The Secrets of the Map

The Secret

For a moment, time seemed to stand still as Teddy gaped at the name. He had heard it mentioned many times before, about how Greyback was a follower of Voldemort they fought at the battle of Hogwarts, but whenever Teddy entered the room the conversation immediately changed. Maybe they thought Greyback's unspeakable acts were too much for Teddy, but for the life of him he could never get a straight answer out of them. Even Harry refused to speak of him, saying that he was long gone and good riddance for that.
    But according to the map, he wasn't.
   Teddy watched Greyback wander around another hallway upstairs, and then strangely seemed to disappear. Teddy frowned, turning the map to see where he went, but he was nowhere to be seen.
     Dimly he became aware of the drop in volume across the Great Hall, and quickly put it away as Professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium. Teddy waved to Hagrid again, but kept his real focus on her. As usual, she radiated authority with her gray-streaked hair in a tight bun underneath her hat and shrewd spectacles, and her magnificent emerald-green robe embroided with gold sparkles. Teddy overheard Harry mention of how strange it was to think of a Hogwarts without Dumbledore, but honestly Teddy couldn't imagine one without Professor McGonagall.
     "Welcome first years, and all those returning," she spoke up, her voice ringing clear throughout the Hall. "I trust you have enjoyed your holidays, and hopefully you will enjoy your year at Hogwarts as well. As whimsical and enlightening this year will be, there are some usual ground rules everyone must follow. The first is that the 3rd corridor on the right hand side is out of bounds for a good reason, and unless you wish to have another experience like Harry Potter you would do well to stay away. Rest assured that there is nothing of great importance hidden there, only old artifacts that are frail and unpredictable towards its users." Her gaze rested on James Potter, who was already grinning, and Teddy could've sworn he saw her sigh slightly through her nose. "The Forbidden Forest is also out of bounds unless you are accompanied by a teacher, and this is also for your own safety as centaurs do not take kindly to strangers on their land. Once you cross into their territory there is little we can do to bring you back." She cast everyone a stern, unwavering look that clearly meant she had experience with troublemakers and it would be wise not to cross her. "Lastly, Professor Trelawny, Madam Pince, and  Professor Slughorn have asked me to remind you all once again that their private offices and restricted offices are restricted for a reason, so please do not venture there. Those who have attempted this in the past should know that these have also been booby-trapped with George Weasley's pranks, and include stinging hexes, canary dust, Peruvian darkness powder, and many more. So unless you wish to be caught red-handed you would do well to stay away."
Teddy withheld a laugh at the outraged look on James' face, and how quickly he and his friend began whisper-ranting, no doubt furious that George had more or less betrayed them. "These are the only prank items I have allowed, and punishments for rule breaking will have stricter consequences this year."
    Teddy's face became heated as he slid the map under his knee. He wasn't like James or Harry or George-to him, rules were not just boundaries but also a way of life here. Suddenly he envisioned himself being caught with this map, with Harry and his grandparents talking in low, astonished tones to Professor McGonagall, and his gut wrenched at the thought. Would he be expelled?
    He also saw some first years looking more nervous than before, and perhaps McGonagall did as well because she even smiled as she gestured grandly towards the hat. "On the brighter side, the hat once again has a new song for this year."
      The frayed hat opened its mouth, but Teddy couldn't help zoning out during the song. As clever as they were, they also grew a bit tiresome to hear year after year. Teddy glanced at the Gryffindor table to see Al's reaction, but surprisingly could not find him there. Confused, he scanned the table, eventually coming to the conclusion that Al must be shorter than he thought.
     Finally, he became aware that the song had ended, and McGonagall raised her arms. "Let the Feast begin!"
    "Finally," Alejandro moaned as the food appeared, and everyone dug in. Teddy quickly grabbed some roast beef, potatoes, and rolls before his peers could, and ate it slower than usual as he mulled over the map.
     Then he felt a nudge on his arm. "So how about that Potter kid, huh?" Tom asked. "I never would have guessed."
    Teddy opened his mouth, about to ask what James did this time, when Heather added, "Yeah, that was crazy. Even the Slytherins don't know what to think about it."
     "You think he's safe there?" Tom worried. "With the kids of all Mr. Potter's enemies?"
     Finally, Teddy caught on, and glanced in alarm at the Slytherin table, where he finally found Al, sitting next to Draco's kid. How did he get sorted into the same House as Henri, Teddy thought, dumbfounded. "His middle name is Severus, who was a Slytherin headmaster," He pointed out, nonetheless straining to be optimistic. "That might help him out. And he's always been a bit...different than his siblings."
      "Well if he gets on the Quidditch team, we're screwed," Alejandro groaned. "His dad was the best seeker they ever had, and his mom was a professional player. And James is a pretty good seeker, too."
     "I wouldn't worry about it," Teddy replied evenly, watching Al out of the corner of his eye. He was hunched over, looking unsure of why he was there. "He's never been that much into sports."
