1. Alive and kicking

Harry was woken up gently from his restless sleep. He could hardly open his eyes against the bright sun. "Hmm?" he mumbled.

"Sorry," Ginny whispered. "Are you alright?"

He wasn't sure what she was getting at. He rolled over onto his back and tried to rub his eyes open. "What's wrong?" he exhaled. He felt exhausted.

"It's alright if you want to sleep some more. I'll tell them to come back in-"

"I'm awake," he interrupted with a yawn. "What's wrong?" He pushed the blankets off of him and swung his legs over the bed, glad to feel warmth on the floor.

"Nothing, nothing," Ginny assured him. "Some Aurors are here to speak with you and Andromeda brought Teddy so you…"

Harry didn't hear the rest of her words as the events of the day before suddenly crashed into his mind. He clutched the bedding when a wave of nausea struck him. It was all over. He stifled his gasp and squeezed his eyes closed. Everything had changed now. Everything would be different.

Remus… And Fred…

Ginny stroked her boyfriend's cheek gently. "It's okay if you aren't up for it," she whispered. "I'll tell them to come back in a bit."

"N-no." He swallowed hard. He had already cried himself raw last night as soon as he had hidden under the bedding. He was drained now. He had to keep busy. He shouldn't be alone. "I'll be right down. Give me a second."

He couldn't remember falling asleep. He was at the Burrow. The beds on either side of him were empty. The Weasley brothers must have been up for a while. Glancing at the clock, he realized that it was already past noon. Once Ginny left him, he stood up and checked himself to make sure he wouldn't faint from hunger. His stomach was growling angrily at him. He had skipped dinner. He couldn't possibly eat after the harrowing experiences he had been through at Hogwarts. He shook out of his thoughts and padded to the bathroom to freshen up.

The Burrow was in mourning. All of England was in mourning. So many had died. But in their mourning, there was also triumph. The Dark Lord had been vanquished, slain by his own folly. Good had won. The nightmare was over. No one needed to run or cower any longer. There was peace once more, thanks to the Boy-Who-Lived and his sacrifice.

Harry looked up at his reflection after washing his face. Dark stubble showed across his jaw and his eyes were sunken in from lack of sleep. It can't be helped. He wouldn't look much better in the next few days until dust settled. For now this would do. He looked down at his mended wand. He had missed it. There was so much he would miss…

Ron found his friend sitting on the tiled floor of the bathroom, head downturned and hands pressed against his mouth. "Ah, come on, Harry…" He knelt down next to his shaken friend and ruffled his hair. "It's okay. We're okay now."

"I can't do this," Harry croaked. "I-I can't-"

Ron tsked and pulled him forward into a tight hug. "Sure you can. You can do anything."

But there was so much death and destruction around them now. He couldn't even begin to imagine. It scared him. The mere thought of funerals and grief scared him now. He didn't want to be around any more death. Ron had lost a brother. He couldn't bear it. Because of him… "I-I'm tired."

"It's okay," Ron murmured. "It's okay. Calm down."

It took him a few minutes to compose himself and, by then, it was very apparent that he was going to have a bad day. His eyes were swollen and bloodshot, his nose was red, and his words sounded very thick. But he managed to get dressed without losing to his thoughts and kept his eyes on the ground as he walked down for lunch with Ron at his side. "Is everyone else alright?" he asked quietly. "Molly didn't have to-"

"Mum wants to get her mind off of things right now. We'll let her have her kitchen, hmm?"

"Okay."

"Everyone is doing fine. They are downstairs."

"W-we should go visit Hagrid. I never got to-"

"We will, Harry," Ron said patiently. "One step at a time. We have all the time in the world."

Harry realized that Ron wasn't kidding about everyone being downstairs. There were a lot of people in the living room and dining room when he walked in. It was a wonder he managed to sleep through this. The mild chatter died down as people noticed his arrival. He was met with faint smiles and concerned frowns. Not knowing how to respond, he nodded at them. Ron was ushering him towards the front door though. He followed without complaint.

Standing at the foyer were two Aurors in full uniform.

Harry nodded at them as well.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Potter. Sorry to intrude. We are from the Ministry. We just had a few questions to ask you."

"Of course," he answered them. Ron took his leave and left the three men alone.

"You are of age, yes?"

"Yes," he said.

"There will be a slew of trials at Wizengamot. They are being scheduled as we speak. Will you be willing to testify, Mr. Potter?"

Harry couldn't see why not, so he shrugged and nodded.

"And for a preliminary report, would you come down to the Ministry?"

"Okay."

"Tomorrow? Noon?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Second floor. Department of Magical Law Enforcement."

"I know…" He shifted his weight. "When you say testify, what do you mean?"

"Usually a verbal testimony is all that is required. But in special circumstances, memory corroboration will also be necessary. Don't worry. You will be briefed and we will only proceed with your consent."

"Hmm."

"If you have any concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us." One of them held out a small card that Harry took. "We are very happy to see that you are well, Mr. Potter."

He was startled by their kind words. "Oh, that… That's… Th-thank you."

"No. Thank you."

The Aurors left the bustling home without much fanfare. Harry looked down at the card in his hand after the door had shut behind them. No rest for the wicked, he supposed. He slid the card into his pocket and then wandered back into the living room where he was snatched up by Ron once again. "I have to meet with them tomorrow," he said.

"That's fine," Ron mumbled absently. "It's a little crazy in here." He pulled Harry through the dining room. "Mum wants to see you. Something about coffee." Without letting a word slip in edgewise, he dumped his friend into the almost empty kitchen.

Harry stumbled in unceremoniously.

Molly looked up in surprise, her eyes softening as soon as she saw who was there. "Harry, dear." She walked up to him and pressed a kiss against his cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," Harry lied for her sake. "How are you, Mrs. Weasley?"

Molly sighed and shook her head. "I will be alright." She didn't want to talk about it, he could see that. He wasn't going to press her, in any case. He had never been one for emotional confrontation and comfort.

His gaze skipped from the stout red-haired woman to the more regal witch who stood by the window. For a moment, his heart skipped a beat and he was disoriented. But then he recognized Andromeda's wide eyes and soft expression, distinguishing her from her vile sister.

In her arms was a small white bundle.

"Oh…" He withdrew physically, stepping back before he could stop himself.

Molly glanced over her shoulder. "I know," she said. "Poor child…"

Andromeda looked down at her grandchild. She was resigned after hearing about her daughter's death. No amount of screaming and begging would bring her back. She needed to be strong now. In such a short time she had lost all her family.

And gained something precious…

When she had heard from Dora that Remus had asked Harry to be Teddy's godfather, she had been silently skeptical. She understood the need for godparents, but she did not understand why they had chosen a young boy instead of Molly Weasley. Remus had odd sentiments towards Harry. That was the only reason. They hadn't thought about the future, only the past.

Now Teddy was all alone.

Andromeda would never give him away.

Molly tugged Harry forward. "It's okay," she assured him. "He's asleep now. He won't fuss."

Just like him…

This boy was just like him…

His fists clenched tight. Everyone close to him ended up this way. Now Teddy would grow up to be just like him. He wouldn't know his parents. He would only wish for them through photographs and strange mirrors. He would never be able to speak to them, but he will long to hear them whenever stories were told of how kind and courageous they had been.

He would have no family of his own…

Harry didn't want to see him. He didn't want to feel this pain any longer.

"This is Teddy," Molly gushed.

Andromeda saw Harry's face twist into an agonized expression. Her heart dropped. "Don't," she breathed as she shifted Teddy against one arm and pulled Harry close.

"I'm sorry," he whimpered. "I'm so sorry."

Andy silently motioned for Molly to take Teddy from her. Once her arms were free, she tried to quiet the sobbing boy down. He was just a child as well. Younger than her own daughter. "It's not your fault," she murmured into his ear. "You have nothing to be sorry about."

"I-I saw them," he gasped out. "I s-saw them and they were t-together. Th-they were so… They w-were fighting f-for… When I-A-after, I…"

"That's enough now." Molly rubbed Harry's back. "You've had a rough few days." She coaxed him to pull away from Andromeda. "Here. Look at little Teddy. He'll make you so happy. See?"

In her arms was the smallest, palest, quietest baby Harry had ever seen. His tears dried on his cheeks as he stared at Teddy.

"Would you like to hold him?"

"N-no," Harry stammered. "I-I'll just watch." He clutched his hands in front of him and tried to make out Tonks and Remus' features in the boy. At first glance, he looked like neither of them.

"You should come visit," Andromeda suggested. "Whenever you'd like to." She could only hope that the sorrow she had seen in his face would disappear in time.

He pursed his lips as more tears squeezed out of him. And to think he had been enraged when Remus ran out on Tonks. He was feeling much the same at the moment. He was no good for this child. He shouldn't hurt Teddy. He didn't want to spread more sadness and fear. He would just vanish from his life and the baby would be none the wiser. The Weasleys would take care of him well. They always knew how to make a person feel welcome. He wouldn't need Harry at all. It would be okay.

Harry didn't want to be a part of Teddy's life.


But easier said than done…


"Waah! Waaaaah! – hic – WAAA – sniffle – AAAAAAAAAAAAA –"

"Sh, sh. It's okay," Harry tried to soothe the teething baby. "Don't cry. Please, stop crying." He paced the front room nervously while holding Teddy close and trying to rock him. "I'm buggering this up, huh?" He looked at the door hopefully, then at the clock, cringing when he realized that not three minutes had gone by since he had last checked. "You're being fussy for no reason, aren't you?"

Teddy dealt a swift kick to Harry's stomach. "AAAAAHAAAAAHAHAAAA! WAAAAH!"

"Okay, okay." Harry scrambled towards the blanket and pillows laid out on the sunny floor. "Here, I won't hold you." He put Teddy down and stepped back with his hands raised.

That hellish racket died down almost instantly.

He slumped in defeat. "Seriously?" he mumbled.

Teddy sniffed, turning away from his godfather so he could bite on the corner of the blue blanket.

Harry watched him wrestle with himself for a while. He had been left all alone by Andromeda and it had already been two hours. He wasn't sure he could handle much more. He started to wonder how Andy, or any mother in fact, did this all day long. Teddy was the fussiest baby. He had started crying as soon as the door closed behind his grandmother and then he couldn't be distracted for longer than a few minutes at a time before he started crying all over again.

When he cried, he looked a lot like Tonks.

Harry reached forward and gently brushed aside some of Teddy's sweaty hair that was sticking to his forehead. "Are you okay now?" he whispered.

Teddy wiggled around and moved farther away. He was angry. It was very obvious to see.

"She will be right back," Harry tried to reassure him. He felt a little silly talking to a baby, but sometimes it was like Teddy understood exactly what he was saying. "I know I'm no good, but I'm really nice. I thought we were going to get along so well. I got along so well with your Dad."

Teddy swung a fist in his general direction, as though ordering him to shut his stupid mouth.