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Disclaimer : I do not own any Harry Potter characters ect…
Teddy's First Year
By LeseRatte17
Teddy Lupin could feel his godfathers hand on his head as they wound through the crowds on Platform 9 and ¾. As he pushed the trolley with his trunk and owl on it Teddy gazed about him with eyes as wide as galleons, trying to take every thing in. The people, the noise, and the brilliant scarlet steam engine standing above everything else.
For once his god siblings were quiet, as awed as he was. Teddy looked up to see Harry smiling down at him, and found himself grinning in return.
"Scared?" Harry asked.
"A bit." Teddy admitted, he could never lie to his godfather, he saw right through it. Harry drew him away from the family, helping him get his trunk on the train. As they stored it in the end compartment Harry said,
"A bit hmm? My first time on the Hogwarts Express I was terrified. Nerves like that you're defiantly a Gryffindor, cub." Smiling at the boy he thought of as his first born.
"What if I'm in Slytherin Dad?" Teddy asked worriedly as they returned to the to the platform. Harry pulled the boy to a stop and knelt down so they were eye to eye, just a few feet from Ginny and the kids.
"Teddy Lupin, I don't care if you're a Hufflepuff like your mother, a Gryffindor like you father, a Ravenclaw like your Aunt Luna or a Slytherin like your Uncle Severus. Only that your happy." He could feel Harry's hands on his shoulders as he gazed into his bright emerald green eyes, feeling like he was drawing strength from them.
"What if I don't get sorted at all? What if I have to come home on the train tonight? What if…" Harry clamped his hand over the youngster's mouth as the whispered questions tumbled out. Teddy's eyes looked almost petrified as they gazed at him. "What ifs are wastes of time and energy, cub, trust me on this. I should know I've had my share of them. There only useful if you're looking for something or planning some thing, where you have to look at all the possibilities. You get on that train, make friends and what ever house you get sorted into, and you will get sorted, you write and tell us. You write once a week. If you make trouble try not to get caught. Pay attention in class. Do your home work on time and have fun! If you do your best, cub, then I will always be proud of you, whatever decisions you make. Be loyal your friends, and get decent grades. If you feel down and can't talk to some one remember, I love you. We all love you and they love you too, whatever mischief their making up there in the after life with the rest of the Marauders."
Never one for speeches by the end of this one , both Harry and Teddy had tears in their eyes. From the emotive reassurance and the mention of Teddy's biological parents. Teddy flung his arms around Harrys neck and the hugged tightly.
"I love you to Dad, thanks." Teddy breathed into Harry ear before dashing over to say goodbye to every one else.
Once on the train Teddy leaned out a window to wave goodbye.
"Be good. Beat the Slytherins at all the tests and be good!"
"Mum, you told me to be good twice, I'm not that bad!" Harry reached up and ruffled the fawn colored hair that fell over innocent blue eyes that still held a hint of mischief.
"Teddy, cub, you're a Marauder child, of course your that bad!" Harry teased. They all chuckled as Ginny rolled her eyes and Teddy's hair went black and messy, while his eyes went green, till a young Harry grinned back at them. The train started pulling out as the kids staying yelled out 'good bye's, 'I love you's and 'don't forget to write's at their big brother till the train was out of sight.
Harry wrapped an arm around his wife's waist and kissed her temple as they watched the train disappear around the bend.
"Off goes the next Marauder, may McGonagall have much luck with him."
"She'll need it all you Marauders are almost more trouble than your worth." Ginny replied.
"Is that so?" Harry said with a gleam in his eyes and a smirk on his face.
"I said almost!" Ginny backed away as Harry stalked after here like a predator on the prowl.
"Harry!" But her protest was not in time to stop Harry from lunging forward and picking her up. Twirling her round before wrapping his arms around her and kissing her senseless. Their children ignored this behavior and started bickering about Quiddich.
'I hope he doesn't when he realizes he's as much a Slytherin as he is the others he could be in which ever house he chose.' Harry thought as they made there way home.
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Seated in his compartment Teddy looked out the window, a bundle of nerves and excitement, all ready missing his god family.
"Do you mind if I join you?" Teddy's head anapped around at the voice from the doorway.
"All the other compartment are full or have older students in them." explained the girl. She had neat blonde hair, brown eyes and seemed quite shy.
"Sure. Have a seat. I'm Teddy Lupin."
"Alex Young." She replied with a small smile as she dragged in her trunk.
"Here let me help." Teddy said as he jumped up. Unconventional his upbringing may be but no way would you beallowed to forget you manners. Especially around girls. Alex seemed surprised and blushed as he took her trunk and stored it. Then they sat down facing each other across the window.
"What's Teddy short for?" asked Alex still blushing. "Theodore. What's Alex short for? Alexandra?" Teddy replied.
"No, Alexis."
"Alexis is nice. Can I call you that or do you prefer Alex?"
"Alexis was my mothers name." She answered quietly, looking at the floor.
