A/N: Hope you guys enjoy this chapter. As usual, I own nothing but the characters I created. Onward.

Three days went by. Bri's routine was much the same as it had been before the mess with Whittaker. She woke before the sun rose, showered, and made breakfast. Teddy was quite different.

He slept throughout the day and only emerged from his room twice every night and always for water and a sandwich. He didn't talk much to Bri, figuring she would need some time to absorb all that he told her.

As it happened, Bri grew less and less wary of Teddy. She appreciated that he left her well enough alone. She only wished that there were books in the cottage about wizards and magic so she could know more about the predicament she was in.

She filled her time with taking walks through the valley during the day. It was a completely deserted area. There was no one else for a couple hundred miles and the cottage was more or less secluded by a large hill on one side and thick woods. Where most would have felt paranoid and scared of being closed in, Bri appreciated it. She felt that she could finally breathe now.

"We'll leave for Westrun tomorrow morning." Teddy said quietly when he came into the kitchen for water as Bri was leaving.

She stopped, a plate in her hand, and turned to face him. "What is Westrun?"

"The wizarding university I told you about. The Praefectus is a professor there. She is quite eager for you to begin your magical education. You have a lot to catch up on. More will be explained you tomorrow." His voice seemed strained, tired even, and his tone indicated this was all he felt like saying on the matter.

Bri wanted to ask him if he was alright, but they barely knew each other. Besides, clearly Teddy had his mind some place else. If Bri had not known better, she might have thought he was avoiding her.

"I will be ready early." She replied before leaving him in the kitchen and heading upstairs.

Things were fine when she didn't know when they might leave the cottage. She was fine when she thought she might have had more time to come to terms with the new world she'd been driven into. Now that she knew she would be leaving the cottage, Bri Krane could feel her anxiety rising and tried to steady her breathing.

Magic was beautiful and terrifying and fascinatingly horrible. All these things were true. She could appreciate it, certainly, but in truth, magic terrified her.

What place could she possibly have in a society where she was scared of the thing that made her who she was?

She tried not to dwell on these thoughts as she attempted to fall asleep but they persevered, and when Teddy knocked on her door the next morning, she'd gotten ready for the day without ever having slept at all.

Westrun University for Magical Education was located in Northern England near the border of Scotland. Around the university was a small village with shops, restaurants, and apartment buildings filled with people from all walks of the wizarding world.

Bri fought to take her eyes off it as she and Teddy began the long climb up the plateau. She nearly tripped and Teddy helped her as she tried to regain her balance.

"Did you come here for school?" Bri asked, hoping the conversation could keep her from tripping again.

"I went to Hogwarts first and then to Westrun immediately after. Most people from Hogwarts start work when they graduate. A surprising few pursue higher education." Teddy turned to her as he said this and she saw his expression had softened sometime between the previous night and then. His bright brown eyes seemed content and his hair had changed colors again to a dark brown with streaks of dark red. His dark olive skin seemed to glow the more the sun shone on it.

"What did you study?"

"I double majored in International Magical Relations and Magical Creatures. I thought it would help me once I joined the PDL."

"Has it?"

He smiled a bit before replying, "I have not been disappointed thus far."

They were silent for a few more moments before Bri spoke again. "Why Magical Creatures? That doesn't seem related to International Magical Relations."

They stopped and Teddy gestured for her to sit next to him on large, flat boulder to take rest for a bit.

She could see a slightly guarded look take over his face. "Both my parents were magical creatures. My father was a werewolf and my mother was a Metamorphmagus. The werewolf thing is self explanatory, but usually Metamorphmagi can change any feature on their body to something else, human and animal alike. Some of the more advanced can shapeshift completely into another person or, even rarer, an animal."

Bri was having a surprisingly easy time understanding what Teddy was telling her. Some part of her felt quite comfortable learning about magical creatures. "Yeah? What level are you?"

Teddy sighed and ran a finger through his hair, a now shy look in his eyes. "I…well…I'm working on the whole shapeshifting bit. Turns out its somewhat easier when your father was a werewolf. Comes in handy on PDL assignments."

Bri wasn't surprised. Teddy did not strike her as the type to brag or boast. She looked down at her hands, her fascination with the wizarding world now turning to fear. "You've grown up knowing what your parents were, knowing who your parents were. I don't know a thing about where I came from other than the fact that I am a killer-"

"No, you aren't, Bri."

"You said people died in that explosion. People died because of me, because of my magic. How can I possibly fit in this world where…where the very thing that makes me who I am is this horrible entity that kills people?" She hadn't noticed that her eyes were tearing up until she felt the wind blow strong against her face and felt wetness on her cheek.

Teddy watched her silently cry, feeling utterly uncomfortable with the sight. Emotions were not his strong point. So, for five minutes, he let her cry in silence until she was able to speak again.

"Does it have to be today? Do we have to meet her today?" She felt like her world was spinning again and she was powerless to stop it. It was hard enough just dealing with the fact that she was a witch. But now with meeting the Praefectus and possibly attending Westrun, magic would become cemented in her every day life. Bri didn't feel all that capable of handling it.

"The Praefectus is a busy woman." Teddy replied simply.

With a sigh, Bri wiped her eyes and began walking up the plateau ahead of Teddy. Figuring she might need the time to herself, he didn't rush to join her.

