The doors to the Hospital Wing burst open and Teddie, red-faced and breathless ground to a halt at the foot of the bed where Ron Weasley lay. She had just overheard a couple of Slytherin third years talking about how the older Weasley at Hogwarts had been admitted to the Hospital Wing after a poisoning gone wrong, and while she and Ron didn't get on, she wanted to make sure that he was okay, especially after what had happened to Pansy.
Behind Teddie, came the rest of her little group, including Astoria and Mason, and Hagrid. The half-giant was puffing and panting as he slouched against forward. His black beady eyes looking from one student to the next as he tried his hardest to catch his breath.
"Bin in the forest all day!" Hagrid panted. "Aragog's worse, I bin readin' to him - didn't get up ter dinner till jus' now an' then Professor Sprout told me abou' Ron! How is he?"
"Not bad," said Harry. "They say he'll be okay. How did you hear?" he added to Teddie.
"Overheard a couple of Slytherin's talking at dinner," Teddie replied. "I know Ron and I don't have the best of friendships, but that doesn't mean I'd want him to die. The poison was in his drink?"
Harry nodded and retold the story of what had happened. He had told it so many times in the last few hours that he was sure he could recite it in his sleep.
Teddie placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No more than six visitors at a time!" said Madam Pomfrey, hurrying out of her office.
"It's okay," said Teddie, looking around at the matron. "My friends and I aren't staying. I just wanted to see if he was okay." She looked back at those surrounding the bed and then at Harry. "Let me know if anything changes, yeah? Oh, and good luck for Saturday."
Harry offered her a small smile and squeezed her hand as she pulled it from his shoulder. "Thanks, Ted," he said, watching as she and her friends left the Hospital Wing.
Outside, Teddie turned to her friends with a sombre expression. Neither of them really liked Ron Weasley, but neither of them would've wished this on him. Hell, neither of them would've wished this on the likes of Malfoy.
"Any chance that the drink was meant for Potter?" Daphne asked.
Teddie shrugged. "Could've been," she agreed. "But why would Slughorn want to kill Harry? He loves him."
"Maybe it's another Barty Crouch Jr thing?" Blaise offered. "You know, where he pretended to Mad Eye Moody for an entire year? Or, Slughorn could be under the Imperius Curse."
Teddie shook her head. "I know what it's like to be under that curse," she said, shuddering. "I'd recognise it if he was. He could be innocent. I mean, if the poison was in Ron's drink then that could mean it was in the bottle, a bottle which Slughorn purchased for himself. What if someone is trying to kill him?"
"Who would want to kill a retired Potions Master?" Theo asked.
"Voldemort?" Teddie offered. "Harry told me that Slughorn was in hiding for a year before he came to teach at Hogwarts. Why go into hiding if you're not under threat?"
"Question still stands," said Theo. "Why would Voldemort or anyone want a retired Potions Master dead?"
"Maybe Slughorn knows something?" Astoria asked.
"What does Slughorn know that You-Know-Who thinks he deserves to die over?" Blaise asked.
"What if it's to do with the memory?" Mason asked Teddie.
"You mean the one about Horcruxes?" Blaise asked.
Mason nodded. "Voldemort could be fearful that Slughorn will tell Dumbledore what transpired between them all those years ago, and it would give Dumbledore the knowledge to maybe stop him," he suggested.
"Which means were need to get that memory now more than ever," said Daphne. "Have you considered how you're going to get it?"
Teddie shook her head. "Harry tried during our last Potions lesson," she said. "He stayed behind at the end, but Slughorn rebuffed him and claimed that he didn't know anything."
"But what are you planning?"
"I wasn't planning anything," said Teddie. "I don't know how to get the memory out of him. I suggested that we learn as much about Horcruxes as we can, and then maybe confront Slughorn, but Professor Snape shot me down when I asked him."
"And Dumbledore intercepted my letter when I wrote to Mo asking for a book," said Mason. "They seem to want the memory, but don't you to know what a Horcrux is."
