Prologue:

Teddy woke with a start.

At first, he wasn't sure what had made the loud crash that had awoken him so suddenly from his peaceful slumber, but as he listened, he could hear the quiet murmur of his father downstairs, and the not- so- quiet string of curse words that followed from his mother.

He got up, pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, opened his bedroom door and padded across the landing towards the stairs yawning slightly.

He reached the bottom of the stairs and walked over to the kitchen door with a sense of quiet, excited anticipation. Today was his eleventh birthday. The day that he would receive his letter. Turning eleven was a very important event for all children in wizarding families across Britain, as it was the day they would (or would not in the cases of an unfortunate minority) receive a letter with the Hogwarts seal, confirming their place at the most prestigious of wizarding schools.

"Teddy!"

His mother, already dressed in her scarlet Auror robes walked over to him and pulled him into a tight hug (carefully stepping over the broken plate that had undoubtedly been responsible for Teddy's abrupt awakening)

"Happy Birthday" She said as she kissed him on the forehead

Teddy grinned as he looked from his mother to his father

"Happy Birthday Son" Remus smiled

"Why don't you start on breakfast while we wait for the post?"

Remus put a plate down on the table with what comprised of a full English

"It better get here soon" Tonks glanced over at the clock on the wall in their small kitchen.

"Kingsley said he wanted to start promptly... oh well- I can at least get to see you open your presents!" She ruffled Teddy's hair as she flicked her wand, summoning several interestingly shaped packages from the next room and setting them down on the table.

Teddy ripped open the first two with a triumphant yell-

"Thanks Mum! Thanks Dad!"

In his hands was brand new racing broom and servicing kit.

He tore open the rest of his packages with equal gusto and found that he had a new set of exploding snap cards, an enormous slab of Honeydukes chocolate, and a bag of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

"Yes!"

Remus chuckled, Teddy was turning out to be very much his father's son- give him a slab of chocolate and bag full of pranks and he was very much content.

"Harry and the rest of the Weasley's will be round later for tea- I think they"ll have a present or two for you as well"

"Well I'm going to have to get going- I can't believe the post isn't here already- bye Ted have a nice day, be good for Dad will you?"-

Tonks kissed Teddy's cheek as he offered her a distracted goodbye, before kissing her husband and stepping into the floo.

Not more than half a minute after his mother had stepped in the floo, did the post arrive. A regal tawny owl arrived at the window and was let in. First, It dropped a thick envelope on the table directly infront of Teddy, just managing to avoid knocking over his orange juice, before dropping another envelope in Remus' hands, and taking off again.

"YES!" Teddy snatched up his envelope and tore it open as his father sat down with a broad grin on his face to watch him.

"Well, I think this definitely calls for a celebratory trip to Fortescues... you're not a squib after all!"

Teddy scoffed. Before gathering up his presents to place them in his room.

"We can stop off at Quality Quidditch supplies too- right Dad? I want to buy a new beaters bat, seeing as i've got a new broom!" Teddy called over his shoulder.

"So how did your interview go the other day dad?" Teddy asked once they had both sat down with their Triple chocolate and fudge sundaes at Fortescues.

Remus paused

"Not well- they misread my application, didn't spot my condition orginally" he gave a short, hollow laugh. "Once they had spotted it of course- they made up the most ridiculous excuse as to why I was suddenly totally unsuitable" Remus shrugged it off as though it didn't bother him. He made sure not to sound bitter as he said it. He and Tonks tried very hard not to let their frustration show where Teddy was concerned, they didn't want him to be affected by other people's bigotry.

Both Remus and Tonks had always been very open with Teddy about Remus' condition- for they knew that once he was old enough, he would start to notice the cold reception his father generally received while out in public.

Teddy was a fairly perceptive child and had caught on quickly. He was around five the first time he had asked- "Why did that man suddenly look really angry at you Daddy? And ask you to leave?"

Since then, Teddy had always known that some people were not happy when they learnt about his father's condition, and that even though- so he was told- attitudes had changed for the better towards werewolves to intigrate them into society more, some people still held prejudices. His father still had difficulty in gaining employment. Teddy had watched over the years as his father had gone from job to job because- even though people like Hermione Weasley, Head of the Regulation and Welfare of Magical Creatures Department at the Ministry had introduced Laws against the discrimination of employment against Werewolves- more often than not, an employer would give Remus a job to abide the law, and then find some ridiculous excuse to sack him.

"But they can't have just asked you to leave!.. It's against.."

-"I know Teddy, they didn't precisely say it was because of my condition- they said it was because I'd filled the form in wrong..." Remus looked away

Teddy gave a frustrated huff and dug back into his sundae with more force than was necessary.

"Cheer up Ted, something'll turn up- maybe sooner than we think"

Teddy looked up to see his father give a knowing smile, with a twinkle in his amber eyes

"What-"

"Eat up!"

After they left Fortescues, they stopped at Quality Quidditch supplies for Teddy to pick out a brand new beater's bat.

"You can use my old one Dad- I'll need to start training properly if I'm going to get on my house team!"

Remus smiled at the excitement on his son's face and looked at his watch.

"Ok- time to get going Teddy..."

"Where are we going now? You said earlier that Harry and everyone wouldn't be round till 5 for tea."

"I know- but we've got somewhere to go before that- Professor McGonagall has asked to see me at Hogwarts and we wouldn't want to keep her waiting now would we?"

"We're going to Hogwarts!"

"Yes- now come on- we can stop in at Honeydukes as well if we're quick"

They walked out of Quality Quidditch supplies back out to the crowded and bustling street that was Diagon Alley and headed towards the public floo stations.

Teddy sat outside the Headmistress's office next to the stone Gargoyle staring around at the place that was soon to be his home in about 4 months time, and smiled to himself. He'd been waiting to go to Hogwarts since he had been about four years old. It seemed everyone around him had their own stories to tell about the place, and he couldn't wit to start having a few adventures of his own.

Teddy had been to Hogwarts lots of times before to visit the groundskeeper Hagrid with his parents and sometimes with his Godfather Harry. His parents also sometimes visited the various teachers- he knew that the Herbology Professor Neville Longbottom had been a pupil of his father's when he had taught for a year at Hogwarts before the second war, and Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress had been part of the Order of the Phoenix, the secret society Dumbledore had formed to fight in the first and second wars against Voldemort, and that his parents had been members of.

"- I look forward to seeing you Remus"

Teddy heard Professor McGonagall's voice as the panel in front of the staircase to her office began to slide back, and he scrambled up.

"Thank you Minerva"

"And I shall look forward to seeing you also, come September, master Lupin-" Professor McGonagall smiled at Teddy

Teddy grinned.

"I hope I'm in Gryffindor- wait! don't tell mum I said that..."

Both adults laughed.

"Come on Teddy, bye Minerva, and thanks again".

"So what was that about? Why did she want to see you?" Teddy looked up at his father as they walked down the corridors towards the main entrance.

Remus looked down at Teddy for a second before grinning broadly

"You're not the only one going to be leaving for Hogwarts this September"

Very much a scene setting chapter.

I have no beta so apologies for any mistakes! Story may be subject to editing...

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