"We're packed?" Lupin asked when he saw the suitcases near the fireplace in the Tonks home.
"Yes. Bill invited us to Shell Cottage for Christmas. Said he's got enough people coming that we may as well join the party. That, and when Teddy finds out that Charlie was in England for Christmas and we didn't go, we'll never hear the end of it – and he will find out," she concluded, because she had always thought that her grandson got his intelligence from her.
Lupin was too stunned and concerned to bother getting into his usual squabble with Andromeda over where Teddy had gotten his intelligence from. Shell Cottage? For Christmas? "Who else is going to be there?" he asked with false casualness, because he knew perfectly well who was going to be there – everyone, and then some.
"The six of them, plus their spouses – Fleur, Tess, Audrey, Angelina, Hermione. Harry. Neville and Luna. Augusta was invited but she's doing something with her family. And Xenophilius, which should make things interesting," Andromeda finished. She liked Luna – and Neville had been a sobering influence on Luna, just as Luna had brought out his more whimsical side – but her father was something else entirely. "So eighteen, including the three of us."
Eighteen. So that included Ginny. Which naturally, it would, but the idea of being in such close quarters to her over such a sentimental holiday and having to pretend that they were nothing more than acquaintances? What was their public relationship, anyway? She was the sister of his brother-in-law (and since he and Tess were pack-siblings, not blood-siblings, there was some contention within more traditional circles that that didn't even count, although not, of course, in the Weasleys). By rights he should see her a few times a year, whenever Bill organised something like this. When in actual fact he'd been screwing her brains out every second week.
"Remus, you OK?" Andromeda asked idly.
"Fine," he said, and he couldn't believe that Andromeda actually bought his weak smile. Oh, shit, I am in so much trouble.
"I take it this place is actually bigger than the last time I was here and it's not just my imagination?" Lupin asked. Shell Cottage appeared to have been considerably enlarged.
Bill grinned in welcome. "I got by when they were all single," he said. "I couldn't when they all started marrying and there was so much left over after Ginny's flat that I started expanding this place." Natural, really, since Bill was now head of the Weasley family, which made Shell Cottage a natural hub for the family. "I'm up to a dozen bedrooms. At least that accounts for everyone, a nursery and five extra rooms." Which, if you did the math, currently made a full house. "We have to eventually stop expanding."
Andromeda was wandering through the downstairs, which was fitted with a large dining area and a large recreational area. "The house I grew up in wasn't this large," she mused. "If there was anyone left to gloat to, you could have a field day." She didn't sound the least bit sad about the death of her older sister or incarceration of her younger one. In fact, she had taken great pleasure in turning Black House into an oversized convalescence ward for patients who didn't need the round-the-clock care of St. Mungo's but still needed a degree of professional care in their recovery. "And it's nicer, too," she added, and Lupin could have sworn he heard the teeniest amount of wistfulness in her voice. Because if Black House had been anything like Number 12 Grimmauld Place, it had had a stifling atmosphere, whereas Shell Cottage was clearly a place where everyone was welcome and the house simply accommodated itself to everyone's comings and goings.
"Everyone's out the back," Bill said. "Come through."
They were the last to arrive, even after Luna and Neville, but then, he'd gone by Andromeda's place thinking that was where he was spending Christmas. Teddy immediately ran towards Victorie and hugged her. Andromeda shot Lupin a look: How did I get so involved with this family? she asked. That's what they do, Lupin shot back with his own look. The Weasleys had a way of incorporating every good-natured soul that they met along the way into their ranks.
Lupin's attention was caught by something zooming through the winter sky with the speed and skill that only a Quidditch champion – even just at Hogwarts level – could do. "What on earth is Charlie doing?" he asked, although he had a sinking feeling he knew exactly what his brother-in-law was doing. Attached to the end of Charlie's broomstick was a seat, and strapped into that was a Teddy-sized doll which Lupin had no doubt had been charmed to be Teddy-weight.
"That's for me!" Teddy squealed excitedly, and for once in their proud careers as father and grandmother, Lupin and Andromeda were sorry that the boy had such quick intelligence. Even for the advanced skill at his age, he lacked the ability to fly on anything more advanced than a toy broomstick that hovered a few meters from the ground – nothing which would result in more than a broken bone should he fall. They were good for teaching children the basics of flying, but with his natural talent for it and yearning to do the real thing – a talent and yearning that, if Augusta Longbottom were to be believed, he had inherited from his grandfather – he had soon grown tired of his toy broomstick. Especially when he had seen the awesome things that Uncle Charlie could do.
Which explained why Charlie was flying so low and slow for someone of his ability – he was getting the hang of flying with the extra weight. "Over my dead body, Charlie Weasley!" Lupin yelled into the sky.
Charlie heard him, and brought his broomstick down and hopped onto the ground with enviable agility. "He'll only go and steal one from the school shed," Charlie pointed out. "Isn't it better that he get a feel for it flying with me before he tries it on his own?"
