Valentine's Day
Teddy received a letter from Harry the next day. He was almost afraid to open it. He was sure that Harry and Aunt Ginny had been talking to Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione, and his grandmother, and, well, everyone. But as he hesitated, while opening the envelope, he looked around the Great Hall, and saw that many other first-years were also receiving letters. At the Slytherin table, Violet was confronting a large eagle owl, and looked more pale than usual.
“Her parents must have loved seeing her name appear next to mine in the newspaper,” Teddy thought. Realizing that Harry's disapprobation couldn't be nearly as bad as what his cousin was likely facing, he pulled out the letter and began reading.
“Teddy,
Even I wouldn't have had the nerve to do that when I was eleven. I don't think your father would have either. I must admit, I had a bit of a laugh watching Ginny and Ron's reactions. Then I reminded them that we would probably have been expelled about a dozen times over under the Zero Toleration Policy.
While I'm not sure you needed to use the word “draconian” quite as many times as you did, you said some things that I think needed to be said. We've all become a bit complacent where Muggle-borns are concerned. We don't hear the old insults about blood status much anymore, but the Ministry is too eager to encourage conformity. I'm ashamed to admit that as I have little contact with my own Muggle relatives nowadays, I hadn't really thought about how thoroughly un-Muggle I've become. That's what wizarding society does to Muggle-borns, and maybe that needs to be reexamined.
Hermione is quite proud of you, and has been making comparisons between you and your friends and Ron and I when we were first-years. (We've been hearing the words “thick,” “insensitive,” and “oblivious” quite a lot.) I suspect you may be hearing from her about house-elves, if you're going to keep protesting school policies.
Andromeda may be a bit worried about what you're getting up to, but I think she's proud of you too, though she won't admit it.
Now, that said, you do need to trust us adults a little more, and don't get carried away with your righteous indignation. You've made your point, but please don't do anything that might get you expelled, because I really can't help you if you do. As for Slipfang, if I could tell you more, I would. I'm sure you've heard about S.C.O.U.R.G.E. by now. They are not a joke. But the last thing you need to be doing is spreading more rumors.
As for this “D.A.” I'm hearing about, I understand Neville has already spoken to you about that. What he said, that's all I have to say on the topic.
I have mixed feelings about encouraging you to continue along this path, Teddy. I don't want you to get yourself into trouble, and I'd like you not to make some of the mistakes I did. The world can seem awfully black and white when you're eleven. But I'm very glad you're willing to stand up and point out injustice when you see it. Andromeda and I both wanted you to become your own person when you went to Hogwarts, and it looks like you're doing that. Just make sure it's the person you want to be.
Love,
Harry”
Teddy read his godfather's letter several times over, and felt a lump in his throat and a stinging in his eyes when he was done. Harry approved of what he was doing! More or less. And his grandmother did too, sort of. And Aunt Hermione was proud of him! And Aunt Ginny and Uncle Ron... well, they didn't hate him.
It was a much better reaction than he'd been expecting.
He puzzled a bit over Harry's words about Slipfang and S.C.O.U.R.G.E. When he said he couldn't tell him more, did that mean he didn't know any more, or he couldn't tell Teddy what he knew?
Throughout the day, Teddy asked D.A. members who'd signed the letter what their parents thought. Not everyone's parents had sent owls, but many had. Some parents were proud, others expressed misgivings, and a few had ordered their children to stay away from Teddy Lupin.
“My dad said I have good intentions, but I shouldn't get to thinking I know better than my teachers,” said Dewey, during Charms.
His father's letter had been guardedly supportive, but clearly Amos Diggory would have preferred that Dewey stuck to Quidditch and academics. At least there had been no comments of the sort Dewey had been dreading — speculation about what Cedric would have done in this situation. Dewey had no idea what Cedric would have done, but he didn't think his older brother would have disapproved. Thinking about how he compared to Cedric, however, always made Dewey quiet and glum, and so he didn't take much notice of the Slytherins in his History of Magic class the following hour, and he wasn't even paying much attention to Binns's lecture about the last Goblin rebellion.
“My parents want me to behave and make sure I don't get into any trouble,” Kai whispered to Teddy during Transfiguration class. “But I wish I would have heard from Cho. I'm sure she's heard about this too.”
