Author's note: Here's

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

Dedication: For justagirlwholikestoread who asked for Remus dealing with transformations :)

Content Warnings: NA

Like A Good Luck Charm

She heard Remus mumble their safe word as he let himself into their flat, not as loud and clear as it was meant to be, but whatever. If there was ever a time to have a little grace about their flat's security protocols it was on the morning after a Full Moon.

In her arms, Teddy's hair turned forget-me-not blue.

She readjusted Teddy, who was lucky he was so cute after giving her the gift of screaming at 4:30 AM for no discernable reason other than getting picked up, in her arms. She froze as she listened to Remus kick off his shoes and wander down their flat's entrance hall.

He looked as he always did the day after the full moon, which was to say... well, shit, regardless of how much she loved him. He was wearing the torn green thermal shirt and misfitted hiking pants that he always wore when he Apparated to the little island off the Northern Irish coast where he went to transform. It was tiny, hence why it was empty, so she figured that the werewolf got particularly restless. Today there were new marks on Remus's chin and cheek, and probably elsewhere. He said he'd chosen his transformation outfit a long time ago to help weather cold nights but she thought that he also liked to hide most of the damage until he'd been able to do a first round of exhausted and sloppy first aid.

He nodded once when he saw her, standing in the kitchen barefoot and in her black robe, with something like relief on his face. Then he turned his hazy eyes to Teddy who was bundled against her, holding onto the Hippogriff stuffy that his pacifier was attached to.

She carefully twisted the baby so that Remus could see his face, as precious and adorable and button-nosed as it was. He gave another exhausted but satisfied nod before his shoulders relaxed and he made a bee-line for the bathroom to clean up.

Yikes. She had learned to follow Remus' lead on mornings like this—engage when he engaged first, feed him when he started looking at food, turn on lights when he turned on lights... so this kind of quiet morning was a sign that it had been an especially bad, disorienting, and exhausting night for him.

Once she heard the shower running and was satisfied that he had made it under the hot water, she fed Teddy and burped him and coaxed him back to sleep by some miracle. Freckles flickered on his cheeks as he slept, which made her smile and made it even harder to look away from his little face. She knew she's had Teddy for a few weeks now and should be able to look at him for more than five minutes without losing her mind, but Merlin she'd done a good job on him hadn't she?

She got up again, bouncing the baby, when she heard the bathroom door open again. Remus was bundled in the soft long-sleeved shirt and sweatpants he had left on the counter for himself last night. He smelled like dittany and there were a few new plasters on his face, but she supposed that she'd seen him look worse. It was just always hard to see him like this, even when she tried to tell herself that this was their normal.

"Hey," he said, voice breathless.

"Hey," she said. "Can I get you anything?"

Remus shook his head and paled, as if talking made him a little nauseous. He simply walked towards her and gently scooped Teddy out of her arms. He kissed the little boy's head and held him close as he gave her another nod and disappeared into their bedroom.

She gave it a second before investigation, finishing her cup of tea before poking her head into their bedroom and watched for a second.

Remus was laying in bed with Teddy curled up on his chest and one hand on the baby's back—the left one, so she could see his wedding ring catching the room's light which he hadn't closed. He seemed to have fallen asleep right away with his son on his chest like an amulet or a good luck charm.

She smiled for a second before shutting off the main light, tightening her robe around herself, and laying down next to him. She hesitated for a second before putting a hand on the right side of his chest, since all his visible injuries seemed to be on the left.

Remus stirred ever so slightly.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

"Mmmhmm," Remus said. "Closer."

She wiggled in bed so that they were nestled against one another, and watched Teddy sleep.

"Didn't like that," Remus mumbled. Even in his hazy and disoriented state he seemed to realize that that was vague. "Didn't like not being with you. Not ever and not after Hogwarts."

Her stomach churned. It was their first Full Moon since the Battle of Hogwarts, after all. She hadn't even been cleared of her concussion by the Healers, yet. She had been way too busy with a screeching infant to be on edge about this strange anniversary, but she supposed that it had still been bothering Remus, somehow throughout the night.

"We're okay," she said. "All three of us are okay because of what we did at Hogwarts."

That was what she told herself to rationalize the risks and wands she'd taken, but she did believe it for real. They were safer now than they had ever been, even if that felt like a low bar.

Remus's hand curled around Teddy's back then, and that made her believe it just a little bit more.

WC: 950