The Metamorphagus Cub
A/N: oneshot I came up with about the most lovable baby, Teddy Lupin. )
Dedication: To Amanda, for being awesome like that. And special thanks to Bloomablebee for betaing it.
Disclaimer: Don't own anything.
"Come here, Teddy! Come to mommy!"
The giggling baby crawled over to the young woman. She smiled - half frustrated, half tenderly - and picked him up.
"No, sweetie. Walk to mommy!" she put him back down at the end of the room and jogged over to the other end. She got on her knees and motioned for the baby to come. Teddy sat down and blew a spit bubble; it popped. He giggled and blew another one. It popped. Suddenly he was scooped up into the air by a newcomer and he squealed happily. Remus stepped over the drool puddle on the floor and leaned down to kiss his wife on the top of the head.
"Remus! I didn't expect you to come until ten!" she cried, apparently surprised. She stood up, pointed her wand at the mess and cleaned it with a quick flick. Remus sat down on one of the couches and propped Teddy up on his lap.
"How's our little baby doing?" he asked Tonks, smiling tenderly at the baby. Tonks laughed and sat down beside Remus, cuddling into his arm, which he placed around her.
"Beautifully. He said his first word about an hour ago," she replied softy. Remus looked into her sparkling – now blue – eyes, his eyebrows raised in expectation. Tonks smiled. "It was 'daddy,"
There was a small 'pop' and Teddy's hair turned green. The couple grinned at their son and he smiled a toothless smile back. Remus tickled him under the chin softly. Teddy laughed and squirmed a little, almost falling off from the safety of his dad's lap. Luckily, Remus caught him quickly and eyed his new hair color.
"Well, aren't you going to be a great metamorphagus?" Teddy looked at the hands that were holding him up suspiciously and then climbed down from his father's knees. Tonks and Remus watched him lovingly as he crawled over to the bookstand in the corner of the room and slipped onto his stomach.
"Ted, I've told you not to go near-!" There was a crash as the books came tumbling down on top of the baby.
"TEDDY!" The two adults sprung off the couch and started rummaging through the books for their buried son. The baby was sitting down, his eyes wide as snitches and looking around, startled. Tonks picked him up and sighed in relief.
"Honey you know you're not allowed near that stand!" she scolded him. More to herself than him as Teddy didn't quite have the capacity to understand her fully. He was still looking at the books in wonder, as if they had never fallen from the stand before. Remus took his wand out from his pocket and piled the books back on the shelves. A woman came running in the room, clutching her hand to her heart and breathing heavily.
"Dora! What happened?" Then she spotted Remus and smiled cordially. "Good evening, Remus," Remus smiled stiffly as well and shook her hand.
"Mrs. Tonks. Always a pleasure," Andromeda went over to her daughter and took her grandson from her. She kissed his chubby cheek and smiled.
"What mischief are you up to now, little Ted!" she cooed. Tonks grinned and leaned against Remus' strong chest, looking up at him.
"-Takes after his mother, of course" Andromeda continued, tucking a strand of green hair behind Teddy's ear. Tonks frowned slightly.
"Don't you remember what the Marauders were famous for, mom?" she asked her. Remus shifted uncomfortably behind her. Andromeda seemed a little flustered.
"Yes, yes…ah – dear Sirius…bless him," she put Teddy back on the ground and looked at the clock. "Merlin! Is that the time? I'll get dinner ready. Remus, you staying?"
He nodded. "If it's not a problem…"
Andromeda walked out of the room. "No, not at all" she replied, although her tone contradicted her words.
Tonks sighed and looked up sadly at Remus.
"Give her some time…it's not your fault" she said quietly, caressing his forearms tenderly. Remus looked down and clenched his fists. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, Teddy climbed onto his leg and clung onto it.
"Daddy!" he cried, grinning. Remus looked taken aback. Tonks picked Teddy up off her husband's leg.
"Told you," she said triumphantly. Teddy looked at his mother for a moment before hugging her with his tiny arms.