"You just want to show off by proving you can do all your tricks with a five-year-old strapped to the back of your broom," Lupin countered. Charlie grinned at that and didn't deny it. He glanced over at Andromeda; for all their differences and initial acrimony, they were very much in sync when it came to Teddy, and he knew from the look on her face that she shared his thoughts. Loathe though they were to admit it, Charlie was right – Teddy loved to fly, and would eventually find a way to get hold of a broom before he was old enough to fly if they kept limiting him to a toy one. Who better to fly with than Charlie? There was no-one either of them knew who did it better – well, apart from maybe Harry, and Harry didn't have the same bond with Teddy, and therefor the same investment in keeping him safe. "Fine," he said grudgingly. "But if anything happens to him – "
Squealing, Teddy ran up to Charlie and held his arms above his head in an up motion. Charlie picked him out, Teddy's five-year-old legs wrapping around his uncle's waist, his five-year-old arms clinging around Charlie's neck. "Wanna go up!" he proclaimed.
Charlie laughed. "Not just yet, kiddo," he said. "You're dad's quite right to be concerned. Let me get some practice in until I feel confident." Teddy scowled at that, but seemed to understand that it was the best he was going to get.
Lupin smiled indulgently at his intelligent, adventurous son who seemed to have inherited all his parents attributes – intelligence, insight, loyalty – and none of their flaws – her clumsiness, his lycanthropy. And then he saw her. Her red hair seemed even more vibrant against the backdrop of her fair skin and the pale winter sky. She was wearing beige pants and a white button-up shirt, both of which hugged her figure. She was wearing her signature style of jewellery – a rube pendant on a gold chain – he had often thought about getting her something similar, except of course there was no way he could be seen buying such a thing, it would immediately start tongues wagging.
She looked stunning. It had been a long time since he had seen her dressed so smartly – since that fateful night that he had rescued her from something awful in Paris. She had worn comfortable clothes suitable for a lot of walking when they had been travelling together – varied occasionally by something overtly sexy, suitable for a werewolf's companion – and since they had rekindled their relationship, he had only seen her in comfortable, around-the-house clothes. Fitted, stylish clothes suited her – and she knew what colours suited her, too.
He was filled with the urge to march up to her and take her in his arms, kiss her, tell the world – especially her family – that she was his.
She looked up to see him and her heart skipped a beat. She had known that he was coming, had tried to get out of it, but really, how many excuses were there to get out of Christmas with your family? So there was no help for it.
She watched as he picked up his son and hoisted him onto his hip and she found herself wondering what it would be like for Teddy to be her son. Of course, she was too young, she hadn't even been of age when he had been born, but the thought of having a child with him, actually seeing him with his son to another woman, made her simultaneously long for the same and feel jealous of Tonks for having what she never would.
She fought back her feelings and smiled what she hoped was a generic welcoming smile – a proper greeting for a man she (supposedly) knew only vaguely, the brother of her sister-in-law. "Remus, hi," she said, before directing her attention to Teddy. "It's been so long since I've seen you," she cooed. "I'm not sure if you remember, but I was one of your dad's students when you first came to Hogwarts. You were the most well-behaved baby ever."
"Which he clearly got from his dad," Charlie said, to much laughter, because he knew better than anyone else other than Nymphodora Tonks's capacity for getting into trouble. It hadn't been that she was particularly destructive; she had always meant to be a model pupil like her parents had been, but her kitten-like curiosity and ability to satiate it by morphing into pretty much anyone had always led her best intentions astray.
Teddy looked at Ginny curiously, of course not remembering that first year of his life, intelligent as he was. "You're Uncle Charlie's sister," he said.
Ginny smiled at that. "I can see that Andromeda had no chance," she said. Andromeda had been a little too confident that she would get Teddy into Morganna's; the simple and immediate effectiveness of Lupin's counter-campaign had been found so amusing that most of the magical community had known about it within days – Ginny hadn't even heard it from Lupin himself.
"There's nothing wrong with Morganna's," Andromeda said stiffly, perhaps not the best thing to try and defend among the Weasleys. "Mr. Longbottom?" she asked.
"Hated it, wanted to go to Lady of the Lake," Neville said bluntly. "That place is crawling with Malfoys."
"What of them that are left," Lupin said smugly. Needless to say, the name had taken something of a battering since the end of the War.
But despite his teasing Andromeda, it was a relaxed, friendly atmosphere. Except for one niggly little thing. If only Ginny weren't here, Lupin kept thinking, almost as frequently as his gaze drifted over towards her. They sat down for dinner and it was a lively, vibrant affair. Lupin was sparing with how much he drank, terrified that after too much he would become uninhibited in his actions and say or do something that he couldn't take back, but despite his caution, he enjoyed himself. It had been a while since he had spent time with people who weren't his colleagues. Not that he didn't like his Hogwarts colleagues, but it was nice to be with others. With family, he thought, the word bringing a whimsical smile to his face, because via Tess's marriage, the Weasleys were the closest he had to family after Teddy and Andromeda.