Over the course of that week, Teddy received quite a few more letters. Some were from his family, but some were from complete strangers. Goblins might be making the front pages now, but his letter (and in the press, it was being called “Teddy Lupin's letter,” despite the twenty-two other names that had followed his) had definitely been noticed. Now Teddy remembered what Violet had told him when they first met, aboard the Hogwarts Express, and realized why she'd been so insistent that he sign the letter first. She was right: everyone knew who he was.
His grandmother sent him an owl that arrived a day after Harry's. She warned him to stay out of trouble, and that she was going to be very displeased if all of his “crusading” was coming at the expense of his schoolwork, but Teddy knew his grandmother. If she were truly opposed to his “crusading,” she'd have let him know in no uncertain terms.
“Bet no one ever told the original D.A., 'It's all right to fight Voldemort, as long as you don't let your grades suffer',” he thought wryly. Then he remembered Professor Longbottom's admonishment. Teddy and his friends weren't fighting Voldemort. This didn't lessen his resolve, though.
He received a package from Aunt Hermione. She wrote a letter brimming with praise and enthusiasm. She also sent him pamphlets and enrollment forms for the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, and urged him to remember that there were other beings besides his own classmates who needed people to stand up for them.
Then there were the letters from total strangers that left him shocked and astonished — shocked at what they said, and astonished that adults would write such things to an eleven year-old boy they didn't even know. Some praised him for his principled stand, but not everyone was happy with him. Some of the letters were downright abusive, calling him vicious names and listing all the horrible punishments he deserved. Teddy guessed that a lot of those letter-writers were people like the Cattermoles and the McCormacks, who had suffered badly during the war and were still bitter.
Although Teddy received the most responses, Dewey and Kai and Violet got their share, and so did every other student who had signed his or her name to “Teddy's letter.” Some of their critics had been moved to write scathing denunciations to every one of the twenty-three children. Mercy was reduced to tears. Kai tried to laugh off the hate mail, but it was worrying. And Violet drew into herself more, as each day brought another owl or two. Most of them were from Slytherins, and they ran about half and half between praising her for standing up for her house, and scolding her for siding with Muggle-lovers and letting a “Gryffindor whelp” speak for her.
By Friday, Teddy had been told by several members of the D.A. that they couldn't come to the meetings anymore, but a couple of first-years who had previously been disinterested wanted to know when the next meeting was — and to Teddy's surprise, so did some older students.
The D.A. was up to this point exclusively made up of first-years. Teddy supposed it could only be considered more of a success if older kids wanted to join too, though he worried a little that they'd start wanting to boss around the firsties. He decided he needed to talk it over with Dewey and Kai and Violet — and Mercy, who was now as much a leader and organizer as anyone else.
He noticed in their afternoon Herbology class that Violet was now the somber, untalkative one. He waited until Professor Longbottom was busy with other students, and Nero Velenos was nowhere nearby, until he asked her quietly, “So, were your parents unhappy with you?”
Violet frowned and didn't answer at first. They were trimming small sulfurberry bushes, wearing thick leather gloves, and Teddy thought Violet was clipping leaves off her plant a little too vigorously.
“My father told me I'm here to get an education, not stir up social unrest,” she said tersely. She snipped a leaf. “And that it's fine to be loyal to other Slytherins, but I need to watch out which Slytherins I stick up for.” Snip. Another leaf fell. “And that you're as reckless and foolhardy as your godfather and I'd best not let you drag me into any trouble.” More leaves fell, with sharp snips from Violet's shears.
“Uh huh,” Teddy replied, watching the leaves pile up under her plant. “And your mother?”
Violet shrugged. “Oh, I already knew what she was going to say. I'm to have nothing to do with you, keep to my own house, and stop embarrassing myself and her. She and my father are probably having a screaming row right now about sending me away to Beauxbatons or Durmstrang.”
Teddy looked worried. With a touch of exasperation, she said, “Oh, don't worry, my father will never allow it. And even if they tried it, I can throw an absolutely brilliant tantrum if I really have to.”
“I see.” Teddy was studying Violet's expression, which was as serious and reserved as usual, but there was an intensity in her gaze that was reflected in the way she was trimming her sulfurberry bush.
“Miss Parkinson,” said Professor Longbottom, coming up behind her. “Has this plant offended you?”
She finally stopped snipping. The lower half of the bush was nearly bare, and she'd cut so many leaves that her shears were smoking. Teddy waved a hand in front of his face as the fumes burned his nostrils, and Violet took a step back, choking a little.
