“What?”

“You heard me, Mr. Lupin. Right now Jonah Crickmey has it. And next Deidre Patil and Gunther Jones get it.” Madam Chang said, irritably. “Patience is a virtue, Mr. Lupin, remember that.”

“But I’ve been on the list for a month!” Teddy whined. It had been awhile since his Halloween detention. He resisted the urge to hex her.

“Well we’ll see about that, shall we?” Madam Chang snapped. She flicked her wand and a piece of ragged parchment zipped into her hands. “Ah, yes, says here you’ve been on the waiting list for three and a half weeks. The Battle of Hogwarts is in high demand.”

Teddy glared at the librarian. He allowed his hair to turn a violent red in anger. “My aunt wrote that book! Hermione Granger!”

Madam Chang scowled as she sorted through a stack of ancient looking volumes. “Hermione Granger does not run this library. And may I add, either do you!” she hissed.

“But—but you’re Cho Chang! Surely you know something about the battle! You were there!”  Teddy yelled.

“Quiet!” Madam Chang snapped. “Sure I was at the Battle. I was brave enough to fight against the Dark Lord. But I didn’t do it for Harry or precious Hermione.” She sighed. “I fought for Cedric…”

Teddy remembered Harry telling him about the seventh year Hufflepuff boy named Cedric Diggory who had been killed at the hands of Voldemort. He shuddered, glad there was no mad killer on the loose. But there could be, he thought to himself. The Death Eater who killed my parents…

He shook his head to dismiss the dark thought. He had no idea who killed his parents and for all he knew they were dead or locked up in Azkaban Prison for a lifetime. He clenched his fists. How could someone be cruel enough to orphan a boy, what, a week or two after they were born? Teddy shook his head again, but this time pushed the thought to the back of his mind. He made a mental note to tell Rowel and Meggie about these dark thoughts tumbling in his brain.

“Now I suggest you leave.” Madam Chang said. “The book will be waiting for you in, perhaps, two months?”

Teddy bit his bottom lip to stop from letting loose a rampage of retorts. He turned on his heel and stalked out of the library passing the many shelves of countless books.

Meggie and Rowel were waiting outside in the corridor. They both looked up glad to see him back.

“Where’s the book?”

“Did you get it?”

“Nope.” Teddy sighed and set off down the corridor. His friends caught up to him. “Still on the bloody waiting list!”

“Should’ve asked me.” Meggie clucked shaking her head like a disappointed professor.

“You sent the book back to your parent’s weeks ago!” Teddy reminded her.

“Why don’t you write to Hermione?” Rowel suggested. “I’m sure she has a copy. But, Teddy, why do you even need that book? Harry’s told you a fat lot more than that book could.”

Teddy didn’t answer. The only reason he wanted the book was to find out what he could about his parents or at least see their pictures. He couldn’t tell Meggie and Rowel that, though. They headed down the stairs towards the basement passing portraits of ancient pharaohs, royal queens, brave knights and centaurs.

Soon they approached a large painting of a bowl of fruit. Outside a small little creature stood tickling the pear. The pear let out a high pitched giggle and the painting swung open revealing a kitchen chock full of bustling House Elves. The House Elf outside squeaked as she spotted them and skittered inside.

Teddy, Rowel, and Meggie tapped the barrels to enter the common room. The common room was loud as always on Saturday evenings. A group of rowdy seventh years were serving Canary Creams from Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes joke shop to some younger students. Teddy watched as a chubby boy began sprouting vibrant yellow wings and soon was a tiny twittering bird. The common room erupted with laughter.

“Where are the prefects?”  Rowel said and took a seat at an empty table. “I swear they should’ve chosen me instead of Henry and Jessica!”

“We don’t need good prefects.” Meggie said and kicked her legs up on the table. “We’ve got a bogus Head Boy.”

“Teddy!” called a voice from across the room. He turned and saw Abigal Bones. She was a pretty girl with sandy hair in a wavy ponytail with bright green eyes. “Get ready for practice!”

He slapped his forehead. He had totally forgotten Quidditch Practice tonight! “I’m—I’m getting ready—or I will. Yeah, right now. I’ll go get ready.” He stuttered, nervously bumping into Henry McGyver as he came down the stairs from the dormitory. He was the Hufflepuff seeker and not quite a good one at that.