Andromeda. Lupin's lips curved up in amusement to see his mother-in-law enjoying herself. That polite mask of interest in Xenophilius seemed like less of a mask than the one she usually wore for those she had zero interest in... even if whatever interest she had was amusement for ideas that made his daughter look straight-laced. Or maybe, it occurred to him, she was lonelier than she let on. The thought amused him somewhat. He had always been a little in awe of Andromeda, thought her incapable of such an emotion as loneliness...
... Harry was trying his best to engage Ginny. He looked so striking – he wasn't to know that she had unconsciously dressed to catch Lupin's eye. He had been so disappointed when their relationship had failed, although some part of him had known that there wasn't that fire there – he had had more fire in his 'relationship' with Cho Change when they had been at Hogwarts. But he had been so fond of Ginny, had loved being part of the Weasley family in a way that had been deeper and richer than just being Ron's friend... and it was more than that, he was envious of the relationship that Ron and Hermione had. And Ginny was the only girl he had ever really thought about having that with.
Ginny was polite, but restless. It was so frustrating, to be so close to Lupin and not being able to do anything about it. And to see him with Teddy... if she hadn't already known that he was a devoted father, seeing them together would have clinched it. He loved that boy with every fibre of that huge, generous heart of his, and Teddy returned that love. Even the novelty of having his beloved Uncle Charlie nearby didn't entirely distract him from his father. Ginny wanted to share that with them so much, and she was so jealous of her brother for the part he had in their lives.
Harry brought her over some eggnog – Fleur's recipe, and not a bad stand-in for Molly's, but there was always something about a mother's recipe that could never be duplicated, even if you were particularly skilled in the kitchen. "Thanks," she said distractedly, watching Lupin and Teddy.
"He's really something, isn't he?" Harry asked. "When I have kids, I want a son just like him," he said, assuming – like anyone else would have in the situation – that it was Teddy, and only Teddy, that had her attention. Harry took this to be a good thing, that she was looking to settle down and have a family of her own.
"Yeah," Ginny said. "He's so bright. And he handles the situation with his mum so well." She had never really thought about how Neville must have felt growing up in a similar – and arguably, worse, since he was effectively an orphan – situation until she had listened to Lupin fret about the affect it was having on Teddy. Not that the boy was lacking for female role models, but knowing what she knew made her feel deep sympathy for the boy... not to mention her own sense of longing to be a kind of mother-figure to him.
"He's got more than I did," Harry said stiffly. It didn't matter how much he was trying to instigate quality time with Ginny, he still hated it when people spoke about 'poor Teddy Lupin'. 'Poor Teddy Lupin' had a father and grandmother who adored him, was being raised surrounded by magic with some of the best witches and wizards of the age – Hogwarts was very select with who it allowed to teach – doting on him... it was a sight better than what he, Harry had gotten growing up.
"Sorry," Ginny said distractedly, and Harry choked back a sigh of frustration. She had been like this – well, ever since she had disappeared over summer, with the occasional owl sent to Bill to tell her she was fine and having a blast. Where had she gone, anyway, that had been so enthralling that ordinary life no longer interested her?
"Who's up for a game of Quidditch?" Harry asked, because when they all got together at Shell Cottage, Quidditch was split between him, Ginny and Ron on one side and Bill, Charlie and George on the other. His suggestion worked a treat – despite the cold weather, within minutes they had a game going and Ginny, who was as competitive as her brothers when it came to Quidditch, was co-ordinating with Harry and Ron to kick their asses.
Teddy, sitting in his father's lap, clapped joyfully to watch six excellent players go head-to-head, even in just a friendly match played with enchanted golf balls. "Keep dreaming," Lupin said, too quietly for Teddy to hear him. No way was he letting Charlie do that with Teddy riding dinky, even if he did have a lot vested in him emotionally. Despite himself, he felt jealousy to watch Ginny and Harry – and Ron, too, but that barely registered – working so well together. He didn't care in the slightest that there was something she was so good at that he would never be more than clumsily competent in – even Augusta's recent announcement that he had once been a very good flier for his age had done nothing to tweak the resignation that had long since lapsed into disinterest when it came to the fact that he just didn't have the physiology to do certain things – but watching her do it so damn well with her ex made him jealous.
He didn't like seeing her with Harry, he admitted to a small recess in his mind. He didn't like Harry being here. Hell, he didn't like being here, with all this awkwardness, but he especially didn't like Harry being here. It was clear that the younger man still harboured hopes of getting back together... and Ginny was his.
Merlin, he thought. If this was how he felt just seeing her being pally with Harry, than it was no wonder she had been so furious at him over the St. Mungo's incident. She must love him a lot to be able to stand it.