“Perhaps,” said Longbottom, taking the shears from her gently, trying to avoid letting the sizzling blades touch his sleeve, “you should go water the flitterblooms.”
Violet stalked away, muttering a barely audible “Yes, Professor.”
Longbottom looked at Teddy, and said, “Would you please make sure she doesn't drown them, Mr. Lupin?”
“Yes, Professor,” Teddy said, and followed Violet.
He followed her around the greenhouse, saying nothing, as Violet sloshed water along the rows of flitterblooms.
“Something wrong?” he asked at last.
“No,” she said.
“Violet,” he said.
Violet stopped, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Then she turned around, and her face was calm again.
“I'm fine, Teddy. I don't need to talk about everything that bothers me, and you can't fix everything. Please, for once, let me be.”
Teddy blinked slowly, regarding his cousin
“All right,” he said at last. “But please don't drown the flitterblooms.” Reluctantly, he walked away, looking over his shoulder once before he exited the greenhouse.
Alone with the plants, Violet frowned and went from one bloom to the next, pouring water over them a tad more carefully.
It was so hard to have time to yourself at Hogwarts. She had three intrusive roommates, and was surrounded by calculating, observant Slytherins who missed nothing and were constantly taking each other's measure. Even when she wasn't with her fellow Slytherins, she was with her friends, who were constantly worrying about her and wanting to make things better if she was even a little bit out of sorts. Violet felt bad and angry at the same time about sending Teddy away, with his hurt, puppy-dog expression.
She was tired of hearing everyone complain about their letters from their parents, tired of being the youngest, smallest child in school, and sometimes she was tired of her entire family, including her sweet but thick cousin, and tired of her house and her friends too.
Violet wasn't even sure why she was so upset. But she hadn't had a good sulk in a while, so she thought she was entitled to one.
“So, still consorting with the wrong sort of people, I see,” Kai said cheerfully that evening, as Violet arrived on the seventh floor. He grinned at her, but his grin faded at the stormy look she gave him in return.
“I was just joking,” he said.
“As usual,” she replied coldly.
Kai opened his mouth, and caught Teddy giving him a warning look and shaking his head. Violet had been testy all week, and Teddy was relieved that she'd come to the D.A. meeting, because he had been rather worried that she might not.
“So what are we standing around for?” Violet demanded. Besides Teddy, Kai, and Dewey, about a dozen other first-years were now waiting in front of the wall, with the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy behind them. Although Judith Woodbury had come with Chloe, the group was smaller overall today. They were missing the McCormacks, Alfred and Edan from Gryffindor, Deana and Aisha from Ravenclaw, and Nagaeena, Stephen, and Christopher from Slytherin. Violet knew Stephen had begged off on account of homework, but Teddy suspected some of the D.A. members had been intimidated by either parents or housemates after their letter appeared in the papers.
“The Hufflepuff girls are inside,” said Teddy.
“Preparing the room,” said Kai.
“Mercy said it would be a surprise,” Dewey said uncertainly.
Teddy checked the Marauder's Map. “Well, they'd better let us in soon, because Peeves is coming this way!”
“Oi!” said Kai, and stepped towards the wall, apparently intending to bang against it. Teddy wasn't sure they'd even be able to hear him in the Room of Requirement, but they definitely needed to clear the corridor before the poltergeist arrived. Then the door appeared, and Mercy stood there, smiling. “Oh, good! You're here!”
“Of course we're here, we've been waiting for you!” snapped Nero.
“Well, there's no need to be nasty about it!” Mercy pouted.
She stepped aside. The other D.A. members entered — and came to a halt as soon as they stepped inside the Room of Requirement.
“Oh. My. God,” said Kai.
Dewey felt his breath catch in his throat. Teddy wasn't sure whether to be awed or appalled. Violet was staring wide-eyed, and the other kids were equally dumbstruck.
The Room of Requirement was pink. It was twenty shades of pink, from the pink tables and pink chairs to the pink walls and pink ceiling and pink carpet. There were pink banners saying “Happy Valentine's Day!” in dark pink letters on a light pink background, and pink hearts decorating the room everywhere, and Mercy and her friends had brought pink cake and pink ice cream and bowls of pink fruit punch. Mercy was even wearing a pink sweater.
