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Never Let Go by majestic_ginny

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Chapter Notes:
Right. I should never, ever make any promises about how long another update will take. I have deiced I'm very bad at deadlines and a very bad author for keeping you guys hanging like this. Universities suck. As do assignments and quizzes and life in general.

I am really, really sorry guys. And I'll just say that I will try to write more and update more frequenly, but if I can't remember that I'm not gonna abandon this fic. I'll update when I can, and it might take me a month or two, but I'm not abandoning this. I've got it all planned out. A huge shout out to Pooja/Ginny Weasley Potter for sticking with me and pointing out my mistakes and just bearing with me. And lots of thanks to my student (Nubaira), who is not on MNFF by the way, for giving me some helpful plot points and evil ideas. Love you both.

By the way, the next chapter is done, too. I'll submit that the moment this is accepted. Yay :D.And I've also got a helluva lot of ideas for sequels to Patchwork if anyone's interested, so you might expect some new ficlets coming soon.

Now, enjoy this chapter and don't forget to review!


Two days later came the first of September. Teddy woke with a start early that morning, and for a while he couldn’t remember why the day was important. Once he recalled the date, with a jolt he realized that he would be going to Hogwarts that evening.

Teddy quickly got dressed and made himself some eggs and bacon. As the egg sizzled in the fry-pan, he quickly poured himself a glass of orange juice and quickly drank it, licking his lips to remove the yellow moustache the juice had made. Before the egg could burn, he grabbed a plate from the cabinet and slid the egg from the pan onto the plate, burning a finger in the process. He hissed. He didn’t have time to apply any ointment, though -- he was already late.

Sometimes, he wished he could just hire someone to help him out, but his salary just wasn’t cut out for it. Why had he moved out of his grandmother’s house, anyway?

Gulping down the half-burned bacon and salty egg with a glass of water (how he wished he could have some of Gran’s or Mrs Weasley’s scrumptious breakfast), he donned his work robes sloppily with one hand and Flooed to the Ministry.

He was on the way to Harry’s office when he ran into Williamson. Quite literally. He looked at the old Auror in distaste; Teddy hadn’t forgotten how he had treated James the previous night, and following what he had done to Harry, Teddy wasn’t really eager to greet him with much affection. Mumbling a brusque apology, Teddy tried to sidestep him and continue on his way to Harry’s office.

But Williamson wasn’t ready to let him go. –Where do you think you’re going, Lupin,” he spat, taking Teddy’s name with as much hatred as he could muster.

–To meet the boss,” Teddy replied coolly, emphasizing on Harry’s post. Williamson needed to be reminded of who was in charge, that despite of what he had done, Harry still ran things around the office.

–Whatever for?” the older man asked, his brows furrowed. –You’re a lowly junior assistant, not even a proper field agent. What on earth would you want to meet the Head of the Auror Office for?”

Teddy gritted his teeth. –He asked me to meet him for a case he’s working on.”

–It’s not Miss Weasley’s case, is it?” Williamson asked, narrowing his steely grey eyes. –If I recall correctly, the Minister benched Potter, didn’t he? And if Potter’s no longer on the case, I don’t see any reason why you should linger around. I certainly won’t be consulting you on anything so important.”

Teddy tried to ignore the venom in his voice, fighting hard not to get offended. He was tired of Williamson putting him down like this, of insulting him so blatantly. Why in the name of Merlin was that man so hostile towards him? His father might have been a werewolf, but he was also a hero. And Teddy was proud of him. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated at the way he was treated inferior to everyone else. His parents had died trying to create a new world, a world where people were free from the prejudiced eyes of men like Williamson, regardless of blood status. And here he was, the son of two war heroes, facing the very thing his parents had died trying to stop.

–Mr Williamson, Sir,” Teddy said through gritted teeth, looking into his eyes. –I was the trainee Auror who had achieved highest marks during my qualification exams, both written and practical. I was also the only trainee who had managed to solve a case study that no one except Harry Potter has been able to solve till date. Even if I’m not a senior Auror, I think I’m rather qualified to be in the same room as Mr Potter, don’t you think, Sir?”

Williamson bristled, staring into his eyes. For a second, Teddy thought he’d actually rendered him speechless. And then Williamson took a step forwards and said, his voice low, –When I get Potter kicked out, you will be the first to follow him. Don’t ever show this type of cheek with me again.” And with that, he spun on his heels and strode away, his boots clicking loudly on the wooden floor.

Teddy sighed. He should’ve kept his big trap shut. But one thing did register in his brain, though: Williamson was definitely trying to overthrow Harry. He needed to tell that to him, but there were more important tasks at hand -- like finding Lucy’s killer and getting James out. Muttering to himself, he shuffled to Harry’s office and knocked on the door.

–Come in,” came his godfather’s voice.

