They were still clutching onto each other when Harry and Neville found them a short while later. Gentle words prised them apart and Neville led the weeping Victoire away, leaving Teddy alone with his godfather.

"I'm taking you home."

Teddy knew there was no point resisting. As the events of the afternoon reeled around in his head, he was oblivious to anything going on around him as he walked back through the maze of corridors and struggled to comprehend whatever Harry was telling him. He was relieved when he was directed towards the roaring fire in Neville's office; at least the journey home would be a quick one.

Andromeda was there waiting as soon as he stepped from the fireplace. Her arms had never felt so welcome; her smile had never been so needed. With a sudden desperation he began to talk, filled with the absolute need to answer all of the questions that now hung in his head. Firmly she shook her head and handed him a sleeping potion.

"Tomorrow Teddy, tomorrow I will tell you everything, but tonight you need to rest."

It sounded like a promise that had been made before, a promise that was never quite fulfilled, but the stern look that Harry gave him prevented him from protesting. He took the potion and went upstairs, falling asleep to the soft lull of voices from below.

...

The following week was rather surreal. Conversation followed conversation and stories were shared that had long been suppressed. Photo albums appeared that he had never seen before as his grandmother delved into stories from the childhood she had tried so hard to forget. Teddy could see the anguish in her eyes as she spoke about her estranged family, but still she continued, insisting that Teddy had been kept in the dark for long enough.

Finally she handed him an envelope, sealed with a crest adorned with serpents.

"It's from Narcissa," she told him. "She sent it for you, a month or so after the war ended. I have no idea what is in it or why she sent it, but there's some sort of curse on it that made it impossible for me to get rid of it, so I resolved to keep it until you were old enough to make your own choices."

Teddy shook his head and handed it back to her. Now wasn't the right time. Whatever the letter said, he wasn't sure he had any forgiveness left in him for the family that had caused his grandmother so much pain. There had been enough heartache in the last few days; he wasn't about to expose either of them to any more.

Victoire was allowed home for the weekend, at Neville's discretion, and the two of them went to see Molly, who held them tight and cried at the thought she had caused so much upset. Again the evening was spent in deep conversation and remembrance, as the two teenagers tried to make sense of something that had shaped their lives so much.

...

On his first day back at Hogwarts, Neville requested Teddy join him in his office for dinner. Teddy expected it to be a check up on how he was feeling, but the conversation quickly got much deeper.

"It's normal to feel angry...not just at Bellatrix and Dolohov, but at everyone else too."

Teddy frowned. What did Neville know? He had probably lost friends in the war, like Harry, but it wasn't the same...

"She tortured my parents," Neville stated simply. "Bellatrix."

Teddy looked at him, horrified.

"I spent months bring furious at Molly for taking away my opportunity for revenge. I wanted to see her suffer the way my parents suffered, I wanted her to pay for all of the damage she had caused...not just to me but for everyone...I was livid that she got an easy way out, when everyone else had to suffer...when I had to grow up without my mum and dad..."

It was another harrowing story for Teddy to hear, yet it put one more piece back into the puzzle, solving more of the mystery that had shrouded his childhood and adolescence. It was odd. After years of things being kept secret, it seemed all anyone wanted to do was talk. Suddenly things made sense. Each story built up a picture; a picture of how terrible things had been, helping to give the answer of why he had been sheltered from things for so long. He wasn't sure he was quite ready to forgive anyone just yet, but he was starting to understand why they felt the need to keep him in the dark.

...

Being back to Hogwarts was a welcome return to normality. The pressure for NEWTs was well upon them and revising gave Teddy something to think about besides everything that had just happened. He almost dreaded the day when his exams would be over and he would have to face reality again.

When that day did come, his friends were there to provide ample Firewhisky to fuel the celebrations and politely failed to notice as his emotions threatened to get the better of him. Teddy tried to make his excuses and go to bed, however Aiden did a brilliant job of convincing him that he would feel much better if he rejoined the party, which lasted until the sun began to rise. Teddy had never been so grateful for a package as he was for the Hangover Recovery Kit that arrived from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes the next morning. Sent only with the message 'thought you might need this', he never did identify the sender.

As he lay on his bed staring at the box a good few hours later, Teddy's thoughts wandered to the Weasley that took up so much of his attention. Since their return to Hogwarts, Victoire had kept a respectful distance. She was only too aware of how much she had hurt him and by now knew him well enough to recognise that what he needed most was time and space to think. For that he was extremely grateful. It made him flinch inside every time he saw the sad look in her eyes, a look he knew he had caused, but right now he was too broken himself to be able to completely figure out his feelings and fix things between them. Instead he made Dom promise to keep an eye on her and gave Fred and James a strong talking to about leaving her alone.

...

On his penultimate day at Hogwarts he found himself wandering the familiar route to Professor Longbottom's office. He had spent so long in here over the last seven years and had come to appreciate the advice Neville gave him so much that he felt a pang of sadness that their regular conversations would be over.

