Chapter 8 – Teddy Lupin

Harry woke up the following morning with a moan. Light peeped beneath the curtains currently blocking the light, indicating it was much later than Harry's usual waking time. Harry thanked himself for having the foresight to take the remainder of his working week off, anticipating that he wouldn't be in any fit state to attend.

Harry was in the middle of a shower, head pounding, when the memories of the previous night made themselves known. He dropped his toothbrush onto the floor, swearing at the pounding in his head as he leant over to pick it up. How on earth had he drunk himself into a state where he had willingly allowed Malfoy to bring him home? He slammed a closed fist into the shower tile underneath him – how had he willingly allowed a viper into his only safe place?

Harry was furious with himself. He knew exactly how this had happened, and it was his own fault. Harry was drawn to Draco Malfoy. It was something he had tried to fight, to not think about and to deny, but ultimately, he was incredibly attracted to the man. Everything in him rebelled at the idea – he knew Draco was a dangerous wizard and one who most definitely practised the dark arts – yet in his drunken state his own traitorous mind had wanted to bring the man closer. Harry also knew he was lonely, and Malfoy had been the first new person to treat him decently in a long time.

As frustrated as he was with his own actions, Harry knew that there was nothing to be done about it now. With luck, Malfoy would be repulsed by his actions the night prior and refuse to associate with him again. It would be exactly what he deserved and save him the embarrassment of explaining himself. Harry nodded. He would do what he did best and ignore the issue until he was left with no other choice.

Despite his mental assurances however, Harry cast a warding spell to alert him if anyone magical came within fifty meters of his apartment. He might be trusting with the wrong people, but he wasn't stupid.

Harry spent most of the day sleeping off the hangover, and the following day running errands. Teddy was due back the next day and he had to not only stock up on food but also clean the house – his day of lazing had left him behind on his usual chores. Harry was grateful for the distraction being busy brought him – it kept his thoughts from slipping back to Malfoy.

Before he could knew where time had gone, his wards alerted him to Andromeda approaching his home with his godson. Teddy bounced inside at a million miles an hour, excitedly babbling about the adventures his grandmother and he had been on around Europe. Harry smiled his warped smile with genuine happiness – the flat wasn't a home without Teddy here.

Andromeda passed Harry Teddy's bag with a chuckle. "Good luck with that one," she told him fondly, leaning in to give him a quick hug. Although he and Andromeda weren't family, they had a warm relationship shared over the mutual love of the six-year-old currently running through the apartment.

Harry rolled his eyes playfully, his eyes crinkled in joy. He had missed the little boy, as much as it had been nice to have some time to himself. "I'm sure I can manager" he responded. "It looks like you could some time to yourself."

Andromeda laughed freely, eyes sparkling. Even in her older age she was a beautiful woman, laugh lines framing her dark eyes. "He's definitely a handful." Looking at Harry more seriously, she studied him closely. "You still look tired Harry, are you sleeping well?" Andromeda knew what this time of the year meant to Harry and he understood the undercurrent of concern in her tone without her needing to say the words.

Harry nodded reassuringly. "It's always rough" he acknowledged quietly; laughter gone. "I had a friend here to help this year though."

Andromeda nodded, still studying Harry with those dark eyes. Having lost her own husband during the war, she knew better than anyone the pain Harry felt during the anniversary of his wife's death. "That's good," she murmured. "It's important we have friends around us to help us during times of need." Andromeda was one of the few who knew of his falling out with the Weasleys and was very vocal in her support of the Potter heir.

"Thanks, Dromeda," Harry said, using her pet name. He reached over and gave her another hug, this one filled with gratitude. "And thank you for looking after Teddy."

"Nonsense," Andromeda smiled. "We agreed, remember, to raise that little boy the best we could together. We all need time to ourselves Harry, and I'm absolutely thrilled to be able to spend these weeks with my grandson."

After a cup of tea and several stories were exchanged, Andromeda took her leave claiming that a warm bath and comfortable bed were waiting for her. Harry had finally managed to wrangle the over-excited child into a bath and bed, where he now sat bouncing up and down waiting for Harry. His hair was a bright blue which indicated to Harry he had still to settle down – his usual hair colour was brown, when he was calm or asleep.

Which was practically never.

