Teddy Lupin sat in the front room of his grandmother’s house and stared at the mantelpiece. More specifically, he stared at a photograph inside a silver photo frame. The couple in the picture were laughing out at him and he grinned back.

“I’m back,” he said to them. “I told you I would be. Mum, I know you’d be pleased. Dad, hmm, you might not have approved of my lack of method, but the results have made it worthwhile �“ I’m sure you’ll agree on that.”

He stood up and touched their faces with a fingertip. Sometimes, he felt their presence all around him, especially in this room. Other times, there was nothing, except for a small ache in his heart when he thought of how fate had dealt them so short a shot at happiness.

He ran his fingers through his hair, currently long and turquoise, and sitting back in the armchair, but with the photograph now in his hand he began to talk.

“You know how it began, of course. You were there when I read that article in The Quibbler. ‘Black Unicorn �“Truth or Myth?’ I thought it was nonsense. I remember scoffing at the implausibility �“ especially as it was in that newspaper. And then, when I discovered the article had been written by Luna Scamander, I laughed even harder.

“Come on, guys, don’t scowl at me. I know I was wrong to mock her and Rolf, but after the Crumple-horned Snorkack/ Kneazle fiasco which almost cost Xenophilius The Quibbler, I was reluctant to believe anything from her quill.”

Teddy sighed and placed the photograph on the coffee table in front of him.

“But, after the attack on Lily, and when I heard that Minister Shacklebolt had taken an interest in Luna’s story �“ that’s when my interest was sparked. Do you remember when I came back here and began pulling stuff out of my old Hogwarts trunk? Gran was chuntering at the mess, saying I reminded her of you, Mum, but I didn’t stop until I found my old Care of Magical Creatures book.” Teddy leant back and closed his eyes remembering that day.

He felt a strange sense of excitement when he turned the pages to U for Unicorn. The black unicorn wasn’t mentioned ... at least not in print ... but someone had scrawled something in the margin.

‘Black Unicorn, very rare, incredible healing properties.’

Teddy turned to the inside front cover, but he already knew that this had been his mother’s book. It was her writing in the margin and next to it, she’d scrawled the words ‘Leikos Potion’.

Teddy stared at the word. “Gran,” he called over his shoulder. “Any idea what Liekos means?”
Andromeda paused from her tidying and frowned in concentration. She was versed in ancient languages and had an interest in the old names from Greek legend. “It means wolf, Teddy,” she said at last. “Why do you ask?”

Teddy gasped in wonder and then Apparated directly to St Mungo’s where Lily was recovering.

“You know the rest, I think,” Teddy explained to his parents. “Luna’s answers were vague, and my hopes were dashed again. I didn’t believe her, until...” He paused. “... she said Liekos to me, and I knew she would not use that word unless she was irredeemably sure in her story.”

“The black unicorn exists, Teddy, but only one person is fated to recover it. It’s not me, or Rolf, however much we yearn for it. Perhaps it is you.”

***

“The black unicorn is just a legend,” Hermione told Teddy.

“Luna says it exists,” he said, feigning disinterest.

They were sitting in her office at the Ministry where Teddy was doing work experience. He’d already decided that the law was not for him �“ too many dusty textbooks and awkward legal arguments, which Hermione revelled in but just made him yawn. However, he’d promised Harry he’d explore other options and not just decide on the Auror department because of Harry and his mum, and Hermione had been very welcoming to him.

Hermione raised one eyebrow. “Much as I respect Luna, Teddy, her ideas about mythical creatures aren’t always sound.”

“Mmm,” he replied, “I know that... but I’ve seen it mentioned somewhere else...” He paused. “When did Hagrid become a professor?”

“My third year,” she informed him. “Why, is it Hagrid who’s mentioned this unicorn? Because...” She pursed her lips. “Hagrid is a wonderful man, but he does get rather carried away.”

“So he didn’t teach my mum then?”

“No, she would have been taught by Professor Kettleburn. Why do you ask?”

Teddy shrugged again. “No real reason. I was looking through some old things of mum’s and got to thinking about the teachers that she knew...the ones I haven’t met.” He smiled lopsidedly. “I get told so many wonderful things about my parents, but I know they weren’t angels.”

