The next time I saw Avery, she was sitting in my parents living room. She had aged several years, but still looked the same as she had done the night she ran away. My father stood at the mantelpiece, smoking his pipe, while my mother sat with her hands clasped in her lap.

No one looked up as I entered the room, trailing behind me a four-year-old son. When I had told Benjamin I was pregnant he had bailed on me, invoking the wrath of my father. The Howler he had sent was nobody's business, and I had been warned to stay as far away from the Muggle-lover as possible.

Thankfully, John was a pureblood, so my parents didn't force me to get an abortion. He was raised under my parents' roof and had the same upbringing I did. Occasionally, without my parent's approval, consent, or knowledge, I would tell him about his father and sneak him off to the Muggle world, so that he could see the people his father loved so desperately.

Caroline looked from her parents to her sister. "What's going on?" she asked. "Why are you here, Avery? I thought you made your point clear last time we spoke?"

Avery's eyes remained glued on the four-year-old behind her sister. "You have a son?" she questioned. "I wasn't informed."

"Why would I tell you?" Caroline asked. "You left the family the night you moved out. You disowned us. You didn't deserve to know you had a nephew."

"What powers does he have?"

Caroline stiffened. "What's that any concern of yours?" she asked.

"He's four, right?" Avery inquired. "He should've at least started showing a knack for something. I was four when my shield appeared, and you were three when your abilities manifested."

Caroline glanced at her parents. "Is that why you're here?" she asked. "To get more History on our abilities?"

"It is my history, too," said Avery. "I wish to know more. Like, the rumour that his circulating. The rumour that says the next generation is always stronger than the last. Meaning, we should be stronger than our parents. He," she nodded at John, "being stronger than you."

Avery looked back at her father. He refused to meet her gaze, focusing intently on smoking his pipe instead.

"Father?" Caroline asked. She, of course, knew her family's History, but she couldn't recall anything in her memory of the lessons stating that the next generation was always stronger than the last. Besides, even if it was, why did Avery care?

Guinevere sighed. "Emrys," she started.

"Silence, Guinevere!" Emrys snapped. He refused to give his youngest any more ammunition to use in her cause. He had already guessed her intentions and why she had come to him, it didn't take a genius to know she was with child.

Avery raised her eyebrows. "So, is it true?" she asked. "My child will be stronger than me?"

"Child?!" Caroline spluttered.

Avery grinned at her sister and rose to her feet. She opened her robes and lifted her shirt a little, revealing a small bump protruding from her stomach. "She'll be here in October," she said.

"She?" Caroline asked.

"We've decided to call her Faye."

Caroline stared, slacked-jawed at her sister. She was pregnant with his child. "Avery, do you have any idea what you've done?" she asked.

"I'm giving My Lord what he desires," said Avery. "He wants an Heir, someone who will be twice as powerful and capable of taking over should anything happen to us. Our daughter will be the weapon that no one will see coming. Powerful. Ruthless. Unstoppable."

"A target!"

Avery stood and squared off against her sister. "I don't tell you how to raise your child, you don't tell me how to raise mine, deal?" she said.

It was more of a furious statement than a question.

To this day, I cannot believe Avery would be as stupid as to have a child with the man known as Lord Voldemort — signing his name is so much easier than saying it — but, alas, here we are.

Baby Faye was born at Malfoy Manor at 12:30am on the 31st of October 1979, and within minutes of her birth, she was taken from her parents and given to the midwife. The only reason I know this is because the midwife was hired by my parents, and the minute Avery's back was turned, Faye was delivered to my parents' home.

Enchantments were placed around the manor to prevent Avery, Voldemort, or their followers from gaining access; and I was given the sole purpose of raising my niece. I did have the best I could for two years, until the downfall of Lord Voldemort at the hands of another child, and it was then I knew that Avery would come for her daughter, and nothing would stand in her way.

—

"Ted?"

Teddie blinked as she was pulled out of the diary. The voice disappeared and the book closed automatically in her hands. Looking up, she saw Theo standing at the foot of her bed.

"Sorry," Teddie said.

"You okay?" asked Theo. "You looked pretty immersed then."

Teddie nodded and held up diary. "Caroline may not be available but I'm still able to do her sessions," she said. "I just learned that every new generation of Sutherland is always more powerful than the last."

"So, you're more powerful that Avery?"

"Supposedly."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Theo asked, skirting onto the bed, and sitting beside her. He rested an arm on the pillow behind her head, and Teddie slid closer, curling up against his side.

Teddie shrugged. "I guess that depends on who's side I am on," she said. "I mean, think about it, if I have the potential to be stronger than a witch who can manipulate your blood from a distance then that's bad for people working against me, right?"

"Do you think you can do the whole blood manipulation thing?"

"I don't know. It takes a lot of work, I know that much," said Teddie.

"Does the advancement of magical gifts relate to the ones you have now?"

