*This story contains Dramione.
I OWN NOTHING.
Teddy Lupin glanced around cautiously as he made his way down the stairs of the Potter household. All the portraits along the staircase were sleeping soundly. Careful to avoid the creaky step, he took the stairs two at a time. Silently scurried through the kitchen, and out the back door. He quickly scanned the backyard, his eyes finding his target. The broom shed. He quickly hurried across the lawn, and silently slipped through the door, closing it behind him. Turning the knob on his lantern, the shed illuminated. He found his prize. The Firebolt. It was balanced on two brass hooks, and in stellar condition. Harry and James had taken excellent care of it. He gently lifted it off of its perch, and inspected the polished handle and the evenly clipped tail bristles. The Firebolt had been a gift from Harry's godfather Sirius Black. It was Harry's pride and joy, he had handed it down to James in his second year of Hogwarts. Now James was about to begin his third year, and Teddy could hardly stand watching him polish the stupid broom every week.
Teddy's hands tightened around the handle. He had expected Harry to hand to broom down to him, being that he was, in fact, Harry's godson and the first child he and Ginny had raised. But of course, that wasn't enough for Harry. He wasn't Harry and Ginny's biological son. Hell, they weren't even remotely related. Teddy was sick of being passed by while James had all of the attention and pride. Harry lifting James up on his shoulders when he won his first quiddich game haunted Teddy's mind. He was about to begin his sixth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and all he had heard for the past three months about how he needed to prepare for his N.E.W.T.s that he was to take in his seventh year. Well, that was all about to change. Teddy didn't care anymore about passing his N.E.W.T.s. He didn't care that "his parents would be so proud of him" because they were dead. He didn't care about going back to Hogwarts, or that he was about to break Harry and James' hearts. They would notice him after tonight.
Quickly he took out his wand and set the Firebolt on the shed floor. He would get expelled for this, he knew that for sure. "Winguardium Leviosa" he whispered. The broom lifted into the air and touched the ceiling. With a flash of anger her slammed it into the ground. It cracked. He repeated this several times, outside he heard a shuffle of wings. An owl had arrived with his expulsion letter. He heard a peck on a window, Harry and Ginny's most likely. He didn't care. Angrily he grabbed the broom and inspected it. The hilt was cracked, he perched it against the wall and slammed his foot into it. Snapping it down the middle. He then angled his wand at it and muttered a fire charm. The broom burst into flames. He watched it burn, watched the tail bristles curl up and fall to the ground as the fire hungrily devoured the broom.
The door behind him kicked open. He immediately knew it was Harry. Calmly he turned to face his godfather. But he couldn't see Harry, only the bright light of his wand. Harry lowered his wand and glowered at Teddy.
"What. The hell. Is THIS?!" He waved the paper in Teddy's face. Teddy blinked. He had never seen Harry this angry.
"I imagine it's my expulsion letter." He stated calmly. "Being that I used a levitating charm several times, and a fire charm, I can't imagine that I'm not expelled." Teddy stared hard into Harry's face.
"Get. In. The. House." Harry said through gritted teeth. Teddy smirked and shoved past him. Waiting for his reaction to his precious broom stick laying in ashes on the floor.
"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR BROTHER'S BROOM!"
Teddy ignored him and hurried into the house. There he found Ginny standing by the counter, her arms crossed and her face set into a frown. She was dressed in her dressing gown still, her hair pulled up into a messy bun. Teddy calmly sat down at the table and grabbed an apple from the fruit basked.
Ginny sat opposite from him, her hands clasped calmly in front of her.
"Teddy" she said slowly "I want to know why you've decided to use a levitating charm at three in the morning. Why are you awake at this hour? Why were you outside- Harry, what's wrong?" Harry had just come pounding through the back door. He ran his hand restlessly through his already messy hair. Teddy looked down and smirked again. Pushing his godfather's buttons was one of his most favorite things.
"Teddy burned the Firebolt to a powder."
Harry slammed his fists down on the dinner table. Making Teddy jump slightly.