Hermione laughed. “No, not angels, certainly.” She stared at him for a while and then went back to her paperwork. Crossing out a few words, she rewrote her sentence and then looked up at him. “From what I’ve heard, Professor Kettleburn is an irascible old man, living out his retirement in a Wizarding Home. He was contacted shortly after the Battle to ask if he wanted to attend the memorial service for the fallen. He said no. If you want the truth about your mum �“ warts and all �“ then Professor Kettleburn is probably your man.” Hermione reached over and touched him on the hand. “He’ll probably remember your dad as well �“ but perhaps not that favourably.”

“Because he was a werewolf?” Teddy replied bitterly.

She chuckled. “No, silly, because he was a Marauder. Hagrid is always telling us about the havoc the four of them caused in the Forest.” She put down her quill and rolled up the parchment. “In his youth, Professor Kettleburn was an advocate for all sorts of magical creatures, like Centaurs, for instance. And his name comes up on the register opposing werewolf segregation in the nineteen forties.”

***

When Teddy located the retirement home that the ex Professor Kettleburn lived in, he took a day off to visit the old man. Victoire was puzzled by his sudden need to see the man but accepted his explanation that he needed to speak to people who knew his parents.

“I’ve lived too long and with too many creatures, to deny anything, young Lupin,” Kettleburn rasped when Teddy questioned him about the black unicorn.

He was sitting in an armchair by the fire at the retirement home, cursing his chess players when they failed miserably to capture Teddy’s queen. Complaining all the while, he suddenly stopped and stared at Teddy. “I remember your mother,” he said brusquely. “Useless witch.”

“She was an Auror!” retorted Teddy, lifting his eyes from the board, his hair flashing a dangerous red.

Kettleburn cackled as his knight took Teddy’s king and declared checkmate. “Thought that would break you!” he exclaimed and began to return his pieces to the box. “She wasn’t much good at my subject, but was quite obliging. Shame she tripped over her own shadow half the bloody time.”

“That sounds like my mum.” Teddy grinned, liking this fierce old man.

“I’ve met you before, you know,” Professor Kettleburn continued. Teddy looked puzzled. “Well, not exactly. Your mother came to see me and she was pregnant at the time. So, I saw the ‘bump’.”

“She came to see you?” Teddy said incredulously. “Why?”

“Same reason as you, Lupin. She wanted to know about the black unicorn.”

***

Liekos �“ the Greek for wolf. It was the best place to start, here in Greece. Stowing his wand in the back pocket of his denim shorts, Teddy adjusted his rucksack and walked up the stony track to the top of the hill. Both Professor Kettleburn and Luna doubted he’d find the unicorn here, but he knew he had to begin somewhere and he’d heard of a glade in this hill range that the Muggles talked of with awe.

When the sun was at its highest point in the sky and Teddy had cast several Cooling Charms on his skin, he reached the glade. Enticing in its gloom, he walked quickly when he heard the sound of water. The pool at one side bubbled as an underground spring dribbled water intermittently. Teddy crouched down next to a Muggle boy and, cupping his hands, he took a sip, thinking that he could top up his water bottle.

But the water tasted metallic, and he spat out quickly. The boy at his side carried on drinking. Teddy studied him. He was painfully thin, and his black hair was speckled with dust. He can’t be much more than eight, he thought. Teddy reached out a hand to the boy and pulled him back.

“The water’s bad,” he muttered. “You shouldn’t drink it.”

The boy turned his face around and looked at him uncomprehendingly. Teddy realised he didn’t understand any English, so instead held out his water bottle to him. The boy accepted it and drank thirstily.

Teddy sat on a rock and pulled off his hat. Wetting a cloth in the water, he doused his hair and loosened his shirt buttons, freeing a leather cord that hung around his neck. The boy leant across and fingered the attached charm.

“Μονoκερος,” he whispered and smiled at Teddy. Handing back the water bottle, he nudged Teddy with his hand and then, standing up, gestured with his head. Teddy followed him to an overgrown path. The boy crouched down and began to scratch at the dusty ground. Teddy watched from above as a paving stone appeared under his hands. Then he looked closer. Engraved on the stone was an animal.

“Μονoκερος,” repeated the boy as he touched the carving.

Teddy felt his breath catch in his throat. “Unicorn,” he breathed.

