Harry Potter and the New Marauders (A Harry Potter Fanfiction)

The Potions Master

IX

The Potions Master

That next morning, Teddy awoke in his bed in Gryffindor Tower to find a note on his pillow:

"I'm glad you figured out the cloak.

In case Hagrid didn't tell you,

you were set up by me and him!

He told me what you said.

And I AM proud of that!

We'll discuss the rest...later?"

-GH

"Later," Teddy nodded, dreading that coming conversation. He looked around the deserted room and decided that he'd have breakfast with Kreacher.

Kreacher was delighted to have him, although he did point out that "students in the kitchens is a violation of the rules."

Teddy didn't care, though. As far as he was concerned, it was a much more pleasant dining experience than the tables above, which he found that he could see when he looked up at the kitchen ceiling.

All he could really see were the bottoms of the tables and where plates and dishes were sitting. Above that, he could see the upper bodies and faces of those sitting at the various tables as well, but that was all. As he looked up at the Gryffindor table, Teddy realized that he could also hear them talking if he concentrated on their faces.

"Who cares where he is?" Ciaran was saying.

"Yeah, and I'm tellin' about that dog, too!" Lee said.

"You want another broken nose?" Freddie asked him, and for just a moment, Teddy felt better.

"You just wait," Lee went on, "You ever been around him when the moon gets full, Cuz?"

"Yeah, you ever seen him when he's ... like that?" Ciaran almost whispered.

"One good nip, an' you're right in it with him!" Lee put in, "In fact, all four of us could be!" He paused. "An' what about what they're sayin' ‘bout Jack?"

"I'm not ashamed of it! I'm scared ‘o the both of ‘em!" Ciaran agreed, "An' his bloody dog, too!"

"Th-they'll do something with Teddy," Freddie fumbled, but Teddy just sat down, hard, when he saw the look on his cousin's face and heard the tone of his voice. "They'll lock him up somewhere, just like at home! They won't let him get us. Uncle Ron wouldn't allow that."

Teddy's glass fell from his hand, shattering on the floor.

"Master?" Kreacher asked, moving to put his hand on Teddy's arm.

Teddy looked at Kreacher's sincere face. Then he looked back up at his roomies' faces. The rest of the house elves gasped as Teddy then hugged Kreacher, holding him tightly, as the boy just sat and trembled. For as bad as he felt as if he wanted to cry, though, the tears just would not come.

"K-Kreacher," Teddy then whispered in a voice breaking with pain, "C-call Grandma Andromeda. I w-wanna go home!"

* ^..^ *

@

Friday's course load consisted of single Charms and double Potions, with the afternoon free. And for as upset as Teddy already was, he was still hurt when Freddie simply greeted him with a cool "Hey, Teddy," and didn't even ask where'd he'd been at breakfast. What also made him wonder was that his Uncle Harry hadn't yet tracked him down for that talk. But Teddy put it out of his mind as he headed to class, he and Jack bringing up the rear of the group of students.