It was now two days after James and Lily arrived and the news about Sirius' imprisonment and Harry's home situation as a child had not been forgotten, but merely pushed into the back of everybody's minds. Today Andromeda was bringing a two-year old Teddy Lupin to Harry's house for a weekend stay. She had yet to know that James and Lily were two of the many Returners and she was in for a shock when she arrived.
"Okay," Harry addressed his parents over the table during breakfast, "now Andromeda will be here around twelve. That only four hours away. It'll be a shock to her that people close to me have finally Returned."
"And don't be nervous if she get emotional." Ginny added as she sealed a piece of bacon and washed it down with pumpkin juice. "She'll probably start asking about Remus and Tonks and if they'll be back."
"Don't say anything about the color pink!" Harry suddenly exclaimed.
Lily and James immediately looked confused.
"Why not?" Lily questioned her son.
"Tonks is a metamorphmagus." Ginny explained. "Her favorite color to keep her hair was pink."
Harry nodded in confirmation. "Andromeda always breaks out crying if you even mention it."
"Okay." Lily and James both nodded.
••••
Four hours later the Potters and Ginny were sitting at the dining table still, conversing when they heard a pop in the living room.
"That'll be them." Harry stood and left to go to where Andromeda and Teddy were. Ginny, Lily, and James followed.
"Andromeda," Harry greeted Tonks' mother who was holding a babbling turquoise haired toddler. "Hey Teddy! Oh, looks like his hair is turquoise again."
Andromeda handed the toddler to Harry who immediately begins to talk to him. "You must be real happy if your hair isn't brown."
"Oh, he is!" Andromeda laughed. "All I had to do was mention Uncle Harry and it was immediately a flash of colors before he decided on this one again."
"Must be his favorite color." Andromeda and Harry looked up to see Ginny and Lily and James standing behind her.
"Hello, Ginny." Andromeda's eyes landed on James and Lily. "Hello, I don't think we've met. I'm Andromeda Tonks."
"Nice to meet you." Lily said quietly. "My name is Lily Potter and this is my husband, James."
Upon hearing this information Andromeda's eyes widened and her jaw dropped a bit. "H-Harry's parents?"
"They are." Nodded Harry.
"A-and Dora and Remus?" She hesitantly asked, her voice shaky.
Harry shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, Andromeda, nobody else has Returned yet."
"It's alright, Harry." Andromeda gave Harry a small smile. "When people first started coming back, I had myself promise that I wouldn't be disappointed if my family didn't Return. And then my husband came back and I found my self hoping again that my daughter and son-in-law would show up. But here we are months later and there's no sign of them. I've learned not to get my hopes too high."
She then walked over to James and Lily and put her hand out to shake theirs. "It's splendid to meet you."
"It's great to meet you, too." Lily smiled.
Andromeda looked at James. "You, Remus, and my cousin Sirius were all good friends, right?"
"The best." James nodded in confirmation.
Andromeda just nodded slightly, then turned around and walked toward Harry and Teddy. She kissed Teddy on the head. "Goodbye, darling. Goodbye Harry, Ted will come get him Sunday evening ."
"Okay. G' bye, Andromeda."
Andromeda disappeared with a 'pop'.
"She seems very nice." Lily said after a few moments of no noise save for Teddy's random babbling.
"She is." Harry nodded.
"So," James smirked after a few moments, "this is mini Moony, eh?"
"Yes," Harry smiled as the toddler reached out for Ginny who took him into her arms, "this is Teddy Remus Lupin."
"He's just adorable!" Lily cooed at the child. "He's got Remus' eyes and nose, that's for sure."
"Is he a metamorphmagus?" James questioned as he looked at one of his best friend's son with a lingering sadness.
"Yeah, he is." Harry told them. "He hasn't quite gained control of it yet, but he will eventually."
"If you don't mind me asking," Lily started hesitantly, "is he a-a-"
"A werewolf?" Harry asked when she didn't finish her question. "No, but he has some werewolf like qualities."
"Like what?" Asked James, relieved that teddy didn't have to go through what his father did.
"Like around the full moon he gets particularly cranky." Chuckled Ginny as bounced Teddy up and down on her hip rhythmically.
"I just can't get over the fact that Remus," James laughs, "made this."
Ginny laughed. "He almost didn't with his stupid mantra."
"What mantra?" Asked Lily.
"Too old, too poor, too dangerous." Harry and Ginny spoke together as if it was rehearsed.
"Poor Tonks almost had to crack him over the head with a bat before he'd admit that he loved her." Ginny added, still chuckling.
"That's Moony for you." James looked back to Teddy. "Can I hold him? I haven't held a baby since, well- you know."
"Yeah, of course!" Ginny smile as she gently passed a dozing Teddy to Harry's father.
"He's adorable." Lily whispered as she looked at the baby in her husband's arms. "How old was he when...?"
"Only about a month." Harry told her sadly.
"Poor thing."
"Yeah." Harry nodded in agreement. "They really loved him."
"Of course they did." James ran a light hand over Teddy's head. "Remus didn't let his walls down to people often, but when he did, he did it with all his heart."
"He was a great dad." Harry chuckled. "A bit nervous, but great none the less. Sirius would've taken the mickey out of him the way he used baby talk with Teddy."
"How long was Sirius gone before he was born?" Asked James with a distant look in his eyes."
"About two years."
"And I wasn't here through any of it." James shook his head ruefully. "I couldn't protect any of you. You, your mother, hell I couldn't even protect my best friends from being killed. It's like it's happening all over again with Teddy being orphaned."
"But there's one difference." Harry told his father. "Teddy has still has family that loves him. He has Ginny, me, the Weasleys, his grandparents, and now he has you two to tell him all about how great his father was."
James didn't respond immediately. All he did was look down at the sleeping boy in his arms. "Yeah, I guess so."
"Anyways-" Harry was interrupted by the fireplace lighting up.
"Harry! Ginny!" Hermione called out in an excited voice before she saw them and the other two people in the living room. "Oh, Harry, is that your par- oomph!"
She fell out of the fireplace with Ron on top of her. "Mione, you're supposed to move."
"Well I'm sorry, Ronald," Hermione huffed as they stood up, "I was a bit distracted by the sight of Harry's parents."
"Wait- what?" Ron hurriedly looked around the room before his eyes fell on James and Lily. "Are they...?"
"Yeah," Harry smiled, "Mum, Dad, meet my best mates, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Ron, Hermione, meet my parents, James and Lily Potter."
Hermione immediately rushed forward and began to shake their hands. Ron does the same, but not as hurriedly. "Hello, nice to meet you."
"Likewise," smiled James, "it's brilliant to meet the people my son grew up with."
Lily nodded in agreement.
"Well this just blows our news out of the water, doesn't it, Mione?" Ron asked Hermione with a slight laugh.
"I guess." Hermione chuckled back.
"Wait what news?" Ginny asked.
In reply, Hermione simply help up her left hand.
"Ah!" Ginny shrieked. "You're getting married!"
Ginny rushed over to Hermione as Harry walked up to Ron and gave him a pat on the back. "You finally plucked up the courage, eh mate?"
"Yep." Ron nodded with a smile as he looked loving at Hermione as Ginny fussed over her ring.
"How'd you do it?" Ginny asked as she looked up from the diamond ring.
"Well Mione and I were in a bit of a row-"
"Nothing new there!" Ginny laughed and Ron glared at her before continuing.
"As I was saying, we were rowing and in the middle of it I just took the ring out of my pocket, got on my knee and did it."
Harry chuckled, "well congrats you two."
"Thanks, Harry."