Harry sat down on the bed beside his godson after he had showered and fed the boy. Edward Remus Lupin was a happy, healthy child and was Harry's proudest achievement to date, even with his defeat of Voldemort. He had raised Teddy as if he was his own son following the death of Remus and Tonks and Teddy wanted for nothing. He was warm, had a comfortable bed, food in his belly and more toys than he could count. It was the polar opposite to how Harry had been raised, he reflected with satisfaction. And that was exactly the way it should be.

"Uncle Harry, can you please read to me?" Teddy's brown eyes peered at Harry, who was never able to resist those eyes. "I promise I'll fall asleep after just one book!"

Harry chuckled to himself, reaching to open the draw beside Teddy's bed. He and Teddy had a selection of favourite books just for bedtime, and tonight Teddy wanted to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar for the hundredth time. Harry didn't mind in the slightest reading to Teddy or that it was a muggle book – his nights with Teddy were the best part of his day.

As he finished the book, he was surprised when the young boy reached out with his small hands to frame Harry's face. Staring up at Harry lovingly and without flinching, Teddy quickly kissed Harry's cheek. "I missed you Uncle Harry," Teddy said as his face was split with a big yawn. "Nobody reads stories the way you do."

Long after Teddy had fallen asleep, Harry sat in the living room reliving that moment. Without the love and unequivocal acceptance of the boy he considered his own, Harry knew he most likely would have been overwhelmed by his deep depression. Unbidden, memories of Ginny's funeral came to Harry.

"This is all your fault!" Ron had screamed at him, eyes wild. Arthur and Charlie held the wild wizard back, but they couldn't stop the words flying from his mouth.

Ginny's coffin had been lowered into a plot on the Weasley land not long before his outburst. Harry was still seated in his chair, staring with a glazed eye at the spot of land where his wife now lay. The right side of his face was obscured with white gauze and his right arm sat useless in a sling. He couldn't have fought Ron off even if he wanted to, and he really didn't want to anyhow.

"Ron, that's enough," Harry heard Hermione cry. "None of this is Harry's fault."

"Bullshit!" Ron's screams were shrill. "If he hadn't have turned his beady eyes on my sister she'd still be alive! So would Fred! This is all his fault, all he's good for is getting those close to him killed!"

A terrible silence permeated the space as Ron's words echoed across the field. Harry was absolutely stung that no Weasley spoke up to defend him in that moment, nor did Hermione. It was Neville who instead turned on Ron.

"Oi!" Neville yelled back at Ron, pulling his wand from his pocket. "If it hadn't been for Harry, your whole family could be dead. He's lost his damned wife and you choose today to start this shit?!" Neville and Ron continued to yell obscenities at each other as Harry silently stood.

Walking to where Ron stood restrained by his father and brother, Harry simply stared at his best friend of eight years. His eyes were terrible in their fury and pain, glaring at Harry as if he was the devil himself. Hermione had tears in her eyes and kept them trained away from Harry, and none of the Weasley's would meet his eye.

Shattered, Harry came nose to nose with Ron who redoubled his struggles against his family. "You think I wanted this?" He whispered to Ron. "I finally thought I was happy. You think I wanted to lose one of the only people who ever loved me?"

"Fat lot of good loving you did for her," Ron spat back viciously. "Dead with her guts ripped out, that's where your love got her. The Boy Who Lived, only good for getting people around him killed!" Ron shrieked the last word and with an explosion of fury, broke free from his restraints.

He was on Harry then, his fists hitting him over and over in the face, chest and any other part of Harry's body he could reach. Harry heard the screams of the guests as they tried to pull Ron off him and felt the crunch of blood and warmth of blood trickle down his throat as his nose broke. Yet, he didn't fight back. He fully deserved every hit that Ron landed on him – it was his fault; Ginny had been targeted because of him.

When Ron had finally been pulled off Harry, he was a mess of blood and spit. Neville held him up on one side and Dean Thomas on the other, as barely conscious he looked up at the family he considered his own. Hermione had taken Ron a distance away and had tears running down her face, frantically in discussion with the angry wizard. Molly Weasley was crying into Arthur's chest, who was looking anywhere except at Harry. George, Charlie and Percy were all standing next to their mother, staring at Harry with a mixture of horror and pity. Bill and Fleur were nowhere to be seen.