The boy’s name, Teddy discovered, was Nico. He spoke some rudimentary words of English and understood a few more, but Teddy mainly communicated with sign language. He shared his bread and cheese with him watching as the boy wolfed down the food.

“Unicorn,” Teddy repeated as he pointed to his necklace and the carving on the stone. “I need to find a black unicorn.” He reached out his hand and touched Nico’s hair. “Black... like your hair, Nico.”

Nico thought for a while and then shrugged. “Aσπρος,” he replied and nodded his head as he pointed to Teddy’s white shirt. “Μαvρος!” He pointed to his hair and shook his head.

Teddy sighed. Coming here had been a waste of time, just as Kettleburn had said. A picture of Victoire’s furious face leapt unbidden into his mind.

***

“Why aren’t you coming with me?” Victoire yelled. “You promised me that if I accepted this job, you’d find work there. And now you’re Apparating to Greece instead?” She clenched her fist around her wand, and in alarm, Teddy reached for his own. The gesture seemed to calm her and she leant against the front door of his flat.

“Is there someone else?” she asked dully.

“No,” he implored her. “Victoire, I love you ... I just can’t be with you at the moment. I have something to do, something important.”

“And being with me in Egypt isn’t important,” she replied sadly. “No wonder you were so anxious for me to take up the curse-breakers’ position with Gringotts. Gets me out of the way, doesn’t it?”

Teddy dropped his wand and took her in his arms. “I don’t want you out of the way, and as soon as I can, I will join you in Egypt. But I have something else I have to do. Lily needs me.”

“Why does Lily need you, Teddy?” Victoire asked desperately. “What is so wrong that you can’t tell me?”

“Don’t tell, anyone,” Lily screamed at him. “Please Teddy, don’t tell anyone.”

“I can’t keep this secret, Lily. We have to tell your mum and dad. And Luna knows. She found us, remember?”

She clutched at his arm. “Just them then, Teddy. Please don’t tell anyone else.”

Teddy looked down at her in the hospital bed of St Mungo’s and guilt surged through his veins. “I won’t.”

“It’s not my secret, Victoire. I can’t break my promise,” he said at last.

“Yet you can break your promise to me,” Victoire replied bitterly. She wrenched herself out of his arms and Apparated away.

***

Later as he sat on the beach watching Nico happily searching for shells on the shoreline, Teddy reflected on the fact that children �“ whatever their circumstances �“ took pleasure in very simple things. He reached into his backpack and removed a book. It fell open at U for Unicorn. With his finger, he followed the list of countries, praying that he was mistaken.

‘Alone of the Ancient Countries, Egyptian wizards have reported no sightings of the unicorn in their lands. Attempts by early settlers to introduce the beast led to disaster as they died soon after importation. It is thought that the curses inhabiting the land impede this peaceable animal from living as it wishes.’

“Sorry, Victoire,” Teddy murmured to the air. “I can’t come to Egypt yet.”

***

“What the hell are you doing here?” Charlie Weasley asked furiously.

Teddy looked up at him from the ground where he’d just landed rather badly after Apparating to just outside the dragon reserve where Charlie worked. His landing, he told himself, had been impeded by the fact that he’d also brought Nico along with him.

“Um, looking for you, actually,” replied Teddy, smiling nervously.

“You do know that the entire Weasley clan can’t wait to get their hands on you. Dumping Victoire like that is not a good way to endear yourself to us, Teddy,” fumed Charlie. He stopped, suddenly noticing the young boy huddling behind Teddy’s legs. “Who the hell is that?”

“This is Nico.” Teddy stood up and pushed the boy slightly forwards. “Nico, this is Charlie Weasley. He’s kind of a second godfather to me.” He grinned as Nico looked up uncomprehendingly. “He doesn’t understand much English but will understand a friendly tone,” Teddy finished with a plea in his voice.

“Second godfather,” grunted Charlie. “Since when?”

“Aw, Charlie, you know my mum would have named you as well as Harry. You weren’t her best friend for nothing. She just couldn’t get word to you.” He paused and then swallowed. “Tell me are Harry and Ginny after my blood as well?”

Charlie looked at him sharply. “No, they’ve been remarkably reticent on the subject. Too worried about Lily, I think and her mysterious illness.”

Charlie looked down at Nico, who was staring at the compound, his eyes as wide as saucers. “Who is this boy?” he muttered.

