Chapter 20
- Trust and Family -
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"I'll get it." Mr Weasley said, practically skipping out of the small dining room. Teddy was pulling a Christmas cracker with Ron which exploded as it cracked, sending out a storm of confetti. The two laughed as they brushed the colourful paper from their hair. It was moments like these that really helped them both forget about their troubles. It was just another beautiful Christmas at the Burrow.
Ron nudged Teddy, pointing to the two figures that had followed Mr Weasley into the house. "Dad! Tonks!"
He walked around the table to hug his father, who he was now the same height as. Luckily, Teddy's growth spurt had come to a sudden stop before the holidays and he hoped that'd be the last of it. After hugging his father he looked at Tonks who smiled awkwardly before Teddy also hugged her. "Merry Christmas guys."
"Merry Christmas, Teddy." She said, standing beside Remus and pulling a small gift from her pocket. "We got you something."
"You didn't have to." He replied, but quickly open the package. "Oh, cool. Ron check it out, a travel sized Wizard Chess set." Ron ran over, looking at the small fold up board that just small enough to fit into Teddy's pocket.
"Nice, you gotta let me use it."
"And you gotta teach me how to play."
The two boys quickly ran over to the table, pushing aside plates and bowls of Christmas treats and unfolding the chess board. It ended up about the size of a normal chess board and once they were done unfolding small chess pieces grew from it. Soon they were both leaning over the board, staring at their peices. As Teddy had predicted before hand, Ron was demolishing him quite quickly.
"Bishop to D5." He murmured and winced as Ron's pawn destroyed his bishop, sending little pieces across the table.
Ron straightened in his seat, looking smug. "Check mate."
"Wha-" Teddy stared at the board, he was right. Ron's Castle was directly in line with his Queen and there was nothing he could do to stop the Castle from ramming into it. "Damn, you're good." This only fanned Ron's ego as he began to do a little victory dance in his seat.
Teddy glanced up to where his father had been standing, watching him play. But all the adults, except Mrs Weasley, were gone. Teddy caught sight of them all sitting, with Harry, in one of the smaller rooms half blocked off from the dining room. "I'll be right back." He said, standing up.
The conversation the group had been having broke as Teddy entered the room. Remus looked up at him, grim faced.
Teddy glanced at the others, who also didn't seem in the usual cheery mood they should be during Christmas. "Everything okay in here?"
"It's fine, Teddy." Remus said. "You should go join Mrs Weasley-"
"Is this about You-Know-Who?" He asked quickly. It was the first time he'd ever said the Dark Lord's name so naturally and without hesitation. None of the adults were giving him any reaction so he glanced at Harry, his eyes pleading for an answer.
Harry sighed heavily. "Not quite."
Remus stood up, looking at his son with a protective gaze. "Teddy, it's probably best if you aren't a part of this. I don't want to worry you." Teddy strode across the room, taking a seat in one of the spare arms chairs. He crossed his legs and rested his arms on the chair arms.
"If it concerns you, it concerns me." Remus watched him, glancing at Tonks for supported but she was staring at the carpet. "Dad, I can make my own decisions now. I'm not a child.
He looked tired, not that Teddy had expected him in full health. Full moons always seemed to effect his father more than him, which he guessed was a result of his interesting DNA, but the stress he knew he was feel mustn't have been helping either. "That's what I'm afraid of." He murmured. Remus looked at his son.
He had been through so much, yet had still not faced the full wrath of the outside world like he had. As Remus watched him he began noticed how much he had changed physically. Not just since they'd first met in Teddy's third year, but from when he'd waved goodbye at the train station at the beginning of term. Teddy looked stronger, his soft hair was slightly longer and needed a trim, his angular face now reminded him of Carla's and there was a light in his eyes, one that'd been through so much yet refused to give in to defeat.
It was destroy him if anything was to happen to his one and only son. He glanced at Tonks. He would never be able to risk having another child, Teddy had barely escaped the torture of his lycanthropy and was still occasionally facing it's consequences. He would not knowingly risk the life of another innocent child.
Which is why he had to protect the one he had.
He took in a long strained breath, his eyes shifting to Harry as he continued their conversation. "Voldemort has chosen Draco Malfoy for a mission?" He said, as if trying to clarify he had understood Harry correctly. Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Teddy sit up.
Harry stared Remus right in the eye. "I know it sounds mad." He replied defensively.
"Has it occured to you, Harry, that Snape was simply pretending to offer Draco help so he could find out what he was up to?" Teddy admired the wise tone in his fathers voice as he spoke.
Harry shook his head, his defensive and certain attitude still active. "That's not what it sounded like."
