The picture frame was cracked and caked with dust. Teddy Lupin ran his shirtsleeve over the surface to somewhat clean it. The two people in the picture smiled happily up at him. The woman had a sharp, kind face with large, wide eyes that Teddy could compare to his own. She wore a flowing white dress and a necklace of sparkling moonstones. Standing next to her with an arm around her waist was a man in a suit that didn't quite seem to fit him. Though he smiled in the sunlight, his eyes looked sad and distressed. Scars bore into his face and the his crooked smile made him look disheveled, but Teddy supposed that the man always looked this way. The man had a strong build, like Teddy. He looked like the kind of man who would do anything for the woman, even if it hurt him to do so. Teddy watched the trees sway in the background and the wind flow through the woman's short hair. He knew that it was changing colors, even if the photograph was in black and white, the shades darkened and lightened randomly.
Teddy stared at the picture. Suddenly he felt empty, not quite whole. He felt weighted. Without looking, he knew that his hair had changed from a cerulean blue to a cloudy gray. This was his parents on their wedding day. This was a picture of his parents.
Parents. Teddy went over the word in his head again and again. Teddy had never known his parents. Sure, Harry and Ginny were his godparents, as good as any parents, but he wasn't actually related to them.
Teddy looked around his room filled with the light of the rising sun emitting from the window next to his bed. His eyes came to rest on a wood shelf. Pictures lined it, top to bottom. So many pictures. Pictures of Teddy, James, and Al. Pictures of him with baby Lily when she was just born. A picture of him with Harry laughing at the breakfast table. A picture of Ginny trying and failing to teach Teddy how to make spaghetti when he came home for Christmas beak. Teddy had to smile at that one. He had ended up spilling Ginny's pasta all over the floor. Twice. And then there were pictures of family reunions every summer. Ron, Hermione and Harry. Arthur Weasley kissing and irritated Molly Weasley. Fred and Roxanne in a heated argument with Molly and Lucy. Rose and Al playing Wizard Chess (Rose won every time). George with his arm around Teddy, both of them with puss filled boils on their faces. And then there was Victoire. So many pictures of her and Teddy. Laughing and playing as kids, running through the field at the Burrow, fishing in the creek, at Kings Cross Station when Victoire was in her first year and Teddy in his second. And the most recent picture of them from this summer at the Borrow. Uncle George had snuck Ton-Tongue Toffees into their candy bowl on the kitched table and both Teddy and Victoire had taken a huge handful unknowingly. They were each holding out their long, multicolored tongues up to the camera. Tears streamed from their eyes because they were laughing so hard.
The year Teddy turned fourteen had brought something out in him that couldn't be put back or tucked away. Teddy had never really given them much thought. He had a family, who needed another? Yesterday, Harry had decided to clean out attic for whatever reason (Ginny probably). Teddy had helped go through boxes and closets and trunks of old clothes and sheets and schoolbooks. Harry was finding things from his days at Hogwarts. Harry had proudly shown off his Quidditch Captian badge, his sneakoscope, a copy of "Twelve Fail Safe Ways To Charm Witches" (Teddy had blushed furiously when Harry had read the cover. They had both laughed their heads off reading the first chapter), and most importantly, The Marauder's Map.
Harry had carefully unfolded the pages and took out his wand and whispered something inaudible. Teddy strained to look over Harry's shoulder as he saw his godfather's eyes light up with joy.
Teddy was just able to read the words: Messers Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers are proud to present THE MARAUDERS MAPbefore they disappeared. Harry chuckled and looked up at Teddy with shining eyes.
"What is it?" asked Teddy, pointing to the parchment. "It's not another one of George's Weasley Products, is it?"
Harry laughed and shook his head. "No, but it is something just as genius. This is a map of Hogwarts," Harry saw Teddy's eyes widen. And then a mischievous look appeared on Teddy's face and Harry was reminded instantly of Tonks. All of the sudden he felt his breath leave him. Harry knelt there beside Teddy, a hollow feeling in the pit of his stomach.
But Teddy had not seemed to notice Harry's sudden inability to speak.
"Really? No bloody way!" Teddy exclaimed taking the map from Harry.
Harry shook himself and took a deep breath and laughed shakily.
"Er, yeah. George and Fr—George gave this to me when I was in my third year at Hogwarts. This was a prized possession between Ron, Hermione, and I"
Harry, Ron and Hermione had begged to the members of the family to somewhat avaoid the topic of the war of 1997 to the children. Although the history was bound to come up at some point, the trio had made an agreement to wait until the children were older. Harry could not bear to be called The Chosen One again by his own family. He did not want to burden the kids with the knowledge of those dark years. Neither did he want those memories to resurface for Harry, Ron and Hermione's own sakes. So for now, there had never been an Uncle Fred But Harry knew that sooner or later, the events and stories would not be able to be avoided, no matter how much Harry tried to cover them up.