It was the pinkest place any of them had ever seen. Dewey couldn't believe it was possible to put this much pink in one spot. Teddy thought if he turned himself pink, he would become invisible. Violet thought she was going to be sick.
“Isn't it wonderful!” Mercy exclaimed, clapping her hands together. “You were right, Teddy, the Room really will become whatever you want it to be!”
“Are you —?” Kai started to say, and whatever he was going to finish with was muffled by Dewey suddenly clapping a hand over his mouth.
“It's really extraordinary, Mercy,” said Dewey slowly.
“I've never seen anything like it,” Teddy agreed.
Kai made more muffled noises, and Dewey glared at him. Violet was pretty sure she agreed with Kai.
“It's a ruddy pink nightmare!” Colin exclaimed, looking horrified.
“It's ghastly,” agreed Bernice. Decima nodded.
Mercy's face fell. “I thought it would be nice to have a Valentine's Day party!”
“It looks like Valentine's Day bled to death in here,” said Anthony Dreadmoor.
Dewey coughed, while Violet tried not to smile. Kai slapped Dewey's arm away. Mercy was disappointed by the less-than-enthusiastic reactions of the D.A. members. Sung-Hee was watching everyone anxiously, while Susan Smith and Karen Lee, Mercy's other roommates, shuffled uncertainly and looked at each other. It was pretty obvious who had chosen the decor
“Ignore them, Mercy,” said Kai. “It's fantastic!” And as everyone stared at him, he walked over to the table with the cake. There were also bowls of pink heart candies, and platters of heart-shaped cookies — with pink frosting, of course.
“Really?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” said Kai, grabbing a cookie. He winked at her. “It's the most brilliant plan ever! So for our next protest, we're going to do this to the whole castle, right?”
Mercy's mouth fell open. Teddy and Dewey grimaced, but behind them, most of the other first-years exploded with laughter. Violet closed her eyes and sighed. Then Sung-Hee started giggling, and so did Susan and Karen. Dewey walked over to Mercy and put an arm around her shoulders.
“It's not that horrible, is it?” Mercy asked, sounding hurt. “I thought pink would be a good color, since none of the houses use it and Valentine's Day is on Sunday, and...”
“No,” he reassured her, thinking that pink was going to be seared into the inside of his eyelids tonight.
“Maybe the theme is a little excessive,” she mumbled.
The boys looked as if they were reluctant to touch anything, for fear the pink would rub off on them.
“So...” said Colin, grimacing as he navigated around the furniture and made his way to the dessert table. “Are we going to do another protest?”
“I want to protest not being allowed to have Muggle toys and stuff!” said Edgar, around a mouthful of cake. He might not want to sit down in a pink chair at a pink table, but he wasn't put off by the color of the refreshments.
“Right, that's a good idea,” said Teddy. “How?”
“More posters,” suggested Gilbert.
“Who cares about Muggle stuff?” sneered Anthony. “Why would you want that rubbish here anyway?”
“We care about Geoffrey's expulsion, and Kent's, and singling out Slytherins all the time!” said Nero.
“And not at all about anyone else being expelled,” snorted Colin.
“All right!” Teddy said loudly, before they got into an argument. “So, we did posters already, and a letter. What else can we do to get more attention?”
Dewey was relieved that Teddy was distracting the Slytherins from getting into an argument, but he thought “more attention” sounded ominous. “Let's not push things too far, mate,” he said. “The Headmistress might not expel people over flyers, but — ”
“It doesn't do much good to protest if the professors just keep ignoring it,” said Teddy.
“How about we do like Chang said?” suggested Anthony. He elbowed Nero. “Paint the castle pink! Or the door to the Gryffindor common room, anyway!” The two Slytherin boys snickered.
“How about we paint the dungeon corridors pink!” retorted Colin.
Teddy grinned. “Yes!” he exclaimed. “That's perfect!”
“What?” Everyone stared at him.
“Er, I was only joking, mate,” said Kai.
“It's a brilliant idea!” Teddy said. “Almost as good as the swamp.”
“The what?” Now everyone was thoroughly confused, until Teddy explained.