     Victory frowned as she looked at Al. "If he didn't look like Mr. Potter, I'd have guessed he was adopted."
      Teddy wasn't sure how to reply to this. The truth was, he had often thought this himself, but hadn't seen the point in announcing it until now. Al was simply not like anyone else in the family, even before the sorting.
    Thankfully the conversation lapses into Quidditch once again, and Teddy tuned out, only nodding and smiling at certain parts. Privately, he made up his mind of what to do. First Hogsmeade trip, he'd bring Al back something and talk to him.
     And while he was at it, he might as well find James and figure out this map. He couldn't help glancing st the parchment, and wondering if he had truly seen the name.  Whatever the case, this year at Hogwarts would definitely be different.
                             ****
      "Come on, let's talk to Al," Victoire muttered to Teddy as they stood up and waited to exit the Great Hall. Gryffindor was leaving first, then Ravenclaw, so they still had some time.
Teddy nodded, for some reason unable to meet her eyes, and followed her over to the Slytherins. Immediately talking ceased amongst the first years as they approached, their eyes trailing back to Al, who was red in the face. Teddy suddenly wished they hadn't come, since they were obviously embarrassing him, but it was too late now.
      "Hey, Al," he said, giving him a hug while scanning the crowd. Thankfully Henri and his hooligans were faced the other direction. "That was...surprising."
     "Dad won't like it," he muttered, breaking away.
    "He'll have to get used to it," Victoire said firmly. "And he will-it'll just be new for everyone."
     "Besides, now you won't have to cheer for your brother at matches," Teddy added, earning a faint smile out of him.
"You can bunk by me, if you want," said Draco's kid. What was his name? Oh, yeah, Scorpious. He was a spitting image of his father, which made it slightly unsettling when he smiled.
"Yeah, I suppose," Al replied, and turned his back on Victoire and Teddy without saying goodbye.
Victoire shook her head, and when Al was out of range she muttered, "He's right, though-Harry's not going to like this."
Teddy didn't think so, but didn't have time to voice his opinion as they headed back towards the Hufflepuffs. He tried to catch up to her, but she had already gone off with her girlfriends, leaving him behind.
When they reached their Common Room, Teddy made sure to room close to Tom and Alejandro before he unpacked. As he did so, he noticed a small, nervous first year with brown hair peeking throwing the door.
"You found a bunk alright?" Teddy asked to break the silence.
The boy nodded, and Teddy quickly realized that this was not the reason for the stare or hovering. Nor was it the reason for the other three older boys behind him.
Teddy paused in the middle of unpacking his socks, and stood up. "What's the matter?"
"Are you really a werewolf?" The boy whispered, and immediately the older boys smacked him, muttering about being rude, and Teddy's face burned when he realized they had talked about this before.
Still, he held his temper. "No. I'm a metamorphus, though."
"What's that?" The boy asked eagerly.
"Means I can change my appearance whenever I want," Teddy replied, making his hair turn from blue to pink and secretly feeling pleased at how the boy stared, openmouthed in amazement. The boys behind quickly departed, and even if they were rude Teddy wished they had stayed. Going away means that they would talk about him behind his back. The younger ones he could always distract by throwing the metamorphus fun fact out there, but the older ones heard the rumors and believed them.
"How's you do that?" The boy asked in amazement.
"Dunno. I was born with it, and so was my mum."
The boy's face spread into a wide smile. "Wicked. Wait, could you turn into a teacher?"
Teddy demonstrated with his Professor McGonagall, but gave up when the strain was too much. "Kind of, but specific faces are harder. I can't hold them that long."
"That's awesome." He hesitated before asking in a too-casual voice, "Aren't...werewolf genes genetic?"
Here we go. "Sometimes. I'm not a werewolf, if that's what you're thinking?"
"But then how did you hurt that girl last year?" He pressed.
"That wasn't me." Teddy stared at the boy to make his point, but unfortunately the kid didn't look convinced.
"Oh, okay." He cleared his throat to fill the awkward silence. "Well... see you around,"
"See ya." It wasn't until after the boy had left that Teddy realized he had never asked he boy's name.
A pool of dread began to sink within his chest. The mean ones, usually from Slytherin, who spread the rumors he could take, because they were just gits. But his fellow Hufflepuffs who were genuinely afraid but would never say so always hurt him far more than any bully. He always wanted to just shake them, make them believe that he wasn't the monster they claimed. But secrets never stayed where they were supposed to.
Holding back a sigh, he finished unpacking his suitcase before taking out the map and inspecting it again. No Fenrir Greyback could be seen yet, but Teddy still wanted to show James tomorrow.
Suddenly Alejandro called his name, and Teddy quickly stuffed the map in his drawer and headed downstairs. He had once heard a rumor that Hufflepuffs were good at finding things. Hopefully he'd be good at finding people as well.

QOTDs:
1. what do you think happened between Teddy and the girl?
2. If you could go to Hogwarts, which part would you be the most excited to see/do?(Quidditch, moving staircases, Hogsmeade, etc) Mine would hands-down be Quidditch.

Anyways, that's it for this chapter-thanks for being patient, everyone!