The Bones From The Past
Albus Dumbledore had seen plenty in his ninety-five years, but to see a near exact replica of a current student in Hogwarts was... surprising to say the least.
The stranger introduced himself as Teddy Lupin, born twenty-two years in the future, who had suddenly appeared in the potions storage room while Horace taught Gryffindor and Hufflepuff first years. Apparently a run in with a house-elf sent him back into the past while he was doing extra work for his potions professor, Horace Slughorn. That had been a second surprise, to find out Horace was still teaching thirty-eight years in the future, what with him going on about how he wanted to retire. Now Albus sat in the potions classroom with Horace and Minerva, trying to assess the situation.
"Who was the house-elf?" Albus asked.
Teddy sighed, running a hand through his dark brown hair, which, according to Horace, had been blue when he arrived. Albus deduced he was a metamorphmagus, without even seeing it with his own eyes. It didn't take much brain power to recall Andromeda Black Tonks had a three-year-old with the ability. What an age difference for young Remus.
"Kreacher," Teddy said. His voice even sounded like Remus', though the dialect was clearly London rather than Midlands. "The Black's house-elf. He's never liked me."
"Why's that?" Albus asked.
Teddy looked between Minerva and Horace. "He mutters about my... linage. You should know what I'm talking about."
Albus suspected he may, thinking of the secret that only Minerva and Poppy knew out of the rest of the school. Of course, with Remus being so close to James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew, he wouldn't put it passed them to know about Remus' werewolf infliction.
"I see."
"Albus?" Horace asked.
Albus ignored him and steepled his fingers in front of him, his elbows on the rough surface of the desk. "I'll talk to the house-elves. It would be impossible to get Kreacher with Walburga and Orion giving him orders. In the meantime, what House are you in?"
"Gryffindor," Teddy said, pulling at the sleeve of his green Muggle jacket. "I'm in sixth year."
"Curious," Albus said softly. "So is your father."
Teddy's brown eyes widened considerably. "Oh... You expect me to... well, share their dorm?"
Albus nodded. "Yes, I believe that'll be good for you."
Teddy didn't seem all that sure of that as he nodded hesitantly and looked down at his hands. Albus studied the boy, noticing his kind eyes, clothes that looked more like they belonged in what the Muggleborns in Hogwarts called a 'rock band,' and a number of tattoos running down the side of his left arm. All the moon phrases. Albus felt his heart warm at that and wondered if it was some type of clock to know when Remus was transforming. Or- a cold read ran through his chest- for he himself to know when he transformed? Albus didn't ask, assuming that Teddy would come to him when the full moon appeared in the next week.
This boy was from the future, as obvious as that was, but to Albus it meant something: this boy had knowledge. Was it possible Voldemort was still around? Or did he know how exactly he was defeated? Albus felt his heart leap. He needed to know. If this boy had something that could help, then Albus needed to know.
Even as they discussed what name for Teddy to use- "My Muggleborn aunt is a Granger. The rest of my family are Lupins, Potters, Weasleys, Blacks, and Tonks'. I don't think that would be too safe, would it?"- and as they decided his backstory- from Beauxbaton because of a family feud- Albus couldn't help but think of the asset they could find in Teddy Lupin.
He settled a plan: invite Teddy to his office for a chat and ask him to join the Order of the Phoenix.
Remus groaned as the ink spread through his bed sheets and James jumped off Remus' bed to his own to the right. A moment later, Sirius followed, jostling Remus even more.
"Come on, guys!" Remus said, vanishing the ink from the fabric. He picked up the canister, but found only a droplet left. "That was supposed to last the rest of term."
"Oh, sorry, Remus," James said, still standing on his bed. He reached down to his bedside table and opened the drawer. "Here you go."
He threw a new bottle of ink to Remus, who caught it at the same moment that Sirius growled like the dog he was and tackled James to the floor.
"Ow!" James yelled out, but that didn't stop him from grabbing hold of Sirius' wrists and using his body weight to switch Sirius around, pining him instead to the ground.
"Gotcha," James said. Though he was lanky, almost as lanky as Remus, he still managed to keep Sirius, who was kicking his legs and pushing at James' arms, from taking the advantage. Sirius finally sighed and relaxed.
"Fine," Sirius said. "You won. You alright, mate? I didn't hurt you too bad, did I?"
James rubbed the back of his head and pulled his blood covered hand away. "Ugh, that's not good."
Despite the concern he felt, Remus still said, "Shouldn't have been so rough, but hey, at least the cut's in the shape of a snitch."
Sirius opened his mouth to retort, still pinned to the floor by James, but was cut off by a rapid knock on the door.
"Come in!" James said, touching the back of his head tenderly again.
The door swung open and McGonagall stepped in. Behind her, Remus saw a brown hair boy wearing a green jacket, a red checkered button-down, and jeans. James and Sirius scrambled off each other. James swayed, which McGonagall noticed immediately.
"Are you quite alright, Potter?" she asked, her eyebrows knitting in concern.
