Disclaimer: As always I own nothing but the original characters and the situations all characters find themselves in. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think!

A Meeting of Bodies

It felt like hours, though it couldn't have been more than ten minutes, but finally Regulus went still and completely relaxed under him, though Teddy didn't let up on the hold he had on the other boy's arms. That remained both gentle and firm. As were the kisses that he continued to press against all that beautiful pale skin before he returned to Regulus's lips, testing the waters once more to see what the other boy would do.

As plaint as the rest of his body now, Regulus's lips parted for him as he let him slowly and thoroughly taste his mouth, soft sounds escaping both their lips as Teddy fought to keep everywhere they touched gentle and loving, trying as hard as he could to convey through their skins just how much he loved Regulus. That this, what they could do here and now, was a gift, and not one that he would see tarnished without a fight.

But the fight had gone out of Regulus, the lips that moved under his own savoring as he savored, Regulus exploring his mouth as he explored so that they both participated in the kissing that felt more intimate than Regulus's earlier attempt to use sex as a weapon.

And when it felt right Teddy very carefully tipped them over so that they were both on their sides, putting them on even ground without his weight to keep the other Slytherin pinned in place. Just the arms he'd wrapped around Regulus's slim waist, and the other boy was making no move to wiggle free from him.

Shifting his aim so that he could press his lips along Regulus's jawline, Teddy told him how beautiful he was. How he could spend hours just kissing and holding him, if only Regulus would let him.

"Later. I need…I need you…please."

The 'please' had been little more than a whisper, but Teddy heard him. Just as he felt both the need and the unspoken question when Regulus punctuated his words when a careful thrust of his hips, making his arousal obvious as their erections slid against each other.

"If you turn around there's oil in the top drawer."

Nodding in understanding, Regulus turned in Teddy's arms and once facing the other way reached out to open the drawer in question, grapping the bottle of gold liquid there before turning back around, color actually staining Regulus's cheeks a little as he handed it over to Teddy.

Taking it from him Teddy unplugged the cork and used the oil to coat his fingers, being overly generous with the liquid, just in case, before recorking the vial and setting it aside for the time being. Not that they were going to…not already, but he would give them both some release from the pressure that had been building up for quite a while now. And hopefully, if he didn't screw this up, they could do more later.

Aware he was blushing like a complete newbie, his hands were shaking for Merlin's sake, Teddy took a calming breath and reaching down between them gently wrapped his fingers around Regulus's erection, swallowing hard in response to the gasp that escaped Regulus's lips as the other boy arched into his hand. When it came to some of the other stuff Teddy would admit to not being an expert by any means, but this, this he had spent plenty of time doing to himself, and felt very capable of doing to Regulus.

Arching with his whole body Regulus's eyes were closed, hiding his reactions which Teddy didn't like so much. But the way he was moving into Teddy's hands and the expression on the rest of his face made it clear how much he wanted Teddy's touch, even as Regulus bit down on his bottom lip to stifle most of the sounds that threatened to escape his kiss swollen lips.

Teddy wanted to hear him too, wanted to know all the sounds Regulus made, but he understood that it wouldn't be a good idea for certain sounds to be heard coming from his room. Especially since he couldn't quite muffle his own reactions in response to the way Regulus was digging his nails into his back through his pajama top. Which he really wished he wasn't wearing, Teddy silently bemoaned, because then he could have felt it more. He wanted there to be marks to remind him tomorrow that this wasn't just another dream. He wanted proof that it was real.

"Teddy. Harder. So close. More. I can't…need…" Framing Teddy's face between his hands Regulus lined up their lips to messily exchange more kisses, gasping in reaction to getting his wish as Teddy picked up speed. From then on all the things Regulus said were muffled by their mouths or intelligible, just the other boy's desperation and need for him coming through clearly.

And then Regulus tensed up all over, breaking off the messy kisses to stare at Teddy in shock before he shuddered, his orgasming seeming to shake through his whole body so that Teddy immediately wrapped his arms tight around him and drew him in close. Holding him against him like he was his shield in the storm.

Tucking Regulus's head in so that the other boy's face was pressed against his throat, his breathing wet and harsh against his skin, Teddy waited until said breathing started to even out before he spoke, asking Regulus if he was okay.

A rough nod from Regulus, and then it was Teddy's turn to go rigid and groan as he felt slender, almost delicate fingers slide under his pajama bottoms, Regulus's face remaining hidden against his throat as Regulus started jerking him off.

It was on the edge of being too rough, but he'd been leaking steadily enough that Regulus had some lubricant to work with along with the fact that Teddy was already hard as hell and close to his own orgasm anyway, just getting his beautiful boy off more than enough stimulation.

Mere minutes later he was coming to, Regulus's name slipping from his lips in a harsh whisper, Regulus holding him through it this time. They held on to each other, until their heartbeats quieted and synched, and they were both capable of stringing sentences together.

