Welcome, everyone! Before I start the fic, I need to give some very important shoutouts. Everyone needs to understand that while I might be solely responsible for writing this fic, the concepts for the Victoire and Andromeda belonging to this version of events belong to the one and only Niko (therealandromeda), as this Teddy belongs to me. As a result, this telling of the Teddy/Victoire story is our personal property, though of course all original Harry Potter material goes back to belonging to J.K. Rowling. And thank you in advance to all the personal beta readers that I force to help look chapters over, especially Niko! I hope updates will be regular, but once my schedule gets crowded we'll have to see. Enjoy!

Not everyone damaged by the war fought in it.

The spring air was unusually hot on that sunny afternoon, and the hundreds of witches and wizards that had gathered on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry felt practically smothered despite the fact that many of them were dressed in garb appropriate for the current weather. Perhaps it was the stifling air of emotion that had brought them here in the first place, or the humidity in the air, or the overall silence that seemed to engulf the entirety of the grounds despite the fact people were talking to each other and trying to keep things light.

It was May 2nd, 2000.

Among the mob of gatherers was a weary-looking woman in her late forties, here mostly because she had received a personal invitation from Harry Potter himself, who appeared to be the star of the day. Her dark hair, peppered with too many gray hairs than should have been considered natural, was tied away from her face, and did nothing to cover the sheer exhaustion and grief in her sharp green eyes. In her arms was a squirming little boy, hardly over two years old, who was clearly uncomfortable in the sticky heat. Constant whimpers and grunts of "no" escaped him as his hair color continuously (and mysteriously, if nearby observers weren't aware of the reason) shifted from red to orange and vice versa, and consistently he was shushed in a gentle tone by the woman who carried him so tenderly.

"I'm glad you could come, Mrs. Tonks. And that you brought Teddy."

The woman looked up to find herself face to face with a nineteen-year old Harry Potter, who'd emerged from the crowd and was dressed in his dark Auror's trainee robes. Her mouth tightened slightly at the sight of him, as just seeing him on this particular day was yet another reminder of all she had lost, but Andromeda Tonks acknowledged him with a terse nod. When he didn't leave, she frowned in thought and stared, silently prompting the young man to ask whatever was on his mind.

"I was wondering if… if maybe I could hold him, for a minute?"

Andromeda observed him carefully for a moment before nodding again. She hardly trusted herself to speak as she took a few steps towards him and offered up the still squirming toddler in her arms.

"Be careful with him," she managed to snip as Harry awkwardly took Teddy from her, taking him in his arms no lack of tender care. The transfer did nothing to sooth the little one's nerves evidently, who squirmed uncomfortably and grumbled "no" again, but he grasped at Harry's dark robes with his tiny hands, like he found the darkness they offered to be more preferable to the weather that was making him hot and unhappy. At the disheartened look on Harry's face, the older woman sighed impatiently. "He's just hot and wants to walk around. It has nothing to do with you. I'll have to take him inside soon."

"The castle's cooler, and the ceremony won't be for another hour," Harry informed her, like he was trying to awkwardly agree. "We could go there now, if you wanted. I… I wanted to talk to you anyway."

Raising an eyebrow, Andromeda nodded. She asked if he was capable of carrying Teddy all the way to the castle, and he said that he could. While she didn't entirely believe him, she was honestly too exhausted to put up a protest. Instead she settled for just keeping a very close eye on him and her grandson as they moved fluidly through the massive crowd.

A large crowd really had turned out for the memorial ceremony, the second year it was being held. The first year, Andromeda had simply refused to come, unwilling to deal with the massive crowds and much more content to stay at home, pretending nothing was different as she cared for young Teddy. She'd had no interest in coming to put on a brave face, to try and pretend like she was recovering from the loss of her husband and daughter, and even her son-in-law, despite the fact she'd been wary of him at first. The gaping hole in her had not gotten any easier over time, just more manageable. As they wound their way through the masses of people, she struggled not to meet anyone's gaze, but took a moment or two to observe those that had come.

Most of the gatherers were Ministry workers, and the rest were people who'd either fought in the war, had lost someone because of it, or those that had formerly been in hiding. It was this last group that was particularly hard for Andromeda to see, knowing that, in the back of her mind, her beloved Ted might have been among them. Certainly not wanting to venture down that road right now, she shoved the thought from her mind and mused that there many less redheads and gingers amongst the crowd than she might have thought. Something about a new baby being born, so she heard, from what she could remember from Harry's last letter.

