James

He had loved Teddy for so very long. And just when he had finally started getting somewhere with him, his Dad had gone and ruined everything. James couldn't stay here with his father after that. And anyway, he had to find Teddy.

He shrunk his luggage and shoved it in the pocket of his hoodie. He kept his bedroom door locked – he didn't want anyone coming in to his private space when he was gone – and he Apparated out.

He had no idea where he was going. Not knowing where he was Apparating to, he was lucky that he hadn't splinched himself. He ended up outside Quality Quidditch. That was hardly a surprise. It had been his comfort place when he was younger. The family would be gathered in Weasley's Wizard Wheezes, or having a dinner in the Leaky, and he would slope off to Quality to stare into the window, to breath in the air and hear the silence.

A new Nimbo-Cumulus graced the window display and he rested his eyes and his thoughts on it for a few minutes to clear his head. Then he looked up the street. Gringott's bank loomed over it all. This was far too close to where Uncle Bill worked. He needed to move on.

Bill had never forgiven Teddy for abandoning Victoire at the altar. Everyone had been upset, except for James who hadn't understood why it had made him so happy that the wedding hadn't gone ahead. He'd felt sick when the wedding had been being planned. It had made him feel like he was losing Teddy. That hadn't made sense then. Until it did.

When Teddy had disappeared off to Europe, though, then James had been upset. His mum had tried to find out why he was fretting, but he hadn't understood it himself then. Not until they got Teddy's letter. Dad had tied himself in knots trying to explain 'gay' to his kids. It was alright for Albus to say that James should 'come out' to his parents, but James had seen then how uncomfortable their father was with it all. Teddy had been forgiven for leaving Victoire waiting at the altar, but Harry had felt the need to forgive him for being gay, too. James had watched his father welling with his own magnanimity at the absolution. Harry had self-consciously pushed himself into being tolerant about Teddy's sexuality and it had made him feel bloody good about himself, too. James couldn't believe that Harry would be as understanding when he learnt that his own son was one of them.

That night, lying in bed, James had worked over his new truths in his mind. Teddy was gay. That meant he loved men. James wanted so desperately to be the man that Teddy loved, that he finally understood: he was in love with Teddy. That meant that he was gay, too. There was no way he was going to face his father's disappointed saintly toleration, so he wasn't going to tell him, but from then on he knew. He knew that he was gay and he knew that it was Teddy he really wanted.

There was school after that, and dating, and flirting and experimenting. Teddy could have looked like any of those boys, but none of them were enough like Teddy. James had been Out and Proud and defiant then; but only within the castle walls. His school-mates were sworn to secrecy. He'd claimed it was the Prophet he was worried about, but he was far more afraid of his father's reaction.

James Apparated to the Wizarding Library in Oxford. He had studying to do before work on Monday and that would be as good a place as any to do it in. He could think there, too, could try to work out where Teddy might have gone. He just hoped it wasn't back to Finland. James didn't know how he would find him there.

After a few hours in the echoing cool of the library, James slipped out to get a late lunch and send an Owl. He would just ask Teddy where he was and then he would join him. It would be simple.

Teddy didn't answer his Owl, though. After an hour back at his library desk, James sent a Patronus. Still no reply. He had spent the morning trying to think up people who Teddy might have gone to. There was nobody. James was sure that Teddy would assume that everyone in Britain would be on Harry Potter's side. James didn't know how long it took to organise an International Portkey back to Finland. Or what if Teddy were to travel by Muggle means? Did he have a passport? James didn't know which ports or airports he should be checking. His head ached with all the questions and doubts hammering away inside it. He couldn't think about anything else. He was prepared to do anything. He wanted his moment of romantic desperation, but he didn't know where to find it. Teddy had disappeared and it looked as though he didn't want to have any more to do with James.

James shoved his books back into his bag and stood up, decisively. He got shushed by the woman at the next table. He glared at her. Diagon Alley, that was the place to start. It wasn't a good place, because Teddy would probably be trying to keep a low profile, and it was far too close to Gringott's. But at least it was a place.

He started at one end of the street and worked his way down. He went into every shop and he looked for Teddy and he asked whether anyone had seen him. He hesitated outside Wheezes. He didn't know what George would say to him. George would take Harry's side. He'd supported Bill. Hadn't he? George was Teddy's boss. Was Teddy going to lose his job over this?

Then there was Lee, walking down the street, looking up and seeing James. He raised a hand to James, though, and James had to wave back. "You coming in?" he called over.

James shrugged. He felt like he was glued to the spot. Lee shrugged and walked into George's shop.

By the time James got into the busy store, Lee had been absorbed by the crowd and George was nowhere to be seen. He passed Verity, who looked flustered and was in the middle of trying to bag up something which kept changing shape.

"Hey, Verity," he shouted.

"Oh, James. Hi there. Just a minute."

"You seen Teddy today? Teddy Lupin?"

"Not today, sorry. Look, just give me a minute and -"

But James was out of the shop. He had no intention of waiting around long enough to hear George's opinion of what Harry had walked in on that morning.

The Leaky was crowded, too. He needed a drink, just to give him a lift so that he could keep going. It wasn't like he was going to stop searching and sit down while he drank it. As he ordered his butterbeer it struck him that Teddy might have taken a room here. He grinned. He asked Hannah as she gave him his change. Then when she had shaken her head and walked away, and he had got over that pang of disappointment, he realised that he could have a room here. For tonight at least. Just until he could find Teddy.