It was Neville Longbottom's fault, really. He'd put the idea into Teddy's head, bringing up Dolores Umbridge. Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, George — they all spoke of Dolores Umbridge with nearly as much loathing as they used when speaking of Voldemort. Consequently, Teddy had heard endless stories of her horrible tenure as Headmistress during Harry's fifth year. He had heard so many details about the woman he could almost picture her — her squat, toad-like countenance, the bows in her hair, her sickly-sweet voice, the “hem hems” she used to interrupt other teachers, and... her infatuation with pink.
“Even Cho hated Umbridge,” admitted Kai.
“All right,” said Anthony slowly. “But painting corridors pink, what's that going to mean to the other students? No one else knows who this Umbridge witch was.”
“Professor Longbottom will know,” said Teddy. “And Professor Flitwick, and all the other teachers who were here.” He grinned mischievously. “Filch will too, I reckon. He'll go spare if we turn the corridors around his office pink!”
Even the Slytherins perked up at the prospect of antagonizing Filch.
“And Professor Llewellyn will get the message too,” agreed Kai.
“And know exactly who came up with the idea,” Violet pointed out. “Do you really want to find out how much like Umbridge Professor Llewellyn can be?”
“Well, fine, forget it, then,” Teddy said crossly. “Go ahead and eat your cake and cookies.”
Violet blinked at him, with a blank expression.
“Look, protesting means taking risks!” he snapped.
“Merlin, and I thought Violet was being moody!” snorted Kai. And when both Teddy and Violet glared at him, he shrugged, and said, “Look, mate, we've all done detention for our last protest, so don't accuse us of not being willing to cross the Headmistress.”
Dewey nodded, and Teddy deflated slightly.
“All right,” he said. “But I still think painting doors and corridors pink will be something memorable. And it's not hard to do, with the charms we already know.”
“How does it protest not being allowed to have Muggle stuff?” asked Edgar.
“It protests Professor Llewellyn being unreasonable. If you want to make a point on behalf of Muggle-borns, Edgar, why don't you think of something?”
When Edgar and the other Muggle-borns frowned, Teddy said, “I'm serious! We don't know about Muggle stuff! So how would you tell all the students who don't understand why you're complaining about not having mobilafones and game boys?”
“If they saw a mobile phone, they'd want one too,” said Chloe.
“Not if it can't do anything,” Gilbert pointed out. “Here at Hogwarts, it would just be plastic junk.”
To Teddy's surprise and everyone else's bemusement, Edgar, Gilbert, Chloe, and even Simon began talking enthusiastically about the Muggle comforts they missed. The Slytherins became bored after a bit, and started practicing Color Change Charms. Colin laughed at Nero's failed attempt to turn his table something other than pink, which turned into a duel. Nero missed Colin with a charm and turned Judith's shirt bright neon green. The Gryffindor girl retaliated by turning Nero's pants bright orange. Soon everyone who hadn't withdrawn from the line of fire was flinging charms in a dazzling kaleidoscope of colors.
Violet had removed herself to a far corner of the room. Teddy and Dewey joined her. Kai was in the midst of the fray — and, they had to admit, acquitting himself quite well, although his glasses frames were now canary yellow and his blue robes had been turned chartreuse.
“Idiots,” she muttered.
“Well, at least they're practicing,” said Teddy. His own hair shifted from bright red to silver to turquoise as he watched the flurry of colors. Here in the Room of Requirement, Teddy had started relaxing the tight control he maintained over his metamorphmagus abilities. His skin was even turning a little pink, though Dewey thought he probably wasn't aware of it.
“Are we really going to paint the dungeons pink?” Dewey asked.
“Why not?” Teddy replied. He thought a moment. “And Aunt Hermione wanted me to do something to protest on behalf of the house-elves as well.”
Violet stared at him. “The house-elves?” she repeated. “Protest what, exactly?”
“The fact that they're enslaved.” Teddy didn't look at Violet. He'd never actually met an elf. He knew Harry had inherited one from his godfather, but Teddy had never been to Grimmauld Place. Nowadays, it was only old-fashioned pureblood families who kept house-elves. He didn't know if Violet had grown up with them, but he suspected she probably had, and like most of the wizarding world, would consider Aunt Hermione's opinions on house-elf servitude barmy. Teddy wasn't sure what he thought himself, knowing only what his elders had told him — and not all of them shared Hermione's opinions.
Violet frowned, and asked in a reasonable-sounding voice, “How do you intend to protest, then, seeing as how you aren't likely to persuade the elves themselves to join your protest?”
