Cheating Death
Written by Christina Elizabeth Lupin
A/N: I hope that everyone is having a wonderful day. Anyway, thanks to the 12 reviewers who reviewed this story, some of you having read my other fics too. I am so glad that you liked the first chapter and I hope that the second will be even better. So, here it is and enjoy! Also, I now have a Yahoo! Group just for my readers and reviewers to learn more about my stories, get alerts as to when I update my stories, I answer your questions, and a whole lot more. Please visit my profile and click on my homepage. It will take you there.
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Cheating Death
Chapter Two
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After the long hugging session that went on in the house, Harry and Teddy lead their parents into the living room and proceeded to interrogate them on what happened. James and Lily described how all they remembered, before they woke up, was the night when Voldemort arrived at their house and killed them. Remus and Tonks offered the same information, only remembering the last moments before they died.
"But I am so happy that you are still alive, Harry," Lily cried, smiling happily at her son. "Do you have a girlfriend? Are you married? Do you have kids? What kind of career do you have? What….?"
James put a hand to her mouth, muffling her other questions. "Sorry about that, Harry. She's just a little excited." His wife glared at him, sending the others into a fit of laughter.
"To answer your questions, Mum," Harry began, chuckling, "no, I have no girlfriend or wife and have no interest in getting married at all. The only kids I have are Teddy and a dog, whose sleeping in my room. As for a job, I work as the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts."
"He's excellent at it too," Teddy added, grinning at his godfather.
James and Lily beamed at their son while Remus and Tonks took the chance to pull their son aside and talk to him, asking him questions about his life and everything else. When the clock in the living room chimed, Harry stood up.
"Do you want something to eat? I'll have to make more than usual but I can handle that."
"That's fine, son," James said. He stretched his arms. "Do you mind if I use the shower? I don't think I smell all that lovely…"
"Go ahead. The same goes for the rest of you. And help yourself to some of my clothes until Teddy and I can get you some of your own." With that, Harry walked out of the room.
Lily turned to Teddy as James left for the shower. "Teddy, do you live here with Harry, alone?"
"Yes. Da…um, Harry secluded himself away from the ladies ever since the last battle. Ginny, the girl he had fallen in love with, tried to date him again but he never took her up on it. If it weren't for Grandma Andromeda giving custody of me to my godfather, I don't know what he would have done. He's still a wreck, no matter how much he tried to hide it."
Remus, Lily, and Tonks noticed the slight slip when Teddy mentioned his godfather and knew just how much the kid really loved Harry. It made Teddy's true parents feel guilty when they realized that, once they got back on their feet, that Teddy would be torn between wanting to live with them and staying with Harry, his surrogate father.
"What about the others? Ron, Hermione, Neville…" Remus asked, changing the subject.
"Aunt Hermione and Uncle Ron are married and have two kids, Rose and Hugo. Neville is the Herbology professor at Hogwarts and usually talks with Harry most of the time. Hermione has replaced Slughorn as the Potions professor and Ron plays Keeper with the Chudley Cannons, his favorite Quidditch team."
James came back during this and he sat down next to his wife, smiling at the teen. It would seem that his son did an excellent job raising Remus' son. He just hoped that Harry would someday marry a beautiful witch and populate the world with little Potters.
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Dinner was a silent affair as everyone ate. Remus and Tonks noticed, with frowns, that Harry still ate slowly, never taking too much. They would have thought that Molly Weasley would have broken that habit years ago. Teddy hid a smile as he continued to watch his parents.
Teddy knew that he would someday be going with his parents when they moved out and he knew that he would hurt his godfather, but not as much as it would hurt him. The teen loved his godfather very much. He had taken care of the young Metamorphmagus since he was an infant and Teddy grew to love Harry like a father. Teddy just hoped that Harry would understand and continue to love him.
Teddy helped his godfather clear the dishes from the table as their parents moved into the living room. He leaned against the doorway and watched Harry wash the dishes Muggle style.
"Harry?" he asked tentatively.
"Yes, Teddy?" Harry replied, turning around with a smile.
The younger wizard shifted on his feet, feeling uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "You know I love you, right?" He tried to hide his tears that were beginning to collect in his eyes.
"Yes, and you know that I love you too." The older man came forward and tilted Teddy's head so he could look into his godson's eyes. "I will never stop loving you, even if you decide to go live with your parents. The decision is up to you and, personally, I wouldn't blame you for wanting to live with Remus and Tonks. I know I would, if I were in your position."
The tears fell. "And you wouldn't be mad at me?" Teddy felt ashamed that he sounded like a little child when he asked the question.
His godfather smiled. "No." He pressed a kiss to Teddy's forehead and sent the teen into the living room, claiming that he could finish the dishes by himself.
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When Harry entered the living room, he smiled when he saw the Lupin family sitting together on the couch, talking animatedly. Lily and James were cuddled together on the love seat and smiled up at him when he came in.
"Sit down, son," James said, patting the armchair next to him.
Harry laughed as he took his seat. "I think it's funny that you call me son when I am, in fact, much older than you."
Lily grinned sadly. "Yes, but I don't think it should matter. You are our son, no matter how old you are."
"What she said," James replied, earning a smack from his wife. "Ouch! Watch it, woman!"
"You haven't changed in the slightest. You copy off of everyone else, never thinking of your own original ideas."
"Have not," Harry's father mumbled, looking away.
Harry watched them almost hungrily, wanting to learn more about his parents. He had known that the two weren't together until their last year at Hogwarts, when becoming Head Boy straightened James out. He didn't do as many embarrassing pranks as he used to and he matured into a person Lily could finally go out with.
It was the Lupins' turn to watch the Potter family as James and Lily continued to fight playfully and Harry laughed. Remus felt somewhat jealous that the two could make Harry happy, though he mentally scolded himself for doing so. Harry deserved to get to know his parents, just like Teddy, but even that didn't stop his jealousy from flaring.
Tonks looked at her husband and rubbed his back, letting him know that she was there for him. She knew what was going through his head, having a first hand experience of Remus and Harry's relationship. She knew that he loved Harry as much as he loved Teddy (which should've been almost impossible). As much as Remus had done for Harry, it never came across her husband that Harry would do him some good too. Harry, after all, was one of the reasons why Remus even started to date Tonks. Remus had become a better person since he began to talk with Harry and Tonks would be forever grateful that Harry came into Remus' life.
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End of chapter
A/N: Kinda short and late but at least I got it done! Again, thank you to all of my 12 reviewers for the first chapter of this fic. It makes me happy reading your reviews and knowing how much you like the story so far. Hopefully the next chapter will be coming up much sooner than it took for this one to get finished.