did they also take away the memories that showed they had a son and a daughter-in-law?

Secondly, it was her life that they were discussing, and therefore her choice to decide what happened in her life. Regardless of whether they were talking about Faye or Teddie, it was still her life.

But what could she do? She could march in there. Burst right in and disrupt their meeting, announce that she had heard everything and demand that they tell her everything that they knew, allow her to decide whether she wanted to undergo whatever it was Snape was suggesting. Or, she could head upstairs and feed Priscilla, and act like she hadn't heard anything.

Surely, Mo and Ursula were only doing what they believed was best for her, right? Maybe Snape's plan really was dangerous and painful. Could she really undergo something like that? What if something went wrong and she was hurt badly? Who would look after Mason if she weren't around to do it? But, on the other side, if she was the so-called 'weapon' that everyone needed, then she needed to be prepared for what was to come.

Training was essential to be prepared, and she couldn't make sure she was ready for something if she didn't know what to do.

Upon hearing footsteps behind the door, Teddie scrambled up, having slid down the wall and sitting at the base, and rushed down the hall. She turned the corner just as the study door opened and Snape strode out, his cloak billowing behind him.

Teddie peered around the corner, watching as Snape shook hands with Mo and then headed down the hall, away from her. She held her breath, pressing her forehead against the cool marble, and listening to Ursula and Mo whisper to themselves.

"Maybe we should consider -?"

"You don't understand, Ursula," said Mo, shaking his head feverishly. "Right now, Teddie is safe and free to be a happy seventeen-year-old girl. If we tell her that she needs to be a weapon to win this war, her childhood will be ruined."

"Her childhood is already ruined," said Ursula. "She lost her parents, Mo, and if I know Teddie, she will want to fight. To get justice for them."

"Justice is the last thing that girl needs," said Mo. "Marcus told me what she said last year, when she spoke to him about her parents. She promised that she wouldn't do anything stupid, but she also admitted that she wanted to hurt the people that hurt her family."

Teddie gritted her teeth and pressed her head harder against the stone wall. Marcus had gone behind her back and spoke to his father about her, why? Surely no one could take what she had said in a moment of grief as something serious? But then, did she really say it in a moment of grievance, or did she mean it? She couldn't tell. She did want to hurt Avery for what she had done to Robert and Rose, but above anything else, she just wanted to protect the little family she had left.

"Trust me, dear, when you learn what that child must go through in order to succeed as a weapon, you will change your mind," said Mo. "I know you, Ursula, you love Teddie, and you do not want any harm to come to her. This ordeal will not only break her spirit, but it will also break her mind and quite possibly, her body, too."

Ursula stared at her husband. "Yes, I want to protect her," she agreed. "But, if teaching her how to become this weapon could protect her, then I am all for it, and I assure you, so will Teddie."

Mo sighed. "Then, I guess we are at a stalemate, my dear," he said. "Teddie has been through more pain than any child her age should have to go through. I wouldn't want to put her through more, not for nothing."

"Maybe we should ask her what she wants," said Ursula. "We've spent all this time arguing about it, we never considered her choice."

"Not yet," said Mo, shaking his head. "Right now, it's Christmas. It is also Mason's birthday in a week. We must prepare for the New Year's Ball, and I must prepare Cruise and his team for the trip to Spinner's End. If you will excuse me." He shuffled past his wife, back into the study.

Teddie pulled away from the wall and dashed up the stairs to the first-floor landing. She had just reached her bedroom when she heard Ursula Flint pass the bottom of the stairs.

Entering her room, Teddie closed the door with a click and leaned against it. The dead rat in her hand had defrosted to the point where the ice was seeping through her fingers and dripping onto the floor; she sighed and crossed the room to the tank under her window.

Priscilla raised her head, tongue flicking out and tasting the air as Teddie opened the lid and dropped the rat inside. Priscilla wrapped around it, her mouth clamping down on the head and dragging the bag of fur into her mouth.

"Teddie, upset?"

Teddie turned to the smaller tank that held Merlin and Morgana. It was sitting on the chest of drawers beside her bed. They had already been fed, and therefore were just laying on top of one another, basking in the warmth offered to them from their light of their tank.

Merlin raised his head, his tongue flickering out. He cocked his head as he stared at Teddie through the glass. "Why you upset?" he asked again.

"Trying to understand some things," said Teddie, shaking her head.

"What things?" Morgana asked. "Maybe we can help?"

Teddie smiled. "It's okay, you guys," she said. "I don't even understand what has been said, much less how I plan to go about it."

"You always know the right thing to do, Teddie," said Morgana. "You follow your gut all the time. Why not now?"

"Because now could get me into a lot of trouble."

"And never could've before?" Merlin asked.

Teddie chuckled. They had a point. Her gut always got her into trouble, why was now any different? "You're supposed to be on my side," she said, teasingly. "Not calling me out on my past behaviour."

From the hiss that Merlin and Morgana let out, Teddie could tell it was supposed to be a chuckle. She smiled again. "Are you guys okay, though?" she asked, opening the lid, and reaching inside. She run her fingers over the two snakes, feeling their scales against her skin.

"We're okay, as long as you're okay," said Merlin.

"Yes. Merlin is right."

Teddie smiled and withdrew her hand. She re-closed the lid on the tank and moved back to Priscilla. The large constrictor was still feasting, and Teddie knew better than to disturb her. Instead, she touched her fingers to her lips, and then pressed them against the glass.

"Enjoy your dinner, baby," Teddie whispered, pulling the cloth back over the tank and concealing Priscilla in darkness. She collected up the packages that the rat had been in, and left the bedroom, disposing of the rubbish using an Incendio charm, before making her way back to the family room.

Her mind was still reeling from what she had overheard, but maybe her friends could help her decide on which course of action she should take.