What You Never Knew

Teddy Lupin: The Boy with Three Families

1. As a baby, he had a favorite toy.

It was his "security blanket" of sorts, and from age one to five years old, Teddy refused to go anywhere without it. Whether it was to have dinner with his godfather, or to drag his grandma to a Muggle movie theater, he was always accompanied by that little stuffed animal.

Harry had taken him for a day on the town- in a Muggle neighborhood, so as not to be recognized, and with a cap over Teddy's head so no one would see his hair rapidly changing colors. It hadn't taken long for one-year-old Teddy to burst into tears, simply because he was a baby and he did that quite often. Forcing panic out of his mind, Harry quickly pushed Teddy's strolled into the nearest store- which just happened to be a toy store.

"Shh, it's okay Teddy, it's okay," Harry soothed quietly, pulling the young boy out of the stroller and bouncing him in his arms. Teddy kept crying. "Look at all the pretty toys, Teddy. See? See all the nice toys? They're real fun, don't you think?"

Still, Teddy was sobbing his baby blue eyes out, even though he had been turned to face the shelf of stuffed animals. Finally, he stopped.

His gaze was rested on one toy that stood out from the rest of dogs and cats and bunny rabbits.

Almost cautiously, he reached out his tiny arm and grabbed the toy. An adorable grin lit up his face and he squealed, hugging it tightly to himself.

"You want that one, do you?" Harry chuckled, relieved that the tears had subsided. "Well, let's see how much it costs."

With his free hand, he grabbed the tag of the toy. The stuffed animal almost resembled a large dog, but not quite. It was too… savage. Too furry and shaggy. It stood on its hind legs, teeth bared, golden eyes narrowed in a vicious manner. Harry frowned. What were the Muggles trying to portray?

He glanced down at the tag in his hand at last, and his heart skipped a beat before a small smile crept upon his face. Money wasn't a matter now. He had to get this for Teddy.

The tag read, "Moony the Werewolf".

2. When he first met Victoire, he hated her.

He was two years old at the time, and all he could focus on was that, for the first time since he could remember, the attention wasn't entirely focused on him amongst the Weasley clan (plus Andromeda, Harry, and Hermione). Instead, they were all smiling down at something small and squirmy in Fleur's arms. Frowning, little Teddy pushed through the crowd and asked loudly, "What's that?"

"This is Victoire," Hermione told him, not even looking at Teddy. "She's Uncle Bill and Aunt Fleur's new daughter."

"I wanna see!" Teddy exclaimed, indecisive as to whether or not he liked Victoire or not. "Up!"

From Hermione's side, Ron obediently lifted up the little boy, and beamed with pride, "That's my little niece," while Teddy scrutinized Victoire.

She was red and wrinkly, and bald, except for a few silvery strands of hair. She was tiny, too. All in all, she was ugly. Teddy was sure that he was a much better looking baby.

"I don't like her," he stated stubbornly.

To his shock, he was ignored. Ron kept holding him, and everyone continued looking down at Victoire. Finally, Teddy cried out, "Why're you all looking at her? I said something!"

Everyone around him chuckle, and Teddy pouted. He glared at Victoire. This was all her fault. He would get her back. He would hate her forever. He squirmed in Ron's arms, and the tall redhead finally set him down. Teddy ran out to where Andromeda was waiting for him. Andromeda seemed to know what he was thinking- it wasn't really that hard, his face was a tad wet, after all- and she gathered him up in her arms, planted a warm kiss on his forehead, and Apparated him home.

3. He was seven years old when he finally learned the truth about his parents.

He knew that they were dead, of course. It was hard not to, what with being raised by his grandmother and godfather. But that was all he knew; that, and they had died bravely, for a good cause.

On his seventh birthday, though, Harry and Andromeda took him aside and sat him down. They told him that his parents had died in that big war he heard so much about, the one that Victoire was born on the anniversary of. They had died fighting against Voldemort.

