The Secrets of the Map

The Party

     In a flash of green flames, Teddy suddenly found himself in his living room, which was packed to the brim with colorful balloons, streamers, and people-so many people. For an orphan, his birthday parties sure were crowded.
     Immediately after he appeared, a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday!" echoed throughout the room. Teddy had never thought of his grandma's house as small, but when this many people were packed he couldn't help feeling squished. Scattered across the room were the Weasleys, with Ron and Hermione, Bill and Fleur, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, George, and Ginny. Even Percy was here, though Teddy suspected he'd been dragged into this by the way he kept glancing at his watch. Harry and Ron's kids were also here, along with Victoire and her sister, Dominique.
    Finally, his grandma appeared, her face red from all the body heat. "Finally," she said, giving him a quick hug. "You were this close to be late to your own party, young man."
    "Sorry, we lost track of time-"
    "Ted!" James called, suddenly appearing beside him in the mass of people. It was uncanny seeing James standing next to Harry-he was almost an exact replica, except for his mother's brown eyes and a small smirk of mischief. "About time-we've been waiting half an hour for you. Whatcha got there?" He added, noticing the paper Teddy was still holding.
     Teddy glanced at Harry, who was watching them, and slipped it under his shirt. "Nothing. I'll tell you later."
    "Can't be nothing if you're trying so hard to hide it," James scoffed, but to Teddy's relief he didn't press. "The kids are meeting upstairs-wanna join?"
     "Sure." As much as Teddy loved the Weasleys, the attention was a bit overwhelming for him. He had almost made it to the staircase when he was crushed into a hug by Mrs. Weasley. "Happy birthday, dear," she exclaimed, beaming. "How does it feel to be sixteen?" She pressed.
    He shrugged, returning the hug. "Same as last year, I guess. How's everyone doing?" He figured that she would either ask him questions or he would, and he didn't feel like answering.
     "Pretty well. Arthur's job is going well, so I hear, and Ron's auror job is going pretty well, though he claims he's behind on paperwork. And Percy got promoted to Chief Assistant, which he's been very pleased about."
      "That's awesome," He replied, trying to sound eager.
      "Thanks, dear. What about you, though? School going well?" She looked straight at him while he talked, as if she was assessing his answer.
     He thought about telling her about his slight dread to go back, but then realized there was no point in upsetting her. "Well enough," he replied. "Though Potions is going to kill me."
    "Yes, well it's not for everyone. I'm sure you'll do fine," she reassured, patting him on the shoulder. "You run along now-we'll call when it's time for cake."
     That was another reason he liked Mrs. Weasley. She understood things that he never said. "Thanks," He said, relieved, and James pulled him up the stairs.
    "Are you going to show me what you got now?" James asked impatiently.
     "Oh-right," Teddy realized, and quickly pulled it out. "Your dad gave it to me, but you're not supposed to know about it, okay?"
    "Why did you get it?" James exclaimed, inspecting the parchment. "What is this anyway-wait, no way. A map of Hogwarts?"
     "Yeah. Crazy, huh?"
     "Brilliant is what that is. Is that Longbottom?"
      "Yeah, it shows the people too. And secret passages, though most don't work anymore."
     "Wicked," James whispered in awe. "Ah, shoot we'll look at that later-Rose is coming."
     Teddy heard her voice as well, and hastily hid it again as she appeared, her bushy hair tied back and a smile on her face as she talked to Lily. "And the curriculum is fascinating-oh, hey Teddy! When'd you get here?"
     "About five minutes ago," he admitted, giving her a quick hug. "Where're the others?"
      "In your bedroom with George-he brought some new merchandise and is trying it out on them. Idiotic, really-"
    The boys barely heard her and shoved past at the word "merchandise".
When they reached the room, they heard a series of honking noises, and realized it was coming from Al, whose mouth has been replaced with a duck's beak. Hugo and Victoria were watching in fascination as Al made various noises, the beak dissolving into a mouth seconds later.
    George noticed Teddy first. "Just in time! We're trying out the Quacker. What d'ya think, is it catchy enough?"
    "It's kinda funny," Teddy said, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "Dunno how you would get it on the person, though. Is it a Pastille?"