“I found him half-starved in Greece and he sort of attached himself to me,” replied Teddy simply.

“And his parents?”

“No sign of them, and believe me I searched. The locals in the village told me Nico was a runaway. They think he’s cursed and no one’s looking for him.”

“Cursed?” Charlie frowned down at the boy.

Teddy grinned. “Watch this!” He put his hand in his back pocket and pulled out his wand. Nico’s face broke into a smile when Teddy handed it to him. Instantly the wand started sparking and a glow emitted from the end.

“He’s a wizard!” Charlie exclaimed.

“Yeah, it’s cool isn’t it,” said Teddy, laughing.

Charlie held out his hand to the boy and led him over to the reserve. Teddy followed, his shoes scuffing on the dusty track. “I’m still not sure I should be talking to you,” called Charlie. “Victoire is my niece, after all, but I can’t see this one go hungry.”

“I haven’t dumped her, Charlie. I just can’t join her in Egypt at the moment,” Teddy explained.

Charlie paused by the gate of the reserve and pulled out his own wand. Muttering a complicated incantation under his breath, that Teddy couldn’t follow, he jabbed his wand at the gate and it swung open. A sudden wall of heat hit Teddy as he walked into the reserve. He reached out for Nico, intent on protecting him, but the boy’s eyes were alight with excitement.

“Δράκος!” he exclaimed.

“Dragon!” agreed Charlie. He turned to Teddy. “One of the advantages of working in Romania is that we get a lot of different nationalities here. There are some Greek wizards here at the moment as well as...” he coughed slightly and flushed “... a rather attractive Greek witch called Ylena.”

Teddy laughed out loud. “Charlie, you sly old dog. Everyone thinks it’s only dragons you’re interested in, not the handlers.”

***

Later, when Nico was settled for the night, Teddy and Charlie took two bottles of the local beer and sat by the enclosure of a dragon called Norberta. Charlie had just finished telling Teddy the story of Norberta’s journey from Hogwarts twenty-nine years ago and there was a comfortable silence between the pair of them. The stars shone brightly in the cloudless sky, and although it was summer, Teddy could feel a slight breeze rippling through the air.

“You still haven’t told me why you’re here, Teddy,” Charlie asked softly.

Teddy took a swig of his beer. He knew Charlie would demand answers, and he’d tell him everything �“ or nearly everything. “I’m on a quest, Charlie. I can’t tell you everything; there’re parts I don’t understand myself, but I need to travel for a while, and I can’t drag Nico around with me.”

Charlie lifted the bottle to his lips and took a gulp. “He’ll be safe here for now, Teddy. Ylena and the others will look after him.” He took another drink and then asked, “What are you looking for?”

Teddy looked at the ground. “A black unicorn,” he muttered.

“It doesn’t exist,” Charlie replied abruptly and looked away.

Surprised at Charlie’s sudden change of tone, Teddy grabbed his arm. “That’s what everyone tells me, but I’m not so sure.” He rummaged in his backpack and pulled out a book �“ his mum’s old Magical Creatures book. “Charlie, my mum scribbled something in this book about it. I mean why would she do that?”

Charlie glared at him and shook himself free. Draining his beer, he stared at the sky. Teddy wanted to speak but knew better than to press this man who, but for a letter not sent, would have been his second godfather.

“It was a quest we set ourselves once at school,” he said at last and sighed. “Professor Kettleburn mentioned it one day in class. In those days your mum and I took Care of Magical Creatures together, and we were intrigued at the impossibility of finding such a creature.”

“What happened?” asked Teddy. “I mean why didn’t you go on your quest?”

Charlie shrugged. “I discovered dragons. Your mum became an Auror, and then she met your dad. Other things were more important than a myth.”

“But she didn’t stop thinking about it, Charlie. She went to see Kettleburn a few months before I was born. He told me she was asking about the black unicorn.”

Charlie sighed. “Yes, I know. She wrote to me too, asking if I knew anything. She thought there might have been sightings in Romania, but I told her there were none. Unicorns and dragons...” He laughed. “... Not a good mix, Teddy.”

***

Unable to sleep despite his utter exhaustion from the past few days, Teddy crept out of the hut he shared with Charlie and slipped away from the reserve. He had seen pictures of this place from when his mum had been here before she’d been married, and knew that somewhere nearby there was a lake. He walked up the hill, following a meandering stream until -- at last -- he got to the top. Looking down, he saw the lake but decided not to walk down the dirt track to sit on the shore. Instead, he sat on a rock halfway down the hillside and pondered his next move.