Theo sighed. "Well we need to either figure that out or find a way to get Slughorn to reveal the truth about the memory," he said.
"I still can't believe that someone concealed two dark objects and tried to smuggle them either into Hogwarts, or its vicinity," said Blaise. "This has got to be the most incompetent killer. Two attacks, both of which were not fatal, and the intended victim is still walking around."
"Well, hang on, we can't say the intended victim is still walking around," said Astoria. "The necklace was meant for Professor Dumbledore and the poisoned bottle was for Slughorn. What are the chances that this person is trying to take out the staff?"
Teddie bit her lip. "What if the bottle wasn't meant for Slughorn?" she asked. "What if it was meant for Dumbledore, also? Slughorn could've been asked to pass it on, and we all know Slughorn. He's known for liking tasty things. It's not a surprise he would keep the bottle for himself, really."
"Okay, so two dark objects that were meant for Dumbledore," said Mason. He looked around at his friends. "I think we just found the intended target."
"The Headmaster," said Teddie, her gaze on the floor. "But, who would want to kill Dumbledore so badly?"
"He Who Must Not Be Named?" Blaise suggested. "Without Dumbledore's protection then Potter would be a sitting duck for the Dark Lord, so would you, to be fair."
Teddie sighed and run a hand over her face. "But, I have been taken from this walls before, and both times it was right underneath the headmasters nose," she said.
"But Hogwarts wasn't a fortress back then," said Daphne. "It is now. It's got more enchantments surrounding it that any known place in the Wizarding World. It's why this person, whomever it is, hasn't succeeded in his assassination attempt."
"If he was sent by He Who Must Not Be Named, then I don't suppose he is very happy right now," said Theo. "Whoever this assassin is, they better watch their backs. I don't suppose the Dark Lord will put up with his incompetence for much longer."
"Maybe he'll do us all a favour and take him out for us," Teddie muttered.
"But he'll just replace him with someone who is more competent," said Astoria, "and that is the last thing we need."
Teddie sighed. Astoria had a point.
~X~
"It's the Chamber of Secrets all over again," Marlene said. She was sitting in the far corner of the Slytherin common room, her friends sitting around her in a half circle. Their voices were low as they continued to discuss the topic of what had happened to Ron Weasley and speculated on what they thought the assassin had attempted to do with the poisoned drink.
So far the consensus was that it was intended for Dumbledore, but Slughorn had kept it for himself.
"What makes you think that?" Susan asked.
"Well think about it," said Marlene, flicking her hair over her shoulder. "Mysterious assailant, attacked students, the threat of the Dark Lord. What else can you compare it to?"
"How about we don't compare it to anything?" Teddie asked. She had been gazing out of the window, the icy waters of the black lake were calm, despite the turbulent whether raging above it; every now and then, Teddie would catch a glimpse of a tail, or the flicker of golden scale against the green backdrop, but the mer-creatures were doing their very best to remain hidden.
"How can we not?" Marlene asked.
"Because comparing it to another event adds more fear to the problem," said Teddie. "Students and teachers alike don't need the reminder of what school was like four years ago."
"She's right," said Daphne.
Marlene sighed. She knew Teddie was right, but she couldn't help her own mind from jumping back to the way things were four years ago. "What happens if the school board get involved?" she asked. "Will they remove Dumbledore like they did last time?"
Judy shot Marlene a warning look. She wasn't helping the situation and was only resulting in making herself more agitated that before.
"I mean, we barely survived the Chamber of Secrets without him," Marlene continued, the words falling from her lips like word vomit. It was obvious that, in her fear, she couldn't stop herself, even if she wanted too. "We'll never survive if he leaves us now."
Reaching out, Teddie enclosed Marlene's hand within her own, jarring her friend from her thoughts and forcing her to look up. "Dumbledore's not foolish enough to fall for the Board's tricks again, more specifically, Lucius Malfoy's, and neither are the other board members, for that matter."
"Did Mo Flint reassure you last time that nothing like that would happen again?" Susan asked.
