A/N: Alright, here's the other half of the double upload. I hope that first chapter caught your interest a bit and this chapter gets you fully engaged. I'm super proud of these two introduction chapters and felt like I've got something special here so if you'd please drop a Follow, Favorite, and Review for me when you're done with this chapter I'd be super appreciative!
Chapter II: Edward Remus Lupin
Edward 'Teddy' Lupin always considered himself a great judge of character. Odd as it might sound, there was something about how people smelled to him that gave it away. He couldn't describe it really, but like, for example, his gran, Andromeda Tonks, smelled like strawberries to him. Though one time, Harry had taken him into the office with him on an emergency call, and the people in confinement all smelled like rotten eggs. Sure, suggestion could have played a role, but Teddy found it suspicious that the one person that smelled like cherries to him had all charges dropped against him on a false arrest.
It had been that quality that made his relationship with his aunt of sorts, Ginny Weasley, so complicated. She didn't smell nasty to him. Honestly, Ginny smelled minty fresh; Teddy just didn't like her much. Her fights with Harry had undoubtedly played a role, but the real reason was that Ginny was just very loud. Many of the Weasley's had a volume problem if you asked him, Bill, Hermione, and Fleur were notable acceptions. Though Fleur and Hermione weren't Weasley's by blood and Bill was just different from the others.
The eldest Weasley son had a scent that brought Teddy comfort. It was a familiar musky scent, the smell of those marked with the blood of a wolf. Nobody could ever replace Harry, but Bill showed him a normal life was possible for people like them, which was invaluable to Teddy. The thought of the wolfish-Weasley had only served as a mild distraction to the news his gran had shared with him moments ago. Teddy might not have loved Ginny, but he didn't want her dead. Teddy didn't want the only daughter of Molly Weasley in his life or Harry's, but there was no way to deny that Ginny deserved better than a mysterious death.
Teddy leaned back against the shingled roof of his gran's little cottage. The sun beat down upon him, but Teddy couldn't shake the uncomfortable chill the news had brought. The lateness of his Godfather hadn't helped either. Teddy knew his Godfather's issue with his hero complex was severe, and every minute that passed only made Teddy's mind wander to worse and worse possibilities.
Small shadows flickered before him, and Teddy squinted to see through the sun-rays. He smiled at the sight of two jobberknolls that danced in the warm breeze. Gently, Teddy stuck out his finger, and the smaller of the two birds gladly perched atop it. Teddy studied the bird closely; the color of its pristine blue feathers, the sharpness of its black-coated beak, nothing escaped his careful eye. By the bird's weight, Teddy assumed the bird was a juvenile, and the way larger bird flocked around the young one on his finger was a dead giveaway of the parental relation.
"Looks like your mom wants to head home. Go on then." Teddy flicked his finger up softly, and the bird took to the sky once more. Young jobberknolls always flew with their mothers until their chest feathers turned white as a symbol of their maturity. He smirked at the way the young bird tried to fly faster into the breeze, only to be pecked at softly by his mother.
"Moms will be moms I suppose," Teddy mumbled, but he'd never really know for sure. Teddy heard stories about his parents from Harry and his gran. They sounded like exceptional people from everything he'd heard, and Teddy was proud to be their son. The only thing he wasn't so confident of was if they were proud he was their son. Why would any parent want a failure as a child?
The roof swayed slightly, and Teddy jumped to his feet. His gran, Andromeda Tonks, wandered out into the cottage's front yard, and Teddy made B-Line for the lattice to the left of the roof. Teddy had only been a few inches from the white-coated makeshift latter before Andromeda's eyes fell upon him like an eagle on their prey. "For Merlin's sake Teddy, how many times have I asked you not to climb onto the roof. You could slip and fall and hurt yourself."
They both knew that was untrue. Well, not that Teddy couldn't slip and fall, he'd done that on more than one occasion. Proof that a bit of his mom was in him had been what Harry said every time Teddy had a clumsy moment, but no matter how many times he fell, Teddy never got hurt. Not even so much as a scratch. Sure, the fell stung a bit, and his head would pound like a drum at a concert, but it was never anything serious enough to warrant a hospital visit.
His gran had always been more than a little protective of him, though, and Teddy knew better than to argue. He brushed the dirt off his jeans and climbed swiftly down the letter before he sent the older woman a roguish half-smile, "Sorry, gran, I didn't mean to worry you."
