Author's Note: Enjoy!
Disclaimer: The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.
Hogwarts: Agricultural Studies Task #1, Write about watching something (or someone) grow
Warnings: Canon character deaths
Stacked with: Summer Bingo; MC4A; Hogwarts; Eternal Rhapsody
Individual Challenge(s): Second Verse (Mouth of Babes); Chorus (Not a Lamp)
Representation(s): Lost parents; parenting
Bonus challenge(s): Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Seeds; Tissue Warning; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes and Things A (Family); Themes and Things B (Joy); Advice From the Mug; Short Jog; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux; Tiny Terror
Tertiary bonus challenge(s): NA
Word count: 2863
Summer Bingo entry information:
Space Address: 3E
Prompt: Growth
Twenty-Eight Days
2 days
As much as he would have loved to see his first grandchild on its very first day in the world, Harry had promised that he'd wait until Teddy and Victoire were ready to share, and so he did.
Mind you, it wasn't easy. He had just retired and the boredom was stifling. But yes, he waited.
That being said: when he got Teddy's owl that the baby's second day in the world was nice and quiet that and also he and Victoire were really hungry for takeout, Harry was immediately on it.
When he got to St. Mungo's, he stood in the doorway of Victoire's hospital room for a second and peered inside. Teddy was sitting in the armchair in the corner, his hair a vibrant shade of eggplant. Victoire was sitting on his lap, wrapped in a blanket and holding onto a bundle of blankets herself. Her hair was piled high on her head, which showed off the tattoos crawling up and down her spine. The two of them were having what appeared to be a very serious conversation until Victoire burst out laughing.
Harry smiled and knocked.
"Uncle Harry," Victoire smiled.
"Hey," he said. "Can I come in?"
"If you have food, yes," Victoire said, pivoting so that her feet touched the ground. "Otherwise, I will have the Mediwitches chase you away."
Harry grinned and put the food down on a table near the door as she carefully got up. Teddy followed, keeping an arm on her waist protectively.
Harry smiled at them. He made eye contact with Teddy before nudging his head back at the baby. Teddy smiled his lopsided smile, looking from the baby to Harry.
"This is Marguerite," Teddy said. The French rolled off his tongue after all those dinners at Shell Cottage he'd had. He said it as if it was the most beautiful word he'd ever heard and Harry reckoned it probably was.
"We've been thinking, now that we're seeing how tiny she is, that we gave her too big of a name," Victoire chimed in. "We've been calling her Margo."
"Margo," Harry repeated, taking a step closer to have a look at the baby. "Gosh, she's beautiful, you two…"
"Sit down," Victoire said. "You can hold her while we eat if you want…"
"Absolutely I want to," Harry grinned. He forgot how much he liked babies, when nobody in the family had one for long enough. He had to say, though: this one was particularly cute. He was also fairly certain that that would be true even if she wasn't his grandbaby.
3 days
Teddy's fingers ran up and down the baby's back, as she lay on his chest. It was the only way he'd managed to stop her from screaming while Victoire committed any number of terribly upsetting crimes, like disappearing to take a shower.
"See?" he cooed to the baby. "I'm not so bad, no need to scream."
4 days
He and Bill had gone to get coffee for Louis, Fleur, and Dominique as the rapid-fire French conversation got a little too overwhelming in the hospital room. They stood silently in the elevator to the cafeteria.
"How are you doing?" Bill asked him.
"I'm fine," Teddy said. "I mean, tired, but that's nothing. If Vic is healthy and Margo is healthy, I'm golden."
"Right," Bill said. "And how do you feel about the fact that they're sending you all home tomorrow?"
Teddy stopped to consider this.
"Oh boy," he sighed. "Oh boy, we're bringing this baby home…"
"There it is," Bill hummed to himself.
5 days
He'd basically forgotten what their house looked like, while they'd been away. Millie the golden retriever was more than happy to see them again, and he sniffed at the baby carrier curiously and gently, as if he knew the content was fragile.
"He missed you," James informed them.
"We missed you too, girl," Victoire said, reaching down to pat the dog's head. "We missed you too, but we had to go get your new friend…"
Millie's tail wagged.
6 days
He pushed his finger into her palm. She held onto it for a second before relaxing her little fingers, and when she did, Teddy pushed again.
"I don't know who this is more stimulating for," Victorie joked.
"I could do this for hours," Teddy promised.
7 days
Teddy put down the paintbrush and looked at his handiwork.
"And?" he asked, turning back to Victoire. He'd just finished painting Margo's name onto the wall in cursive: Marguerite Andora. They hadn't wanted to do this before seeing her, since it would have felt wrong to pick a name that might not match the baby. Lily had helped Teddy paint the rest of the room, and she'd been responsible for most of the adornments, but he'd felt competent in taking this on himself.
"You spelled her name wrong," Victoire said.
"What?" Teddy gasped.
She laughed.
"I'm kidding," she said. "It looks beautiful."
"Victoire Weasley, don't do this to me," Teddy sighed.
8 days
They watched Gran like a hawk as she swaddled the baby.