Teddy smoothed his hair back, thinking. “Actually,” he said, “I think I might.” But he didn't explain further.
Despite having told the others that he couldn't keep telling the D.A. what to do, Teddy now had a plan. Not all of the D.A. was enthusiastic about it, including Dewey and Kai.
“We're going to turn the hallways pink during the game?” demanded Kai. “That means we'll miss the game itself!”
“Only part of it,” Teddy insisted.
“I don't think it's going to be a very long game,” Colin said, winking. Predictably, Dewey rose to the bait.
“Right, we're going to make short work of you, just like we did with Ravenclaw!”
“I wouldn't count on Gryffindor's Seeker being a moron,” Kai grumbled.
Teddy pointed out that the staff would probably be vigilant against attempts to put up more posters before next weekend's game, but they wouldn't be expecting a few students to ditch the game and return to the castle while the rest of the school was at the Quidditch pitch. But the second part of his plan also didn't go over well with everyone.
“Protesting what?” demanded Anthony.
“Well, we never even think about the fact that the elves spend all day and all night, cooking and cleaning and picking up after us,” said Teddy.
“That's their job,” Anthony said, in the same tone of voice one might use to explain that fire is hot.
“Have you completely lost your mind, Lupin?” asked Nero.
Even the Hufflepuffs looked unconvinced, but Teddy persisted. “I'm just saying, while we're protesting other things, we might say something on their behalf.” And looking at Mercy, he added, “I'll bet you didn't make this cake.” Mercy flushed and looked down at the floor guiltily.
Teddy looked around the room. It was now an eyesore of clashing colors, and most of the D.A. members looked like they'd lost a fight with a rainbow. Kai was still trying to transform his glasses back to flat black, and Chloe was looking frustrated — her white blouse and beige skirt had both been turned blood-red, and she was having no success at restoring their original colors.
“Well, if you want to help, then talk to me during the week,” said Teddy. “But if you don't, enjoy the game. And let me know when you're ready to protest having your Muggle stuff taken away.”
A bit huffily, he exited the Room of Requirement.
“It will never work if you keep shaking your wand like that,” Violet said curtly, walking over to Chloe. She waved her own wand, and most of the red faded from Chloe's clothes, but they still retained a pink tinge.
“That will never do on your final exam,” Kai smirked, and repeated Violet's charm. This time, Chloe's clothes went all the way back to their original colors.
“Your glasses are still yellow,” Violet said, and stalked out of the room. Kai grinned and followed her, leaving a confused and embarrassed Chloe behind.
Saturday and Sunday, Hogwarts was relatively quiet during the day, as most of the older students were visiting Hogsmeade over the Valentine's Day weekend. Teddy made use of the time to prowl about the castle, using the Marauder's Map to calculate how much area a small group of firsties could cover in a short amount of time. He loved the Marauder's Map. Just the ability to avoid Peeves and Filch made it priceless, but at times like this, when he was alone in the empty hallways, he imagined his father, and Harry's father, and their friends Sirius and Peter, walking the same corridors, using the map for their own mischievous schemes. He thought about how much grander and more clever the Marauders' schemes must have been.
Harry had told him that Remus wouldn't have had the nerve to do what he did, protesting school policies with a letter to the newspaper, but Teddy bet that his father would have thought Professor Llewellyn was unfair too, and that the Marauders would have found ways to let her know it.
On Valentine's Day, it wasn't unheard of for students to leave valentines for someone they fancied on their house tables at breakfast. This was considered a somewhat juvenile practice, so it was mostly seen among second- and third-years; old enough to be interested in the opposite sex, but too young to be dating seriously.
Sunday morning at breakfast, every member of the D.A., even those who hadn't been at Friday's meeting, found Valentine's Day cards with pink heart-shaped chocolates enclosed sitting on their house tables. This provoked much hooting and teasing from the older students, though Kai thought some of them looked envious. The cards were unsigned, and said inside only, “Thank you for your friendship!” Which told Kai immediately who was responsible.
“Mercy,” Kai said, approaching the Hufflepuff girl after breakfast. She was with her friends, which made Kai nervous. Kai approaching Mercy made Dewey nervous — he'd been having the same thought as Kai, but he didn't trust Kai not to express it in a heartless manner, so he immediately joined the little group.
“Good morning, Kai!” Mercy said brightly. “Did you like your valentine? Sung-Hee and I spent all yesterday making them!”
