Teddy had been asleep for hours before his eyes fluttered open. They darted around, trying to assess their location. Cracking, grey walls, a single window, cardigans scattered everywhere…and Sirius Black, sitting on the foot of his bed. Teddy was back in Grimmauld Place, lying in his room.

"Sirius…" he croaked. The man rose to grab him water from Teddy's bedside table.

"Remus is alright, Teddy," he said quietly. "You're alright. Can you tell me your name?"

Teddy nodded slowly. "Teddy…Teddy Lupin." Sirius smiled.

"And your parents?"

"Nymph…" Teddy paused to take a sip of water, "Nymphadora Tonks and Remus Lupin," he whispered. Then his eyes grew wide. "Oh, Merlin—"

"Shh," Sirius hushed, putting a hand on the boy's arm. "Your secret is safe—I'll get to that in a moment. I just had to make sure your brain wasn't…well…" Sirius sighed. "You were hurt—badly. Cruciatus Curse is what Tonks told me, and from the sound of it, not a short bout of it. It addles the brain you see. We weren't sure how poor off you'd be until you woke up, so I had to ask you some basic questions to see if you were still, you know..."

Teddy relaxed a bit. His secret was safe, he was alive, his timeline was safe, and things could have been much worse.

"I'm…I'm alright," he whispered, sounding quite hoarse. "I feel alright, but my head…it hurts…"

"I'm surprised it's just your head. There aren't many wizards who come out of what you've come out of whose main concern is their head aching. It's lucky the Order came for you when they did. I'd have been there," he added bitterly, "But…"

"I understand," Teddy croaked. "Really, I do. But…" He lifted his arm, trembling as he grabbed at his hair, pulling out a strand. Sandy-brown. "Oh, Merlin…"

"It's alright, Teddy," Sirius assured the boy. "Apparently Tonks said she owed you a favor—she tended to Remus first, just like you begged, and covered your head up with her robe the whole time you were around the others. Moony woke up after a half hour, scared to death and begging to see you. I'm not sure what your mother did but she somehow distracted him and convinced our dear furry little friend that you needed your rest and need not be disturbed. She knows you're a Metamorphmagus, Teddy, but that's all she knows—she hasn't put together the pieces, at least for now. We're the only ones who know what you look like. That being said," Sirius paused, eyes at the door, "It won't be long before Remus barges in here. Do you have the strength to change your—"

Teddy was one step ahead of the man. He changed his hair and eyes back to their darker shades, and Sirius nodded with a small smile.

"—Excellent. Remus will be in here soon…he's a bit upset, to put it mildly. I think more so at the situation as a whole, but…and I'm sorry, Teddy…When I asked how you were doing, my thoughts went to your son. I mentioned it, tried to change the subject and, well," he sighed. "Remus didn't take it well. Said you should have told him—Tonks mentioned that she took care of him first, not you, and he got very angry. I don't think I've ever seen him so mad. He went off about how you should have told him that you had a child on the way—Remus won't even speak to me, I'm afraid, though I suspect that isn't permanent—I've done far worse to him and he's always come around. He said I should've told him first chance I got so that he would know to protect you. There's no way for him to understand that you had to save him before yourself, otherwise there wouldn't be a yourself to save."

Sirius sighed again, running his hand through his hair. "This time travel thing is quite confusing. Regardless, he is demanding to speak with you as soon as you wake. I hope he doesn't chew you out too badly—we tried to tell him that you still need your rest and that this can wait but he wouldn't hear it. Does…does this make sense, Teddy?"

The young man pursed his lips in thought. It was a lot to take in. Tonks knew about his abilities but hadn't told a soul. Somehow, she hadn't pieced things together, but he figured it would only be a matter of time. How many half-werewolf Metamorphmagus children were there in the world? As far as Teddy knew, he was the only one. Perhaps it was a godsend that his father looked much older than he actually was—Sirius recognized Teddy from his memories of a much younger-looking Remus Lupin whom Tonks had never known. Then, of course (and he couldn't blame Sirius, not after all the man had done for him) his father had to find out about his not-yet-existing grandchild—who, of course, he didn't know was his grandchild. Sirius was right: this was turning into a bit of a confusing mess. Teddy didn't have a choice: if only one of the Lupin men was to survive, it had to be Remus. Sirius knew that, but it wasn't exactly something that could be explained to a larger audience.

Teddy realized he had been silent for quite some time. "Yes," he blurted out, voice sounding a bit less raspy after the sips of water he had taken. "I…I got it. It's just a lot to handle is all," he admitted. Sirius gave him a soft smile and nodded.