He closed his eyes tightly and showed her his blood-covered hand. She sighed and stalked over to him, turning him manually to assess the damage.
She shook her head, tutting as she brought her wand to it. "Episkey," she said. "You may still want to see Madam Pomfrey, Potter. No use having brain damage."
"I've been hit in the head a Bludger before, ma'am," James said. "I think I can take a bump."
"That explains so much," Sirius said.
James shoved him. Sirius hit back.
"Boys!" Minerva said. Remus looked at the new one behind her, who was just... staring at Remus. The newcomer jumped and looked away, instead turning to look around the room, which only had one made bed- Remus'- and one bed occupied by a napping Peter. "I came today to introduce you to a new student from Beauxbaton, Teddy Granger."
Teddy smiled, his eyes flickering to Remus. Remus glanced at Sirius and James. Sirius looked shocked as he looked between Teddy and Remus, and James seemed more confused, his head tilted as he studied Teddy.
Remus was the first to stand to introduce himself. Teddy was an inch taller than him, making him the tallest of the group, and he hesitated to grip Remus' hand.
"Remus Lupin," he said, though the hesitation Teddy displayed didn't help Remus feel very confident. He hoped Teddy didn't have some kind of sense that detected werewolves.
"I'm James Potter," James said, stepping forward. Remus was pleased to find Teddy also hesitated shaking James' hand. Maybe he just had something about touching. "You know, you look quite... familiar."
Teddy laughed, a nervous tone to his voice. "You-you think so?"
"Yeah," Sirius said quietly, his eyes shifting between Remus and Teddy again. He didn't say anything else.
"That's Sirius Black," James said. "And the lump over there is Peter Pettigrew. Oi! Peter! Wake up."
Peter just rolled onto his back and snored on.
James shook his head. "Sorry about him."
McGonagall surveyed the five of them. "Mr. Granger will stay with the four of you. Please treat him well." She glared at Sirius and James, who both nodded in confirmation. "He'll attend the same classes as you until he's able to go back to France. The house-elves will set up his bed at dinner, so don't be surprised to find a fifth in here when you return."
Remus wondered how a fifth bed would even fit, but guessed the elves would be able to make the room larger. He definitely didn't want to be any closer to James' bed than he already was. No telling what creatures had moved in under his bed. He and and Peter already made a bet that a Boggart had occupied the space a few weeks ago.
"Any questions?" McGonagall asked.
"Yeah," James said. "Can I start Animagus training this year?"
"No," McGonagall said firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to see Professor Dumbledore. Good luck, Mr. Granger."
She left the room and immediately, Sirius and James descended on Teddy. Remus almost felt sorry for the kid.
Teddy wasn't sure how he made it through the interrogation, even weeks later. He still got strange looks from James, Sirius, Peter, and his father. But then again, Teddy would often find himself staring at them, still overwhelmed by them actually being right in front of his eyes.
He was most fascinated by his dad, of course. He never imagined him to be so silent, when Teddy had problems running his mouth. He sat quietly doing his homework in the dorm or library and when he wasn't doing homework, he pretended to read while James, Sirius, and Peter joked around. Still, Teddy saw his lip twitch and after some rousing, James always got him to join the conversation by jumping on his bed and talking to him quietly, before pulling him over to their group. Sirius, likewise, always got Teddy to join.
"I think we should make a map of the forest this time," James said during one of the hang outs where they passed around a bottle of Firewhiskey Sirius bought when he turned seventeen.
"If we do that, we should layer it more," Remus said after he took a swing of the Firewhiskey. He didn't even cringe like Sirius or Peter did. "I think we made a mistake with the last one trying to make it flat." He glanced at Teddy as he handed him the bottle. "We made this map of Hogwarts, but Filch took it in December. We've been trying to get it back. I still say we should get Peeves to do something so we can run in there and get it."
"Yeah," Sirius said cooly as he leaned against the baseboard of his bed. "Knock down a suit of armor or something. I've always wanted to see what's on the inside of them."
Sirius was much different from the stories Harry told of him. Never depressed, always sitting with a sort of easy grace, and nearly always kindhearted (besides a few jabs at the Slytherins and some nasty comments about the rules at Hogwarts), he sat with Teddy at breakfast before the others came down each day.
"They're lazy," Sirius said a couple days after Teddy arrived. Sirius pushed around his eggs. "They don't know the meaning of a good sunrise and a nice run around the lake."
"James doesn't join you?" Teddy asked as he buttered his bread.
"He gets so bored running if it doesn't have anything to do with Quidditch or... animals. Pass me those potatoes?"
Teddy smiled. He wanted to see James, Sirius, and Peter's animagus forms, but he wasn't ever sure how he could bring that up. Instead he just let it go and hoped he would be able to ask at some point. But that still didn't stop him from getting up early one morning to peek out the window. There, running around the edge of the lake, was a large, black dog.