To her pleasant surprise, she found that Harry was indeed perfectly capable of carrying her grandson all the way to the castle, where they retreated inside to the cooler air of the indoors. Immediately, once they'd entered the boundary for the cooling charm that must have been placed on the air in the entrance hall, Teddy seemed to quiet, but soon after started squirming even more, his hair turning purple, as he reached for the stone floor.

"Awk," he chirped. "Awk."

"He wants to get put down," Andromeda informed a rather startled Harry, who hurriedly put the toddler on the floor like he might get burnt if he didn't do exactly what Teddy wanted. His nervous jumpiness around the boy wasn't entirely alien to Andromeda, who had seen and even experienced such anxiety around children before. The only thing that made her more tolerant of his behavior was the knowledge that he cared for Teddy at least half as much as she did. He wasn't able to stop by too often, but his letters came often enough, and he'd made it a point to attend Teddy's second birthday just a little less than a month beforehand.

While he couldn't walk with expert skill yet, the toddler managed to waddle over to his grandmother and clung to her leg for support, looking around in avid interest at his surroundings while the two adults looked at each other in a momentary silence.

"Bill and Fleur had their baby earlier today," Harry started to say, clearly fishing for a topic of conversation.

"How wonderful for them," Andromeda answered acidly, struck bitter by the mention of someone else's happy ending. "If that was all you wished to speak to me about, you can feel free to return outdoors any time you'd like. As kind as the Weasleys have been to me, I don't have a particular interest in their family politics."

"No, no, I-" Harry shifted awkwardly, and upon realizing that she must have been the cause of his discomfort, Andromeda sighed, but did not lessen her scrutinizing gaze. This was as odd for him as it was for her, was all she realized. "I'll be graduating from the training program in about a month. I know I have no right to be asking this, but… I was wondering if you might be willing to come to the ceremony and the reception afterwards. You could bring Teddy, if you wanted, I-"

The older woman raised a hand to stop him. "I'll have to think about it," was all she replied. In a sense, she was touched by the offer, and recognized it as an attempt to try and see her and Teddy more often, but the thought of attending another Auror initiation ceremony, knowing it would only remind her of having attended Dora's… she couldn't make a call right then. As an afterthought, she added, "But thank you for the offer."

"I was hoping I could stop by on Sunday and spend some time with you guys, by any chance. Hermione and Ron would be with me, so I'm not exactly sure…"

"I'm not exactly a practiced hostess, but you're welcome to come, as are your two friends, if they want," Andromeda replied, giving the young man a knowing look. She glanced down when she no longer felt Teddy holding onto her pant leg, and found him wandering back over towards Harry, his hair turning the bright blue like it did whenever he saw or found someone or something that he liked. The sight made her smile slightly. If there was one relief she had from the grief that had become her permanent state of being, it was the two-year old in their midst. He was all she had left of the family she'd cherished so much.

Harry was about to open his mouth to reply, clearly joyed by her positive response, when a bushy-haired brunette Andromeda recognized as Hermione Granger stepped inside to join them. "Harry," she was saying, "Kingsley's just outside, he wanted to talk to you about something but wasn't sure…"

"I'll be right there."

He reached down just as Teddy reached him and ruffled his bright blue hair, and the toddler shrieked in delight. "I'll see you later, little guy. I'll write you, Mrs. Tonks, about Sunday, if I don't get a chance to talk to you before then."

Andromeda nodded in acquiescence as she came over and swooped the toddler up into her arms, holding him close as Harry walked back out the door, leaving her alone with her grandson in the entrance hall that, oh so many years ago, had once housed her and a particularly handsome muggleborn named Ted Tonks, and would someday also house his namesake that was currently in her arms. Who, at that particular moment, found it appropriate to wrap his tiny arms around her neck, as if he could tell exactly what she was thinking.

"Love you, Gwan-Gwan," he whispered.

~ findo narratum ~

The war caused nightmares in those that couldn't even understand them.

It wasn't often that young Teddy Lupin had nightmares, but when he did, they were fairly terrifying.

Now, a four-year old might not have fully comprehended what death was or what battle looked like, but Teddy was aware that death had the ability to take and had taken people away from him. And the dream itself hadn't been that memorable, seeing as he forgot it the second he scrambled awake with tears streaked down his face. But there was one thing from it that Teddy wasn't going to be forgetting any time soon, and it was the very thing that had him sobbing before he'd even opened his eyes or was even fully awake.