Andromeda ran her hand through her lightly grey-streaked brown hair and sighed. Teddy felt the warmth of her brown eyes like the sun and waited for the soft grin he knew was on its way. "You are the reason I have grey-streaks young man," She said. His gran was lucky that Teddy never got into too much trouble because he could hardly take Andromeda Tonks' disciplinary tone too seriously.
"I know you don't like it when I go up there, but the clean air, it helps me think." Teddy glanced softly at the ground and twiddled his fingers, "Just lately, I've had a lot on my mind is all. I wasn't going to stay up there long, honest, I just- I needed to clear my head."
Andromeda nodded and pulled him into a hug. Her hugs didn't suffocate him like Molly's so often did, and they weren't as awkward as Harry's; his grandmother, in Teddy's opinion, was the master of the hug. Teddy's hair turned violet at the touch of Andromeda's hand, and he sunk softer into the crook of her neck with every stroke. "I know, Teddy. For as difficult as Ginny could be, she deserved better than this."
Teddy nodded, his head lodged firmly beneath his grandmother's. Teddy cleared his throat when Andromeda released him before the horizon stole his focus. "Do you think Uncle Harry will stop by today? He's never missed a day, I know, but today, it's different."
The front door swept open at Teddy's word, and he pushed his grandmother behind him. His guarded form dropped, however, when a certain raven-haired wizard emerged from the wooden doorframe. Teddy had never seen another man with eyes that green, but it was a lightning bolt scar on the man's head that made his identity unmistakable. "Why wouldn't I? I made your parents a promise that I'd be here for you always, no exceptions."
Teddy grinned and smiled at the way Harry ruffled his hair. His godfather smiled at the woman of the Tonks' household apologetically, "Sorry for just showing up. I know that I'm keyed into the wards, but I didn't intend to just pop in like that." His gran waved away Harry's apology, and Harry nodded gratefully, "I did smell a red-velvet cake in the oven when I floo'd in though, what's the occasion?"
Teddy looked away, his locked on the blades of grass beneath his feet, "It's nothing important really. Especially not considering-"
"Nonsense," Harry said with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "Red-velvet cakes aren't exactly easy to make and I know your gran doesn't make things like that for no reason."
"Right you are. Of course, the situation does put a damper on things, but I still intend to celebrate Teddy's achievement. Dean's list for third semester in a row at Oxford Preparatory Academy, I can hardly express my pride with words," Andromeda said, her voice like that of a songbird's.
Harry squeezed his shoulder firmly, "Well done, Teddy! I'm sure Hermione will be proud when she hears the news as well. I'm sure she'll be happy to know she's not the only one who takes academics seriously in our little band here."
"I mean, you pay a lot of money for me to go to school, so getting good marks is the least I can do." Teddy's eyes took a deep interest in his shoes that shuffled mindlessly through the green blades, "Plus, it's not like I did anything impressive like passed my NEWTs or something, not that I'll ever get the chance."
Teddy clapped his hand over his mouth, but it was too late. He didn't mean to sound bitter or rude; sometimes things just came out of his mouth. Sure, the fact he hadn't been allowed into Hogwarts hurt, but it wasn't like it was Harry or his gran's fault. They'd done all they could for him; Harry had even spent three days off by his side as Teddy worked his way through every wand in Ollivander's shop, but his magic never stirred.
Hermione had done hours of research on him, and Harry had even called a doctor from St. Mungos to look at him, but there was nothing to find. Apart from his Metamorphmagus abilities, Teddy was little more than a squib. Teddy shook his godfather's hand from his shoulder and bit his lip, "Sorry, I didn't mean to- I just- I'm gonna go inside."
His gran caught his wrist before he could make some distance and locked him into place. Teddy's pinched his eyes closed before he spun to face the witch who looked at him with warm and tender eyes, "So that's what's been bugging you again, huh?"
"No, I'm fine," Teddy lied.
"Teddy, magic or not, you're my grandson. Nothing would ever change the way I feel about you; you understand that, don't you? And I know that your parents wouldn't let something like that stop them from loving you either," His grandmother's words felt like a soft blanket, but Teddy couldn't believe her. His parent were heroic wizards, and Teddy was neither. He didn't quite understand how they could feel anything but shame when it came to him.
"Hey, Andromeda, I need to take Teddy somewhere to talk. We'll be back before the cake's ready, though, I promise." Andromeda nodded gently, and Teddy felt his uncle's grip on him tighten, "Ready?"