James was also different than Teddy imagined. He thought he might be more like Harry, but Teddy found Harry was a definite mix between James and Lily. James liked to fuss with his hair and talked about Quidditch more often than not, but he was the most talkative; the one likely to talk to others in the corridors, and the one to come to ask how someone was when they seemed upset. He incessantly stared at Lily and sent jealous looks at Teddy for being able to have a casual conversation with her, but otherwise, he was the most personable of the group.
As for Peter, Teddy half-expected him to be evil, but found he seemed to care for his friends. When Remus was sick before the full moon, Peter was the one checking on him and grabbing him snacks from the kitchens. He followed James and Sirius around wherever they went, but as much as that angered Teddy, he found Peter made the best comments out of the lot sometimes.
"It's like I melted a bunch of marshmellows and then added beetles to it for just a little zest," Peter said when one of his potions for class went wrong the first day Teddy had classes. The thick, white substance spilled out on the desk. Teddy couldn't help chuckling as James and Remus scrambled to clear it up and help Peter make another potion before class ended.
Teddy saw Lily Evans a few chairs away smirk with amusement at Peter's observation.
Lily caught Teddy's eye, but quickly turned away.
Still, though, Lily caught up with him after that potions incident to talk to him for the first time.
"Professor McGonagall told me to look out for you," Lily said. "I'm Lily Evans, the sixth year Gryffindor prefect."
"Teddy L- Granger," Teddy said at the same time as tripping on the stairs to the Entrance Hall. Lily caught his arm with faster reflexes than even Harry had.
"The other guys in your dorm are funny, aren't they?" Lily said, smiling as they ran through the Entrance Hall to the oak front doors for Herbology next. "Are you getting along with them so far?"
"Yeah, they're great," Teddy said. "They interrogated me last night. Shined lights on me and everything."
Lily laughed, watching them as the four of them got to the greenhouses first. "I bet they loved the fact that you bare a resemblance to Remus."
"Do I?" Teddy asked, grinning. Lily just nodded her head. "Who's your favorite of them?"
Lily didn't respond immediately, just redid her hair into a new bun. "James, I think," she said. "But if you ever tell him that, I swear I won't ever share my classnotes with you or I might even turn you into a toad."
Teddy nodded. "I won't. If only so I can have someone who takes notes."
"Not very good ones, though," Lily said. "I have handwriting worst than the boys. Mary! Come meet Teddy!"
Mary mentioned his likeness to Remus, too.
Peter was actually the first to mention his likeness to Remus, saying, "Whoa, you have a twin, Remus."
"Could you be a cousin of mine?" Remus said gently. "My dad doesn't have any siblings, though, but I know my grandpa does."
"I really don't think so," Teddy said, hating to lie through his teeth. He wanted to say so badly that Remus was his dad. He wanted to hug him and talk to him and tell him that he got along fine with his Gran and Harry as his godfather. Harry gave him siblings and a large family and Gran gave him a home and even more love.
But Remus didn't know James would father one of the most important people in the Wizarding world in a few years, or that Sirius's cousin's three-year-old daughter would be the person whom Remus would fall in love with.
Remus couldn't know that his son was sitting right in front of him.
"Why did you move from Beauxbaton?" Sirius asked. "Why would anyone want to leave France with all those French girls?"
Teddy shook his head. "My parents had a divorce and my mom, who got custody over me, made me come back to the UK. They're Muggles."
"Bad luck there," Sirius said.
"Do you have a French girlfriend?" James asked, leaning forward with a mischievous smile. "You have to have one."
Teddy smiled. "Victoire." He knew that if this took very long he'd miss her too much. He saw her almost everyday and to go for weeks or even months without her there, he'd probably go insane. She was his best friend.
"Victoire!" Sirius repeated, smiling widely. "Is she Muggle?"
"Sirius likes Muggles," James said. "Ignore him."
"What? There's nothing at all wrong with that."
The other guys just rolled their eyes. Teddy suspected they had endure Sirius' infatuation with Muggles a lot. But not that they had anything against it. Just that it seemed wearisome.
A week into being in the past, Teddy was pulled aside after Transfiguration and led to the stone gargoyles by McGonagall. She left him to go up to Dumbledore's office on his own.
Teddy stood in the middle of Dumbleore's office. All the portraits seemed to be sleeping and the phoenix by Dumbledore's desk watched Teddy carefully as he leaned in close to a silver, oval contraption that blew smoke from a pipe at the top. He put his hand through the smoke and a moment later, his hand turned blue.
"Ah, sorry about that."
Teddy looked over his shoulder to see Dumbledore standing there, his hands behind his back. He wore magnificent purple robes and his beard caught the mid-morning light through the window, making the silver hair almost sparkle.
"One certain student dropped this a number of years ago," Dumbledore said, joining him at the table. "It's not worked the same since. The blue should fade in a few minutes."
Teddy shrugged and concentrated on changing the color of his skin back to the pale peach. Dumbledore smiled when the color changed back.
"Remarkable," he said, his brilliant blue eyes twinkling. He had the same eyes as Aberforth, who Teddy had always been terrified of when he was younger. "Is what you look like now your real appearance, or have you changed anything?"
