Chapter Twenty One

A/N: No reviewers.

Teddy sat in the Great Hall, impatiently tapping his feet against the flagstones. A boiled egg, his and his twin's favourite breakfast food, sat in front of him, complete with enough soldiers to amass a small army, but the boy could not even bring himself to crack the shell. His eyes were focused on the door, waiting for Lena to appear.

Eventually, a flash of red hair appeared through the doors and Teddy craned his head to see Fred Weasley, only to realise he was actually alone. Sighing in frustration, the Gryffindor boy stood from his seat, making his way to the other before he would have a chance to sit down.

"Fred, have you seen Lena?" he asked abruptly, not bothering to make conversation.

"Not since yesterday." Fred replied, slightly bemused. He was not used to Teddy asking where his sister was, it not having been a scenario he had faced before; he had always assumed they had some sort of twin bond that let them know where the other was at all times. "Do you want me to help you find her?"

"No, it's alright, I've got it." Teddy responded, in equal parts thankful and dismissive. He was out of the Great Hall before Fred even had a chance to ask if he was sure.

True, Teddy had sounded a lot more confident than he actually was, but he could not bear to admit that he had no idea where his sister had gone. He had always known her so well, well enough to know where she had gone at any moment. Now, he had no idea.

It took around half an hour of aimless walking before Teddy found Lena, perched on the edge of a windowsill overlooking the Black Lake. She was leaning her head against the cold glass, as if she did not have the energy to support its weight herself.

"Room for one more?" Teddy questioned. His sister did not even flinch. Perhaps there was some sort of twin sense after all.

"I wasn't very hungry." Selena explained, answering the question he had not yet had time to ask. She was clearly trying to get rid of him, but Teddy was not about to let that happen.

"Well, they made hard-boiled eggs this morning, so you might have been right." he teased, balancing precariously on the ledge beside her, despite the fact she had not moved enough to allow him a seat. "It's pointless, really. You couldn't even dip the soldiers."

"Teddy, what do you want?" she questioned, the frustration becoming clear in her voice.

"I want to know why you're acting so weird." he answered, with just as much bluntness as she had done to him. "Any time I try to talk to you properly, you try to change the subject. And that's when I can find you! Half the time, it's like you've disappeared off the face of the Earth!"

"I've just got a lot to think about right now." she protested weakly, but Teddy was having none of it. He had been lied to too many times; he was not going to let it happen again.

"Lena, there's something wrong, I know it!" Teddy's frustration was beginning to get the better of him and he took a moment to calm his emotions. The last thing he needed now was his hair turning red. "Listen, if you think there's something, anything that you can't tell me, you're wrong. You're my twin sister, my only sister, the only family I have apart from Gran. Nothing you say will ever make me love you any less."

"Oh, really?" Lena questioned, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Teddy stayed silent, not even hazarding a nod. He did not want to frighten her away from telling him. "So if I told you there was something seriously wrong with me, you wouldn't care?"

"Of course I would care," Teddy insisted, grateful he was getting somewhere at last. "But it wouldn't make me love you any less. I just want to help you, Lena."

The girl looked back out at the lake, her shoulders shuddering as she tried to calm herself. This was the most vital conversation she had ever had in her life. The only time she had ever wondered if she might lose her only brother. Eventually, she turned back round to face him, meeting his eye and speaking before she had a chance to back away.

"I'm scared of the moon." she blurted, biting her cheek once the words were out to try and ease her embarrassment. Her cheeks were flaming red, she could feel the skin burning, and her hands were shaking so much that even pressing them on the stone wall did not still them.

Teddy stared at her for a moment, his mouth slightly open in shock. Then he burst out laughing.

"Teddy, it isn't funny!" she exclaimed, slapping the boy's shoulders with frustration. "I saw the moon on Hallowe'en and I felt sick. My skin was on fire, my head felt like it was splitting in half. Then the moment I closed the shutters, I was fine."

By now, Teddy had stopped laughing, instead focusing intently on his sister, who was coming closer to tears with each word. He reached out, taking her hands in his and looking her straight in the eye.

"Lena, it's all going to be okay." he assured her, smiling his brightest smile to cheer her up. It did not have quite the desired effect, but at least she retreated from the brink of tears. "We'll work out what this is, I bet it's nothing! But whatever it is, we can find out together."

Overcome with relief, Lena threw her arms around her brother's neck, her embrace so forceful it brought the two of them tumbling to the floor. Lena landed heavily on her arm while Teddy smacked his head on the stone, but the two of them laughed all the same. Somehow, even when confronted with the most terrible night of her life, Lena could laugh about it, so long as she had Teddy to laugh with.

A/N: At least she's finally told someone, right? Please review!