Fluffy little one-shot about Teddy with some Harry and Ginny thrown in. Hope you enjoy and review! :)
"Teddy Lupin what have you done?!"
Ginny had walked back into her spacious living room after leaving it for only a matter of moments, and utter chaos had ensued in her brief absence, orchestrated no doubt by the now slightly guilty looking boy sitting in the centre of the room with a badly hidden smirk creeping onto his face. A toy train which had been traversing the air around him landed with a sanctimonious thud at his feet, but the shade of red of her face was enough for him to swallow and revert his green hair back to its original colour. The room looked like an impolite giant had just passed by. The sofa was on the ceiling, the muggle TV Hermione had given them was now passed the stage of recognition as it gave the impression that it had been melted, and most of Teddy's toys were now flying all over the room.
She wasn't shocked, but she knew she should be annoyed at him for the mess his childish experimental magic had made, but she had to conceal an amused smile at the expression on his apparently innocent face. Sighing, Ginny retrieved her wand from her jeans and cast a few spells to make the living room resemble at least something approaching normality. Seeing this as a sign of defeat, Teddy lost pretence in interest and began to amuse himself by growing cat whiskers and crawling around the now relatively clean floor making 'meow' noises.
Finished with her spells, Ginny turned back to her husband's young Godson with raised eyebrows, waiting for him to realise the reproving glare she was trying to maintain while fighting the urge to laugh. After a few moments Teddy stopped, realising she had gone silent, and slowly turned his head to reluctantly look up at her.
"What?"
Upon seeing her externally stern expression he chanced a cheesy grin and an wide eyed puppy-dog look, and turned his ears into the shape reflective of the ancient Kreacher with tufts of hair to match. Just the smallest flicker of amusement flashed across her face at his intentionally ridiculous appearance, and she immediately regretted it, because she knew he could detect any sign of weakness.
Sure enough, he pounced on the opportunity, and preceded to comically mimic the full facial appearance of everyone he could think of, and soon enough she had to succumb to the giggles which had threatened her. Teddy joined in the laughter, knowing the battle was won, and ended his repertoire of comedy with Ginny herself. Seeing her own head on a three-year-olds body doing bizarre facial expressions became to much and she threw her head back in laughter, surrendering completely, knowing she could never reprimand him after this, knowing he knew it too. Smart kid.
After they had stopped laughing at eachother, Ginny sighed with a resigned smile and sat down on the now on the floor sofa, her head tilted to the side slightly at the still giggling toddler who was observing her with a triumphant grin. She knew she shouldn't be so lenient, but she couldn't help being reminded of her house full of under-age, (and sometimes over-age) wizards getting up to irresponsible mischief with their magic.
"GinGin?" Teddy said as he climbed onto her lap, "Is it good that I is funny?"
She considered him, "Do you like being funny?"
"Yes It's fun!"
"Well there is your answer then!"
Ginny looked at him curiously for his reaction, which was immediate elation, followed by what could only have been deep thought.
"Metamorphmagi are very rare Teddy. You have a wonderful start to your magical life being able to do what you do. It is tremendously useful, your mother said she would never have become an Auror if it hadn't been for it."
Teddy's head rose in pride, as it did whenever his parents were mentioned even though he was so young, because ever since he could talk he had wanted to know everything about them.
"So I am a Meta..."
"Metamorphmagus"
"Metmufmagagus?"
"No, Metamorphmagus." Ginny said with an amused smile.
"Metamufmagusus? Yep that's right isn't it?"
His face was lit up as he looked at her, his thirst for knowledge apparent now as it has always been.
"No it's Meta..."
His face was still expectant, and she remembered how she had first attempted to say the word properly after being told a story about one. Why prolong it?
"Yeah you were right it's Metamufmagusus."
He slid off her lap again, repeating the word to himself, and began to play with his toys non-magically. She chuckled, and glanced at her watch habitually, realising Harry should be home from Auror training any time soon, and she positioned herself so as best to see the fire, not out of some dramatic romantic need to feel its warmth, but because she always wanted to be the first face he saw when he arrived home through it. She privately thought this habit was more for her own benefit than his, but he certainly never missed an opportunity to kiss her, no matter what the occasion. She didn't
wait for him for the worst year of her life for nothing, and he would never forget that.
"Harry will be home soon Ted, but when he gets here it's bed-time."
"Aw GinGin do I have to?" he whined in response, his hair turning to crimson in annoyance.
"Yes Teddy. You know Nana Tonks said so."
As if on cue, a burst of brightly coloured flame irrupted from the ornate fireplace, and a black haired young man stepped out of the fire and brushed ash off his robes habitually before looking straight at the beautiful smiling redhead who had stood up upon his arrival.
"How was your day?"
"It was good, but that doesn't matter. I'm home now Mrs Potter."
Ginny's smile widened at this. He had taken every opportunity to call her this since their wedding three months ago, and she always felt a flutter of excitement whenever he said it, as she had done simply seeing him ever since he had proposed to her.
He pulled her towards him with both hands around her waist and she rested her hands behind his neck and he leaned down to kiss her.
Before they touched lips however, a certain now blue haired boy, annoyed with being ignored, grabbed his Godfathers legs and attempted to pull them out from underneath him. Harry released Ginny and prised his tiny fingers from his robe and lifted him up.
"How have you been today then Ted?" he said while taking him to sit on the sofa, gesturing his wife to do the same.
"GinGin said the cool thing I can do, you know, changing myself, makes me a Metamufmagusus!"
The small boy had a wide grin and his chest was puffed out in pride. Harry smiled in acknowledgement but looked in amused confusion over his head at Ginny.
"It's pronounced Metam..."
He stopped at the small shake of her head.
"Me and Teddy talked about this didn't we Ted?" Ginny said.