Harry directed his only words at Molly and Arthur. Barely able to speak around his swollen tongue and blood filled mouth, the words he said would unknowingly haunt them for years to come. "I loved your daughter," Harry told them, his voice dull. "I loved her more than I've ever loved anything, and I have loved you like the family I wish I had. Hate me if you need to, but know I loved her until the end."

Harry allowed Neville to apparate him out of there then, not uttering another word even as Neville wiped his face clean and fixed his nose.

Harry was jerked out of his memory by the sound of his wards going off. Someone magical was approaching his property, and whoever they were they hadn't been invited. Harry pulled his wand and pointed it at the door, prepared to protect himself and Teddy.

When the knock came, Harry relaxed slightly. If someone had been planning to ambush him, he doubted they would knock. Expecting Neville or perhaps Andromeda to have returned, Harry was struck dumb when he opened the door and saw the wizard leaning awkwardly in the doorway.

Draco Malfoy looked uncomfortable in muggle pants and a black coat, however was no less striking in the attire. In his hands he held a small electronic device, which Harry recognised as his phone. Startled, Harry patted himself down – he hadn't noticed it had been missing. Shows how much he had acclimated to the muggle world, he thought to himself dryly.

"Can I come in?" Malfoy's words were a cool salve on Harry's nerves.

Harry studied him. He didn't appear to want to cause trouble, and Harry was conscious of Teddy in the other room. Besides, he might be able to learn more aout what Malfoy intended to do with the knowledge he had of Harry now. "Sure," Harry finally acceded softly. "Just keep it quiet."

Draco moved inside slowly, looking at Harry with interest. Teddy's existence wasn't well known in an attempt to keep him safe and Harry was sure Malfoy had at least caught a glimpse of Teddy's room earlier in the week.

Ugh. That night. Harry's face burned with shame as he turned to face Malfoy. "Sorry about the other night," he apologised, eyes down. "It was" –

"Perfectly understandable." Malfoy's smooth tone cut him off before he had a chance to continue speaking. "No apologies necessary."

Malfoy reached out to place the iPhone in Harry's hand. "I'm not sure what this is," he said in a confused manner, "it looks like some kind of muggle device. But it fell out of your pocket in the tavern and I wanted to return it."

Harry smiled. He often forgot that the wizarding world rarely mixed with the muggle world, and Draco had probably never seen a phone before. "It's called a mobile phone," Harry told him, turning it on. Malfoy flinched back at the sudden light. "You use it to call people, you dial the number of the matching phone and you can speak to people through it."

Malfoy was staring at the phone in fascination. "Like a Patronus, but faster?" He confirmed. Harry nodded in affirmative as Malfoy tried to wrap his head around the concept. "I always thought muggles were stupid," he said haltingly.

"Not stupid," Harry corrected. "They've just had to adapt without magic is all."

"Uncle Harry?"

Both men turned to see a sleepy boy standing in the entrance to the living area. His hair was back to normal brown and mussed with sleep. Teddy was dragging a stuffed bear behind him and his bare feet had made no sound on the hardwood floors.

"Teddy, what are you doing up?" Harry gently walked over to the boy and picked him up, ignoring Malfoy's obvious interest. "You should be asleep."

"Heard voices," the boy murmured back, rubbing his eyes. They were green today, Harry noticed. "Who is that?"

"That's a friend of mine," Harry told him gently. "And he's also your cousin. His name is Draco Malfoy."

Teddy peered at him sleepily. "I have a cousin?" He asked in wonder.

"You sure do," Harry told him. He felt a flush run through him as he realised that Teddy had never known any of his family on the Black side, with Harry being so intent on keeping him hidden away from any who would harm him. Teddy carried the werewolf gene, and although it hadn't exhibited yet Harry didn't know if it would do so in time.

"Can I meet him?" Teddy asked, starting to wake up.

"Maybe later," Harry told him, chancing a glance at Draco. To his surprise, a soft smile played on his lips as he stared at them. "For now, its time little boys go to sleep." Harry carried Teddy back into his room and tucked him in, the tired boy asleep before Harry could turn off the night light.

