"Teddyyy," Harry whined. The baby'd been crying for the past hour. All Harry had tried to do was get him to go to sleep. Apparently, that's a feat he cannot manage tonight. "Please just go to sleep. Harry's tired." He coos at Teddy, tugging his blanket a little bit closer to him. The war only ended a month ago. Harry's body still felt sore, bruised. He suspected it always would.
He can't remember the last time he got a good night's sleep, what with the nightmares and the fussy toddler. But when Andromeda needed someone to take care of Teddy, Harry knew the job couldn't go to anyone else. So he stepped up, promptly offering away any hope of a quiet life for the next 17 or so years.
Harry leaned over Teddy, stroking his hair gently, trying to coax him back to sleep. His hair had been alternating between a bright pink and a tawny brown for the past month. It broke Harry's heart to see. "Oh, Teddy," Harry murmured. "We're gonna be okay, aren't we? We're both a little lost, a little broken. A little lonely. We'll make it, kid. I promise you that."
X
"Hawwy! Hawwy!" Teddy ran up to Harry, who'd been keeping an eye on him from the bench at the side of the playground. "Fwowers! Look!" He held up a fistful of limp dandelions. Teddy shook them excitedly, ignoring the petals that fell to the ground in the trauma.
"Aw, Teddy, those are beautiful! Show me where you found them!" He laughed to himself as the boy toddled off to the other side of the playground, where a patch of wildflowers was in full bloom.
"These is my favowites." He plopped down beside a bunch of small, blue ones, picking one at a time. As he picked them, he laid each one in Harry's lap. "They for you, Hawwy!"
"Thanks, bud. Let's leave some for everyone else though, alright?"
"Ok. Come do the swings!" And again, he ran off. Harry even had a bit of trouble keeping up, despite the height difference.
Harry ignored the whispers from the other parents at the park. Though it was much quieter for him than the Wizarding world would be, apparently, he was never free of the rumors. Harry knew he was young enough to be Teddy's brother – their fathers were the same age, after all. But just because he was young doesn't mean he wasn't capable of taking care of Teddy. He shook it off, focused on pushing Teddy on the swing. He laughed as he rose higher, swung his legs out as he sank lower. Harry wished for this kind of simplicity in his own life.
X
"Alright, Teddy. We just need to pick up something for dinner tonight. Let's see…" Harry wandered the aisles of the supermarket, pushing Teddy along in the cart. Harry grabbed a few things here and there – some produce, pasta, cheese – and Teddy simply watched in awe. There were so many colors here, so much food. Every time Harry put something in the cart, Teddy found something to add, as well.
"Teddy, what are you doing? We're not getting all this," Harry would say, putting everything back onto the shelves as Teddy pouted. As Harry replaced the industrial-sized container of cinnamon powder, Teddy whined, hitting his fists on the handle of the cart. His hair morphed into a cinnamon shade of red, perfectly describing his short-temper. Harry was starting to wonder just how accurate the phrase "terrible twos" was.
Harry finished his shopping and paid. He lifted Teddy out of the cart before loading his arms up with his grocery bags. Teddy held his jacket close to him – Harry had made him bring it as it was a bit nippy out. He heard Molly Weasley's voice in the back of his head, and couldn't resist the impulse. Teddy wasn't wearing it, however. But the fact that he had it was at least some comfort.
He disapparated them back to their house, unlocking the door and letting Teddy inside before he entered with the food. Harry was unloading his purchases in the kitchen when Teddy walked up behind him. "Harry, look! I have some, too!" He plopped a whole loaf of bread onto the counter before Harry. He certainly hadn't seen this loaf of bread before, and he definitely hadn't paid for it.
"Teddy! You can't just take things without paying for them." He shook his head, but figured there wasn't much harm done in the loss of one loaf of bread. "Guess we're having stolen-bread sandwiches tonight." He sighed, putting Teddy in his high chair and hoping against all reason that he'd be less of a handful when he was older.
