Bane of Anguish

Chapter 4

*0*0*

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or Twilight. They are the property of J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer, respectively. How I wish they were mine…

Thanks for the favorites and follows, guys. You rock!

*0*0*

"Harry, wake up!"

He blinked, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. While Remus was an early riser, he usually didn't wake up at six-thirty on a weekend. Something must be wrong.

"What's wrong?" He questioned, reaching for his wand. He could see that Remus was holding Teddy, not preparing for a battle. This confused him even more.

"Happy Birthday!" We greeted warmly, ignoring Harry's question.

"Wha-? Oh." Realization came to Harry as he remembered staying up until midnight, counting down until his birthday, his yearly tradition. He was eighteen now. That didn't explain why he was being woke at sunrise.

"Come on! We have a lot to do today. What do you want for breakfast? Anything special you want to do today? We could …" Remus continued to ramble on about possible plans for their day. When he finally stopped for a breath, Harry told him that he just wanted to stay at the house and spend time with their family.

Remus got busy making pancakes. These were not ordinary pancakes, though. Oh, no. They had red food dye in them and were covered in a melted icing-like syrup, covered in sprinkles.

"What are these?" Harry was confused about that exactly he was eating. It looked good, though.

"Birthday pancakes. I thought that was obvious." His tone clearly stated that Remus thought it was obvious. Harry shrugged and ate his pancakes. They were marvelous. They even got Teddy to try a tiny bite.

Wizards were actually different from muggles, when you looked past their humanoid bodies. For one, wizards' (and witches') bodies could mature faster. The most notable instance was with babies. Teddy, three months old, could eat solid food already and was making noises resembling words- almost. This is around the time when babies start to show their magic, not that Teddy had done any, yet. Remus was looking forward to that.

*0*0*

"Remus!" Harry came running out of the living room, yelling quite loud. He startled Remus, who was setting up the office.

"Harry? What is it? What's wrong?" It wasn't like Harry to carry on this way.

"Teddy. Come look. Quick!" That got his attention, and they both took off towards the living room. When he got there, he could see Teddy lying on a blanket on the floor. That wasn't the strange part.

Teddy looked at Remus and giggled. His hair was an inky black, like Harry's. His eyes were matching too, a vivid emerald green. When Teddy saw his father, he changed his appearance back to normal, which, coincidentally, matched Remus'.

"See! He did it again!" Harry wasn't sure what was going on. This wasn't like any accidental magic he had heard of. Even he couldn't do that- he had only ever grown his hair out in emotional distress once, as a child (thank you, Aunt Petunia).

Remus calmed down and explained that it was about the time for Teddy to show some magic- but this wasn't just any magic. Teddy was going to be a metamorphmagus, just like his mother. Harry bent down and picked up his brother.

"Wanted to give me a present, huh? Thank you, Teddy." Harry rubbed his nose on Teddy's, giving him an Eskimo kiss, while using baby talk. Harry was a sucker for his godson.

*0*0*

Harry and Remus decided to go on a walk through the woods on their property. Remus had a fabric sling that he used to carry Teddy in when a stroller wouldn't work. They were walking through a heavily-wooded area when Remus stopped and froze.

"Remus? What's wrong?" He snapped out of it and bared his teeth very slightly.

"There are werewolves here, Harry. I can smell them." Harry felt a flash of fear go through him, but not for himself. No, they could hurt Teddy. They continued back to the house, nearly silent.

*0*0*

"Have you decided yet?" Remus was met with silence.

"Harry?"

"What?!"

"I asked if you've decided yet. About high school." He added the last bit on after being on the receiving end of a blank stare.

"I guess I gave to, don't I? If I want a job besides flipping burgers, that is. I'm really not looking forward to it, though. Primary school was horrible." Harry gave a slight shudder at the memories.

"Okay, then. Shopping. We need to go shopping for school. Only two weeks before the year begins, after all." Harry wasn't looking forward to more shopping. Last week had been enough, thank you very much.

Remus once again took them to the mall, this time to buy a backpack, school supplies, and more clothes, presentable ones for school. The problem was, what Remus and Harry thought of as 'presentable' was widely different from muggle teenagers. Even the muggleborns at Hogwarts, who wore muggle clothing on the weekends, didn't look this… well, trashy.

Ripped jeans, crop tops, too-small tee shirts, the deal. Rather than go for the jeans that would sag to his knees, Harry went for the jeans that had minimal holes and shirts that actually fit. He also picked out a lot of khakis and dress pants, very similar to his Hogwarts uniforms. He also found some button-up collared shirts that he liked.

Although he wasn't happy about going back to muggle school, high school no less, he was glad he wouldn't look as waifish as he had in primary school. That popped another question in his mind.

"Remus? What is our backstory going to be?" Remus looked slightly embarrassed, or maybe nervous, but answered anyway.

"Well, I was looking into the legality of it, and you can be adopted over the age of eighteen. You're already like a son to me, and no matter what you decide, that won't change. But, I was wondering if you would like to-"

"Yes! I mean, are you sure?" Remus stopped Harry from making a fool of himself and cut him off.

"Yes. If you consent, I will adopt you. You don't have to change your name, or anything like that." Harry was ecstatic. He was going to have a (legal) family. He started thinking, and decided that changing his name would be a good idea. No one would find him here. Even if they did look in America, there would be no Harry Potter to find. And, he really wanted to be as connected to his family as possible.

"Would … would it be alright if I took your name? Became Harry James Potter Lupin? Potter could be my second middle name. I like the idea of being a Lupin, and no one would guess that Harold Lupin in America is Harry Potter from the UK.

Remus was in shock. Harry wanted to be a Lupin, wanted to be a part of his life forever.

"Yes!" Remus ran to Harry and hugged him tight, tears leaking out of his eyes. Harry had one more ace up his sleeve however.

"Does this mean I can call you Dad now?" Although whispered, Remus heard it clearly and held him that much tighter.

"Yes, my child. Yes."

*0*0*

They had separated and finished their conversation. Harry signed the papers without a second thought, not nervous in the slightest. It was decided that Remus and his two sons had moved from Wales. If anyone pried, they would learn that the rest of their family had died and they wanted a fresh start. Sadly, it was not a made-up story.

Teddy also had to be registered with the muggle authorities, and so, Edward Remus Lupin was an American citizen, born in Lawrence, Kansas. Obviously, all the paperwork was forged.

Teddy kept them busy the next two weeks, and suddenly, it was time to start school. Harry woke up early and took a shower, then tended to Teddy. He grabbed his book bag and went downstairs to eat a bowl of cereal, some American brand called Froot Loops. He wondered why the loops were different colours, they all tasted the same.

Harry secured his wand holster, a gift from Remus, to the inside of his left arm and cast a muggle-repelling and a notice-me-not charm on it. Surprisingly, Remus had bought Harry a car, too, a 2005 Ford Mustang, in red. He said Harry needed an American car, and that was about as American as you can get. After all, what was the point in being a billionaire, if you couldn't indulge yourself?

Harry made sure his RAZR cell phone was in his pocket (so he could contact Remus and fit in- although he wasn't sure if he wanted to). Remus pulled out a shell necklace, one of the circular ones that is white that all the surfers wear, and put it around Harry's neck before he could protest. He glared at his Dad and asked what that was for.

"It's all the rage around here, son, don't you want to be cool?" Remus winked at him as he said that, letting him know he was kidding. Still, Harry kept it on anyway, and made his way towards his car. No one had to know where it came from anyway, right?

*0*0*

How unprofessional would it be to ask for reviews? (After all, I now you want to see his first day at Forks High, right? A little encouragement wouldn't go amiss.)

:)