"My hair's black," Teddy said. "But I keep it a lighter brown or blue most of the time. Everything else right now is my true appearance."
"You look much like Remus. The boys have noticed, I presume?"
Teddy nodded. "I think I've managed to convince them I'm not related to him, but they still look at me funny."
"Nothing much gets passed them," Dumbledore said.
Teddy spotted something else on the table, something that looked like a silver cigarette lighter, but Teddy knew exactly what it was. He reached for it and opened it up, smiling when the light from the candles above zoomed from the candle to the inside of the deluminator.
"Ah, you know what this is," Dumbledore said.
"Yeah, it's a deluminator," he said. "I see it all the time."
"Do you?" Dumbledore asked.
Teddy nodded, but didn't elaborate. He flicked it open again and let the light return to the candles, then he surveyed the rest of the objects. He didn't know what any of them did, but the designs were interesting to look at, like one that looked to be from a planetarium with rings around a silver orb in the center and another that looked like a teapot, but had something clanking around inside.
"You're aware the full moon will rise in two days," Dumbledore said.
"Yes, sir," he said, his attention now on some potions in a cabinet.
"Will you need, er, accommodation?"
Teddy looked up, catching his eye. "No, sir. I'm not a werewolf. Just a metamorphmagus."
"Excellent," Dumbledore muttered, his eyes now almost thirsty like Teddy was an experiment rather than a human. "I've not known of many werewolves who fathered or mothered children after they received the bite. To know the virus, so to speak, may not pass on is good news indeed."
Teddy nodded. "The full moon came three weeks after I was born. I know everyone was nervous that I might transform, but the full moon came and went and nothing happened. My Uncle Bill got scratched up by a werewolf outside of the full moon, but he only likes to eat undercooked meat now. I'm the same, but besides sleeping more often near the full moon, I don't have any other symptoms."
"I'm sure Remus was pleased."
Teddy wasn't sure how to respond to that. Should he even tell Dumbledore that his parents weren't even alive? He hesitated. From what he heard from the adults when he admittedly eavesdropped on their conversation after the rest of the kids went to sleep, Dumbledore was only to be trusted with a certain amount of information.
"What is it, Teddy?" Dumbledore asked in concern.
"Nothing, sir," Teddy said. He looked up, looking at Dumbledore's crooked nose rather than his eyes. "Why did you ask me here? To ask if I needed a place in the Shrieking Shack?"
"That was one goal," Dumbledore said, smiling gently. "Of course, if you had needed a place to transform, it wouldn't have been the Shrieking Shack. I've read werewolves are quite possessive of their territories."
"What were the other goals?" he asked, already sensing Dumbledore was trying to distract him.
Dumbledore was silent for a moment, then he slowly walked to his desk and petted Fawkes' head with a finger.
"When do you turn seventeen, Teddy?" Dumbledore asked. Teddy felt the room had grown too quiet. He looked up at the portraits. One who had her eyes opened shut them quickly.
"I'm a month away," he said. "It's March in my world."
"And February here," Dumbledore said.
Teddy nodded, wishing he'd get to the point.
"Have you ever heard of the Order of the Phoenix?"
Teddy blinked. He hadn't been expecting that, but when he thought of it, of course Dumbledore would want him to join. Teddy knew what happened in the future, even knew how the war ended.
"Yes, sir," Teddy said.
"I think you may be a good addition to the Order," Dumbledore said. "Would you be willing to sit in on meetings, despite not being seventeen yet?"
"And give away the future?"
"Do you have any knowledge of the Death Eater's movements in the next few years?"
"Vaguely," Teddy said. "We focus more on what happened in the nineties than the seventies, sir."
"You could save a lot of lives," Dumbledore said, his eyes loosing his twinkle. "We need an advantage like you."
"To change the future?"
Dumbledore sighed and sat down in his high backed chair, placing his fingertips together under his chin. Teddy stared at his old hands, wishing he hadn't even come to his office. He should've known Dumbledore would ask something like this of him.
"There's this theory, Teddy, which assumes that what happens to time travelers is already set. Therefore, what happens to you is meant to happen. You're meant to be here and everything that happens is meant to be."
"That doesn't automatically assume that I end up helping you," Teddy said, looking to the side. "I would love to be able to, but my knowledge of the events is limited. I could be wrong about the Death Eater's movements."
Teddy sat down uninvited in the chair across from Dumbledore. He rubbed his forehead and he could feel his hair changing to red. He hated to say it. "I... know more about what happened in the nineties because godfather and his family were directly involved. I hear stories from them. My grandmother, who raised me, won't talk about what happened now, and all of my godfather's friends I hear talking aren't even born yet."
"Your grandmother raised you?" Dumbledore asked.
"My parents died in the war, Professor, only days after I was born," Teddy said. "A lot of people died; a lot of good people. I'm sorry, but I can't help you. I'd rather not be involved in the war after all those terrible things happened. I'd rather the past stay the past."
