The Secrets of the Map

The Intruder

"Teddy, wait," Rose hissed, but he was already tearing after the sound, wand at the ready. The last time he had heard Victoire scream like that was when she had walked in on an unconscious Mr. Weasley, when he had a near-fatal heart attack. This one held the same note of surprise and panic.
    He heard footsteps behind him that confirmed his suspicions that Rose was following him, but laid no mind to her. Instead, he barged into a compartment full of Hufflepuff's who were her age. "Where's Victoire?" He asked the stunned compartment.
A girl with black hair wordlessly pointed to the right, and Teddy hurried off in that direction, no longer running and instead struggling to keep quiet.
    "She might be in the bathroom," Rose whispered from behind. "That could have made her scream echo. Should I check?"
    Teddy nodded, and she slipped inside a door at the end of the car. "She's here," Rose called, and Teddy went inside, almost collapsing with relief. Victoire was alive, and sitting down against the sink, her wand out in her trembling hand.
    "Thank God," Teddy breathed, dropping down next to her. "What happened?"
    "There was a man," she said, her face paler than usual. "When I came out of the stall, I saw him. He had a horrible face...all scarred up."
     "How's you see him if the lights went out?" asked Rose suspiciously.
      "He was using his wand as a light," Victoire explained. "I asked what he was doing, and he just grinned at me."
      "What'd he do to you?" Teddy asked, confused as he surveyed her. Other than a pale countenance, she appeared to be fine. Then he noticed her arm hidden behind her back, and gently brought it forward. To his shock, he saw an ugly, deep cut on he arm that was bleeding.
     "He did that after I hexed him," she explained. "I'm fine, really. He just startled me."
"Stinging hex?" Teddy confirmed. That was a favorite of hers.
She stared at him, probably curious how he guessed that. "Yes."
      "Where'd he go?" Rose asked, sounding uncannily like her mother with her sharp tone.
     "He disapparated," Victoire admitted. "He could be anywhere."
      "What could he possibly be doing in a bathroom?" Teddy wondered aloud. "Was he a student?"
     "No, definitely not. He looked like he was in his twenties at least," she corrected, standing up. "We need to find him before he does something."
     "Rose, go tell the conductor, will you?" Teddy asked, standing up as well. "I'll search the car-see if he's still around."
      "You mean 'we'," Victoire corrected coldly. "I'm no damsel-besides, you'll need me to recognize him."
     "You sure?" Teddy asked, somewhat awkwardly.
     "Positive. You should be, too," she added acidly, purposely brushing past him.
     Rose shook her head exasperatedly at him and went out after Victoire.
                             ****
Together they searched the car and the next one, but despite their efforts they still didn't find the mysterious man. On the bright side, the power came back on, and the train started to move once again, with the conductor saying his apologies on the loudspeaker.
    Eventually the conductor came and found them, and after a series of questions finally let them go, requesting that Victoire meet with some aurors when they got off the train.
     "Finally," Victoire muttered when he left. "I thought he'd never leave."
     Teddy nodded. "Did he say how long it'll take with the aurors."
     "No, which means at least an hour." Victoire sighed impatiently, and blew a loose strand of hair out of her face. She paused by her compartment, and Teddy stopped as well. His brain told him to go and sit with his friends, but his feet remained frozen right next to her.
     She looked at him in puzzlement, and Teddy felt his face flush. "Your friends are that way, right?"
     "Er-yeah," he admitted, his feet finally able to move. Reluctantly, he began to walk away. "See ya."
     She might have waved, but by the time he turned around, she was already in the compartment.
                             ****
        When the train stopped at Hogwarts, his friends were still questioning him about what happened. "So a man attacked Victoire?" Heather asked.
     "No, Victoire attacked him first," Teddy explained again, growing annoyed. "And no, we have no idea who it was. Only Victoire saw him."
