Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or profit from this writing. I am not associated with Heather Dale, I simply love her music.

Chapter 21: Super Teddy!

Harry and the rest in Shell Cottage jumped to their feet as the door burst open. "It is I! Remus Lupin, married to Nymphadora Tonks! You, Billius Weasley, gave me the location of your safe house!" Lupin bursted out as he stormed in, the stormy weather adding to his theatrics.

"Lupin? Is everything all right?" Bill asked.

"Alright? Everything is splendid! Tonks has had the baby!"

Everyone burst into a loud ruckus of noise. After the trauma of Malfoy Manor and the heartache of loosing Emma, it was nice to hear something so good. Hermione looked at Harry knowingly, squeezing his hand, sensing his thoughts. It didn't heal the pain of losing Emma and he doubted anything would.

When Bill had found the Daily Prophet article with the announcement of her death it was simply adding salt to an already festering wound.

"What is it?" Fleur asked.

"A boy," Lupin said as he pulled out a snapshot. "We named him Teddy after Dora's father."

"Ah, he is adorable!" Fleur cooed as everyone gathered around the photo.

"Your godson has blue hair, Harry," Lupin ruffled his already messy black hair.

"Is he also a metamorphogai?" Harry asked.

"Andromeda says Dora did the same as soon as she was born," Lupin nodded. "But I think he has my nose."

"Poor lad," Bill teased making Lupin bark out laughing. "Have another," Bill said, topping off Lupin's glass of firewhiskey.

"Well, sure," Lupin said gulping down half his glass. "I still can't believe it. Don't know what I would have done if Riley hadn't brought the mediwitch."

"I'm guessing you needed the sedative more," Fleur teased.

"I have best be off, I think his hair will be ginger now," Lupin grinned goofily. "I did have this to give you," he handed Harry a letter.

Harry eyed it, the way his name was written struck him as familiar but he couldn't place it. He opened the seal and his heart stopped seeing who it was from. "Is this a joke?" Harry demanded.

"Hey, even as a marauder we didn't play those kind of jokes. Well, not normally," Lupin qualified. "Do you want me to wait a minute?"

Harry nodded and ran to grab a spare bit of parchment. Surely she would find a way to respond back! It felt surreal as he handed Lupin the quick note. It must be a dream: Lupin bursting in like some over-acting villain in a play production, finding out his cousin wasn't dead (again), knowing she was safe at Remus' and had witnessed their godchild's birth.

He excused himself when Lupin left and everyone continued to celebrate to find a quiet place to read the letter properly.

So many ways to start this letter, Harry. Surprise! See what assumptions get you? I don't know why everyone is so eager to see me dead. You know you shouldn't believe anything you see in the prophet these days. But in all honesty, I was very surprised myself to find out I survived.

I'm sure you are working on something. Have you had to choose Hallows or Horcruxes yet? I'm sure you made the right choice. I never worried about that, there are other ways to master death Harry. Mastering something as primal as death doesn't always mean controlling it.

I'm sorry for leaving like that. It certainly wasn't how I imagined it would happen. Are you mad? Life is too short to be mad. Life is incredibly too short, Harry.

One day soon you may have a choice before you, again. I don't know what you will choose, or if you will even have a choice. I wish I could help you when this happens, but I can help after.

Don't forget how much I love you!

Emma

Harry reread it three times just to ensure himself it was real. He looked at the snapshot that had fallen out when he first opened it, and smiled seeing Emma holding a baby Teddy, currently with light blonde hair that matched Emma's perfectly. "Harry?" Hermione asked. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," Harry smiled. "Superb." He handed the letter for her to read. He watched her eyes widen in surprise as she read the letter. Ron arrived and they filled him in, passing on the letter.

"She knew?" Hermione asked shocked. "She knew about the hallows? I mean, knew before we worked it out and visited Lovegood? She didn't say anything," Hermione frowned. "She knew, she could have told us so much more on our journey."

"I think she was just trying to make sure the choice was mine. She could have just steered us in one direction, or made my choice for me. Instead, she stayed on the journey for as long as she could to support me," Harry defended Emma.

"She obviously trusted Harry to choose horcruxes, or else she wouldn't have left," Ron said as he passed the letter back to Harry. Harry folded it back up with the photo safely inside and placed it in his muffalato bag for safe keeping with the marauder's map and his broken wand.

"She's alive, that is all that matters," Harry decided.

