Albus Potter and the Passageway of Doom

Training with Teddy

-CHAPTER NINE-

Training with Teddy

Albus found that he was so wrapped up in his schoolwork to help Avery much with the Passageway. Jessica thought he was staying true to his word and Albus didn't set her right. He still had a crush on her and didn't want her to hate him. The days at Hogwarts sped by and along with Quidditch matches, practices, classes and a load of homework, Albus couldn't really think about the Passageway at all until one day at breakfast.

Albus was gobbling down his bacon and eggs when owls came soaring through the hall.

'Odysseus!' Albus called, waving. The brown and grey owl came swooping down and landed in front of Albus on the table. Albus untied his copy of the Daily Prophet and gave Odysseus a piece of toast. Albus opened the newspaper and gasped at the headline. 'Attempted Azkaban breakout!' he read.

'What?' Rose asked, shocked. 'Read the article!'

'An mystery supporter attempted to break out nearly thirteen Death Eaters from Azkaban at nearly midnight last night. Nobody knows who it is, just that they disappeared before the Dementors could arrest them. The Minister of Magic is putting extra guards on the Death Eaters cells.'

Jessica was suddenly looking very, very, pale.

'Are you okay, Jess?' Max asked. 'You look like you've seen a ghost.'

'I'm fine,' Jessica mumbled.

'Albus!' someone called. Albus turned and Avery was hurrying towards him.

'Yeah, I know, I've seen the news,' Albus said.

'Not that! Look, I haven't told you something about the Passageway.'

Albus furrowed his eyebrows. 'Keep talking.'

'See, during the Quidditch match between Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff, I knew everyone would be at the match so I took it as an opportunity to sneak down to the Passageway. While I was there, there were these fourteen swipes that had to be destroyed at the same time. I saw someone in the room and when he heard that I was there he left the dungeon nearly immediately! So I really do need your help to get into the dungeon! I need thirteen other people to help me get in!'

'No,' Rose said but Albus raised his hand to silence her. 'Thirteen?' he repeated. 'Isn't this weird? Thirteen people were tried to be broken out of Azkaban. What if the person who was at the dungeon was the same person who tried to break the Death Eaters out of Azkaban?'

Rose suddenly grabbed the newspaper and snatched a Hogwarts calender out of her bag.

'The intruder tried to come to the Passageway on a day when everybody wouldn't be all over the castle,' she said. 'What if they try again?

'They'd try on a day when nobody was walking around the castle,' Avery nodded. 'The next day like that is Halloween evening. The feast. We'll wait and follow him.'

Rose shook her head. 'You can't.'

'Rose,' Albus sighed. 'This is important...'

'Not like that,' Rose said. 'I mean...wait, Avery, when was the last time you had wolfsbane?'

'Nearly three months ago,' Avery said. 'Why?'

'Because Halloween is the night of the full moon.'

Avery groaned.

'And anyway, even if you were there, we'd still need three more people. Even with James and his friends, we'd only have eleven people.'

'We wouldn't open the chamber then and there,' Albus said firmly. 'And James and his friends aren't coming. If the dude goes in there, we'll tell Dad.'

Scorpius nodded. 'Avery, how many months can you take Greyhart before it becomes essential that you take wolfsbane?'

'Six,' Avery said immediately. 'I can skip transformation this month.'

Max tapped his fingers on the table. 'We need a grown up. Someone we can really trust. We need an array of spells before Halloween.'

'That's simple,' Jessica said. 'Teddy. He's help us for sure. He's still one of us.'

'Did I hear my name?' a cheeky voice asked and Albus looked up to see Teddy standing behind him. 'What's up, Al?'

Albus looked at his friends. 'Teddy, we need to talk to you and urgently.'

*

'So you want me to teach you lot an array of spells that can protect you against a Death Eater before Halloween so you can risk your life and souls going into the Passageway of Doom?'

'Pretty much.'

'Okay, sure.'

Albus grinned.

'But there is one condition.'

'What condition?'

'You don't mention my name if you get caught.'

'Scout's honor, Ted.'

Teddy gazed at them and sighed. 'Okay. Battle stance.'

Albus held his wand over his chest with his knees bent, his body side on to Teddy so his shoulder was facing his godbrother. They were in the Room of Requirement so nobody would find them.

'Do you all know Expelliarmus?'

'I do,' Jessica said. 'I don't know how I learnt it, though.'

'Try it on me,' Teddy said. Jessica looked at the nineteen year old cautiously and then shouted 'Expelliarmus!'

Teddy's wand shot out of his hand and dropped onto the floor with a clatter.

Albus's mouth dropped. How did an eleven year old know a disarming spell? She was...eleven!

'Albus, your turn,' Teddy said. Albus stepped up and whispered to Jessica 'How the hell...'

'Don't ask me, I've been able to do it for a while, now,' Jessica hissed and she pushed him further towards Teddy.

'You ready?' Teddy asked. Albus nodded and then yelled 'Expelliarmus!'

Teddy's wand twitched and then fell to the ground.

'That's pretty good for a first time,' Teddy assured his godbrother, seeing Albus's dismayed face. 'But honestly, you need to know how to defend yourself against the killing curse.'

'You can't, though,' Max piped up. Teddy rolled his eyes. 'There's a way. I invented a spell that protects you from Avada Kedavra during practice. If the person casting the killing curse places the spell on you, then when the cast the curse it will leave a mark and trust me, it will hurt but it won't kill.'

'Have you told the ministry about the spell?' Rose asked in awe. Teddy shook his head. 'The spells I make up, I save for the D.A. Now Al, stand in front of me.'

Albus nervously did what he said.

'Protectus Kedavras!'

Albus felt a tingle run through his body and then he looked up and Teddy was pointing his wand straight at Albus's head.

'Think fast,' was all Teddy said. With the born reflexes of a Seeker, Albus ducked and jumped away from in front of Teddy. There was a bang and the chest that was behind Albus exploded.

'Teddy, what are you doing?' Max shouted.

'Calm down!' Teddy called. 'Albus won't die! I've put the spell over him. You lot, however, might want to move out of the way.'

Everyone jumped back. Teddy whirled round and smirked as Albus looked at him in terror. Teddy opened his mouth to say the spell but before he'd even finished the first word, Albus yelled the first spell that came into his head.

'Stupefy!'

Teddy was blasted back and his head hit the wall, his hair turning to a light shade of green.

'Teddy?' Albus croaked.

'Al, where the hell did you learn that?'

Albus grimaced and helped Teddy up. 'I watched you and Dad practicing it two years ago.'

Teddy grinned. 'Nice one, lil' bro! Come on. Let's keep practicing.'