"It is…but the important part is that you're still alive and well—both you and Remus." Sirius paused a bit, looking a bit uncomfortable. "I'm…I'm sorry."

Teddy furrowed his brows in confusion. "Sorry? Why are you sorry?"

"You told me something felt off about this lead. I should have listened to you and taken it seriously…it just doesn't sound like something Mad-Eye would do: you know, set you up like that? It must've gone on without his knowledge or something."

Teddy shook his head. "I…I can't say much, but the pack was dangerous—they would never agree to help us. It wasn't a good lead, we never should have been sent there," he stated. "I don't think it was an accident," he added darkly. Sirius' eyes widened.

"Not an…Teddy," he spoke quietly, "You realize how serious this is? Mad-Eye—your mother is under his tutelage—is an old friend of Dumbledore, of the Order. You can't possibly think he would betray us?"

"I thought you said you should've listened to me," Teddy retorted, sounding far harsher than he intended. "This is me, telling you: that pack was not to be trusted. It was a trap, and I think Mad-Eye knew it. There's something he isn't telling us," Teddy insisted, feeling himself grow angry. Sirius simply nodded.

"You're right—I didn't listen before, and it had disastrous consequences. I'll work on getting word to Dumbledore—discreetly, I might add. He will likely want to speak with you and if he does, alone, I must ask that you tell him everything. Dumbledore is a powerful wizard, and I am sure he already has an inkling as to who you really are, but he can only do so much with imperfect information."

Teddy nodded in agreement. "If I get the chance to talk to him alone, I promise you: I'll tell him everything. I—" Teddy paused, mid-conversation. Voices outside the door were getting louder and louder.

"Remus, you can't go in there—"

"Well Sirius is in there, isn't he? Why can he be in there and I can't, Dora?"

"Well, Remus—"

"Moony can come in," Sirius yelled through the door. "If he's willing to talk to me, that is," he spat.

The door slammed open. Remus shut it firmly behind him and stared for a moment at the two other men in the room. He looked furious, body shaking somewhat, but he was clearly trying his best to contain his anger. Teddy looked at him, eyes wide. Looks like you're about to get into a row with your father.

"Hello, Moony," Sirius began, breaking the tension, patting at the blanket at the foot of the bed. "Want to take a seat?"

Remus seemed to still be thinking about his next move. Teddy gave him a soft smile, trying his best not to be too expressive, as the man had told him earlier. "I think you ought to sit down," he suggested. "You had a rough go of it earlier—"

"Better than you," He retorted. "What in Merlin's name—"

"Remus," Sirius interjected. "Sit." The werewolf glared at his friend.

"I'm not a dog, Padfoot," he quipped, though he did take a seat. "You can't treat me like one: 'Remus stay, Remus sit, Remus don't—'"

"Enough," Teddy huffed. "Look, Sirius," Teddy gazed at the man beside him, "You should go. I need to talk to Remus alone."

Sirius glared at Remus before getting up from the bed. "Fine," he snapped. "But if I hear yelling—"

"Sirius, go," Teddy insisted. In a fit, Sirius exited the room, leaving Remus and Teddy alone as he slammed the door closed. Teddy gazed at Remus for a minute, trying to read his expression. There was clearly anger, but his father's eyes were red and puffy. He had obviously been crying. "I know you're upset with me," Teddy began. "I…I think I should have told you about having a son on the way—"

"You think?" The man spat. "Teddy, I thought you were smart—we're working together under dangerous conditions. I need to know these things about you. We're partners, aren't we? And under normal circumstances, partners are supposed to tell each other everything. I understand that there are things you cannot tell me, lest it disturb the entire series of events in the future, and I have done my best since that outburst about your father to keep my promise to you that I wouldn't ask about things. But Merlin, boy, if I'm not going to ask, you're going to have tell me the important stuff."

Teddy blinked. "I…I didn't think it was all that important—"

"Not that important?" Remus scoffed. "Teddy, you're going to have a son. You can't be doing this to yourself, you have to live to see him grow up. I have half a mind to stop this mission once and for all. You can't be off galivanting on some Ministry crusade—"

"Is that all this is to you?"

Teddy tried his best to keep his anger at bay, but he could only do so for so long. "You think this is just some hobby for me? To go back in time, pretend to be a member of the Order, play along with everything?" Teddy, seething, curled up his hands into fists. "You think I want to leave a little boy out there, without a father? You think I want my last words to my very pregnant fiancée to have been 'see you for dinner?' Of course not!" He hissed, trying to keep his voice down so Sirius wouldn't bust in.