"And the fact she left?" Hermione questioned, wondering how Harry felt about it now. She knew it had been hard for Harry to accept the fact that Emma had decided to stay behind knowing it most likely would have ended in her death.

"She supported me and my decision. I can support her's," Harry voiced his decision. He had come to terms with her choice when he thought she had died. Now that he knew she was alive, he thought back over everything. What she had written was true, she had made her decision regarding Draco a long time ago. And he would support that, even if it meant standing against Riley and Lupin when this war was over.

That seemed almost as daunting as facing down Voldemort.

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Emma sat with Tonks and baby Teddy while Lupin was gone. They cooed over the baby and Emma simply reveled in the intense love the mother felt for child. "Honestly, I am relieved he inherited my abilities," Tonks confided. "I hope it will make what he inherits from Remus easier for him. Your dad has been a blessing, Em. He made sure that we had Wolfsbane potion every full moon, regardless of where your father may have been at the time, or the cost."

Emma smoothed Teddy's impossibly soft hair. "Da still feels guilty, not that that's why he does it," Emma spoke quickly. "But at times I can still tell he feels guilt for stuff that happened eighteen years ago."

"For what?"

"For not coming home in time and saving mum, for leaving the country with me. Especially when it came out that Sirius 'killed' James and Lily. Da feels guilty at times for leaving Romulus, he lost nearly everyone in the first war he feels like he shouldn't have left those who did survive."

"That's ridiculous. He was doing what he thought he had to in order to protect you."

"Which is exactly why everyone currently thinks I am dead, again," Emma pointed out and Tonks sighed.

"Well, all I know is your father is a saint. I'm going to confess, since you've most likely deduced this for yourself, but I've come to look up to your da. I mean, ever since the Order was started back up, I've looked up to all the ones who were in it the first go around, but I've gotten to know your da so well now," she sighed.

Emma smiled. "He would be honored," she assured Tonks. After Moody's death, Tonks had been devastated and if looking up to her da helped ease her pain, Emma didn't mind.

"Before Lupin gets back, I want to ask you something," Tonks looked at Teddy, avoiding Emma's gaze for a moment. "I know you've agreed to be Teddy's godmother, but now that I've actually held him in my arms…I just want to thank you, Emma. You'll always be there for him, especially when he feels unable to talk to Remus or me."

Emma grinned. "It isn't a good idea to make an empath cry." She knew that wasn't what she had planned to say so Emma answered her unspoken question: "of course I'll always be here for him."

Tonks laughed and kissed Emma's cheek. "Let's hope this war ends soon. I want to introduce my son to my cousin. I figure Teddy will be a great icebreaker and keep blood from being shed."

"Our son is a shield?" Lupin said from the doorway.

"Our son is perfect," Tonks cooed. "He has already caused one miracle in wrangling a promise from you to give Draco a chance," she winked at Emma. Lupin had been so overcome that Tonks asked him to give Draco a chance, a single face to face meeting and he had agreed. "I figure you would hardly rip the poor boy to shreds with him in the room." Emma shared a smile with Tonks as she left to give them some privacy. Lupin handed her a note on the way out and she recognized Harry's handwriting.

You're alive! Come to Bill's. We know where the last one is, and we are working on breaking in to get it. Are you okay? We are moving in a very short time. Come soon.

Love,
Harry.

Emma paused as she took a cup of tea with her into her bedroom. It had been a long, exciting day and she was exhausted. Should she go with Harry? She certainly wasn't any closer to saving Cedric. Maybe being with Harry and getting the cup from the Lestrange vault was the most productive thing to do.

'What do you think?' Emma wondered.

'I think that eventually, Voldemort is going to get suspicious, especially as all his horcruxes are disappearing. That final battle you have been thinking about is going to happen soon, I fear.'

'But should I help Harry? I feel awful I haven't figured out what to do to save Cedric.'

'If you are meant to save Cedric, it will come to you. My current decision is: bread pudding, or pistachio ice cream?'

Emma rolled her eyes. 'You could just pass up on the sweets. Hermione would have a stroke if she knew you were ordering the house elves around after dinner.'

Draco snorted. 'That is like the Weasley twins telling someone to behave. Sorry, love, but I can't exactly take that suggestion seriously. Besides, it is for a good cause.'

'The fact you and Blaise have an enormous sweet tooth doesn't count as a good cause. Fine, bread pudding,' Emma decided. There was a long pause when Emma frowned, 'you are having both, aren't you!'