Again, Teddie shrugged. Avery had been a shield and was now a Blood Manipulator, did that mean because she was a shield that she had the potential to do the same? She shivered.

"You cold?" Theo asked, pulling the blanket over them.

Teddie smiled. "No, was just freaked out by the idea of possibly controlling someone by their blood," she said. "Avery as a shield before her powers advanced, and I'm also a shield. By your logic of powers linking up, that could mean that I could control someone's blood."

"Maybe it depends on the witch or wizard, too?" Theo suggested. He didn't know much about the Sutherland family abilities, but he didn't like the idea of Teddie scaring herself silly at the prospect of becoming a Blood Manipulator.

"Or maybe it depends on the caster themselves," Teddie said. "Maybe Avery became a Blood Manipulator because of her affinity to hurt and control others?"

"There's that, too," Theo agreed. "And last I checked, you wanted to help people not control them. So, maybe you won't become a Blood Manipulator."

Teddie sighed. "I hope not," she murmured.

The pair were silent for a minute or two, just simply enjoying the others company. There hadn't been much time in the last year that they got to be alone; between home-schooling, Caroline's sessions, Mo's lessons, birthdays, holidays, and Halloween takeovers the pair hadn't had a chance to talk as friends, much less anything more.

As Teddie rested her head on his shoulder, her arm thrown casually across his stomach. Theo rested his own head on top of her own and breathed happily. His eyes closed as he listened to the soft, soothing, elevated breathing of his best friend.

Ever since he had told her the truth about his feelings, he had longed for moments like this. She returned them, he knew that now, but they were still the best of friends. Originally, he had worried that admitting the truth would make things awkward between them, ruin their friendship, but Teddie had maintained their friendship beyond anything else.

Yes, sure, they hadn't talked about what had been said or what had happened, but did they really have too? As long as they were still in one another's lives and were both happy with the outcome. Did it really matter that they hadn't labelled the change in their relationship? Did she really need to be his 'girlfriend' as opposed to 'just a friend' for him to be in love with her?

"You okay?" Teddie asked, tilting her head back.

"Yeah. Just, we haven't done this for a while."

Teddie smiled and reached up, pressing a kiss to his cheek. "I love you, Theo," she murmured.

He turned his head, meeting her gaze. "I love you, too," he whispered.

~X~

"Any news on Caroline?"

Mo shook his head. "No, not yet" he answered, adding the first memory from Snape to the Pensieve. This one was different to the one Dumbledore had. Dumbledore's Pensieve was stone and had engravings all around the edge, whereas Mo's was glass with gold bands and sigils on the sides.

"What do the markings mean?" Teddie asked.

"What makes you think they mean anything?"

Teddie shrugged. "They're different to Dumbledore's," she said. "I asked him what his meant. He said they represent Past, Present and Future, but he also told me that all Pensive have different marking and they all mean different things."

"Wise man."

"So, what do yours mean?"

"It's an old Buddhist proverb," said Mo. "Three things cannot long stay hidden - the Sun, the Moon, and the Truth."

Teddie frowned. She had heard that before. But what did it mean?

Reading the confusion on her face, Mo smiled softly. "It means different things for different people," he said. "For me, it signifies that, in the end, the truth will out no matter how hard to try to hide it. But, for you, it could be something entirely different."

"How will I know what it means for me?"

"Sometimes you don't, sometimes you never know what it means for you," said Mo. "And then, sometimes, it just hits you out of nowhere."

Teddie sighed and sat back in her seat. She watched as Mo swirled the contents of the Pensieve around and then set it to rest on the desk.

"Are you ready?" Mo asked.

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice, Teddie."

Taking a deep breath, Teddie slid from her chair and cracked her knuckles. Yes, she had a choice, but she also had a choice to save her friends. Save Mason, and she had made that choice a long time ago. At this very moment in time, she didn't care about anything other than the protection of those she held dear, and if dipping into an old memory of Albus Dumbledore's was the way to go, then that's what she was prepared to do.

"I'm ready," Teddie said.

"I'm sure you know how this works?"

Teddie nodded and leaned forward, her face brushing the surface of the cool liquid. Once she was completely immersed, Teddie felt the floor beneath her feet tilt forward and she was thrown headfirst into the basin.

She landed squarely in the middle of an underground station. All around her were flashing lights, loud bangs and raised voices. Turning in search of the noise, Teddie found a young man in long blue coat and tanned trousers on the opposite platform. She didn't recognise him.

The man waved the object in his hand, and Teddie was surprised to see it was a wand. He was a Wizard, whomever he was.

The wizard took aim and Teddie followed his direct line of sight, seeing a second man also brandishing a wand further back down the tunnel. He, she also didn't recognise. He had short dark hair, menacing eyes, and was so dressed up he could've easily passed for a Ministry man.

"Credence!" the second man shouted.

