Teddy Lupin had always lived a free life, and a far safer one than most of those around him.
His childhood was a seemingly happy one, his grandmother had loved and cared for him; had given him nearly anything he wished. He was far from spoilt though, she would have given him the world had he asked but she would not have given it willingly; it would have come with tales of caution and being grateful for what you already had. His godfather Harry took him on regular weekend outings, sometimes alone; sometimes with Ginny and eventually with their children. Harry even used to pop round some evenings after work just to sit and watch Teddy play with his toys. It was then when Teddy first noticed that small sad smile that used to plaster Harry's face when he watched Teddy discover something new and show it eagerly to Harry and then his grandmother.
Teddy's teenage years brought school, girls, homework and something that he could have never predicted into his life. He was familiar with the sad smiles he used to get from Andromeda and Harry when he was young. Then he noticed he used to get them an awful lot from The Weasleys and especially Hermione. She was always the kind one, the one to notice when he squirmed uncomfortably when Ron had started ribbing him a little too much; when Teddy had asked her about it however she had merely said 'You remind me of your father so much sometimes,' then she would hug him and stroke his cheek kindly. The same could be said of any of the women of the Potter and Weasley families, they were all so gentle with him sometimes. However, he had not expected this gentle treatment or sad smiles from his Professors at school.
They thought he didn't notice, they thought he never even suspected that he'd noticed them smiling sadly at him during class or during meal times. He as a person was never a miserable soul, no; Teddy Lupin could be the life and soul of the party. He always received excellent marks in both Transfiguration and Defence Against the Dark Arts and he himself would be proud and yet though his Professors in both subjects were pleased neither showed any surprise.
He had many friends at school, including Bill and Fleur's eldest girl Victoire. Some of Teddy's earliest and happiest memories centred on this girl, she was beautiful and bubbly like her mother but strong, fierce and funny like her father. Teddy hardly realised that he was falling for her until it had already happened. He had no idea how to act around her after that, so instead he avoided her for a few weeks before she had come storming up to him in the corridor demanding to know why her best friend and the person she loved most in the world was ignoring her.
Teddy kissed her.
She was his from then on; sometimes without her even realising he'd have a war raging inside his head. One part of him wanted to shy away from her and the other wanted to hold her and never let her go. Normally, the stubborn louder side won out, and though the shy side lost it was contented and sometimes even surprised that someone as popular and as beautiful as Victoire would pick him. It was true, Teddy had Victoire Weasley, his grandmother, godfather and extended family; he had many friends but some people at school would look at him oddly or with a curious expression especially the older students.
He never understood why though. He had tried asking certain Professors whilst at school who would make up excuses not to answer him and hurry away. He had tried asking his grandmother, who would then look at him carefully for a few minutes before shaking her head and never giving him answer either. People were always very careful what they said to Teddy, and he never understood why. Not until one afternoon when Harry had come to find him; Harry always did several lectures on Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts a year. But these lectures were only open to seventh year students so Teddy could only guess what he was saying to them.
Then one crisp November afternoon in his seventh yeah is what changed it all, it's when he Teddy Remus Lupin, finally understood.
He hadn't been doing anything special; he was sitting in the library with Victoire while she finished a Potions essay. Teddy had looked up to find Harry hovering next their table smiling, all he had said was 'Fancy coming for a walk Teds?' Teddy had agreed of course. He had followed Harry out into the grounds to the old tree which in the summer Teddy sat underneath for many an afternoon. He had always felt something familiar while sitting there, a familiar presence that he used to feel strongly when he was younger; especially in his nursery at night.
He listened to Harry tell a story about a boy who had once stood where Harry was now standing and made a prat of himself messing up his hair and showing off for the girl he liked. Teddy laughed; he asked if the boy in the story was Harry. Then it appeared, the same sad smile he'd seen all his life, he had said no and then told Teddy that it was his father, James who had done this trying to impress Harry's mother. Teddy smiled at Harry, he had always known that his and Harry's fathers had been friends since they were young, and at that moment he was barely suppressing the excitement that had swelled in his stomach; he asked, trying not to sound too eager if his own father had been there for this show, and Harry nodded smiling sadly still.
Teddy had always remembered this part clearly; Harry had sighed deeply and said 'Sit down Teddy. Its time I told you everything.' He would never forget the look of pain and stabbing lines of regret etched in his godfathers face at that moment. It was in his later years obviously that he realised the real reason why they were present, it wasn't because of the story Harry was about to tell. It was because he thought Teddy would blame him; his beloved godfather. He would never, he could never. Harry told Teddy everything; the story of how Harry's parents had died to protect him from Voldemort. How he first met each of his parents, how caring, good natured and loving they were towards him. He told Teddy of the horrors of war, of what had really happened to Sirius; having been spared the details in his former years. And how on the night that The Dark Lord had been defeated, his father, Remus Lupin had said a non tearful farewell to his wife, son and mother in law assuring them that he would be back and left to fight in a battle that he knew he would never walk out of.
