The year after her brother James graduates, Teddy Potter returns to Hogwarts for her final year. With the Marauders gone, it should be a quiet, peaceful year despite the mounting tensions in the world outside of school.
The problem, naturally, lies...
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"You really shouldn't have left it all until the last minute, you know." Alice says, sounding absently disapproving. She's lounging on her own bed with a book as Teddy races around the dorm, trying to finish up her packing for the Christmas holidays.
"Yeah, yeah." Teddy grumbles. They're all still a little bit hungover — Mary is wrapped up in a duvet cocoon, her eyes clenched shut tight against the pale winter sun that's streaming through the window. Though Alice is the most awake and put together, she winces at any loud noise and she hasn't actually turned a page in her book for at least ten minutes. The two of them, at least, had packed the day before, just before they had gone to the party, in a rare display of foresight.
"'M never drinking again." Mary moans from her bed. She peers out from the top of her duvet to scowl at Teddy. "I hope you realise how miserable I'm feeling right now — I haven't even asked about those bloody hickies!"
"I haven't asked about yours either!" Teddy snaps back, staring pointedly at the dark bruises covering Mary's throat and chest. Suddenly flustered, Mary retreats back into her duvet burrito.
Alice sighs from her bed and buries her face in her hands. "Please," She groans. "No shouting."
Mary grumbles, though her dark eyes still track curiously over the marks on Teddy's neck. They're nowhere near as numerous as the dark marks on Mary's own neck, but it's clear that she's dying to ask about them. As it is, she stays quiet and simply watches as Teddy flits about the room, throwing her things into one of her smaller trunks.
It's nearing 10am when Mary finally crawls out of bed, stretching leisurely and yawning with a wince. "Right," She sighs. "I'm starving. Will we go get a bite to eat before heading for the train?"
"Yes!" Alice says emphatically, throwing her book aside and heading for the door. She pauses just before leaving, and turns to Teddy with a raised eyebrow. "Coming, Ted?"
"Nah," Teddy shoves a couple of pairs of dirty underwear into her trunk, figuring she'd just wash them when she got home. "I'd better finish getting my stuff together."
"I'll bring you back a scone or something." Alice offers before ducking out of the dorms, followed by a smiling Mary.
Alone in the dorms, Teddy steps back and sighs as she looks around. She doesn't really need all that much for the Christmas break, but she's all jittery about the thought of facing James and having to tell him that she no longer had the map, and she needs a way to work out all her nervous energy. She already knows that James is going to be devastated, and the thoughts of disappointing him leaves an awful, sinking feeling in her stomach.
She's right in the middle of trying to cast a decent concealment charm on her hickies (she really can't deal with any more of Mary's staring at them, and she really doesn't need James to see them) when there's a soft yet firm knock on her dormitory door.