"I'm so glad you came." Teddy said softly into Regulus's silk hair, hearing his words outloud making him flush. "I didn't mean came like-I mean I'm glad about that too but I meant you coming here to see me. Damn."

A rough chuckle. "I knew what you meant."

"Oh. Good."

Silence descending again, Teddy wanted to make sure that Regulus had really enjoyed what they'd just done, but he couldn't seem to make his tongue work to form the words. Blushing and stroking Regulus's hair seemed to be the sum total of his abilities at the moment, though the mere fact that Regulus was letting him hold and stroke him like this was…magic.

"I couldn't stay away."

"I'm glad." Weak words, but at least they were understandable and true.

"You might not be later. You don't know what price we'll pay for this." And Regulus's tone made it clear there would be a price to pay for these stolen moments. A high one.

"I'm willing to pay if you are."

Regulus didn't answer or argue, but he did stay in Teddy's arms. And for now that would be enough.

)

The next morning Teddy had to drag his ass to work, deliberately altering his appearance so that his hair and eyes were both brilliant shades of green that would hopefully distract people from noticing the masks and fake cheerfulness he was hiding behind. And anyone who did notice, well he wasn't lying when he explained that he was running on far too much caffeine after a sleepless night. Plus it was Monday, so it wasn't like everyone was feeling particularly cheerful or eager to return to work except the odd weird one, and they were too concerned with their own work to care about Teddy's mental state. Lilah would have normally seen through his disguises and excuses, but she was still recovering from the weekend's full moon so she pretty much left him alone all morning and into the afternoon, which Teddy was grateful for.

But of course his luck could only hold for so long, and a little after three a knock at his door signaled a visitor, Teddy's godfather stepping into his office once he'd called out for his guest to enter.

Hoping the mental cursing he was doing didn't show on his face, Teddy got to his feet and smiled at the man who was walking towards him with a decidedly paternal gleam to his green eyes. "Hey. What brings you to this part of the Ministry?"

"Curiosity got the best of me. You've been avoiding me."

Opening his mouth to deny that, Teddy closed it just as quickly. No point. And he hated lying to his family anyway. It would hurt the other man too, and he would sooner cut his own hand off at the wrist than do that. Especially since he could sense the concern and worry he was causing.

"My head's pretty fucked up at the moment."

Eyebrows slightly rising at the profanity, thanks to Andromeda's influence Teddy language was usually pretty mild, Harry didn't ask him what was wrong, letting his gaze do the questioning for him.

"It's….a long story."

"Well you can tell me now, or tonight with the rest of the family since Ginny has decided it's been too long since we've all had a family dinner and demands our presence at the Leaky Cauldron."

Crap.

The way Harry's lips twitched made it plain he knew exactly when Teddy had just thought, and understood completely.

Stuck and knowing it, Teddy told his godfather he was going to want to take a seat, waiting until Harry had sat down across from him before starting, hoping that he'd find the right words.

"I…you know how some magical items…how when your mother died for you her love was so strong that it became a sort of invisible shield and weapon against Voldemort?" Across from him Harry nodded. "Well I recently acquired an item that has, I think, been infused with the love the painter had for the subject. I think that he loved him so much that that love…radiates from the painting, to the point where anyone who comes into contact with it experiences that love vicariously."

"Teddy…"

Getting to his feet as Harry did, Teddy made 'calm down and sit' gestures. "It's not a horcrux. I swear. Aunt Hermione looked it over for me, and I'm not suffering blackout or time loss or experiencing mood swings or anything. It's not like that. There's nothing evil about it, and everyone I've talked to about the artist had nothing but good things to say about him. The worst comment I heard was that he tended to doodle in class instead of listening to his professors. He wouldn't have ever made a horcrux. He probably didn't want to live after Regulus's death as it was. Living forever as part of a portrait would have been his idea of hell."

"Regulus?"

"That's why I bought the portrait in the first place. Because it was of Regulus Black."

"And you don't think Regulus Black, a man who realized that Voldemort was making horcruxes in the first place, knew what they were, couldn't have made one himself?"

"He wouldn't have though." Teddy believed that to his core. "And even if he had, these are Teddy's memories I'm dreaming about, not Regulus's."

"Teddy?"

"Theodore Prince. His younger sister is Sev Daimon's grandmother. They called him Teddy sometimes, and yes, I know how weird that is."

"Does the portrait have a habit of showing these dreams to everyone who comes into contact with it?"

"I don't know. Nobody else who's seen it has mentioned strange dreams, but maybe you have to be around it for several hours or something. I don't know. All I know is that it's not hurting me, I swear." The steady stare he was facing had Teddy tacking onto that statement. "Not physically hurting me, anyway. It is messing with me emotionally. Obviously."

