When Theo woke the first thing he saw was Harry sat with is head in his hands and what he thought were tears streaked down his face. He stayed in bed for a while longer to give the other boy some privacy before rolling as loudly as possible without waking Hermione, letting Harry fix himself save the embarrassment.
"She not woken up yet?" Theo asked sleepily as his hands found the vials of pain potion on the bedside table - it was almost a reflex now.
"No, the others have gone to class too its 10am" Harry replied as he tried to wipe his face clear of any stray tears.
Theo stood then and excused himself to the bathroom to ready himself for the day. Out of the three of them he was probably the happiest to find out he had a sibling all this time. Sure he had freaked out when Hermione's looks had changed and she had morphed into a dark haired version of their mother, it was understandable. But the truth was he was excited, he loved Hermione anyway evidenced in the counter-spell that had fixed his legs - or was that only because she was is sister? He remembered the conditions meant it could be siblings, parents are people you loved unconditionally. That had him thinking then, all this time he had assumed the spell had worked because he loved Hermione and she loved him but what it if it had nothing to do with love? What if the spell only worked because they were brother and sister? But no, Hermione had said herself that she loved him and he knew he loved her, like a sister yes but he loved her and she loved him and as far as he was concerned that was all that mattered.
Theo ran the water in the sink and splashed his face with cold water to wake himself up a bit, he had heard their professor the night before and while he knew he didn't have to attend classes today he knew there were still a lot of things to face - his sister was one of them.
He entered the main room a few minutes later, fresh faced and teeth brushed but still in pyjamas as he walked to the table and plated himself up a breakfast that would rival Ron's appetite. He was busy shovelling forkful after forkful into his mouth when he finally noticed Harry was staring at what seemed like old parchment.
"What you got?" He asked after he swallowed the food in his mouth.
"A letter" Harry replied tersely, still staring at the script on the front of the envelope.
"I can see that" Theo started with a roll of his eyes "Who's it from? I didn't realise the owls could get in here."
"The dead. And they can't. This was left on my beside table, you have one too." Harry answered.
Theo choked on his juice a little at that answer and proceeded to look to his bedside table where he saw an aged envelope almost exactly the same as Harry's. "Who the hell would be writing to me?" He mused aloud though it was more to himself than anything else.
"Well, if it's the same person that wrote to me" Harry began as he looked up slowly and met Theo's stare "your mother."
Theo gulped. "My...but she's-"
"Dead? I know but it's definitely from her. Greengrass wax seal and everything." Harry muttered.
"Greengrass? But she was a Nott when..."
"I get the feeling being a Nott is the reason I'm getting my answers in letter form." Harry answered and though it wasn't meant to be a quip at his father or his family it came out that way.
Theo just nodded in reply. "You're not wrong" he whispered before using a napkin to wipe the edges of his mouth and walked over to the other side of the room where the letter sat on his bedside table. He fingered the oh so familiar script in an almost melancholic daze before turning over the yellowing envelope and seeing the Greengrass seal for himself. Harry Hadn't been wrong.
"Hermione got one too, well, she got two. I think" Harry said though it barely registered.
Theo just nodded. He cleared his throat and excused himself to the bathroom with the letter clutched to his chest. It had been nearly twelve years since he had seen or heard his mother. There were a couple of old birthday cards stuffed into his school trunk that she had written those early years that he would often look at just to see her handwriting and he once found a diary of hers though it had long ago been torn up and all that was left were the first couple of pages. This letter was definitely written by his mother, there was no denying it.
Theo hastily walked to the bathroom without sparing another look towards Harry or his soundly sleeping sister and turned on the shower then locked the door before falling down the back of it and letting himself burst into tears.
It took a full two minutes for Theo to calm himself enough to open and read the letter, all the while fresh tears streamed down his face.
"My Dearest Teddy,
My Sunshine, my world. How are you? Are you as well as I hope you are? Well, maybe not right now but I hope recent events aren't an indicator as to how things are going.
I am so sorry you are getting this all of this in a letter and I am not there any longer to watch you grow into the man I know you will be. If you're reading this it is because Aunt Willow has done her job correctly and either you, your sister or her other brother have somehow managed to brew a rather difficult family tree potion that has revealed some pretty unsettling news.
It is true son, she is your sister and I did give her up though it was my only option. I truly never wanted to have to part with her but there was no way around it. I was a Nott and the baby was a Potter, I couldn't have even disguised her as a Nott - the dates didn't match up.
I am so sorry that you have had to find out this way but if truth be told, I'm not sure I would have been able to tell you even if I was there myself, we both know how your father is. I'm sorry I left you son. I'm sorry I left you with him. I had no choice, I didn't want to leave you - I held on for as long as I could, please know that.
James Potter was a good man who was there for me in a time of sorrow, I never wanted to marry your father, it was a contract I was bound to from birth and one I can't regret even for the smallest of seconds if it means I got you. But James was...different. He was a good friend, a good man and he looked after me. I never told him about your sisters existence. There was no point so please don't blame him. He would have married me the second he knew if I had. But I wasn't James' happy ending and we would have resented one another. I married your father like the good girl that I was and barely weeks after your sisters birth I was pregnant with you, you were a welcome distraction from the pain of the grief and you were oh so wanted. You even looked like her though while she had raven hair yours was chestnut and while she had green and blue eyes yours were just green like your aunts. You were both so small though, both so beautiful and it broke my heart looking at both of you because I knew I had to give your sister up and when I looked at you I knew you had to grow up with your father as a role model. Your sister was free from that at the very least.