Teddy looked in utter confusion at the ice skates Tess had gotten him for Christmas. She had had the foresight to attach a plastic 'cap' over the blades so he didn't cut himself by accident as he pored over the devices. "Magical-borns don't ice skate," Tess said. "Charlie says it's boring. They just don't know how to show off their grace and athletic prowess without magic."
"She just salvages her pride over being such a bad flyer by looking good on the ice," Charlie countered. "Besides, last I checked, lycanthropy still came under magic." And there was no denying that the innate grace that came with practiced skating was emphasised by the grace and balance that werewolves possessed – at least on the ground.
"Actually, lycanthropy counts as supernatural, not magical," Lupin offered, flashing Tess a grin, because she was right – the muggle sport did tend to be overlooked by magical-borns as 'boring' on account that it didn't use magic. And Tess on skates could be just as captivates as Charlie on a broom. Hell, Lupin thought smugly, him on skates could be just as captivating as Charlie on a broom... Tess's blond beauty made her a force you couldn't take your eyes off. "You'll enjoy it, Teddy," Lupin said, and he felt much comfortable with Teddy skating than flying... especially after he'd reinforced the ice on the lake a short distance from Shell Cottage so it was at least two feet deep. "We'll take you out."
"Ginny, you can skate, can't you?" Tess asked. Ginny nodded; Hermione had been passionate about winter sports for years, and she had picked it up and found she rather enjoyed it. "Good, you can come with us."
"I don't want to barge in – " Ginny started helplessly, torn between wanting to join in on the little family outing and not wanting to be around him... when Tess, Teddy and Andromeda were around as well.
Tess waved her away. "You're my sister and you can skate," she said dismissively, but still friendly. "Let's show Teddy how it's done."
Despite the magical-born tendancy to look down on skating, Ginny enjoyed it. There was something freeing about speeding along on the blades, feeling the muscles in her legs working in a way that flying just didn't require.
It didn't take long of watching for Teddy to want to be a part of it, and not much longer after that for him to have a solid grasp on it. The four spent the better part of the morning whizzing around on the ice before everyone was called in for lunch.
In spite of the great time he'd had, part of Lupin was glad it was over, because he'd barely been able to take his eyes off Ginny. He was as graceful and athletic on skates – perhaps even more so – than she was on a broomstick, without the feeling of vertigo that he got for watching her. When her long hair whipped around her, he had longed to feel it draped across his bare chest, or brushing against his shoulders when she rubbed them...
Resolutely, he took Teddy's hand and led him back into the house, sitting him down and waving his wand over his son to dry his clothes out before lifting him up and settling the boy onto his hip because he wasn't too old or too big to still enjoy the tactile warmth from a hug. "Have fun?" he asked Teddy, although the answer was obvious enough.
Teddy's green eyes sparkled. "Can we do that at Hogwarts?" he asked.
"I'll see what I can organise," Lupin said noncommittally, because he couldn't see McGonagall allowing him to freeze the Great Lake – or the creatures that lived in it allowing it, for that matter – but he might be able to whip up a pond somewhere on the grounds if he could spare the time away from his students and office. "Just be careful, mate, you get cold more easily than I do."
The rest of Christmas Day passed in a pleasantly of good food and good company and as it drew to an end, the all sat in the living room around the fire, Teddy curled up in Lupin's arms, fighting sleep, loving the sense of family and not wanting to fall asleep when surrounded by such good spirits.
"It's been a while since he's fallen asleep in your arms," Neville noted when Teddy finally dropped off in his father's arms. When Teddy had been younger – although 'younger' was a relative term for someone not yet five years old – he refused to go to bed when Neville was over and would fall asleep in Lupin's arms.
"He found it was a lot more comfortable falling asleep in his own bed, and he eventually got bored of our conversation," Lupin said. "But family's new to him. Even if it's borrowed."
"Mum always said that all the goodwill you give out, you get back with interest," Bill mused.
"You're mum was a wise woman." Lupin cuddled the small figure in his arms. "I think it's time for my own bedtime," he said; it was past midnight. Getting to his feet carefully so as not to wake Teddy, he carried the little boy into the nursery and put him to bed, watching him sleep for ten minutes. He doubted he would ever tire of watching Teddy sleep, and had no idea how he was going to cope when he went off to elementary school.
Eventually, he made his way towards his own room, knowing on Andromeda's door on the way. "Come in," she said.
Despite the late hour, she appeared to have been expecting him. She was sitting up in bed, reading but she hadn't changed into sleeping clothes, and was. "I think I forgot to say, but Merry Christmas," he said.
She smiled. "You, too."
"I hope we weren't too disrespectful," he said, because when you had almost twenty people and all but three of them were Gryffindors, it was easy to pick on Slytherin.
Andromeda smiled forgivingly; she no doubt would have done the same had the situation been reversed. "They're good people," she said. "I'm glad Teddy has them for family."
"What about Ted's family?" he asked.
She laughed dryly at that. "What's the name of Harry Potter's aunt and uncle? Dudley?"
"Dursely."