"He merely said that he has dirt on Mr Malfoy that would make him reconsider attempting to sabotage the school," said Teddie. "I don't know what that dirt is, but I wouldn't want to cross Mo, would you?"
The others shook their heads.
"Besides, the school isn't just protected by enchantments anymore," said Teddie. "We're more secure the Fort Knox in America. We have Auror's, and teachers, and who knows what else protecting the school."
"That just proves that whoever this assailant is, he's cunning and dangerous," said Marlene, the conversation triggering her fear once more. "How is he getting these dark objects in under the nose of all these watchful eyes?"
"He only got one dark object in," said Daphne. "And it looked as innocent as a bottle of mead. The Necklace never even made it past the school gates, which is why he is incompetent, remember?"
Marlene sighed and fell back in her seat. Her face was white-washed, and fear reflected in her eyes. The group was silent for a long time after that, consumed by their own thoughts.
After a while, Susan stood and stretched, her shoulders popping as she raised her arms above her head. "I'm going to head upstairs," she said. "You coming, Jud? Mar?"
Judy nodded and then stood, looking expectantly at Marlene who had remained seated.
"You go on," said Marlene, waving them away. "I'm too wired to sleep."
"Okay. Just, don't be late," said Susan. She and Judy bid goodnight to the others and headed up to their dorm.
Soon, Theo, Blaise, and Daphne left, leaving Marlene and Teddie alone in the corner. They were just two of the many stragglers that littered the Common Room. In the corner, furthest away from her, Teddie spotted Draco Malfoy hunched over a writing desk, his face so close to the parchment he was scribbling on that she was surprised he hadn't gone cross-eyed yet.
"How's Mason managing his extra coursework?" Marlene asked, drawing Teddie's attention to her.
"Better than I did, that's for sure," Teddie chuckled.
Marlene smiled. "That kid is going to finish Hogwarts well before I do, if I'm not careful," she teased. "Has he always been like this?"
"What, academically inclined?" Teddie asked. She then nodded. "Yeah. He loves school, always has. You've seen what he is like when he sinks his teeth into a book. Why should a textbook be any different?"
Marlene nodded quietly. Her gaze dropped to her lap, and she twiddled her thumbs. For the first time in forever, she found that she and Teddie didn't really have a conversation topic, which was odd given how close they had become since Teddie had secured them the House Cup back in her first year.
"Hey, Marlene, can I ask you something?"
"Sure. What's up?"
Teddie hesitated and reached for the sleeve of her left arm. She had promised Snape she wouldn't say anything, but not saying anything was causing tension between her and her friends. She knew they knew something was amiss, and that she was purposely keeping things from them. They hadn't shunned her for it, maybe because they were given her a chance to come clean, but the longer she took to admit there was an issue, the harder it was becoming.
"Has you, or anyone in your family, been purposefully hurt by Vol - I mean, You-Know-Who or Avery?"
Marlene furrowed her brow and cocked her head. "Why would you ask that?" she asked.
Teddie shrugged. "Call me curious," she answered.
"Well, I haven't," said Marlene, "and, as far as I know, neither has my immediate family. There may be some distant relations that had a couple of run ins with them ten years ago, but neither recent. Why?"
Teddie licked her lips, her gaze kept purposefully low as she searched for her next words. "What if I told you someone close to you has been keeping a secret? A secret that they're afraid could break their friendship with you?" she asked.
"I'd say that, while I understand their fear and concern, not telling me is going to break the friendship even more," said Marlene. "I mean, wouldn't they rather tell me themselves or have me find out from a third party? Because, I know I would rather them be honest with me. It'll hurt more to think they didn't trust me enough with whatever they were keeping from me, and I had to find out from someone else."
Teddie sighed and nodded.
"Who is this person?" Marlene asked. "Is it you?"
Teddie swallowed. "Um…"
"Is this about the rumour that was heard back last year?"
"What rumour?"
"That the Dark Lord had recruited another Death Eater into his inner circle?"