"Perhaps Harry is right, Remus." Tonk suddenly said, her hands knitted together in front of her. "I mean, to make an Unbreakable Vow-"
Remus sat a little further forward. "It comes down to whether or not you trust Dumbledore's judgement. Dumbledore trusts Snape, therefore, I do."
"Dumbledore can make mistakes." Harry said. "He said so himself-"
"You are blinded by hatred." Remus replied frustratedly.
"I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
The room went quiet and Teddy glanced between the adults. At Tonks staring between the carpet and Remus to Mr Weasley hugging a pillow absent mindfully. Remus breathing slowed as he relaxed, but his posture gave away his worry. "People are disappearing, Harry. Daily. We could only place our trust in a handful of people. If we started fighting amongst ourselves, we're doomed."
Silence again. No one knew what to say, nor what to do. What could be done? Eventually, Tonk stood up, putting her hand on Remus' shoulder temporarily before going back to the kitchen. Remus also stood up, walking off in the opposite direction. Teddy took this chance to follow him, intending to talk to his father about what'd been on his mind since his dinner with the Edward's.
"Dad?"
He found his standing near the back door all alone, one hand pressed against the wall and the other hand brushing through his hair in stress. "Yes, Teddy?" Teddy leaned against the wall opposite him, crossing his arms placidly.
"I wanted to talk to you about something." Remus also stood against the wall, listening quietly. "It's about something that came up at dinner, with Arkie's new family."
"What was it? Did they say anything about your-"
"It has nothing to do with my lycanthropy." He interrupted, annoyed that, that was the first thing that'd come to his father's mind. "But it does have something to do with my family."
"What about it?"
Teddy rubbed his eyes, to wipe away the bit of sleep that'd formed there. "Well, they asked me about my family. And I told them about my mum and... Dad are my grandparents truly dead?"
Remus' expression became flustered and apologetic. "Teddy..."
"I'm not angry." He held up his hand. "Cause I wanna here you out. So please don't lie to me. Because I know it is not a coincidence that a wizarding couple named Mr and Mrs Helson had a daughter, named Carla, who died sixteen years ago from cancer."
"Is that what they say?" Remus looked up and Teddy blinked in surprise as he, for the first time, saw a glimpse of true loathing in his father's eyes. "Cancer." He spat.
"Why did you never tell me about them?"
"Look, Teddy," Remus said. "Your mother's parents are... different."
"Different? Different how?"
Remus slid down the wall, sitting on the uneven floorboard. "I think it's time I tell you, Teddy. Tell you about your mother." Teddy joined him, spreading his legs out across the floor. "I met Carla in my last year of Hogwarts. She was born into a long line of purebloods. Their family is much like Sirius'. They're extremely proud of their pure wizarding legacy."
Teddy brought his knees to his chest, resting his chin on them gently.
"Carla was the black sheep of the family." A smile rose to Remus' lip. "She was smart, confident, a bit of a show off and was constantly looking for ways to rebel against her family's wishes."
Teddy couldn't help but smile too. "It doesn't sound like you two had much in common."
"We didn't. But maybe that's why I fell for her. She was different." Remus rested his arms on his knees sorrowfully. "She figured out I was Werewolf in our fifth year, yet kept my secret. She only told me she knew at the beginning of our seventh year. After that we begun to see each other more often, we bonded. I admired her ambition and although she was constantly getting into trouble, she had a good heart. We became and remained a couple until a few months after we graduated. By then the First Wizarding War had begun."
"Did you ever get to meet her parents."
"Once... and they were just as horrid as she had described. They had a very prejudice and ordered that we broke up once we told them about my lycanthropy. It's why I didn't want you to ever meet them, it's why I lied."
"Why would you tell them that?"
His father's shoulders slumped. "It was the right thing to do. But they got their wish. Carla and I broke up a few months later." Remus finally met his son's eyes again. "Nine months or so later, just after the Dark Lord was defeated and my two friends were killed... I got a call from the hospital. You'd just been born."
"And then she died..."
"Your grandparents... they didn't want anything to do with you. They felt ashamed of Carla and... I wasn't even invited to her funeral."
Teddy's fist tightened. "They've been telling everyone she died of cancer... just because of me!"
"No, Teddy. Because of me." Remus pressed his hand to his own chest. "If it wasn't for me, she never would've passed away. But she's not truly gone. She's here with us now, inside of you, Teddy. I'm sorry I never t-" He didn't get to finish as Teddy threw himself on his father, holding tightly.
"I understand. You just want to protect me. But I need you to trust that I can handle this." He said, tears speckling in his eyes which he wiped with his sleeve. There was a loud crashing of plates in the background, followed by Mrs Weasley's exasperated voice. Teddy smiled. "I'm going to join the others, and I think you should go see Tonks. She's probably worried about you."