At the Potters'

A series of one-shots looking at Harry and Ginny's life as a couple and as parents.

Waiting Room – July 13, 2004

Harry stepped out from the delivery room in St. Mungo's for a few moments to collect himself. He hadn't felt particularly comfortable leaving Ginny behind with the baby by herself, especially not when she was this exhausted. Fortunately, their family and friends managed to arrive at the same time, allowing Harry some time to himself while they doted over the newborn.

He simply couldn't believe that he was a father. Nine months ago, it hardly seemed possible. Merlin, even twenty-seven hours ago when Ginny had gone into labor, it still appeared to be an unlikely probability. But once he saw his son open his twinkling brown eyes for the first time, he just felt it.

Feeling like an idiot for smiling alone in the hallway, Harry proceeded to look for a place where he could procure a beverage; his throat was particularly dry from yelling encouragingly during Ginny's last leg of labor. But when he stepped into the small waiting room, he was surprised to find someone else he knew sitting there.

"Teddy? What're you doing out here?"

The boy sat alone in the waiting room, his legs dangling above the ground and his head bowed down. At the moment, his bushy hair was sand-colored.

"I was only sitting," Teddy muttered under his breath, still avoiding making eye contact with Harry.

Harry sat in the seat beside the boy, who had begun twiddling his thumbs. A pang of guilt hit Harry's heart.

"Have you been sitting out here the whole time?" Harry inquired.

Teddy nodded. "Only since Uncle Ron and Aunt Hermione brought me here."

"Ted, that was half an hour ago," Harry said, frowning. "You mean to tell me that you've been alone for thirty minutes?"

Teddy nodded once more, this time not saying anything.

"What's the matter?"

The boy shook his head.

"Teddy Remus Lupin," Harry said sternly. "I can tell when something is bothering you. Now tell me, why haven't you gone to see your baby cousin yet?"

Teddy shrugged and very lowly said, "I didn't want to be a bother."

Harry's heart sank. He had never heard him talk like this before. Usually, he was a very active, engaging child. To see him like this…it was bothersome.

"Look at me," Harry said, firmly but kindly.

But Teddy shook his head and kept his gaze firmly on the ground.

"Look at me, please," Harry said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "You know I don't like it when I can't see your happy face."

Teddy looked up, but his face was far from happy. His eyes were red and puffy, and his lips pouted. His cheeks seemed to be stained with tears.

"Teddy!" Harry exclaimed, and he wiped his cheeks with his thumbs. "Why have you been crying? This is no way for a six-year-old man to behave!"

And at Harry's words, Teddy began to cry in earnest.

"I-I'll never – get – to – see you g-guys – again!" Teddy sputtered in between sobs, and he flung his head downwards once more, his shoulders trembling. His hair turned to a shade of dark blue.

Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. He stood up and scooped Teddy up into his arms. He sat down once more and gently rocked him on his lap. Teddy's sobs seemed to quiet as he did so.

"Shh, let's not cry," Harry said softly as Teddy clung to him, his wet face buried into Harry's chest. "It's a happy day! Now, tell me what you mean. Am I to understand that you no longer want to see us anymore? I'd have thought your Aunt Ginny and I would have grown on you by now."

But Harry's attempt at a lighthearted joke did little to improve Teddy's mood. He wiped his face on Harry's shirt and looked up at him with swollen eyes.

"No! But you'll be too busy with him to invite me over anymore!" Teddy sniffled. "You'll have forgotten all about me."

At that, Harry laughed, and it seemed to bother Teddy even more. He frowned at his godfather.

"I'm not being funny!" Teddy replied hotly as the tips of his blue hair flickered with red, and Harry only smiled widely.

"First of all," Harry said lightly, rubbing Teddy's back, "it's not 'him' – your new cousin's name is James. And secondly, that's not going to happen and you know it, Teddy. You spend three to four nights out of the week at our place, sometimes even more if your Gran is all right with it. You have your own room, for Merlin's sake, so don't go about telling me that you won't be invited anymore. You've never needed an invitation, anyway."

Teddy dabbed at his eyes and sniffed some more on his godfather's lap.

"And between you and me," Harry continued in a low voice so that Teddy had to really listen, "I'm going to need you now more than ever. To be honest, I don't know the first thing about being a father, and I'm really going to need your help. James is going to need a best friend, someone who can listen to him when he gets angry with his mum and me…someone who really understands him. Do you think you can do that for me, Ted?"

And for the first time in that waiting room, Harry saw the familiar brightness emerge in Teddy's eyes once more. His tears dry, Teddy nodded enthusiastically.

"Alright then, let's have a hug," Harry said with a grin.

Teddy stretched his arms and wrapped them around Harry's neck. Harry knew that Teddy wouldn't understand how important he was to him…at least, not anytime soon.

When they broke apart, Harry was pleased to see that Teddy was no longer crying; in fact, he was smiling. All he needed, it turned out, was a little nudge in the right direction.

"I love you, Teddy," Harry said gently, ruffling his hair that was now the color of pure gold. "Do you understand that?"

Teddy nodded earnestly. "I love you, too, Uncle Harry."

Harry lit up inside. "Shall we go see him together, then?" he suggested, taking hold of Teddy's hand.

And when Teddy saw baby James for the first time, swaddled in Ginny's arms and surrounded by so many friends and family members, he glowed.

"I love him already," he said, holding the newborn's fat fist.

AN: I've always loved the idea of Teddy being Harry's first real experience with fatherhood, even if he only is technically his godfather - and it's a relationship I've always wanted to explore. Hopefully you guys liked it? Feedback is much appreciated!