“Er, yes. About that.” Kai glanced at Dewey, who glanced at Kai. “Have you forgotten that the D.A. is supposed to be secret?”
“We didn't sign them,” Mercy said.
“Oh, well, that was good thinking,” said Kai. “That makes it totally not obvious.”
Mercy frowned, and flipped her pigtails back over her shoulder with a toss of her head. “Really, I don't think the staff is trying very hard to identify the members of our nefarious little club.”
“They're hardly likely to start handing out detentions for valentines,” Dewey admitted. “But a little discretion — ”
“Wotcha, Mercy! Thanks for the valentine!” Teddy said loudly, seeing Kai and the Hufflepuffs gathering by the exit. Kai and Dewey both winced. Fortunately, most of the older students were now paying the first-years no mind at all, as they were hurrying to get ready to go to Hogsmeade for the day.
Mercy smiled at Teddy as he joined them, and gave a look to Kai and Dewey that said, “See?”
“I made one for you too, Teddy,” said Deana Forte shyly. Kai started when he saw that Deana and Aisha Allouzi had come up behind them.
“Um, thanks,” Teddy said. “I was kind of wondering why I got so many.”
Deana's smile faltered when she saw that Teddy was actually holding a handful of valentines.
“I don't suppose you thought to give any valentines to anyone?” Mercy asked, looking at the boys.
“Why would we do that?” Kai scoffed.
All of the girls rolled their eyes.
“Why weren't you at the D.A. meeting Friday?” Kai demanded of Deana and Aisha. The Ravenclaw girls flushed, and Aisha looked down.
“I had a lot of homework,” said Deana. “Honestly! But if you're planning another protest —” she lowered her voice, looking around. “— I'll help.” She looked at Teddy hopefully.
“Ahmed wasn't happy about me signing my name to that letter,” Aisha mumbled. “Neither were my parents. He said if I embarrassed him like that again, he'd tie me up in a sack and throw me into the lake.” All of the Hufflepuffs were horrified. Ahmed Allouzi, Teddy recalled, was a sixth-year in Slytherin.
She glanced nervously over her shoulder, and gulped, “I've got to go!” She tugged her headscarf tightly around her head and hurried out of the hall, followed by Deana with an apologetic smile, as her older brother came stalking towards them, scowling.
Teddy doubted Ahmed would be meeting any girls at Madam Puddifoot's this weekend. The Slytherin boy walked past the group of firsties, his eyes smoldering. “Stay away from my sister!” he snapped at them.
Teddy was tempted to snap back with a retort of his own, but decided it wouldn't make things any easier for Aisha.
“We'd better disperse,” Dewey said. “The teachers are watching us.” Indeed, although Professor Llewellyn hadn't come down to breakfast, Professors Longbottom, Flitwick, Slughorn, and Rai were all still at the High Table, and looking at the first-years congregated by the exit and murmuring amongst themselves.
Teddy nodded, and the group all went their separate ways.
That Valentine's Day weekend was much like previous ones at Hogwarts; it was cold and snowy, but the upperclass students privileged enough to go to Hogsmeade were full of excitement. Those lucky enough to have sweethearts spent Sunday at Madam Puddifoot's or the Three Broomsticks, while those who were unattached came back chattering happily about Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes and Honeydukes.
But the students were talking about something else as well. There were an unusual number of goblins in Hogsmeade that weekend, and none of them looked too friendly. None of the Hogwarts students had dared go anywhere near the Hog's Head Inn, there were so many goblins in the vicinity, and everyone talked about the narrow, scrutinizing goblin stares that had followed them up and down High Street.
Some students even claimed they'd been followed by more than stares. Peter Honeybourne and Hannah Holmes, going to visit the Hogsmeade War Memorial at the edge of town (“Going to find a private place to do some snogging, more like!” scoffed Kai) claimed that they'd seen more goblins in the woods across the railroad tracks, watching them. Mortimer Thickwaite and Clarice Darcy reported being trailed at a distance by a rough-looking gang of goblins as they walked back to Hogwarts. (Mortimer claimed that he had turned to confront them, and they ran off when he brandished his wand, but Violet had seen the couple returning to the Slytherin common room, wet, shaking, and out of breath, and suspected that they had run all the way from Hogsmeade.)
