the beginning of the beginning
Ted Lupin was ten when his Grandma came dashing into the lounge, yelping about Auntie Ginny going into labour. Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny had been expecting another child and the wait had been tedious. Ted had already been present when James and Albus were born, however he hadn't been allowed to hold either of them, as Grandma had used the excuse that he was 'too young to support them properly'.
Grandma gave Ted the same instructions as always after he had put his coat on: throw some floo powder into the fire and call out St. Mungo's. Grandma would catch him up, as per usual.
He obeyed instructions, for Grandma could be formidable when she needed to. The two previous trips to St. Mungo's Maternity Ward hadn't gone particularly perfectly. Ted still hadn't got the hang of flooing. He was a five minute walk away from Uncle Harry and his 'cousins', so he hadn't had much experience with the method of travel. He knew that Uncle Harry wasn't actually his uncle and didn't take advantage of the fact. Despite having dinner with the Potters more often than he had dinner with his Grandma, Ted still didn't feel like part of the family.
He landed out at St. Mungo's, this time on two feet. Uncle Harry hugged him hello and they waited for Grandma together in the long, sterile hallway. The walls were a gone-off cream colour, the ceiling was comprised of a series of white tiles while the floor was white too, it was mottled with light and dark grey splashes to add texture.
"How's Auntie Ginny, Unc?" Ted asked. A scream ripped through the conversation before Harry could answer.
"She's doing alright. Better than Albus." Harry said after anxiously shooting a glance back into the room he had come from. The fireplace popped as Grandma stepped out. "Hi Andromeda. Do you mind keeping an eye on the boys until Molly gets here?"
"Of course dear, no problem. Ted, go and sit with James and Albus. I'll make sure they don't go anywhere they're not supposed to, Harry. Go on, go!"
Harry pointed Andromeda in the right direction and profusely thanked her before ducking back into the hospital room.
Ted had always found James to be a little annoying. Whenever he and Grandma visited, he constantly tugged at Ted to get him to play with him. More often than not, Ted busied himself with James and Fred and Louis to keep himself preoccupied and away from Victoire.
The previous year, Ted had decided that if his life was made up of stars and each star had a direct importance to brightness ratio, then Victoire was the brightest star in the night sky. He had never told her this because she intimidated him more than he cared to admit, despite the fact that he was a year older than her.
"Ted, Ted, can we play it?" James asked as he tugged on the sleeve of Ted's grey sweater.
"You most certainly will not, James Sirius. Behave yourself, you're going to be getting another sibling soon." Grandma Andromeda said after her grandson shot her an uncomfortable look.
James sat back in his chair and grumbled. Albus climbed contently onto Ted's lap after scaling his leg.
They sat there for what might've felt like hours to a few of those with the attention span of a sieve and what might've felt like moments to someone who had experienced life.
"James, Ted, Al, come and meet Lily," Uncle Harry said as he entered the hallway.
Ted picked Albus up and carried him through to meet his new baby sister. Albus was still an infant himself, chubbier and cuter than James was at that age. James practically held on to Ted's ankle until his father lifted him up and held his hand.
"Can I hold him, daddy?" James asked.
"Her. You've got a little sister, James."
"A girl? Eww! Can't you trade her for a boy, daddy?"
Harry laughed. "It doesn't quite work like that, James. You don't need another brother, you've got Albus."
By this point, Albus had insisted that Ted put him down and he toddled to his mother's hospital bed.
"Can I hold her, daddy?" James asked as his father picked him up and sat him on his mother's bed.
"You're a little young for that, James."
"Here's your little sister, boys," Auntie Ginny said as she shifted the bundle in her arms to show the two boys their new-born sibling.
Ted went home with Uncle Harry that day with James and Albus and Uncle Harry took him aside to talk to him about the new baby.
"Listen, if you want to hold Lily, that's completely understandable. I know we didn't let you hold her today, but maybe when Ginny and Lily come home in a few days' time. Is that alright with you?"
Ted smiled and nodded. "Are we staying for dinner?"
"I'll check that it's alright with Andromeda and if she says you can, then sure."
Ted beamed. Grandma would never decline Uncle Harry, of all people.
It was two weeks later before Ted even got the chance to go round Uncle Harry's again. Auntie Ginny had apparently been home for a little over a week after all the fancy doctors had to perform their check-ups on the new baby.
"Here you go, Ted," Harry said as he gently passed the tiny bundle to his godson. A small tuft of ginger hair covered a little of the child's head. Her eyes opened and she giggled as Ted's hair flickered from colour to colour. She was a bright baby, with dark blue eyes and chubby little cheeks.
"She's adorable, Ginny. What's her full name?" Grandma Andromeda asked.
"Lily Luna Potter. We decided on Lily for Harry and Luna for me. We haven't told Luna yet. We must owl her or something. I know she and Rolf are busy with the twins but we shouldn't surprise her about it."
All the while, Ted sat with his technically-not-a-sister-but-I-still-think-you're-a-sister cradled in his arms. He knew very little about what effect this girl was going to have on his life.
a/n: first ever teddy/lily story, so this is a little out of my comfort zone! no song recs for this chapter, sorry! there might be one or two for the next chapter.