Teddie bit the inside of her cheek. She wouldn't have put it past Avery to spread the news about her daughter taking a place within Voldemort's ranks, and it only took one person to pick up on that speck of news and spread it like a wildfire, she wouldn't have been surprised even if Lucius Malfoy or even Cyrus Nott had something to do with it.
"Ted, are you…" Marlene trailed off; her gaze focused intently on her young friend. "I mean to say, do you -?"
"I didn't want it," said Teddie, her voice quiet. "I'm not part of any inner circle."
"But you do have the -?"
Teddie nodded.
"Why haven't you said anything?"
"Because I'm afraid to lose you. All of you," said Teddie, weakly. "I told Professor Snape, and he warned me that not everyone will be as understanding about this, and that he advised me to keep it quiet, even from my best friends."
Marlene furrowed her brow. "But, why?" she asked. "Did he honestly think we would turn on you? Damn it, Teddie, after everything you've been through, we were there. We know you. We know you wouldn't willingly join the Dark Lord or accept one of those brands."
"I should've trusted you."
"You're damn right you should've trusted us!" Marlene said, angrily.
Teddie lifted her gaze. Marlene's whole upper body was flushed red, her brow furrowed in confusion as anger flashed in her eyes. Her hands had curled around the arm of the chair, clenching the wooden arms so tightly her knuckles were almost white.
Fighting back the tears, Teddie lowered her gaze again and whispered, "I'm sorry."
"I know you are," said Marlene, "and so am I. Sorry, that you didn't trust me enough to tell me the truth. I had to find out from a rumour!"
"But not all rumours are true!" Teddie protested.
"This one was," Marlene argued. "You can try and argue the syntax of a rumour, if you want, but we both know it won't do you any good. You still lied to me. To us. What did you expect us to do? Just forgive you?"
Teddie shrugged. She hadn't expected them to forgive her, she knew that she couldn't ask them to do that, but, she also didn't expect them to blame her, either. How could they expect her to just come forward and say, "by the way, I have the Dark Mark now," and be done with it.
Marlene sighed. "Look, Teddie, I'm sorry, for real this time," she added, hastily. "I shouldn't have gone off on you like that. I mean, I understand why you didn't tell us, and why Snape told you to keep it a secret, but -"
"You're my best friends and I should've trusted you to make your own decisions," interrupted Teddie. "You're right. I almost lost Judy because her family thought I was a threat, given my parentage. Not telling you about the Dark Mark just fuelled the image that Avery and Voldemort wanted to portray of me - someone who can't be trusted." She shook her head.
Marlene set a hand on Teddie's shoulder. "Judy's parents have been victimised by the Dark Lord," she said. "That is why they were hesitant to let their daughter be around you. But she told them straight. You're a good person, Teddie, but even good people can get led astray."
Teddie smiled and nuzzled Marlene's hand with her head.
"But," Marlene added, withdrawing her hand and standing. She locked her fingers above her head and jutted her hips out as she stretched. She moaned, her body tingling. "You should really consider telling the others the truth. Like I said, the longer you take to tell them, the harder the betrayal will be."
"I know," Teddie murmured. She took a deep breath and looked up. "Any suggestions?"
Marlene shrugged. "Have you told anyone?" she asked. "Other than me and Professor Snape?"
"Mo."
"Does Marcus know?"
Teddie shook her head.
Marlene gnawed at her lower lip. "Maybe you can talk to Professor Snape?" she offered. "Explain that it's got to the point where you can't keep it a secret anymore, and you want to tell your friends. He can write to Mo and between them they can set up a meeting of some kind. That way you can tell the others, and still have adult supervision should things go sideways."
"You think they will?"
"How would you react if someone kept this secret from you?" Marlene asked. She offered Teddie a slight smile. "Don't be late going to bed. Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Teddie replied, absentmindedly.
Consumed by her thoughts, Teddie sat alone in the corner for a little longer. When she finally decided it was time for bed, she was the only one left in the common room, and the fire was just a flicker of dying embers in the grate.