"Are you alright, Harry? You don't look so good." Of course Teddy's voice sounded the same as he always did as he asked in concern, but it sounded a little jarring to Harry to hear his godson's warm voice coming out from someone who looked just like the proud but graceful Draco and the posh but awkward Scorpius.
"Hmm… n-nothing, I just never realised how much you look like the Malfoys."
"Oh, you think so? I've mostly just changed the colours of my features but I did change the shape of my chin as well." Harry could tell his godson was feeling rather proud of his transformation and quite pleased by Harry's assessment but for whatever reason, he seemed to be trying hard to suppress his excitement.
"Yes, you could totally pass for Scorpius' older brother with this look." Harry meant every word, for a fraction of a second there he had totally thought that it had been Scorpius standing with Al despite the wrong height difference.
Albus laughed, "That's what I was telling Teddy too but he didn't seem to believe me that he insisted to wait for you."
"Of course I trust you, Albus, I-I just need to hear Harry's opinions because I'm not sure if it'd be the right thing for me to do to change into this look in front of them." It was such a rare occurrence for Harry to ever see his godson acting this nervous and with this look, it felt so surreal to him because Teddy's frown on that pale forehead looked just like the frown on Scorpius' face when he had first appeared at the fireplace at the Malfoys' sitting room on Christmas day, that it was almost like seeing an older nervous Scorpius.
Thinking about the vulnerable young boy who had cried on the platform hearing the news that he was going to meet his cousin, there was no doubt in Harry's mind that Scorpius would be delighted to see Teddy in this look. Meeting a cousin was one thing but there could be no statement as powerful as Teddy appearing like the Malfoys to show his ready acceptance of the cousins he had never met. For a lonely boy like Scorpius, seeing his blood cousin like this would probably be the closest the only child would ever get to experience to having a brother of his own. How Draco would feel about Teddy appearing in his Malfoy's look, however, would be an entirely different story, at least it would be based on Harry's understanding of his friend.
For all the times Harry had seen Draco looking at Scorpius, his love towards the boy had always been evident in his glances, including the instance when the boys had emerged from the lake immediately after making the most terrible mistake one could possibly make, to use a Time-Turner to revive the Dark Lord, albeit unintentionally. However, there was something else which had always been equally present in Malfoy's glance, which had been his guilt, even when he had embraced the boy just a few days ago after Harry had formally invited Scorpius to meet Teddy, when the relationship between the Malfoys had been the best it had ever been.
Maybe it was because Harry had been constantly feeling guilty himself for various and entirely different reasons, but he had gotten pretty good at spotting someone else's guilt. He could not claim to know his former nemesis' heart but according to their conversations and Draco's letters, he would guess that Draco had been constantly feeling guilty for having let the rumour spread and grown as bad as it had, for giving Scorpius a last name which had associated the innocent boy to Death Eaters and Voldemort when the boy could not be any more different from them, for the early death of Astoria even though that could not have been his fault and for having failed the boy when Scorpius had needed his support the most following her passing.
These were by no means what Harry believed himself because he genuinely believed that Draco had done a brilliant parenting job but what he guessed his friend would feel. No matter how much the relationship between the father and son had improved, Harry could tell that Draco's burden of his guilt would never disappear completely. It made Harry feel bad for his friend because he knew the widower had tried so hard to do everything within his power to make his son happy and he sincerely believed that Draco deserved to feel happy after having worked so hard to become a better person, having raised such a kind-hearted son and experienced so much loss in his life.
Had Teddy, or Tonks for that matter, the "disgrace" of the pureblood Black family, had dared to change his or her appearance to match the prestigious pureblood Malfoys, Draco would have been very insulted back in the days when he had been a discriminating git and a bully in Hogwarts. However, if what Malfoy had said during the Christmas breakfast was any indication, Imagine the worry you would have felt had your family been one of the most hated families in the wizarding world that your son would likely be bullied in school with no one to rely on, his friend's perspectives regarding the Malfoy name and appearance must have undergone a huge change that given the choice, he probably would happily let Scorpius take a different name and a different appearance if it meant that his son could live free from the burden of their family's reputation and wrongs. Harry was not sure about how Draco would feel about Teddy happily taking on a Malfoy's appearance now, even just for a few minutes, because while he was certain that Draco would not feel insulted, this would represent a closer association to the infamous family that the older Malfoy was no longer that proud to be a part of.
Harry had seen many times how Draco had handled the way strangers openly gossiped about him and thrown dark looks at him with unwavering dignity and grace but it was not like his friend had much of a choice in the matter. Scorpius, on the other hand, seemed easily embarrassed and would appear all flushed and self-conscious when someone would insult or bad-mouth him even though like his father, he would not rise to anyone's bait.