"Why didn't they just show us how to do it like that in the first place?" Victoire said. "That worked so much better."
"This is a time-honoured secret," Gran said with a smile. "Cultivated through years of tending to Tonks, Lupin, Potter, and Weasley children alike."
"Thanks for the shortcut, Gran," he said kissing the top of her head.
She laughed under her breath and ruffled his hair, like she did when he was still a little boy.
"Oh, don't worry," she said. "You were both doing so well on your own."
9 days
He was easing himself back and forth in the rocking chair, holding Margo against his chest as he looked at the sketches from The Tales of Beetle the Bard they'd hung on the walls. He'd been staring blankly at the characters on the walls for what felt like hours now—Babitty Rabitty, Asha, Amata, Altheda, and the Luckess Knight, the Hopping Pot…
He snapped out of his daze and kissed Margo's head.
"I wonder which one of these little dudes will be your favourite," Teddy said. "One day you'll tell me."
10 days
Victoire didn't make it back to bed. She just fell asleep on the couch.
Teddy threw a blanket over her and bent down to kiss her forehead. And while he was down there, he sat down and rested his head against the couch too. Possibly that's where he slept that night as well.
11 days
"Okay, Miss Margo," Victoire cooed. "First bath, are you ready for this?"
She splashed her sponge in the water, and ran it over Margo who immediately squirmed and made the absolute cutest sound of protest in the world.
Teddy and Victoire both burst out laughing, which offended the infant to tears.
12 days
Grandma mercifully stopped by to drop off muffins, soups, and tubs of spaghetti sauce. Teddy and Victoire tore into the muffins, trying to guess the flavours as they went, while Grandma cuddled with the baby.
"I don't have anything to do today," Grandma said. "I can stay and help if you want me to clean or just take care of the baby while you sleep…"
"Oh gosh, I can't pick one," Victoire gasped.
13 days
"Healthy baby," Teddy smiled as they made their way out of St. Mungo's.
"Healthy baby," Victoire smiled back, taking his hand and squeezing.
"Ice cream to celebrate?" Teddy asked.
"You're reading my mind again," Victoire smiled.
"It's kind of unfortunate that she can't be in on the celebration since she did all the work," Teddy mused. "How old should babies be before they eat ice cream?"
14 days
Victoire laughed, startling Teddy and alerting him of her presence.
"How long have you been watching?" he asked, looking away from the bathroom mirror.
"Not too long. I was just hoping to brush my teeth," she laughed. "What are you doing?"
"Trying out new hair colours," Teddy said.
"Why?" she asked. She came closer and ran a hand through his hair. "Turquoise is your favourite."
"I know, but infants prefer high-contrast and bright colours—well, when they can start seeing colour better," Teddy said. "We're going to be trying a few things on Margo to see what's what."
15 days
"YES!" Teddy cheered. "YES! Oh no, no Margo—don't be scared, I'm sorry I was so loud, that was stupid of daddy… Please keep drinking from the bottle, please. You have no idea how happy your mom's going to be that we finally got bottles to work for you… There you go, just keep eating."
16 days
While Victoire was changing her, Teddy shook the rattle on either side of Margo's head. She looked from one side to the other curiously.
"Strengthen those neck muscles," Teddy cheered on. "To the left, to the left… just kidding, to the right, to the left again… Goooo Margo!"
Victoire laughed.
17 days
Victoire's family had come over for dinner: the first guests they'd hosted since the baby had been born. They ordered pizza, mind you, but it was still a big deal.
Teddy bounced the baby on his knee as he angle a piece of pizza into his mouth, careful not to drop cheese or tomato sauce anywhere. Especially not on the baby. Oh, that would be bad.
He put his slice down and wiped his fingers on his jeans before repositioning his hold on the baby. One thing at a time.
18 days
"I don't know Margogo," Teddy said, holding her in the crook of his arm as he looked through the outfits hanging in her closet. "You do look extra cute in the ladybug dress, but green really is your colour—so maybe we need to be dressing you in those little pants Ginny got you…"
"I think she's going to be late if Daddy doesn't pick an outfit soon," Victoire laughed.
"We're just making sure she looks her best for her first Weasley family supper," Teddy said. "So ladybug dress it is, I suppose! Margo, you are going to look so dashing, the Weasley-Potter clan won't even know what hit them…"
19 days
He watched Victoire, sitting in bed, cooing to Margo in French and bicycling her little legs through the air. He leaned against the doorframe and smiled, watching them go.
She noticed him and looked up.
"What?" she said. "You've got your goofy smile on."
"I just love you," he said.
"Which one of us are you talking to?" Victoire joked.
"Both," he said, coming in. He kissed her. "You, though, I never thought I'd be able to love more than I already did. And you..." he bent down and kissed Margo's forehead. "I knew I was going to love a bunch, but boy did I underestimate how head over heels I'd go."
20 days
Victoire was leaning against the nursery's doorframe when he turned back to carry Margo out after changing her.
"And?" Victoire asked.