Teddie looked around, hoping to spot the third person that was now being addressed, but she couldn't see anyone. At least, no one solid like her and the two men. Instead, she found a dark shape hovering high in the air, black smoke flickered out and surrounded the area, and now she had noticed it Teddie could feel the magic radiating from its core.

She had never seen an Obscurial before, but she could tell that this was what Mo and Mason had described all those months ago. This was what was inside her.

Terror ripped through her chest, and Teddie stumbled back in alarm. What was the point in this memory? Was it to scare her into choosing the right choice? To show her how dangerous she could be if not contained? But, if what Mason said was true, then you couldn't contain an Obscurial. This power would escape from her sooner or later, and in doing so, it seemed, destroy everything it touched.

At the sound of several footsteps, Teddie turned to see a large group of people rush into the station. All of them were brandishing wands, every single point of which was aimed at Credence.

Teddie felt her breath catch as she realised what was about to happen. She had learned a long time ago that, just like Muggles, Witches and Wizards always felt the need to destroy things that they didn't understand. They were going to destroy Credence instead of trying to help him, clearly thinking he was a lost cause and not someone who needed their help.

One by one, pinpricks of white light appeared at the tips of every wand in the station - every wand except four - and hit the Obscurial. It screeched and withered in pain, before exploding and showering flecks of black magic onto the spectators below.

"NO!" Teddie screeched as she was thrown from the Pensieve and back into the study. She whipped around, eyes wide in panic and fear, before calming as she realised, she was safe.

Mo sat in his seat; hands pressed together at the fingertips as he watched Teddie. "I take it what you saw was not fun?" he asked, softly.

"If you think watching an innocent being obliterated is fun," said Teddie, her breathing ragged as she sank into a chair. She pulled her legs up, resting the balls of her feet on the edge of the seat and burying her head in her hands.

The room was silent for a few minutes.

"Why did Dumbledore feel the need to show me that?" Teddie asked.

"What did you see?"

Teddie took a deep breath. "Credence Barebone," she answered. "He was in his Obscurial form, at least he was, it was exactly as you and Mason have described it. But… he was just killed. No one tried to help him, they just took one look at him and outright killed him. Is that what they intend to do to me?"

"Things have changed since then, Teddie," said Mo, "the world has become more understanding. Obscurial's aren't as feared as they once were, and you have had excellent control over your magic since learning about it."

"I wouldn't say excellent," Teddie murmured. "I have hurt people before. Not killed, or severely hurt them, but I've still caused pain."

Mo inclined his head. "Maybe, but, as you said, you didn't do it on purpose," he assured her. "I believe Dumbledore wanted you to see this memory to show you what could've happened to you."

"Or maybe it's a warning about what will happen," Teddie said, quietly.

"We won't let that happen," said Mo. "We're not doing all this so you can die trying. We're doing this so you have a shot at survival."

Teddie met his gaze and then sighed heavily. "I know," she said.

~X~

That evening, Teddie found Mason in the library. He was still working on the book that Dumbledore had left him in his Will. But, in the whole nine months they had of being in hiding, Mason still hadn't figured out how to open the damned thing. Why was it so important if no one could open it?

"How's it going?" Teddie asked.

"Meh," Mason shrugged. "But I am close. I found this," he showed her a spell in another book he had with him, "and it is said to be able to open anything. I'm going to try it later. What about you? How did you session with Mo go?"

Teddie shrugged. "I saw one of the two memories that Snape sent me," she said. "It was about the Obscurial - Credence Barebone."

"Oh, and what did you see?"

Teddie shook her head. She didn't want to tell her brother her thoughts, but she also knew he wouldn't let up if she didn't say anything.

"Mo's right," said Mason once Teddie had finished speaking. "They're not helping you so that you can die. They're doing it so you'll be powered up enough to stop Avery."

"I know."

"Then why does it seem that you're only seeing one side of the story?"

"Maybe I'm just trying to prepare you guys for a side that could happen."

Mason shook his head. "You can't kill someone who is too stubborn to die," he said. "Besides, you have so much to live for. You want to go to Magic University and become a Charms professor. It's your dream, and I've never seen you actively seek out a dream before."

"I've never been interested in an academic dream before," said Teddie.

"Exactly why nothing bad is going to happen to you," said Mason. "You deserve all the good and happiness in the word, Ted. You didn't ask for any of this crap and you shouldn't have to worry about dying young, either. This war is going to happen, we know that, but at the end of the day, we all deserve to walk away happy."

Teddie sighed and looked down. Some part of her was saying that Mason was right, but another part of her couldn't shake the idea that what he was saying was just a glorified dream that they were both desperately clinging too.

This war, just like every other that had come before it, and the ones that would come long after had the potential to go either way. Good or Bad, and no one, not even them could stop it from happening.

All they could do was choose their side, fight, and hope for the best.