In his hand he carried still carried his mum’s book, but did not peruse the pages any more. He was out of ideas now; his mum’s sketchy school- girl notes had led him to Greece and Romania, but Charlie’s words had shown him the harsh reality of his quest. Of course, the black unicorn would not be here. There were too many dragons, too many curses flying through the air to make this a suitable environment for any unicorn.

“Oh, Merlin, Mum! Where the hell is this thing? Does it actually exist, or were you as deluded as Luna Scamander?”

He heard a noise behind him, and, expecting Charlie, he didn’t glance over his shoulder but merely lifted his hand to acknowledge he was there.

“Not Auror material, then,” came the deep voice from the gloom. Teddy blanched and stood up immediately. Brandishing his wand, he faltered as he found himself staring into the solemn face of the Minister.

“M-Minister Shacklebolt!” he exclaimed. “What in Merlin’s name are you doing here?”

“Would you believe that I have an interest in dragons?” replied Kingsley. He took a step closer to Teddy and then smiled.

“Er, no, not really,” Teddy said.

Kingsley laughed. “Very astute, Mr Lupin ... and not at all afraid to question your superior.” He paused. “Perhaps you would make a good Auror, after all?”

Teddy frowned. “Sir, I don’t think you’re here to discuss my career options either.” His eyes widened in alarm. “Is it Lily? Is she �“” His voice trailed off.

Kingsley reached out a hand and grasped Teddy’s shoulder. “She’s well, Teddy. There have been no further complications.” He stared at the younger man. “Harry has told me what happened to her. It is confidential, I assure you, and no one is laying any blame at your feet, Teddy. She will have access to the best Healers in the world.”

“But they can’t cure her, can they?” protested Teddy.

Kingsley smiled sadly. “No, they cannot... but Teddy, perhaps you’re on the right track. Harry told me what you were looking for.” He walked forwards and sat down on the hillside, gesturing for Teddy to join him.

Crouching down beside Kingsley, Teddy wiped his hands across his face. “Do you really think so?” he whispered. “I’m so lost here, Minister, and I’ve run out of ideas. Do you think this unicorn exists?”

Kingsley shrugged. “I don’t know,” he began and then took a deep breath. “However, I do know that your mum believed in it.” He pulled out a sheaf of parchment. “Letters she wrote to me in those last few months, Teddy. She had such dreams of making your father whole again. And, although she wouldn’t admit it to him, she was concerned that you would inherit the werewolf gene. That is what drove her on, Teddy. And if she hadn’t died in battle, I think she might have found a cure by now.” He stood up and ruffled Teddy’s hair. “Look through the letters, and you may find your answer.”

Spluttering his thanks to the man who had suddenly thrown him this lifeline, Teddy Apparated straight back to the reserve with Kingsley. On the edge of the enclosure, Kingsley said his goodbyes.

“Your mum was one of the best Aurors I ever worked with, Teddy,” he said. “Young and ridiculously clumsy, but her instincts were rarely wrong.” He turned sharply on the spot and disappeared into the ether.

Teddy ran to the campsite. Spurning his bed, he sat by the central fire and tore at the package. Out fell several letters. He recognised her writing and scanned each word, hoping for some sign to show him he was on the right path.

‘Charlie says there are no unicorns anywhere in Romania,’ she had written. ‘I’m not so sure, though. I think the Muggle repelling charms around the dragon enclaves make it an ideal place to hide. Charlie may not have seen any unicorns, but then he’s not likely to be looking.’

Teddy checked the date of the letter �“ September 1997. His dad, he knew from his grandmother’s frank story, had left them all, around that time. Scared of himself and the effect his genes would have on his child. To Teddy, it all seemed ridiculous. He was not a werewolf, he could never have been one and his father’s fears were stupid.

But... Teddy frowned. Mum was worried about me too. That’s what Kingsley said.

He scanned another letter dated October 1997.

‘What do you know about Transylvania? Aside from the vampires, of course.’

