“I’m a bit worried about Teddy Lupin. I don’t think he’s adjusting too well.”
The tall, grey-haired witch with a green hat nodded as she sat down behind the broad desk. Behind her, the portraits of past Headmasters looked down reassuringly from their frames and one, showing a man with a grey beard and half-moon spectacles, mused reverentially, “Perhaps it is as we feared, Minerva.”
McGonagall nodded solemnly, stirring her tea so the spoon tinkled in its cup, raising it to her lips, and raising her eyes to Neville.
“I discussed with Andromeda and Harry beforehand that Teddy may find it difficult coming to Hogwarts. I’m not sure how much the matter was discussed.”
Placing her cup back down into its saucer, McGonagall continued, “Perhaps it would be best if an owl were sent explaining Teddy’s distress.”
“Oh, I didn’t mean for anything like that to happen,” Neville ventured, managing to tear his eyes away from the portrait of the sallow-faced, greasy-haired headmaster that was eyeing him slightly critically from his frame. “He’s withdrawn but I think that may disappear in time. I think he just needs someone to talk to him…about the things that happened here.”
“It is a difficult subject to broach but one, I fear, which cannot be avoided. It won’t be long before his fellow students realise who he is and quiz him…There are constant reminders of the past all over the castle. This is not something which can be swept under the carpet.”
Neville nodded.
“It’s been hard for any of us to forget the past. B…but it’s important for those of us who survived to make sure that we uphold all that we fought for. It’s nothing more than people like Teddy deserve.”
McGonagall smiled affectionately at her Herbology teacher in a way that implied that she had been justified in her appointment of the former pupil.
“What do you think should be done in the meantime?” Neville asked.
A drawling voice from the portrait responded.“Perhaps it would be best in this case to wait for Lupin to come to you. It is unlikely the boy wishes to speak of things that pain him without feeling its necessity.”
Neville agreed inaudibly, avoiding the eye of the former Potion master, much to the amusement of McGonagall and the portrait of Dumbledore.
The ghostly tendrils of moonlight crept into the castle as Teddy sneaked his way out of the dormitory. In one hand, tightly grasped, was Teddy Lupin’s most prized possession; a piece of blank parchment he had been presented with by Harry shortly before starting Hogwarts.
“What is it?” Teddy had asked, watching Harry’s lips pull slightly into a smile, as he handed it over.
“Something I was once given when I was at Hogwarts that belonged, a long time before that, to my dad and yours…” Teddy had looked up then, his eyes wide with curiosity, his hair changing to an inquisitive shade of green. “…well, it belonged to all of them really…Sirius and Pettigrew too. They made it when they were at Hogwarts to aid their extra-curricular explorations. Now, I suppose you want to know how it works…”
Teddy had listened intently, memorising his godfather’s instructions, yet he had not had a chance to use the map until now. In the shadowy darkness, concealed in an alcove on the seventh floor corridor, Teddy pressed his wand-tip to the parchment and whispered, “I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.”
Ink spidered its way across the parchment revealing the words, Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs are proud to present the Marauders map.
Teddy’s breath caught in his throat as he read his father’s nickname and held the magical map he had helped create. He imagined the exciting adventures his father had gone on with his friends in this very castle, and all the things Harry, Ron and Hermione had done in their time here. Now it was Teddy Lupin’s turn, although his was a very different kind of adventure. Scouring the map and ascertaining that the coast was clear, Teddy made his way down the Great Staircase and towards the Entrance Hall.
The great hour glasses in which the house points were recorded glimmered dimly in the torch light. Teddy noticed that already Slytherin were ahead. He crept down the marble steps, ever watchful of the map which showed two Prefects, who had just come this way, making their way down to the Dungeons. From above Teddy heard the great clock ticking away the seconds, time edging ever closer to midnight.