Then, they answered all his questions. No, his mother had not dyed her hair pink; she was a Metamorphagus, just like him. And no, his father wasn't a perfectly normal person. He was a werewolf. But that did NOT mean Teddy was one, he stayed perfectly normal every full moon, didn't he?

When Teddy had finally stopped asking questions, when he finally knew all he wanted to know about the subject, he said, "Oh. Okay, then."

And that was that.

4. Andromeda was his favorite person in the world.

Yeah, Harry was pretty darn cool, and so were the rest of the people in the Weasley family. But his Grandmother was his everything, and he knew that she was his, too. She had lost so, so much in the war- her husband, her daughter, her estranged sister even. But Teddy liked to think that she had gained something in him, too. They were there for each other, through thick and thin; and whenever someone asked if he missed his parents terribly, he shrugged and truthfully said, "No." Because Andromeda more than made up for it.

5. No one expected his Sorting.

In fact, even the Sorting Hat was a bit surprised- but only a bit- when he called out Teddy's House.

"Teddy Lupin!" Professor Flitwick squeaked out, and then automatically wiped his eyes, sniffling. Clearly, like so many other people, he had known Remus and Nymphadora Lupin.

Obediently, Teddy stepped up to the stool, tripping along the way, his turquoise hair attracting more looks and murmurs than his name. Flitwick stood up on tiptoes to put the Sorting Hat on the already gangly boy.

Hello there! Teddy greeted enthusiastically. You're the Sorting Hat!

I'm well aware of that, believe it or not. Now, let's see, whose child are you?

Remus Lupin and Nypha- no, Nymphadora Tonks.

Huh. I never would've imagined those two together… But you weren't raised by them, were you?

Nope. They're dead. Grandmother raised me.

Andromeda Tonks, I assume?

Yep.

Now, let's see… you're quite like your mother, you know. Very clumsy, but with a genuinely good heart. Not to mention you're exceedingly loyal, and you work very hard at everything you do.

Thanks!

You're just as much like your father, too, though. Brave and determined; you'll always do what's right, no matter how reckless or foolish.

Um… thank you? I think?

You could fit equally well into Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, there's no doubt about that… but which one? Quite a hard question to answer…

Can I say something please?

Why not?

Well, to be honest, I don't want to be in either of those Houses. Don't get me wrong, I think Hufflepuff and Gryffindor are both utterly fantastic, but if I were into one of them, I would feel like I chose my dad over my mum, or vice versa. And I don't want that.

What do you want, then?

…Well, I've been talking to Grandmother, and she told me that you almost Sorted her into Ravenclaw, and she wishes that she let you, because she didn't like Slytherin.

I did indeed do that. What point are you getting at, Mr. Lupin?

I'd like to be in Ravenclaw, if you don't mind. I think that Grandmother would really be happy about it. Plus everyone always tells me about how my dad was really smart.

You yourself are quite intelligent as well. Yes… yes, you could definitely fit into Ravenclaw. I can't believe I didn't see it sooner.

Thanks, Sorting Hat.

The son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, being Sorted into Ravenclaw… I never thought I'd see the day. "RAVENCLAW!" Don't trip on your way down, Mr. Lupin. You may be a Ravenclaw, but you're still quite like your mother.

6. He became friends with Victoire a week before his Third Year of Hogwarts.

He and the rest of the Weasleys were at Shell Cottage for Victoire's Goodbye Party; she was the first of the next generation of actual Weasley to be going to Hogwarts, after all. It was funny; amidst the crowds and excitement, Teddy thought that he was the only one who noticed Victoire creep out of the backyard. Curious, Teddy followed her.

He caught up with her at the beach, where she sat in the sand, holding her knees against her chest. Almost cautiously, Teddy sat down beside her.

"Hi, Teddy," she greeted him, her face hidden behind a sheet of silvery blond hair.

"Hey," he greeted a bit stiffly. "Why'd you leave your party?"

She turned to face him, her deep blue eyes, exactly like her father's, boring into his own, which were orange at the moment. "I wanted to be alone."

"Okay. I'll go then." Teddy stood up, only to feel a squeeze on his hand. He looked down at Victoire, whose hand was in his. Her eyes said everything. Mutely, he sat back down.