“Ready for practice, there, mate?” Henry said, grinning. “Just be quiet up there. Dustin’s fast asleep.” Dustin was Abigal’s twin brother.

“Got it.” Teddy said as Henry walked off.

“Why are you so nervous around, Abigal?” Meggie asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m not!” He retorted sounding harsher than he meant to. “I was just embarrassed about forgetting Quidditch…There’s been something on my mind…”

Meggie narrowed her eyes but didn’t respond. Teddy hurried up the stairs to the dormitory, his face burning red. He was just glad to get out of that awkward situation.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teddy hurried into the Quidditch locker room where the team awaited him. At the front of the room the captain, Lyon Burke stood. He was a burly sixth year with blonde hair and gray eyes.

“Good we can get started.” He said promptly. “As we all know we lost against Ravenclaw.”

The team exchanged wary looks, concerned for their chances at winning the cup. Teddy sat down in between Kiara Chance, a tall sixth year chaser with dark skin and long black hair, and Andrew Nilon, the seventh year beater with jet black hair and dark hazel eyes. Beside him was Harvey Chadburry the other beater. He was a small third year with dark brown shaggy hair and light blue eyes. Henry and Abigal sat next to him.

“But it’s not over yet, is it team?” Lyon cheered. “We can beat Slytherin in December and bam! We have it in the bag!”

“Er—what about Gryffindor?” Kiara asked.

“And then we beat Gryffindor and then we have it in the bag!” Lyon chanted. Abigal raised her hand politely. “What now?”

“Don’t we need to beat Ravenclaw again to truly make it to the finals? Well that depends on if Gryffindor beats them this weekend and—”

“We’re gonna win!” Lyon cheered a tone of finality in his voice. “Anyway I’ve come up with some new plays to outsmart Slytherin.” He whipped out his wand and mumbled something. Now, his wand acted like a quill, leaving behind gold writing. “As you can see we’ll have give and go tactics. Just like in basketball!”

The team blinked at him, confused. Harvey, however, nodded. Probably a muggle- born thing, Teddy decided.

“So I’ll pass to Abby and she’ll pass it back to me. This’ll help us get to the keeper’s weak spot. Ravenclaw did that against us and it’s very effective.” He shot a look at Teddy.

Teddy resisted the strong urge to yell that it wasn’t his fault Henry couldn’t see the snitch. He bit his lip again. He blanked out the rest of the meeting, not concerned with chaser affairs.

“Let’s head out!” Lyon said at last.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~'

Teddy walked out of the greenhouses that Monday carrying a periwinkle colored plant. It looked beautiful from a distance but it really was a Snap Dragon—a wizarding plant that could bite, breath fire, and attack. He held it a distance from his body as he walked back into the castle.

Professor Longbottom had assigned them the project of caring for the “little devils” as Meggie had said. His Snap Dragon was biting at the air as if there was nothing more appetizing. He figured he’d just lock it up in the dormitory until the project was over.

Nearby, Rowel was nursing a swollen finger from a bite as Jessica Graye, another Hufflepuff fifth year, was tickling her purple Snap Dragon. Meggie had simply covered her Snap Dragon in a glove she stole from the greenhouses.

“Worst project ever!” Rowel shouted showing Teddy his finger. “What was he thinking?

“Mental.” Teddy agreed. “Completely mental. So are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?”

“Actually no.” Rowel said. “I can’t. I’m working on something for the W.I.I.C. The Wizard’s International Invention Convention. Proffesor Brindyhook personally asked me! Do you believe it?”

“Amazing.” Teddy sighed. “Who am I going to go with?”

“Meggie?” Rowel suggested.

Teddy rolled his eyes. “Sure. Like she’s not gonna sleep all weekend again!”

Rowel glanced at him. “Abigal?”

Teddy turned abruptly. “Abigal?”

“She’s your friend, isn’t she?”

“I suppose, but—”

“Just ask. What’s the worst that can happen? She says no?”

“Fine.” Teddy snapped. He walked over to Abigal who was struggling with her vivid orange Snap Dragon. “Oy! Abigal!”

She turned looking exasperated. “What is it?”

“I don’t suppose you’d want to go to Hogsmeade with me this weekend would you?” Teddy crossed his fingers behind his back silently praying.

Her face lit up. “Sure! I need someone to go with. Jessica has some project for—”

“W.I.I.C.” They said together with a laugh.

“Sounds fun! Meet me at the entrance hall, then.” She smiled. “We can talk about tactics for the Slytherin game.”