I hid her away in the muggle world where only your aunt knew she existed, it was a lot to ask of her but she took it all on despite being pregnant with Daphne - she is the best sister a girl could wish for. We stayed for a week in a muggle hospital before apparating out where I cried for weeks on end, your father often wasn't around in those days, off in other countries trying to pull others to his cause. The prophecy was released and I was even more scared, at first it only spoke of a Potter baby and I was a nervous wreck - when I realised it meant a new baby, a legitimate baby, it didn't lessen my fear - Harry is your sisters' brother and I felt bound to do what I could to protect him. But I couldn't do anything.
I started to take you into the muggle world with me, at first I told myself I wasn't looking for her but then I found myself at parks and each time I saw a brown haired girl pass me I would do a double take. Aunt Willow had glamoured her at birth you see and she didn't look anything like she had when she was born, not that it would have mattered either way since babies change so much. Eventually, by some fluke stroke of luck I - we - found her and she was happy, Truly happy, She had a new name then, Hermione so pretty and so unique - it suited her. Over the years the pair of you played and me and her mother would talk about our children and do you know what? I might have wanted more but just that, that was enough. To see her, to watch you two play, To see how happy she was and how loved and safe and to know, in my heart of hearts that no matter how I felt about losing my first born, about my baby girl, no matter what she was well looked after. She was loved.
We would meet regularly until one day your father caught us in our muggle clothes, he came home from one of his trips early and caught me off guard - I wasn't to leave the house after that and it killed me. Adaline was five by then and I had already told myself that the visits would have to end soon because I couldn't well have her recognising us in the Wizarding World when she came to school could I? But I wasn't ready, I hadn't said goodbye. You asked questions, you missed her nearly as much as I did so in the end I had to take away your memories.
I obliviated you son and I am so sorry for it but it was the only way to keep us safe. If your father knew we were in muggle parks talking to muggle people and that I was letting you play with muggle children...well we both know how that would have ended don't we?
He didn't get any better with the end of the war, he narrowly escaped Azkaban and since he had his heir he didn't need me anymore. Your father was never one to believe Voldemort had been defeated, he often talked about him coming back 'bigger and better and more powerful than ever' I'm sure you've heard it all before but for once I was in agreement, at least on the him coming back part - something just never felt right and regardless of what the Daily Prophet was telling us I wasn't convinced. Your father tried to train you up in the dark arts from the moment you were born but I don't think he expected me to fight him where you were concerned. I couldn't allow it. He looked at you like a pig to slaughter said you were to be ready for when his master came back but there was no way I was having it. I tried my damnedest son, I hope it was enough.
I want you to know that everything I did, everything, every little thing was for you and your sister. I love you both so much more than you can understand right now. You were my Teddy Bear and she was my little Addy and I adored you both so so much. If I could have had just one wish it would be for the three of us to live together, for me to watch you both grow up as brother and sister, to see Adaline's beautiful smile every day. But life didn't give me that wish, I don't have a genie so I make do with what I have and what I have is you. I love you son and I just hope I did enough for you. I hope I was enough.
Now, as a mother to a son we have to talk about Harry; he is your sisters brother and you are going to give them (both of them) a chance to be in your life. I don't need to tell you about Harry's family since it is always in the paper, the whole wizarding world knows about him and is family - his parents were very brave people and I've no doubt he's a Gryffindor so when you've read this, get your arse off that high Slytherin horse and go and make friends with him. You're a family - the three of you, you might not be brothers technically but you may as well be and damn you Teddy if you don't treat him like one I might come back and haunt you myself - and it won't be a good kind either before you start to get any funny ideas - we both know how scared you are of ghosts anyway!
I bet it's been a while since your old mum told you off eh? I hope it was worth the wait son, I miss you.
I don't know how long I've been gone for? A year? Two? Ten? Did I miss your special seventh birthday? Did I miss your first year going to Hogwarts? That first Christmas home after Hogwarts where I would have smothered you in kisses? Did I miss your quidditch matches? Do you play quidditch? Did I miss watching you stress as your took your O.W.L.s your graduation? Your first crush? I don't know son but I do know I will be there for all of those days and more, in spirit.
I hope when the time comes you meet the right person, witch or wizard I hope they make you happy and just know that while I couldn't be there on your special day, I will always be watching you. I'll watch you as bond yourself and I'll cry while my baby boy grows up. Then I'll laugh from the sidelines as you both try to wrangle parenthood. I know whoever you chose will be special because you are special and you deserve nothing but the best. I'm always watching Teddy,
Love Mum"
Theo sat in the steamed up bathroom and read and read and read until the old parchment was curling from the steam and he had no choice but to get up and turn the shower off since he had left his wand under his pillow. He had cried throughout the whole thing unabashedly and without thought. This was the last thing he had from his mother and while it ached him to read it and to know that his auntie had kept it locked away for all these years he also treasured it because it was the last thing he had from her.
As stood and was about to turn the shower off before he got a good look at himself in the non-steaming mirror and decided it was probably best to jump in. He folded the letter back up and took care to put it back in the envelope before leaving it on a stool and throwing his pyjamas on top of it to stop the steam damaging the parchment further before stepping behind the glass and cleaning away the salty tear tracks left behind and the ridiculous bed hair he was sporting.