"They make the Durselys look open-minded. His mother, Audrey, never stopped hoping that he'd see the error of his ways and go back to her beliefs." She smiled sardonically. "I took great pleasure in informing her about you."
"Glad I could be of some assistance." Lupin couldn't imagine how it must have been for Andromeda, to have been raised in such an elite, pure-blood household, and be treated like a freak by her in-laws.
"I don't think she'd acknowledge Teddy, even if I let her," Andromeda said. "So I'm glad he has the Weasleys. I look at how he is with them – especially Charlie – and I don't worry about him lacking for people who care about him."
"The Weasleys are like that," Lupin said. "Molly took in everyone. Her only condition was them being a decent human being."
Andromeda laughed. "I know. Dora didn't know what to make of them at first. She was so used to being an only child and then she was surrounded by... organised chaos," she said tactfully, because she had never quite gotten used to the activity that went on in the Weasley home – any Weasley home, it seemed, because Molly and Arthur's deaths hadn't seemed to have put a dent in the activity that went on.
Smiling, Lupin left Andromeda and returned to his own room, pleased that things had worked out so well. Despite having Ginny in such close proximity, he was glad he had come here for Christmas.
He let himself into his room to find Ginny sitting on his bed, flipping through one of his books as if she belonged there. His heart leapt to see her, and simultaneously twisted in dread. If anyone saw her – "Ginny, what are you doing here?" he asked. "You've got to leave."
"I had to see you," she said in a small voice. "It's hell, being around you and not being able to touch you."
"I know," he said, and despite his better judgement, drew her in to kiss her. "You taste like Christmas," he mumbled between frantic kisses, trying to savour the moment and ram his tongue down her throat, getting as much of her as he could at the same time.
She giggled. "Really? What does Christmas taste like?"
"Family. Friendship," he mumbled, not that keen on talking when he could kiss her. Reluctantly, he pulled away so he could cast on Imperturbable spell on the door. "You're going to be the death of me, you know that," he murmured huskily when he went back to kissing her.
He pushed her down onto her back, his hands sliding under her shirt. It hadn't been long since their last tryst, but given the agony of being in such close proximity to one another all day for several days – and during a period associated with friendship and companionship – it had felt like much longer. She wriggled her legs out from under him to wrap them around his waist and gyrated her pelvis against his, delighted with the results.
"Remus..." she groaned when he pushed the flimsy material of her shirt up under her armpits, exposing her breasts, kissing them, stroking them, licking first one nipple until it was hard against his tongue and then the other. She frantically grabbed at him under his shirt, relishing the texture of his skin, even the feel of the scars that ran across his back because they were such an integral part of them and therefor something she found unbelievable sexy. "Remus!" she cried again, this time louder.
They undressed each other quickly and boldly, she manoeuvred herself so she was on top of him. In a frenzied state herself, she nonetheless had the presence of mind to tease Lupin a little, holding herself slightly on top of him, teasing him with the nearness of her womanhood until he was growling – she loved it when he growled in unabated, unattained lust.
He groaned deeply when she lowered herself onto him, driving him deep inside him. He grabbed her hips. "Oh – sweet – Merlin – Gin!" he gasped. He bucked up against her and dug his fingers into her hips. God, what was it about this woman that drove him so crazy? When he was inside her, he wondered how he had managed to get through the days being so close to her and not being able to touch her. Coupling with her felt like his natural state of being. "Gin – Gin – Gin!" he cried out as he rocked against her.
She lay in his arms after it was over, her long vibrant hair fanned out against his chest. He stroked her hair, loving the way it felt in his fingers, reluctant to let her go. But he knew he had to. "You need to leave, while it's a decent hour," he said reluctantly.
She stirred in his arms. "I don't want to," she complained.
"You have to. If you go now, you can tell anyone you run into that you just wanted to talk to someone – about Harry," Lupin suggested. "If you're caught leaving my room any later than this, that won't fly. Please, Ginny. You need to leave."
So reluctantly she left, and she was glad that Lupin had suggested it, because she had barely shut the door on his room when she ran into Neville. She gave a shriek of fright when she saw him. "Neville!" she cried. "You scared me."
"Sorry. Bill said the vegetation out here is amazing, and Luna wasn't feeling well, so I thought I'd go amuse myself."
"Oh. Sorry to hear that. Do you know what's wrong?"
Neville shrugged. "No idea. She's been off her food since she got here – and before you say talk to Andromeda, she thinks that's what it is." Ginny nodded sympathetically. Luna had been deeply traumatised by the months she had spent in Bellatrix LeStrange's basement, and Andromeda's physical similarity to her sister still spooked her. Neville cocked his head. "What were you doing in Remus's room?"
She was glad Lupin had offered her the out. "I wanted to talk to someone," she said. "About Harry."
"He still bothering you?"
"Not bothering, exactly..." Ginny started.