"Why'd you want to be alone?" He asked her finally, glancing over at her.

"Everyone expects me to be excited," Victoire said. "But I- I'm not. I mean, I've heard loads about Hogwarts, and it sounds great and all, but… I'm more nervous than anything else."

"Why?"

"I won't know anyone! Plus, it'll be the first time I'm away from my parents! And what if the other kids are mean? Or if I get Sorted into Slytherin? Oh, I just know that I'm going to fail all of my classes, I just know it, and everyone's going to be disappointed in me and so angry and I just don't know how to deal with that because I'm not brave and I can't face all of them down and there are just so many of us and I have to please all of them but I can't because I'm only one person, I'm only me, and that's all I want to be, but I don't want anyone to be upset with me!"

Teddy blinked. "Well, that's certainly a lot."

"I know," Victoire sighed, her blue eyes sad.

"You don't have to worry about any of it, though."

Victoire whipped her head around to face him. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you're going to make friends no problem," Teddy began, "because this is the only time I've ever seen you without a big grin on your face. So, you won't be lonesome, and you'll be so busy with your new friends that you won't have time to miss your parents, not much, anyways. And if you're Sorted into Slytherin, then I'm Albus Dumbledore."

Victoire giggled, a soft smile lighting up her face. It spurred Teddy to keep talking.

"There's no way you're going to fail all of your classes. In fact, I can guarantee that you won't fail any at all, because frankly, you're brilliant." Victoire blushed at this. "You could probably be in Ravenclaw with me, if you wanted to. None of your family's going to be upset at you, no matter what you do, because they love you more than anything. So, there won't be any 'facing down' to do."

"What about bullies, though?"

"Everyone gets bullied at least once in their life; I can't promise anything with that," Teddy sighed sadly. Victoire's face fell. Hastily, Teddy added, "But I'll protect you, don't worry," before he knew what he had said. Instantly, the eldest Weasley of that generation brightened.

"You mean it?"

Teddy nodded. He couldn't back on a promise. Victoire beamed. "Does that mean you don't hate me after all?"

Teddy frowned, truly confused. "Why would I hate you?"

"You never talk to me or anything, but you talk to all the other cousins. Sometimes, you glare at me when you think I'm not watching. I'm not blind, Teddy."

"I don't hate you," Teddy stated. "I haven't since I was four, and you stopped stealing all of my attention."

"…You're jealous of me!"

"I never said that!"

"But you implied it!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!" Victoire grinned, and then suddenly hugged Teddy. She whispered in his ear, "It's okay. I forgive you. I hated Dominique for years after she came along."

Teddy laughed, managing to ignore the beat his heart skipped.

7. Herbology was his favorite subject.

Sure, he didn't get the greatest marks in that class, and he was a natural at Defense Against the Dark Arts, but he couldn't help letting a grin light up his face when he walked into the greenhouse.

And it was all because of Professor Neville Longbottom.

Teddy's first year at Hogwarts had been Neville's first year as a teacher. Not only was Professor Longbottom kind, humorous, and a genuinely good teacher, but the two had an odd amount in common. Both had lost their parents to a war against Voldemort; both had been raised by their grandmother because of it. Both were too clumsy for their own good. Both were nearly Sorted into Hufflepuff, and both of them were very good friends with the Weasley and the "Golden Trio", as people took to calling Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

In a way, Neville was like a big brother of sorts to Teddy. They both knew that, even if it was never said out loud. On certain subjects, they understood each other in ways that no one else could.

It was no surprise to either of them when Teddy began going to Neville for girl advice.

8. He first figured out he was in love with Victoire in his Seventh Year, the day before he graduated.

He had been doing his Prefect duties when he had heard those sloppy sucking sounds and moans that signified snogging. Grumbling about how he shouldn't have to deal with this under his breath, he identified the sounds to be coming from a broom closet down the corridor, pulled it open…

And his jaw dropped.

