Chapter 67: You and Me

"Can I hold him?" Remus asked almost in audibly, from where he lay.

Tonks was sitting on the edge of the bed, gently stroking through Remus's thick hair. "You don't need permission to hold him," she said softly. "He's your son, isn't he?"

"I would hope so," Remus said in an attempt at humor.

"I'll get him for you," Tonks said getting up.

Even though they were not physically touching, Remus felt tired and weak, but he did not feel the usual pain brought on by the approaching full moon, Teddy's first full moon.

"It's because with Teddy," Tonks had rationalized when Remus had told her this, "we are always connected now. We have met the conditions of the curse. I'm sure of it."

Tonks reentered their bedroom a moment later with their turquoise haired baby boy. Andromeda had been right in saying that Teddy would decide on a color like Tonks had seemed to default to pink as an infant and most of her life.

"Here we are," Tonks said, laying Teddy stomach down on Remus's chest.

Since Teddy's birth, he had become accustomed from being passed around between his parents and grandparents and he tolerated it without fusing. However, he always seemed most at ease when Remus held him, sensing, as Tonks did, Remus's stable, calming presence. Teddy wiggled slightly, nestling against his father's chest.

Tonks watched Remus support their infant son, his two large hands almost covering Teddy's entire body.

"Look how much he loves you," Tonks sang.

The corners of Remus's mouth twitched. "Not like he loves you," he returned.

"Nah," Tonks said. "He is a definite daddy's boy. You can get him to stop crying the fastest when he's fussy. He loves you best, I can tell."

Remus read all the baby books and he had such a way with children, she had seen it when he was living at Grimmauld place surrounded by his former students. He was a natural father. Tonks knew that he would be brilliant. She could not even bring herself to feel jealous that Remus was clearly the better parent; she just loved him so much, even more now that she saw him with Teddy. And Tonks loved Teddy more than life itself and she just felt so glad for him that he had such an incredible father.

"You are mistaken," Remus told her. "The way he looks at you, I know that he loves you more."

Tonks laughed. "I'm his food supply. If anything, he looks at me like you'd look at a slice of chocolate pudding."

"That's not it," Remus said with amusement. Watching Tonks and Teddy together was the most beautiful thing Remus had ever seen in his life. They both just stared at each other in absolute wonderment as if in awe that someone that special could exist. "Come here." He took one hand from Teddy and opened his arm to her.

Tonks did not hesitate to snuggle up against him and she rested her hand on Teddy where Remus's had been.

Remus turned his face to plant a kiss on her forehead and then tilted his chin to kiss the top of Teddy's turquoise head.

"Are you ready for tonight?" Remus asked, his voice taking on a serious tone.

Tonks took in a deep breath. "Of course, I am," she said, trying to sound casual.

"My father will help you," Remus said. "He knows how to…Well, if Teddy is a…My dad can help."

Lyall Lupin knew perfectly well how to control a tiny werewolf.

When Remus had asked his father for assistance, Tonks had thought that her father-in-law might pass out. Once Remus had been old enough, Lyall had not had to trap and restrain his werewolf son any longer. Lyall had thought he was finished with that particular brand of torment.

It was agony to watch Remus transform and Tonks could not even begin to imagine what it would be like to witness her child turn. Tonks hoped with every fiber of her being that she would never have to experience such a thing. Teddy was barely two weeks old. Could he even survive it?

"He won't be a werewolf," Tonks said firmly. These were words that she was constantly repeating to herself. "He has shown no signs of it. Look at him. He's perfect."

"He is," Remus agreed in a small voice. His gaze focused on his son. "No matter what happens tonight, Teddy, Daddy loves you very, very much."

Tears pricked at the corners of Tonks's eyes. "Mummy loves you too, Teddy," she said. "More than I could ever have time to tell you in ten lifetimes."

When it began to get dark, Remus readied himself to go to Mad-Eye's house or as Tonks had started calling it 'their house.'

