Teddy Lupin and the Shrieking Shack: Ch. 3 Sept. 1, 2013

Sept 1, 2013

Teddy Lupin and his godfather, Harry Potter, stepped through the barrier into platform 9 ¾ to the sound of the Hogwarts Express smoke billowing loudly out and the clatter of voices each wishing their own family good-bye.

“Oi Teddy,” It was Teddy’s best friend and fellow Gryffindor fifth year, Orion James. Orion was a red-cheeked and skinny brown-haired boy who spent most of his time chasing after unattainable girls or getting in trouble with Teddy and their other friends. Orion was outgoing and talkative and he often flirting the line between enjoyable and annoying but Teddy and him at been almost inseparable since they were nine years old. Orion lived down the road from Teddy’s house where he lived with his grandmother.

Teddy was just about to join Orion but Harry gently grabbed Teddy by the shoulder and guided him behind one of the pillars.
“What’s up?” Teddy asked his godfather as he bent down slightly to be at eye level with Teddy’s handsome but skinny and angular face. Harry pulled something out of his pocket and placed it into Teddy’s hands.

“This is something I been meaning to give you, it belonged to both our fathers.” Harry explained Teddy looked at the thing is hands only to realize it was an old tattered looking piece of parchment. “I know it doesn’t look like, well anything, but it’s a map. A map of what that is for you to find out, it will reveal itself to you by simply saying these words while pointing your wand at it ‘I solemnly swear that I am up to no good’.” Teddy rolled the paper in his hands and looked back up at Harry still very confused. It wasn’t unlike Harry to do something like this; one of the perks of having a young Auror godfather was that he tended to give Teddy a certain amount of leniency with rules and discipline but never so much as to hand him a piece paper where he had to swear disobedience to simply use it. Some of this must have obviously shown on his face because of what Harry said next, “I hope you won’t be, but I won’t lie and say whenever I used it wasn’t but we all can’t be taking down the darkest wizard of all time, now can we?” Harry winked at him as he said this, “The reason I’m giving this to you Ted is because it was passed down to me and it is only right that it would go to you and you happen to know the what you should and should not do, but nevertheless this is yours now.” One of the first warning sirens went off on the train and Harry stood back up again and grabbed some of Teddy’s belongings. “Now let’s get going.”

Harry and Teddy came to close to the train and Harry handed the rest of Teddy’s things to him and patted him on the shoulder. “Alright get going mate.” Teddy took his stuff and went to go join Orion who was waiting for him to enter the train, but Harry had one last thing to say, “Oh Teddy, because you will be wondering in the future your father is Moony.” Teddy was now more confused than ever but, “Now get going Ted, you don’t want to miss the train. Oh look there’s Bill and Fleur.”

Harry drifted over to his red-headed brother-in-law and beautiful sister-in-law. They were standing with the extremely pretty daughter, Victorie, who smiled bashfully at Teddy, whose heart started to beat faster and he was sure that had nothing to do with the mysterious and magical map in his hands.

“What was that all about?” Orion asked as Teddy finally joined him.

“Tell you later,” Teddy muttered stuffing the parchment in his pocket.


“Oi hold on,” a hand forced itself into the compartment just as Orion was about to shut the door. Teddy held his breath anxious waiting to see who the hand belonged to but it was revealed to be his other best friend, Archimedes.

Archimedes, known as Archie by all except his parents, was a Ravenclaw but he didn’t look like the typical bookish and brainy type. Archie was broad and muscular in stark contrast to the rather skinny Orion and Teddy. Archie was the beater of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team this was only worth mentioning because he whacks with the Bludger had sent a school record of twenty players to the Hospital Wing, with mild to serious injuries. The only real time Archie spent outside the Quidditch Pitch or with Teddy and Orion was holed up in library hunched over the most ancient looking volume he could find.

Archie murmured signs of greetings to his friends and managed to sit down against the window. Orion was just about to close the door but this time a more slender and distinctly feminine hand jabbed its way in. Teddy’s breathing was momentarily stopped but it was revealed to be Syd. Syd (real name Sydney) was a Muggle born Gryffindor fifth year who had recently become a member of their gang, due to her spirited and adventurous attitude and Orion’s (although he denied it vehemently to everyone [but Teddy]) crush on her.

