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...
Ουπς! Αυτή η εικόνα δεν ακολουθεί τους κανόνες περιεχομένου. Για να συνεχίσεις με την δημοσίευση, παρακαλώ αφαίρεσε την ή ανέβασε διαφορετική εικόνα.
Regulus is pale and bruised and looks as though he hasn't slept in weeks. His hair falls lankly in his face and he's so thin. Awful, angry scratches run down the visible parts of his chest and throat in deep grooves, his robes are torn, and there's blood smeared across his exposed skin. The robes he's wearing are damp, and his body is being rocked by intermittent shivers. It looks as though someone or something has attempted to physically tear him to pieces.
As soon as he spots her he tries to sit up straighter in his chair, but the chains lashing him in place glow faintly and give him no leeway for movement at all. All he can do is sit there, but his eyes track frantically over her body as though cataloguing every detail he can see.
Teddy lurches forward, her heart clenching at the sight of him hurt and chained, but Moody reaches out and grabs her by the elbow to halt her in place. "Careful! I don't trust him."
Regulus' attention narrows down to the point of contact between Moody's hand and her elbow. "Let go of her."
Though his voice is quiet, it's full of enough venom that Moody actually does let her go, seemingly out of surprise.
"Oh, fuck." Teddy breathes, jerking towards him yet again. "Oh, god. What happened? Fucking hell, what are those marks from? Are they from claws? What the fuck happened-?"
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Regulus is quick to try and reassure her. The venom that had been present in his voice when he had addressed Moody is absent now, which only highlights how weak and shaky he sounds. "Honestly. I'm okay."
The door behind her opens again, and Teddy throws a distracted glance over her shoulder. Dumbledore has just wandered into the room with an enormous mug of tea, closely followed by James who looks as though he's bracing himself for a fight.
"Ah," Dumbledore says when he spots Teddy crouched by Regulus' chair. "Teddy, you've made it. I hope you don't mind us asking you to vouch for Mister Black's intentions — it would seem that out of everyone in the Order, you know him best. And his friend, of course."
Friend? Blinking, Teddy realises for the first time that the second chair beside Regulus is also occupied. In her distraction, she hadn't even noticed.
"Hiya, Potter." Evan Rosier says.
He's similarly chained, though he's in far better condition than Regulus is — he doesn't appear injured in the slightest, though his blond hair is rather ridiculously mussed. He beams at her as though they're out at a casual meeting for coffee or something. As always, his ability to read the room is simply abysmal.
Teddy just stares at him, a little bewildered by his presence. She can't help the annoyance that creeps in at the sight of him; Regulus had promised he'd come straight back to her, and yet he managed to find the time to get Rosier first? Before even seeking medical attention when he was clearly hurt?