Late that night, Teddy and his roommates were awoken by a lot of noise coming from the common room. They came stumbling out of their room in their pajamas, and found many other Gryffindors had also been awoken and were emerging to see what the racket was all about.
Danny Boyle and Megan Lewis were carrying Roger Drocker between them, with his arms slung around their shoulders. Professor Longbottom was with them, grim-faced and silent. Teddy felt a little guilty for the momentary schadenfreude he experienced, realizing that Longbottom looked a lot more angry at Drocker than he ever had at Teddy.
Boyle was more visibly furious. Drocker was wrapped in a blanket, sniffling, and looked sick and on the verge of passing out. But he was babbling loudly about Slytherins and goblins.
“Blimey!” Albus exclaimed.
“What — ?” Teddy started to ask, and Boyle glared at him and all the other younger Gryffindors.
“Go back to bed!” the Prefect snapped. “Mind your own business, now!”
“Everyone, return to your rooms,” Longbottom said, much more calmly but with a tone that brooked no disobedience.
Oddly enough, Violet was having an almost identical experience, as she and her roommates were awoken by a similar clamor in the Slytherin common room. They emerged, pulling robes around their nightgowns, to find Hugh Truncher practically dragging Jonathan Madscarf by his collar. Like Drocker, Madscarf looked like he was in terrible shape, and could barely slur a coherent word out. Ophilia, following her fellow Prefect, didn't even have to say anything to the younger Slytherins; one look at her face sent them all scrambling back to their rooms. They hardly even noticed Professor Slughorn.
The Prefects could tell them to mind their own business, of course, but that would never stop the story from spreading, and the next day, it did. In bits and pieces, students whispered what they were able to piece together, from talking to Jonathan and Roger's friends, from overheard teachers' conversations, and from what the Prefects themselves had let slip.
Drocker and Madscarf, apparently, had run into one another in Hogsmeade, and somehow or the other, wound up daring each other to go into the Hog's Head Inn. And so they did, together.
It should have been a harmless exploit to brag abut later; a Gryffindor and a Slytherin schoolboy, drinking butterbeer surrounded by hostile goblins. The exact details of what happened next were known only to Drocker and Madscarf, and both of them had rather fuzzy memories. It was probably to their advantage not to remember precisely what happened, since it involved the two of them being found lying in a field outside of town; half-frozen, unconscious, intoxicated, and wandless. The goblins had plied them with drinks, they said, and they had had no idea that they were drinking firewhisky.
Even the first-years didn't believe that part. Teddy, whose Uncle George had once allowed him to have a tiny sip of firewhisky, just to satisfy his curiosity, knew that there was no way anyone could drink that stuff and not know what it was.
The most incredible rumor, though, came from Boyle, who had been summoned back to Hogsmeade along with Megan Lewis and the two Slytherin Prefects to drag their drunken housemates back to Hogwarts.
“What was your godfather doing in Hogsmeade, Lupin?” the Prefect asked.
And with all the other Gryffindors looking at him curiously, Teddy had no answer, because Harry certainly hadn't told him he was going to be in the area.
Boyle claimed he'd seen Harry Potter, the Ministry of Magic's foremost Auror, exiting the Hog's Head Inn. Goblins had parted before him, Potter had wrapped his scarf around his face, and a moment later, he was gone. Boyle was unclear on the details, and was not sure if the snow flurries had obscured his vision for a moment, or if Potter had Apparated away.
“Or used his invisibility cloak to disappear,” Teddy thought.
He considered writing a letter to Harry to ask him if it was true he'd been in Hogsmeade, but decided either it was nonsense and Boyle only thought he'd seen Teddy's godfather, or it wasn't, and Harry must have a good reason for not telling Teddy about it, or visiting while he was so close to school.
“As for Slipfang, if I could tell you more, I would,” Harry had said. Teddy trusted Harry completely, but he was growing more suspicious — Harry did know something, and he wasn't telling Teddy about it. Was he telling Professor Longbottom and the Headmistress? Or was it top secret Aurors Only business?
“Well, there's certainly no reason he'd tell an eleven year-old about secret Auror business, or an investigation into goblin activities,” Teddy thought. But try as he might, he couldn't help feeling a little hurt and bitter. There was an entire adult world out there, where important adult things were happening, and Teddy kind of understood that, but it seemed to him that a lot of those things affected students here at Hogwarts. Why didn't adults tell them anything? It just wasn't fair!