They began to discuss moving in, just the three of them. They had created this imaginary life for themselves, where they would throw dinner parties and Remus would not let Tonks do any of the cooking, where they would get Teddy a little broomstick like Sirius had gotten Harry when he was a toddler. They imagined the absolute havoc that would cause. They would tuck Teddy into bed each night and either Remus would read him a children's book or Tonks would tell him an auror story, highly inappropriate for his age. And they would leave the floorboards squeaking just for Mad-eye.

"You'll be okay?" Tonks asked anxiously. She held Teddy in her arms as she got up and approached Remus.

Remus caressed her cheek. "I'll be just fine," he assured her.

"I want to come with you," Tonks said.

"You have to stay here with Teddy," Remus said. "Teddy will need you."

"You need me too," Tonks said.

"Of course, I do," Remus said with a sad smile.

"Perhaps we could all-"

"No Dora," Remus said in a gentle but firm tone. They had already had this discussion. "We can't bring Teddy to a transformation. Besides, if he…he is going to need your full attention. I won't be much help when I'm transformed, Wolfsbane or not. I don't want you to have to worry about me too."

"I will always worry about you."

This would be the first full moon in months that Tonks would not be with Remus.

Remus would not admit to Tonks that he was scared, that he had gotten used to having her company. He knew that she knew these things already.

"Next month, after we are sure Teddy doesn't have Lycanthropy," Tonks said, "I'll be with you during every full moon for the rest of our lives."

Remus nodded gratefully.

"Now that Teddy is out in the world," Tonks said, "I wonder if the transformation will not hurt you regardless of if I'm there or not." Her voice was hopeful.

"Whatever happens, I will be just fine," Remus said. "You just focus on Teddy and my dad will help you."

"Of course, I will." Lyall stepped into the room. His face was drained of color, but he looked determined. "Remus, you needn't worry. I will assist Tonks with Teddy. Everything with be just fine."

"Thank you," Remus breathed. Then he kissed Tonks hard on the mouth, long and passionate, not caring that his father was present. He needed one last kiss before he left for the night. Then Remus brushed his lips in Teddy's tuft of soft hair. "Goodnight, Son."

After Remus disapparated, Lyall became a general demanding a troop. He closeted him, Tonks and Teddy in the bedroom, with Ted and Andromeda outside the door on standby. He took Teddy from Tonks and Teddy instantly began to cry, sensing the dismay of the adults. Lyall laid Teddy in his cradle stomach down.

"It's almost time," Lyall said, stone faced. "Take out your wand."

Tonks did as she was told, a look of disgust on her face as she pointed it at her baby's back. "It's okay, Sweetheart," Tonks tried to sooth.

Lyall pulled out his own wand and pointed it at Teddy as well. "The moment he starts to change, stun him."

"He won't change," Tonks snapped.

Lyall winced. "If he starts to change," he amended. "We will stun him together on my count."

Remus had told Tonks about being locked in his parents' attic as a child but as he got bigger, merely just being locked in a room was not good enough and his father would have to physically restrain him prior to the moon rising. Tonks could almost see the images of this replaying behind Lyall's eyes as he pointed his wand at his grandson.

The minutes seemed to drag on. Teddy was screaming in his crib.

Was he just angry about being prone or was he in pain?

Surely the moon should be in the sky by now.

Tonks reached out to touch him, but Lyall caught her wrist. "No," he said urgently. "It is almost time."

Then it happened.

The moon rose in the sky. Tonks could see it peering in through the window.

Teddy remained the same.

Lyall let out a sharp breath and then he was bend double over the cradle, sobbing.

Tonks took Teddy up into her arms and began rocking him against her chest. "You did it, Teddy," she said, tears spilling down her cheeks. "Good boy, Teddy."

She sent a patronus to Remus so that he would know that Teddy was not a werewolf.

Tonks kept Teddy in her arms the rest of the night and he was peaceful.

When Remus returned home, he was beaming. He practically ran to his wife and son. He got to his knees beside where Tonks was sitting, holding their perfect little boy, who was not a werewolf. Remus wrapped an arm around Tonks's waist and rested his hand on Teddy's chest.

"It didn't hurt," Remus announced. "Not at all." He stared up at Tonks in awe and then back at their baby boy. "Thank you, Dora. Thank you."

"Don't be silly," Tonks said. "This was all us. You and me."