Teddy turned the knob and stepped into the cosy office. Harry, his nose buried in a file, motioned for Teddy to take a seat, which he did. Teddy politely waited till Harry was done with the file.

–Yes, Teddy,” Harry acknowledged, folding the file shut and throwing it on top of an ever-growing stack of more files. It neatly arranged itself, all corners perfectly lining up with the ones below, so that the stack of files looked like a mini tower. –Did you find anything new?”

–I asked Misty to schedule a meeting for you with the Egyptian Head of Marketing Strategies to --”

–Teddy,” Harry interrupted. –You know very well which case I’m talking about here.”

Teddy grinned. –I’m off to Hogwarts in a few hours,” he responded. –I’m planning to talk to the Headmaster and a few of the teachers, as well as James’s friends and other housemates. I’m sure they can say something about it.”

Harry nodded, grabbing for his quill as another file materialised in front of him out of thin air. –Ask them any personal stuff, I’m sure James would forgive you if it gets him out of this. He's been stuck in the holding cells for two days, I'm sure he misses his mum's cooking.”

Teddy chuckled. –Sure. I’m not sure how much Professor Longbottom would know, but I’ll make sure to ask James and Lucy’s friends as much as I can. And do you think I should question Madame Patil as well?”

–Do that,” Harry agreed. –Padma must have known something about Lucy’s pregnancy. I’m sure she can tell you a few things.”

–Okay.” Teddy took notes of their conversation in his notebook, and, when he was done, he closed it. He thought about what Williamson had said, and, for a brief moment, wondered whether he ought to tell Harry about it.

Harry already has a lot on his mind, he thought. He decided not to worry Harry any further that he already was. Once they got James back home and found out about Lucy’s murderer, He’d find a way to bring up the matter. Williamson can’t do anything right now, anyway, he concluded.

–Teddy?” Harry said, breaking Teddy out of his reverie. –What is it?”

–Nothing,” Teddy replied. He wasn’t going to tell Harry. –How did Ginny react that night?” he asked instead.

Harry looked grim. –I’ve never seen her angrier in my life. The moment I went home, she started throwing my things at me and said I should start looking for a new home. Half my belongings were in the kitchen before I even stepped inside the house. She kept on going on about how I betrayed our son and wasn’t doing a good enough job. It took me an hour to calm her down and explain things. She still had me sleep in the living room, though.”

–You explained that you’re working on it, right?”

–You know your godmother,” Harry replied, removing his glasses and polishing them. –She’s not going to let this rest till I have James back home. What could I do, though, Teddy?” he asked weakly. –What else could I have done?”

–You did the right thing.” Teddy replied firmly. –As an Auror, you did your job. As a father, you’re doing your job. Don’t worry, Harry, we’ll free him. And we’re gonna find out who really killed Lucy and get her Justice.”


It was eight o clock evening when Teddy flood into the Headmaster’s office later that day. During his time at Hogwarts, he’d been to the office a couple of times. That was during McGonagall’s era. The office had been neat and tidy, with a few strange silvery instruments in one corner, and shelves full of books lining the room. McGonagall didn’t have many pictures or personal items in her office. It was portly and designed in a rather formal manner that was true to her character. It wasn’t the most comfortable of places, but it was effective enough to show troublemakers who was in charge, and polite enough for people on more business-like affairs.

Professor Longbottom, though, had redecorated the office to his liking. Warm colours filled the room, starting from the sunset-coloured curtains to the ruby-red carpet. A nice fire cackled in the hearth, the mantelpiece full of pictures of Longbottom’s family. Shelves were lined with books related to Herbology, and some uncommon plants resided in pots on the windowsills and desks. The only things constant between his tenure and that of the previous Heads were the pictures on the walls -- the portraits of all previous headmasters. Teddy could see the paintings of Professor Dumbledore snoring peacefully, his head resting against his frame, while Professor Snape stared at him over his hooked nose, a frown knitting his brows. The largest portrait belonged to professor McGonagall, who was look at him intently, and Teddy could swear he saw a thin smile on her lips.

Below her portrait, sitting on the headmaster’s chair, was Professor Longbottom himself.

–Teddy,” he smiled, standing up as Teddy approached him and extended his hand, which Teddy shook. Longbottom then motioned for Teddy to take a seat. As the two men sat, Teddy said, –You received my owl, Sir?”

–Yes, I did. Lucy was like family, and one of my best students,” he said grimly. –You and Harry had better find out who killed her.”

–We need your help for that, Professor,” Teddy said, taking out his quill and parchment. –Harry couldn’t come here because the Minister benched him and I’m here off the records. Harry wants to investigate anyway - and to be honest, I think it’s the only way we can find out the real murderer. Evidence points towards James, but it’s just... it seems impossible, Sir.”