'Well, not mixed together,' Draco hedged. 'Hey, I have to keep up my strength here, right?'

Emma snorted as she picked up her discarded ipod. She gave it a shake to put it on shuffle and slipped the headphones on.

She reached that state where she was half asleep, half awake, and the next song on the playlist was slow and ethereal. Perfect for sending her the rest of the way into the realm of dreams.

…She traveled to the standing stones
And crossed into the green
Where all the host of elven folk
were dancing there unseen
Through the night she bargained
with the Queen of fairies all
who sent her home at dawning…

Emma sat up so quickly she nearly fell out of bed. The song continued to play but Emma took off the headphones as she caught her breath. Her blood was still rushing, her head and heart pounding with excitement. "Merlin's pants!"

Great, now she was swearing like Ron.

Emma drew her legs up to think about the idea that literally swept into her brain. Jane had been right: let it come to you.

And ask for help.

Did Jane even know what she had suggested? Who Emma was now thinking of asking help from? Not that they would even listen to her petition, but if they did… oh what a price she would have to pay.

Emma took a deep breath and ordered her mind and emotions to compartmentalize. The last thing she needed was to project the excitement and nerves she had at the moment. She didn't need her dad or anyone else asking questions.

At least not before she sorted this out.

Okay, Emma. Step one: find a way of getting Cedric to be in two places at once, so he can die yet still be alive. It seemed impossible, but she could just maybe do it.

Emma walked to her window and looked out. It was a regular waxing moon, nothing fancy tonight. Which was just fine, she needed to find a place to bargain. She could hardly dare hope to summon anyone of the fair folk into her bedroom.

Emma barely slept and waited until her dad had left that morning. She left a quick note for Lupin on the fridge saying she would be back soon. She knew he would be tired since they now had a newborn in the house.

Emma pulled the ratty cloak around her as she stood on the front stoop. No one could see her from this point since it was the outer edge of the concealment charm. It was still silent inside as she took a step off and headed off in the distance towards the tree line.

'So you are hunting for fairies?' Draco asked skeptically.

'Not your average, everyday fairies. And they won't be out now. I am just looking to find a good place to contact them tonight.'

'And what are they going to ask for in return?' Draco asked.

Emma purposely hadn't thought of that, not wanting Draco to get a glimpse at what she was thinking. 'No clue. But remember when you were given your assignment by Voldemort? You asked me not to look? I'm asking you that now.'

She could feel Draco's anger over that but before he could say anything, Emma stumbled and she raised her hand to her jaw. 'What the hell was that?'

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"What the hell was that for?" Draco demanded. He had rounded the corner and straight into Finn's fist.

"What's it for?" Finn repeated, holding up the Daily Prophet from yesterday. The same one Blaise had shown him. "I was just waiting till we all had the chance to ambush you, the others forbade me from doing anything to you in your sleep. It would ruin their fun."

"Wait," Draco said as four wands were aimed at him. "You actually believe the Prophet? They have been printing rubbish since you-know-who took it over months ago."

"Yeah, well, best be extra careful then, right? It says it all went down at your house, and I highly doubt anyone except your mum and dad will miss you," Brian said dangerously. "We'll be doing the world a favor."

"And hurting Emma at the same time," Draco said dangerously.

"Yeah, I fell for that once, came up with this ridiculous theory," Michael, her Ravenclaw guard drawled. "Spent months in the library. But this just proves me wrong, then," he nodded to the paper.

"Emma thought this would happen," Draco said, summoning the charm Emma had given him the last time they saw each other. Finn caught it mid air, staring at it.

"You could have just taken it from her," Finn growled. "Wouldn't take much to take it off a dead body."

"Do you honestly think I would stoop to scavenging? Malfoys are not scavengers. Especially something that only holds sentimental value?" Draco asked. "It's a cheap trinket, not worth much, except for the fact Cedric gave it to Emma back when she was twelve."

"Why would she give it to you?" Brian demanded.

"To prove that she is alive, and that I haven't caused her any foul play. Don't be as thick as Crabbe and Goyle," Draco drawled.

"I don't think insulting us is going to help your case any, Malfoy," Rory pointed out. Draco, not for the first time, wondered how Emma came to pick her guard; for a hufflepuff, Rory was far from passive and cuddly (the two terms unkindly associated with hufflepuff)

"There is an easy way to find out," Brian decided. "She always kept it close after Cedric died and placed a spell on it so she wouldn't lose it. It also shows if it was stolen."