Teddy nodded as she walked off. He turned back to Rowel who’s jaw was dropped in shock. “You just got Abigal Bones to go with you to Hogsmeade! Abigal Bones!”

Teddy couldn’t help but grin. “We’re going as friends. What’s the big deal?” He said casually.

Rowel just shook his head in amazement as they continued down the hall with their Snap Dragons. “Well, I’m not saying it’s that big of a deal but loads of guys would die to be in your position right now, mate.” He said. “But not me.” Rowel added quickly.

Teddy just laughed his mind swirling. Was it really considered a date? If so, was Abigal his girlfriend? He shook his head quickly. Even if it was a date he wouldn’t take it that far. They were going as friends—nothing more nothing less.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Teddy’s eyelids drooped over his hazel eyes as the heat of the History of Magic classroom reached him. The rest of the class was just as inattentive as he, their heads resting on the desks, snoring and doodling z’s on their paper. Rowel was one of the few who was taking notes but even he couldn’t help from yawning now and again. Professor Binns, an ancient ghost, was hovering by his desk droning on about Squib Revolutions.

Teddy lazily yawned and let his head slip to the table, as he closed his eyes. He let his mind rest and tuned out Professor Binns’s lecture. However, his relaxation didn’t last long. Rowel  poked him with his quill.

“You’re drooling on my parchment again, Teddy.” Rowel sighed. “Stay to your side.”

Teddy groaned and sat up, slumping in his chair. He decided he might as well gain some knowledge from the class. He allowed himself to hear some of the boring lecture.

“… Hundreds were slaughtered during the Battle of Little Billiard Crossing in Ireland. Many families were torn—wizards and squibs alike. Some took action to revenge their families. The Squibs Vengeance of 271 B.C. was quite a time for revenge, such as the well-known tale of Miggle Farnsworth the squib. He was one of the many who took time to track the murderers of his mother as she was a squib too. He eventually found them and killed them. He wasn’t alone in his endeavors. There was Mogul Bronze, Charrie Denziel, and Gunther Quincy Hardy… You’ll have to look it up in a book sometime.”

Teddy perked his head. Vengeance? His hand shot in the air. Rowel glanced at him in shock. Professor Binns seemed just as surprised.

“Yes Mr. Loopy?”

“I was just wondering if Miggle Farnsworth and—and the others, well did they get into trouble?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I mean, were they caught? Were there consequences?” He asked.

“It was such a bloody affair, Mr. Loopy, no one noticed another death.” Professor Binns said. “Today things are different. Silly question, Tommy.”

Rowel shot Teddy a look. “I’ll tell you later,” He whispered.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 “So what do you want to talk about?” Meggie asked as she tried feeding her Snap Dragon a piece of lint from the carpet. It was nearly midnight and the common room was completely empty besides the three of them by the crackling ashes of the fire.

“Teddy has something to tell us.” Rowel said impatiently, warming his hands by the flame.

“It’s not a big deal.” Teddy said. “I’ve recently been thinking about, well, avenging my parents.” He waited for them to scold him but it never happened.

“Nice!” Meggie exclaimed. “Who did it?”

“That’s just it. I have no idea.” He stared at the dying light from the fireplace. “It’s a stupid thought. I don’t even know my parents. I never have.”

“Teddy, you’re missing the point.” Rowel told him in a serious tone. “There’s a reason you never knew your parents! There’s a reason you live with your God parents instead!” He stood up and paced across the carpet. “Someone did this to you and they should pay.”

“Wait, you think this is a good idea?”

“Well, yeah.” Meggie said, dragging her hand through her hair. “Didn’t Harry avenge his parents? Harry’s always saying how much you remind him of himself so why shouldn’t you follow in his footsteps?”

“I—I don’t know if I can.” Teddy sighed. “I need to get some rest. I can’t think with a tired mind.”

“Teddy you can’t put this off!” Meggie snapped. “This is a brilliant idea! You need this. It’ll give you a new start.” She punched her hand. “It’s payback time.”

“No, no it isn’t.” Teddy said shortly. “It’s not that simple. I wish didn’t even bring it up!” He stormed towards the stairs to the dormitory.

They don’t get it. Teddy thought as he headed up the stairs. I wish they just scolded me. Teddy sighed as he flopped in his bed without unchanging. He had a lot to think about tonight.