Teddy stared at the page in a mixture of shock and awe. First and foremost, he was unsure why his father seemed so sure that they would never meet. It was a strange mix of sadness and creepiness, to put it mildly. Teddy had never met anyone in his life so sure of their own demise. However, there was also awe. Never in his wildest dreams did Teddy actually imagine his father speaking directly to him. Getting fatherly advice from his own father had seemed utterly impossible. Teddy closed the journal, and simply sat in the tree. Love, friends, and family. Thanks to his own family, Teddy supposed he had Victoire. He had plenty of friends, though he didn't intend on snogging of them, and family…Well, Teddy was realizing he had more family than he knew what to do with. Not only did he have his grandparents, but the Potters had in fact become his adoptive family. Teddy may not have had a mother or father, but he certainly had everything in between. He had everything his father had hoped he would—and didn't have anything his father feared he would pass on.

No, Teddy thought to himself. I do have a mother and father—they just aren't around. The words in front of him proved that he had parents who loved him more than life itself. Teddy had met his parents—he just couldn't remember it. But in reading his father's words, the young Lupin felt more than he ever had that he did know his parents. Their hopes and dreams for him had become a reality, and the Remus Lupin who wrote in the journal felt oddly familiar to Teddy. How did he know Teddy would read this page first? How did he know his son would have a penchant for mayhem? The more the boy thought about it, the more he realized that perhaps he was like his parents, and as cliché as it sounded, they were alive in their son. That didn't mean Teddy wasn't his own person—he certainly was. But he had somehow embodied his parents without having the slightest idea of just how subconsciously he had done it.

And maybe that's how it should stay. Teddy wanted to be himself, but he began to worry that by reading his father's journal, he would start to consciously change himself, and he knew deep down he was in a time of his life where that would be likely. He was only fifteen, and very impressionable—he was still trying to figure out why he was clumsy (genetics or a learned behavior to make himself likeable), much less his own personality and values. So, Teddy stared at the journal, wondering where it would take him if he opened it again. He didn't want to be sniveling, worrying, or sorry for himself as Remus claimed he once was—that was not who Teddy was.

This led Teddy to think about the last line his father wrote, and a wave of guilt rushed through the boy as he recalled how he had treated his grandfather prior to visiting. How could Teddy not have wanted to meet Lyall Lupin? Moreover, how had he managed to be so mean to him earlier that very day?

Teddy stored the journal under his armpit as he climbed down the tree, walking back up to the cottage. He opened the door, peering inside.

"Grandpa?" He called out. Sure enough, Lyall was exactly where he said he would be—reading the paper at the kitchen table. The elder Lupin let out a small chuckle.

"Don't tell me you already read the whole thing?" He asked, eyes twinkling. Teddy shook his head and closed the door, walking a bit sheepishly into the kitchen.

"I…I couldn't. Not now, at least. He left me a message at the end—"

"Oh, you're one of those, then," Lyall drawled, rolling his eyes. "Your father did the same thing and it drove me absolutely crazy. What did it say?" He asked. Teddy shrugged.

"Lots. He…It was like he knew I wouldn't know him—he addressed it to me. But reading it got me thinking that perhaps I know more than I thought I did, and I may feel differently later but…I don't think I need to know more about my father. Not now, anyways," Teddy said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Does that make me crazy?" He asked. Lyall chuckled and shook his head.

"No, my boy, not in the slightest. I found myself wondering the same thing. If he were alive, neither of us would feel any need to read that journal. It's an odd thing that we feel drawn to it now." Teddy found himself nodding. It was exactly as he felt.

"I still want to keep it," Teddy insisted. "Just in case. But I feel better knowing I'm not crazy—well, no more than usual this time of the month. I want to apologize for how I acted earlier. I was mean to you, and I don't want to be." Lyall smiled, pulling a chair aside next to him.