As Harry returned to the living room, he saw that Malfoy had perched himself on the edge of the sofa. Harry realised he was uncomfortable with the man being in his home – although there was nothing to be ashamed of, he knew that Malfoy would be judging him.

He was surprised when Malfoy simply smiled at him. "Edward Lupin, I'd assume?" He asked Harry.

"Teddy," he corrected reflexively, moving into the kitchen. "He's my godson." Busying himself with the kettle, he didn't see the look of pity Draco gave him. Draco had known of Nymphadora of course, and her death at the hands of his Aunt during the war.

"Tea?" Harry offered, turning to face Malfoy.

"I have a son, you know." He mused. "I thought I should share that with you, as I've been inside your home and know about your godson. He's three."

Harry's hand paused over the sugar bowl, shocked firstly that Malfoy had shared that with him and secondly that he had a son. Then again, it wasn't as though he had been following wizarding news in some time.

"You have a wife?" Harry asked, fighting to keep his voice even from the strange feeling of loss welling in him. Of course Malfoy had a wife, he was a prominent pureblood and would have needed to produce an heir as soon as possible.

"Ex," Malfoy said airily, waving a hand in the air. "We divorced a couple of years ago now."

"Oh," Harry said awkwardly. "Anyone I know?"

"Yes," Malfoy replied. "Astoria Greengrass."

Greengrass. The perfect, beautiful pureblood daughter of a prominent pureblood family. Of course, Astoria had been the kind of woman Draco had wanted to mother his son. Harry thought that Draco's son was going to be very beautiful himself one day. Like his father.

Harry shook the thought from his head immediately. "I'm sorry," he offered. "About the divorce."

Malfoy was eyeing him carefully, as if trying to decide something. "I'm not," he responded dryly. "Astoria is a good woman, but she did not suit my needs."

Harry flinched slightly; the reminder that Malfoy's would only want people in their lives that could offer something for them was a harsh one.

"Right," Harry murmured.

Malfoy stood from the sofa, striding gracefully to lean his lanky body against Harry's kitchen counter. He studied the stone benchtops with interest, taking in the muggle kettle that Harry was using. "Why do you use that?" Harry was sure his voice wasn't meant to come across as so condescending, it was just a Malfoy trait. "Why not have a house elf cook for you?"

Harry snorted. His reasons for not wanting a house elf were perhaps darker than Malfoy had anticipated when asking the question. "I can only rely on myself," he replied darkly. "My last house elf was in Grimmauld Place and sided with the one who killed my wife. Didn't even warn me." The words were said factually, but the hurt in Harry's tone was clear.

Hesitantly, Malfoy reached out to grasp Harry's shoulder briefly, before dropping his hand. "I'm sorry to hear that," he said sincerely, no arrogance evident in his tone. "Your house elf must not have been loyal to your family."

"No," Harry acknowledged. "Saw us as blood traitors and half breeds." Words that Malfoy himself had used to describe Potter and the female Weasley in the past. "I gave him clothes. What he did after that I have no idea and don't care."

Malfoy wisely remained silent, sipping his tea quietly. His silver eyes watched Harry carefully, delicately, as if he would fall apart at any moment. Harry for the most part tried to avoid that piercing gaze, and his thoughts turned to Ron of all people. If he could see me now, he'd punch me all over again.

After some meaningless small talk, Malfoy moved towards the door. Before he left however, he reached out to touch Harry gently on the wrist. "Listen, Potter," he began. "My son doesn't know he has family left, and I doubt your godson spends much time around wizarding children his own age. I'd like you to come to dinner at the manor, next Thursday, if you can."

Harry narrowed his eyes at Malfoy. Thursday was his day in the bar, and Malfoy knew that. He stared at Harry expectantly, comfortable in the knowledge that Harry would not turn down an offer of hospitality from a Malfoy.

And indeed, he couldn't knowingly hold Teddy back from his own family.

"Fine," Harry huffed shortly. "Thursday at six."

"Pleasure, Potter."

Malfoy swept from the room, the epitome of elegance even in muggle clothes. Harry stared after him in bemusement. Only a Malfoy would sweep shamelessly into his life, upend it and do so without batting an eyelid.

Harry shook his head slowly as he turned off the lights and prepared himself for bed – he had to work the following day after all. Perhaps change wasn't such a bad thing, if it meant one less night of loneliness in his life.