Syd walked across the compartment and plopped herself next to Archie so she was facing Teddy. “What’s up with you? You look like that time we caught Filch and Madam Pince snogging in that deserted classroom.” There was a collective shutter between all of them but it was Orion who spoke first as he went to go sit next to Teddy.

“He is trying to keep away from Annie.” Teddy punched Orion in the shoulder hard, “Ow! Whatcha do that for?!”

“You don’t need to tell the whole school,” Teddy said grumpily.

“What? You think I’m going to tell her,” Syd said half-laughing, “Yeah that’s likely, because believe it or not Ted, I don’t like to hang around with people whose laugh sounds like a dying hyena mating with a dolphin.” She then did a cruel but very accurate impression of Annie’s laugh that sent them all into laughter, although Teddy thought that Orion laughed a little more than the situation required. Once the laughter subsided Syd spoke again, “I’m a little confused isn’t she girlfriend?”

“Technically, yes,” Teddy admitted reluctantly. It was true that Annie had been his girlfriend since the last part of their fourth year after his previous girlfriend Monica had dumped him. Annie at the onset of their relationship had been fun, cute and very cute. Once Teddy and her spent more and more time together he realized that he would never care who was on the cover of Witch Weekly every single week or want constantly being pressed by Annie and her equally “girly” friends about his famous godfather. But she could hardly still count as his girlfriend as Teddy had spent most of the previous summer ignoring her owls and the one time she shown up at his house he got his grandmother to lie and say he was over Orion’s with Archie. Archie and Orion explained as much to Sydney as Teddy quietly contemplating the best way to break up with his quasi-girlfriend.

The train rolled on for a while with the four friends laughing and joking but soon the topic turned to what Orion had been waiting to talk about since they stepped into the empty compartment and Teddy knew it was coming because of the expression that Orion wore that Teddy knew all too well.

“So what was it that Harry gave you on the platform?” Orion said grinning, his stupid but still lovable (in a way) grin.

“What!” Syd exclaimed.

“Why didn’t you say something?!” Archie exclaimed looking from Orion and Teddy waiting for an answer.

“I don’t even know if it is anything … really” Teddy said his voice trailing off.

“Sure, if my world-famous, rich, talented, Auror godfather who defeated the greatest dark wizard of all time gave me something it probably wouldn’t be anything either.” Syd said bitingly sarcastic. “Come on show us.”

It was rather anti-climatic Teddy thought as he pulled out the old ratted piece of parchment and presented it to his friends. They all stared it open-mouthed stealing several glances at Teddy as if to ask ‘This is it?’. Teddy grinning quietly to himself over his friend’s dumbstruck look and hoped it would work as he took out his wand and placed it firmly on the page.

“I solemnly swear I am up to no good.”

At first nothing occurred but slowly curly old-time looking green words scrawled across the page.

Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present
The Marauder’s Map


Teddy mouthed the word “Moony”, awestruck but quickly those words faded away to reveal the most amazing thing Teddy Lupin and his young group of friends had ever seen.

“Is that what I think?”

“Bloody Hell,”

“Can you imagine?”

“Is that McGonagall?”

A fully detailed and almost living map of the entire castle of Hogwarts had materialized before them. It was detailed with every room imaginable, some of which Teddy and his friends had never imagined existed. The most awe-inspiring of the map was the tiny labeled moving dots that obviously everyone in the castle and their movements. As Teddy inspected the map further his friends jabbed in their hands into his viewpoint drawing to specific aspects.

“There’s Flitwick down in the Great Hall with the rest of them they must be getting ready for the feast.”

“And Neville’s going downstairs to meet the first years, are we really that close?”
There was low screech of the end of the compartment and a slender hand had opened the door and the owner was stepping inside. She was a tall and attractive brunette whose shiny hair draped over her shoulders and framed her face that was heavily decorated with make-up. She stared directly at Teddy, who had just seconds before stuffed the map in his pants pocket.

“Teddy, can we talk,” Annie said in a serious tone that was quite unusual for the giddy and perky Hufflepuff.

There was deathly and awkward silence as Teddy got up from his seat and joined her in the hall.