–James?” Longbottom asked disbelievingly. –As in Harry’s son?”

–Exactly, Professor,” Teddy said, leaning forwards. –Do you think it’s--”

–It can’t be,” he replied at once. –And I’m not saying this as Harry’s friend, I’m saying it as James’s teacher. Potter doesn’t have the capability to kill anyone, let alone Lucy.”

Teddy smiled in relief. –Thank you, Professor. Now, sir, I’ll need to ask you and some other people a few questions.”

–Sure, Teddy,” he said. –Ask away.”

Teddy nodded, going into Auror mode. –Did James ever display any hostility towards any students?”

Longbottom shook his head. –Other than a few harmless pranks, James didn’t have any record. And those that were a bit more... shall we say, colourful, were a few jinxes and hexes aimed at Slytherins. Not that I’m condoning this behaviour,” he added hastily. –What I mean is that his pranks might have been risky, but they were not incurable or fatal in nature.”

Teddy made a grunt as he wrote the response down. –And Lucy? Did she have any enmity with anyone, or did anyone ever do any prank against her?”

–Lucy was a clean student. No one had ever even caught her cheating. Prefect, 7 Os and 2 Es in her OWLs, Head of the Gobstones club -- she was a star student.”

–All the more reasons for people to be jealous,” Teddy pointed out.

–Nothing that was on the record, though. From what we know, no one had ever pulled a prank her except for her family.”

–Family being?” Teddy pressed. He had a feeling he knew the answer.

–James Potter and Louis Weasley.”

Teddy sighed. –But they were not injurious in nature?”

–No, unless you count being turned into a canary as life-threatening.” Longbottom smiled a bit in an attempt to lighten the mood.

–So basically, there’s no record of anyone having ill intentions towards Miss Weasley, or of Mr Potter trying to harm her?”

Longbottom shook his head. –None, whatsoever. In fact, Potter was always trying to protect his cousin from anyone else. They were always together. The other teachers used to say they were inseparable.”

Teddy scribbled that down. –What about Mr Potter? Any reason someone might try to frame him?”

–Now, that’s another case entirely,” Longbottom sighed, running a hand through his thinning hair. –Asides from being a Potter, James was also Gryffindor’s Quidditch captain. Naturally, these two roles mean that he was a natural target for Slytherins. Sadly the war did nothing to improve the relation between the two Houses. Many Slytherin students, even a Ravenclaw or two, would often get into fights with him that would lead them both to the Hospital Wing.”

–Anyone in particular?”

–Not really, no.”

Teddy hesitated for a while, wondering whether to ask the next question. –Professor,” he said slowly. –Did the caretaker ever find anyone trying to smuggle Croton oil in?”

Longbottom frowned. –Hogsmeade doesn’t sell it, and we do not check the owls nowadays, especially with the parent-student confidentiality thing going around. Why Croton oil? That’s an...”

–Abortifacient, I know,” Teddy muttered. –It’s what poisoned her.”

Longbottom closed his eyes, grimacing slightly. –That’s a very painful death. Overdose of Croton oil is very, very dangerous. Madam Patil doesn’t even keep much in store, just in case it fell into the wrong hands.”

Teddy’s ears perked up. –You can find Croton oil in the Hospital Wing?”

–Yes, Madam Patil keeps some in case of... teenage pregnancies. Some students choose the easy way out instead of facing their parents. There has been a case or two like that, though we kept it very quiet since the girls were above seventeen and legally adults, thus having the right to decide for themselves.”

Hogwarts had Croton oil, Teddy registered. That meant that it was accessible to the students. Anyone who had access to the infirmary could have managed to steal some and pour it into Lucy’s potion right inside the walls of the school. Teddy needed to talk to Madam Patil, immediately.

–Thank you, Sir,” He told Professor Longbottom, standing up. –I think I’ve got whatever I need.”

The two men shook hands, and after a brief, casual conversation about Harry and the Weasley family, Teddy walked out of the door and down the revolving staircase, making his way down to the Hospital wing.

Five minutes later, he found himself in the corridor leading to the infirmary. The doors were open, and Teddy could see that it was empty; after all, hardly anyone got into fights on the first day back to school.

–Madam Patil?” Teddy called out, hoping the matron was not too busy getting things ready for the new academic year.

–Be out in a mo’!” a hurried voice came from inside. –Come inside and get yourself into a bed! How in the name of Merlin did you manage to get yourself injured already? It hasn’t even been two hours since you lot came back.”

Teddy stepped into the infirmary. He hadn’t been in there for a very long time. It was just as he’d remembered, though; everything was the same, down to the last dusty potion bottle. Not finding a stool or a chair, he climbed onto a bed and sat on the springy mattress, the bed creaking under his weight, with his legs hanging off the side.