Teddy pondered the letter. Transylvania was the next region along from the reserve. Wizards did not venture there , not because of the vampires, Professor Thomas �“ his Defence Against the Dark Arts professor had told him �“ but because it was packed full of Muggle tourists intent on proving that vampires existed.

“Why would unicorns live there, Mum?” he muttered to the air. “They’d want to stay away from Muggles as well as wizards, wouldn’t they?”

His head was pounding, but he carried on reading through her letters.

‘What did Mad-Eye always tell us about hiding, Kingsley?’ The letter was dated November 1997. ‘“Hiding in plain sight is the safest way, Nymphadora,” he’d growl at me. “But a good disguise never goes amiss.”

Teddy gasped. He could almost hear his mother’s laughter ringing through his ears. He rifled through the letters but there were no more after November. Teddy knew why. Remus had returned in December and Kingsley, he’d been told, had been on the run. His mum could not have written any more letters to her colleague.

“Transylvania... disguise ... plain sight,” he muttered over and over again. “Come on, Mum. Help me. What were you trying to say?”

***

Hiding in plain sight.

HIDING in plain sight.

Hiding in PLAIN sight.

No matter how many times he went over it in his head, Teddy couldn’t analyse his mum’s words anymore than he already had. She was wrong, he thought, and if she’d lived for more than her twenty-five years, she’d have said the same thing.

He stood in the middle of the Transylvanian forest and felt as if he could weep. He’d been so sure. Her letter from twenty-three years ago had spoken of Transylvania with such certainty.

But had it? he thought. He’d read the words she’d written to Kingsley and latched onto them with a hope that rose above all reason. It won’t be here. I’m a fool, a stupid gullible arse to believe in this thing.

“Oh, Lily!” he shouted to the dark and gloomy forest. “I’m sorry. I’ve failed you.”

“Where are you going, Teddy?” Lily whispered.

“Out, sweetheart. It’s nothing for you to worry about,” he murmured.

Lily giggled, thinking his serious expression was put on to make her laugh. “Can I come with you?”

“No, not tonight, Lily,” he said firmly.

She smiled up at him, heartbreaking in her innocence, her untainted youth. “Are you going to see Victoire?” she asked slyly.

He smiled ruefully. “Yes, that’s what I’m doing.”

Lily narrowed her eyes. Her voice switched from innocent ingénue to the sharp young girl he knew she was. “Now I know you’re lying to me, Teddy. Victoire is in Egypt trying to decide whether to take the job or not.” She pulled at his arm. “Where are you going?”

Teddy pushed her away. “Leave me alone, Lily. This doesn’t concern you.”

“Tell me then ... or ... or ... I’ll tell Dad.”

Teddy swore under his breath, knowing that Lily would do as she threatened. He did not want Harry knowing ... not yet.

“I’m going to see Greyback, Lily,” he admitted through gritted teeth. “You’ve heard of him, yes? He’s the bastard who tore my father’s life apart. And they released him from Azkaban on special licence, saying he’s served his time, that he’s reformed, that he’ll be forced to drink Wolfsbane �“ the Potion they denied my father unless he paid through the nose. Yeah, but Greyback gets it free! Now get back to bed �“ or tell Harry �“ I don’t care because either way, I’m going to see him now.”

Teddy turned swiftly on his heel, but just before he Apparated, Lily caught hold of his arm and refused to be shaken off.

They had landed just short of the werewolf lair, but it had been too late. Distracted by the girl hanging off his arm, Teddy had been unable to protect her. Greyback had attacked, incensed by a young girl invading his lair. Teddy had managed to maim him, cripple him forever, but Lily lay savaged in his arms.

The Scamander’s lived nearby. Luna heard the screams and raced towards them...

“Was Greyback transformed?” demanded Harry of his godson. He and Ginny had arrived at St Mungo’s barely thirty minutes before, and whilst Ginny stayed by her daughter’s bedside, Harry wanted answers.

Teddy nodded. “She shouldn’t have been there,” he wept. “I didn’t mean this to happen.”

Harry stretched out his hand and tentatively touched Teddy on the shoulder, but then he let go. “You shouldn’t have been there either, Teddy. And I know you didn’t want this ... but it has happened.”

“You blame me,” cried Teddy, tears falling down his cheeks.

Slowly Harry shook his head, but the reassuring words did not come.

It was as much for Harry that Teddy was here now, searching for this mythical beast that he hoped would provide a cure.