His Gran had been dead, everyone had been dead, and Teddy had been all alone.

The dark quiet of his room and the rest of the house that he shared with his grandmother did nothing to sooth his rattled nerves, and so a crying young Teddy crawled out from the warm security of his blankets and ventured out into the hall. As the soft glow from his nightlight faded as he went further towards where he knew his grandmother's room to be, his lip trembled. He had never been overly fond of the dark. So this only spurred him to move a little faster, his small feet pattering against the carpet as he scurried onward. Teddy only wanted to know that he wasn't alone, and the comfort that only his Gran could provide.

His grandmother's room wasn't any lighter, but something about knowing she was nearby and could protect him from the monsters no-doubtedly lurking in the dark made him feel safe. He padded forward to the edge of the bed, where he could discern the curled up form of his Gran under the covers.

"Gwan-Gwan?" came his quivering, quiet voice. When at first she didn't respond, his lip trembled as he reached up and tugged at her comforter. "Please wake up, Gwan."

"I'm awake," his grandmother sighed. "It's not time to get up, Teddy, go back to bed."

Teddy shook his head, even though she couldn't see it. "I can't," he whined truthfully. "I had a bad dweam." The pounding of his head and the shakiness of his limbs only reinforced that fact.

It was only a moment later that Andromeda sat up and turned on the lamp on her bedside table. Teddy rubbed his eyes, sniffling, at the sudden change of light, and looked back up a moment later to find his Gran observing him, taking in his tear-stricken face and the fear in his wide blue eyes. Almost immediately, her expression softened, and she sighed again.

"Oh, Teddy," she said sadly. "Everything's okay. Come here, love."

He wasted absolutely no time in clambering up onto his Gran's bed and settling into her lap as he'd done so many times before. He wrapped his arms around her neck and buried his face into her chest, taking comfort in the sound of her heartbeat and feeling her arms wind around him in return. Ever so gently, she started rubbing circles into his back and he relaxed into her. Gran was warmth, she was safety, and the immediate fear left over from the nightmare started to melt away, even though the images still haunted the forefront of his mind.

"Are you alright?"

Teddy nodded against her chest. "I got scared," he whimpered. "You was gone, in the dweam. Everybody was gone, and nobody else wanted to take care of me. Nobody loved me anymore." His voice quivered at the last sentence as he struggled not to cry.

There was only a brief pause before Andromeda's arms tightened around him and he felt her kiss the top of his head. "Teddy, love, never worry about that. I'll always be here, and I'll always love you. Never doubt that there will always be someone who loves you. You're so very loved, Teddy, so very loved."

"I love you, Gwan-Gwan," Teddy whispered. "I love you lots."

"I know." It almost sounded like his grandmother was choking on laughter, but he couldn't tell as she repeated a moment later in a quieter voice, "I know."

They settled into a comfortable silence for a few moments, reveling in the other's warmth. It was during those precious moments that Teddy felt the last of the fear and doubt from his nightmare disappear, and he wished that he could stay in his Gran's arms forever. A part of him knew that she was the only one that could ever truly understand how he felt, that they were all the other had left in the world in terms of a real family. As the warmth spread through him, he felt the familiar sensation of his hair changing color – Andromeda ran her fingers through the now bright blue locks with a faint smile on her face.

"Feeling better? How about going back to bed, love?"

Teddy felt a twinge of fear at the thought of going back to being alone in his dark room, where the nightmare might come for him again, so he pulled back and looked at his Gran anxiously, almost pleadingly. Once again, images from his nightmare flashed to the forefront of his mind, and as if she could read right into his thoughts, his grandmother sighed. Another moment passed in silence as they appeared to hit an impasse, until finally Andromeda gave in.

"Do you want to stay here with me tonight?"

She sighed once more when Teddy nodded enthusiastically. The idea that he wouldn't have to leave the safety that his Gran offered made him a lot happier than he would probably ever admit out loud.

"Alright, alright," Gran said as if she'd just lost a battle. "Come on, then. Under the covers with you, young man, I won't have you getting out of lessons tomorrow because you're too tired." She peeled back the covers on the other side of the bed and gently patted the mattress beneath it.