"I know what you mean. He's still got a thing for you. I saw the way he was with you at the wedding. And the way Remus intercepted. He can't stop being a teacher, can he?" Neville asked with a grin, and Ginny squirmed. She hardly had a teacher-student relationship with him. "Do you want me to talk to him?" Neville asked.
"Who, Remus?" Ginny asked automatically, because that was where her mind was.
Neville looked at her quizzically. "No, Harry. It might sound more believable coming from me." Unbelievable as it might sound, Harry actually had a lot of experience in women playing coy with him; pretending not to be interested in the hope that it would pique his interest. Perhaps being told by a mutual friend of his and Ginny's might hit home that she actually wasn't interested.
"Um... thanks, but I'll be right," Ginny said vaguely, and hurried back to her room.
Shrugging, Neville took off in the direction of his own room and slid into bed next to his wife. "You smell like the ocean," Luna said dreamily, in that tone that he knew to mean she approved.
"How are you feeling?" he asked.
"Fine."
"Luna..."
"OK, I feel awful," she admitted. "But I don't want to spoil anyone's celebration."
He kissed her chastely. "I wish you'd talk to Andromeda. She's the nicest lady." For a pureblood who thinks Morganna's in the greatest school ever.
"She thinks Morganna's is the best school ever," Luna countered, and Neville couldn't help but grin at that. He settled in close to her, wishing he could make her feel better by pure force of love.
"Harry, this Ginny thing has to stop. She's not interested. Surely you've worked that out by now," Neville said the next day before breakfast.
"But, I – " Harry started to protest that his attentions had only been in the spirit of the festive season, but Neville cut him off.
"She's not interested," he repeated. "I know you want her to be, but pestering her – "
"I'm not pestering her!" Harry blustered.
Neville shrugged. "Call it what you want. She went to Remus to talk about it, that's how she feels about it."
Harry immediately felt guilty that Ginny felt she had no-one to talk to but a quasi-father-figure; that her brother and good friend Neville weren't enough because of their own close relationships with Harry. "I want what you and Ron have," he admitted.
"Try staying up with Luna when she can't eat or sleep because of Andromeda," Neville said dryly. Then he softened. "I know you do. But trying to push things with Ginny isn't going to get that. It's just going to push her further away. All you can do is be her friend – and only her friend. Don't try to push for more. It will happen or it won't, and nothing you can do will change if it happens or not."
Harry suddenly felt guilty for pushing Ginny into this situation – that she felt she could only talk to Lupin, that Neville – and Lupin, if you counted the scene at Neville's wedding – had to intercede for her. Those weren't exactly the actions of a man who cared about her. "OK," he said reluctantly. "I'll leave her alone." Then, eager to change the subject, he asked, "How's Luna."
"Can't eat or sleep. She'll be better once we get back to Hogwarts, I'm sure. You were in that dungeon for, what, three minutes? She was there for three months. She can't forget, and seeing Andromeda just reminds her even more painfully. I don't exactly blame her, though it's not making for the most pleasant of Christmases. But, look, that's my problem. You're problem is leaving Ginny alone. You want to be close to her, be her friend – and only her friend. You won't get anything more by pushing for it."
They sat down to breakfast, and Luna picked at her food, more so than usual, because she normally tried to make an appearance of a healthy appetite. Neville rubbed her arm worriedly. "I'm fine," she snapped, very un-Luna-like, which only caused Neville to worry more.
She wasn't fine. She threw up what little she had eaten a few seconds later. Andromeda, who had been surreptitiously watching Luna all Christmas break, finally stood up. "Take her into your room, Neville," she directed the young man, who was only too happy to have such an authoritative figure telling him what to do after he had been increasingly worried about his wife's health. "Remus, do you have any of your restorative potion on you?"
Lupin knew where Andromeda was going with this. He used a herbal potion after full moons because it didn't interfere with his Wolfsbane the way other potions did; he had actually been introduced to it by his father-in-law, who had been concerned about the potions Andromeda took while pregnant. Ted had had a pet theory that Squibs were the result of indiscriminate use of potions in the same way excessive drinking caused foetal alcohol syndrome in muggles and had scoured the magical community until he'd found something he deemed suitable for Andromeda.
Lupin retrieved the potion from his room and went to Neville's room. He smiled when he saw it. Neville let Luna have her way when it came to decorating, so even the guest room was a myriad of whimsical images. "Here," he said to Andromeda.
Andromeda gave the potion to Luna. "It won't hurt the baby," she said softly, gently, going above and beyond even her own standards as a Healer, because she was aware of how much she frightened Luna. It was why she had let Luna be sick all this time when her professional instincts screamed out to do what she could to make the poor girl comfortable. "And it will make you feel a lot better."
"Baby?" Luna and Neville asked.
Lupin smirked. It was a rare opportunity to see Andromeda Tonks mis-step professionally, not having realised and Luna and Neville themselves didn't realise they were pregnant, and he was pleased to have witnessed it.
"I'm sorry, you didn't know?" Andromeda said. "She's been sick all break."
