"Cronus Rising"
"Chapter Sixteen: Remus Lupin"
Teddy Lupin was in his room. He was sitting crossed legged in front of his toy castle. He gripped a dragon between his fingers and tossed it into the air. The plastic dragon roared to life as it started to flap its wings. His hand gripped around a knight and marched the toy towards the castle.
"I must save the princess!" Teddy attempted to talk in a deep voice. "You dragons can't hurt me!"
The toy dragon circled the castle before swooping down and attacking Moony who had been sitting next to Teddy on the floor. Anger instantly rose up inside Teddy. Nobody. Touched. Moony.
"Oi! You stupid dragon. Leave him alone!"
The knight was long forgotten on the floor. He swatted the dragon away from Moony, harder than he intended to. The dragon wobbled after the hit before diving back at the plush toy. Teddy reached out a hand and grabbed the dragon in his fist and slammed it down on the floor. He scooped Moony up in his arms and walked away from the castle.
He sat down on the windowsill, kicking a few other stuffed wolves to the side. He glanced down at his plush to make sure the toy dragon didn't rip the stitches. He would want Ginny to fix it right away if it had. Seeing no lasting damage, Teddy rested his head against the glass and looked outside.
He saw a mailman walking down the sidewalk, seemingly humming to himself and put some envelopes in their mailbox. He continued on his journey, not even looking at the house. Teddy sighed as he then spotted a man standing by a tree across the street. He was hidden in the shadows. Teddy narrowed his eyes and sat up a little straighter. The man took a step forward and Teddy gasped.
He was tall and lanky, his hands tucked neatly away in shabby robes. Scars marred his face, a pleasant smile gracing his features. His brown eyes looked around patiently. His sandy hair blew in the wind. Teddy felt a lump in his throat, his eyes snapping towards the picture of his parents on his nightstand. They flew back to the man outside. He was… it couldn't be.
Teddy pushed Moony out of his lap, his heart beating in his chest. Before he knew what he was doing, he crept out of his room and down the stairs. He could hear the radio in the kitchen, could hear Ginny singing along to the words. Teddy thought momentarily he should tell Ginny who he saw outside. He thought better of it though. He didn't want to waste time and risk him disappearing. He quickly shoved his feet into his trainers that were on the shoe rack in the front closet.
Teddy opened the front door and stepped outside. He shivered in the brisk fall air, suddenly thinking he should have grabbed a jacket. He carefully shut the door behind him as to not make any noise. He was very well aware of walking at that moment. One foot in front of the other. He felt every movement, felt every step. As soon as Teddy stepped on the sidewalk, the man's eyes locked onto him. Teddy wondered vaguely if that's where the wards ended on the house because the man didn't seem to notice him until that point. He motioned for Teddy to come closer, the smile never leaving his face.
Teddy looked both ways before crossing the street, his heart pounding so fast against his ribcage that he was sure it was going to burst out of him. He stopped short of the man. He stayed on the sidewalk while the man stood causally in the grass, his body leaning against the tree.
"Dad?" Teddy heard himself say.
"Teddy," the man replied, the smile never leaving his face. "Look how you've grown."
Teddy frowned slightly. His voice sounded different than it did in the Pensieve memories that Ginny and Harry had shown him. He filed that bit of information to the back of his mind. It was his dad. It had to be his dad. He looked just like the pictures, looked just like the tired man in the Pensieve. He's dead, a tiny voice reminded him in the back of his mind. He told it to shut up.
"How… how are you here?"
The man continued to smile.
"I got hurt very badly… everyone thought I was dead. I spent a long time in a hospital, and I finally woke up. I wanted to come and see you, to make sure you were safe."
Teddy frowned. He had been to his father's grave. Harry, Ginny, nor his grandmother ever said anything about a hospital. They told him he was dead. He was buried. Yet… here he was. Maybe they were just mistaken… maybe he wasn't supposed to make a recovery so Harry had spared him the heartache.
"You're not safe here, Teddy. Come with me. I'll take you somewhere safe."