"I don't want to die—but I don't think my father did either and I turned out alright didn't I? He died trying to make the world a better place for me: that's exactly what I'm trying to do for my son. Each generation, the stigma will lessen, but not if I sit on my arse and just let things fall as they may. If I'm not actively working on rights for werewolves, what happens to me and my son? What happens if people suddenly turn on us? My life hangs in the balance of popular opinion—there are no laws keeping me safe. I wouldn't have my life any other way than I have it right now, and I'm proud of who I am, but Merlin's Beard I just want some legal protection to keep it that way."

"Maybe it is important," Teddy continued. "But I didn't think it was important for you to know."

Remus remained quiet, but Teddy could have sworn he heard the man's heart beating it was so loud.

"If it wasn't important for me to know," he began, calm as he could, "Then why did Sirius get to find out?"

Teddy stiffened. He had hoped his father wouldn't ask him this, because what was the possible answer? What could he tell the man to try and convince him that Sirius needed to know things he didn't, simply because he had been the one to guess the truth? Teddy couldn't outright tell his father what was going on, but he had to say something.

"I guess you aren't going to tell me," Remus muttered. "So, I'm good enough to put above your own life—Tonks told me, a stupid choice—but I'm not good enough to be your little confidant? I see the loos you two give each other, the secret meetings you have when you think I'm asleep. How is it that he is so damn special to you and I'm left in the dark, when apparently, I'm worth risking your own life, leaving your own son fatherless—"

"Oh, you're one to talk," Teddy spat angrily. Then he froze. Shit. Shit, shit, shit. He hadn't meant to say that—he wasn't supposed to say that at all. He scanned Remus' face, but all that stared back at him was a blank canvas. Then, the werewolf's eyes grew soft, kinder. His face fell a bit, and he started thinking. Teddy felt his heart beating out of his chest.

"You seem to know a lot about me, don't you? Don't answer—I know you can't," Remus added, speaking very slowly and quietly. "You don't have to say anything about what becomes of me—I know I'll die early. Most Order members do, and I'm shocked that three of my four best friends even made it out partially alive from the first war—though I suppose 12 years as a boy's rat or in Azkaban don't really count as life. You don't have to feign surprise with me, by the way—I'm sure you already know all of this."

Teddy gulped, unable to meet his father's eyes. He had thought about pretending to be shocked. It felt like that man was reading his mind.

"As I was saying…it doesn't surprise me that I'll not have the longest life. You also seem to think that I wouldn't mind leaving a child of mine—I can't say I'm surprised, I've made it clear I don't feel I'm fit to be anyone's father. You may very well think I would not hesitate to rush into battle for some cause, but I can assure you that is not the case."

Remus paused, reaching for Teddy's face to pull it near. The boy reached for his father's hand, lowering it, but finally making eye contact with the werewolf, feeling his eyes grow heavy with tears.

"If I thought there was a chance I would die, it would take the greatest cause of all to leave my son. It would not be taken with no hesitation—it would be the gravest decision of my life. You understand, then? If this is something you are willing to die for, it has to be something you believe in more than anything else in the world. You have to love this more than fatherhood, Teddy."

Teddy felt a tear run down his face. He bit his lip to keep from crying, and he managed to choke out a few words.

"If others turn against me, I might lose my chance of being a father in the first place."

Remus nodded. He agreed. "Then it's settled. I will do everything in my power to protect you Teddy. I must. I don't have to like it, how could I, you're my…" Remus choked up. He couldn't say it. "I understand the choice you've made. You're right—I'm not one to talk. I would do the same thing."

The werewolf gave his son a soft smile. "I'm so sorry, Teddy. I'm sorry for everything I said earlier, about you and Sirius, about…" he trailed off. Teddy wiped at his eyes and gave his father a sad smile in return.

"I forgive you—of course I forgive you," he said earnestly. Then Teddy paused. There was something he needed to do. "If you can forgive me for this," he whispered.

Teddy reached underneath the sheets of the bed, feeling around in his pocket for his wand. As soon as he felt the familiar grip, he brandished the wand from under the covers. Remus' eyes widened.

"Teddy, what—"

"Obliviate."

Remus' eyes rolled as the boy pointed the wand directly at his head, starting to sob. "Stupefy," he murmured through his tears. Remus' body grew limp, stunned, falling over the bed. Teddy sat up a bit to catch him as best he could, trying to make sure the man's head didn't hit the wall or headboard. Teddy stowed his wand underneath his pillow, trying his best to fight back the tears. He paused, trying his best to collect himself. He heard footsteps—clunky ones that tripped over a stair, meaning they belonged to Tonks. He knew he didn't have much time.

"I'm so sorry, Dad," he whispered, voice cracking as he waited for the door to open.