"Oh." Teddy murmured embarrassed.
"Nobody's said it in years at home." Now Teddy was the one blushing, A mistake worthy of Uncle Ron, he thought. Which was saying something as Ron was notorious for his tact, or lack there of.
"I'd like it if you called me that though. Not like any one at home is going to know." She continued a slight trace of bitterness in her voice.
Before Teddy could answer or question further there was an unholy screech from down the train. They heard running but before they could open the door and investigate, it was thrown open and a tall boy with long, wild black hair half fell into the compartment. He was grinning like a loon and seemed to be trying very hard ( and failing abysmally ) not to laugh.
"Watch out matie, we might be getting company of the Slytherin persuasion, if you know what I mean." He said in a mock serious voice, or as much of one as you can get when trying not to laugh you head off. He drew his wand as he backed away towards the window, with tears of mirth in his eyes.
As he predicted three Slytherins stumbled in, with scorched clothes and furious expressions. Teddy and Alex drew their wand and stood either side of the boy.
"You'll pay for that Jameson" The middle boy hissed. He was tall, blonde with dull brown eyes set too close together, making him look like he had a permanent cross-eyed or squinty look. He had red splotches on his skin and looked like a third or fourth year.
The other two looked like twins with the brown hair and green eyes and n abundance of mussels. But unlike the middle boy they looked to be intelligent.
"What's the matter Lawcott? Something wrong?" The black haired boy they called Jameson asked. Trying to look innocent and failing.
The Slytherins in the door way looked enraged that this first year was making fun of them. With a furious yell the boy in the middle started firing of hexes, curses and jinxes. His companion joined in after a brief hesitation. With out thinking Teddy through up a shield like Harry had taught him. Seeing what Teddy had done Alexis and the Jameson boy fired of spells of their own. The Slytherins were taken by surprise and for perhaps the first time in living memory Slytherin upper years ere taken out by a bunch of firsties on the train ride to Hogwarts.
When they were KOed and sprouting an abundance of abnormal appendages, Teddy dropped the shield and took their wands. Alexis and the strange boy helped him to roll them back into the corridor. They promptly shut the door and steeled back down
"Thanks. My name's Tristan Jameson." Said the boy with a wicked grin.
"Hi. I'm Teddy Lupin and this is Alexis Young." Teddy replied introducing them.
"Who are those boy and what did you do to them?" Alexis asked, with what I was coming to believe was typical bluntness, shy she may be but she was to the point. Tristan raised his eyebrows apparently lking her straight forward manner as much as I did.
"The blond was Andrew Lawcott and the twins were Jack and Michal Cooper. I let off a bag of PDP and some fire crackers in their compartment." He spoke the last sentence with an air of insincere innocence as if asking what was wrong with that. Teddy laughed but Alexis looked confused.
"PDP?"
"Peruvian Darkness Powder." Teddy answered with a grin. She grinned before turning to the prankster.
"I'm guessing you don't want to be a Slytherin then. Unless of course you're suicidal or a masochist."
"Who would want to be in Slytherin? Only dark wizards come out of that house." Despite his earlier worries had heard enough stories from his family to dislike and disagree with this generalization.
"What about Severus Snape? And some Slytherins fought Voldemort in the battle of Hogwarts. Not every on in Slytherin is evil, not every one in Gryffindor is brave." He argued frowning.
"You don't know what your talking about Teddy." Tristan replied, surprised at the boys reaction to what was to him a well known fact.
"Are you evil?" Teddy asked crossing his arms.
"What? No, of course.."
"So if you get sorted into Slytherin will you automatically change?" Teddy interrupted the boys spluttering.
"No, but.."
"But you are cunning though aren't you? You must be to sneak firecrackers and PDP into the Slytherins carriage!"
"I suppose, but…"
"So you fit the idea of a Slytherin don't you?"
"Look, Teddy…"
"My dad says Snape was one of the bravest people he ever met, and Snape was a Slytherin."
"Who's your dad then, little Lupin, that he tells you such lies." Tristan said with a sneer worthy of the Slytherins he mocked so much. Fingers of red seemed to sweep through Teddy hair till his still black hair became a scarlet that matched the train they rode.
"Harry Potter." Teddy spoke coldly.
"Then why is your name Lupin not Potter. I'll tell you. Because you're a little liar, for all that you're a Metamorphous.
"I'm a war orphan. My parents died at the Battle of Hogwarts, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks Lupin. Dad is my godfather, but he raised me since I was three weeks old. He gave up going back to school, put of having a career, having a family for me. He is my father in all but blood." The look in Teddy's eyes and the cold tone of his voice as he gave this explanation was enough to convince Tristan that he had made a monumental mistake.
"Uh..oh..umm…"
"Sorry."
What have you got to be sorry for Alexis?" Teddy asked, puzzled by the girls first word since the …debate…had begun.
"Nothing Teddy, it's the word Tristan is looking for." She calmly replied.
"Yeah….Sorry." Tristan muttered, eyes on the floor.
