A/N I'm super sorry for the long pause between chapters! Life is life and things happen. Let's see where our Hogwarts friends are at.....(WARNING! PREPARE THE TISSUES!)
The three boys spent the remainder of the day trying to figure out how to talk to Gretchen about Hannah's sister. From what little Zach had said, they had been friends at one time. He didn't really seem okay talking about it, so Teddy and Matt hadn't pushed.
"I don't know, Ted." Matt whispered to his friend as they sat in the library. Zach was a little ways away, working on his Transfiguration essay beside Gale. "Maybe we should let this go for right now. Something about this has Zach really spooked, and I feel like this is way bigger than we know." Teddy furrowed his brow at his own essay as he listened to Matt.
"I know, mate." Teddy reached up and ran his hand down his face. "I just feel bad for Hannah for some reason. She's nasty, don't get me wrong, but I feel like she needs help." Teddy glanced over at his friend.
"I get what you're saying, but for right now I think it's better for him," he inclined his head towards Zach, "if we just let this play out for now, yea?"
"Yea, maybe you're right. Besides, how nasty can someone be to their own sister?" Teddy picked up his essay and scanned over it to make sure he was done before he stuffed it into his bag. He waved at Matt as he headed back towards the common room to spend some time with Moony.
As Teddy crawled through the entrance to the common room, he was greeted by quiet whispering from the balcony area of the common room. He glanced up and saw Gretchen and Tyson sitting together on a sofa by the ledge, their heads together. Teddy shrugged and started walking towards the stairs to the dorms when Tyson called his name.
"Hey, Ted, come up here a second. I want to show something to you." Teddy glanced up to see Tyson hanging over the railing of the balcony, Gretchen peeking over the back of the couch beside him. He set his bag down on the dorm stairs and headed up to the balcony where Tyson was calling him from. As he approached the two, he saw that Tyson had taken Gretchen's hand gently in his own and was speaking quietly to her as Teddy approached. He stopped in front of them, causing Tyson to look up and give him a small smile.
"Hey guys." Teddy looked between the two, trying to understand what was going on. "What's up?" Tyson glanced over at Gretchen, who nodded her head towards Teddy with a small smile.
"Ted, there's something I...we...want to show you. It's a part of the common room that most students don't go to much, but I think there's something you should see." Tyson stood, gently pulling Gretchen up with him, and headed towards the far corner of the shelf-filled space. Teddy followed, confused as to what it could be that Tyson wanted to show him. As they reached the last bookcase along the wall, Tyson reached out and turned a small yellow vase that was sitting on the shelf. With a click, the shelf slid to the side, revealing a narrow passageway. Tyson motioned Gretchen ahead of him, then he followed her, and Teddy slowly followed behind them. The passageway was lite with small sconces on the walls, each with the cutout of a badger. The went down the short corridor and entered a perfectly round room that had a large circular rug with the Hufflepuff crest in black and yellow. Along the walls were portraits with small gold plaques under them. Tyson stopped just inside the space and tensed up. He started shaking his head.
"I can't be here, Gretch. I know Professor Sprout wants me to show him, but I just can't be in here. It's too painful to be here and see her." Tyson put the heels of his hands against his eyes and Gretchen gently rubbed his back. Teddy stood back a little ways, trying not to intrude on what was obviously a sensitive situation. Gretchen turned to him and reached out her hand, which he took hesitantly. She gently pulled him over to a portrait of two women, both with the same cornflower blond hair that Tyson had. The plaque underneath the picture read "Susan and Sarah Michaels, Class of 1992". Gretchen smiled up at the two women, and they smiled back down at her. The one on the right, who had shorter hair than her sister, then looked past the two at Tyson, who still had his eyes covered, and she glanced away, looking sad. Teddy looked over at Gretchen, who took a deep breath as she allowed her eyes to close.
YOU ARE READING
The Halfwolf (Year 1)
Hayran KurguTeddy Lupin is left in the care of his grandmother after the death of both his parents during the Battle of Hogwarts. He's finally starting his first year at Hogwarts. What sort of surprises await him as he starts his own marauding adventures?