While not as famous as the Potters and the Weasleys, Teddy was widely-liked as the son of two war heroes, the godson of Harry Potter, a former Hogwarts Head Boy and for his noble work in helping werewolves. If anything, Harry thought that there was a possibility that Draco would have gotten so self-conscious about the Malfoy name that he would prefer his cousin not to associate himself with them more than necessary in fear for him to be exposed to the daily hate the Malfoys had gotten so accustomed to and to risk Teddy realising that he was making a mistake to get to know them at the first place.
Harry hoped that he was thinking too much into this but there was nothing wrong about being extra cautious. "I've gotten to know Draco pretty well by now and considering the fact that he comes from a traditional pureblood family, it might be best for you to take on a more formal and serious appearance when you meet him."
Teddy's nervous smile disappeared as he reverted all the changes and transformed back into his natural appearance, with light brown hair, light blue eyes, slightly tanned skin and a square chin. Having gotten used to Teddy's wilder looks, it was so rare for Harry to see his godson looking so normal. While in Hogwarts, the professors had understood that it would have been difficult for the young metamorphmagus to restrain from using his abilities completely that they had let Teddy changed among natural hair colours in school, his godson had found it so restricting that he would change to crazy colours while going to the restrooms between classes or before going to sleep. Teddy always felt most comfortable when he could add a bit of "colour" and "flavour" to his look. "You mean formal formal, Harry?" He asked as he gestured a hand towards his face while trying to keep a straight face the best he could, then he turned his hair into a mixture of turquoise blue and a golden blonde significantly darker than the Malfoy blonde, which had been one of Teddy's all-time favourite colour combinations, "Or a casual formal?" He threw his godfather a wink while pronouncing the word casual.
Harry let out a laugh, "I don't think Draco would mind your turquoise hair but I guess it's best for you not to try the Malfoy look when you first meet him. I'm sure Scorpius would love that look but Draco would need some time to warm up to your metamorphic abilities."
"That sounds fair enough." Teddy gave him an understanding smile. "I'm very glad I can consult with you about these things, Harry. Gran's liking Draco a lot from their correspondence but of course exchanging letters is completely different from knowing someone personally."
The young man then turned to his godbrother and gave him a fond smile, "No offense, Albus, but your opinions sounded a bit screwed when you kept excitedly repeating, 'You look just like Scorpius!' that you can't really blame me for wanting to hear a second opinion."
Albus shrugged and said, "I guess you had a point. For your information, I used to find Mr Malfoy a bit scary and even intimidating at times but he seems friendlier and… I would say more mild-mannered these days. I had never seen him hugged Scorpius before G… I mean before last year but they hug all the times now. Scorpius talks about his father non-stop now when he rarely talked about him before." The boy added after deliberating for ten seconds, "I think I've actually seen Mr Malfoy smiled tw-, no, about three times by now."
Maybe it was the way his son had taken the trouble to try to recall exactly how many times he had seen Draco smiled, or the importance in his tone as he voiced the observation as if it was some secret that could help Draco warm up to Teddy instantly, Harry exchanged a glance with Teddy before they burst out laughing. Albus turned his head between his father and godbrother then started looking down with his face as red as a tomato. "What? I thought this was something you would like to know!"
Teddy wrapped an arm around Albus' shoulders, "You're absolutely right, Albus! I do appreciate it a lot but I guess we just found it funny the way you said it." Al seemed reassured even though his lips were still in the shape of a slight pout. "Now, I've something very important to ask you, what present do you think I should get for Scorpius?"
The topic of the upcoming wedding had come up during lunch but sometimes there were things not meant to be said in front of everyone.
"I can't believe you're getting married in four months. It seems like I held you in my arms for the first time just yesterday. You were already quite the metamorphmagus master by the time I met you. From the moment I looked into your eyes for the first time, which incidentally were green at the time, I knew I loved you like my own son… that you would always be part of my family..." Harry found himself tearing up again, he took a furtive look towards the kitchen to make sure that Ginny had not come out yet while reaching into his pocket for a handkerchief.
Al made a face as he said, "I see what mum meant when she talked about Andromeda's birthday. No offense, dad, but that's embarrassing."
Teddy, however, could not be more appreciative of his emotions. He moved over to embrace his godfather tightly for a moment before turning a bit sideways to say seriously yet not in a way to scold the boy. "You're very lucky, Albus. If you were me, you would wish to have a father to embarrass you in the most terrible ways possible."
"I-I'm s-sorry… I-I didn't mean…" Albus stammered as he worried that he had offended Teddy.
"Don't worry, Albus." Teddy let go of Harry before placing a hand firmly on Albus' shoulder. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad, and I totally understand that you meant it as a joke, but I just want you to remember not to take anything for granted, especially your family's love."