A hand reached out for the small boy to take. Teddy almost took it but drew back at the last second. What about Harry and Ginny? Surely, they should grab them before they leave. They were in just as much, if not more, danger than Teddy.
"What about Harry and Ginny?" he whispered as he shot a glance behind him at the house.
"We'll grab them in a bit. Let me get you to safety. I worked out a safe house for all of us before I came. Let me take you there and then I'll come grab Harry and Ginny."
The hand was still dangling in midair. The smile never left his father's face during the whole encounter. If Teddy would have listened to the little voice in the back of his head, he would have been unnerved by the man's expression. Except, Teddy wasn't thinking logically, he wasn't even thinking at all if he was being completely honest with himself. Very slowly, his hand reached out for his father. Their fingers brushed and Teddy thought he might cry. The bigger hand clasped around his small one. Before another moment could past, Teddy felt himself Apparating with his father.
They landed in a small house. It was dark and bare. They stood in what Teddy assumed was a bedroom. There was a metal framed bed with dirty sheets. The nightstand next to it was missing a drawer. The lamp on the nightstand had no lampshade. The rest of the room was bare. The wood floors beneath his trainers looked stained and gross.
"Where are we?" Teddy asked quietly as his father took his hand away from his grasp.
"The safe house," was the reply.
Teddy turned around, a sudden sick feeling filling the pit of his stomach. He looked up at his father, still smiling that odd smile. Teddy felt his mouth twitch, anxiety and fear were starting to set in. This place didn't look very safe. He suddenly wished he was back at Potter House. That was the name Harry and Ginny had given the house when they moved in.
"Can we go get Harry and Ginny now? I want to see them."
"Not yet," his father replied pleasantly. "Tell me about them. How are they? Taking good care of you then?"
"They're great," Teddy spoke evenly, trying to calm himself. He was with his father… his dad wouldn't hurt him.
"How's the Order?"
The boy's brows furrowed. Why would his dad be asking about the Order of the Phoenix? Teddy took a step back, his eyes not leaving his father's face.
"Good."
"Where is headquarters? I want to start attending meetings again now that I'm better."
"I… I can't say."
"Why not?" his father inquired, his head cocking to the side with that same smile spread across his face.
Teddy licked his bottom lip and took another step back. The smile was starting to creep him out. He wondered if it had left his face at all during their encounter. This was not the Remus Lupin he remembered from his Pensieve trips. His dad had a nice, warm smile. He joked, had infliction in his voice. This version of his dad was more monotone, holding that creepy smile and almost moving mechanically. Teddy wondered why he hadn't noticed it before he took the man's hand.
"I-I'm not the Secret Keeper," Teddy supplied, taking another step away from his father.
"Oh, right. I suppose Harry is then?" the man asked pleasantly. "Why are you walking away from me?"
"I… I wanna go home now. I want Harry."
"We'll get him soon enough," the man replied as he took a step towards the boy. "Who is in the Order? I'm assuming the Weasleys still are. How about Kingsley Shacklebolt?"
"I don't know," Teddy said quickly as his chest heaved. "I don't attend meetings."
"No, I suppose not," his father smiled even wider. "You must see people coming in and out though."
Teddy wanted to cry, he wanted to scream for Harry but knew his godfather would not hear him. He wished he had his Enemy Eyeglass, wished he had brought the mirror, wished he had told Ginny about the man across the street who looked just like his father. Teddy took another step back, his vision clouding with tears.
"Please, I wanna go home. I want Harry," he repeated his demand but the man just continued to smile.
"I'm afraid we can't do that."
"Please, please," Teddy begged.
His arms wrapped themselves around his stomach as a sob croaked out from his throat. He wanted a hug from Harry or a kiss from Ginny. He wanted Moony. He wanted George to tell him a joke. He wanted Bill to talk to him like he was older than he was. He wanted Victoire to color with him. He wanted Mrs. Weasley to make him dinner. He wanted Hermione to bake him cookies. He wanted Ron to ask him for his help to degnome the yard. He wanted Luna to give him a birthday bag. He wanted anything… anything but this.
