Disclaimer: See first chapter.

12. Decisions, Decisions

2009

Teddy's legs have turned to a rare combination of jelly and lead. He's not sure he can even lift them and yet, nor does he think they can support him. This would be terrifying enough without his father watching with sharp, shrewd eyes and expectations he won't talk about, but Teddy knows he has got in spades.

'Collins, Thomas' has been Sorted into Gryffindor and Teddy sort of wants to join him. He likes Tom; Tom, if blatant and even, on occasion, unapologetically rude, is good fun. But Gryffindor is his father's house and Teddy doesn't really have a preference as to where he ends up, but having a parent as his Head of House has not been highly anticipated. It's awkward enough that his father is even teaching here.

"Lupin, Edward."

His heart begins to beat three times as quickly. He can hear the hall fill with frenzied whispers. "Lupin? As in Professor Lupin?" Half the school seemingly turns around to gawp at their teacher's child, evidence that he has a life outside of school. Teddy's stomach plummets to somewhere around his knees and he thinks he might be sick on the stool the Deputy Headmaster is ushering him toward.

Finally, his eyes glance upward and meet his father's. Lupin is leaning forward in his seat, not too far, but still failing to be in any way subtle. He manages a small, encouraging smile for his son and Ted drops his gaze without returning the gesture.

Ah. Another Lupin.

"Have they all been Gryffindors then?"

Not all of them, no.

"Oh. But, what, most of them?"

Your father was the first.

"So where are you going to put me then?"

It's a little early to decide, don't you think?

"Well you were the one lumping me in with a crowd."

Your nerve belongs in Gryffindor, I must say.

Despite himself, Teddy laughs loud enough to be audible. Behind him, at the staff table, his father laughs too – nervously, under his breath.

And you're not afraid of much, are you?

Teddy shrugs before, realising the Hat cannot see him, clarifying that he's not found much to be afraid of.

"Don't know though," he admits. "My grandma's a bit scary. And crabs. I definitely don't like crabs. The way they shimmy along makes me sick."

And flippant too.

"Like my mum? Oh, are you going to make me a Hufflepuff? I wouldn't mind Hufflepuff."

Do you think you'd suit Hufflepuff?

"Probably not, but here's the thing, right? I really don't want to be a Slytherin because I think people might be disappointed and I don't think I could be a Ravenclaw because I'm not really very logical, and if I was a Gryffindor, my Dad would feel almost as weird as I would. So I think Hufflepuff is probably the best option."

Rather logical thinking for someone who thinks he's incapable of it.

"Cheers."

You're not quite studious enough for Ravenclaw, Mr. Lupin.

"Told you."

And you do know, don't you, that by virtue of being a Hufflepuff, you are required to work hard?

He appears to be faced with a choice; Gryffindor or Slytherin. Dante, Ted thinks, could not have imagined this level of hell.

"And there's no way I can over-rule you? I mean, I'm a human being. You're a hat."

And you really do not want to be a Slytherin? You sound like one.

"Definitely not!"

Why?

"Because…"

He doesn't want to tell the Hat that he thinks his father will be disappointed, or that he thinks his sister will laugh at him, or that every male figure he's ever looked up to has been a Gryffindor. He's too ashamed to admit that he's terrified he won't make friends there; his very existence will disgust some of them.

"Because I don't actually have the courage."

But you've got the courage to admit it.

"GRYFFINDOR!"

And Teddy can only conclude that, sometimes, it's about what you don't say.

He morphs his hair scarlet flecked with gold and, grinning, takes the seat beside Tom. Only once the Headmistress has delivered her speech does Teddy risk a glance at his father.

Lupin winks so subtly that Teddy thinks it might be some sort of twitch. He smiles back. Really, it's probably not going to be half as bad as he thought it would be.


2012

"You don't want to be a Gryffindor, seriously." Ted shakes his head violently. "I mean, don't get me wrong, his lessons are great because in his lessons, Dad is like a spider; way more afraid of you than you are of him. But when you have to have major and I mean major detentions with him, that's awful! When you do something that irks someone, they give you a detention and you show up at their office and no more is said. Or, if there is a sufficient amount of loathing, they'll send you to your Head of House and then Dad totally flips his lid."

Emma nods. She's been at the end of her father's wrath on considerably fewer occasions than her brother, but she knows enough to be sufficiently scared.

So when she finds herself subjected to the same torture Teddy was put through, she's relieved she has someone other than her father to look at. Teddy's is the only smiling face.

Deep down, despite Teddy's warnings, Emma's not entirely sure where she wants to be Sorted. She's not done a great deal of thinking about it.

Fortunately, neither she nor the Hat are forced to debate the issue. It has barely touched her head before it calls out,

"RAVENCLAW!"


"Well," says Teddy, days later, when they're alone beside the lake, "I'm actually pretty jealous. I was sat on that stool so long that they call me a Hatstall."

"So we average out at roughly the same time as everybody else."

Teddy raises an eyebrow. "Em, even though I was there for an extraordinary amount of time, I don't think it touching a couple of your stray hairs before deciding, balances us out."

"Nah, nor do I. I was just trying to make you feel better. It can't be easy finding out you're so useless, it doesn't know where to put you."

"Right. That's it. You're going to get it."