Brightening significantly, little Teddy skittered off her lap and crawled over to the space she'd indicated. As he laid down and settled in, his Gran tugged the blankets up to cover him and tuck him in, just as she normally did when he went to sleep in his normal bed, like she'd done just a few hours ago. Once he'd relaxed back against the pillows, she leaned down and kissed him on the forehead. "Good night, Teddy. Sleep well. I love you."

Already the four-year old looked drowsy as he smiled shyly up at her and mumbled, "Good night, Gwan-Gwan. I love you too."

And that should have been the end of it, Andromeda decided, as she turned off the light and settled back down herself. She had never allowed Dora to sleep on the bed with her and Ted, yet with Teddy, she knew it would have been cruel to turn him away. She'd assumed that he'd fallen asleep seeing as a few minutes went by in complete silence from his side of the bed.

But then she heard rustling, like he was starting to shift around again. She sorely hoped that he wasn't having another nightmare, so she slowly rolled over to try and see what was going on, only to find that Teddy had been in the process of burrowing under the covers and worming his way over towards her. Without saying a word, he curled up right next to her, burrowing his way into her arms, and rested his head on her arm. She opened her mouth to tell him that he ought to get back to his side of the bed, before she realized his breathing was deep and rhythmic – he'd already passed out.

Not having the heart nor the energy to move him, the grandmother just sighed and wrapped her arms more tightly around Teddy, falling asleep and, for the first time in a long time, sleeping through the night.

~ findo narratum ~

The war was a scar that wizarding society that all the young and old would remember for always.

It was one of those days that Teddy got to spend with his godfather and the rest of the Potters, as a new little one had joined the family only a few years before, and he loved getting the chance to go over to see little James Sirius, who was now but three. He got huge delight when the younger boy took the chance to follow him around, and it had become one of Teddy's favorite games to play hide-and-seek with the little Potter.

But he wasn't playing hide-and-seek right now. He was currently walking alongside his godfather, walking down Diagon Alley and looking about in wonder at everything they passed. He'd been here a few times alongside his Gran, but every time he seemed to notice something new, and every time something interested him, his hair would spike blue. His godfather would grin down at him and wink every once in a while when he noticed it. Little James Sirius was dozing off in his stroller, currently being pushed by the fierce Mrs. Potter. She was always nice to him, but Teddy much rather preferred the company of his godfather than hers.

They were apparently on their way to one of the Weasleys' abode, as it was someone's birthday. Teddy hadn't technically been invited to the party, but Harry had seen it fit to bring him along, especially exciting him when telling him that his dear little friend Victoire would be there. She might have been two years younger than he was, but he always loved getting to spend time with her, considering she was the only one of the Weasley clan even remotely close to him in age. An eight-year old Teddy treasured whatever playtime with her he could get, since in reality she was the only one he could get real playtime with. Living alone with his grandmother generally meant his contact with other children was limited but for when she either took him to the Weasleys or lent him to Harry and his family for a day.

It was as they were walking through Diagon Alley and crossed a newer-looking square that the Potter family stopped, and Teddy very nearly kept walking without them. Had he not glanced over his shoulder to see that his godfather and his wife had stopped to look up at a massive marble statue, he would have.

"Hey, what're we waiting for?" he asked as he neared them coming back their direction, but neither adult appeared fit to answer him.

"They finally put it up," Harry murmured. "About time, it's been almost ten years."

"Harry," Ginny chastised him quietly from his side. "Besides, I thought you knew it was going up this week? It's been in the Prophet all last month, Kingsley-"

"I've barely had time to read the Prophet, let alone talk to Kingsley, the paperwork's been piling up…"

Curious, Teddy saw fit to see what it was specifically they were looking at. It was a massive marble statue, modeled to look like some kind of bird, but even he couldn't name what exactly it was. Glancing at the Potter family, Teddy decided that they weren't going to be leaving him behind any time soon, so without really thinking about it, he scampered forward to take a closer look. Because the massive base, which was twice as tall as Teddy was himself, seemed to be littered in some kind of writing.

But as he neared closer, he realized that it wasn't just writing. It was a series of names.

He wasn't the quickest reader, but he comprehended what the top of the statue said quickly enough. Fallen Muggleborns from the Second Wizarding War. There were a lot of names on this list, Teddy noted, but he wasn't entirely sure what fallen meant. Because surely if someone had just fallen down, they didn't deserve a statue built in their names. Or, rather, he didn't comprehend what 'fallen' meant until he saw a particular name amongst the list. A name he recognized, a name he shared.