    "Yeah, but a different version than the getting-sick ones."
     "Obviously," Rose said from the doorway, with Lily behind her. James glanced at Teddy, smirking in amusement. For all her talk of sticking to the rules, she rarely missed George showing off a new item. "You just slip that into their tea, then?"
     "Pretty much-cold drinks are preferable, but hot ones will do." He held up the yellow pastille. "What d'ya think, one to ten? Be honest now."
    "Seven," Victorie replied, and Teddy nodded in agreement. Her beautiful white-blond hair was done in a French braid, and the light blue of her shirt brought out the color of her eyes. Those eyes caught his curious glance, and Teddy quickly turned them back to George, his heart pounding. It was only recently that he had began thinking of her as more than a friend. All summer he'd been trying to hide it in order to not ruin that friendship, but it was getting harder and harder.
      "Six," Rose announced, and it took Teddy a moment to remember that they were still rating it. "You should sell them in packs with other kinds so people can have a choice of variety. If you sell the same kind in a pack they get bored."
    George raised an eyebrow at her in surprise. "Another troublemaker in the family, I see. Well done."
     Rose looked horror struck at the very thought. "No, of course not! It's just an idea for marketing."
     "Right," George drawled our, smirking slightly. "Good advice, though-I think I'll take that." He rummaged around in his bag, then tossed various objects to the kids. "Alright, so we got disappearing clothes, some new Bertie Botts beans that may get sold in our store, and a personal favorite of mine-"
He handed two small gummies to Teddy and Victoire. "The look-alike. A weak form of poly juice potion that'll transform you for a few seconds into a famous witch or wizard. They come in mystery boxes, so you never know who."
"Teddy doesn't need that," Al protested. "He can already transform himself."
"Oh, right! Blimey, I forgot. You then, Victorie."
Victoire eyed the gummy skeptically. "Dad says that stuff tastes horrible."
"Yeah, but this is loads better, believe me. Might want to eat it quickly, though."
Victorie seemed to brace herself before she swallowed, immediately grimacing as her face appeared to shift. Her smooth skin suddenly added wrinkles, her beautiful hair became dark. Another inch higher, and she transformed into Professor Mcgonagall.
The whole room exploded into laughter.
"You could give Henri detention!" James wheezed, bent over from laughing so hard.
"CAKE TIME," Mrs. Weasley called from downstairs, and Teddy was almost lost in the stampede of kids and George as everyone rushed out of the room. Soon the only people left in the room were Victorie and Teddy. He meant to leave with the others, but for whatever reason his feet remained firmly planted where he was.
    "Are you coming?" Victorie asked as she walked towards the door.
     That seemed to jolt him out of his frozen state. "Er-yeah."
     She watched him approach with a raised eyebrow. "You know, you're the most reluctant person I've ever seen at a birthday party. Don't you like them?"
     "Yeah, they're fine," Teddy explained hastily. "I just...don't like the spotlight."
      Victorie laughed at that. "No kidding. I still don't get why, though."
      Not sure how to respond, he simply shrugged, but by then they had reached the bottom of the stairs. Quickly, they rushed to the table, where the others were waiting impatiently. "Come on already," Hugo complained. "I'm starving."
Teddy braced himself, then walked into a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday" by many off-tune voices. He may not like being the center of attention, but he did love being a part of something. As he laughed along with them and made his way into the dining room, he couldn't help wishing he could stay here for just a bit longer before going to back. As much as he loved Hogwarts, it was here where he truly felt home, around his family and smiling faces. It was only here where he could feel whole, and filled up with the familiar voices and people around him. He wasn't sure how he'd make it at Hogwarts without this.
Harry then caught his glance and winked. Knowing what he was referring to, Teddy smiled back and patted his pocket to show that the map was safe with him.
Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

QOTD: Lupin or Sirius(ugh I know I can't answer that one)

Also, what do you think Teddy meant by this year being "not as bad"? Any thoughts?

Last thing: honest opinion: how was this chapter, one to ten(lol I sound like George oh well)