"We – um – well – we – " Neville stammered for an explanation that wouldn't hurt Andromeda's feelings.
"You thought your wife being in such close proximity to someone who looks so much like the crazy bitch who tortured her was what was making her sick?" Andromeda offered. Neville looked embarrassed, and Luna burst into tears. "It's OK, dear," Andromeda said understandingly. "I frighten a lot of people. Still," she added ruefully. "But you should have come to me from the beginning. I know the admin position's an inherited one, but the Head Healer one isn't. Forgive my arrogance, but I'm damn good at what I do. I can refer you to someone else, if you want, but don't avoid St. Mungo's because of me. And don't turn down my expertise at such close proximity because of my sister."
Luna nodded. Neville was suddenly breathless. "Pregnant?" he asked. "A baby?"
Lupin discreetly nudged Neville out of the way so Andromeda could deal with Luna with some degree of privacy. "How do you feel?" Lupin asked, aware of Neville's abandonment issues. That he'd finally scraped up the courage to have faith in the future and commit to Luna didn't mean he didn't still feel those issues; they would never entirely go away.
But they seemed to have recessed more than Lupin had given Neville credit for. "Wow," he said happily. "Me, a dad. I never thought it was possible."
"I did," Lupin muttered under his breath, because it was common knowledge that you didn't knock on their door after dinner, and like any good pure-blood, Neville knew jack about contraception. Lupin had actually been secretly hoping that he'd get Luna pregnant by accident, then he'd have to marry the girl... but things had worked out the best way possible.
Neville heard the comment, but he was too happy to care. Him! A dad!
"You're taking it well," Andromeda commented a few minutes later to a beaming Neville. "Ted ran around like a disoriented Hippogriff when he found out about Dora."
"All he can say is me, a dad," Lupin said with a smile. "I think it's still sinking in."
"Can I see her?" Neville asked eagerly, as if Luna was somewhere else entirely a not a few meters away in the same room. Andromeda nodded, and Neville bolted over to his wife. "Sweetheart," he breathed. "I can't believe it. I'm so happy."
"Really?" she asked. "I thought you were worried about – "
He shook his head and leaned in to kiss her lovingly. "I wouldn't have married you if I was still worried about that. Oh, wow – we're having a baby!" His heart bubbled over with happiness, and he knew he had never been so in love with Luna as he was now.
It didn't take long for the news to spread through the house, with Neville holding Luna's hand tightly and looking every inch the proud and protective father. Lupin watched them, happy for them but at the same time he couldn't help but think about the fact that he was unlikely to have more children. It was ironic, really; after all the running he had done when he'd found out about Teddy, fatherhood had felt like the most natural thing in the world and he wanted more children.
He let his thoughts drift to Ginny, and he caught her gaze suddenly. She gave him a look of understanding, and he forced himself to look away before the look on his face gave them both away.
"Neville, can you take care of Teddy for a few hours? I need to run some errands. Consider it practice," Lupin suggested to Neville when they had returned to Hogwarts – Neville and Luna inundated with congratulations and well-wishes.
"Sure," Neville agreed. "Is everything alright?"
"Fine," Lupin mumbled.
"You – er – going to see her?" Neville asked. "Sorry, that's none of my business."
"No, it's not... but yes, I am," Lupin said. It felt oddly nice to be upfront about the fact he was going to see his mistress – although once again, he doubted Neville would be so understanding, even in that awkward way that he was about things that hadn't been covered in his conservative upbringing, if he knew who his mistress was – rather than lie about where he was going.
He left Teddy with Neville and Luna and went to Ginny's. "Gin?" he called through the flat. "Are you home?"
Ginny emerged from the bedroom, looking lovely as usual, although she was plainly dressed in tracksuit pants and a t-shirt. "I wasn't expecting you," she said huskily, unsure of what to do now that they were alone – for the past week-and-a-bit they'd been in such close proximity but unable to be with one another. Did she throw herself into his arms? Did she wait for him to make the first move?
"I had to see you," he replied, just as huskily, and strode towards her, pulling her in his arms, crushing her against him, kissing her deeply. "Gin," he murmured. "Oh, sweet Merlin, I can't believe I got through that week."
"Ten days," she corrected.
"Whatever." He reached under her shirt, pulling it over her head. She wasn't wearing a bra underneath. He slid his hands over her body, cupping her breasts, running his thumbs across her nipples, feeling them grow hard under his touch. "Ginny," he said. "Ginny."
She wrapped her arms around his neck and he swung her into his arms and carried her to the bedroom. Lying her on her back, he began kissing her in earnest, her mouth, face, neck, shoulder, breasts... Ginny's clung to Lupin, her fingers digging into his shoulders, as they undressed one another until they were both completely naked. She stroked his hardness admiringly and squirmed as he fingered her. "Remus, fuck me, now," she growled. Ten days of such close proximity and only one frantic tryst and she was in no mood to wait...