"You could save lives, Teddy."
"I-I know, but I-"
"What do you want to do as a career?" Dumbledore asked. Teddy stared for a moment in response to the random question.
"An... An Auror, sir. Maybe. My mom was an Auror and my godfather's the head of the Auror department."
"What did Remus do?"
"He had odd jobs. He taught Muggle school for a long time and when the war got bad, he lived with the werewolves until Mum got pregnant with me."
Dumbledore nodded, studying Teddy. Teddy looked up at the sorting hat. He remembered sitting under it, but at the same time, the hat in this time would never remember that.
"Teddy, what do you really want to do?"
"What do you mean, sir?"
"For career. What would you like to do if you didn't feel like Auror was your only option?"
Teddy blinked and then stared at him. No one had ever asked him that. Everyone always assumed he wanted to be an Auror because Harry was and his Mum used to be.
"I'm good with animals," Teddy said. "I want to be a dragon trainer."
Dumbledore smiled, the twinkling returning to his eyes. "If you can face dragons everyday, then you can face a war. I'm sure Andromeda and your godfather would be more happy to see you in a job that you liked than a job you did just because he and Nymphadora were Aurors."
Dumbledore certainly had a way of convincing people. If he wanted Teddy that bad, then why not go sit in on an actual, real-life Order of the Phoenix meeting. He'd always thought those would be interesting to see. Not even Harry, Ron, or Hermione ever got to see one, being too young at the time.
"But only to listen," Teddy said.
Dumbledore smiled.
The night of the full moon waned. Teddy found that the Remus, Peter, Sirius, and James avoided him all day and he was left with the dorm to himself. He didn't sleep, though. Instead, he sat at the window ledge with the window pane open, listening carefully for howls as he stared down at the moon lit grounds.
At two AM and eleven minutes, Teddy finally heard the werewolf howl for the first time, much closer than he imagined it would be. A moment later, he saw the same black dog run out of the trees with a small rat on his back.
And just a few yards behind at the edge of the trees was a large brown wolf with a stag keeping it at bay.
And Teddy swore the wolf was staring up at Gryffindor tower, all the while sniffing the air. Teddy kept still as the dog and the stag pushed him into the trees.
Teddy smiled a sad smile. He wished he still had his father, but he was glad he never had to go through another full moon. Teddy hated himself for not memorizing the Wolfsbane potion so maybe Remus could have a break for once.
He looked back up at the full moon and wondered if three-year-old Nymphadora Tonks looked up at the same moon, too.
The address for the Order of the Phoenix was at 22 Downing Street, London, England, in the home of the Dearborn's. They had a secret room under the floorboards that led to a cellar. Teddy stood in the back of the room filled with straightbacked chairs, folding chairs, and benches where approximately twenty people sat.
To his surprise, Lily Evans, Sirius Black, Alice Withers, and Frank Longbottom stood beside him, listening as Dumbledore went over the look out plan for a Death Eater meeting taking place in two days.
"We need a spy," an old man with a strange green hat said. "We can't do this unless someone has a disillusionment charm better than yours, Albus."
Dumbledore caught Teddy's eye. Teddy gave him a look that clearly said, 'Don't get me into this.'
"I'm aware of that. In the meantime," Albus said. "We'll have Gideon and Fabian as our trackers."
When the meeting ceased, Albus introduced Teddy, Sirius, and Lily.
"I have several more students I want to ask when they turn seventeen," Albus said.
"Recruit them young, eh, Albus?" said one of the only wizards Teddy actually recognized there. Alastor Moody. Even without the bodily disfigurements, he was still recognizable as the famous Auror whose portrait was hung in the Auror office.
"I believe they're capable," Albus said.
Moody huffed and narrowed his eyes at the five of them. "You're in for a rough road ahead, kids."
"They're adults, Alastor," Dumbledore said.
None of them were actually sent on missions, though. Each meeting went by with more news of death and destruction caused by the Death Eaters and plans on how to stop them. Teddy found the meetings fascinating, but he couldn't imagine having to be in this life permanently. How his whole adult family managed to get those all this alive baffled him, especially when he believed the situation in the first war didn't seem nearly as dangerous as the last two years of the second war.
Remus joined the Order in the mid-March meeting, when Teddy had gotten used to greeting him every morning. With the passing time, he became more anxious to meet his mom, but with her being a toddler with a strict mother like Andromeda, he doubted he would ever get to meet her. He relinquished the time he had with Remus, though he couldn't bring himself to get too close to him, so he kept to the side, watching as he interacted with his friends.
"I feel bad for James and Peter," Sirius told Remus. "I told them we're going on a date in Hogsmeade."
Remus chuckled and said, "I thought this was a date."
Teddy smirked.
It wasn't until April, on the fifth meeting Teddy attended, that Dumbledore even really acknowledged the newcomers who were still in school.
"I'm telling you, Albus," the same wizard who mentioned the spies at Teddy's first meeting said. Teddy later found out that was Elphias Doge. "We need a spy."
