The Enemy of my Enemy

The Change Over

"What did Slughorn want?" Daphne asked, leading the way into the Great Hall.

Teddie shrugged. She didn't really want to rehash what had happened in compartment C in fear of getting angry again, but Daphne was like a dog with a bone, especially when she and Mason had come back the former shaken and in tears, and the latter shaken and angry.

"I didn't recognise the name until I saw him," said Blaise. "But my mother knows all about Horace Slughorn. He likes to surround himself with gifted witches and wizards. One of my many ex-step-fathers called him: The Collector."

"The Collector?" Daphne asked. "What, like those muggle people that collect really weird things like stamps?"

Blaise nodded. "Except he collects people. After you left, Ted, he went on about how he taught the Captain of the Holyhead Harpies," he said. "Then he gushed about how he knew the new Minister. He wasn't happy that you upped and left, to be honest, and he did mention something about not realising the Daughter of Darkness was so disruptive."

"Course he did," Teddie muttered.

"What did he do that got you so upset?" Daphne asked.

"He went on about how my parents were good, exceptional students," said Teddie. "That I should be proud of who they are. I tried to remind him that my parents are dead, and that the 'exceptional students' of which he speaks are either the ones who killed him, or the reason they are dead."

"That's when Mason got upset," said Daphne, the pieces connecting inside her head.

Teddie nodded. "Yep. I went to Mason, and we left." She looked to Blaise. He was the only one who stayed in the compartment after her departure, as Theo left shortly after she did. "What else happened after I left? You didn't come back until five hours later."

"He wanted to know more about my mother and who she had settled down with now," said Blaise, sniffing. "Then he turned on Potter, of course. Wanted to know all about what happened at the Ministry last year. Didn't seem impressed when he, Longbottom, and the Weasley girl tried to tell him that the Daily Prophet were lying, as usual."

"What's Malfoy laughing at?" Theo interrupted, nodding at the platinum blonde across from them.

Teddie swallowed a mouthful of food and glanced up. Malfoy was sitting a few seats away tonight - normally he was directly opposite her with Parkinson and the rest of his goons - and was imitating a sort of fight where someone had smashed something of someone else.

Meeting her gaze, Malfoy smirked and nudged Parkinson. The pair turned in her direction and Teddie quickly looked away.

"Have you seen Potter tonight, Green?" Parkinson called. "How's his nose?"

Malfoy and the others roared with laughter.

Teddie furrowed her brow at the question.

"You're obviously dying to boast about something," said Blaise. "Spit it out before you choke, although, that wouldn't be such a major problem."

Teddie, Daphne, and Theo snorted.

Parkinson glared at Blaise. "Potter was caught skulking around in our compartment," she said. "So Drakie, here," she pawed at Malfoy's arm, "taught him a lesson. I wouldn't be surprised if he is halfway back to London right about now."

"I'm going to stop you there, Parkinson," said Daphne, nodding toward the back of the room. The double doors had just opened and Potter sauntered in. He was wearing his normal clothes - denim jeans, trainers, and a pale blue flannel shirt - but it was his face that drew most of the attention.