Teddy Lupin was just over a year old when Charlie Weasley came back. Tonks and Remus had been ripped apart when the werewolves in Greyback's pack had murdered Remus for his refusal to join them and this had left Tonks with no choice but to bring up their son alone. When Charlie returned though, everything changed...
Charlie had walked into the kitchen at the Burrow just a few hours earlier, expecting everyone to be happy and glad to see him like they always had been before. However, when Molly explained to him what had happened to his ex-girlfriend's husband just a few days before, he had immediately said he would go and see her. She didn't deserve to lose the man she loved so soon after being married. It had only been a matter of 12 months or so since their son had been born as well, meaning he would have no father. Charlie couldn't imagine how hard that must have been on them both, yet something told him they would prefer it if he went to visit them than if he simply stayed away like the rest of the Order seemed to be doing.
It had been years, absolutely years, since they had seen each other, yet Tonks often thought about him. She wouldn't tell anyone that because they had split up a long time ago but Charlie would always hold a place in her heart, perhaps the largest part of her heart that was still intact. At the moment though, Remus was the only thing on her mind. She wasn't sure what was going to happen to their son, Teddy, as he needed a father. He needed Remus. Tonks was almost certain she couldn't bring him up alone and she couldn't really ask for help from her mother, Andromeda, who had recently lost her husband as well. That just wouldn't be fair. Teddy was named after Tonks' father and he might inadvertantly bring back memories of Ted Tonks to her mother and she didn't want that. In truth though, Teddy Remus Lupin brought back so many memories of his father to Tonks that she was finding it hard to even look at him without crying. The feeling seemed to be reciprocated by Teddy as he often cried when she was near him.
And as for Charlie, he often thought about Tonks as well for she was the only one never to complain about his passion for dragons or the fact that she was often put second when it came to them. Now though, he had no place with the dragons in Romania which had forced him to return to England once more. He was desperate to find Tonks again, hopefully single, when he returned but the news that she had been widowed and now had a son had almost torn him apart. He hated the thought of her in any pain and therefore wanted to make things better.
He arrived at the house that Tonks and Remus had lived in and he could immediately see that this "Remus" guy had been poor. The run down appearance of the place showed that. He had never met this man but he was certain Tonks deserved, and wanted, better than him. Perhaps they had only married for the sake of the child? He supposed there was only one way to find out. He knocked on the door and waited for an answer, composing himself for what he might find had happened to the woman he had loved so dearly for oh-so-many years.
After a minute or so a face appeared at the window, then hurried to the door to let him in. This was the face of Tonks. She looked much older now, almost as though she should have been a decade or so older than she actually was, and he assumed straight away that he had been wrong about Remus. It seemed that perhaps she had loved him, truly loved him, and therefore Charlie would stand no chance with being able to get back with her. Not right away at least. Maybe one day if he stayed around long enough though they could at least be true friends once more like they were before they became lovers all those years ago.
"Charlie," Tonks said quietly as the door opened. She stepped aside to let him in, forcing a small smile onto her face. "It's been a while," she added once he had stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "What brings you here?" she asked as she walked through into the kitchen. "Would you like a drink?" she asked as she had just been making herself one.
"It has been a while," he admitted with a frown, "I'm sorry about that. I was back in the area for a while and Mum told me about what happened and I thought I should come and see you," he replied, a small smile on his face as well. He had missed her, yet something told him she wasn't all too pleased to see him. "Coffee please," he added, smiling a little again.
Tonks just frowned, unable to hold back the tears any longer as he had reminded her of Remus and she just sunk against him, tears soaking through his shirt as she was clinging to him. Charlie was rather surprised by this response but he gently hugged her all the same. It seemed as though nobody had really helped her much since it had happened, although he wasn't en tirely sure how long ago it had happened. Maybe it wasn't as long ago as he had first thought. To his surprise though, she didn't speak about Remus. She spoke about him, "You never came back. You didn't write, or show up for holidays, or give any sign that you cared," she said between sobs. So she did care about his obsession with dragons after all, it seemed.
"I..." he frowned, knowing he could never make that up to her, "I'm really sorry," he said simply, holding her a little more tightly, "But I'm here now, okay?" he asked, still holding her close to him. "And I'll stay for as long as you want me to stay, I promise."
Tonks managed to stop the tears to look up at him through bloodshot eyes, "Really?" she whispered. "What about the dragons?" The word "dragons" came out of her mouth as though it was some sort of enemy that had taken him away from her.
"You're the only thing that matters right now," he replied. Sure, he would miss the dragons but he had no place there now anyway. He might as well at least tell her he quit rather than telling her he was fired and she was the second option. "Forget the dragons, you're the closest I want to get to a dragon right now, alright?" he joked and she actually smiled for the first time in days. It wasn't a big, Tonks-style grin or anything but it was a smile none-the-less.
"Mummy," came a sad voice from the door, clearly the son that Tonks had with "Remus".
"Yes, Teddy?" she asked, letting go of Charlie and wiping the tears away before she picked the boy up.
"Who's he?" Teddy asked, looking at Charlie as though he was nothing more than a piece of muck on the bottom of his shoe. Teddy could be very protective over his mother now that Remus wasn't around, even though it had only been a few days.
"He's Charlie. Molly's son," she said, smiling at Charlie. "He's a nice man, Teddy, don't glare at him," she added.
"But he made you cry," Teddy said indignantly, glaring at him again. "I don't like him," he added, shaking his head firmly.
Tonks rolled her eyes, "He's nice, honestly," she said, glancing at Charlie, "Charlie, can you hold him for a second while I get the drinks?" she asked, much to the annoyance of Teddy. Tonks knew that he would learn to like Charlie more if they spent time together, though.
"Uh.. Yeah, okay," Charlie replied, carefully taking Teddy from Tonks, "I don't bite or anything," he said to the boy who seemed rather annoyed with his mum for letting Charlie touch him. "So what's you name?" he asked Teddy, even though he already knew it.
"Teddy," he replied, not a hint of politeness in his voice.
"That's a really nice name, you know," Charlie said to him, remembering a dragon he had once called Teddy back in Romania. He glanced at Tonks, unsure of whether to mention it but deciding it would only make Teddy either really hate him or love him for knowing dragons. "I had a dragon called Teddy once," he said. This seemed to get his attention.
"A dragon?" he asked, wide eyed. "Wow!"
"Yeah, I love dragons. Do you like them?" he asked.
"Yeah!" Teddy grinned, looking much more enthusiastic now.
"Have you got a picture of Teddy the dragon?" Tonks asked Charlie, suddenly also seeming interested.
"Erm, yeah, somewhere. Hang on, I'll summon the photo album," he said, smiling at them both. He took his wand out and summoned it, then followed Tonks into the sitting room where they all sat together. Tonks sat down and motioned for Charlie to sit beside her. He did so and Teddy climbed onto his lap.
They sat there for the rest of the day looking through Charlie's dragon pictures, much to the amusement of Teddy, and Tonks realised she may have found the replacement for Remus, if it could be called that. Teddy seemed to like him, after all, and he did need a male figure in his life. This was perhaps going to turn out well after all.