"Or," Albus said, looking at Teddy, who now stood beside not only Remus, Sirius, Alice, Frank and Lily, but James. Peter had yet to turn seventeen. "Someone who has a certain secret."
He gestured for Teddy to join him at the front. Teddy blushed and shook his head, but Sirius and Remus pushed him forward. "Go!" Remus said.
"Come here, Teddy," Albus said again.
Teddy glanced at Lily, then at the others. They were all staring at him in confusion, even Sirius and Remus who pushed him forward.
"Teddy?"
He took in a deep breath and stepped forward to the front of the room, tripping over a bench. No one laughed, which he was thankful for. He glanced at Remus standing in the back, and kept his eyes on him. Only because he knew exactly what Dumbledore wanted to reveal. Teddy was going to let him, if only it meant that he could talk more openly with Remus later.
"Teddy is about to give away very delicate information which we will all have to keep highly confidential," Dumbledore began, looking across the room. Teddy fidgeted in his spot.
"Teddy, is this your true appearance at the moment?"
"Hold on," Teddy muttered and he let his hair fade back into its normal black. "Now it is."
Someone gasped.
"Will you morph into someone in this room?"
He picked James Potter in the back, only because he knew his appearance better with Harry's. More people reacted when his hair changed, his face changed shape, he became shorter, and he made one last morph with the eyes turning from moss green to hazel.
"How did-"
"You're a metamorphmagus, Teddy?" Sirius called out from the back. "Are you sure you're not a Black, too? My little cousin Dora is one."
He changed back, but this time, he made his hair blue like he normally did.
"Actually..." Teddy looked up at Dumbledore.
Dumbledore gave him a reassuring look. "Yes, Sirius, he's a metamorphmagus and able to change his appearance at will. And if you'll allow me, Teddy?"
Teddy felt like he was going to vomit all over the floor of the basement as he moved his eyes to the back where Remus stood.
"Teddy," Dumbledore said gently. "When were you born?"
Teddy took in another deep breath. "I was born in Sussex on April 23rd, 1998."
A few people gasped. Remus blinked and glanced at Sirius and James in confusion.
"You've been going by the name of Granger, but what's your real name?" Dumbledore said.
Teddy wanted to tear his eyes away from his dad. "It's... Lupin."
"Told you!" James called out. Remus' mouth parted, eyes wide.
"Edward... Remus Lupin," Teddy said, his heart pounding. "And my mum was a Black through my Gran's side."
Remus looked as if he were about to faint. Sirius grabbed onto his shoulder. James' jaw fell opened, looking too much like Harry when he heard something absurd. Lily's shocked expression turned into a smile.
"You see," Albus said. "Teddy arrived here in January after an incident with a house-elf. He's from the year 2014, and in fact, the son of Remus Lupin, who is present here today."
Remus caught Teddy's eye. Teddy finally tore his gaze away, feeling too upset to look at his dad anymore.
"Which means-"
"I'm able to change my appearance just enough to possibly infiltrate Voldemort's meetings," Teddy said quietly. "And I know that we'll win this war, because Voldemort's been gone for seventeen years in my time."
A stillness went through the room.
"Albus-" started McGonagall.
"I know it's quite a lot to take in at the moment," Dumbledore said. "But I truly believe Teddy will be able to help us. With his knowledge of the future-"
"How's You-Know-Who defeated, then, boy?" said a man in the back behind the Prewett twins. "Come on, tell us so we can get this war over with!"
"Yeah!" another said and suddenly the room was filled with shouts from everyone.
"Quiet!" Albus yelled out. "That's enough."
"But, Albus, this boy knows!" Elphias Doge said. "Have you not asked him yet?"
"It's not possible to do it now," Teddy said without giving time for Dumbledore to respond. "The one who defeated him hasn't even been born yet. His parents haven't even begun their relationship! He's my godfather, but he's never confided in me how exactly he did it. There was some old, lost magic that not even Dumbledore knew much about. And Harry never even told anyone but his closest friends for fear of someone trying to replicate it. I can probably help you spy and I can probably tell you some Death Eater movements I remember from history class, but I can't tell you anything about how exactly he was defeated."
"We're lucky he's willing to help," Dumbledore said. "He refused when I first brought it up. Now, we know the new Death Eater meeting will be in three days. Alastor and Emmeline have volunteered, but now that we have Teddy's agreement to go undercover, we'll need to plan out a strategy for the infiltration."
The whole meeting was a blur to Teddy, who despite listening closely, could hardly get over the fact that he was the one who would go into the Death Eater meeting under guise as one called Wilkes. They provided him with a picture and in the meeting, he made his appearance as close to the photograph as he could possibly make it.
"Gideon and Fabian will take him down," Dumbledore said. "You'll only have to worry about getting into the meeting and finding out when and where the rumored attack will take place."
Teddy nodded, but he felt sick to his stomach again.
After the meeting, they arrived back in Dumbledore's office, leaving two or three at a time as to not draw attention to the fact that so many students were in Dumbledore's office. When Lily, Sirius, and James left together, it was only Remus and Teddy left.