"Teddy, you don't have to apologize, but I do appreciate it. I'll never understand how you must feel—I can only do my best to help you. I imagine that you may have found me selfish for wanting you here instead of your normal summers with the Potters," Lyall began, waiting for Teddy to sit down. The boy walked slowly to the kitchen table, taking a seat. "I felt selfish for a bit. After all, what's hanging with an old coot compared to running around with people closer to your own age?" Teddy sighed.

"I…I was upset at first. I suppose I took some of that out on you earlier. But I'm not upset now," Teddy insisted. "And you're not an old coot—really. Or selfish. You wanted to get to know me, and I wish I came here wanting the same—to get to know you, I mean," Teddy corrected. "But I do now. I want to get to know you—not my father." Lyall looked surprised.

"You want to know…me? I can assure you, I'm not special—"

"That's not what Remus told me," Teddy said with a smile. "And Harry sung your praises—that's for sure. I was just too daft to realize it. So," The boy began, placing his head in his hands. "Tell me about yourself, Grandpa. Toi…meem?" Teddy said, trying his best at the unfamiliar language. Lyall smiled.

"You're getting there, I promise. But I'm not sure I have much to tell!" He exclaimed. "I'm a pretty simple man, not very interesting I can tell you that much."

"Bullocks," Teddy said plainly. "I'll bet you're plenty interesting."

The elder Lupin smiled, and so began to tell Teddy about his rather uneventful childhood in Yorkshire. Lyall Romulus Lupin was born in Rennes in 1931 to Jacques Remus Lupin and Elise Clara Lupin née Foucier. When he was four years old, his father took a job in the ministry in Britain and moved his family to Yorkshire. The couple had two more children: Luna Elise and Lucas Mathias. Lyall was sorted into Hufflepuff, while his siblings were sorted into Slytherin. In 1957 he met Hope Howell, a muggle-born Gryffindor student in his year. The two were married, Lyall began his own work in the ministry, and their only son Remus was born in 1960. In 1964, their lives changed forever. Lyall had his last contact with his family shortly after, and has never heard from them since. His siblings moved to the states, and his parents passed away when Remus was in his early teens.

Lyall was smart, witty, kind and gifted at charms. He enjoyed painting, cooking, and singing while Hope played the piano. In his youth, he was an avid fan of Quidditch and even played on the school team. While he had grown up comfortable, he spent every dime he had on his son: looking for a cure, paying for his health expenses, etc. He took a low paying, menial desk job at the ministry while Hope worked as a receptionist at the local bank. They made ends meet, but barely.

Lyall had been a bit of a prankster, though not to the extent as his son had been. He was more interested in wit, and so his pranks were less showy and more related to puns. In his fourth year, for example, he Bewitched several charms books in the library to read "harm" wherever "charm" was found. Lyall was never caught, and he reckons several of these books still exist in the library today. Teddy was keen on finding them.

Lyall had also known Minerva McGonagall in school, and he supposed it was his fault the Marauders called her Minnie, as he had told Remus her nickname was such in school. This amused Teddy greatly, and Lyall had once again made the mistake of divulging too much information.

When he was in school, his family had a large black dog called "Garou." He later told this to Remus, who mentioned off handedly that he also had a large black dog. This led to the boy's "great announcement" of his feelings for Sirius Black. Lyall was unsurprised; in his earlier years, he too had seen love as quite fluid amongst genders, though he would reveal no more to Teddy.

The Lupins talked into the night about Lyall's past, and Teddy felt quite content knowing his grandfather all the much better.

"Merlin, it's getting late. I must be off to bed, my boy," Lyall remarked with a yawn. "You are more than welcome to roam about, of course, but I suspect you'll need your rest for tomorrow." Teddy nodded. Full moons were not his cup of tea. As Lyall went to his own room, Teddy marched upstairs to his. As soon as he laid his head on his pillow, Teddy was fast asleep. That night he dreamt of going into town with his grandfather, and told himself he would propose the outing after the moon had passed. And with that, night fell in the the Lupin cottage.