Obligingly, Lupin swung on top of her and pushed inside her. She gasped in pleasure when his manhood slid inside her. "Remus!" she cried out as he began pumping her.
He silenced her with a kiss and began thrusting hard. What was it about this girl that every time he meant to be gentle with her, and every time he was with her, he ended up screwing her brains out? It didn't help that the little minx actually liked what he did to her.
They had worked themselves into such a frenzy that even he was panting when it was over. He curled up to her, sticky and sweaty. "You drive me crazy, I had to see you," he murmured.
"How did you get rid of Teddy?" Ginny asked, running her fingers through his damp hair.
"Neville's got him," he said absently.
"Alright... what did you tell Neville?" she asked.
"He knows about us," Lupin murmured absently. Ginny bolted up in bed. "Not like that, love. He knows I'm seeing someone. Apparently the whole staff do."
"Remus – John – Lupin!" Ginny cried indignantly. "How could you not tell me something major like this?"
"Gin, calm down, will you? I don't see much of you as it is, I'd rather we didn't spent the time with you being mad at me. They know I'm seeing someone, that's all," he said, refraining from using the more correct phrase They know I've taken a mistress. "It wasn't hard to work out. I'm still away for my non-custodial weekends but I'm not going to Diagon Alley. No-one cares, Gin... at least, no more than they did about me using prostitutes in the first place."
She wriggled in his arms. "They'd care if they knew it was me," she said, envisioning that they all assumed he was seeing someone like Sarah Callahan.
"I've no doubt," he agreed. "But... for the time being, they seem to understand. Neville, at least. Enough that he took Teddy off my hands for me." He turned to her and started kissing her. "I had to see you," he said huskily. "I was going crazy, being so close to you and not being able to touch you. And seeing Harry make eyes at you – I wanted to hit him," he admitted. "I wanted to get into an old-fashioned fistfight with him." And given that Lupin was far stronger than Harry, it would hardly make for a fair fight.
She squirmed against him. "Really?" she asked.
He laughed. "You sound pleased."
"I always wanted a boyfriend who'd go into jealous rages," she said.
"No, you don't. You only like me 'cos I'm civilised enough to restrain myself. You wouldn't like it if I did actually hit Harry." And Lupin knew once he got started, once he allowed his jealousy to act out, he wouldn't stop at just hitting Harry.
Ginny didn't say anything, but settled into her lover's arms and allowed him to play with her hair and stroke her skin. After a few minutes, she realised that he was distant. "Is everything OK?" she asked him softly, even though she already knew that it wasn't – and she had a fair suspicion as to what was bothering him.
"I'm insanely jealous of Neville and Luna," he admitted.
"Because of the baby?" she asked rhetorically.
She felt Lupin's head shift against hers as he nodded. "I never wanted to be a dad," he admitted, as though it was a new confession. "But when I first held Teddy, it was like it was what I had been meant to do all my life. He's five now. He'll go to school in eighteen months and then I'll only see him on weekends. And – I want more kids," he admitted haltingly, feeling guilty even as he said the words because it was only reminding Ginny that while she was with him, she wouldn't have children either.
"You're a good dad," she said soothingly.
"I'm holding you back," he mumbled.
"I made a choice," she countered. "And I'm not sorry I did."
Just you wait until the baby's born, Lupin thought. He somehow doubted that Ginny would feel the same about being tied to a married man who she couldn't have children with once her best friend had a baby and the Longbottom marriage kicked into high gear of happiness.
"Thanks for looking after him," Lupin said when Neville brought a fast-asleep Teddy over that evening.
"That's fine," Neville said. Then, fumbling for something to say, he figured he may as well broach the awkwardness head-on. "Enjoy yourself?" he asked.
"I did... thankyou," Lupin said, tacking on the last word stupidly, because Neville had asked about his well-being and he wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, given what they were talking about.
"It must have been tough, getting through Christmas."
"It was. I missed her."
Neville looked quizzically at Lupin. "You care about her?" he asked in surprise.
"I would hope so," Lupin said. "Sorry, but I would have thought that was obvious. I did have some feelings for Sarah. You can't see as much as someone as I do – well, the way I see her, without having feelings for them."
Neville digested this. It made sense, although it wasn't something he had given any thought to. It unsettled him somehow. He got the practicality of Lupin's one-night stands and use of prostitutes, but admitting that he was seeing someone, that he had feelings for them – "Please don't look at me like that," Lupin said beseechingly. "I wish I'd never said anything. She makes you happy. I make her happy."
Neville nodded, eager for this conversation to be over, sorry that he had said anything in the first place, wishing that he had just dropped Teddy off and been done with it. It made him uncomfortable to hear Lupin speak of his infidelities, however understandable they might be. "I should get going," he said, shifting awkwardly on his feet. "I don't like leaving Luna alone."
"Of course," Lupin said, glad to be rid of the colleague he had such a connection with, despite their ages.
Neville left. It was only later, when he thought about it, that he realised Lupin never referred to his mistress by her name.