Chapter Twenty Seven

A/N: No reviewers.

Teddy woke to sunlight streaming through the open shutters and the quiet sound of sobbing in his ear. For a moment, he forgot that dreadful night, the reason he was sleeping in an abandoned classroom, but it was only for a few blissful seconds before it all came back to him.

"Lena?" he whispered, not wanting to scare her. She sniffled a response, but did not speak. He could feel her trembling from where she was huddled beneath her school cloak. "Lena, are you alright?"

When she still did not answer, Teddy gently rested his hands on his sister's arms, slowly turning her to face him. He did not know what he expected, perhaps cuts or bruises, some token scars of her transformation, but the only lasting mark of her ordeal seemed to be her red eyes and damp cheeks. It might have been a relief to see her safe, had her eyes not seemed so haunted.

"Lena, it's morning, it's over." Teddy assured her, his voice a little louder now. Across the room, Fred stirred, his head knocking against the wall behind him as he turned in his sleep.

This time, Selena looked up at him properly, her throat so dry as she tried to speak that he could hardly hear the words. "But it's not over, is it, Teddy? It's going to happen again."

"Not for another month." Teddy pointed out, hoping it would placate her. Instead, the girl seemed to become more emphatic.

"A month isn't that long, Teddy." she countered, her voice becoming increasingly clipped and harsh. "And anyway, that doesn't make it better. How many months is this going to happen? How many years? For the rest of my life, I'm going to transform into a wolf every time the moon is full, waiting and watching the skies to try and prepare for something I can't control. What kind of life is that?"

In only six words, all the fire in Selena's voice was gone. The sudden change stung Teddy's heart; if only he had the power to wish all her pain away. He reached out to take his sister's hand in his, but the quick movement aggravated his shoulder, which had begun to purple with bruises. He did not manage to catch his wince in time, and suddenly the situation was a thousand times worse.

Within just a few seconds, Lena had run to the corner of the room, the same action she had undertaken when he had first been injured. She had the same frightened glint in her eye, the same set jaw, the same heaving chest as she tried to catch her breath. It made Teddy feel worse than ever.

"Lena, I told you, I'm fine." he protested, walking towards the girl. She took a step backwards, her back meeting the wall behind her, and yet she still pushed backwards, as if she thought enough effort might force the wall to give way beneath her. "Really, I'm fine. It doesn't even hurt, Lena, I'd just forgotten it was there, that's all!"

"But I did it." Lena whispered, her eyes fixed on the tear in his shirt, a ripple of violet visible underneath. "No, not even me, that thing. It hurt you, and I couldn't stop it. What if it happens again?"

"It won't." Teddy argued, trying to keep his voice light and confident.

"But what if-?" she pressed, but her brother held up a hand to stop her.

"It won't." he stated firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. This time, Selena was silenced, softly closing her eyes and leaning her head against the wall, her legs giving way beneath her. Taking his opportunity, Teddy crawled over to where she sat, positioning himself against the wall by her side. They had sat together this way a thousand times over the years, through a thousand different scenarios. It was the only way for Teddy to prove to her that this would just be another one.

For minutes on end they did not speak, the only sound in the empty classroom the whistle of the wind outside and Fred's soft snoring. The familiarity was so comforting that Teddy almost did not hear his sister speak.

"I remember everything." Lena told her brother, still staring straight ahead, her eyes glazed as she became lost in her memories. Teddy quickly turned to face her, his expression a strange mix of comforting and neutrality. "I didn't think I would do, really, I thought it would all be a blur. But I remember you talking to me, I remember fighting back. I didn't want to hurt you, I couldn't control myself. That's the thing that scares me most about all of this, knowing you, knowing anyone, but still not being able to keep this wolf under control. It's not a little thing, Teddy, it's terrifying. I know that I love you, I know how much you care about me, but it doesn't. It would kill you if you gave it the chance, and I wouldn't be able to do anything about it."

Her eyes had filled with tears once more, her cheeks barely dry from her previous night's heartbreak, and Teddy wrapped his arms around her once more. There were some things, of course, that even a loving embrace could not solve, and Teddy imagined that lycanthropy came under that category, but until he could get to the library and set out searching for answers once again, it was all he could do.

"I know you don't believe me, Lena, but it's never going to be as bad as this again." Teddy promised. He knew he should not be making such pledges, that Selena's heart would only be broken again if they did not come true, but his Gryffindor determination was showing through. He would not allow this to be another empty reassurance. "Honestly, we'll find a way to make it better. I don't care if I have to spend all night in the library for a month. If that's what it takes to help you, that's what we'll do."

"Speak for yourself." called a groggy voice from across the room, and the twins laughed as Fred sat forward, his red hair sticking up every which way. But his eyes were kind, and filled with the same fire as Teddy's were. Selena meant the world to both of them, and what child would not sacrifice a few evenings of free time for the sake of saving their world?

A/N: Sorry for the extreme soppiness of this chapter, but it had to be resolved. Hope you enjoyed anyway, and please review!