Hiding in plain sight, he thought again. Disguise ... plain sight.

“Sweet Merlin!” he exclaimed. “That’s it. Where best to hide but in a herd? In the biggest unicorn herd known to wizardkind.”

He took a step into the clearing. Fixing his destination clearly in his mind, he screamed, “The Himalayas!” as he turned sharply and Apparated away.

***

It would, thought Teddy, have been a good idea to pack first before I Apparated to a mountain range.

Romania had been hot, made more so by the fact that he’d been staying in a dragon reserve. Here, stuck halfway up a mountain, with only a wand performing a Warming Charm to keep him from freezing, Teddy suddenly longed for one of Molly Weasley’s Christmas jumpers. He shivered again as he thought of Luna and Rolf who were currently investigating a Snorkack sighting in Africa.

“Merlin’s Pants why can’t these bloody unicorns live in a hot climate?” he muttered as he stamped his feet in an effort to keep the circulation going. Gripping his wand tightly, he increased the strength of the charm until at last he could feel his toes again. He looked around him at the icicle-ridden trees and snow blown mountain paths. “No one in their right minds lives in a place like this!”

He heard a rustling behind him, so turned around slowly, his wand grasped firmly in his hand. If it were a Muggle, he might be able to talk his way out of why he was there, but if it was ... he gulped ... a Yeti, then he’d heed have to cast a fairly hefty hex and Apparate away quickly.

He gasped and then began to chuckle softly. Standing in front of him, sniffing the cold air delicately, was a unicorn. Teddy reached out a hand, hardly daring to believe his eyes. It was not a black unicorn, but one of purest white. He’d seen unicorns before, Hagrid made sure they studied them in Care of Magical Creatures, but he’d never seen one quite so iridescent before. It glimmered before his eyes, the soft white fur sparkling more brightly than the snow. It looked up at him, as if assessing whether Teddy was a friend or foe. Teddy saw its eyes change hue, from blue to violet ... and then he understood.

He crouched down on the cold ground, keeping his eyes on the creature in front of him and, screwing up his face, slowly changed his hair from dark brown to turquoise.

The unicorn stepped closer and whinnied softly. Snuffling up to Teddy, he blinked three times, and then shook out its mane. Teddy watched as a wave of black rippled across his pearly pelt and he began to laugh.

“I should have known, Mum, shouldn’t I? I’m a Metamorphmagus; I can change my hair colour easier than speaking ... so why wouldn’t a unicorn have the same ability?”

Hastily, he picked his waved his wand; a sparkling white wolf appeared from the tip. “Luna” he intoned. “Tell Harry and Ginny that I’ve found it. I’m on my way home.”

Disguising a unicorn from Muggles was easy if you were a wizard. Waving his wand, almost lazily, Teddy managed to Transfigure the little creature into a goat. Then, with a thin gold chain, he fashioned a leading rein and walked with the animal down the mountainside.

Easy, he thought, smiling.

But the unicorn had other ideas. Being not just a unicorn but one capable of morphing its fur to different colours, it objected to Teddy’s attempts to turn it into an ordinary animal. Teddy turned around at one point and gasped in horror.

“You can’t be PINK!” he exclaimed. “Goats are not allowed to be pink.”

In reply, the unicorn gazed at him almost slyly, and snuffling again, turned its mane a shade of purple.

“Nooooo!” yelped Teddy. Picking up the unicorn, he dashed off the path and into a ramshackle hut. Pulling out his wand, he cast his Patronus again.

“Luna, I need help. The unicorn won’t stay Transfigured as a goat. I can’t Apparate with it; I can’t risk it getting splinched. ”

He glanced at his pocket watch. It was early evening here and he wondered when Luna would get his message. It would be early afternoon in Botswana, she could well be out investigating other sightings.

“Well, I can’t travel with you like this. I think we’ll have to wait for a while.”

Five hours later, Luna’s hare appeared. “Travel by night, Teddy.”

“I’ve waited five hours for that!” he shouted as the Patronus dissolved. Then, as if she’d heard his anger, another hare appeared. “We have methods for transporting all sorts of Magical Creatures here in Botswana, Teddy. Get the unicorn to me and we’ll return to London together.”

“Luna!” he cried as he dispatched another Patronus. “It will take me forever to walk to you!”