Teddy blinked away the tears, his nose sniffing loudly. His father's face looked like it was melting. His features started to sag and bumps were rolling through the skin. Wide eyed, Teddy took five more steps back until his back was flush against the wall behind him. The sandy hair turned black, the brown eyes turned gray, his height shrunk and his body filled out some. Soon, a man Teddy did not recognize him stood in front of him.
The smile had finally left the man's face and was replaced with a sneer. He moved his head from side to side, a sickening crack filling the room. Teddy could no longer stand. His legs gave out and he was on his knees.
"Please, I just wanna go home," Teddy attempted his plead again.
"I'm sorry, Teddy, but that won't be possible."
"You weren't my dad," his voice cracked. "How did you look like him?"
Tears were flowing like a river down Teddy's cheeks. He couldn't stop them. He was an idiot. A fool. He was so stupid. His dad was dead. Why did he ever believe it had been his father? He could already envision his godfather's face looming in front of him looking disappointed and sad. He wasn't clever like his parents, wasn't clever like his godfather. How could he be so stupid?
"A potion," was the only response. "You really should know that the dead can't come back. Your dad and mom are deader than dead."
"Please, I just want Harry," he said feebly as his nails dug into his jeans.
"I'll let you say goodbye before I kill him," the man said.
Teddy's head snapped up, another loud cracking sob escaping his lips. The man was walking towards him. He knelt down in front of him, his gray eyes blazing into him. He was Cronus. He had let Cronus take him. Teddy wanted to scream but couldn't find his voice. Instead, he only imaged Harry dead in front of him.
"I'm not going to hurt you, Teddy. You're just a boy. I have no beef with children. I just want your godfather."
"Why? He hasn't done anything to you!" Teddy screamed desperately, finding his voice again.
"Your godfather is the reason my mum is dead. Your godfather is the reason my dad suffered in Azkaban for the past five years." Cronus sat down in front of Teddy. "You know, we're cousins."
Teddy let out a humorless laugh. He angrily wiped the back of his hand across his eyes to clear the tears. You are so stupid, Teddy screamed in his head.
"I'll take care of you. We're family."
"We're not family," Teddy said in a voice braver than he felt.
"My mum and your grandmum were sisters. Your mum and I were cousins. So, I guess that makes us second cousins."
Teddy swallowed a lump in his throat. He didn't know if Cronus was lying or telling the truth. He was inclined to believe it was a lie. Wouldn't Harry have told him that piece of information? When? When you were locked away upstairs at Grimmauld Place? Teddy shook his head, fresh tears prickling his eyes. He decided it didn't matter if what Cronus said was true, didn't matter if Harry didn't tell him. All he knew is he did not want to live with the man before him, did not want Cronus to care for him. He wanted nothing to do with Cronus after killing his grandmum, attacking him and Ginny, hurting his family, for saying he was going to kill Harry.
"You killed my grandmum," Teddy whispered.
"It wasn't supposed to happen that way. They were supposed to get you, bring you to me. When you weren't there, my followers killed her. They didn't know she was family. I apologize, Teddy, I never wanted her to die."
"Are you going to let me go home or not?" Teddy asked one more time.
"No, Teddy, I can't."
With that, Cronus stood up and walked out of the door. Teddy heard mumbling from outside and he had no doubt that he was locked in. Burying his head into his hands, Teddy cried. He had never wanted Harry more in his life than he did at that moment. He wondered if Ginny and Harry knew he was gone. Did they know who took him? Did they know where he was? Were they going to save him?
In the midst of crying, Teddy had collapsed onto his side and fell asleep. He woke up with his neck aching and his stomach growling. Standing up, he made his way to the door. He tried to open it, but it didn't even budge. Frowning, he looked around the room and saw a window. Walking over to it, he tried to open it but the latch wouldn't move no matter how hard he pushed at it. He walked over to the end table and grabbed the lamp. Taking a deep breath, Teddy threw the lamp at the glass. The lamp shattered but the glass remained untouched.
