A/N: I know how long it's been since I updated last. I am extremely sorry for the long delay, but my life has been so damn busy. I pray my loyal fans who are left accept this as a Christmas/Yule/Hannukah gift with my apologies. I have had a very stressful semester, and hopefully, seeing as this fic has less than five chapters left to go on it, I'll be able to take advantage of J-term to finish this off! Enjoy, and thanks again to my loyal fans who have waited patiently for this!
Oh, and before I forget, let me say that I have recently been asked by roxysnape if she could be allowed to translate this fic into Spanish. I obliged, and now my fic can be enjoyed in Spanish as well as English! So if you're more comfortable with that, go to her account. I think she's still a decent number of chapters behind this one, but she does have my permission to post it, and I am just giving her a shout-out here and now. Thanks, roxysnape!
The wee hours of the morning wore on, and Tonks' labor pains grew worse and worse until she couldn't stand it anymore. Sweat rolled down her forehead like a waterfall. Her hair was about the most intense color of vivid orange Remus had ever seen. Andromeda had gone around opening all the windows in the room in order to keep it cool. Remus was freezing, but Tonks didn't seem cool or comfortable enough. At about three in the morning, the Healer ordered that Remus be sent out of the room until the birth occurred. She said there was the possibility for infection if anyone else was in the room besides she and Tonks because they were not in a hospital.
He did not agree to this without a fight.
"Miss, please, she's my wife. Why can't I stay and watch my son being born?" he insisted, rather forcefully.
"It could be dangerous. When it comes, I'll cast a quick Sterilizing Charm over him, and you'll be able to come back, but—"
"—I want to stay with her!"
"Sir, it could endanger your child's life—"
"—Miss, this is the nineties! Surely you can—"
"—just go, Remus."
That was probably the last thing Remus ever expected to hear Tonks say to his face. "I'll be fine," she muttered. "Hopefully it won't be too much longer," she moaned softly.
Remus looked at her face, which was red as an apple, and nodded subtly. He leaned down and kissed her forehead.
"I'll be right outside the door. Scream if you need me," he whispered tenderly in her ear.
"Just think, two years ago we were barely together…now we're starting a family tonight," Tonks said.
That nearly sent him into a fit of tears. True, it had been two short years ago around this time that he and Tonks had only just begun to date. Time flew, but at the same time, looking back, it was almost as if their first meeting was three decades ago.
"Remember how we first met?" Tonks asked. Remus smiled and gripped her hand.
"How could I forget? You were talking to a mirror, wondering if you were going to be let into the Order at all."
"I'm awfully glad I did, Remus," Tonks replied. Remus kissed her again. Then the Healer shoved him out of the room rather roughly. Remus made a mental note to hex her if he ever met her on the street after this. Andromeda was already out in the hall, leaning against the wall.
They didn't speak. Andromeda kept very still as the next two hours passed, while Remus went from pacing the hall every time he heard Tonks scream, to sitting in the corner, his face in his hands, wondering exactly how long this was supposed to take.
He took a long look at Andromeda and it made him rather curious. If anything, Andromeda looked absolutely thrilled about her grandson's grand entrance happening tonight. The look on her face looked frightfully similar to Tonks' face on their wedding day last year. She did not look tired, but the wrinkles that were there were wrinkles of experience. She HAD endured a rough year thus far. He could only imagine the emotions that were going through her that moment. Such a joyous, exciting night, but had she always imagined this night coming with her waiting with Ted? How alone did she feel?
At one point, while Remus paced, he took a misstep and nearly knocked over a small stand with four framed photos on it (perhaps some of Tonks was rubbing off in him? God forbid their son was as awkward as either of them were).
Andromeda had caught the one picture that fell off the stand before it fell smashing to the ground.
"Sorry," Remus quickly muttered.
"I don't blame you at all," Andromeda said. She looked at the photo, then her eyes darted back to her son in law. This happened a few times before she gestured for him to come look at the picture.
The Tonks family were at the Burrow. The photograph was in black and white. Ted and Andromeda were a very beautiful couple, holding each other, despite the burn scars on Andromeda' cheek and Ted' ruffled hair and tattered flannel shirt. Tonks was running at their feet, around six years old, chasing what was probably a seven-year-old Charlie Weasley. Tonks was adorable. She was the one who displayed the most burn marks on her body. Even her hair was a little singed.
"This was the day after the attack on our house," she said. "Ted insisted we have a family portrait so soon after a disaster because he wanted it to remind us that we still had each other despite being homeless, and that was worth everything," Andromeda explained, struggling to keep her composure.
"Oh?" was all Remus had to say. After all, every time that night was mentioned, he still felt a little ashamed.