     "Whoever he was, he's a creep," Victory declared, shouldering her bag as they started to join the mass getting off the train. "Hanging out near the girls bathroom-wonder how he got on? Blimey, Heather, did you forget your wand-"
"It fell out of my pocket," Heather protested defensively as Tom handed it to her, shaking his head. For some reason, Tom was grinning as he looked at her even when Victory began talking again.
They made their way to the carriages, and Teddy hugged Hagrid. "Ello, there, Teddy," Hagrid said happily. "How ya doin? Heard the train stopped."
"Yeah, there was a man on there. We don't know who he is or where he went."
Hagrid frowned. "Blimey, that's not good. I'll be sure ter tell McGonagall."
"Have you seen Victoire?" Teddy asked, but by then the mass of first years had more or less pushed him away, and Hagrid didn't seem to hear him as he barked the usual orders. "Firs' years, firs' years-!"
Reluctantly, he retreated to the carriage, where his friends were waiting. They entire way they joked and told summer stories. Alejandro's were always the best because of his dramatic storytelling, and this year he told of how his Great Uncle Ricardo got stuck on a roof after chasing a cat.
Teddy mostly just smiled and laughed while simultaneously looking out the window. He forgot to look for Al. Hopefully James hadn't completely ditched him. As they rode further, the great castle emerged, and Teddy was once again welcomed by its glowing warm lights. Those lights always reminded him of a warm fireplace, and gave him the comfort of home. It was usually here in this moment that Teddy understood Harry's passion for this school the most.
Suddenly he noticed that Tom wasn't listening to the conversation either, and was instead craning his neck towards the front of the carriage. "Can you see them?" He asked, and Tom's head snapped around. "The threstrals," Teddy clarified.
"Oh, is that what they are?" Tom asked, turning back. "They're kinda strange looking, don't you think?"
"I wouldn't know," Teddy admitted. "I can't see them."
"Then how'd you know they were there?" He asked, confused.
"Harry told me about them. Only people who have seen someone die can see those."
Tom's expression fell. "Oh." He turned back to the creatures. "Cheery way to welcome people."
"I'm told they're pretty friendly," Teddy admitted. The question of whose death Tom had witnessed was nagging him, but Teddy knew there was no way Tom would tell him with all of these laughing people around him. So instead, Teddy gave him a grim smile, and Tom returned it.
When they reached the Great Hall, the Gryffindors and Slytherins immediately began pushing around as they rushed towards their seats. "Gits," Victory muttered, but Teddy kept his mouth shut.
When they finally found their seats, Teddy was surprised to see Victoire already sitting with the Hufflepuffs. "That was quick," Teddy remarked to her.
Victoire shrugged. "I couldn't give them much of a description, so they just sent me back."
"In other words, you used your veela powers," Teddy corrected, grinning.
She flashed him a mischievous smile that could've been a tad flirtatious. "Maybe."
"Well, at least you're safe."
"I had it under control, you know. I don't need you to save me every time," she retorted.
"Henri you probably could have handled. The man on the other hand...I had no way of knowing."
Victoire glanced at him curiously right as a shorter figure came barreling over. "Teddy!" James exclaimed, breathless. "You fought off a criminal?"
Teddy blinked. "No, I didn't even see him-"
"Look for him on the map," James interrupted hurriedly, clearly not listening.
"What map?" Victoire asked, but James had already rushed back to his table.
"Nothing," Teddy told her, but when he sat down next to his friends he discreetly pulled it out. It too risky for him to look while Headmaster McGonagall gave her speech, but if he did it during the first years sorting he might get away with it.
Quickly he tapped the map with his wand, feeling a tad nervous as he broke the rules. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."
Immediately, the map appeared, and Teddy quickly opened it. Everyone appeared to be in the Great Hall, and he immediately shook his head at himself as he realized how obvious that was. But as he looked closer, he saw a startling name-a name that had been killed long ago in the Battle of Hogwarts.
Fenrir Greyback.