Chapter 4

Teddy tossed and turned in his bed. He could not fall asleep no matter how much he tried. He was so tired, but it was as though there was an on and off switch in his head that was stubbornly stuck on "on." He kept shifting himself in his bed, trying to find the exact position that would allow him to fall asleep. But after thousands of leg and arm position combinations, he finally concluded that he wasn't going to get any sleep tonight. So he decided instead to just lay in bed, and hope he'd eventually succumb to sleep. But his body wasn't about to let him do that either. The prickling started again, and it was unbearable when he was just lying there. So he pulled himself out of bed and, with nothing else to do, walked over to the nearby window and looked outside.

It was still dark, but the sky had already lightened from a black to a deep navy blue. Unlike Teddy, everything else seemed to be asleep. The Forbidden Forest lay silent and undisturbed, and there was no light coming from Hagrid's cabin. The surface of the black lake was as smooth as glass, without a single ripple disturbing it. The lake reflected the deep midnight sky, the stars, and the moon, which seemed to hang directly above it.

Ever since he was little, the moon had fascinated Teddy. There was something so mysterious and magical about it. Its sparkling, pale, light fueled his imagination. He had been so fascinated when he was younger that many of his birthday presents had been books about the moon. He looked at the not-quite-full moon, and remembered the formal name for it: Waxing Gibbous. More than one half of the moon was visible. It would be full by the end of the week.

Teddy had never remembered being so tired as he went to his first class of the day, Transfiguration. It was normally his favorite class, but today he could barely keep his eyes open as Professor McGonagall talked about some of the basics in Human Transfiguration. Like he really needed to know how to do this anyway, he thought. He had been able to change his nose shape before he could walk. As she talked, he could feel his suddenly leaden eyelids droop slowly shut as he fought to keep them opened. The urge to sleep was so strong, but he knew he couldn't do it in this class. Professor McGonagall wasn't very understanding when it came to those things, and the last thing he needed was a detention, with the biggest Quidditch match of the season this weekend. He had scheduled practices every night starting tonight. He just couldn't afford to miss a practice. It was with great relief when the bell finally rang. With a little help from Ross, he dragged himself out of his seat and walked slowly, feeling more like a Zombie than ever, to potions.

While he was not particularly fond of potions, Professor Slughorn had a certain affection for him. Harry had said that Slughorn had a tendency to "collect" students and pick favorites. Teddy figured that Slughorn liked him mostly because Harry was his godfather. Slughorn's blatant favoritism normally made Teddy feel uncomfortable, but it meant he wouldn't be severely reprimanded for accidentally falling asleep.

"Good morning, Mr. Lupin! Mr. Dannon!" said a very cheerful Slughorn. Ross said a polite but unexcited good morning. Teddy could do no more than grumble indistinctly.

"Yes, everyone settle down!" said Slughorn. "Take out your books. Today we will discuss the properties of Munkshood. First off, can anyone tell me what Munkshood is?" Teddy didn't hear what Munkshood was. He was too tired to focus on the class, he tried in vain to keep his eyes opened and look as though he was paying attention, but he couldn't bring himself to it. Before he could stop himself, he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

He was running, running faster than he had ever done in his life. He felt alive, power coursing though his veins. Low to the ground, he was practically flying, He didn't know where he was going, but his legs seemed to. All of a sudden, he stopped, and automatically looked up. He was directly below the moon, shining brightly and whole. He felt energized, strengthened by the moon. Euphoria came over him, tickling his entire body. He opened his mouth wide, and—

"Teddy, wake up!" He could feel himself being shook roughly. He woke up with a start, shaking his head. Teddy looked around and realized that everyone in the class was now looking at him. Slughorn glared at him rather impatiently.

"I'm sorry professor. What…"

"I just asked you by what other names does Munkshood go by?" Slughorn seemed irritated.

"Oh…yeah…um…Aconite…and…err…"

"Wolfsbane," Slughorn finished, "It should be noted that Munkshood is the key ingredient in the Wolfsbane potion, which as you know…" Teddy didn't catch the rest. He sat in his chair and stared vacantly out the nearby window. His thoughts were not about Munkshood, but about the strange dream he had just had. What had that been all about? The details were all ready beginning to slip from his mind. He had been running, and he was outside, and there was the moon. He had been about to do something, when Ross had woken him up. It was one of the most vivid dreams he had ever had. It had felt so real. He tried to figure out what his strange dream meant, but his mind was already foggy from being sleep-deprived. So instead, he continued to sit and make sure that he at least kept his eyes opened, while his mind wandered elsewhere. He thought of the Quidditch pitch, where the team would practice tonight, and his dormitory, where he wished he were, so he could take a much needed nap.