He halted at the bottom of the steps seeing, for the first time, what he had chosen to ignore on arriving at the school. A great silvery statue stood bathed in magical moonlight that had been conjured to always illuminate it by night. As Teddy moved hesitatingly closer he saw the figure of youth, neither discernibly a girl nor a boy, reaching up to grasp a star that dazzled tantalisingly just out of reach. Clustered around the feet were magical figures of all kinds; centaurs, goblins, house-elves, giants, all miniature in stature, all upholding the weight of the youth as they reached for the star.
As Teddy crossed the cavernous space of the Entrance Hall he realised just how huge the statue was, just how imposing it was when you came up to stand right beneath it to look up at the star. Teddy felt strangely akin to the youthful figure that was also looking up; felt connected to the magical creatures that were striving to help the star be reached. The affinity he felt with the statue was more moving than could be understood and he felt dangerously tearful as his eyes moved down to read the motto, carved as though in light, in front of him; In the oblivion of night there is the comfort of stars.
Teddy sunk to his knees, his vision blurred as he scanned the names that were etched on the memorial. He found them quite easily, more easily than he had wanted to, very close to his face as his eyes curved the letters and formed the words Remus John Lupin and Nymphodora “Tonks” Lupin.
The marble floor was cold beneath him yet he could not move his eyes which were fixed on the names that seemed to twinkle with light like the star. They were here; this was where they truly were. They were not buried beneath the ground. They had come to rest at Hogwarts and here they would remain. Morbid thoughts flitted through Teddy’s mind and he wondered grimly where they had died and whether or not the students of Hogwarts traipsed over the hallowed ground. The more he thought the more ferocious his tears became; had there been a lot of blood? Had it been painful to die?
Although the tears flowed Teddy Lupin cried in silence. The convulsions that seized his body, the emotions that made his ribs ache were tightly suppressed as he laid his head against the silvery plinth. He longed to be obliterated, then and there, if only it meant he would know what it was like to be with them; if it meant he would hear the sound of their voices. Perhaps it was selfish of him to long for death when they had fought so very hard for him to stay alive but, at that moment, Teddy felt irrational hatred for his parents, who hadn’t loved him enough, or tried hard enough, to stay alive for him.
“Loony Lupin out of his bed, sleeping on the Entrance Hall floor…Loony Lupin fell asleep and the whole castle heard him snore!”
An obnoxious voice woke Teddy who was confused about why he seemed to be curled on his side, his cheek pressed against something cold and hard. As he opened his eyes a bright light, fierce like the sun, stung his retinas, causing him to shrink back. But the voice would not stop; the rhyming continued, interspersed with cackles of glee and finally Teddy opened his eyes, shocked to find himself in the Entrance Hall, surrounded by students.
“Who is it?” a flaxen-haired Hufflepuff girl asked her voice barely above a whisper.
Teddy scuttled back knowing that standing too quickly would make his head swim. He became conscious of his state of undress; of his blue striped pyjamas and his tartan dressing gown and the contrast they made compared to the others uniforms.
“Ickle first-year got a bit lost in the night,” a Slytherin boy sniped much to the amusement of his friends.
“Loony Lupin! Loony Lupin!” Peeves wheeled over their heads.
“Sod off Peeves,” Teddy snapped, standing, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dressing-gown, relieved that his map and wand were still there. With his eyes he challenged the pupils that surrounded him to say anything else, but none of them seemed in the least bit afraid. No-one said anything until he had pushed his way past them, his hair flushing an embarrassed shade of pink with his face, giving his identity away.
“Hey, I know him! That’s Teddy Lupin, the Metamorphmagus kid!” a chirpy little Ravenclaw contributed.
“Who?” Teddy heard several other students asked as he tried, as quickly as possible, to get out of ear shot.
“You know he can change his appearance whenever he wants too. I think his parents were famous or something. I remember my dad saying something about a Lupin…can’t remember what…”
Finally Teddy managed to put many doors and seven flights of stairs between himself and his inquiring classmates. He only hoped that they would find something better to talk about before he came back down for breakfast.
Carrion Comfort by Clare Mansfield
Chapter Notes: Neville voices his concerns whilst Teddy goes wandering around the castle at night.
Chapter Endnotes: Hope you enjoyed that. Let me know what you think
xxx