Theodore "Ted" Tonks.

Oh. Fallen Muggleborns meant muggleborns that had died. Theodore Tonks was his grandfather's name, one of the people Gran had lost. He'd never met or seen his grandfather, as far as he was concerned, but seeing his name here on a monument… it was somewhat startling. He stared at that name for a moment, reaching up and letting his fingers trace gently over the engraving. Theodore was his name. Nobody ever called him Ted, and now he was fairly sure he knew why. Realizing that his grandfather's name might not be the only familiar one he'd come across, Teddy looked back up at the title. Fallen Muggleborns. This wasn't the right side.

Without hesitation, he dashed around to another side of the monument. Fallen at the Battle of Hogwarts. Gulping, he looked down at the names here, knowing what he would find. Suddenly, Teddy felt nervous, his heart pounding in his chest. He'd seen pictures, and people always told him what they were like, but something about this felt different. Seeking them out, actually looking…

And then he found them.

Nymphadora Lupin, and just beneath her name, Remus Lupin.

The hand he suddenly felt on his shoulder made him jump, and Teddy looked up to see his godfather smiling down at him with knowing, saddened eyes. A part of Teddy remembered when he was five, when he first began to notice that something was odd about his situation, when Harry had told him that he'd grown up without parents either. His parents had been killed by the very dark forces that had taken Teddy's too. But seeing their names here, like that somehow solidified the fact that he never would see them or meet them or talk to them…

It suddenly made him want to run home to his Gran and cry. He didn't feel much like going to some birthday party, Victoire or no.

"I shouldn't have brought you by here, Teddy," his godfather said with a sigh. He sighed and squeezed the boy's shoulder. "I'm sorry. They were good people, but I guess telling you that won't make much of a difference, will it?" After a pause, when Teddy didn't answer, he sighed again and said, "Let me show you something."

Gently, Harry nudged the boy around the corner to the next side of the monument. Here, the heading was Fallen during the First Wizarding War. Teddy didn't quite understand why his godfather had brought him to this particular side, until he gently gestured towards two names in particular. James Potter and Lily Potter. He looked up at Harry in curiosity and wonder.

"Are they your mom and dad, Uncle Harry?"

Harry nodded. He crouched down next to Teddy so the pair of them were at the same eye-level, and Teddy looked from him to the statue to try and discern through what he was feeling. He wanted so badly for someone to know exactly what he was going through, but his childish mind had convinced him that of course nobody ever would. And in a way, Gran was just about the only one who understood how sad not having his parents around made him sometimes. Yet, if there was one person who could understand growing up without them, someone who had actually lived through it, Teddy knew it was his godfather.

"I never knew my parents either," he confessed quietly. "I know I told you that my parents died when I was little like you, but I meant it. I was only a year old when my Mum was killed right in front of me. I grew up with my aunt and uncle, like you're growing up with your Gran. And she loves you very much, you know that, don't you?"

Teddy nodded. He sniffled and felt the sting of tears starting to form, but he wiped them away angrily. He was a big boy, and big boys didn't cry, he told himself.

"Nobody will be able to bring them back, but they'll always be there for you, watching out for you. I know they loved you."

"How do you know?" Teddy whispered. "How do you know they still love me now?"

"I just do," Harry replied. "Plus someone taught me when I was younger that love's the most powerful magic of all. There's no way they would ever stop loving you. My mum and dad still love me, and I know they watch out for me. Yours do too."

"You really think so?"

His godfather just smiled and nodded. Gently reaching out and ruffling the boy's multi-colored hair, he said, "Now come on. We'll come by here another day and have a nice long talk about all this when you're older. Let's go see little Toire."

Hearing the name of his closest friend, Teddy immediately perked up, for once not even bothered when his godfather laughed in response and pushed himself to his feet. Harry retreated back towards Aunt Ginny and their son in the stroller, who'd apparently woken up and was squirming, leaving Teddy staring at the great marble phoenix for a moment. When Harry called for him again, Teddy smiled up at it.

"Bye Mum. Bye Dad. I'll talk to you later, okay? You too, Grandpa. I'll tell Gran you said hi," he whispered before scampering off to join his second family, suddenly much happier than he'd been moments to go to see the Weasleys and, most importantly, his very best friend Victoire.

Thank you all so much for reading! The next chapter will be released next week. Please take the time to review, if you can!