Some of these details Teddy knew came from others, like his grandmother Andromeda. Teddy was told that his mother suddenly became very unsettled and had said a farewell of fierce love to her son before tucking him safely into her mother's fretting arms and rushing off, never to be seen alive by either again. Harry was looking at Teddy with a pleading expression; it was begging Teddy not to hate him. He nodded to show that he finally understood. He knew obviously that from a very young age that his parents were dead, that neither of them could hold him, comfort him nor tell him that they loved him.
Teddy and Harry had always shared a close bond both being orphaned as babies. He had never fully appreciated though, just how Harry had acted more a mixture of fun uncle and older brother rather than like a father. He understood now that Harry would never try and fill his father's shoes because he felt responsible that they were empty. Teddy had hugged his godfather then; he knew then just how much Harry, The Weasleys, his parents and many others had suffered trying to bring down evil.
He understood.
Harry had then dropped another piece of information about Remus, his wonderful father. He had always known that he inherited his changing abilities from his mother; that had never been a secret. But Remus John Lupin, the man that everyone had always told him was kind, wise beyond his years, clever and unwaveringly brave had been a werewolf. 'Did that matter...?' Teddy had asked uncertainly, his stomach sinking, his heart hammering. Harry smiled a little too knowingly and said 'It didn't matter to your Mother Ted, had she not been so unwavering then you might not be here.' Teddy felt relief spread through him. It hadn't mattered to his mother, and it certainly would never matter to him either.
Teddy Remus Lupin had finally understood the lingering looks, the sad smiles and the gentle nature of those he knew. He knew, that it didn't matter that they had gone so long before their time, because wherever they had gone; neither of them had ever left him. Not really. He understood that his parents had never wanted to leave him but to make the world a safer place for him, and they had achieved that. Teddy was never prouder of being their son after that afternoon.
Anytime he saw one of those sad smiles plastered on a loved one's face he'd wink and grin with pride.
His life after school was not that much different to his life during; he and Victoire married and he became an official relation of Harry's which could not have made either of them happier. The lost boys who had found shelter at the centre of a large, loving family which was more than Harry dared to dream of as a boy locked in a cupboard under the stairs. He told Ted on his wedding day the reason why he used to see him every weekend and pop round after work, because he never wanted Teddy to feel alone, he wanted him to feel loved and safe even though he didn't have his parents.
This among many other reasons was why Harry was Teddy's best man.
Teddy had a wonderful life, just as his parents had always hoped for him. He always felt a familiar presence in his most trouble times and in his best, it positively glowed when each of his children were born. And he enjoyed rather than feared telling them about their fiery, daring and brave grandparents when they were fully grown, safe in the knowledge that he had done the story justice because he was a little like each of them at the same time. His mother had known he would end up being the equal share of both though; in a letter that she had scribbled before leaving her son. She had written words of love, of strength and bravery to him, telling him to always be strong, the last lines, however, were what made him smile and caused his laughter to ring through the room causing Andromeda who had never opened the envelope to stare at him in disbelief.
'If you ever love someone enough to know that you could never live without them make sure you do everything in your power to keep them in your life Teddy.
(And if you hear this small voice of gentlemanly wise-ish reasoning in your head, ignore it. That's just your father's annoying 'supposedly' well reasoned argumentative genes coming out in you!)
Teddy got to a stage in life where his mobility wasn't very good. One crisp afternoon in November, much like the one he had shared with Harry many years before; Teddy lay down quietly on his bed. He smiled in marvel at the life he had with Victoire and his children who were all now grown and had children of their own. He had done everything his parents had wanted to him too.
He had lived a safe and happy life.
Teddy felt his eyes closing ready to drift off, he breathed in heavily and let his eyelids close; within what felt like seconds he opened them again to find that he was standing in front of two figures that had a feeling familiarity surrounding them. He looked at the woman first who eyes were wide and loving, she had a pale heart shaped face and bright pink hair that unlike in the many photographs he'd ever seen of her now fell to her shoulders.
"Mum," He grinned, Tonks immediately rushed forwards pulling her son into the hug she'd been waiting to give him all of his life. Teddy's arms encircled her; he could smell the faint aroma of marshmallows in her hair.
Teddy opened his eyes to look at his father who was exactly as Harry had always described, he was tall, handsome with sandy coloured hair and a kind smile. He was grinning now more broadly than Teddy had seen in photographs, the scars and grey hair that had prematurely aged him due to his condition were gone. He too walked forwards and pulled his wife and child into a hug that Teddy hoped would last forever.
And it did.
So there it is. Short and sweet and I actually really like this. Leave a review if you want :)
Lindorie-Chan