Madam Patil came in through a side door within a minute, tying her long, black hair into a bun, looking around for her new patient. When she spotted Teddy, though, the disapproving frown on her face disappeared; she now looked a tad confused.

–Hello, Mr Lupin,” she said, coming up to him. –Not that I’m not happy to see you, but what exactly are you doing here? You left around five years back, right?”

–Wotcher, Madam Patil,” he said, smiling at the witch. –It’s been six, actually. I’m here to ask you a few questions about Lucy Weasley’s death.”

–Yes, it was all in the news,” she said, sighing as she wiped her hand on her apron. –I still can’t believe something like this would happen.”

Teddy nodded, unable to find any response. Instead, he said, –Madam Patil, do you know how she died?”

Madam Patil shook her head. –I’m afraid not.”

–She was given an overdose of Croton oil, and we have reasons to think that the perpetrator was someone inside Hogwarts.”

Madam Patil gasped. –Croton oil? That’s terrible!”

–Ma’am, we know you have a stock of Croton oil. Do you know if anyone had stolen some, or if anyone recently took a vial from you?”

–Croton oil is a highly controlled substance here at Hogwarts,” the matron replied. –In the rare cases where a student needs it for... certain reasons, I administer the dose personally. It’s deadly if the dosage goes wrong. There’s no way I’d hand it to any student for them to take it themselves.”

–Is there any chance someone stole it, then?”

Madam Patil frowned. –Last year... no, I didn’t have anything stolen last year. Sometimes I’d catch a student or two trying to get their hands on some ingredients, probably to make banned potions, but... I don’t think anyone stole Croton oil from me.”

Teddy jotted down Madam Patil’s words on his notepad. –So you are saying --”

–Although,” she cut across him, –Around two years back, I went into my store to find the only bottle of Croton oil I had knocked over on its side.”

Teddy’s jaw tightened.

–I am a very neat person, the matron continued, –and I was sure I didn’t do it myself. There are no windows down there -- so the wind couldn’t have done it. Back then I didn’t give it much thought, but now I think it might be worth mentioning.”

There it was, a new lead. –So there is a chance someone might have taken it?”

Madam Patil nodded. –I... there seemed to be a bit less in it that there was supposed to be too.”

–When was this?” Teddy asked, furiously taking notes. Stolen Croton oil. Student? Time --

–Around may the year before the last.”

Tedy paused. –But Madam Patil, Lucy wasn’t pregnant till then. Do you think it might be linked to this?”

Madam Patil looked surprised. –You know about her pregnancy?”

Teddy nodded. –We found out after she died. But really, she became pregnant a few months back. She wasn’t even showing. If anyone wanted to kill her child or her, wouldn’t the Croton oil be taken sometime in the last six months?”

She shrugged. –I don’t know that. I’m just saying the Croton oil was stolen.” She paused, wondering how to go on. –Whether it was to stolen to kill Lucy, or whether the person decided to use it because they had it already... I don’t know.”

Teddy frowned. That was rather odd, indeed. He’d have to run this across Harry.

–Madam Patil,” he said. –Lucy came to you when she found out about her pregnancy?”

Madam Patil nodded. –I was the one who told her about it, actually.”

–Can you tell me how she reacted?”

–She wasn’t overly happy, but then again, teenage mothers never are. I asked her if she knew the father. She kind of looked at me like I was accusing her of... you know, sleeping around,” Madam Patil said sheepishly. –She said she knew, of course, so I asked her to bring the father to me so that we could talk about what to do. She said that she didn’t want him knowing at that time. She promised me she’d tell him during the holidays, though.”

Teddy nodded, feeling a glimmer of hope. If James didn’t know about it at Hogwarts, he definitely couldn’t have stolen it from Madam Patil’s stash. If Lucy never got around to telling him... there was a good enough chance he was telling the truth when he said he didn’t even know Lucy was pregnant. And there was a very good chance he didn’t take it two years previously -- why would he? He surely had no reason to.

–Was anyone else with Lucy when she found out about her pregnancy?”

Madam Patil nodded. –Yes, her best friend, Clara? Clara Stettin. She was there, of course.”

Teddy sighed, closing his notepad. –Thank you, Madam Patil. That’s all I need for now. I’ll call on you again if I need anything.”

The matron smiled. –Of course, Mr Lupin.”

Giving Madam Patil a small smile, Teddy turned around and left the infirmary. Clara Stettin. He needed to talk to her.


Chapter Endnotes:
Interrogations are weird to write and I don't know if I've done a good job. Gosh, I have a newfound respect for the makers of Castle/White Collar/NCIS/ other crime-fighting shows. How do they make up so many murder stories? kudos to them.

So, reviews? rotten tomatoes? cookies? I like reviews. They're nice and they make my day.

--Nadia

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