"Who made it? This is absolutely brilliant! You guys must have had some serious fun with this!" Teddy exclaimed as his eyes wandered over the parchment.
Harry plastered on a smile. If you only knew. But then he shook himself. "My father, my godfather, your father, and a-a friend of theirs. The Marauders is what they called themselves."
Teddy stared at the map. Every part of his body had seemed to seize up. His father had created this, held this very same map in his hands. He had wandered the halls of Hogwarts just like Teddy did now. Had his father gotten into as much trouble as Teddy had over the years? Rule breaking and trespassing? Teddy ran a hand through his hair, which he knew had turned a dark blue.
Teddy knew that his parents had died when he was just a baby. When Teddy had turned eight, Harry and Ginny had sat him down and told him more about the way is parents had left the world. Teddy had always known that his parents were dead, but he had never asked how it had happened until then. Harry and Ginny had told him that Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks had fought in a horrible battle and were killed. Teddy had been staying with his grandmother. Teddy was young and had not grasped the situation fully, but as he looked back on that one night every day since then, he had felt an unstoppable anger penetrate him. It was so unfair that he had to grow up without parents. Why had they left him? Why hadn't Ginny and Harry told him this sooner?
As Teddy sat there, Harry could not help but notice that Teddy's eyes had gone very empty. Teddy just stared. His shoulders slumped. Harry felt so much love toward the boy at that moment. Harry knew what it felt like to be alone. To miss his parents and feel angry at the world. Harry reached out to pull Teddy into a tight embrace.
Even though he was fourteen, Teddy could not help but want to be taken into Harry's strong arms. He could feel wet tears sliding down his face, but he made to effort to brush them away.
"Your not alone, Ted. You will never be alone."
That night, Teddy was packing up his trunk to go to Hogwarts the next morning. An eight-year-old James was sitting on Teddy's bed talking enthusiastically.
"I want to go to Hogwarts with you, Teddy! I want to do magic like Mum and Dad can! I want to be able to hex Al! Wouldn't that be fun? Huh, Teddy? I've always wanted to ride the Hogwarts express but Mum always says that I can't until I'm eleven. But that's three years from now, isn't it, Teddy? I wonder what Hogwarts is like on Halloween…Is is scary, Teddy? Halloween is my favorite day! We get to go to the Burrow and see Rose and Hugo and Louis. I love scaring everyone with Uncle George…"
Teddy was hardly paying attention to James as he through his clothes, books, and supplies into his trunk. He was thinking about Hogwarts and his friends that he would see when he got on the train. He would meet Grandma there and she would give him a kiss goodbye and look at him with that knowing look that she had. He would sit with Victoire, Liam, Sam, and Will and they would buy their favorite candy from the trolley and laugh until they were blue in the face. But somehow, none of that seemed real to Teddy at the moment. His thoughts kept turning to his parents. They had ridden the Hogwarts express, too. Laughed with their friends and eaten chocolate frogs without a care in the world. What were they thinking just before they had died? Did they think of him?
Teddy slammed his trunk shut and James let out a cry.
At that moment Ginny stepped into the room with six year old Albus clinging to her leg and a four year old Lily in her arms.
"James! Stop jumping on Teddy's bed!" she scolded as James jumped up and down making the bed springs creak. "Teddy needs a good nights sleep. We all have to wake up early, remember? So lets leave him in peace."
Teddy looked up at Ginny who smiled at him.
"Mum, I wanna go with Teddy! Can I go with Teddy to Hogwarts? I won't get into any trouble! I promise! Please mum?" James cried and tugged on the front of Ginny's blouse.
"I wanna go wif Teddy twoo!" Cried Albus and he looked up at Ginny with pleading eyes.
"Go too! Me too!" Lily began to shout and wiggled in her mother's arms.
Ginny sighed. "Now look what you've started, Ted!" She gave him tired smile as she herded the three screaming children out of the room.
Teddy sat down on his bed and turned to stare out the window. It was dark out, but he could just make out the tree house and the garden with the scarecrow he had made with Al. Teddy craned his neck to look up at the sky. What happens after death?
A soft knock on the doorframe startled Teddy and he whipped around. Harry stood there with a worried expression on his face.
And before Teddy could stop himself, before he had any time to process what he was saying, he blurted, "Tell me about my parents."