"Cronus Rising"

"Chapter Eighteen: Homecoming"

Teddy felt himself being sucked through a vacuum. Harry had left him. He had let Malfoy, of all people, take him away. His mind was reeling as the familiar blur of Potter House came into view. Malfoy let go of him and he fell to a heap on the floor.

A flash of red was in his eyesight and scooping him up into her warm arms. His slipped his arms shakily around Ginny Weasley's neck and rested his chin on her shoulder. He saw Mrs. Weasley, Fleur, and Angelina were all standing behind them. Tears were streaming down their cheeks, looks of relief crossed over their faces.

"Teddy," Ginny murmured into his hair. "Oh, Teddy."

Ginny pulled away from the hug, her hands cupping his face like Harry had done not long ago. Her thumbs wiped the tears off his face. He stared up at her – dark circles resided under her eyes and her nose was red from crying.

"Are you okay?"

Teddy just nodded, shame filling every inch of his body. He was stupid enough to believe his dad was alive, stupid enough to be captured, stupid enough to believe that Harry would have stayed with him and brought him back home.

"I'm going back," Malfoy announced.

"What's going on?" inquired Ginny.

"Potter killed Cronus. Now, him and the Order are fighting off the rest of Cronus' men."

"Cronus is dead?" Mrs. Weasley spoke up from the back.

Malfoy sneered.

"I just said that, didn't I?" he said in a mocking tone before turning his attention to Ginny. "We're done. After tonight, I never want you, Potter, or that werewolf cub to ever darken my door again."

Teddy felt Ginny's hands leave his face. She rose, her whole body shaking. She stepped forward, pulling out her wand from her pocket.

"Stop calling him that," she said in a dangerously low tone. "He's not a werewolf, and even if he was, we'd still love him the same!"

Fleur had stepped forward and was pulling on Teddy's arm for him to stand up. He did so and felt Fleur's warm arms drape themselves around Teddy's shoulders and pull him close to her. His back was flush with her legs.

"He is Lupin's, isn't he? Kind of runs in the blood."

"It doesn't work like that you tasteless, thoughtless git!" Ginny shouted as she raised her wand.

With a soft pop, Malfoy was gone without a response. Teddy watched Ginny curiously as she slowly turned around and dropped to her knees in front of him once more. She tugged him into her arms again, her fingers running through his hair. A soft kiss touched his temple.

"You're safe now," was all she said.

She pulled away, getting a good look at him. She noticed the blood on his jeans and he quickly held out his hand where he cut it on the mirror. Dried blood was smeared across his palm and wrist as were two faint red lines from where he squeezed the glass.

Ginny would not let Teddy leave her sight. She tugged him over to the couch to sit down and wait for the rest of the Order to come back to the house. He gladly snuggled into her side, feeling her warmth and love radiate through him. The day progressed and it grew dark. Ginny led Teddy upstairs to get cleaned up before tugging him along to the kitchen where Mrs. Weasley and Fleur were making dinner.

Teddy couldn't help but think something happened to his godfather. What was taking so long for him to come back? It had been hours since he left Cronus' hideout. He found himself unable to speak or eat once Mrs. Weasley placed a plate of food in front of him. Ginny didn't seem to have an appetite either as she pushed her veggies around her plate with her fork.

A familiar pop rang in the living room. Teddy jumped up out of his seat and ran as fast as he could into the room. There, standing with a grim look on his face and blood caked across one of his cheeks was Harry Potter.

Ginny ran past Teddy, who had faltered halfway to his godfather, as she enveloped him into a hug. His arms wrapped around her waist, his face disappearing into her red locks.

"It's over with," he murmured. "It's all over with."

Teddy felt a weight lift from his shoulders. He knew that Cronus had died – watched as his godfather had killed him. Knowing that the rest of Cronus' men had fallen made him sigh in relief. Things could, hopefully, go back to normal. They were no longer in danger, no longer be under constant threats of attack. The Order could disband, and Teddy would never have to go back to Grimmauld Place ever again.

