Blackbird

Chapter 32

"Damnit!" Ted shouted as he sunk into the missing step on the third-floor corridor. Normally he wouldn't have shouted his frustrations to the whole world, but that was the third time he'd fallen in this week. That wasn't counting the two times he'd smacked into a moving coat-of-arms this month and the five times he'd been late to class because he'd forgotten staircases moved. He hadn't had this much trouble navigating Hogwarts since his first year.

There was a reason for this of course, but he was trying not to think about that. Because every time he did he had the urge to rip up whatever he was holding—usually his homework—or hit the thing closest to him—usually the coat-of-arms, which sometimes hit back.

"Need a hand?"

If it had been anyone else, he would have told them, in no uncertain terms, to buzz off. But it was Teresa, and he was pretty sure being rude to her was one of the seven deadly sins.

"If you're not too busy," he grunted, making her smile. Between the two of them, they were finally able to free Ted's leg.

"Thanks," he muttered, before flashing her a quick smile. Then he turned to leave.

"Hey Ted," she said behind him. "Are you alright?"

He froze. He thought he'd done a good job of hiding his inner turmoil, but apparently not. Still, he wasn't in the mood to talk about it. "Course I am."

"It's just." She paused again, considering her words. "You've seemed a little down, recently."

He could have laughed. If only she knew. "I'm fine."

"You know you can talk to me, right?" She stepped closer to him, her eyes bright with worry. "About anything."

He swallowed the lump that rose in his throat, then replied. "I know."

She still didn't look convinced, but she wasn't the type to push. So instead she smiled and asked, "How was your break?"

The automatic, "Fine," was on the tip of tongue, but Teresa's concerned look froze it to his lips. The next thing he knew he was saying, "Pretty crappy actually."

She didn't say anything. She stood there, ready to listen. He sighed.

"My dad's always struggled with me being a wizard or what not, but recently it seems like it's gotten worse." He couldn't believe he was saying these things. He'd never told this to anyone, not even Jake, but now that the words were flowing they wouldn't stop. Teresa was silent the whole time, just listening. "The news is full of all these reports, people going missing and whatnot. Most muggles think the gangs are just running amok, but my dad thinks its "our kind" and he's probably right. And he just... seems to think we're all like that."

Teresa was silent for a moment, then she asked, "And your Mum?"

He shrugged. "She stands up for me. For us. And he doesn't like that very much." There was more he could say about that, but he'd already said more than he was comfortable with, so he stayed silent. His silence probably said more than words could anyway.

Teresa was silent for a long moment again, then finally, "I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, my parents are worried too. They've even considered pulling me out of school for my own safety."

"Are you serious?" Ted whirled on her, completely forgetting his own struggles for a moment. "What are going to do?"

"I'm not leaving, I know that for sure." She swallowed, then glanced up at him. "This is our home too, we should fight for it."

He stared at her for a moment. "Sounds like a good plan." They didn't really talk like that, the muggleborns, but based on what he'd seen a fight was coming. And they needed to be ready.