Well... hello again. I realise this story has long been finished BUT I found this chapter saved on my hard-drive under the document name of 'jhgfd' (we all have them...) and I figure it was something I wrote but never managed to fit in! I guess you could call it an outtake/deleted scene? (Its longer than the others and there's no 'part two' like the rest which is why I probably left it out). I wanted to try and get it in my other fic (Past the Veil) but it didn't work out.

There's no need to read it- the rest of the story makes sense without it and if you liked the ending how it was then go ahead and don't bother with this addition at all. But if you do want to read it I guess it occurs in the middle somewhere. I just wanted to upload it because I read over it again and quite liked it and hoped you would too!

Sixteen

Teddy is sixteen- but not for much longer. It is the evening before his seventeenth birthday, and he is at home for the Easter holidays. Teddy has been allowed to stay up so that at exactly midnight, when he turns seventeen, he will finally be allowed to do magic outside of school. Naturally, the nocturnal celebration has attracted much of Teddy's family, and everyone is gathered at Grimmauld Place.

His Grandmother finds him in the library. She grips a small black box tightly, the corners scuffed and the material worn. He's lying sprawled across the sofa, half-asleep, and she knows he would be beside himself if he missed midnight. She stands beside the door and quietly clears her throat, and Teddy shoots up from the sofa and turns to face her.

"Oh, Gran," He mutters, disoriented. "What time is it?" Teddy searches for a clock, trying desperately hard not to look as bewildered as he feels.

Andromeda Tonks smiles. "You tell me." She replies, handing the box to her Grandson. Teddy knows what it is immediately- after all, it is a tradition for a wizard to receive a watch as a coming of age present. He opens the box, revealing a heavy gold watch with a round pearlised face. Three hands tick around the Roman numeral numbers, and some kind of French motto that Teddy doesn't understand is printed beneath the number 12 in a small, italicised script. Two miniature dials present the day and the date. A final, tiny dial glistens a deep navy blue, studded with minute silver stars and a large golden orb indicating the phase of the moon- currently, according to Teddy's new watch, a waxing crescent. A peculiar design is etched into the clasp of the watch, and Teddy thinks it might be the Black family crest. The thick gold links of the chain are not polished to a shine as would be expected, but worn and soiled and vintage looking- and Teddy loves it. He just knows that there is a story behind it.

"It was my Uncle's." Andromeda tells him as he lifts it from the box. "I knew you wouldn't have wanted a brand new watch, Teddy. You'd have wanted something with a history. Something sentimental. I wish that I could have been able to give you with your fathers' watch, or even your grandfathers', but I can't. This is the best I could do. Although," She smiles fondly as she remembers, "I do recall Sirius telling me that as a joke, he, James and Peter bought your father a sterling silver watch for his seventeenth. I'm sure he saw the funny side."

Teddy slides the watch onto his wrist. The fit is almost perfect- but just a little too loose.

"Yes, this was Sirius's fathers' watch. Orion chose to give it to Regulus when he came of age. They would have never dreamed of giving it to Sirius. He ran away and was such a disappointment to the family, they wanted nothing to do with him. Sirius got a watch from the Potters'. When he was seventeen he was practically living with them. It wasn't flashy or fancy but Sirius liked it. But I think, deep down, he still resented the fact that Regulus was the favourite, that Regulus got the valuable gifts. Regulus was a much better son and Sirius was constantly reminded of it. Of course he hated our family, he would curse them rather than mention them, but to be disowned by your own family- well, it is rather sad. I think Sirius was angry that their pure-blood mania was more important to them than Sirius was. Anyway, Sirius turns up at my house a week before we heard about Regulus's death with this watch, won't tell me how he got it or why he's got it, and still I don't know what Sirius was doing with it. I guess I'll never know. But he told me to keep it safe until he came back for it. He never did though. Now it's yours, Teddy. It might not have a particularly happy history, but it's a family heirloom nonetheless. Happy birthday."

Teddy admires the watch on his wrist. His Grandmother is right. He would've much rather received an old, pre-loved watch than a brand new, glistening one. The previous owners aren't exactly the most desirable and there's a good chance the watch was pilfered by Sirius- but it's a link to his past, his family, and his mother, and for that, he adores it.

It takes a second for Teddy to read the watch face and realise the time. "It's midnight, Gran!" Teddy's eyes shimmer in the dark and his hair changes through a rainbow of different colours as the realisation that he is finally seventeen sets in. Harry calls from downstairs and reminds Teddy of the time, and Teddy and his Grandmother follow the voice to join the rest of the party in the living room.