A sob escaped Teddy's lips. He sank down in the middle of the floor and cuddled his knees close to his chest. He wished he hadn't broken the lamp. It was going to get dark soon and he was worried he wouldn't be able to see anything. What if he stepped on the broken shards from the lamp and hurt himself? Would anybody help him? Would anybody even care? Teddy rested his forehead on his knees and cried silently. He just wanted to go home.
Teddy had no idea how long he had been in the room. He was exhausted, his head hurt, his stomach hurt, his bladder hurt. He wanted out of the room. He stood up and walked shakily to the door. With every bit of energy, he started pounding on the wood. He screamed. He knew he was screaming because he could hear himself screaming but he had no idea what he was actually screaming. He just needed out of the room. The walls felt like they were closing in around him and it was progressively getting darker outside.
There was a rustling outside and the door opened. Teddy, mildly shocked, blinked several times at Cronus. He reached out a hand and gripped Teddy tightly by the shoulder. He steered the boy to the bathroom and shut the door behind him. Teddy stood in the bathroom, pale and shaking. He did his business and the door opened upon the flush ringing throughout the house. The awful grip was on his shoulder again and he was led down a staircase and into a battered kitchen. He was pushed down into a chair and Cronus opened the fridge.
"Don't try anything," Cronus said in a calm tone. "I'll know if you get up out of that seat."
Teddy swallowed and wrung his hands in his lap. A few more silent tears slid down his face. A sandwich was placed in front of Teddy. A few moments later, a glass of water appeared. Teddy ate the food to calm his stomach but he didn't taste it as it slithered down his throat. He felt like he was on autopilot. Bite. Chew. Swallow. Bite. Chew. Swallow.
When he was done, Cronus led him back to the room with the bed. He told Teddy to sit on the bed. With a wave of a wand, the broken lamp disappeared. With that, he was left in darkness. Teddy laid down on the bed on his side. He drew his knees up to his chest and stared into the darkness. He closed his eyes and pictured Harry. He was laughing, his hair sticking up in every direction possible, his glasses smudged. He skewered his eyes shut even more and he swore he could hear his godfather's voice calling his name.
The next morning was more of the same routine. Cronus let him use the bathroom, gave him breakfast, and locked him back in his room. Teddy sat on the ratty bed and chewed the inside of his cheek. He was scared to run but he was also scared to be in the house. He found himself, more often than not, crying and asking for Harry to help him in his head.
It was the afternoon when Cronus came back. After the trip to the bathroom, they did not go to the kitchen. Instead, Teddy was led to a new room he had never been in before. There was an array of men and women situated around a table. Teddy scanned the crowd looking for a familiar face. He spotted one on the right. Draco Malfoy was sitting there, looking pale with wide eyes staring at Teddy. He made a motion as though to say something but the stare that Malfoy gave him made him stay quiet.
"We can expect Harry Potter to find us. We can expect him to bring the whole wrath of the Order and the Aurors. We will be ready for him. I'd prefer a capture of him if we can manage it. I'd love him to suffer like my father has suffered for the past few years."
Teddy saw the first man to the right. He nodded at Cronus and he vaguely wondered if that was his father he spoke of.
"Draco, come here."
Draco Malfoy rose steadily from his seat, his face looked like a statue as he closed the space between them. He did not look at Teddy.
"You know, Teddy, Draco was also cousins with your mother," Cronus pointed out.
"He's also the son of a werewolf," Malfoy said steadily, still refusing to meet the boy's gaze.
Teddy frowned. He thought – perhaps hoped – that Malfoy would get him out of the house and to Harry. The man's cold tone made that hope die in the pit of his stomach. Frustrated tears rolled down his eyelashes.
"Blood is blood, Draco," Cronus replied with a wave of his hand. "He's still young. We can shape his mind to think properly."
It was then that Malfoy decided to look at him. He was staring at Teddy to the point that it made him uncomfortable. He shifted and then, he saw something. A flash of Harry entered his vision – his face looking white and tired. He saw Malfoy too. They were standing in front of one another.
"Cronus has him," Malfoy's voice rang in his head.
"Is he alright?" his godfather's voice rang in his head.
"For now."
Harry's face flashed again in his vision, dark circles under his eyes and tears rolling down his cheeks. Teddy forced himself to look away from Malfoy and the images stopped. He didn't understand. He shook his head in confusion, a sob dying in his throat.
"I'll take him back to his room so we can start the meeting," Malfoy offered.
"Upstairs, first door on the right."
Malfoy's pale fingers clamped down on Teddy's shoulder. He was led out of the large dining room and steered towards the stairs. He looked behind himself, seeing Cronus standing in the doorway. They disappeared up the stairs and into the ratty room.
Malfoy turned him around to look at him. He crouched down and pulled a broken shard of glass from his pocket and placed it into Teddy's pocket.
"We haven't much time," Malfoy hissed. "Potter wanted me to give you that mirror. He's coming tonight. Be prepared. Don't make a sound."
"What?" Teddy asked as his heart hammering in his chest.
"Say his name in the mirror and he will appear. Don't talk loudly, don't arise suspicion. Don't let Cronus see or hear you with the mirror. He will be here tonight."
With that, Malfoy was gone like a wisp of black smoke. He heard the door lock behind him. Teddy backed away from the door and sank down onto the floor. He heard talking downstairs, cheers and celebrations. He figured it was as good a time as any to pull out the shard of glass. He looked down into the mirror only to see his own reflection. Licking his lip, he whispered, "Harry? Harry Potter?"
It was not his godfather who appeared in the mirror but Ginny Weasley. A strangled sob escaped her lips as a smile spread across her lips.
"Teddy!" she whispered.
"Ginny, I wanna come home," he tried to keep his voice low as the tears poured out of his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Ginny. I saw my dad outside. I thought it was him, I really did. It wasn't him though. It was Cronus."
"It's okay, shh," Ginny said in a quiet voice.
She turned her head because all Teddy could see was red. The image in the mirror shifted and a new face came into view. He saw half of his godfather's face appear. Teddy squeezed the shard of glass so tightly that his hand started to bleed.
"Harry!" he said louder than he probably should have.
"Shh, Teddy, be quiet. It's alright. It's alright. Malfoy knows where you are then?" his godfather asked anxiously.
"He said you were going to come tonight."
"We are. I'm gathering a team together now. As soon as Malfoy can get away and tells us exactly where you are, we're coming for you."
"It's a house. I'm locked in a bedroom. The window doesn't budge and the glass won't break and the door won't open."
Teddy took a deep breath trying to calm himself. Harry was coming. That was all that mattered. Cronus hadn't technically hurt him… at least not yet. So, he just had to wait.
"Teddy, I have to go. I need to finish getting everyone together. Ginny will have the mirror on her. Only use it if you really need to. Cronus mustn't know you have the mirror or that we're coming."
The boy nodded his head, not trusting himself to speak. He feared if he spoke again it would not be in a whisper and Cronus would come storming into the room. If he could out the Order was coming… wouldn't he move Teddy to another house? Then, Harry would never find him. He slipped the mirror back into his pocket and wiped his bloody hand onto his jeans. The cut wasn't deep, luckily, and he pressed his palm hard against his leg.
Teddy laid in the ratty bed that night, waiting for any indication that his godfather and the Order had arrived. Nothing happened. In fact, Teddy watched the sun start to rise and nobody had come. He didn't have the energy to sit up, didn't have the energy to move. He just cried silently some more. It was a trick, a voice in his head told him. Just like that man was never your father. That was never Harry in the mirror.
The door opened. Cronus stood in the doorway and beckoned the boy over towards him. Teddy just looked away, his gaze resting outside at the rising sun. Nobody was coming for him. Nobody was going to rescue him. He was stuck with Cronus in this miserable room.
Hope you enjoyed the new chapter. Don't forget to review! I'm currently still working on the last chapter but have started outlining a sequel if you are interested. Some of you have expressed concern that Harry isn't all the powerful and rather weak in the story. I think Harry is more powerful in a social sense rather than the magical sense with the connections he holds, the power he holds within the Order, and his ability to garner spies. If I made Harry too powerful in the magical sense, the story would have been over a long time ago. I hope that makes sense.