Rory turned his wand from Draco to the charm, muttering an incantation. "Blimey, here I was hoping for a reason to off him," Rory sighed.

"Gee, thanks," Draco drawled. "I'll remember that next time you get a detention."

"Bugger off, Malfoy," Michael frowned, withdrawing his wand. "Can you blame us for trying?"

"Normally, I would have said no except that it was against me," Draco drawled. "So if you will just put away the wands, you may be interested to know that Em is alive, and that there is going to be a big battle soon."

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Emma spent the next two hours hiking across the country but couldn't find anything. She could always apparate somewhere, she decided, to a place she already knew. There was a henge about five miles away from her house, she had visited it before (although certainly not for these reasons). There were also several places of standing stones.

It was a matter of finding which one had anyone inside them. She could wait a decade at one and never hear a peep.

When noon arrived, Emma apparated back to The Den and let herself in the house. Lupin was rocking Teddy who was sleeping in his steady arms. "Any chance you are going to tell me what you are up to?" he asked.

"I can't for several reasons. Dumbledore left me something, a book with a spell, and I am working on it," was all Emma said. "It is something different than what Harry is working on."

"Sit," Lupin said as he went to put the sleeping Teddy in his crib. When he returned, he pulled out the sandwiches he had made for lunch. "Tonks feels slightly guilty that she got me to agree to something under extraordinary circumstances, but I will give Draco a chance. One," he said sternly.

Emma gave him a bear hug. "Teddy changed your mind, didn't he? He does have superpowers, just like Tonks said!"

Lupin laughed. "Heaven help me if I ever have a daughter. You are giving me enough trouble, and I am already wrapped around Teddy's little finger," he said, still in awe of holding his tiny son. "But yes, it was Teddy. He is so small, so vulnerable…" Lupin trailed off. "Untainted, even with my blood running through him, he is untainted. Draco was like that at one time. And perhaps he befriended you before he could entirely turn into the monsters that Blacks and Malfoys turn into."

A sarcastic comment was on her tongue but she held it back, now was not the time. He had agreed to give Draco a chance, she wouldn't risk that. "I'll confess he is far from perfect," Emma said making Lupin grin. "But he accepts me with all my craziness, and he is like a point to center myself on. He doesn't try to tell me who to be friends with, or what to think. He doesn't treat me bad, Romulus. Have a little faith in me that I wouldn't pick some guy who used me, or that I am so emotionally needy that I would sell myself short."

"You take after your mum too much, I'm not worried about that," Lupin said as he poured himself another cup of coffee. "Are you leaving?"

Emma shook her head. "I don't think so. Not yet. I do think Harry will face you-know-who soon, but I'm content here. Why? Are you trying to throw me out?" she teased.

"Well, you do go through my share of chocolate in the house," Lupin sighed. "You know you are always more than welcome here. Even now that Teddy has arrived."

Emma grinned, happy. Truthfully, Lupin's house felt like home. She had lived there for a year while her dad was travelling, had spent so much time in the last three years here. She loved the fact that she felt like it was home. And Lupin was all she had left. James, Sirius, Lily, her mum, her mum's other school friends… everyone else was dead. Even Peter, not that she was sorry about his death.

As far as she was concerned, it was long overdue.

Teddy woke up and Emma picked him up from his crib. Currently his hair was muddy brown and reminded her of Lupin's hair when he was in school. "You look just like your da," Emma mused, kissing the top of his head softly.

"He didn't sleep long," Lupin fretted.

"He wants to be held," Emma grinned.

Lupin smiled as he watched the scene. For over a decade his life had been so dark, full of despair when he thought Sirius had killed James and Lily, only a few months after Emily's and Emma's deaths. He still couldn't believe the last four years, with Emma, Tonks, and now Teddy in his life. "Having an empath as a babysitter comes in handy," Lupin teased Emma.

"Best part is I'm not charging you," Emma teased back and Lupin laughed. Emma had become more secure, stronger, and more expressive. It was subtle, but he had noticed it over the years.

The thought it might have something to do with Draco was sobering.

"Uh, oh, Teddy. See that look of your da's? Don't imitate it, you'll get wrinkles," Emma whispered to Teddy as she walked around the living room with him.

LIfe has been going at 200mph lately, it seems. Thanks to everyone waiting patiently for the update! Huge thanks to Likewow, BadassAlec, Animecrazy, Crossroadsoflife, extraho lacrima, and Don't Judge My Happiness for the reviews and PMs