"But it got me thinking of other things. So many tiny details could've been altered one little bit, and Nymphadora wouldn't be with us, or she'd be changed forever. It made me think that Fate was really protecting us and guiding our footsteps," she mused. "It's very scary, thinking on how one little change in the timeline could potentially have you in a completely different life right now. Have you ever thought of that? Remus?"
Remus smiled and nodded to himself. So many things…if Tonks had never been accepted into the Order, if Kingsley had decided to recommend another Auror for the position, he and his wife would've never met. If Mad-Eye had been three seconds late to fetch a six-year-old Tonks from his clutches, he might've killed her or turned her into a fellow werewolf, and Tonks would've grown up despising him like he'd despised Fenrir Greyback. If Tonks had given up her fight for Remus' love, they still would not be together right now, having a baby at the crack of dawn.
So much to think about!
"I have no regrets about how I've lived my life up to this point, you know," Andromeda said as Remus studied the picture further (he hoped their son would resemble Tonks for his sake…she was quite a cute child!).
"You don't?" Remus asked. Tonks screamed from behind the closed door. Remus had to fight the reflex to run in there and ask what was wrong. Perhaps it was Andromeda's hand on his shoulder that held him back.
"No. There were times I knew I made some bad moves. But regret is more extreme than people make it sound. I don't regret a single movie I've made, and that is how life should be lived."
"I have regrets," Remus said.
"I suspected as much," Andromeda said.
After a pause, Remus found something else to say to continue the awkward conversation. "You're saying you want me to raise my son to live a life without regret?"
"Raising a baby is incredibly rough, Remus. You have no idea what a journey what you will be in for. Sometimes you will want to kill your son. Sometimes you will want to kill Nymphadora, and she will want to kill you. It all happened with Ted and I. But I still don't have a single regret with the way I raised my daughter," Andromeda lectured.
"How can you not have one single regret after so many years?" Remus marveled.
"Instinct," Andromeda said.
"I don't know if I have any of those," Remus muttered. Andromeda shook her head.
"No, you do," she said. "The Powers That Be wouldn't allow you to be a father if you didn't."
"He's going to be the only child at school whose father has to 'go away' every month to transform into a hideous beast. How can I possibly have any instinct?" Remus asked.
Andromeda rolled her eyes. "You've shown incredible instinct with Nymphadora already."
"I ran away from her when I heard she was pregnant!"
"You came to your senses. Remus, no one makes perfect decisions," Andromeda said. "But you came back, and you're here now. You left to protect her, not to abandon your duty to her."
Tonks screamed again. Remus noted that each scream she uttered got louder and longer.
"Andromeda, are you ever going to forgive me for what I did?" Remus asked. Andromeda paused a moment
"Tell me, Remus, how you plan to raise my grandson," she finally said.
"Well, give him lots of food, send him to a good school, make sure he sees a dentist every year, make sure he does his homework, punish him when he's bad, reward him when he's good—"
Andromeda briskly shook her head. "Wrong, Remus. That is wrong. Bellatrix would do all of that, Merlin forbid she ever had a baby. "
Remus sighed and thought a moment before answering again. "I…I'll raise him with love, utter devotion to his well being. I'll raise him to know a life better than the life I lead. I'll raise him to be proud of who he is no matter who he is, and I'll break my back to make sure the world he lives in is better than the world I lived in."
Andromeda smiled and nodded only slightly. "Very good. See, you have instinct!"
"So, you forgive me, finally?" he asked.
Andromeda didn't nod, but neither did she frown or shake her head. "Forgiving you would be a waste of energy. It's not worth it, for I know you and Nymphadora both will make parenting decisions that will most likely piss me off and make me groan. But, I do trust you to take care of my daughter and grandson, so, as long as you allow me to spend time with him occasionally, feel free to consider us on good terms again."
Remus nodded. He looked at the small clock on the wall. The clock told him that it was five-thirty in the morning. A very faint light-blue light began to peek in from the window down the hall.
"Andromeda, what is the date today?" he asked.
"April fourth, I believe. Why?" she asked.
Remus smiled. As if on cue, Tonks screamed one last time, and then the screams gave way to a loud, clear, crying sound.
"Today's my son's birthday," he said softly. The Healer opened the door. Remus practically shoved her against the wall as he rushed into the room.
The sight he saw on the bed was a sight that he would keep locked away in his emory and look fondly on until the day he died. Tonks, her hair a pale pink, was smiling as she held a small bundle in her arms. Not a childish, friendly smile, but a smile of content, of motherly satisfaction. The bundle in her arms squirmed. Remus kneeled by the bed.
"He, regretfully, looks like you," she said, jokingly, opening the blanket and showing Remus the bloody, slimy mass of child that squirmed restlessly in her arms. Remus chuckled and didn't know what the hell Tonks was talking about.
"His hair is black. The Black Family dark hair. He'll look like you, only without the pink hair," Remus said.
"His face is wrinkled," Tonks said back. "He'll look like you," she said.