That night, Teddy sat on his bed, crossed legged, Moony clenched against his chest. He stared at the picture of his mother and father with fresh tears springing to his eyes. He couldn't bear to look at the picture of his father, memories of the dilapidated old house floating in front of his eyes. Leaning forward, Teddy grabbed the picture frame and placed it face down on his nightstand. A soft, sad sigh escaped his lips.

"Are you okay, Teddy?"

The small child's head snapped to the doorframe to see his godfather standing there in his Gryffindor plaid pajamas and Holyhead Harpies t-shirt. His hair was rumbled worse than usual and there were large bags residing under his eyes. A thin, red mark ran from his ear down to his chin. His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned into the doorframe.

"Yeah," he responded as he looked down at Moony.

He was angry at his godfather. Angry that Harry had tossed him aside to Draco Malfoy and left him. Hurt coursed through his veins. Maybe, a little voice told him, Harry didn't care for him as much as he originally thought he did.

The floors creaked as Harry padded his way over to the bed. He sat down next to his godson, hands neatly folded in his lap. Teddy didn't dare look at him in fear that he would start crying again. The past couple of days had made nothing make sense anymore. He was confused, hurt, scared, upset.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" questioned Harry, his voice so soft and warm that the little boy wanted to lean into it.

Teddy only shrugged his shoulders in response though, fighting the urge to fling himself into his godfather's arms. How could he tell his godfather, the famous Harry Potter, that his godson had fell for a nasty trick? That he was stupid enough to believe his dad was back from the dead? Harry, his godfather who ran into battle without a second thought, so knowledgeable, so powerful that he commanded armies, would not understand.

"You said in the mirror, you thought you saw your dad," he continued. "You know your dad is dead, Teddy, right? The dead can't come back with any spell or potion."

"He looked just like him," the boy whispered despite himself. "I don't understand."

Harry let out a great sigh as he reached over and grasped Teddy's knee. The boy's eyes briefly looked over at the hand before adverting his eyes back to Moony.

"What we suspect," started his godfather with a strangled kind of voice, "is that Cronus took some of your dad's hair and made a Polyjuice Potion. Polyjuice Potion allows you to take the form of whatever person you want as long as you have a bit of their hair in it. The morning you disappeared, someone had dug up your dad's grave. I suspect, they took some of his hair."

Teddy snapped his head up, a puzzled look crossing his face as he stared at his worn godfather. Harry looked much older than he had ever remembered him looking. A few days stubble graced his cheeks and chin. His normally shiny green eyes looked almost black due to the dullness.

"He was standing outside my window," Teddy stared who could now not take his eyes off his godfather who had turned to look at him as well. "He looked just like my dad… even had on old robes like my dad always wears in the Pensieve. I ran downstairs… I thought he was back."

"Why didn't you get Ginny?"

"I-I was afraid he'd disappear. I just wanted to get outside as fast as I could. As soon as I stepped on the sidewalk, he looked at me and started talking to me. He said we were all in danger and he had somewhere safe to take us all. He said he was going to come back for you and Ginny. I-I let him take me. We Apparated," Teddy swallowed a sob that had been creeping up in his throat. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I feel so stupid. You're probably so upset with me. I'm so-"

Teddy was cut off when his godfather's arms wrapped around him and pulled him onto his lap. Harry's face was buried into his godson's hair. His arms were wrapped so tightly around the small child that Teddy felt safe for the first time in days. The tears that he was trying to hold back came out in waves. He could only barely hear Harry telling him it was alright into his hair over his cries.

He felt himself sag against his godfather's chest whose grip did not loosen in the slightest. He felt warm, safe, happy. The ill feelings he was feeling towards his godfather were seeping away as a wave of relief washed over him. He was home and he was never going to leave again.