Running his fingers through his perpetually messy and unmanageable hair, Harry was silent for a bit as he absorbed what he'd learned.

"Hermione's seen it?"

"And Rosie, Hugo, my grandmother, Sev Daimon, Alexei Dolohov, their grandmother…and a couple of other people that I know of. And the original artist passed away before I was born so I can't talk to him about it, but I really am sure that it's not a horcrux or any sort of weapon. He'd never use a painting of Regulus that way. He loved him."

"Were they a couple?"

"I don't know exactly what happened, no one knew about them for the most part but…oh. How did I miss that? I'm an idiot."

"What?"

Shaking his head at his own stupidity, Teddy couldn't believe he hadn't realized this before. "Professor Dumbledore. In one of the dreams Regulus made it clear that he'd warned their Headmaster against revealing to anyone that Teddy was gay. Something so out of character for him, of course Dumbledore would have figured out that Teddy was special to Regulus. I need to talk to his portrait! Dumbledore's! He would have paid attention to what was going on between them!"

How could he have forgotten the portraits?

Looking both surprised and reluctantly amused over Teddy's emotional outburst, Harry agreed that that would probably be a good idea.

Mind racing as he tried to remember all the places where Dumbledore's portrait hung, Teddy figured his best chance would be to return to Hogwarts again. He could send a letter, make sure the man was in his portrait when he came to visit.

"I take it you have a problem having the portrait examined by magical experts, and that's why you've been hiding it at Grimmauld Place?"

"NO! It's stays with me!" Recognizing how he sounded, as well as the fact that acting like this wouldn't his case in the slightest, Teddy schooled both his features and his voice as he stated more calmly that he needed to keep the portrait with him. He needed to know how their story ended. It would haunt him otherwise.

Eyes narrowing behind his glasses, Teddy could see Harry's mental debate play out before him.

"We'll have dinner with the family tonight, and afterwards I want to see this painting for myself. We'll go from there, alright?"

Knowing better than to argue, Teddy nodded in agreement.

"Good. Now I'll let you get back to work while I go bother Hermione instead. I'll see you at seven tonight."

"Got it."

"And try to have fun tonight, or you'll have everyone worried about you."

"Understood."

)

But at the end of the night it wasn't Teddy everyone was worried about, but Professor Wren Owens instead. When they'd all arrived at the Leaky Caldron James had spotted Wren there, all by himself for dinner, and Teddy's godbrother had all but dragged the poor man over to their table to join them for their meal. The man's presence had kept James occupied for the night, and Lily had been full of stories about her recent trip to Iceland with her godmother and her family, so Teddy had gotten through the evening without too much attention paid him when Wren had suddenly started gasping for air for no apparent reason, showing symptoms that Hannah Longbottom has recognized as an extreme allergic reaction.

Naturally the Caldron kept potions around for just such an occasion, and the stuff had worked in clearing up Wren's airways enough to let him breath straight away, but a trip to St. Mungo's had been called for, which was how they all ended up in the hospital's waiting room instead of finishing their desserts and then heading homes.

When he'd been able to speak Wren had gasped out that he didn't have any allergies, but since the potion had worked that obviously wasn't the case. Ergo he needed to get looked over and find out what he was allergic to so that this didn't happen again, and they were already at St. Mungo's by the time he'd been up to arguing with them about it anyway. Plus Ginny had leveled him with the 'Mum' look.

Wren had, however, stated that James couldn't come into the examination room with him, which was why Teddy found himself trying to keep his godbrother from going after Wren as the Muggle Studies teacher disappeared from view. Not an easy thing to do either, since James tended to lose his head when he was worried about someone he loved. And James did love Wren; that much was obvious.

And then there was the sound of a loud bang as a door was basically thrown open, the noise startling enough to make them all jump a little and turn their heads in the direction the noise had come from to see what the hell was going on.

The sight that greeted Teddy, well it was a good thing that James was standing right beside him so that he could grab ahold of his godbrother's shoulder for support.

Striding into the room like he owned it, the stranger was obviously a man on a mission as he made his way towards the front desk. He was tall and slender, his coloring dark with black eyes and shoulder length hair drawn back into a short ponytail, long bangs framing a fine boned face that was vaguely androgynous. He was dressed simply, but expensively, and it was the man's face that arrested all of Teddy's attention. The face that sucked all the breath from his lungs and made his legs go weak.

Because the man had Regulus Black's face.

"Sonofabitch." Coming over to stand on Teddy's other side Harry placed his hand on Teddy's shoulder, though Teddy hardly felt it as they watched the…ghost who wasn't a ghost speak to the witch at the desk, his body language borderline aggressive as he gestured at her with his hands.

And then the witch was pointing in their direction, and the Regulus look alike was turning around to face them. Was walking over to them, with his gaze zeroed in on Harry.