Author's note: Yikes, I did not mean to mark this as complete, sorry everyone. I was wondering why all of these reviews were coming in saying that you'd all loved this story and were sad to see it go. Meanwhile I was like 'Geez, I'm on hiatus because of COVID complications at work, but this is still my emotional support story!' Anyways, 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

Strawberry Shortcake

Teddy's grip around Remus' leg tightened as he crossed the kitchen to grab a clean whisk before returning to the stovetop where his lemon curd was coming along. Thankfully, he was used to cooking with a less-than-helpful assistant clinging to his limbs.

"Is it time to go play yet?" Teddy asked.

"You can go play if you want, but I have to finish baking," Remus reminded Teddy.

"We can do that later," Teddy said.

"Maybe we could," he said. "But wouldn't it be nice to finish mum's birthday cake before she comes home from work? That way we can have a slice before going out for her birthday supper?"

They were not the kind of household that had birthday cake as a dessert after a meal.

"I guess," Teddy acknowledged. Remus reached down to ruffle Teddy's hair before going back to his whisking.

"It might be easier to buy a cake at the store," Teddy pointed out. "That's what mum does for your birthday cake."

"It is," Remus said with a smile. "But that's because of the laws of this house, Ted; Mum doesn't cook, Dad does. When we used to have those big Order meetings, she would come straight from work and absolutely starving. She'd come down to the kitchen and make me talk to her so that I would feel obligated to feed her. That way she'd last until Molly turned up with sweets. You might not be here if I couldn't cook and if your Mum couldn't eat for two, Teddy."

He smiled as he told Teddy the story and remembered bashfully spooning out baked beans, rarebits, stews, fried rice, curries, bangers and mash, bacon sandwiches, Shepherd's pie, lasagna, and whatever else he was making for himself and Sirius. He remembered being frozen in terror at being approached by the spunky young Auror and even more mortified when she would perch on the counter to eat his food and sing it praise while he cleaned up or tried to force-feed Sirius. She even tried speaking to him sometimes, the horror of it! Eventually Sirius had pointed out that Remus was making more and more elaborate meals and was setting a plate for Dora ahead of time… Yes, Sirius had loved that.

"So you need to know how to cook if you want a wife and to be in love?" Teddy asked.

"Well… it shouldn't be the main reason, but I don't think it hurts," Remus said. He took his lemon curd off the stove and wiped his hands against his apron. She loved strawberry shortcake, but he'd thought that she should have something a little bit more special than his standard Sunday dinner contribution for her birthday. He'd replaced the standard sponge with an olive oil cake and had decided to add lemon curd between the layers where his strawberries would go. Sirius would probably laugh again, seeing Remus still trying to impress a girl with food. But frankly, since it still seemed to be working so well, Remus was a little terrified to stop.

He scooped up Teddy and propped him on his hip.

"We're going to make whipped cream now," he said. "You can help me measure ingredients again, if you'd like."

"I will," Teddy said. "I have to start cooking now if I want to impress Victoire."

Remus froze and looked down at the kindergartener on his hip and then back up again.

He wondered if he had time to get into this with Teddy before his mother came home from work.

WC: 588