A/N: I know I'm starting alot of stories right now, but my muse is on a role. Please bare with me if updates are a bit slow. I haven't got a computer of my own so I'm writing all these in an Internet cafe.

Chapter One: New Beginnings

Clank

Morning light streamed in through the blinds and glinted in snow-white hair. Eyes of deep brown peered blearily from long eyelashes as Ted rolled onto his back, fumbling for the alarm on his bedside table.

Clank

The alarm button was in the middle of a ceramic scene, depicting woods and wolves. The wolves moved slowly, in a mimic of wolfish activity, stuck in a never-ending cycle. The button was camouflaged as a moss covered stone.

Clank, clank

Ted glanced, as always, to the picture frame beside his bed. His mother and father smiled their eternal smile, his mother's in barely contained glee, his father in a quiet, content uplift of the lips. Following ritual, Ted lightly traced the smooth skin of his face, in mirror of the scars of his father's. Following ritual, Remus did the same. Before he had finished tracing the scar on the bridge of his nose, Tonks glanced up, wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a quick kiss on his cheek. Ritual over, Ted got out of bed.

Clank-clank-clank-clank

"Nan!" The noise ceased.

"Yes dear?" A strong female voice called from outside his door. Ted sighed. It was the same thing every morning.

"Could you please stop?" A short pause.

"No, dear." Clank

Ted felt the familiar sensation as he put on jeans and a sweater, strapped black bands around his wrists and a beady necklace around his neck. It felt as if someone had him gripped firmly by the hair, not painfully. His eyes watered. Glancing into the mirror inside his wardrobe door, he saw that his hair had turned a bluish hue. The feeling grew stronger as it turned to a firm turquoise, his eyes now an icy grey.

Always the same: bed hair, day hair, angry hair, and happy hair... his hair and eyes changed colour in a daily flurry of emotion. Ted had often wondered what new kind of hair he'd have at Hogwarts. Would it change for every class? When he made a friend? Or met a girl? The last was a favourite query of his grandmother's.

Clank, clank

Stepping out into the hall, Ted had the usual glimpse of Andromeda with her greying black hair in a tight bun, wand in hand, muttering under her breath as she rearranged the big metal picture frames on an antique table. At least twenty frames sat on the table, another ten in the air as they were rearranged. Like Ted's hair, this was a daily morning escapade.

"What do you think?" His nans' clipped tones held no hint of impatience, despite the fact that she had been doing this for years.

"Nearly there, Nan." Walking down the stairs, Ted felt something brush his leg on its way up. His new kitten, Nebi, was following the source of the noise.

Coming out into the hall was always a bit of a shock. White walls, large windows and a number of mirrors left him blinking at the brightness.

In the kitchen cereal was about all he could manage as he caught site of his new school trunk, already plastered with stickers from anime and manga, and Nebi's empty carrying case.

As apprehension filled his stomach, he felt his eyes change colour again.

"Close your eyes when you do that, dear. It's not pleasant to watch," Andromeda remarked as he made her way to the stove.

"Sorry."

"Is that all you're eating. Normally can't feed you enough, though I dare say that's your father's genes." She always did that. Attribute anything undesirable to his father.

"Was he thin?"

"Like you, you mean? Yes, he was overly thin, but that's not what I was talking about."

"Right."

"Now don't start that, and make yourself some toast. We'll have to head off soon."

They had walked to the station, Andromeda having cast a spell that made the trunk float as if on wheels. As always they were early, so there was no one else around the barrier between nine and ten.

"Come on, then." His nan walked briskly towards the tiled wall, disappearing into nothing. Pulling his trunk a little awkwardly, Ted followed.

He had reached the wall when suddenly everything seamlessly changed into a busy platform, steam billowing from a long scarlet train. Looking aroun for his nan, he spotted her talking to a man who appeared to be the driver. Noticing him, she beckoned him over.

"Right, on you get, then, Teddy. I'll kiss you good-bye here." She leaned over to press her mouth against his cheek. "Oh, can't you do anything about that hair. You are aware it's blue?"

"Uh-"

"And your eyes are yellow. Yellow, I say. I hope you'll learn to control that soon. Well, off you go. Hurry up." She ushered him onto the train. "I know you'll be a good boy, so I won't bother saying anything." She shot him a glare anyway.

Nebi began to mewl as he made his way towards the back, finding a compartment that was free. Storing his luggage, he relaeased Nebi and watched him explore.

After ten minutes or so there came a knock on the glass of the door. A boy gestured if he could come in. Ted nodded and his compartment suddenly became very crowded.

The boy, introducing hhimself as Paul Taylor, was tall and obviously not a first year. Another boy followed who had too much luggage to fit in the rack, and ended up taking upHalf of one side of chairs. A girl the same age as him came in after them, nearly tripping over the cat. She smiled an apology and sat next to him.

"I'm Natalie, but everyone calls me Nat." She stuck out her hand, which Ted shook.

"Devon Etch," mumbled the boy with all the luggage. He was chewing on a mouthful of muffin.

"I'm Teddy," she choked a bit as she heard the name, and he smiled at her. She was somewhat pretty, with black hair and foreign features. But her accent was definately London.

"Teddy what?" said the tall boy. Teddy now noticed a resemblabce with the girl. They both had the same foreign features.

"Teddy Lupin," they all stopped and stared.

"Your dad was a werewolf?" demanded Paul.

"Yeah." The atmosphere suddenly became tense. Nat noticed and glanced at his hair.

"You can change that?"

"Not when I want to." Ted was grateful she was trying to change the subject.

"Does that mean you're one-"

"Will you learn to? People will notice if you have blue hair." She was leaning across him, shielding her brother from view.

"Eventually, but my nan says-"

"Are you a flippin' half-breed?!"

"Paul, will you shut up!"

Silence descednded in the cabin as Teddy struggled between anger and hurt.

"I'm not a werewolf."

"Your dad was," Paul was sneering now, and Devon had got up to take down his luggage.

"My dad was a great man!" White hit anger flooded through him. He had never felt this way. Did all people act this way towards werewolves? Harry always said his father was an exceptional man to fight against You-know-who as he had!

Filthy! Nat, let's leave," and he turned to exit.

"My parents sacrificed their lives so you could have one!" Teddy was standing now, teeth clenched, but Paul and Devon had already left.

Natalie looked torn for a second, but then got up to follow her brother. "I'm sorry," she touched his arm in passing as she left.

"My dad was a hero." Teddy barely moved his lips, but she heard. She bit her lip, throwing him one fleeting glance before she left.

Teddy sat the remaining journey in silence.

His hair and eyes turned a dull, dirty brown.