Poor Al still looked very flushed and too embarrassed to meet the eyes of either of them. "I do know that…" He whispered so quietly that Harry would not have heard the words had he not been standing within a foot away from his son.
It was so rare for Harry to ever see his godson talking so seriously and somewhat sternly in front of Albus but he would not be surprised if his godson's one sentence would have more impact on Al than the hour-long conversation he had shared with his son the other day because unlike himself, Teddy had always been incredibly close with Al and the boy had never stopped looking up to his godbrother. While a part of Harry really wished that Teddy had more success than him in getting through to Albus, another part of him desperately felt the need to change the subject seeing how uneasy his son looked.
"Teddy, so how's the wedding coming along?" Harry knew his intention could not be more obvious but he did not really care at all.
Thankfully, his godson gave Al another caring look before cheerfully playing along, "It's going to be great, Harry. Honestly, I feel kind of bad but Bill, Fleur and Aunt Molly are literally taking care of everything. In fact, Bill gave Aunt Molly veto power in every decision to make up for having the wedding at Shell Cottage instead of the Burrow."
Harry loved his mother-in-law from the bottom of his heart but he could not help asking, "I guess Molly has been making good use of this power then?" He regretted it immediately after remembering that Al was still standing next to him, at least his son seemed to look more relaxed now that they had turned their attention elsewhere.
Teddy laughed a bit nervously before answering, "I love Aunt Molly and Merlin blesses her but… let's just say she is a perfectionist when it comes to any family event and she has rather particular tastes in things sometime."
Just then, Harry saw that Ginny had come out of the kitchen and was walking towards Andromeda, who was sitting within earshot of them. Even though he had not technically said anything bad about Molly, he guiltily asked a bit loudly, "Hmm… so have you two decided on what you would be wearing on the big day?"
Teddy, whose back had been facing Ginny, blinked his eyes confusedly once before realising the reason of another abrupt subject change as Ginny started talking with Andromeda, he gave Harry a knowing smile and said, "Vic is going to wear Fleur's old dress. She looks absolutely gorgeous in it as if it's tailor-made for her." His godson's starry eyes suggested to Harry that Teddy was visualising his wedding day at this very moment.
Despite Ginny's irrational insistence to remain cold around Fleur, Harry had always behaved as friendly as he could around Fleur. He might not be close to her to the point that he would tell his sister-in-law any secret, but he would always be grateful for her for being one of his doubles the night the Order escorted him from Privet Drive and for taking care of Hermione, Mr Ollivander and Griphook after they had taken refuge at the Shell Cottage during the war.
He would never say it out loud in front of his wife but Harry remembered very well how stunning Fleur had looked in that simple white dress and knowing how well Victoire had inherited her mother's beauty and the fact that they were the same size, Harry had absolutely no doubt at all that Vic would look every bit as captivating as Fleur had looked in the same dress. He suddenly remembered the way Aunt Muriel had commented on how low cut Ginny's golden bridesmaid dress had been that he started blushing.
Albus gave him a look before coughing loudly once. "Hmm…Oh. Right, I still remember that dress, the design was really simple but rather elegant. How about you, Teddy? Have you gotten your dress robes?"
Unexpectedly, Teddy's lovesick expression morphed into a defeated sigh.
A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait, which was mainly due to a minor case of writer's block and a trip that I hadn't written anything for more than two weeks. I wasn't planning to update until next week originally but then I realized this would represent the first time I have not updated at all within a calendar month. As slow as I have been lately, I'm not ready to let that happen, especially because you've been so lovely to me. I haven't edited this as much as I'd have wanted and I know the cutoff point is awkward but it's the best I could do considering the circumstances.
This fic has passed 40000 views so again, I'd love to do a big group shout out. Thank you to kahn1969, Sharklove9999, HogwartsDreamer113, Scorpiusisthebest, JennH, Ronnie Jane, Criis46, wrestlingfanforever, womenwrestling010, HELENz and special shout out to Jane. I truly appreciate all kind of support but it's all thanks to you lovely people who have commented that I could keep working despite my frustration, tiredness and insecurity. (A more personal message to Jane because I can't PM guest reviewer: your comment absolutely made my day and I truly don't mind constructive criticisms. I don't disagree that the boys might act too childlike at times. A less bubbly Scorpius is completely valid but honestly, almost every character has been difficult for me to write at some point because I've so little in common with most of the characters, especially teenager boys. I like to show their excitement because I feel like they didn't get much a chance to be carefree in their early years in Hogwarts that in a way, they're trying to make up for lost time. There's no formality about a comment/review here that you're welcome to write any way you want as long as it's appreciative or constructive.)
It'll probably be another longer wait for next chapter because I only have so little of it written right now. Thank you so much again and please comment.