"Calm down Potter. Is was only a bloody broomstick."
Harry was breathing heavily.
"That broomstick was not only a Firebolt in nearly mint condition, but it was your brother's. He adored it and you destroyed it AT THREE IN THE BLOODY MORNING. AND GOT YOURSELF EXPELLED!"
"Yes" said Teddy calmly "I am well aware of the circumstances, and the consequences of my actions."
"Why? WHY did you do it?" Asked Harry, massaging the bridge of his nose.
"Harry dear, please calm down" pleaded Ginny
"Yes, Harry 'dear'" sneered Teddy "please do calm down. You've woken up your angel child"
They all looked over at the staircase. There stood James rubbing his eyes.
"Mum, dad? Why are you yelling at Teddy?"
Harry signed and softened his gaze.
"James-" he began. But Teddy cut him off.
"Because, you little snot, I've just destroyed your bloody Firebolt and got expelled from Hogwarts." Teddy said viscously.
James' eyes widened "What? Why?" His eyes shown with tears.
"Why are you such a little crybaby?" Teddy scoffed.
"TEDDY" Harry roared "I will NOT have you talking to James like that!"
"Why?" Teddy shot back "Because he's your precious little Griffindor? Seeker, top of his class, well on his way to becoming a prefect-"
"Why are you so set on hurting you little brother?" Ginny asked, tears in her eyes.
"He's not my brother!" Teddy yelled, throwing his apple across the room.
"We raised you better than this Teddy!" Yelled Harry. He had removed his glasses. "We have NEVER treated you ANY different that James-"
"Yes you have!" Teddy yelled standing to stare his Godfather in the face. They were nearly the same height. Teddy's hair turned bright orange.
"Since I got sorted into Slytherin you have treated me entirely different! Like I'm some sort of terrible person!-"
"We haven't been treating you differently because you're in Slytherin! I knew a man from Slytherin and he was-"
"Yeah, yeah" Teddy cut him off "the bravest man you even knew-"
"I was not finished!" Harry growled "we don't treat you differently because you're in Slytherin. We treat you differently because of the friends and choices you've made-" Teddy snorted.
Ginny angrily pushed her chair back and stalked out of the room, grabbing James' arm and taking him with her. Teddy watched them go with amusement. Anger was throbbing through his veins. How he had managed to stay with this family for so long, he didn't know. He turned back the face Harry. But Harry wasn't looking at him with anger anymore. Instead he looked very tired. Teddy rolled his eyes.
"Why did you destroy James' broom?" Harry asked calmly.
"Because" Teddy spat "I'm sick of watching your little prat child get gushed over for even being alive 'Oh James! I knew you'd make the team! Here, have my Firebolt!'" Teddy mocked in a harsh tone. Harry blinked.
"Is that what this is about? Are you jealous of James getting the Firebolt?" Teddy threw his arms up "when I made the Slytherin team you went out and bought me a new broom, you didn't even bother to ask if I wanted the Firebolt!" Harry stared at him for awhile. Teddy glowered back. This is not how he'd wanted this to turn out. He was banking on the Potters kicking him out. He'd had a plan. He was going to show up on George Weasley's doorstep and live with him. Legally he couldn't leave unless the Potters kicked him out. Harry was an Auror and would easily track Teddy down if he ran away.
"I didn't give you the Firebolt because I didn't think you'd want it" Harry finally said. "Ginny and I thought you'd want a new broom. The Firebolt is outdated. The Lightening 2000 is a much faster broom-"
"But you didn't even ask!"
"Would you have taken it if I offered? Would you have hated me for giving you the Firebolt and buying James a new broom?"
Teddy hadn't been expecting him to ask that.
"Well, your godfather gave it to you, I thought maybe you'd pass it down to me, as your godson." He mumbled. This was not going at all how he'd planned. Damn the Potters for being rational.
"I'm sorry Teddy. I truly am. I didn't know it meant anything to you. I thought maybe James would see it as more sentimental-"
"Why? Because he's your real son?" Teddy snarled "because precious little James Sirius Potter is the son of 'The Boy Who Lived' and I'm the orphan child of a werewolf and a metamorphmagus?"
