Author's note: Enjoy!

Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns the canon, world, and characters portrayed below and you can tell I'm not J.K. Rowling because #transrights

Warnings: NA

Losing Bet

"Is that your boy?" Slughorn leaned over and asked as the first years pooled into the Great Hall. He was pointing to Teddy, who would stand out even if Remus hadn't spent the past ten-or-so years showing pictures of him to anybody who would ask. His hair stuck up in tufs of his favourite turquoise as he wandered into the hall, sharply contrasting with the sea of black made up of his classmates.

Remus nodded and smiled as he watched the first years settle in, looking as shifty and nervous as ever. Sinistra, McGonagall's deputy headmistress, got them all settled and lined up before the Sorting Hat. Remus gave Teddy a wink when his son's eyes tentatively met his and Teddy blushed and looked away.

"How much like his mother is he?" Flitwick asked from Remus' right. "Are we in trouble?"

"Well, he might be just enough like me to hide the trouble he makes," Remus said. His fellow staff members did not seem encouraged.

They hushed for the hat's song—which Remus thought had cleverer rhymes than last year's—and then the sorting began. Teddy was in the middle of the pack and Remus tried not to perk up or look extra interested when his name was called out, but he was curious...

"Edward Lupin," Sinistra called, reading from her list.

Teddy made his way to the stool and Remus shifted in his seat, stomach knotted. Sinistra lowered the raggedy hat on his head and a beat passed as the hat deliberatorated.

"Hufflepuff!" it finally cried.

There was a roar of applause from the Hufflepuff table and polite clapping from across the hall. Remus bit back a cuss and joined in. He wasn't sure whether to feel happy or sad that Teddy hopped off the school and went to his new house without giving him a second look. Not that Remus didn't understand; they'd talked about being professional at school. Besides, Teddy didn't want to be the teacher's kid and Remus didn't want him to be either. He was at Hogwarts now; Teddy would start making his own way in the world. Still, it was going to be a strange year—having Teddy so close but with a distance between them now…

"Disappointed not to have a Gryffindor on your hands?" Slughorn asked.

"Only because I owe his mother money now," Remus replied.

WC: 391