Teddy allows his Grandmother to descend the stairs before him, which is a wise move. In his excitement, Teddy takes the stairs three at a time, and miraculously, makes his way down the flight of stairs unharmed and still upright.

But as he rounds the stairs and turns to enter the living room, Teddy catches his foot against the troll leg umbrella stand. It sticks out on the floor and threatens to trip Teddy up every time he walks past it and now, it's finally delivered on its threat.

Teddy stumbles ungracefully onto his back, landing with a loud thud. The moth-eaten velvet curtains hiding the portrait of the old bat Harry has warned him about tear apart and reveal a hideous old woman staring ominously out. Before he can register her black hat and heavy features, her face distorts into a grimace and she begins wailing at the top of her lungs, a loud, gravely cackle- like nails on a chalkboard. She screams and screams as though she is being tortured, and the life-size portrait is the most realistic, and the most unpleasant, Teddy has ever seen in his life.

"STAINS OF DISHONOUR!" She bellows. "BEGONE FROM THIS PLACE!"

It makes Teddy jump. He looks up from where he is lying sprawled on the floor at the woman in the portrait, his heart pounding. She seems to sense his fear, for Teddy is sure that she turns in her portrait and looks straight at him. Her eyes roll and the yellowing skin of her face stretches taut as she screams. Teddy screws up his eyes at the noise and claps his hands over his ears.

The door to the living room opens as Harry arrives to identify the source of the commotion, and the light floods out, glinting off the sparkling stars on Teddy's watch face. The monster in the painting is drawn to Teddy's wrist, and her eyes are like daggers'.

"HOW DARE YOU BEFOUL THE POSSESSIONS OF MY HEIR! NO WEREWOLF FILTH IS FIT TO WEAR ANYTHING BEARING THE BLACK CREST. YOU DEFILE THE NAME OF MY FATHERS. FILTHY HALF-BREED! SCUM! BY-PRODUCTS OF DIRT AND VILENESS!"

She screeches louder than ever, brandishing clawed hands as though trying to tear at their faces. The rest of her stream of epithets is cut short as Ron darts from the living room to tug the curtains tightly closed. "Shut up you old hag!" Teddy shouts back at her as she lashes out further insults.

"You ought to paint Sirius in there with her- that would shut her up." Ron tells Harry.

"Sorry," Teddy tries to stutter out an apology. He had tried to be so careful not to fall down the stairs that he had completely forgotten about the ugly umbrella stand at the foot of the stairs. "That thing is hideous. I don't know why you've got it. It's a trip hazard." Teddy bemoans. He sits at the bottom of the stairs and tries to inconspicuously nurse his grazed shin.

He looks up to see his godfather staring at him with a strange, faraway expression. Teddy ignores him though- Harry's always seemed to do weird things, and Teddy puts it down to being 'the chosen one', or whatever it is they used to call Harry. Teddy continues. "Let me guess. You know it's ugly but it came with the house. Sounds like Kreacher." He mumbles.

And as if on cue, the oft-lamented house-elf shuffles along the corridor, grumbling under his breath in a hoarse, deep voice like a bullfrogs'. He has arrived to find out who had disturbed his beloved mistress, no doubt.

"Mistress," He whispers. "Cherished mistress." He looks around, and quickly notices that the drapes covering the portrait have been pulled tightly closed, and Kreacher has missed out on the chance to see Mrs Black once again.

He lets out a strangled whimper and stamps his feet, throwing himself onto his knees. As Kreacher hammers his tiny fist against the wooden floorboards Teddy notices that the chain holding the peculiar locket around Kreacher's neck snaps, and the chain slides from his neck and the locket falls to the floor. Kreacher, too busy in the throes of his tantrum, doesn't seem to notice. His fist pounds harder against the floorboards, and if Teddy doesn't say something, Kreacher will smash the locket. Perhaps Teddy should let him- he's mean and grumpy and he smells, and it would serve him right for being so childish.

Teddy moves his wrist and the links of his new watch pinch his skin. He can't let Kreacher destroy the locket. He doesn't know what it is or where it's from- knowing Kreacher, it's probably stolen- but it must hold some kind of sentimental value, and for that, it must be important to Kreacher.

Teddy stoops down to pick it up and turns it over in his fingers. The casing is filthy and the stone in the centre is scratched and scuffed. He slides the broken chain through the loop at the top of the locket and centres it, holding the broken ends together. He wonders for a second how to fix it, until he remembers the time. It's his seventeenth birthday, its past midnight, and Teddy is finally allowed to do magic outside of school. He takes his wand from his pocket and performs perhaps the simplest spell he knows- reparo- on the broken chain. The links quickly fold back around each other and seal together. The chain is fixed.

Kreacher's wails come suddenly to a halt. He glares at Teddy, holding onto a locket, and feels around his neck, noticing that his own precious locket is gone.

"Thief! Thief!" He cries, his voice piercing the eerie silence. He shouts further profanities at poor Teddy, and Teddy instantly regrets what he did. He knew he shouldn't have been kind to Kreacher- he doesn't deserve it. Kreacher's eyes bulge as they catch a glimpse of the watch adorning Teddy's arm. "Master Regulus's watch!"

The elf runs towards Teddy, throwing his fists aimlessly into the air, and they meet Teddy's knees, but Teddy can barely feel it. He lifts his arm above his head, holding the locket out of Kreacher's reach. Kreacher wails louder. "Kreacher!" Teddy shouts back. "Shut up! Shut up!"

"You dirty thief! Give Kreacher back his things!"

"It's my watch!" Teddy replies.

"It's Master Regulus's!" Kreacher tries to punch Teddy's knees harder and grabs about in the air, trying to catch his locket. "Filthy werewolf!"

The curtains fly open once again and the figure in the portrait screams into life. Kreacher doesn't seem to have noticed, and both are far too busy yelling insults and curses at Teddy. Harry and Ron run out from the living room again, and pull the curtains back closed. Ron makes another joke about the barmy old hag, and Harry complains again at the Sticking charm that just won't budge.

"Do you know what? I think I might have an idea we haven't tried before." Harry tells Ron, and beckons him down the corridor towards the kitchen downstairs. This isn't the birthday Teddy had been hoping for- where's his birthday cake? Where's his party? Why haven't they celebrated his first-official-out-of-school-magic-spell performance? Instead he's performed his first legal spell for an ungrateful house-elf and he's been cursed for having a stolen watch. He thought it was a nice gift, a reminder of his family history, but he'd rather not be part of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Why couldn't he have had his father's watch, like almost every other seventeen year old wizard? Teddy throws the locket at Kreacher with more force than he intended. It bounces beside Kreacher's feet, and Teddy secretly hopes it has shattered.

Kreacher takes back his locket from the floor and looks at the mended chain, and finds than not only has Teddy fixed it, he's also cleaned it for him, too. It looks as good as new.

"You're as bad as her-" Teddy points at the covered portrait "She told me I was a 'Werewolf filth'. That I was 'defiling the name of Black'. Fine. Have it back, if I'm so unworthy." He reluctantly unbuckles the watch from his wrist and slides it off, holding it out to Kreacher, but the elf suddenly looks uncharacteristically ashamed, and shakes his head.

"Master Regulus gave it to Sirius, because he was going to die."

Teddy had expected Kreacher to take the watch, stuff it under his filthy loincloth and run off with it. He doesn't know what to say.

"Master Regulus found Sirius in Diagon Alley and gave him the watch. Kreacher was there. Sirius didn't want it. The watch was valuable and Sirius was going to give it to his friend, so his friend could sell it. His friend was poor. Master Sirius was trying to help."

Teddy guesses the 'friend' Kreacher is talking about was his father, and Teddy should have known that somehow, whether anyone knew it or not, the watch would have a link with his father.

Kreacher scurries off to the kitchen downstairs and returns shortly clutching a worn, weathered hardback book. It's a deep emerald green colour, covered in dirt and grime. Kreacher bows to Teddy, so low that his nose is almost touching the floor, and presents it cautiously to him. He can just about make out the title.

How To Resurrect the Dead.

It looks like Teddy has somehow unwittingly found himself a new friend. Perhaps Kreacher can see some kind of kindred spirit in Teddy. He can remember once when he was eight wishing he had a house-elf, and oh, how he realises what a bad wish that was. Kreacher obviously means well, but this is one book, Teddy thinks, he might not read.

Kreacher, meanwhile, slides the chain of the locket back over his neck, and walks up to the portrait. He runs his finger across the bottom ledge of the portrait, then scales the wall to run it around the rest. It's odd, Teddy thinks, but as he has just found out, so is Kreacher.

I think 'part two' was originally going to be something about the sticking charm on the portrait now miraculously being broken (thanks to Kreacher) but alas, it remains unwritten.