"Mommy" he mumbled, closing his eyes. Tonks bit her lip and smiled, looking up at Remus. He put his arm around her and kissed the side of her head.
"I love you both so much"
"Mommy…why don't I look like you?" inquired Teddy, as he sat down on the edge of her bed. "Victoire looks like her mom."
Ginny stared at him over the book she was reading. Then she closed it and laid it aside, sitting up properly and scooting next to him, smiling half-heartedly. "Harry?"
A man with untidy black hair and glasses entered the room, holding the Sunday copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands. "May I be of assistance?"
Ginny nodded. "I think it's time," she said pointedly. Harry's mouth fell into a small 'O' and he walked over to his closet. Teddy looked at him suspiciously while he rummaged about for a while. When he came back, he was holding a thick book, almost regretfully. Sitting down on the other side of Teddy, he handed it to him. "It's a photo album,"
Teddy opened it gingerly somewhere in the middle of it. A man with graying hair and a tired look to him was standing beside a young woman with bright violet hair. They were both smiling and waving at the camera. The woman's belly was bulging. Teddy swallowed noticeably and turned a few pages. It was himself, younger, about a few months old. He was crawling on a carpet and the woman from the other photograph was beaming beside him, her hair then auburn.
"Am I supposed to know who these people are?" he asked. Harry and Ginny exchanged glances.
"That's your dad – and mom," explained Harry calmly.
"No. You're my dad," he retorted, then looked at Ginny, "and you're my mom"
Harry shook his head sadly. "No…"
"Yes,"
"No, Teddy I'm your godfather,"
"…what's that?"
"The person your parents choose to take care of you if anything happens to them,"
Teddy stopped and stared back down at the pictures on his lap, his eyes almost glazed. After a few silent moments he looked up at Harry and smiled, "So you're my dad AND my godfather? Wicked!"
"No…just your godfather…" Harry pointed to the man in the pictures. "That's your father,"
"Wait…so you're my dad….and he's my dad….and he chose you to take...care of me? I…don't get it…So who's mommy?" he asked Ginny. She shook her head.
"She's your mom. She could change how she looked too, that's why you can do it!" she said kindly, pointing at Tonks. Teddy looked confused.
"OK…so she's my mom…and he's my dad…" he looked at the pictures. Then he looked at Ginny again, "Who are you?"
"I'm Harry's wife, your godfather's wife," she said. Teddy nodded unsurely.
"So I'm not really your son?" he asked in a small voice, finally comprehending.
Ginny hugged him closer and kissed the top of his head.
"You're just as good as,"
Teddy went to the first page of the album. Four boys were standing in front of a lake, their arms around each other and grinning.
"That was my father," Harry pointed out, indicating the boy with the untidy hair and glasses. Then he pointed to the one beside him. He had long, black hair and was really good looking.
"Sirius- my godfather…"
Teddy spotted the boy who was laughing beside Harry's father. He was a younger version of the man beside the violet-haired woman in the other picture.
"What was his name?" he asked, almost demandingly. Harry looked a little taken aback, but responded with the same tone of sadness.
"Remus Lupin, one of the bravest men I ever knew. And your mom, Nymphadora Tonks…she was great. Even if you don't remember them…you were so lucky to have them as parents, Ted," he said quietly. Teddy closed the photo album and looked down.
"And what happened to them?"
Ginny looked at Harry over the boy and he gave her a 'we might as well' look. Harry walked over to the chair in front of the bed and sat down.
"Alright, Teddy. It all started out with a wizard by the name of Voldemort."
"Can I hold it?"
Ginny smiled and nodded, patting the chair beside her, "Sit here,"
Teddy did. Harry picked up the newborn and handed it to him carefully. "Be careful, Ted. He's not a toy, OK?"
Teddy decided to ignore him, and then looked down at the bundle in his arms. He poked its forehead softly.
"What's it's name?"