"You're right. I have never smelled anything so bad in my life," Teddy said.
Victoire burst out laughing.
21 days
"I can't do this."
"You can do this," Victoire said.
"I really can't."
"I believe in you, babe."
"Can you do it instead?"
"Absolutely not, I can't do it," Victoire said. She chewed on her lip. "Look, Teddy, one of us has to cut the baby's fingernails…"
"1, 2, 3, not it," Teddy said.
"Teddy Remus Lupin, if I didn't get to tap out of labour, you don't get to tap out of this," Victoire said. "And that's final."
22 days
He was outstretched on the couch, the dog sleeping on his legs and looking at Margo longingly, as she lay on Teddy's chest.
"I know," Teddy said, reaching out to ruffle the dog's ears. "She's just the best, isn't he?"
23 days
They were laying in bed with Margo between them, facing each other and talking like they did when they were kids at sleepovers. Margo had been feeling generous today, and she'd slept solidly for hours. Other than a brief intermission where Teddy slipped out of bed to make tea, the two of them had been able to talk for hours undisturbed. Victoire traced circles on Margo's belly.
"She's so cute when she's sleeping," Victoire said. "I think that when she screams, it's actually a public service."
24 days
Teddy's heart broke every time the baby coughed.
He was a Healer. He knew the order of operations when a baby was sick—when to worry, when to let it go, what to try at home for different types of coughs… He knew exactly what he'd be prescribing any other baby in the world, what he'd say to any other parent coming into the hospital, but now that it was him and Vic looking over a crib… It felt like the world was about to end.
"It's okay," Victoire sighed, just as much a Healer as him. "She'll… the chest rub will work soon."
"Yeah," Teddy said. "The chest rub will work soon."
25 days
"I can't have coffee," Victoire said when he brought her her cup. She rubbed at her eyes and yawned.
"I know," Teddy said. "This is hot chocolate."
"Of course it is, because you're the best," she said. "Did you use the good hot chocolate mix?"
"I used the special occasion mix, actually."
"I'm so tired, I could cry of happiness…"
26 days
He felt like he'd been doing laundry for hours—there was no end to the bedding, cloth diapers, onesies, pyjamas, socks, shirts, hats, and tiny pants that there were to wash. He kept the baby strapped to his chest as he wandered around the house getting chores done.
There was a knock on the door and Gran walked in then with a bag of groceries, and her eyes flitted over Teddy for a second. He'd just about to make the trek to start putting things away in the nursery. The baby was strapped to his chest, his arms were loaded with piled of daintifully folded clothes, and he had his wand in his mouth. She looked at him and started laughing.
He put down a pile and plucked his wand from his mouth.
"What?" he asked.
"Nothing," Gran laughed. "Nothing, you just look like you have your hands full."
"I do," Teddy said. "But I'm making it work."
"You absolutely are," Grand laughed. "Why don't I take some of this for you?"
27 days
"Babe, S.O.S. I'm running out of lullabies," Teddy called from the nursery. "Please tell me there's a French one you know that I don't that you can whip out…"
28 days
It was twilight, he could see the faint light stream through the windows of Margo's room as she sat in the rocking chair with her, back and forth slowly but surely.
Four weeks.
28 days.
672 hours.
40 320 minutes.
He looked at the clock in the nursery until it reached the exact time that Marguerite Andora Lupin-Weasley had been born. 9:13 p.m.
The little one curled up in his arms was officially twenty-eight days old now.
He kissed the top of her head, the soft hairs tickling his lips and misshaven cheeks, and he sighed.
Harry crept it then.
"Hey," he said quietly. "I just wanted to say goodbye, before we left."
"Okay," Teddy whispered back. "Thank you for coming. Hold on, let me put Margo down and I'll come down to say bye to Ginny and Lils..."
He laid down Margo gently, softly. Not for the first time and not for the last time, he was struck by just how small she was and how soundly she slept, as if nothing would ever be worth waking up for—as if everything would always be as peaceful as it was right then.
Teddy crept out of her bedroom and closed the door. His godfather was waiting for him, arms crossed and eyebrow arched.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Teddy had learned, after 28 years of trying to wiggle away from his godfather's instinct, not to fight him on things like this. He took a deep breath.
"I've officially been a father longer than mine got to be," Teddy said. "That's all."
Harry looked at him solemnly and put a hand on Teddy's shoulder.
"He'd be happy about that," Harry promised. "That he gave you this life."
"I'm thankful that he did," Teddy said. "But I've spent twenty-eight days with this baby and watched her grow just a tiny bit, and that's nowhere near enough. We just discovered how much she likes sitting on the swing in the backyard with us. She hasn't even started smiling and laughing. We're just starting to master the art of rapid-fire midnight diaper changing. I could never leave her, like he and my mum risked to go and fight…"
"It's a different kind of love," Harry said. "One that you don't have to face because of how very different the world is. One Margo won't have to deal with either."
Teddy exhaled.
"Thank Merlin," he said.
Harry nodded and smiled.
"Have a good night, Teddy," he said. "Enjoy all the days to come."