"Yep. Mum was one wasn't she?"
"Yeah she was Teddy," Harry said, still slightly confused, "Isn't it your bed-time anyway?"
"Yes it is," Ginny said with raised eyebrows at the now reproachful looking infant.
"Can you read me a story Harry?" he said with his trademark butter-wouldn't-melt gaze.
"Yeah sure, go to your room and get ready and I will be in in a minute."
Harry smiled fondly at the young boy as he toddled out of the room.
"I wouldn't leave him in there too long, you should have seen the mess earlier! It was impressive though, even by Teddy's standards."
She paused, realising Harry was studying her face intently with a incredulous expression.
"What?"
Harry shook his head and leaned closer to her, his pupils darting around her face.
"I was just wondering how I got so lucky. I do it a lot. Then I have to stop myself because I know I can't question it, I have to just enjoy being with you."
Ginny blushed, a rare feat, and Harry beamed. She knew he didn't always find it the easiest to express his emotions, but that made her treasure the perfect moments when he did all the more, and they had become all the more frequent since the wedding. He leaned in again to kiss her, and had just brushed her lip with his when an impatient shout came from upstairs.
"I'M DONE HARRY! ARE YOU GONNA READ ME BEEDLE?"
Both of them looked at eachother and collapsed into laughter, marvelling at the volume Teddy could reach and his impeccable timing.
"Well I best go up, lord and master awaits," Harry smiled, his forehead now resting on Ginny's, but he still didn't move until she reluctantly pulled away and pushed him up.
"Go on, he'll be waiting."
He pouted childishly, mimicking Teddy, but did as he was told and apparated upstairs, and she heard the distinct sound of a squeal of surprise and delight from the small boy at Harry appearing out of nowhere.
"Metamufmagusus." she spoke aloud quietly as she got up to look around the room for signs of Teddy's magical mischief that had previously gone unnoticed, her eyes landing as she did so on all of the moving pictures which dominated most of the far wall.
She sighed and approached it for a closer look, memories tugging up the sides of her lips as she drank in the multitude of moving photographs of her friends and family from all through her life and before it, her eyes drawn as always to the ones of Fred. She used to cry when she saw them, but now they filled her with feelings of pride. Ginny had grown up so fast, her maturity was such she could understand he died in battle, a hero, so those he loved could live in peace. A part of her would always be sad, but she used that as a strength, not a weakness.
Her eyes fell on more recent photos, ones of her and Harry in the passed couple of years, and of course their wedding photo in the centre of all. She had known for a long time, deep inside her, that that picture would be taken, long before he had even noticed her. Ginny Potter always got what she wanted.
Ginny was shaken from her pleasant reminiscence by the creaking of floorboards upstairs which she took to mean the end of story time. Considering his giddiness earlier, Ginny fully expected to have to use the children's drowsy potion Andromeda uses to get him to even think about sleep.
Quietly, just in case Harry had achieved the impossible, she ascended the stairs to help, to find to her surprise her husband carefully exiting Teddy's room with one finger pressed to his lips when he saw her.
"He fell asleep just as I was telling him what happened to Amata and Sir Luckless," Harry whispered.
Ginny glanced through the crack in the door at the cute young orphan whose hair was now flashing rapidly between the colours of the rainbow as he dreamt.
"That used to be my favourite one when I was a kid, 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune'," Ginny spoke softly as she watched him, "I liked how the witches were so strong. And I could never resist a bit of a romantic ending."
"I think he just likes it because of the worm."
Ginny shook her head in weary amusement.
"So what's all this about 'Metamufmagusus'? Isn't it Metamorphmagus or have I completely lost it?"
"We were talking about it and he couldn't pronounce it. He always wants to hear about his parents, and don't think Dromeda talks about them much. I told him, do you remember, how Tonks said she probably wouldn't have passed Auror training if she hadn't done so well disguising herself? You should have seen his face, he is so proud of them."
Harry exhaled a small breath of laughter and he too looked at the sleeping boy. Ginny could see, even in the half-light of the candle next to Teddy's bed, that concern and sadness had passed over his face.
"He isn't like you Harry."
He looked down at her and she knew precisely what he was thinking, as always.
"What do you mean?" He tried to feign confusion at her comment, but Ginny could tell that even he knew his attempt to lie was fruitless.
"Your comparing him to you, aren't you? His parents being murdered for him when he was too young to remember."
She spoke gently, and her fingers slid in between his and she squeezed his hand comfortingly as he nodded.
"Well he isn't anything like you Harry. Nobody ever will be, and I know you would never want them to. Teddy is surrounded by people who love him and will take care of him like he were their own, us included."
Harry smiled as she continued.
"He has bedrooms at three different houses, his grandmother's practically beating babysitter offers away with a stick, and his childhood has and will be as happy as anybody else's because you and everyone who ever knew Remus and Tonks would never let it be anything other than that."
Ginny knew her sincere words had achieved the desired effect, as Harry's face had lightened considerably and he was now studying her face with the same wonderful expression he had had earlier.
"I know, I suppose sometimes I just-
"-worry? Don't Potter, because it's never gonna happen."
They both beamed, and with a final check on the currently ginger boy, they went back downstairs, hand in hand. When they reached the hall, Harry embraced Ginny in a warm and heartfelt hug, and kissed her tenderly.
"What was that for?"
"Being you."
Ginny blushed in appreciation, and Harry lent down.
"HARRY! GINGIN! I CAN'T SLEEP ANY MORE!"
Sighing, they both looked at each other with weary smiles and ascended the stairs again.
Thank you so much for reading! What did you think? Bit cheesy, but I thought it was quite sweet. All comments welcome :)
Posted on another site first, and people seemed to like it. Popped into my head when my brother was struggling to pronounce Metamorphmagus, plus I wanted a toddler Teddy story. :D