Remus had been avoiding Teddy since the truth came out. He put his hands in the pockets of his jeans, then looked at Dumbledore behind his desk, writing on a sheet of parchment.
"Remus," Teddy said, finally, breaking the silence between them.
"It's the truth, then?" Remus said. His voice cracked. "You're really my son... from the future?"
He nodded, looking down at their feet. He wanted to know Remus' reaction, but at the same time, he couldn't face it at all. What if he didn't accept him?
"Why... I mean, why didn't you tell me before?"
"I thought you'd probably think I was a nutter," Teddy said, lip twitching.
Remus shook his head, a small smile forming on his lips. "It's a bit... odd, to say the least. But definitely the coolest thing I've ever seen."
Teddy blinked, then a wide smile formed. "Really?"
"Yeah!" Remus said. "I mean, James, Sirius and Peter haven't had any of their kids visit from the future. But, I do have a question... you're not... I mean, you're not... like me, are you?"
Teddy snorted, then wrapped his arms tightly around Remus, who hesitantly patted his back. "Dad, the only special transformation magic I have is the ability to change my looks at will."
"Thank Merlin," Remus said.
"Moony," Sirius said, sitting up in his bed when Remus and Teddy arrived back to their dorm. "How did you get such a punk rock kid when you still dress in clothes your mother buys you, huh?"
James laughed. "Please tell me my son's even cooler than you, Teddy."
Teddy smiled, glad that they accepted it. He glanced at Peter, who was staring at him with wide, glowing eyes marked in disbelief and admiration.
"He's pretty cool," Teddy said. "He has this tattoo of a Hungarian Horntail on his chest."
"Does he really?" James asked, unable to contain his grin.
"No," Teddy said. James smile fell instantly. "But he is pretty awesome. He's a high-ranking Auror and his wife was a player for the Holyhead Harpies."
"Merlin!"
"What about mine, does he have a leather jacket and a motorbike?" Sirius asked. The fact that he was excited about the prospect of having a child tore at Teddy's chest. "I bet he's amazing. Wait, who's his mother? Wait, who's your mother?"
"You'd kill Remus if I told you," Teddy said, laughing.
"Lily Evans?" James said.
"What? He already said she's a Black," Sirius said, rolling his eyes at James. "And he's a metamorphmagus. You've been- Remus! How could you! You pedophile!"
"What!" Remus said, blushing. "I haven't done anything! You said you were born in 1998? See! Your cousin was 24!"
Teddy burst out laughing. He noticed the four boys stare at him, then look at each other, before they all started laughing, too. What Teddy had thought would be the the worst thing to happen, for Remus and the others to find out who exactly he was, turned out to be the best thing.
"So, are you a werewolf, too?" Peter asked when the laughter stopped.
"No," Teddy said.
Again, though Remus already knew, he relaxed as he sat at the edge of his bed.
"I wondered," Remus said softly. "On the full moons since February, the wolf's wanted to get into the school. I felt like he wanted to care for someone. I wonder if maybe Moony could tell that you were... I mean..."
"That Teddy's your pup?" James said. "In the books Sirius, Peter, and I read on werewolves, it seems to imply that the wolf can sense and want to care for their human's child. But I doubt it's ever been documented that a werewolf's kid ever jumped into the past. Who knows, mate."
Teddy chewed on his lip for a moment and looked toward the window where he'd taken post during the three full moons. "I've been watching," he said carefully. "I think Moony knew. You would always look up to Gryffindor Tower. Maybe you caught my scent each time from the open window, but you knew someone was there watching. I'd like to think that my dad's wolf might feel a connection to me, even if you weren't aware of it."
Sirius and James exchanged almost sympathetic looks. Remus' eyes looked a bit more glassy. Peter looked as if he'd just heard the most beautiful story.
"That's love, mate," James said, elbowing Remus in the chest.
Remus rubbed his side as he and Teddy smiled at each other.
The day of the Death Eater infiltration was marked with Teddy pretending to feel ill and skipping class to go up to Dumbledore's office to hear the plan again. Of course, Teddy already felt sick, so, really, he didn't do much pretending to get out of Slughorn's class.
"The Prewett's will contact me when they've taken Wilkes out," Dumbledore said. "Then Alastor will show you the way. He and Emmeline will be hidden nearby for back up if things go wrong."
Teddy nodded, feeling nauseated. He swallowed hard, watching the sun set through the window in Dumbledore's office.
How did he get himself into this? He suddenly didn't want to do it as the time ticked by. He felt undertrained, mostly because he never had to go through war before. But also because he never thought he would have to.
If one of his career choices was an Auror, though, he knew he would have to do dangerous field work in the future. Better start now.
"Teddy," Dumbledore said, watching him carefully. "You're very brave for doing this."
"Thank you, sir," Teddy said. He definitely didn't feel brave.
A silvery fox slid through a portrait of a Headmaster with ruffles like Nearly Headless Nick's. Teddy felt his insides seize up.
