Chapter 5 – Teddy and Harry and Sirius

The morning after Sirius' arrival passed without incident. The newcomer spent much of his time chatting with Albus and acting the fool with James before the two of them had to head back to Hogwarts that evening. Even so, it still seemed like Sirius was avoiding catching Teddy's eye. He supposed it must be incredibly jarring for the man to meet the adult son of two of your best friends whom you've recently learned have been dead for twenty years, so Teddy decided to give him some space in this overwhelming situation and floo over to Shell Cottage for some Victoire time before her brain becomes fully occupied by N.E.W.T.s again the following day.

After an engulfing hug from Fleur Weasley, Teddy settled into his girlfriend's bedroom with two cups of tea and a smile.

'It feels like I didn't sleep at all,' he said. At her raised eyebrow, he continued. 'My dead dad's dead best mate is sleeping a few doors down from my room and I don't know how to talk to him.'

She planted a gentle kiss on his cheek. 'It'll take some time, I think. Dad really wants to see him too. They worked together a lot back in the day. But we just need to give him some space to get used to a very different version of his life.'

'What am I going to do without you until July?'

'Have a significantly inferior existence. After the whole Sirius Black thing, I don't know how I'm going to focus at all on final exams.'

Teddy gave her a look telling her You're Victoire Weasley – head girl and Ravenclaw supreme witch. 'You'd focus on exams even if the world was ending around you.'

They spent the rest of the afternoon chilling out by the shingle beach close by to the cottage, with fresh lemonades and a lot of cuddles, talking about anything and everything, and what their plans were for after Victoire graduates and they can be together full-time again. Around tea time, Teddy decided to go back to the Potters and finally talk to Sirius. Teddy had never had the chance to talk to someone who really knew Remus Lupin. Sure, Harry and Andromeda told him all that they knew of the man but their perspectives were different. Harry as a teenager the entire time he knew the werewolf, and Andromeda only saw him from a son-in-law perspective. Teddy knew almost nothing about Remus as a man. What sort of stuff did he like to read? What was his go-to drink? What sort of laughs did him and Sirius have? What was it like in the early days of meeting his mum? He hoped today would bring him some answers and maybe even some fun stories from the marauding days.

Teddy walked into the Potters' kitchen to find Harry and Sirius cupping large mugs of tea as Ginny regaled the two with the stories from the times Sirius missed. The current one was a detailed account of the time James had found a wild demiguise while on holiday in Spain and somehow managed to smuggle it back to England without anyone else (bar his brother and sister) finding out.

'…and so Honey, our house elf, came to me quite worried because of all of the silver hair she was finding on James' clothes, thinking it was a magical disease. So I went to investigate his bedroom for the first time since the holiday while he was at his cousins one day, and found Carlos the demiguise meditating on James' bed!'

Sirius roared with laughter. Teddy remembered the incident well. It was two years ago and James had just learned about the peaceful creatures in Hagrid's class – the only one he really paid any attention to – and knew exactly how to trap it and keep it quiet for the way back. Harry had been mortified to notify the ministry department that dealt with wild magical creatures but Ginny was more impressed that the thirteen-year-old had managed to appropriately care for the beast.

Teddy was finally noticed after he gave a snort from the kitchen doorway. He sat down opposite his godfather and Sirius as he was promptly handed his own huge mug of tea. Very conveniently, Ginny decided that she had some housework to attend to. Teddy knew this was a lie, but was very grateful that he could finally speak with Sirius and have Harry as a backup.

Noticing that Sirius hadn't taken his eyes off of Teddy's face since his arrival in the kitchen, he asked 'What are you looking at?'

Sirius looked mildly startled. 'I think I'm looking at Remus. That face you just made – it- you- I've seen that bemused look a thousand times.' A flicker of sorrow appeared in his eyes.

'Really? I get told I look like my mum all the time!'

'Well, yeah with the hair and everything, but you're all your dad.'

He leaned backwards, seemingly taking in the two men in front of him. 'This is bizarre, boys. I'm seeing my best friends, my brothers, all over again. Although I'm guessing you're slightly less hairy at the full moon.' Sirius winked at Teddy, relieving the emotional tension in the room. Teddy and Harry let out a laugh.

'Not a hairy,' Harry said, 'But definitely moody and irritable.'

'Hey! I wouldn't be irritable if everyone else weren't so damn annoying. I swear Lily tracks the moon's cycle to calculate exactly when to wind me up.'

'I cannot confirm nor deny this. It would be a breach of my daughter's privacy.'

'You mean her scheming?'

'Yes.'

Sirius watched this exchange very intently before exclaiming 'This is exactly what I mean! I know the two of you never got to know your fathers. But this was a classic Remus and James exchange.'

'Sirius?'

'Yes, Harry.'

'Being Head Auror comes with its perks, you know. Including access to a pensieve to help jog people's memories and find inconsistencies during cases. If I brought it home tomorrow, would you be happy to share some memories with me and Teddy?'

At the possibility of actually seeing his dad in action, from his best mate's perspective, Teddy's heart soared. He felt the familiar warmth of his metamorphmagus magic, as his hair changed colour away from his usual blue. Sirius noticed this and the creases by his eyes deepened.

'Absolutely, my boy.'

Nothing could ruin Teddy's mood that evening – not even the full moon. Sirius gave Teddy and Harry a taster of the stories he'd show them later as he regaled the two with tales from Hogwarts and the years before Azkaban. When Teddy apparated back to his flat later on and passed the mirror in his hallway, he realised that his hair had been changed to a sandy-blond, shaggy style, just like his dad.