X
"Harry, did you adopt me?" Teddy didn't look at Harry as he asked the question. Instead, he was fixated on his ice cream cone, which was starting to melt and drip onto his lap. Harry would clean it up later with a simple charm. He figured he'd let the kid enjoy.
"Whatcha mean?" Harry had always admired how easygoing Teddy was, but it also made him rather blunt.
Teddy took a minute to think about this. He scrunched up his face, his hair changing slowly to black. Harry couldn't help but notice that it matched his own. "Well… You're like a dad. But you're not my dad. I mean, not technically. Does that mean you adopted me?"
"Not necessarily, but in this case, yes." Harry took a moment, thinking. He watched the bustling crowds in Diagon Alley pass them by – hardly anyone stopped him anymore. Staring and photographs, of course. But they kept their distance, which was good enough for Harry. "You know about what happened during the war." Teddy nodded. He looked both happy to have been told a story and remember it, and solemn at the events that had taken place. He could barely remember his parents, but he missed them so much. Harry was always telling him stories, but it wasn't quite the same.
"Well, after the war ended, you lived with your grandmum for a bit. But raising a baby is a lot of work, and she was more of a grandmum age than a mum age. So I said I'd take care of you. We went through the whole adoption process, it took forever. But eventually, we got it all worked out."
"I was wondering." Teddy took a final bite of the cone. He smiled up at Harry, who chuckled at the mess his face had become. Harry waved his wand, and Teddy's face, hands, and lap were cleaned. "I love it when you do that!"
"Oh, so that's why you make so many messes, hmm?"
"Mayyyybe. Harry, can I get another ice cream?"
"Teddy, I think one ice cream a day is plenty."
He huffed, crossing his arms before trying another tactic. "What about some water? I'm so thirsty!"
Harry rolled his eyes, ruffling Teddy's hair as they stood up, walking back inside the ice cream shop. "Alright, alright."
"Can I buy it? Please?" Harry grinned, handing Teddy a handful of coins. He ran up to the counter, setting down all the money and asking for two waters, please.
As the two of them left, water bottles in hand, Teddy pointed to Gringotts Bank at the end of the strip. "Uncle Ron told me you found a dragon there once! Is it true?"
"He told you that, did he?"
"If I ever find a dragon, I'm keeping it." Harry really didn't want to think about any possible scenario in which Teddy would happen across a dragon.
"Pretty sure if you find a dragon, it's gonna keep you instead. C'mon let's get home."
"Can we come back for ice cream tomorrow? You said only once a day, tomorrow won't be today."
"Alright, more like once a week. If you're good."
Teddy nodded excitedly. "I'll be good!"
Harry laughed, replying under his breath before apparating them back home. "I'd love to see that."
X
A/N: Written for: Writing Club – Character Appreciation 25: (plot point) Raised by someone other than parents, Bonus: Harry; Disney Challenge C7: Write about someone getting their words muddled; Shannon's Showcase 6: Single Parent!AU; Showtime 39: (character) Teddy Lupin; Count Your Buttons O5: Coins; Sophie's Shelf – Vault 29: Write a KidFic; Emy's Emporium – France 1: (trait) gossip, Italy 1: (food) ice cream, Greece 3: (trait) easygoing; Lo's Lowdown C14: (action) Stealing a loaf of bread; Bex's Biscuit Barrel – Custard Cream 1. (word) wondering, 2. (character) Teddy Lupin, 6. (HP) wand; Funfair – Southern – Henna L11: (location) Supermarket, A4: (action) Picking flowers, S4: (dialogue) "If I ever find a dragon, I'm keeping it." / "It's gonna keep you instead."; Eastern – Hall of Mirrors: 1, 7: Adoption; Seasonal – Days of the Year: July 10: Write about Teddy as a child; Summer Prompts: (object) ice cream; Colors – Cinnamon; Shay's Musical Challenge 11: Write about caring for someone who lost a loved one; Gryffindor Themed Prompts – Harry Potter, Short-tempered; Hamilton Mania – Act I, 17: (era) Post-War; Fanfic Writing Month – wc 1338; 365 Prompts 34: Single Parent!AU; Insane House Challenge 17: (character) Teddy Lupin