The year after her brother James graduates, Teddy Potter returns to Hogwarts for her final year. With the Marauders gone, it should be a quiet, peaceful year despite the mounting tensions in the world outside of school.
The problem, naturally, lies...
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If Alice and Mary notice Teddy's bad mood over the next few days, they're kind enough not to say anything. They do however share several significant looks when they think she's not looking, which suggests that they have been talking about it behind her back. That's fine though — Teddy knows she's been acting like a bit of a dick, but she just can't bring herself to tell them about her confrontation with Regulus Black.
She's only reminded of their argument the following morning when a group of fifth years had trudged into the same classroom Gideon had vacated only to be greeted with a rapid-fire assault of dungbombs. The realisation that she had completely forgotten to check the classroom out was deeply embarrassing, and was further compounded by the cheeky thumbs-up Gideon had given her at breakfast, as though she had been in on the joke all along.
By the time Saturday evening rolls around, she's mostly calmed down. She hadn't forgotten her promise to floo James — not that forgetting was even possible, considering he had sent her an owl to remind her — and she found herself honestly looking forward to it. The first week back without the Marauders had been more difficult than she had expected.
Just like James had promised, the prefect's common room on the fifth floor is completely deserted when she slips inside at 8.30pm. It's a lovely space, filled with comfortable couches and colourful tapestries and a copy of the school rules plastered on the walls, and Teddy marvels at the fact that no one seems to use it. There's even a little pot of floo powder left helpfully on the mantlepiece by the fireplace, and Teddy helps herself to a large fistful before dropping to her knees on the plush carpet in front of the fire.
"Potter Manor." She calls clearly, and as soon the flames flare bright green and settle she leans down and presses her head and shoulders into the fire.
The sensation of using the Floo network is always initially uncomfortable, but most of the discomfort fades after the first couple of seconds to be replaced with the gentle warm tickling sensation of flames licking at her face. Teddy opens her eyes and is greeted with the sight of her living room at home, decorated in her mother's distinct eclectic style.
Sitting on the couch closest to the fire is not James, who she had been expecting, but rather Remus Lupin with his head stuck in a book. Teddy blinks at him, before her face splits into an excited smile. "Remus!"
Remus jerks a little, startled, but as soon as his gaze falls to her he breaks out into an answering smile. "Hello, Teddy." He says warmly, before turning and calling out the open door of living room, "James! Teddy's here!"
"How are you?" Teddy asks, taking in his brown twill trousers and comfortable knit jumper. There's a fraying hole at the end of one of the sleeves that he keeps fidgeting with.
"I'm good." He seems to notice her looking, and stops messing with the fraying threads. "I've been mostly trying to help James and Sirius with their Auror training — they've been telling me everything they've been learning, so I don't feel like I'm missing out so much. I've been applying for jobs, too — Dumbledore's even written me a letter of recommendation, but nobody's gotten back to me quite yet."
