So basically, I decided to read Harry Potter for about the 7th time in my life. I didn't expect to feel surprised at any moment, considering I could recite the plot from memory by that point. However, I felt disappointed as always at the end. Critics always praise J.K. Rowling about the conclusion she provided for her readers with the death of Voldemort and the painstakingly short epilogue. But I disagree! I want more! I NEED more! So I decided, I am going to write more :)
Thanks for reading and I accept all feedback!
I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters.
He could hear his heart beating vehemently in his chest, as he slid across the cool wooden floor. Every sound was pronounced, and every blink he took was too long. The twitter of branches knocking against the window outside making him feverish with uncertainty. The risk pushed him forward, fueling him. Each shadow was his mother's lurking around a corner, each sigh of the wind was Albus's laughter once he found out that he came back empty handed. He wouldn't be able to stand that snicker of his. He had an image to maintain, and was not about to lose it tonight. But he was sure that if he was caught, he would have to wait an entire year until he could see the welcome sight of Hogwarts again.
Once he crossed the hallway, he came up to grandfather clock that much resembled the one that his grandmother has. Instead of telling whether they were in mortal danger- which would be constantly, if you think about all the times that Teddy dared James to fly upside down from a broomstick- it told what chores they should be doing. At the moment, his, Albus's and Lily's were resting on "Sleeping", although he knew better. His brother was on the look-out for any sign of Mom or Dad, alert to contact him with his Uncle's new Wireless-Extendable-Ear invention. Lily would probably be up practicing new ways to hex them, taking full delight in the fact that she could preform magic at freewill.
Finally reaching the office, James opened the door with a soft click that resonated against the walls. He slipped in through the tiniest crack he could manage, not wanting to risk the creak of the door hinges, and let out a soft exhale once he was inside it's safe compartment.
Looking around, James wondered if he would make a good Auror like his father. He hadn't shown much promise in his first year at Hogwarts in anything except Quidditch and earning the most consecutive detentions. They wouldn't let him join the team however, despite the many arguments he made about his dad being the youngest player in over a century. Their only excuse was that those were "special circumstances" and it was under direct violation under the wizarding rules of Hogwarts athletics, since he was too small compared to other players. What always managed to make James smile though was the fact that the captain took him aside personally after sneaking into try-outs, and told him that he would reserve the spot for him this year if he kept practicing.
There hasn't been a single weekend where James let go of his Nimbus 9000.
Pushing away thoughts of Quidditch, James headed over to the desk and tugged on the drawer. It didn't open though. James swore under his breath, realizing that his dad must have locked it, knowing that he couldn't use magic outside of school. He frowned, sure that his father was pulling his tail. Just yesterday, after their house elf Pickle served them dinner, his father unceremoniously mentioned that he snuck down into Hogwart's kitchen once but wasn't able to use his map. After his mother whacked him on the side of his head with a look, no more was said, but James had already forged an idea of how useful that map could be, even if it didn't show the elves kitchen. Taking a paperclip from a stack of paper, James followed Uncle George's instructions on how to unbolt a lock.
"Oh Muggles..." he whispered, "you sack of gits." and he sent a silent prayer to the one who came up with this method first.
Within no time, a faint snap came from the drawer and James opened it with ease. He scrambled through it for a few moments until he grabbed the parchment he was looking for. Success washed over him, and he ran out of the room, rushing past his parents bedroom that he noticed was vacant. Stopping short, he peeked inside, wondering where they could be. Pushing it aside, he creeped more slowly up the stairs to his bedroom where Albus sat expectantly.
"Did you get it?" he asked in a frenzy, already looking at the parchment in James's grasp.
"Of course I did! You insult my brilliance" James retorted, putting on an offended front.
Albus grinned up at his brother and said, "I don't think there is anything to insult. But James, you know what this means right? With this, we'll be the next Fred and George!"
"You're forgetting something." After Albus looked at him inquisitively, he said, "At least they were both attractive. We only have one devilishly handsome face in this brotherhood," and smoothed back his dark red hair.
Someone behind them said, "This is me we're talking about right?"
At the sound of the voice, they jumped around, and James pulled out his wand on instinct. Disappointed, he stuffed it back in his waist band and said teasingly, "I'm not sure pink hair screams 'I'M HOT!"
Teddy shrugged, and leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed against his chest. "Maybe not. But this does." And with a tiny grimace his hair morphed into a blend of fiery red and orange, giving it an almost shimmery-like appearance.
James laughed, "Yeah, if you want to look like a fire hydrant." while Albus said enviously, "You've gotta teach me how to do that."
Pushing off from the door, Teddy kneeled in front of Albus and said, "You sure? It'll be much easier to just whip up a Disfigurement Charm. Much less painful too."
"Nice try. Gimme a go"
Teddy took out a piece of gum and bit off an end of it. "Fine by me. Just don't get all paranoid when you have purple spots in places only you and your mother've seen. Okay, what you need to do first is squat down. No, no. Make your stance wider. Yeah, that's it. Now scrunch up your face, and concentrate on what you what to change. Picture it in your head and how you will look like in it. Once you've got that in mind, let out a low grunting noise. More like- uuuahhhhh. Yeah, hahaha, that's it perfect! See you morphed!"
Albus opened one eye tentatively and looked down at his body. "No I didn't..."
James scoffed. "You sure bro? I'm pretty sure you looked like you were Aunt Petunia: old, wrinkly and constipated." Whipping out his camera he took a quick Snap. James and Teddy rolled on the ground laughing, holding the picture out of reach from Albus's outstretched arms.
"You four-eyed, jerk! Give it!" He lunged, landing on top of Teddy with a grunt, who rolled on top of him, and held him against the ground laughing. "Teddy! Why-are-you-so-FAT?" he gasped between breaths, struggling to get out.