Another hare appeared, and Teddy could have sworn it had a smile on its face. “Owl on the way,” was all the hare said enigmatically.

He had to wait until morning for the owl. A large tawny flew through the hole in the roof and dropped a large packet at his feet. Teddy searched in his pockets for something to give the owl who was looking at him reproachfully, and found a half eaten bar of chocolate. He held it out and the owl, after looking a touch disdainful, grabbed at it.

Teddy turned his attention to the package. Ripping off the brown paper, he gasped and then burst out laughing as he saw what Luna had sent him.

It was a carpet �“ a flying carpet. Not a big one, and it was looking a bit threadbare, but it would carry him and the unicorn. A note fell out of the folds.

‘Teddy’ Luna had written. ‘I have Charmed the carpet to return to us. Fly by night and no one will see you.” On the back there was a map, on which she’d scrawled the words ‘Just in case.’

“Luna,” he breathed. “I take back everything I ever said or thought about you. You’re a genius.”

***

A day later, he approached the encampment. The carpet had faltered five miles north of their destination, and deposited them both just outside a Muggle village, south of Gaberone. Teddy and the unicorn had walked slowly across the plains, following the map by wandlight. Teddy gazed at the moon �“ not yet full �“ and his heart swelled with joy.

“You won’t have to fear that as my dad did, Lily. I promise you that.”

Slowly, Teddy walked towards the encampment, leading the black unicorn through the trees on a fine, golden chain. His feet without shoes were cut to ribbons, and the sores on his shin made walking an excruciatingly painful exercise, but Teddy knew that Apparating with the creature was not an option. He had gone too far, journeyed too long across many different countries and in his own mind to lose everything for the sake of an easy journey.

He paused, taking in the sight before him. The sun was just rising above the trees now, and the orange clouds that scudded across the sky gave a warm glow to the circle of wooden huts. Behind him, the unicorn nudged his back; Teddy stroked it very gently on the muzzle.

“We’re here, boy,” he whispered. “Now let’s see if the myths are correct.”

A figure at the centre of the encampment looked up and began to walk towards him. It was Luna.

“I knew you’d make it,” she said calmly and crouched down to see the unicorn now cowering behind him. She reached out her hand and murmuring so softly that Teddy couldn’t distinguish the words, she touched the creature on his fetlock.

The unicorn didn’t flinch, but let Luna pet him.

“See,” he whispered. “You could have found this one yourself, Luna.”

Luna gazed up at him, her large blue eyes meeting his currently dark eyes. “Teddy, the journey wasn’t only about obtaining a black unicorn. If that had been the case, then Rolf and I would have gone.” She paused as Teddy sat down beside her. “It was about something else entirely, don’t you think?”

“Besides the black unicorn’s mythical healing properties, you mean?” he asked.

Luna nodded and there was a long silence while Teddy thought over her words.

“You said, a few months ago, that I should do this,” he recalled. “Something about self-discovery being the greatest journey.”

Luna stood up. “And now, here you are, Teddy Lupin. Not looking at all like the young wizard who argued with me in St Mungo’s over the existence of such creatures.”

“I was an arrogant fool, wasn’t I?”

She ruffled his hair. “Arrogant, yes, but not a fool.” She began to walk away. “Come on; let’s tell the other’s you’re here. There’s a certain someone who’s been pining for you.”

“Victoire?” he asked hopefully. Then his face fell as he remembered the last time they’d seen each other. “No, no, of course not.”

Luna laughed softly. “Of course, it’s Victoire.”

Teddy stood up and started to follow her, leading the unicorn very gently through the long grass. “I thought she’d have moved on,” he muttered. “It ended very badly between us.”

“She knows the truth now, Teddy,” Luna explained.

“How?”

Luna smiled at him, that soft serene smile that always reminded him of her gentleness after the attack on Lily. “A month ago, Lily told her everything. Victoire has been frantic for news of you.”

“And Lily?”

“Now we have the black unicorn, Teddy, she’s going to be absolutely fine,” assured Luna.

Teddy raised his face to the sky, taking in the sunrise’s glorious rays and for the first time since he’d discovered the unicorn, he screwed up his face and changed the colour of his hair to match it.

I made it, Mum and Dad, he thought. There is a future, perhaps for Victoire and me. But best of all, a future for Lily.