Nearly fifteen minutes later, they reached the entrance of Westrun. Just as Bri suspected, it was a large castle. The bricks were a weathered tan, and the castle itself contained many windows. It wasn't a particularly tall castle, though it fascinated Bri nonetheless.

Teddy led her through the large entrance hall and up a few staircases before they stopped at a door on a secluded landing. He knocked three times and waited before the door opened and he entered with Bri behind him.

"I was beginning to think I might not see you today, Teddy." The voice was deep and rich and sounded the way Bri imagined hugs felt like. Her eyes were drawn to the person it came from

She was tall and statuesque, with thick, curly hair, eyes so brown they were nearly black, and skin the color of creamed coffee. Her teeth were blindingly straight and white and Bri found herself running her tongue over her own teeth.

The woman wore what might possibly have been the most well designed pantsuit Bri had ever laid eyes on. It was dark blue, bringing out her eyes and skin, and golden pearl jewelery hung from the woman.

"We have a bit of a delay, if that's alright with you, Madame Praefectus." Teddy answered with a short bow.

The woman rolled her eyes and huffed before hugging Teddy tightly. "You silly boy. I've told you for years now you don't have to call me that."

"And I have told you for years that I don't care?" he replied, laughing.

The woman turned to Bri and gave her a warm smile before extending a hand toward her to shake. "I'm quite happy to finally meet you, Ms. Krane. I'm Samara Thompson. I'm sure Teddy has already told you I'm the Praefectus of the PDL."

Bri nodded quietly, not sure what to say. Teddy gave her meaningful look, raising his eyebrow and turning it yellow at the same time. It made her laugh and she didn't feel so wound up. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Thompson."

They made small talk as Samara prepared tea for them and arranged for sandwiches to be brought up to them. As Samara and Teddy caught up, Bri looked around Samara's office.

It was huge and open. Despite the fact that nearly every square inch of wall was covered in books, it didn't feel cluttered. Behind Samara's desk was the only window in the whole room: a huge floor-to-ceiling window that Bri might have expected to see in a church. Directly ahead of the desk was a small sitting area complete with two sofas, an armchair, and a coffee table. This was where they were when Samara finally redirected her attention to Bri.

"I know you must have a lot of questions." She said expectantly.

Bri gave an uneasy look toward Teddy who nodded at her to continue. "I…well, I think I would like to know why the Ministry wants me dead."

She'd meant it as a joke, though only Teddy smiled slightly. Samara made herself comfortable on the couch in front of them.

"I'm sure Teddy told you why. But what is important is knowing why you were ever there in the first place. You were there because you had the potential to be quite a powerful witch and your parents knew it."

Bri frowned slightly at this. "So, you knew them? You knew my parents?"

"Yes," Samara replied simply. "They were agents of the PDL working in the Department of Mysteries. No one knows what goes on there anyway, so it was the perfect place to hide you, to study you." She sounded slightly bitter.

Bri felt her stomach drop and her eyes automatically found a spot on the wall they liked. Her parents had treated her like some sort of lab rat for the first five years of her life. Had they even cared about her?

"Why?" she choked out, her voice slightly hoarse. "What was wrong with me?"

Teddy stood and walked to the window that overlooked the rest of the school. He didn't particularly wish to see Bri's face when Samara told her the rest of the story.

"Nothing. There was nothing wrong with you. It had to do with your magic. Before you were even born it was quite strong. You were producing bits of accidental magic before your mother even gave birth to you. Your parents knew how dangerous it might be to have another powerful witch in the world. Everyone was just getting over the defeat of Voldemort. They were all quite paranoid. Your parents were trying to protect you." Samara sat down next to Bri and held her hand as she said this.

Her eyes travelled back to Samara and the sincerity she saw practically broke her heart. She would never agree with what her parents had done and she knew Samara didn't either. But the fact was that she was still alive.

"How did they die?"

Teddy glanced back and saw that Bri had taken a deep breath and was trying to school her features to remain neutral. He recalled doing the same when he'd learned the truth of his parents' death.

"The Ministry executed them for treason and conspiracy for terrorism. They thought your parents were trying to use you as a weapon. They tried to capture you for themselves and you escaped. The general public doesn't even know you exist. As far as they know, Vivian and Joel McHaley were the orchestrators of the Edinburgh attacks. The Ministry fears your existence because you could be used against them. For all they know, you could be the next Voldemort."

"But I'm not evil! I don't even know how to use magic!" Bri felt that same feeling she'd felt in Whittaker's office surfacing again.

"They don't know that. That's why they sent Whittaker to try to kill you. The slimy git was a bounty hunter. He'd been on to you for months. If I hadn't come when I did, you would be dead or in Ministry captivity." Teddy countered firmly.

Bri felt quite a few different emotions then. She felt confusion, sadness, anger. But more than anything, she felt terrified.

"Now what? They aren't stupid, the Ministry. They'll know I'm here and they'll come after me anyway, right?" Bri asked, eyes shining with unshed tears.

"No. Westrun is one of the most protected wizarding schools in the world. You're safer here than even Hogwarts. They won't know you're here until you want them to." Teddy answered.

Bri nodded and the office was silent for a while. Finally, she took a deep breath before saying, "Then, I want to learn more about magic."

A/N: What did you guys think? Please leave reviews! Until next time...