Teddy didn't even get a chance to answer before a loud crack ripped through the air, and Teddy soon felt as if he were stuffed into a bottle a third his side. He gasped for air when the black fog that surrounded him cleared and stumbled forward. Teddy was only saved from a hot date with the paved floor by his godfather's hand on his shirt's collar.
In any other situation, the first words from Teddy's mouth would have been the obvious question of where Harry had taken him, but Teddy already knew. He'd seen this place so often in his dreams that Teddy felt he could navigate the whole area blindfolded. The St Jerome's graveyard, the place where the Potters, Sirius Black's memorial, and his parents rested.
Teddy stepped wordlessly towards the large, obsidian stone that Harry had placed in the graveyard's center that commemorated the losses the Order of the Phoenix suffered in the last great war. Teddy placed his hand on the Black Stone before he pressed his forehead against it. A thin trail of blood trickled from his bottom lip as he tried to hold back his tears.
Harry closed the distance behind him, his emerald green eyes reflected in the polished rock. "It's hard to believe it's nearly been fourteen years, isn't it. I have to say; you're better at hiding your sadness than I was at your age. Well, I guess I was more angry than sad when I was fourteen."
Harry's voice carried a low, calm vibration that never failed to slow Teddy's rapid heart-rate. "You know, I read every letter your teachers and the school send my way; they never have anything but praise for you. You must get that from your dad, your mom and I, we weren't the most studious people, but she wasn't dumb by any measure. One of the finest aurors I've ever had the pleasure of meeting, actually."
"I'm not sad," Teddy muttered, "I'm not sad or angry!" Teddy shouted. Though it sounded unbelievable even to himself. "My mother and father were great heroes who laid down their lives to protect the wizarding world! It's a great honor to have heroes like them as parents!"
Tears streamed down his cheeks, "The only thing that I'm angry at is myself! My parents were great wizards, and all I am is a failure! They deserved a better son than-"
Harry yanked him tightly into a hug that fit him so perfectly. His godfather clutched the back of his head and pulled him in closer, "That's enough," he whispered, "I won't allow you to berate yourself. Your mother and father would never forgive me if I did."
Teddy buried his head into his godfather's chest, his breath ragged and weak. "You know, your parents, they went to fight because they wanted a better world for you. They didn't want you to have to grow up under the oppressive thumb of a man like Voldemort. It was for that reason that they laid down their lives. It is perfectly fine to feel upset; I deal with that same pain every day but always remember this, Teddy. If you think that your parents would have sacrificed anything less for you had they known that you couldn't use magic, you're mistaken."
"Your mother and father, they loved you deeply," Harry said, his voice filled with confidence, "The fact that we're here together is proof of that. After all, they wouldn't have assigned me, the vanquisher of the Dark Lord, to look over you if they didn't care, now would they?"
Teddy's lips curled into a smile. He knew how much Harry hated all those stupid titles of his, but he couldn't deny what his godfather had said. His parent's final wish had been for the world's current strongest wizard to watch over him, and for that, Teddy was thankful. Harry was always there for him, and that was proof that his parents hadn't left him alone.
A hushed swear slipped from Harry's lips, and the vibration Teddy felt from the watch on his godfather's wrist had been the clear cause of the shift in mood. Teddy bit back his groan at his unwanted freedom and waited. Harry glared at the watch, but his godfather's eyes quickly softened. The watch had been a gift from the auror department, from what Teddy understood. Not only did it have the ability to tell time, but the face had also been charmed to act as a two-way mirror of communication.
Teddy's ear's perked at his godfather's words, "Hey, Hermione, this isn't really a good time. Could you call me back in-"
"Harry!" his Godmother's voice filled with fear and distress, "Ginny's gone!"
"Gone?" Harry asked, "What do you mean gone?"
"I-I don't know," Hermione panted. "It was my turn to check on her, and what I got there, I saw Ginny's room empty and Daphne on the ground bleeding and unconscious! I already called Ron but I-"
"I'll be right there!" Harry said hastily into the mirror before he shut it closed. "Sorry, I'll have Andromeda pick you up from the hospital. I have to get there ASAP."
Teddy nodded without complaint and stretched out his hand to his godfather. Teddy steadied himself with a quick breath before with another thunderous crack; they vanished from the St. Jerome's graveyard.
A/N: The plot thickens haha! I hope you really enjoyed these first two chapters! I think I have an awesome and original plot line drawn up for this chapter so it would mean a ton if you could help this story get the attention I feel it will deserve. Please make sure to Follow, Favorite, and drop a Review if you'd be so kind, and with that, Peace Out Peeps!