"It's time," the fox said before fading.
"Ready, Teddy?"
He nodded, standing. Quickly he morphed his face and body to the photographs Dumbledore had laid out on the desk. And once he grabbed the quill portkey, he was off.
Albus stayed behind, waiting impatiently for word. The Order needed that information, and if Teddy died in the process...
He hoped that Teddy wouldn't die. As soon as the mission was over, he planned on letting Teddy return back. Really, he had known one house-elf who would be able to send him back- Lucy, one of the school's own- for two months. But Albus hadn't told Teddy, for want of him getting to know his father for a bit more time.
Because Albus wished he still had more time with his own family. He wanted his family again, more than anything. More than the dreaded power, more than wanting to end Voldemort. He wanted to be able to hug Ariana and his mother and father, and make amends with Aberforth, and when he saw that Teddy was able to do that, a jealous ache ran through Albus' whole body. But at the same time, he was happy that someone got to be reunited with his lost family.
Remus arrived unannounced after dinner.
"Come in, Remus," Dumbledore said. "Lemon drop?"
"No, thank you, sir," Remus said softly as he sat down in the chair across from the desk. "Have you heard anything from Teddy yet?"
"Not yet," Albus said, looking down at his watch with with twelve hands. "Death Eater meetings rarely last more than an hour. He should be back soon."
Remus nodded, looking a bit nervous. "I just... I don't want to plan my son's funeral before he's even born."
Albus's lip twitched into a sad smile. "I have full confidence in him, my dear boy. He knows the dangers of war."
"But he didn't want to help you, did he?" Remus said. "He seemed very reluctant at that Order meeting."
Albus nodded gravely, glancing at Fawkes on his perch.
"He knows what happens," Albus said. "Anyone would be reluctant if they knew the extent of damage and were thrown right in the middle of it. His knowledge and the information he's given me is very generous of him."
"But, really, sir, was it proper to tell the whole Order who exactly he is?"
Albus studied Remus, sensing that he rather the reveal would have been one-on-one with Teddy rather than within a large group. Remus looked tired, dark circles under his eyes and a slump in his shoulders. The full moon had only been last night.
"Once he's gone, I'll leave it up to you if the others should be aware," Albus said. "I can obliviate all knowledge of Teddy ever being here. And I can say the information was from an anonymous source."
"I'd... I'd rather not know I have a son," Remus said, his eyes looking down at the floor with his head titled slightly. "Just in case something happens."
"That he may not, shall we say, come into existence?"
Remus blushed. "I mean, obviously he was born, but... I'd rather not keep my hopes up. I can't go through life waiting until my son's born, especially when it'll be 20 more years before that happens."
"I understand, Remus."
Remus sighed heavily and rubbed his worn eyes.
A full silent minute passed by before another silvery animal glided into the room. Remus looked up, then slowly, when he caught sight of what exactly the Patronus was of, he reached his hand forward to touch the nose of the large wolf. A werewolf.
Albus watched, noticing how Remus's eyes turned glassy and he only seemed to snap out of the reverie when the wolf said, "We're safe."
Remus relaxed and looked up at Albus, then turned back to where the wolf had been, but it had already vanished.
"I'm sending Teddy back tomorrow morning," Albus said. "Say your goodbyes tonight."
Remus nodded, but stayed where he was.
When Teddy arrived back, Remus stood up immediately to hug him tightly. Teddy's eyes widened, but after a moment, he relaxed and hugged him back, too. Albus smiled softly.
"Albus," Alastor said. "Are you sure we can't keep him?"
"No, I suspect he wants to go back to his own time," Albus said.
Teddy looked around at him and smiled softly before relaying all the information he got. A raid would be soon (one that Teddy confirmed would really happen because he remembered it to be the most deadly raids of the first war), Voldemort had started to get werewolves involved- which caused Remus to blanch- and Voldemort was starting to recruit new seventeen-year-olds from Hogwarts.
"I can tell you who I know were Death Eaters, if you need that," Teddy said.
"Thank you, Teddy."
Teddy and Remus left the office soon afterward. Albus sighed, looking up at Alastor.
"Remus has elected to allow the Order to forgot his son was ever here. Himself included. You and I will keep the knowledge, though."
He nodded, seeming to approve of the idea.
Albus sighed and wished he could keep Teddy as their advantage. But he knew he couldn't force Teddy to stay here any longer than he had to.
Teddy Lupin deserved a bright future.
A/N: Happy 34th Birthday, Harry Potter! And oh, look, I wrote another time-travel story, but I think this may be my last.
This was fun to write. And completely unexpected. I just started writing it one night after seeing a post on tumblr about how Remus' kid, not James or Sirius' kid, turned out to be the punk rock one. I got Teddy's character design mostly from Burdge's drawings of Teddy, with the green jacket, red button-down, and moon tattoos. I fell in love with that design. So, credit to her. And of course JK Rowling for making these amazing characters.
The title is from the song The Future by the Limousines.