As always, the Professor's beaming smile was there to greet him.

"What can I do for you, Teddy? Surely you want to spend your last afternoon her enjoying the sunshine out by the lake?"

Teddy shrugged. "I just thought I'd come and say goodbye."

"Fair enough. Tea?"

Teddy gratefully accepted the mug and sank into a chair, thinking of all the conversations that had happened in this room.

"Something's bothering you," Neville observed.

"It's just a bit scary isn't it, leaving here. I've got a bit too used to it." Teddy smiled. "I don't think that's a very cool thing to say, but it's true."

"I don't think you're the first to think it," Neville chuckled, "and you won't be the last. But there's a whole world out there for you, which is quite an exciting thing when you think about it."

"You came back."

"Well, I'm a sentimental fool. Some of the worst things in my life happened in this castle, but for some reason it's also one of the most important places in the world to me. When I joined Harry and Dumbledore's Army, I felt like I belonged to something for the first time in my life. That is an incredibly special feeling." He paused, thinking. "If you don't mind me saying, I think we have a lot in common."

Teddy didn't think that was a bad thing. Neville was one of the bravest and coolest people he knew.

"Why did you stop being an Auror?" He had been wanting to ask the question for a while, ever since his professors had queried whether he was going to follow his mum and Harry into the Auror department.

Neville looked at him, surprised by the question. "I needed to keep my sanity. So much of my life had been taken over by the war, with an obsession for catching dark wizards. When Kingsley asked us to help him it seemed like the right thing, like we were finishing off the job we started. But I wanted to close that chapter of my life. I stopped feeling satisfied when we caught someone...instead I just started to torture myself over what they'd done, wondering whether I could have stopped them earlier, prevented some of the chaos. Besides, Hannah hated me doing it; she worried too much, not without good reason mind..." He surveyed Teddy carefully. "One day you'll realise that someone else's feelings matter more than your own. You might deny it for a while, but you'll know. I reckon Harry and Ron knew it by the end of sixth year, whatever they said to anyone else. It took me a little longer, but I got there in the end. Anyway, I'm rambling. You should go and spend time with your friends, sneak into Hogsmeade or whatever they're doing."

Teddy tried to look confused, although he had heard a rumour of that plan. He rose from the chair and made towards the door.

"Thanks Professor...for everything. I'll miss coming here."

"Don't mention it, it's been a pleasure. I'm sure we'll cross paths often enough, Harry will see to that. And Teddy, he won't be offended if you decide to do something else you know. He only wants what's best for you, whether that's being an Auror or an accountant."

Teddy nodded. He had a lot of thinking to do over the next few weeks. He was almost out of the door when Neville spoke again.

"When you know, you know Teddy. Remember that."

...

Neville's words turning in his head, Teddy strode outside, confident of where he would find her. She wasn't hard to spot; the afternoon sunlight sparkled off her hair and her sing-song voice stood out amongst the others. As soon as he neared her group of friends, she spotted him and wandered over.

"Hey! I was waiting for you to come and say goodbye."

She beamed at him and he drank in her features; that beautiful smile and her mesmerising eyes. Suddenly he felt nervous. What did he want to say to her? It was all very well Neville making statements like that, but he wasn't entirely convinced he was ready to confess all right at this moment.

She sensed his hesitation. "It's okay Teddy, I get it."

Teddy frowned. How could she possibly...

"I hurt you. You've had a lot to deal with. You need time to think things over."

He found himself nodding. Had she always been so wise?

"But...I wanted to say...I...I mean...you..."

What did he want to say? He wanted to kiss her, he knew that, but at the same time he couldn't let go of the nagging feeling that there were still too many conversations that needed to come first...

"Don't say anything, Teddy. Everything will work out in the end, I promise. I'll be here for you, whenever you need me. Just do me a favour first; live life for yourself for a while. Take time to come to terms with who you are, where you've come from, where you want to go."

Tenderly she stretched up and kissed his cheek, before turning and walking back to her friends. Teddy felt a warm glow spread through his face and he began to smile. Time. It was okay, they had plenty of that. They were young. They had their whole futures ahead of them. What they would hold only time would tell, but as he caught her eye once more and saw her smile, he had a feeling things would be okay.

A/N: This chapter has been horribly frustrating to write, not least because Teddy has absolutely point blank refused to move from his miserable position in the classroom, so apologies if it seemed disjointed or flippant in any way, it was just the only way I could get something written. I was also desperate to write in a few last bits with Neville, because I have a real soft spot for him and wasn't quite ready to say goodbye.

This chapter also felt very final, which it wasn't meant to be. The plan has always been to meet with 'Nineteen Years Later' plus a few days after that, so there should be 3 or 4 chapters left to go in the vague plan in my head; hopefully inspiration will resume shortly and they shouldn't take too long.