James let out a roar. As soon as the words were out of Albus's mouth, Teddy gained fifty pounds, his chin now multiplied into three. Taking another picture, he stashed it away into his trunk, making sure to tuck it away safely. He didn't want anything to happen to it. Knowing Albus, there would just as many of these moments if not more once he got to Hogwarts.
A sudden screech made him turn his neck around so fast that it popped. He rolled his eyes when he saw that it was just his sister Lily, her hair redder than his falling from two braids, and holding her stuffed bunny so that it hung from her neck.
"Hehe Teddy!" she squealed, jumping onto his back so that Albus gave out a moan of pain.
"Are we all trying to crush my spine?"
Teddy got off and swung Lily around in a circle. She laughed and said, "Hehe, put me down. Teddy! Ted-ow!"
With a concerned look on his face he brought her back to sit on his hip. "How's my princess doing?"
She frowned. "I'm not a princess. I'm going to be the Chaser for Chudley Cannons like my mommy."
"Sure thing cupcake."
"I'm not a cupcake eithe-"
James interrupted, impatient. "What brings you here Teddy? It's 2 in the morning."
"I'd ask why you're all out of bed but that's probably a secret."
"So what's the secret?" he asked, he asked with a mischievous smile. Knowing Teddy, he probably made some Muggle's old tea set pour it's own drink and gave an old lady a heart attack, so he came here asking Harry for some help. At least, that's what happened last time.
He lowered his voice so that it was hardly distinguishable and said, "I'm thinking of going blonde." and with that he left the room with that same concerned expression, whipping around the corner so fast that they didn't even realize he had left.
"Well that was odd..." Albus said.
James shrugged. "Yeah, I can't really picture him as a blonde."
Albus frowned but didn't press the matter any further. James checked his pocket once more to make sure the Marauder's Map was still there and grinned at his brother, who smiled right back.
"What are you two so happy about?" she asked suspiciously, narrowing her eyes.
"Well we were happy until now," James replied.
"Why?"
"You showed up."
She crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a contemptuous glare. "Well I wouldn't want to hang around a couple of hippogriff ass cheeks anyways!" and with that she stomped out of the room, trailing her limp stuffed bunny behind her, its arm suspended in the air as if waving goodbye.
"Remind me to skip breakfast tomorrow."
Clambering into the top bunk, Albus said, "What do you think'll be this time? Can't be worse than booger flavored beans."
"Knowing her, it'll be ten times that. But Al! Let's go see what Ted is up to!"
He swayed, looking unsure. "If Dad catches us-"
"Oh... I forgot. You don't want to do anything bad in case it makes you more likely to become a Slytherrin. Fine. No, no, no. It's okay. Seriously. You be a good little boy and stay put. Just don't expect me to tell you what they were talking about when I come back." James walked out of the bedroom and purposely slowed down, waiting for the creak of Albus's bed. "Great. Let's go."
They could hear muttering from the kitchen below them. They reached the middle step, and stopped there, with their heads pressed against the railing.
"I still can't hear anything," James murmured.
"Here." Albus threw a Wireless-Extendable Ear into the living room, so it landed mutely on the cushioned couch. They turned their heads toward the Ear in Albus's hand and listened to his parents argue with his father's godson.
"...last year at Hogwarts."
"Teddy, you're father had the same problem, he-"
"Well he isn't here to tell me, is he?"
There was a moment of brief silence, and James could just imagine his father's disconcerted face and Teddy's chest heaving with the emotion of the statement. Slowly, his mom began to talk. "Lupin was a great man. He would be proud-"
"How should I know? I can't remember a single thing about my parents. All I have of them is the memories other people have shared! How is that fair? He may be proud of me, but I can't be proud of a man who-"
"You're father died for you! He DIED Teddy! So you can live! So he could leave this place a little better than when he got here for YOU!"
The sound of his father's animated voice seemed to shake the very house. James held his breath, waiting for whatever would come next.
Teddy let out a soft breath that may have been the beginning of a laugh that died in his heart. "I was stupid to think you'd understand. I'll see you at Kings Crossing Station."
A creak and thump told James that Teddy left the house and his father had taken a seat at the kitchen table. Ginny spoke softly, and no matter how quiet they were, they couldn't tell what she said.
"No," came Harry's weak reply. "He needs to figure this out on his own. The more he hangs out with that crowd though, the more of a monster he will begin to see himself as."
"How do you think the kids will take it when they hear the news?"
"If it was up to me, I'd rather them not know at all. They adore him Ginny. If they find out, they won't ever look at him the same. But I know one thing. It's not going to come from us. If Teddy wants to ruin his future that is his choice-"
"Harry!"
"No Ginny, listen. He is a man now. He is less likely to listen to me now than ever. He needs his real father..."
Albus nudged James on the shoulder, and they walked back up the stairs silently, both consumed in their own thoughts. After a little while, Ginny came up to check that they were still sleeping and switched the light off in the hallway. Looking up, James couldn't tell the difference between having them closed or opened. Nothing made sense. Teddy had always been the strong one. He always seemed so cool and laid-back, everything that James wanted to be. But he couldn't misinterpret the fear that shook his voice when he was talking about his parents. Never before had James thought to ask him about it. It never seemed much of an importance. He basically lived here, was practically a brother to them. But it didn't seem that Teddy felt that way anymore. The more James thought about it, the more certain he felt about it.
He closed his eyes, ashamed of a sudden thought, that maybe this meant one less person to live up to. If Teddy messed up so badly that Lily would stop fangirling over him, then it must be huge.
James turned around onto his side and hugged his knees to his chest, counting sheep in his head until nothing remained but his own thoughts.