"You're not stupid, Teddy," Harry said evenly once his sobs ceased. "I am not upset with you. It's natural to want something so badly that you begin to not think clearly. You know, there was once when I was thirteen, I was convinced that I saw my dad. Sirius had escaped from prison, and I had just learned the truth about everything that happened. There were Dementors coming for us both. They're nasty creatures that used to guard Azkaban but Kingsley and I got rid of them when he took over the Ministry. They make you relieve your worst memories and take away any happiness. A Patronus is the only thing to drive them away. I was convinced that my dad was standing there and casted a Patronus to save us. I kept telling Hermione that my dad was there even though he was dead. I was so convinced, so sure. It wasn't him though. I think, sometimes, we become so desperate for the ones we love and lost that it makes us not see clearly all the time."

Teddy didn't say anything. He just sighed, his fingers loosening their grip on Harry's t-shirt.

"Ginny and I are going to be adding charms to the doors and windows tomorrow," he spoke softly. "You're not allowed to open a window or a door leading outside. If you do, an alarm will go off."

"Okay…" Teddy whispered, his heart falling slightly.

"You're not in trouble. I think Ginny and I just got too used to a small apartment where we heard everything all the time. We weren't used to a big house where we couldn't always hear what was going on. It's just a precaution not just for your safety but for the baby's safety too when it comes."

"I promise I will never leave the house alone again," Teddy said confidently as he pulled back to look at his godfather. "I promise. I do. I'll do better. I'm so sorry."

"I think we need to have you see someone too. To talk about what happened. Would you like that?"

"I… what do you mean?" Teddy asked with a furrowed brow.

"You were kidnapped by a man impersonating your father. I see you've also placed the picture of your parents down so you can't see it. You watched me kill a man. I think talking about some of that may help you feel better."

Teddy looked up at his godfather. He was disturbed by Cronus pretending to be his dad. The odd smile and the way his skin rippled to reveal his true identity floated in front of his eyelids every time he attempted to close his eyes. As for Harry killing Cronus… he supposed it shocked him more than he wanted to admit. He never pictured his godfather as a man who could kill. Harry had looked so angry, looked so fierce, that Teddy would be lying if he hadn't been momentarily scared of the man he loved so much.

"Okay," Teddy agreed.

Harry's arms fell from around the small boy's shoulders. His hands reached up and cupped his godson's face into his hands.

"I love you, Teddy. I never want you to forget that."

"I love you too, Harry."

"I think I need to apologize too," he spoke with emotion thick in his voice. "I'm sorry for leaving you today. I'm sorry for not staying with you. I knew you were safe and I wanted to make sure everyone in the Order and my fellow Aurors were safe too. It was wrong of me. My priority should have been you. I won't make that mistake again."

Teddy felt fresh tears gliding down his cheeks. He felt Harry's thumbs brush them away. His godfather smiled at him, some of the light starting to creep back into his emerald eyes. He launched his little arms around his godfather's neck and hugged him tightly. Exhaustion wracked his body, and it didn't take long until he had fallen asleep in his godfather's arms.

Six Months Later

Teddy sat crossed legged in the living room floor on a rather large blanket. In front of him was a very small baby. James Sirius Potter had come home two days previous and had been very loud. He had Harry's unruly black hair. In fact, Teddy didn't even know it was possible for a baby to have so much hair. Victoire's little sister, Dominique, had come out bald. George and Angelina's baby had just a small tuft of red hair. But James, he had full head of thick hair.

He reached out a finger and James' hand clamped around it like a talon. The finger was tugged towards his mouth and Teddy groaned as his finger was being chewed on by the toothless monster.

"You're gross, James," Teddy announced as he tried to pull his finger from the baby's grasp.

He was watching James while Ginny was in the kitchen making a bottle. He had been given big godbrother duties which basically meant to make sure the baby didn't go anywhere. Teddy had not seen the baby move an inch. Instead, he just kicked his legs and waved his arms like a maniac. He was beginning to think that Ginny didn't really need his babysitting skills.

Harry had taken the week off work. Teddy looked up to see his godfather asleep in the armchair, his glasses askew on his face with his mouth openly drooling. He knew that Ginny and Harry were up all night. Sometimes, Teddy would hear James wail for food. Babies were a lot needier than he thought was possible.