Remus had to admit, for a person only ten minutes old, he already had sturdy little leg muscles, which he used to thrash about. Clearly, he was much happier in his OTHER room…
Andromeda appeared at his side. She clutched her hands to her mouth and gaped down at her grandson.
"By Merlin's staff, I'm a grandmother," she whispered. "I just hope the black hair isn't an indication of his demeanor…it's the shade of my older sister's hair…"
Tonks and Remus exchanged nervous glances.
Dawn broke clearly and fully. The Healer pronounced mother and child fit, but gave directions to call her if problems arose. Sometime after she left, around none that morning, the clear sun and blue sky gave way to overcast skies and the winds picked up. There was a rainstorm, the first major rain storm of the season, coming in soon enough.
Remus had gone downstairs to get Tonks something to eat, but when he came back upstairs with a bowl of porridge, he nearly dropped it upon seeing Tonks and her baby. That was not the same baby he'd seen when he left the room!
Tonks laughed when she saw the look on Remus' face. "He's like me!" she bragged. Indeed, the baby's hair was no longer black as Harry Potter's, but now a gingerish red. He looked like the eighth Weasley!
"A Metamorphmagus," Remus said, beaming. "Like his Mum!"
"I told you it was more likely he'd be like me!" she said.
Remus sat on the bed next to Tonks. She suddenly spoke up.
"Why don't you make your way over to Shell Cottage to give them the news?" she asked. "They're probably worried sick about us!"
"I think I'll do just that," Remus said, kissing Tonks' forehead. "Should I introduce him to the world as Ted Remus Lupin?"
Tonks nodded. "Of course. We decided that yesterday, love."
"But, who should the godparents be?" Remus suddenly asked. Tonks' train of thought halted a moment. She hadn't thought of that!
She suddenly smiled as Remus went to make a suggestion. Almost at the same time, both parents said, "Harry."
"You want Harry Potter as Teddy's godfather too?" Remus asked. "I thought so because—"
"—who better?" Tonks said, shrugging. "I think he'd be perfect. He's still young, but so are we. It isn't like we're going to die tomorrow. He'll be more of an uncle at first anyway, but just in case, when we're all older, it's always in good measure..."
"Of course, dear," Remus cooed. Tonks sighed happily.
"Go, go tell him the news!" Tonks said happily, waving him away in the same manner a Queen might dismiss a subject (of course, this was only jokingly).
Remus grinned. Tonks laughed. It was as if having Teddy sent Remus back in time emotionally about fifteen years. He was giddy as a young man in love! Tonks had never seen Remus so…genuinely happy before. She liked seeing him this way.
"You should go before the storm hits," Tonks said. "And don't be long!"
Remus nodded and left to room to spread the happy news.
Only a few minutes later, Andromeda came into the room in a bathrobe, giggling. "Remus certainly is feeling chipper today."
"Yesterday, I don't think you'd ever expect to describe him as 'chipper'!" Tonks remarked.
"Let me hold Teddy?" Andromeda asked. Tonks obliged and immediately held her son out. His hair was getting even lighter, as if about to go blonde.
Andromeda paced the room with the baby in her arms, who was still somewhat restless, but now not nearly as loud. She was quiet as she held him.
"He's not going to be as much a trouble maker as you were," she finally said.
"Oh? How can you tell?" Tonks asked, sitting up straight in bed to eat some of Remus' porridge. Labor had left her exhausted and hungry, but hunger currently overpowered the exhaustion.
"Within five hours of your birth, you were already sporting green and pink and purple hair colors," Andromeda said. "At least this young man is decent enough to stick to naturals," she noted.
Tonks smiled. "He's a bit loud, isn't he?"
"Oh, when you were a newborn, we couldn't get you to shut up unless you had a bottle on your lips," Andromeda said. "Just wait until he's a toddler. He'll be more trouble than any member of the Tonks family is worth!"
"One day at a time, Mum," Tonks said quickly. "One day at a time!"
"Indeed. Well, perhaps I should let you get some rest until Remus comes back," Andromeda said. "I can take care of Teddy until he comes home, then we can have a big lunch. But you've had a long night, so take a nap," she instructed.
Tonks nodded and scooted down in the bed, contentedly closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep before Andromeda could even shut the blinds and close the door.
The house was quiet once again after the second longest night of Andromeda's life. With her grandson in her arms (he'd seemed to settle down quite a bit as she held him) Andromeda went downstairs and to the window in the kitchen that overlooked the garden where he simple memorial to her husband was. She didn't dare take the newborn outside and expose him to the cool, wet air yet.
"Ted, your grandson's here," Andromeda muttered.
A small, delicate wind rustled through the rosebush she'd planted, as if Ted was approving of the new addition to his family being named after him.
Dawn had broken on a new era. Andromeda just couldn't wait to see what would happen next.