"James. Like my dad," said Harry stuffing his hands in his pockets and grinning. A slight frown appeared on the eight-year-old's brow. Almost as if he were annoyed at the limp boy in his arms. Teddy shook the baby.
"Wake up!"
"NO!" There was wailing and Harry snatched James from him. Ginny had her hand to her mouth.
Teddy sniffled, "I'm sorry!"
Harry rocked the baby back and forth, as Teddy cried. Ginny looked exasperatedly at Teddy.
"We told you to be careful! You could've killed him!" she exclaimed. Teddy 'humphed' and turned away from her, still sobbing. When James had finally stopped crying, Harry handed him to Ginny and walked over to Teddy, picking him up in his strong arms.
"I'm sorry Ted…but James is still a baby! You can't wake him up like that!" he whispered, hugging the child. Teddy pouted and wiped his eyes with his sleeve, giving Harry a slight kick on the leg. When he was put down, Teddy walked out of the room.
"I want to leave."
"Lupin, Ted"
Teddy nervously walked up to the Sorting Hat and placed it on his head. Hundreds of eyes started back at him. The tattered old hat spoke to him inside his head, startling him a little.
"Oh…a Lupin…I remember your father…proud Gryffindor he was….and your mother…Hufflepuff…but where shall I put you….you would make a good Slytherin….you're cunning…want to reach your goals… Teddy, horrified, widened his eyes. He couldn't be in Slytherin! "No? Alright then…you're decisive…you've got wits…Ok I've made my decision-"
"GRYFFINDOR!" it cried out. Teddy laughed a little at the cheering table at the end and ran over there. He sat beside a friendly-looking blond boy and then turned towards the staff table. Professor Longbottom winked at him. Feeling extremely proud of himself, Teddy watched the rest of the sorting ceremony excitedly.
"TEDDY!" He turned around, beaming as he recognized the voice. A mass of blonde hair surrounded him and made him stagger a few steps back.
"I haven't seen you in ages!" Ted let Victoire go, and held her hands in front of him, gazing into her round blue eyes.
"I know. Two weeks! I've missed you," She grinned widely and let go off his hands, inspecting his hair.
"Hmm…you've changed it, a haven't you?" she asked him, tucking a light brown strand of hair behind his ear. Teddy shivered at her touch and nodded.
"Do you like it? I tried making it ginger, but the look doesn't suit me, really," He replied, unconvinced. Victoire smiled shyly.
"I like everything about you," Before she could register what happened, Teddy had pressed his lips hard against her. Then she relaxed and kissed him back, slipping her arms around his neck.
"OH MY GOD! What are you doing, Ted!" They broke apart as if stung by a bee. James was standing a few feet away, his jaw dropped so low that it gave him the distinct impression of a fish and his eyes wide as plates.Victoire stepped away, blushing furiously. Ted cleared his throat, apparently embarrassed as well.
"I was – uh – seeing her off…," he said calmly, glancing at Victoire. Then turned back to James,
"Um…go away please?" James ran off. Victoire giggled.
"You do realize the whole Wizarding population will know about us now, don't you?" she asked Ted. He smiled and nodded, taking her hands again.
"Yeah… but I don't care," he said, looking down at her lovingly. Just then, the engine of the Hogwarts' Express boomed. Victoire let go of Teddy, kissed him shortly on the cheek and climbed onto the train.
"I'll write to you every day!" she promised, waving at him from the window. Teddy waved back and put his hands in his pockets, walking over to where the Potter and the Weasley families were. He saw Harry following the train, waving as it sped out of site, is bountiful grey smoke trailing behind it. And he didn't care that he was an orphan. Because he had them. He had Victoire, Harry, Ginny, the children…loads of people who cared for him. And as Harry returned to Ginny, and she whispered something to him, Teddy felt like he was part of something. Something irreplaceable.
He felt a tug on his sleeve, looking down, he saw Lily beaming at him.
"Are you going to marry Victoire?"
"Uh…"
A/N: So what did you think. )