Usually this is where you see an Author's Note! But instead this time round we have:
A Note from SweetDeamon: Hello everybody! This is Meet the Son, a one shot set in my 'Meet the...' 'ficverse, written by my good friend nursie91! Hence this is not an Author's Note! Since Nursie claims to have absolutely nothing to say for herself, I shall ramble on her behalf! We have decided to post this under my pen name so that as many 'Meet the...' readers can find it as possible. Meet the Son is set one month after the end of Meet the Daughter, can be found on the chronological list of 'fics on my profile, and is, as far as I am concerned, 'canon' for this 'ficverse!
Thank you, Trixie, for writing this...so I didn't have to! (Let's be honest, it was 6am when you asked me and quite frankly going back to sleep seemed like a much better idea...)
Disclaimer: Neither of us own Harry Potter!
Meet the Son
By nursie91
Ted watched as Imogen prattled excitedly about the Christmas fair that they had visited the day before to her grandmother who was listening with rapt attention. Carrie, beginning the tea looked over at him and smiled, memories of their trip to the fair many years before were vivid. Their daughter's reaction to the elves had been all too similar to her father's. He grinned at her before glanced at the clock.
"Are we keeping you from an appointment, Ted?" Dora raised an eyebrow at her son as her grand-daughter paused to munch on a chocolate biscuit.
Ted shifted. "No. I… I wanted to talk to Dad about something."
Dora frowned. "It was full moon last night."
Ted rolled his eyes. "Really? I never would have guessed. Living with him my whole life may have meant I know the lunar calendar fairly well now."
Carrie frowned at him before handing him a tray. "Take that to him." Her voice was gentle despite the frown she had worn only a moment before. "You can't keep putting it off."
"I'm not putting it off."
"Uh Hu."
"Is Daddy being silly, Mummy?" Imogen looked between her parents. This was one of those 'adult arguments' that she had heard one too many times yet still did not understand.
"Very silly, darling! Did you tell Nana about sitting on Santa's knee?"
"No! He looked funny, Nana!"
Dora looked between her son and daughter-in-law for a puzzled moment before letting the child sweep her away in excitement. She grinned as Teddy grumbled to Carrie just loud enough for the witch to hear.
"They never let us go to the fair again. Yet look at her, proud as punch about Immy."
His answer was a kiss before his wife firmly turned him towards the door. "Go."
"Yes, dear." Teddy pulled a face before moving quickly through the door, shoulders set with purpose.
"What's that about then?" Dora turned to Carrie with a frown.
"Oh, something Remus said to me that Ted needs to clear up." She smiled cheerily. "Now, Immy, what else were you going to tell Nana?"
He could hear his daughter's voice downstairs as he stared at the closed door. He wanted to wait. Carrie kept telling him waiting for a month was quite long enough. How was he to broach a subject that still horrified him? Ted took a deep breath and pushed open the bedroom door and let his eyes adjust to the semi-dark.
"Ted? Is that you?" Remus' voice was sleepy and hoarse.
"Yes. How are you feeling?" He advanced into the room, eyes adjusting to the light and settled onto the edge of the bed. "Did I wake you?"
Remus took the offered cup of tea gratefully. "I was awake and I feel a lot better than I have been." The mild humour in his voice made his son smile. It was the first transformation his father had endured since the poison had been cleared from his system. He was still haggard, still wraith like, but there was colour in his face now, there was a spring in his step and he was not likely to faint every time he stood. It was sweet relief for his family.
"Everything all right?" Remus frowned at the pensive expression on his son's face. "You and Carrie aren't still having problems are you?" He didn't conceal his worry.
Ted laughed. "Merlin, no. She has been wonderful really, never telling me I told you so." He rubbed her forehead. "I deserve it after everything I said."
"We all do." Remus sighed. "Poor girl." A pained look crossed his face.
"She isn't angry with you, you know."
"She has every right to be."
Ted shrugged. "You and mum are practically parents to her. She forgave you the moment you apologised."
"She shouldn't have. The things we said to her… Merlin, we practically told her that she meant nothing to us and had only ever caused trouble!"
"You were sick." Teddy closed his eyes briefly. He would never forget just how sick Remus had been. "And Mum was exhausted, you were angry and frustrated and Carrie was pushing an issue none of us believed."
"That doesn't excuse what we said."
"Dad, Carrie knows you and Mum love her like a daughter. So don't get yourself worked up. Otherwise I will send her up to scold you."
Remus shook his head. "She was here every day when I was sick. She put her life on hold and then…"
"Dad. She isn't angry. I can go get her now to prove it if you want."
Remus managed an amused smile. "No, thank you. I think she learnt to scold from your mother." He shuddered.
Ted's shout of laughter rang out in the room. "Merlin, what a thought! I think you might be right though!"
Remus' smile faded back into a customary frown. Evidently he wasn't convinced that his daughter-in-law had forgiven him.
"You still have a huge guilt complex." Ted grinned. "Mum said it hadn't decreased, I never believed her."
"So, what is it?" Remus questioned, he didn't want to discuss his lingering guilt over his harsh dismissal of Carrie who had, in the long run, proven herself right. He leaned against the headboard. His eyes were locked on his son's face and Ted could see the concern in them. Evidently his father was not going to allow the subject to drop.
"Carrie and I were talking. She… She told me you said something that made her think, not at the time, but later. And… Well, the more she thought about it, the unhappier she became. And she told me." Remus received a reproving glance from his son. "And when she told me I was not impressed."
"It was full moon last night. I am tired. Please stop talking in riddles."
A half smile touched the younger man's face. "It was when Mum was in St Mungo's. You and Carrie were talking about when you and mum disagreed about raising me. Do you remember?"
"Vaguely."
"You told her that… You told her that you were less worthy of respect then mum was. That when I was a kid she would get so angry at me for even thinking about insulting you and I could practically get away with calling her horrid things because I had less respect for you because of… Well, everything. The fact that you left because you were terrified that I would be subjected to stigma because of who my father was. The fact that you couldn't work. The fact that I had to help look after you after a full moon. You told her that it was natural I would respect you less because you didn't deserve it."
Remus was quiet for a moment. "I didn't say that exactly." He protested softly.
"That was the general gist and meaning. Wasn't it?"
Remus couldn't quite meet his son's eyes.
"Well. I thought you should know it was all utter rubbish. Merlin, I probably hated you once or twice, I hated Mum more often. I remember that. But you have always held my respect. I always wanted to be like you. You taught me everything I knew before Hogwarts. You wrote to me every week. You made sure I was happy and healthy. You were an idiot to run out on Mum when she was pregnant but you came back. You struggled through every full moon but you would always smile when I came into the room, always let me know you were ok. You never let the moon rule your life or use it as an excuse to avoid doing anything remotely useful. You didn't not work by choice, I knew that. Every holiday back from Hogwarts I could see how frustrated you were by it. How much you hated not working, not having something to do. You never let it get in the way of being my dad. For Merlin's sake, you helped me propose to Carrie! And truly, you were much easier to respect then Mum." He grinned. "She was in the habit of setting fire to the kitchen on a weekly basis or attempting to poison me with her scrambled eggs every full moon. You were always there for me, no matter what time. I could wake you up in the middle of the night or floo you when I was at school and you were always there. Mum had work but you were ready to drop everything for me. It didn't matter if I was two or twenty." Teddy laughed uncomfortably. "So, essentially, what I am trying to say is that I have never felt so much respect for anyone as I do for you. And now I feel rather daft. You should go back to sleep." He rose and was at the door before Remus' voice stopped him.
"Teddy?" A name that hadn't been used for a long time. Remus' eyes were bright with emotion. "Thank you."
Ted smiled. "Get some sleep, Dad."
"I love you."
He paced back to the bed. These declarations were rare between father and son. They knew it of course, but speaking the words seemed somehow sacred. He adjusted the pillows behind his father. Gripping Remus' shoulder Ted spoke, his voice rough with emotions. "Love you too, Dad."
He ran downstairs, a broad smile on his face. Entering the kitchen he caught his wife into his arms and kissed her. Carrie's laughter drowned out Imogen's squeals of disgust.
"I take it that went well?" She smiled into Ted's eyes and the young man nodded. "Wonderfully!"