Disclaimer: Anything you recognise doesn't belong to me.
Promises
A young boy with dark, shaggy brown hair crept down a dark hallway and stopped outside his godfather's bedroom door.
Seven year old Teddy Lupin hesitated before pushing open the reddish-brown door.
Teddy could just make out his godfathers' hair above the blankets. He rubbed his cold feet together before slowly making his way over to the bed, closing the door behind him.
'Harry?' whispered Teddy. His godfather didn't respond. 'Harry?' Teddy said louder this time. He tugged on the blankets a bit and Harry Potter rolled over to face him. He rubbed his vivid green eyes and looked at his godson blearily.
'Teddy?' he asked. 'What's wrong?'
Teddy hopped up onto the bed and harry sat up, stifling a yawn and putting on his glasses.
Teddy avoided Harry's eyes. 'I couldn't sleep,' he said quietly and Harry sighed softly.
Teddy lowered his head but Harry tugged on his arm. Teddy crawled over to his godfather who wrapped his arms around him, hugging him tightly.
'Like last time?' he asked and Teddy nodded before burying his face into Harry's shirt. Aunt Ginny was away for work leaving Harry, Teddy and one year old James behind. James was sleeping soundly though, like he did every night.
After a few minutes of silence Teddy spoke up.
'Can you tell me a story?' he asked and Harry chuckled.
'What story do you want to hear? He questioned smiling. He released his godson who thought about it for a moment.
'Um – the one when you and Uncle Ron flew the car to Hogwarts,' said Teddy smiling and Harry laughed.
'Okay,' Harry lent against the head of the bed and put his arm around Teddy who sat next to him.
'So it was September first and we were all running late; I was staying at the Burrow that summer. So they all went ahead of us through the barrier and it was Uncle Ron and mines turn. So we ran at the barrier but it had closed on us. We had no idea what to do and we were starting to attract a lot of attention.
'Uncle Ron then had the idea to fly the car to Hogwarts. Gramps had charmed it so it could fly – not that he was intending to fly it,' Harry added and they both laughed. Teddy was listening eagerly as his godfather told his story, his green eyes glazing over slightly.
'We got the car into the air but then the invisibility booster shut down so we had to fly into the clouds. We checked on the train every twenty minutes or so. So everything was going fine but when we were nearing Hogwarts the engine started to complain and whine. We got over the lake alright but then the engine died and we almost crashed into the castle but Ron managed to turn the car around.
'The car kept going and we crashed into a tree. But not just any tree. Possibly the most violent and evil tree ever to exist,' Harry said solemnly causing Teddy to laugh.
'I don't agree, that tree out the back at Grandma's is pure evil,' he said and Harry snorted.
'It's not the tree's fault you're dead clumsy and trip over its roots and crash into it all the time,' he said and Teddy shoved him playfully.
'Alright, alright, on with the story,' Harry said before continuing.
'So we crashed into the Whomping Willow which proceeded to hit us back. Ron's wand had snapped when we'd crashed and suddenly the car started up again. It reversed out of the trees reach and it threw us and our luggage out. It then shot off for the Forest and we started to walk up to the castle.
'Professor Snape caught us and took us to his office and threatened to expel us but then Professor Dumbledore and Aunt Minerva came in and instead gave us detention. We were then allowed to go up to our dormitory after eating some sandwiches. And that, Teddy Remus, is exactly why we don't fly enchanted cars to school,' Harry said in a mock stern voice and Teddy laughed, his hair was now his customary shade of bright turquoise.
'Says you,' he replied and Harry gave him a mock stern look reminiscent of Aunt Minerva.
'None of that Teddy Remus or –'
'Or what?' asked Teddy with a cheeky grin.
'I shall ban you from chocolate.'
'No! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it,' he said quickly, laughing loudly when Harry started tickling him.
'No, I think it's exactly what you need,' he said seriously despite the fact that his godson was choking on his laughter.
'I'm sorry,' yelled Teddy, who was now gasping for breath. Why did he have to be so ticklish? 'Pl-please f-forgi-give me!'
'Hmm, I'll need to think about it,' Harry said, still tickling Teddy who was fighting for breath and attempting to kick Harry but Harry moved out of reach.
'If y-you d-don't st-stop I'll t-tell Aunt Mio-one who r-really lo-ost her book!'
Harry stopped and Teddy panted for breath.
'Blackmail Teddy?' he asked. 'You really have been spending too much time with Uncle George.'
'Says you,' Teddy said and Harry grinned and ruffled Teddy's vibrant blue hair.
Once Teddy had got his breath back he sat up and turned to Harry who was looking at the wall that held a heap of photos.
'Can I stay here tonight?' asked Teddy.
'Sure,' Harry said, taking off his glasses. He pulled the blankets over himself and his godson. He put his arm around teddy in a one-armed hug and Teddy curled up into his godfather's side.
They lay there in silence for a moment before Teddy whispered what caused him to come to his godfathers' room in the first place.
'Why'd they leave?'
Harry frowned slightly, understanding immediately what Teddy was talking about. He was after all, the only person in the family that understood because Harry was the only one who'd lost it too.
'They didn't want to, Teddy,' he said softly. 'Sometimes the people who love us have to choose the Greater Good over us. They don't want to but they were trying to make a better world for us to live in.'
Teddy remained silent and Harry sighed.
'Your mother was always a really happy person,' he said quietly. 'But I swear that she was bouncing off the walls when she found out she was pregnant. And your dad was the happiest I've ever seen him.'
Harry was silent for a second before continuing.
'Your parents loved you, Teddy,' he said softly. 'Don't you ever doubt that.'
When Teddy didn't respond Harry sighed again.
'Do you think that my parents wanted to leave me?'
'What? No! Why would they've wanted to?' Teddy said loudly, shocked.
'Do you think that because they're not around they never loved me?' asked Harry, ignoring his godsons' exclamations.
'Of course they loved you!' said Teddy.
'Then tell me why you would believe that about your own parents?'
Teddy fell silent, thinking it over.
'Exactly,' Harry said. 'The ones who love us are never really gone. They're just invisible but they're part of you,' he said, smiling sadly as he thought of his own godfather's last words to him.
'Really?' asked Teddy. He looked at his godfather knowing he'd never lie to him.
'Really,' said Harry.
They were both silent for a while and Harry thought Teddy had fallen asleep but he was soon proven wrong.
'Are you going to leave me?' he whispered and in the dark Teddy's voice sounded smaller than it was.
Harry rolled over to face his godson.
'What?' he asked.
'You're going to leave me like mum and dad left me,' Teddy said sadly.
Harry wrapped his arms around his godson and Teddy buried his face into Harry's shirt.
'I'm not going to leave you,' he murmured. 'Never.'
Teddy's only answer was to snuggle closer to Harry.
'I swear I will never leave you,' Harry said.
'Solemnly swear?' asked Teddy, peering up at his godfathers. Harry smiled before continuing.
'I solemnly swear I will never leave you, Teddy Remus.'
And that's how Ginny found them when she got home the next morning. Godfather and godson fast asleep with their arms around each other.
Please review. I've had a really bad and depressing day and I know a review might help cheer me up. Please.