"It's okay Tristan. The thing is it's generalizations like that that started the war in the first place. To be honest I don't want to be in Slytherin either. I want to be a Gryffindor or a Hufflepuff." Teddy admitted calming down, his hair returning to its natural fawn colour.
"Gryffindor I understand but Hufflepuff?" Tristan questioned.
"My mum was a Huffelpuff." Teddy replied blushing.
There was a silence as every one thought about the future. Tristan was the first to shrug off the gloomy mood and asked
"Who wants to play Exploding Snap?" soon they were all playing and laughing, as the explained the rules to Alexis who had never played. They were only interrupted by the Lunch trolley, and a little first year who told them to put their school robes on.
*******************
After an uneventful trip in the boats and the usual lecture about, houses, family, points, and rule braking etcetera the we were lead into the Great Hall for sorting. I was nervous but Dads little talk and my new friends had settled his stomach. As we walked down the Great Hall between the House tables it felt like every one was staring at us, (which they were). And therein front of us was the rickety three legged stool and old patched hat. A flap opened at the brim and it began to sing.
When it had finished the whole school cheered and clapped, but quickly fell silent. As Professor McGonagall was the Head now, the Transfiguration teacher teacher, a woman by the name of Mia Cutting, called out the names of pupils for sorting.
"Adams, Caraline." was first. She looked like an angle or a china doll. She had long blond curls and big baby blue eyes.
"RVENCLAW" the hat called
"Good looks and good brains, what's the betting that she'll go far?" I asked the others, all those who heard nodded or muttered agreement.
"Dorse, Simon.", a plain looking boy with mischievous eyes.
"RAVENCLAW"
"You might have competition Tristan." I said nodding towards the boy joining the cheering blue table.
"Or a partner, and one with brains at that." Alexis added.
"Edwards, Rhianna" she was like night to Caraline Adams's day with long black hair, dark eyes and dusky skin, even at eleven she had an exotic beauty. But if you looked hard enough you could see how scared and vulnerable she was. I smiled at her and she gave a wobbly smile back.
"SLYTHERIN" the hat roared. Her eyes dulled in something that looked suspiciously like resignation.
"Jameson, Tristan" Tristan looked like he was bouncing as he went to the stool and the hat took no time in pronouncing him a
"GRYFFINDOR" I gave him a grin and a thumbs up as he bounced his way to the red table.
"Kelly,Jack"
"RAVENCLAW"
"Leeroy,Tanya"
"HUFFLEPUFF"
"Lupin, Theodore" I walked up and sat on the stool. The whole of the Great Hall were looking at me as the Sorting Hat fell over my eyes. The snitches in my stomach were back.
"Hmm, smart, kind, loyal. But ambitious too. A lot like your godfather and the Marauders. You like that. Hmm. DO you have a preference, child?"
"No. Dad told me to trust you, that you knew where people belong." I thought back to it.
"He was right. Will you go happily to were I place you."
"I'll go willingly."
"If you want to know why I'm putting you here ask Harry. SLYTHERIN" TO say I was surprised would be an understatement. I didn't hate the Slytherins or any thing but I had been so sure I was a Gryffindor. Like Dad. Like Mum. Like the Marauders. But I had gotten a nagging feeling in the base of my stomach when the hat started being reassuring and talking about Dad like that. I walked to the cheering green table.
"Mansfield, Tara-Louise" was also a Slytherin, but an old school Slytherin - haughty, arrogant and superior. Like the Draco Malfoy that I heard of in stories.
At the end of the sorting "Ryan, Jacob" was the only other Slytherin, While "Taylor, Lisa", "Samuels, Luke" and "MacKeith, Mark" were Hufflepuffs. "MacKeith, Antony" and "Michenson, Dante" were Gryffindor and Alexis was the final Ravenclaw. Fifteen new students compared to the almost twenty eight in Dads year. Grandpa Weasely had told me that a lot of people were sending their children to schools abroad or home schooling them.
The head mistress rose and simply said
"Tuck in." and we did, no one can resist a Hogwarts feast. Especially when you hadn't eaten since lunch time.
*******************
After everyone was full ad the tables had been cleared McGonagall made her customary speech.
"Welcome to old students and new. I have a few announcements be for we retire for the night.
First the Forbidden forest is just that, forbidden, so don't go in. Secondly there is a list of banned joke products on Mister Filches office door, it includes all Weasely Wizarding Wheezes products, if you are caught with any such products you will have them confiscated and a detention with Mister Filch.
Finally this year we have introduced a new idea to help the different houses become more unified. So this year there are seven new common rooms, one for each year. They will have different passwords for the different years. Any one from any house may use it as long as there from the right year. It is hear you may make friends from other Houses and help each other with your homework…"
"Or just hang out." One of the seventh years interrupted.
"Indeed Mister Quincy. Now to bed before you fall asleep listening to me."
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AN: This is my first fic so could you reveiw and tell me how I did? Please?