"No," said Harry flatly "because James hasn't been able to keep his hands off of it since he was crawling."
"Oh." Said Teddy quietly. He looked down at his shoes. Harry stepped around him and sat down.
"Sit down, Teddy"
Teddy's hair faded back to its natural bright blue color.
Just then Ginny Potter came back into the kitchen.
"Where's whiney little James?" Teddy scoffed
"I've sent him back to bed and just finished talking with McGonnagol, it appears you will be allowed to return to Hogwarts, however, you will be spending a month's detention. With Professor Longbottom."
"The herbology teacher?" Teddy groaned. "As if I didn't already hate him and his class enough as it is-"
"You WILL respect Neville Longbottom, Teddy. He is a great man."
"Yeah but his class sucks. There is nothing exciting about plants."
"You will go back to school, and you will do your month's worth of detentions."
"Just because that git of a headmistress-" Harry stood abruptly, knocking his chair over.
"That's it. I've HAD IT. Give me your wand. No owl mail for the rest of the summer. No broomstick. I want you to stay in your room, and study for the N.E.W.T.s You may come out only to eat." Teddy's hair flashed orange again.
"That's hardly fair!-"
"You will not disrespect the great witches and wizards of Hogwarts!" Teddy could tell that he had crossed a line. Harry was breathing heavily, he had yanked his glasses off in anger. He stared hard into Teddy's eyes. Teddy stared back, unwilling to break eye contact with his Godfather.
Angrily he yanked his wand out of his pocket and smacked it into Harry's hand. Harry pulled out his own "accio broomstick" he said sharply. Teddy's broomstick came flying down the staircase and settled into Harry's open hand.
"You may go."
Without another word Teddy pushed past his Godfather and headed for the stairs.
"I want your CD player and owl as well."
Teddy spun around on his heel "What? No! I'll be bored to death without my CD player!" Surly Harry could be reasoned with. His CD player?! It was nothing more than a muggle object used for playing music. It had been a Christmas gift from Arthur Weasley.
"Then you'll have plenty of time to study for your N.E.W.T.s and maybe think twice before getting yourself expelled from school or breaking things that aren't yours."
With an angry huff Teddy stomped up the stairs and into his bedroom. He grabbed his CD played off the top shelf and his owl cage that held a large brown Barn Owl named Yorkshire and stomped back down the stairs.
Without looking at his Godfather he smacked the device into his hand and sat the cage on the table.
"You can have all of this back before you get on the train."
"That's in a month!" Teddy yelled.
Harry glanced at the clock on the wall
"Well look at that. It's nearly five. I'd better be getting ready for work. Teddy, you may go upstairs." Still raging, Teddy stormed out of the kitchen. He slammed his door behind him and fell back onto his bed.
Deep down he knew he deserved this. Why couldn't the Potters just kick him out? It's not like he wanted to stay in their house. He had been perfectly happy with his grandmother, Andromeda. But after his first year of Hogwarts, she had sent him to live with the Potters. Claiming that he needed to be with a family, and children his own age. Teddy hated living with the Potters. People still stared at Harry when he walked by them, and besides, Teddy was an outcast. He kept his hair bright blue, and preferred muggle clothing to wizard robes. He liked muggle music culture.
Not that Ginny and Harry Potter minded Teddy's muggle interests. Ginny's father, Arthur Weasley was a muggle enthusiast, and Harry had been raised among muggles until the age of eleven. But the people of the wizard world though The Boy Who Lived "aught to have raised for more upstanding children" and Teddy was sick of it all.
He stared at the quiddich posters on his wall, watching the players zoom back and forth on their broomsticks.
He sighed. His anger ebbing. This was going to be a long month.
I know this chapter is short!! I have big plans for this story though.
This is my first fic and I'm still trying to figure out how to navigate the site.
I hope you all enjoy the story and please leave reviews!!
Much love
-Caffeinatedkiss
