Prompt: "It's just that he has a great reading voice. Who wouldn't want to sit in on storytime?" (B 1)

This drabble takes place after the war where Tonks lives but Remus died during the final battle. Harry and Ginny temporarily move in with Andromeda and Tonks to help them with Teddy. This drabble is rated K+.

Note: this prompt is on my bingo card.

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Andromeda?" Ginny asked the older witch as she finished drying the last of the freshly washed bottles for Teddy.

"No, I believe that's it for now, but why don't you ask Dora what she would like for tea this afternoon? See if there's anything special she might be craving today?" Andromeda offered, sending the bottles to one of the overhead cupboards with a flick of her wand.

It was almost three months now since the Battle of Hogwarts where Harry had finally finished Voldemort off once and for all. And while the light had won the war, it didn't come without its losses.

Remus Lupin had died outside the castle to a Death Eater's killing curse while helping some of the students who remained behind to fight, leaving his wife a widow and a single mother. What really rubbed salt into the wound was that Tonks learned she was pregnant again with their second child a month after the end of the final battle. Remus would never know that he had a second child on the way and that he wouldn't get to see either of his two kids grow up.

Harry decided to move in for the summer with Andromeda and Tonks to help them out with Teddy and whatever Tonks might need help with now that she was pregnant again. Ginny came by every day for a fortnight to visit them before she too decided to stay with the three for the rest of the summer before she and Harry returned to Hogwarts for their final year. Harry initially hadn't wanted to go back, but a long conversation with an emotional Tonks one night convinced him to return for his final year.

Ginny headed into the living room, but Tonks was no longer sitting on the settee near the fireplace she had been earlier. She heard movement on the floor above her. Harry must be trying to put Teddy down for his afternoon nap. Tonks must have gone upstairs to help him. She turned and headed out into the main hallway, making her way over to the staircase to head upstairs.

She reached the top of the stairs to find Teddy's bedroom door ajar at the end of the hall and Tonks sitting on the floor to the right of the door. Ginny could see tears running down her left cheek as she absentmindedly rubbed her abdomen with her right hand.

"Tonks?" Ginny called softly, not wanting to scare her friend.

"Oh, Ginny, I came up to see if Harry needed any help putting Teddy down, but he seems to have it all well in hand, he even has story time down pat, and I didn't have the heart to interrupt him while he read to him. So, I took a seat out here to listen." Tonks hastily wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks before giving Ginny a watery smile. "It's just that he has a great reading voice. Who wouldn't want to sit in on storytime?"

Ginny sat down on Tonks' left side on the floor. From her position, she could see the full-length stand up mirror inside the baby's room. The mirror reflected to her the opposite side of the room where Harry sat in the mahogany rocking chair with Teddy in his lap, holding open a book so the infant could see the pictures.

"They came with maps and traps and rocks and locks, and they were rough and tough. As the thump… thump… thump drew closer, the penguins could hear the growly voices chanting, "We're gonna march some pretty penguins, and we'll march 'em with a switch, and we'll sell 'em for a dollar, and get rich, rich, RICH!"."*

Hearing Harry's voice as he read the story to the baby soothed and warmed her heart. She could see why Tonks didn't want to interrupt his reading.

"He really does have a great reading voice." Ginny agreed with Tonks, letting her boyfriend's voice continue to wash over her as the two of them listened to him continue the story.

"Remus bought Teddy that book for Christmas when I was still pregnant with him. He found it in a muggle bookstore and thought the baby might like it." Tonks tried to blink away the tears that had gathered in her eyes, but a couple escaped, racing down her cheek as she let out a sniffle. "I'm sorry, Ginny, it's just some days are still harder than others, and with hearing Harry reading that book to Teddy, it just really hit home that Remus d..d..died without knowing I was pregnant again and that he's never going to meet this baby."

Ginny wrapped her arm Tonks' shoulders as she quietly sobbed, trying to comfort her pregnant friend. She couldn't even imagine what Tonks was going through. If it was anything like what she had felt when she thought Harry was dead for that short amount of time…

""Do you mean those birds that sing such pretty songs?" Tacky began to sing, and from behind the block of ice came the voices of his companions, all singing as loudly and dreadfully as they could. "HOW MANY TOES DOES A FISH HAVE? AND HOW MANY WINGS ON A COW? I WONDER. YUP, I WONDER.""*

"I am really glad Remus chose Harry to be Teddy's godfather, he's so good with him." Tonks whispered hoarsely. Ginny saw in the mirror Harry close the book, finished with the story.

"What do you think? Was it a good story?" Harry asked the baby. Teddy responded with some gurgles, his hands grabbing at the book in Harry's hands.

"I'll take that as a yes." Teddy brought one side of the book to his mouth, nomming on the corner with his gums while looking up at Harry. He let out a laugh and gently pried the book away from the baby, placing it back on the bookshelf besides the rocking chair. "Books are not for eating, young man. I have a friend named Hermione who would be very upset at someone trying to eat a book. She can be downright scary when it comes to her books, you know?"

Teddy babbled happily at Harry and he smiled. "Yeah, I've never met anymore more obsessed with books than her either. Well, what do you say, one more story?" Ginny and Tonks laughed at Harry's cheerful banter with Teddy.

Tonks turned to look at Ginny. She could see there were tears still in her eyes, but they appeared now to be happy tears from the smile on her face.

"Harry's going to make a great father someday." Tonks stated.

Ginny watched Harry as he cuddled the baby closer to him, reaching over to the bookshelf to pull another book down. An image of Harry cuddling a baby with her fiery red hair and his green eyes appeared suddenly in her mind, and she couldn't help the smile that formed at the thought. Her heart swelled with love at the idea of having children with Harry. Certainly not right now, but a few years down the road.

"Yeah, yeah he will be." Ginny sighed dreamily.

Tonks leaned her head against Ginny's shoulder in silent content, Harry's voice washing over them again as he started reading the next book to Teddy. Ginny felt her eyelids start to droop closed as his warm, rich voice wrapped around her like a warm blanket, lulling her to sleep.

Harry eventually got Teddy to sleep, carefully putting the infant down in his cot as to not wake him. He put the last book he read back onto the shelf and quietly turned on Teddy's mobile. He turned to leave, quietly tiptoeing out of the room only to find Ginny and Tonks leaning against each other as they slept on the floor outside Teddy's door.

* This passage that Harry was reading to Teddy comes from the Children's book Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester.