A/N: New posting schedule! Posting one chapter Wednesday and Sunday. I'd write more but I'm working on getting other WIPs ahead :) Enjoy!

...

21 February 1998

Teddy gaped at his grandfather, at a loss for words. They were only a few feet from each other – the closest student was still asleep in their hammock at least twenty feet away. His thoughts were racing and his heart pounded, wondering what Ted might have seen, but he couldn't find the will to leave.

Ted stood, calm and collected, peering at Teddy with an intense gaze. At last, Ted asked, "Does anyone else know?"

"A-about what?" stammered Teddy, taking a step backwards.

"You're a Metamorphmagus, aren't you?" Ted whispered. Teddy nodded and took another step back until his back was against a tall, stone pillar. There was nowhere to go, and Ted was in his way to get to the doors of the Room of Requirement. Ted blinked at him slowly and gestured for Teddy to come closer. Teddy, terrified, shook his head.

Ted frowned slightly and kept his voice at a whisper. "Does anyone else know?"

"Only Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey."

Ted's frown grew deeper. "Am I supposed to know?"

"No." Teddy wasn't sure where to look, afraid to meet Ted's eyes but longing to connect with one of the family members he'd never had the chance to meet.

Ted swallowed hard, looked around his body, and waved his wand in a large arc. It created a bubble around the two of them; Teddy felt the magical boundaries of several charms but wasn't sure what they were.

"I cast this when I'm with my patients and their families are getting too involved," Ted said wryly. "Those outside this bubble will forget why they came over here and will be unable to hear us."

Teddy trembled, afraid that he'd be accused of spying or impersonating someone else.

"Perhaps I can tell you what I've been thinking," Ted said slowly. "You look an awful lot like someone I know."

Teddy's heart began racing; faint ringing echoed in his eardrums and he felt a cold sense of dread settling into his bones. Ted's gaze was still intense, but it wasn't malicious. There was something like curiosity – or astonishment – shining in his blue eyes.

"But it would be impossible for you to be related to him…unless there's something he didn't tell me…or my daughter." Ted spoke slowly, as if he was thinking aloud and processing the situation simultaneously.

Teddy's jaw dropped and he attempted to take another step back, but the charm's boundaries prevented him from doing so. He was momentarily confused, and he felt his hair morphing to a dull grey, indicating his confusion. He closed his eyes, afraid of what was to come next.

"And yet your ability to do that," Ted continued softly, "it would be a strange coincidence, wouldn't it? You look astonishingly like my son-in-law, but have the abilities of my daughter. Is there something you'd like to tell me, Edward?" He stood with his fingers interlaced on his midsection, patient, calm, and breathing steadily.

Teddy's heart pounded in his chest. His palms were clammy, his legs felt weak, and his mouth was too dry. Ted didn't sound angry…he was already safe from the Snatchers. He was alive, well, and just feet away from his only grandson.

In barely more than a whisper, Teddy replied, "Yes."

Ted inhaled sharply. "Does anyone else know about this?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"Professor Snape and Madam Pomfrey."

"Should you tell me?" Ted's voice quivered slightly. Teddy had kept his eyes closed, now afraid to look at his grandfather in the eye. Teddy shuddered, remembering the time he'd met Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange. He couldn't risk his parents' lives – or his grandfather's – any further.

"No."

"Then go," Ted said firmly. "If I shouldn't know…don't tell me." Teddy's eyes flew open. Ted's right cheek had a single tear rolling down it, which destroyed all of Teddy's remaining resolve.

"I don't want to go," Teddy said defiantly. "I want to stay here…with you."

"Do you have to stay away from me for your safety?"

Teddy replied reluctantly, "I should…I shouldn't have come up here."

"Then you shouldn't tell me anything," said Ted, with his face falling slightly. He had a hopeful look in his eyes, but upon hearing of Teddy's safety, his demeanor changed abruptly.

"But…I think you already know who I am," Teddy said quietly. He relaxed his face and morphed back into his most natural features – turning back to a miniature Remus Lupin – but saved his hair for his favorite shade, a brilliant turquoise, and formed it into a quiff, one of his mother's favorite styles.

Ted gasped and put his hand over his mouth. Another tear fell down his cheek and he wiped it away.

With a trembling voice, Ted said, "I know there's a little boy called Edward standing in front of me who is a spitting image of my son-in-law and reminds me of my daughter. I know there's a boy who shares my name and is a Hufflepuff like my daughter. I know there's a boy who called his bowtruckle "Puck," because his Gran read him A Midsummer Night's Dream, which happens to be my wife's favorite play."

Teddy couldn't help himself. His chin quivered and he nodded, saying, "You know." Ted opened up his arms to Teddy.

"Come here, son." Teddy closed the space between himself and his grandfather and leapt fiercely into a hug. He inhaled deeply, taking in his grandfather's slightly musky, earthy scent that was at once familiar and comforting. He shed a few tears on his Ted's robes; the few droplets that fell on Teddy's face made it apparent that grandfather and grandson were tearfully reunited at last.

"Is it true?" Ted said shakily, as Teddy nodded into his robes. "How did this happen?"

"Time Turner…big accident."

"So you're really?"

"Yes."

Ted held Teddy by his shoulders and gazed at him for several moments. Ted's eyes drifted from Teddy's turquoise quiff to his chin, and Ted brought him in for another hug.

"Don't tell me anything else," Ted said abruptly.

Teddy's breath hitched in his throat. He looked up at his grandfather's face and asked, "Why not?"

"I want you to stay safe."

"But I need to warn—"

"Things have changed from where you came from?"

"I think so...but better," Teddy said nervously. "Including you—"

"-don't tell me anything, Edward. If it's for your safety – and possibly the others' – don't say anything."

"But—"

Ted's piercing gaze was now stern and Teddy's heart fell. He wanted to tell his grandfather everything; with someone else on his side, they could still save his parents and win the war. Ted took a few deep breaths and asked, "Is Edward your given name?"

Teddy nodded. "They called me Teddy…that's what Gran called me, too, after they di—" He stopped short of finishing his statement, but the look on Ted's face betrayed the new knowledge.

"Your mother? Father? Both of them?" Teddy winced and nodded again at his grandfather. Ted cleared his throat and said, "I see…that would explain your behavior at the broadcast…was that the first time you heard his voice?"

Teddy's eyes were glistening. He wiped them with the back of his hand and replied with a quiet, "Yes."

"Mine as well?"

"Yes."

Ted took a few more deep breaths. "I keep saying I shouldn't know anymore. It's hard not to ask. I'm sorry, son."

"I won't say anymore," Teddy said sadly. "I want to help."

"It's good of you to want to help," Ted said thoughtfully. "You're off to your dormitory now?"

"I have to…but I want to come back. Can I still come back? I won't tell you any more about where I came from."

"I think we can make that work, Teddy," said Ted, smiling broadly now. Teddy's heart almost stopped from joy at being called his name by his grandfather. "If you come back, bring your schoolwork. I'd like to help you, if I can."

"Really?" Teddy's eyes shone with delight.

"If you're who I think you are – and who you say you are – I'd like to get to know you," said Ted, still grinning widely at him. "But I believe you've got to change your appearance if you're to go back."

Teddy scrunched his nose and changed his hair and eyes back to match Snape's.

"You scrunch your nose in the same way as your mother," Ted said softly. "And a Hufflepuff, no less. She's going to be so proud of you."

Teddy felt like crying from happiness, but Ted waved his wand and removed the bubble of magic around them.

"Go on, son," urged Ted. "You can always come back."

Teddy stole one more hug from his grandfather and ran off, feeling lighter than he had in months.

…..

1 March 1998

Since Ted had discovered Teddy's true identity, Teddy spent every available moment in the Room of Requirement with him. When he wasn't doing schoolwork, Teddy gladly listened to every story from Ted's childhood or his mother's childhood. Most of the stories were old to him, having heard them from his Gran, but he adored hearing the stories from his grandfather's perspective. Teddy's ability to finish some of the stories and describe the Tonks home, in detail, only cemented the truth of his true identity.

Eneko and Yasmin often joined, finding the Room a strange, albeit somewhat private space in which the three of them could spend time together without others' interference. The only other place that afforded them such privacy was the Hogwarts kitchens, where they now ate most of their meals together.

They had all learned it was poor form in the current climate to sit at each other's house tables, largely due to Teddy's status as the Headmaster's son, or Yasmin being a Slytherin. It didn't help that Eneko now had several elves excited to learn Basque cuisine for him, so the three peculiar first years dined in the kitchens and spent time in the Room of Requirement.

Another immense help came in the form of Kreacher, who Teddy had ordered not to reveal his true identity to anyone. Kreacher, cranky as he was, kept his word but refused to call Teddy anything but "young master."

That brisk March morning, as Teddy took a bite from one of the elves' fresh scones, Kreacher asked, "Is there anything else Kreacher can get for young master Edward?"

"No, Kreacher, thank you," Teddy said, through a mouthful of scone.

Yasmin, buttering her toast, asked, "You really are related to the Blacks?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you how," said Teddy, dusting off crumbs of his scone from his robes. He offered fairy eggs to Puck, who greedily ate them at Teddy's side.

"Is Professor Snape one of them?" asked Yasmin, after taking a slow bite of her toast. "Related to the Blacks?"

Teddy sighed exasperatedly. "I already told you that I can't tell you."

"So it's your mother," Yasmin said pointedly, bringing a goblet of pumpkin juice to her lips.

Teddy glared momentarily at her before scowling into his plate of bacon. "You're so annoying."

"You get irritated easily," she smiled, clearly amused by having pressed him.

"I wonder why," Teddy said sarcastically. Eneko watched the interaction curiously, but hadn't commented. Teddy had learned that most of the time, when he bickered with Yasmin, Eneko preferred only to interrupt if he was truly curious or if he grew irritated with them.

They all took a few more bites of their breakfast, until Yasmin broke the silence again. "My father studied with some of the Black sisters."

"Okay," Teddy said tonelessly. He attempted to keep his voice level; even without the influence of the full moon – which was almost two weeks away – he had inherited the Black family temper, according to his Gran.

"Same year as the oldest one, he said. Can't remember her name…?" Yasmin trailed off absentmindedly.

"That's Bellatrix." Teddy groaned at his automatic answer, while Yasmin grinned triumphantly.

"Is that who you're related to?"

Teddy dropped his fork on the table loudly, thankful that the elves around them were busy scrubbing and clanging away on their pots and pans, keeping them busy, and gave Yasmin a dirty look.

"Stop," he hissed.

"It is so easy to bother you," Eneko murmured, now glancing over his Basque-language Transfiguration book. "You have a temper."

"Whatever," Teddy said irritably. Yasmin looked pleased with herself and was opening her mouth to speak, but Teddy interrupted whatever she had planned by pointing to a slightly drunk house elf. "Oh look, it's Winky!"

Yasmin and Eneko both turned around in their seats and took in the sight of Winky dragging a half-empty bottle of butterbeer behind her. Her large ears were drooping and she sniffled, looking all the more pathetic in her depression.

"Why is that elf—" began Yasmin, with her head turned to one side while gazing at the wretched, pitiful elf.

Teddy recalled only the broader points of Winky's life. He knew she had belonged to a Death Eater – or was it a Death Eater's father? That story was tangled up with Aunt Hermione's many lectures on house elf welfare, and Teddy struggled to recall everything. He settled on a simpler explanation.

"Her master gave her clothes and then he died."

"Why did he give her clothes?" asked Yasmin, now back to her breakfast.

"I don't remember. But we should be nice to her," said Teddy, shrugging. He looked over at Winky, who had by now passed out in front of a fireplace. The elves around her scowled and pushed her slightly away. Teddy reminded himself to order Kreacher to keep an eye on Winky.

Yasmin looked at him dubiously and took another swig from her pumpkin juice. "If she had to be given clothes, she must not be a good elf."

"It's not always the elves' fault!" screeched Teddy, earning several strange glances from the house elves around them. "My aunt works to make elf life better! They deserve respect!"

Even without Hermione's campaign to improve the rights of elves, Teddy knew that house elves had played crucial roles in Harry's life. Dobby tried to save him…and died saving him. Sirius Black's treatment of Kreacher had likely led to Kreacher giving away valuable secrets…but Kreacher's undying love for Regulus Black and Harry's promise turned Kreacher around for the better.

"Okay, Edward," Eneko said, sighing. "Maybe wherever your family is from that is true." Yasmin wore the same expression of disinterest in house elf welfare. Teddy suddenly wondered if this is what it was like to be Hermione and felt pity for her and her crusades for all magical beings.

Teddy crossed his arms over his chest and said, impatiently, "One day I'm going to have you meet my family."

Eneko's eyes widened and he dropped his book to the table. "I do not wish to meet the Headmaster."

"Not him," Teddy said, shaking his head violently. "My mother's family. They're my real family. My godfather, too."

Yasmin's interest was piqued again. She asked, "Who is your godfather?"

"Harry—" Teddy stopped himself before he said something stupid again. "Never mind."

"Harry Nevermind?" Yasmin said wryly. "That's a funny name."

Teddy stabbed a piece of bacon with his fork. "It doesn't matter. He's not around."

"Your life is sad," Eneko said matter-of-factly, while putting his book away into his rucksack.

"Thanks, Eneko," Teddy replied bitterly. He already knew his life was sad; it was somewhat sad before he traveled in time, growing up an orphan, but now he was an orphan with the fake identity of being a Death Eater's son. At least now Teddy had Ted, and two odd, but surprisingly loyal, friends.

"Mine is too. I am stuck here," Eneko added, bored, as if he were discussing the weather or the state of the war.

Yasmin clucked her tongue. "We're all sad losers."

Teddy frowned. He'd been wondering why neither of his friends were friendly with anyone else. "Why is it that you haven't found friends in your own houses?"

Eneko hesitated and brought his rucksack to his lap. "My classmates say I am not a good Ravenclaw because I'm not smart."

Teddy was taken aback. He scratched his chin with his fork thoughtfully. "But that's ridiculous. You're plenty smart. English is your fourth language?"

"Yes." Teddy gaped at him; it was hard enough when Gran wanted him to learn French, but to think that Eneko could speak four languages and study in the fourth language was impressive.

"That makes you smarter than all of them!" Teddy retorted, disbelieving what he was hearing. He turned to Yasmin and asked, "What about you? No friends in Slytherin?"

"I don't want anyone learning about me." Yasmin's face had soured and she looked glumly ahead.

"But we learned," Teddy said, gesturing between himself and Eneko.

"You're really nosy," Yasmin said accusingly, making a point to look only at Teddy as she said so.

"But we're friends now," offered Teddy. "Aren't we?"

"Even though I tried not to make friends."

"Why not?"

"I don't want to be here."

"Neither do I," interjected Eneko. "I want to go home."

"If the war is won, will you stay?" Teddy said, his heart sinking that the only two friends he'd made would be gone once the war was over.

"Only if I have to," said Yasmin. "I want to study at home. I don't like it here."

Eneko nodded along with her. "I will only stay here if my mother has to stay in London."

"I won't have any friends," Teddy lamented. Puck emerged from Teddy's pocket and blew a fat raspberry at him. He crossed his leafy little arms and turned his back to him. "Okay, fine, Puck will be my only friend. And Kreacher, Winky, and Zinky…if Dobby comes back, him too."

Yasmin and Eneko exchanged pitying glances at each other and at Teddy.

"Will you two please think about coming back, if you can?" Teddy pled. The sound of footsteps in the distance indicated that students were on their way to their first classes. Yasmin and Eneko didn't say any more as they packed their things, leaving Teddy to wonder what would become of him if his friends left. He hoped that if and when that time came, his true identity would be known and he could start anew.

…..

5 March 1998

Teddy lay on his stomach in the Room of Requirement. He had a quill in one hand and a book propped up in front of him. He was attempting to complete his Charms essay, but was struggling with the theory of wrist movements. He sighed unhappily and turned over, knocking the ink pot to its side and covering his essay with scarlet ink.

"No, no, no!" Teddy yelped, causing several heads to turn his way. The ink magically siphoned itself back into the ink pot, and Teddy glanced up to see his grandfather smiling down at him with his wand pointed steadily at the spilled ink. Teddy breathed in relief and sat up, grateful that his essay wasn't ruined.

"You're so much like your mother," chuckled Ted. He sat down on the floor next to Teddy, wincing slightly, and read what Teddy had written so far on his essay.

Eneko was working on his essay, with an enchanted quill he'd purchased that instantly translated his writing from Basque to English. He stared up at Ted and asked, "You knew his mother?"

"She was good colleague of mine, long ago. Edward reminds me of her."

Teddy beamed; he knew he'd inherited some of his mother's clumsiness and mannerisms, but was told that his personality was like his father's.

"Most people say I'm like my dad," said Teddy. "Especially my personality."

"He is nothing like his father except in looks," interrupted Hannah Abbott, turning slightly pink as she said so. "I assume so, at least…I had Professor Snape as a professor all these years and you're really nothing like him except in the way you look."

"It's possible that Professor Snape is different around family and friends than he is with colleagues," Ted said lightly, while glancing meaningfully at Teddy. "I disagree with almost everything the man is doing, but I should think he takes care of his own."

"He's always favored Slytherins," spat Seamus, glaring at Yasmin, who glared even harder at him in return. Teddy was extremely irritated by many of the older Gryffindors, who looked at Yasmin with nothing but disdain for having a Slytherin crest on her robes. It was one of the many times Teddy was glad he was sorted as a Hufflepuff, rather than a Gryffindor, as they seemed to have the largest amounts of prejudice against Slytherins.

"My Gran said I'm like both of them," said Teddy, now realizing that a small crowd had gathered around him.

"I thought your Gran didn't know your father?" asked Susan Bones.

"She met him before…once," Teddy said nervously. "It's how she knew who he was."

"How did they meet?" asked Hannah. "No offense, but I can't imagine him with anyone."

"Eww, I don't want to imagine him with anyone!" said Lavender, disgusted. Several other students nodded along with her, wearing similar expressions of utter revulsion. Teddy, too, didn't imagine the batlike Headmaster with anyone, but decided not to dwell on the matter.

"I don't know how they met," Teddy said loudly, trying to rein in the strange conversation of how Snape had managed to produce a child.

"You don't?" said Ted, raising a brow at him. Teddy offered a thin smile in return.

"My mother died and never told me," Teddy explained lightly. "I only know from my Gran that they worked together." It wasn't too far from the truth; Teddy didn't know the exact details of how his parents had met, as they'd kept their relationship somewhat hidden for several months before finally marrying. He wasn't sure if his grandparents knew everything, either, as his Gran and Harry had always said that Remus and Dora met when the Order of the Phoenix regrouped in 1995.

"What about your father?" asked Susan. "Didn't he tell you?"

"I don't ask him about those things," Teddy said awkwardly. "I don't really talk to him at all, honestly."

Several of the students broke into murmurs; Teddy could hear several of them raise suspicions, as many of them still believed he was a spy or double agent. In truth, Teddy had barely seen the Headmaster since before Christmas. Now that Teddy wasn't actively trying to contact anyone, Snape seemed to have forgotten he existed.

"You really don't know how your parents met?" asked Ted, arching his brow at Teddy. He stretched his legs out and sat back against a fluffy pillow, clasping his hands together.

"They worked together on a project," replied Teddy carefully, hoping his grandfather would understand.

"A potions project?" said Hannah.

"Yes," lied Teddy, feeling uncomfortable. He glanced at Ted, who cleared his throat.

"My wife and I met over a potions project," said Ted. He proceeded to tell the tale Teddy had heard many times before, of fifth years Andromeda Black and Ted Tonks in potions together. Andromeda made a mistake and exploded a potion on Ted; her fellow Slytherins thought it was a well-planned attack on a Muggleborn, but Andromeda, having harbored a crush on Ted for at least a year, felt guilty took notes for him while he recuperated in the infirmary. They became friends, and later, realizing they both had feelings for each other, dated until Andromeda ran away from her family to be with him.

Many of the older boys left, but the older girls stayed behind to listen to the story, oohing over the romantic details of Ted and Andromeda's courtship.

"Thank you," mouthed Teddy, nodding at Ted for distracting the others away from his parentage. In his infinite goodness, Ted kept the girls distracted by asking another question.

"Would any of you like to hear how my daughter met her husband?"

"Professor Lupin?" Lavender said brightly. "He was our best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor!"

Several of the girls nodded in agreement, many of them commenting that it was so good to know Professor Lupin had found a wife and was expecting his first baby.

"Yes, Remus met my daughter – most of you, if you've heard of her, know her as Tonks but I call her Dora – when they worked together against You-Know-Who—" Ted started speaking, but was rudely interrupted by Seamus Finnegan, the most antagonistic of all the older Gryffindors.

"—should kid Snape really be hearing this?" snapped Seamus. Several of the Gryffindors glared at Teddy, who felt very small and backed away, hurt.

"I trust Edward with my life," Ted said firmly. "He's a good boy." Ted's authoritative statement earned odd looks from the others, but Teddy sank back in relief. Having Ted on his side was one of the many advantages of having him safe and alive in the Room of Requirement.

"—as I said, that's when they met. It took a while for Remus to admit how he felt for her…and like any other couple they had their ups and downs but they're together now and expecting my grandson." Ted beamed and winked at Teddy, who felt the smile curling up on his lips in glee.

"It's a boy?" asked Hannah, smiling at Ted. "They must be so excited."

"I have a good feeling about it," replied Ted.

"What if it's a girl?" asked Lavender.

"Then it's a girl," Ted said, shrugging. "I have a good feeling it's a boy though."

"What do you think they'll name him?" asked Susan. "Remus Junior?"

"Oh, that would be so cute!" Lavender squealed. "Little R.J.!"

Ted was evidently taken aback by the question and replied, "I genuinely don't know."

The girls descended into a chat about baby names and whether they'd choose something unusual, when Ginny made it clear that Tonks hated her first name and would likely choose something ordinary. While they spoke, Ted turned to Teddy.

"I never asked you…you were named after me, weren't you?" Ted said quietly, and Teddy nodded in response. "I don't think they'll do that if I'm still alive."

"You don't?" Teddy wondered what he'd be called. He liked being called Teddy, and after getting to know his grandfather, he was proud to have Ted Tonks as his namesake.

"I hope they don't, for your sake," murmured Ted.

"How do you mean?"

"There are going to be two of you."

"What?" Teddy yelped, earning more strange glances from the others. Ted cast the bubble charm around them again to give them privacy. Puck, having heard Teddy yelp, emerged from the robe pocket and crawled up to sit on Teddy's shoulder.

"I've been looking into your predicament and there's no way to go back, son," Ted said gently.

"What?" Teddy had been hanging his hopes on reuniting with his family and being called Teddy, but he'd made the mistake of forgetting that his mother was still pregnant with him – but there couldn't be…

"If all goes as it did…there's going to be two of you," confirmed Ted, to Teddy's horror. Two Teddies?

"Like a brother?" he croaked.

"Very likely, yes. They might call him something else if I'm still alive," mused Ted. "I don't know. Perhaps Alastor, after Dora's late mentor."

"I hope he has a different name…but I'm going to have a brother? Or are we going to join together?" Teddy wondered aloud. "I thought…I thought it would just be me." Teddy felt suddenly jealous that if everyone did survive the war, there would be an infant version of himself in the family, too.

"Will I disappear?" Teddy asked, as the thought of somehow disappearing crossed his mind.

Ted shook his head. "I doubt it. There will be you, aged 12, and the newborn you."

"I won't…go forward?" Teddy said weakly, twiddling with the button on his trousers. Puck now rested atop Teddy's head; the movement of his leafy limbs was surprisingly soothing against the heartache growing inside of Teddy's chest.

"No…I don't think you will. If you did, I can't imagine the world you would go back to."

"Huh?" Teddy cocked his head to one side, leading Puck to fall off and frown. Puck ran back up to Teddy's shoulder and settled there, while tugging onto Teddy's ear to keep him still. Ted chuckled at the sight and offered his arm for Puck to climb on. Puck refused, staying with Teddy, so Ted continued.

"Imagine for a moment, Teddy. You go forward and suddenly you're 12 years old. If the war is won and everything stays the same, you go back to the way you were. If the war is lost, it's possible the world will be very different…darker. If the war is won but others survive, they still won't know you."

"I don't understand," said Teddy. The possibilities raged in his head. If his parents and grandparents survived, so would the baby…his family would be together…but different than he imagined, with a brother. He'd always wanted a sibling, but he didn't want there to be two of him.

"If I understand correctly, you grew up for over eleven years with your Gran – my wife – raising you. Imagine if your parents are there when you come back. The little boy they knew will not be the little boy who comes back. You will be strangers to each other. I don't think this is likely, as there's no way to go forward."

Teddy's jaw dropped. It all made sense; if he was somehow thrust forward to July 2009 again, but saved his parents, he would wake up to be a different Teddy than the one they knew. Worse yet, he came to the crashing, devastating realization that he would never have the eleven years he missed with his parents. If they did survive, those eleven years of his life were as an orphan, but never as a true son of Remus and Dora Lupin.

His chin quivered and his throat felt scratchy. He looked forward to saving his parents, and hoped he would still meet them, but he realized that even if they did survive, they would never know him the way he wanted them to.

"What's going to happen instead?" said Teddy shakily, after a long pause.
"If we win and all of us make it through, and we'll have to be lucky, I'm sure, you'll come home to your mum and dad and a newborn version of you." Ted wrapped his arm around Teddy's shoulder and brought him closer.

"And Gran?"

"I should certainly hope so," Ted said. "I'd like to see my wife again."

"And you?"

"I wouldn't dream of missing out on getting to know you at any age," Ted said firmly.

"Do you think the other me will be the same?" said Teddy. "What if…what if they like him better because they have more time with him?"

"First, Teddy, they're going to love you," Ted said, holding Teddy closer still. "As for your other self…I think you'll be like identical twins in some ways – your looks – but you will grow up so differently, unless the other you is also raised by your Gran. I hope that doesn't happen. I hope we all make it through, but it means that the newborn you – and we should start thinking of him as someone else – will grow up with both of his parents and grandparents."

"Why can't I have that?" Teddy cried. "I wanted that my whole life!"

"There's no way to put you back…I'm sorry, son." Teddy's heart clenched, knowing that saving his parents, while having been his main goal for months, wouldn't fix the years he spent without them.

"Besides, you've already made such a difference," Ted said gently. "You never knew me before?" Teddy shook his head.

"You get to live in this time that you never knew about," added Ted. "You're living in history! Look around you, Teddy…I hope we win this war, and you'll grow up to see how much better it is after all this unnecessary violence."

Teddy sniffled slightly but peered over to where the older Gryffindors stood. Ginny and Neville were the clear leaders, and he thought fondly of his Auntie Ginny, even if she was much younger at the moment. He mumbled, "It's weird that they're not much older than me now. Auntie Ginny is only sixteen. I'm almost twelve."

"But in your time she was already in her late twenties?"

"They all seemed so much older and smarter."

"They grew up in a time of war."

"I want to fight," Teddy said determinedly.

"No, son," Ted replied, shaking his head. "You can help, but if there's a fight – a battle – you stay out of it. I know I've only been part of your life for a few weeks, but I know my wife and she wouldn't want you involved in this, either. She barely tolerates Dora's involvement." Even Puck understood what Teddy was saying and crossed his branchlike arms, his beady eyes set angrily on Teddy.

"Harry fought at my age," retorted Teddy, not sure if he should be addressing Ted or Puck, both of whom were evidently disappointed with Teddy's claims. "When he was 11 he went up against Vol—"

"—the name has a Taboo on it in this time," said Ted, clapping his hand over Teddy's mouth. "—as for Harry, he is a different person than you. He had a harder life. What he did at 11, 12, or older was not appropriate for his age."

Teddy crossed his arms indignantly. Uncle Harry had defeated Voldemort many times before the final defeat in 1998. Teddy wanted to fight alongside his parents and prove he was brave, too. Ted's stern glare reminded him, however, of his Gran's glare, and Teddy relented for the moment.

"Can I tell you what I planned for his birthday? He's my godfather…or was…or will be?" said Teddy, in an attempt to change the subject, still confused about the finer points of time travel.

Ted smiled. "Of course." Teddy then launched into the plan of the 29 enchanted Snitches in his office, to make up for the many birthdays Harry missed as a child.

"That's so kind of you. You're so much like your mother, Teddy."

"Am I like my dad? Gran says I'm a lot like mum but Harry thinks I'm like my dad."

"Did you spend a lot of time with Harry growing up? If you did, I think he knew Remus knew better than Dora. Harry will find more similarities with Remus than Dora, I should think."

"Gran let me come around for dinner any night I wanted," Teddy smiled. "I learned to use the Floo by myself when I was six or seven. I went over a lot. Uncle Harry's the best…he knows all the good orphan jokes."

Ted had a peculiar, but devastated look in his eyes upon hearing Teddy speak.

"Oh, I'm sorry…I didn't…we had a lot in common," Teddy said awkwardly. "Never mind."

"It's all right…well, it's not. I don't want you to be an orphan."

"Do you think I'll be able to meet them?" asked Teddy. "I hope they like me."

"Teddy, they're going to love you. I already do," Ted said, holding Teddy in for another tight hug.

"I want to make them proud."

"You already do…they may not know it, but you're already making them so proud. They love the little boy they're expecting but they're going to adore the twelve year old son they'll meet," Ted assured.

"You think I'll get to meet them?" Teddy said, while fiddling with his shoelaces. Puck had retreated into Teddy's pocket, evidently bored with the turn of the conversation.

"I certainly hope so."

Teddy sniffled again a little and wiped his nose against the sleeve of his robe. "I've waited so long. I love Gran, but I wanted my own mum and dad."

"I'm sure you did. I lost my dad when I was about your age and it gutted me." Teddy knew this, and swallowed his retort. At least Ted had gotten many years with his father. Teddy had missed almost his entire childhood with his parents, and if he got them back, those years would never return.

"I really hope they like me, Grandad." Ted made a strange noise from the back of his throat, and Teddy saw that he too was wiping a tear from his eye.

"Is it all right that I call you that? It's how I think of you…I always called you Grandad when I saw your pictures."

"Nothing would make me prouder," said Ted, while wiping away another tear away. He cleared his throat and added, "Just be sure not to call me that in front of the others."

"Thanks, Grandad." Ted beamed at him and hugged him. "I should probably get rid of this charm in case the others get confused."

The charm was lifted just as the giant clock in the Room of Requirement rung loudly, indicating it was almost time for curfew.

"I'll be back tomorrow, Grandad," whispered Teddy. "Every day except the twelfth."

"Full moon…but you're not a…?" Ted gasped, worried.

"No, but I get some symptoms. I'll explain next time," Teddy promised. "It's not so bad."

"Sleep well, son," Ted said. "Good night."

Teddy was glad he had so many hugs from his grandfather lately, as well as his reassuring, kind presence. He was still apprehensive about the future – particularly the events that were to come in the next two months – but until then, he had his grandfather, his two friends, and his cheeky bowtruckle.