"I'm your big godbrother, you know," Teddy told him as the baby let spit dribbled out of his mouth. "I'm going to be the best big godbrother there ever was. I'll look out for you and take care of you like a real brother."

The floors creaked and Teddy looked up to see Ginny approaching the pair from the kitchen with a bottle in her hand. She smiled down at the boys.

"Would you like to help me feed him?" she asked as Teddy nodded.

She handed Teddy the bottle before scooping James up in her arms. She motioned with her head for Teddy to sit down on the loveseat. He did, shoving himself into the corner. He had held James plenty of times over the past few days. Ron and Hermione even took him to the hospital just hours after he was born so Teddy could meet him. He had sat beside Ginny on the hospital bed and Harry had plopped the wrinkly little thing in his arms. Ginny sank down close next to him on the couch, her arms extending the baby to the five-year-old whose birthday was only days away. They godbrothers had birthday exactly a week apart from each other.

"Remember to mind the head," Ginny spoke softly and Teddy resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He knew that by now.

James was resting on his lap, one hand under James' head and the other moving the bottle to the baby's mouth. He could feel Ginny's hand on top of his own to help support the head. With a look of pure concentration, Teddy wiggled the bottle into the baby's mouth and watched as he automatically started to suck down the contents.

"You know," Ginny's voice started as sweet as molasses, "that a godbrother is already a real brother."

Teddy looked up at her, a smile creeping across his features.

"Really?"

"Oh, definitely. A godbrother and a brother are one in the same. There's no difference. Just like a godson and a son are no different. We are a family, a real family. It's the way that Harry and I want it. It's the way your mom and dad wanted it. It's always been the real deal."

"My last name isn't Potter though," Teddy said slowly, trying to fully understand what Ginny was telling him.

"No, it's not. Harry's last name isn't Black and he considered Sirius Black a father to him. When Harry and I get married, my last name will become Potter but that doesn't make me any less of a daughter to the Weasleys. A name is just a name. It doesn't define your family," Ginny paused and looked him pointedly in the eyes. "Do you want to change your last name to Potter?"

Teddy stilled, his eyes dropping down to James whose eyes were drooping closed and a fist was absentmindedly attempting to rub his eye but kept missing and rubbing his forehead instead. Teddy had been sporting Harry's unruly black hair ever since the Battle of Gringotts. He had taken to sporting brown eyes akin to Ginny's for awhile as well. There was a lump in his throat as he contemplated becoming Teddy Potter instead of Teddy Lupin.

"I… I think I want to keep my dad's name," he said slowly. "It's the only connection I have to him. I have my mum's abilities and my dad's last name. That doesn't upset you and Harry does it?"

The small boy looked up at Ginny with hesitation. He did not want to upset the pair as they had become his parents. In fact, Ginny had just signed a bunch of legal paperwork two weeks ago that named her Teddy's legal guardian alongside Harry.

"Of course, it doesn't upset us," Ginny said with a smile. "We want whatever makes you happy."

"Keeping my dad's name makes me happy. Having you sign the adoption paperwork makes me happy. Having both you and Harry be my parents makes me happy. Does this mean you're officially my godmother now?"

"I think it does," she replied with a smile. "I'm rather proud to be your godmother. I love you, Teddy."

"I love you too, Ginny."

Final chapter is up! There is an epilogue I have planned. I'll release that tomorrow. Why not? It jumps 20 years into the future to show that everything turned out right as rain for the little Lupin/Potter family. It will be from Teddy's point of view. I'm planning on taking a week or two off until I start posting "Just Desserts" the sequel - it will switch perspectives again like this one. It will give me some time to write some chapters before I start to post it. I've also been working on a Sirius Black story as well when I need a break from my Teddy/Harry story but that's not my priority story so that may not get posted for months. Please, leave a review!

Also, someone pointed out last review that Harry had killed before - Quirrell. I guess I just sort of didn't think of that. I mean, I know, I guess, he's always killed Quirrell but it seems like a different kind of kill in my mind. Do you know what I mean?