There was Victoire- sweet, smart, drop dead gorgeous, one of his best friends- engaged in a heavy battle of the tongues with a Ravenclaw he recognized from the year below him. When he finally recovered his ability of speech, he shut his jaw and cleared his throat.

Victoire and the boy- whose name he remembered was Darren- broke apart instantly and stared at Teddy, horrified. A rosy blush covered the freckles on Victoire's porcelain skin.

"Want to explain this?" he asked, his voice about a pitch higher than usual.

"W-W-Well," Victoire began, "y-you see, w-we're-"

"We're dating," Darren cut her off, "and we wanted some… privacy."

"It's after curfew," Teddy pointed out firmly, wondering why on earth he felt a sudden urge to strangle Darren with his bare hands and then lock himself and Victoire in the broom closet. "That warrants a detention."

"Tomorrow's the last day of school for the year!" Darren protested. "You can't give us detention!"

"You wanna argue with me, kid?" Teddy growled, stepping forward. Darren's eyes widened, and he gulped.

"Nope," the Sixth Year squeaked out.

"Good. You two have a detention, first Thursday back at school. I'll talk to McGonagall about it, make sure she knows. You two can go back up to the common room tower now."

Darren didn't waste a minute scampering away. He didn't even bother to look back to see if his girlfriend was following him. Git, Teddy thought. He's not nearly good enough for her. What does she see in him?

He had to turn his gaze to Victoire now. She was still staring at him, with an expression of mingled confusion, curiosity, and something else that Teddy couldn't quite name.

"I'm, erm, sorry," she said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly, "you know, that I had to give you detention."

"It's no problem. I broke the rules; I deserved it. Darren and I both did," Victoire said, her expression not changing.

"Why're you staring at me like that?" Teddy burst out.

"Your hair's been flashing between dark green and bright red ever since you found me and Darren," Victoire said simply.

Teddy frowned. He hadn't even realized his hair was changing colors. And such weird colors, too… his hair only turned dark green when he was really, really jealous of someone, and it only turned bright red when he was very angry.

"Are you angry at Darren?" Victoire questioned, taking a step closer to him, her eyes suspicious. "Are you… jealous of him?"

"What?" Teddy exclaimed much too quickly, laughing nervously. "Of course not! I- I mean, I'm angry at him, of course I am, he was snogging you, you're like my little sister!" The words tasted bitter and false on his tongue, and he was sure that he saw Victoire's face fall the slightest bit. "But I was not jealous of him!"

"Okay," Victoire nodded. She walked as if to go past Teddy, but then stopped, and, up on her tiptoes, whispered in his ear, her breath hitting his neck and sending shivers down his spine, "Whatever you say."

Then, as if to taunt him even further, she placed a lingering kiss on his cheek before brushing past him.

Teddy stared at her, dumbstruck, as she went. Slowly, his hand rose to touch the tingling spot on his cheek where she had kissed him. "Oh, crap."

9. Bill gave him his blessing.

It was quite odd, really. At a regular Weasley gathering- they held those often- Bill walked up to Teddy, who was watching Victoire with ill disguised longing, and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, hi, Bill!" Teddy exclaimed, startled. "How are you? How's Gringotts?"

"You know, Victoire's single," Bill said, completely ignoring the boy's questions.

"She is? I thought she was dating some Hufflepuff bloke?" Teddy asked, not daring to believe it, less his hopes come crashing down.

"They broke up last week," Bill said. He looked Teddy in the eye. "I give you my blessing."

So, when Teddy tagged along with the family later that year at Platform 9 ¾, he felt no qualms at all about pulling Victoire aside and telling her exactly how he felt. He proceeded to snog her senseless, and she certainly didn't protest.

10. His career choice surprised everyone.

He was approached about becoming an Auror, or a Healer, or even a journalist for the Daily Prophet, because Teddy was just plain good at most things.

Instead, he decided to become a wandmaker.

He became Ollivander's apprentice, and when the old man finally died- no one was really that surprised, he had lasted longer than expected anyways- he took over the shop. Victoire and their two children, Nymphadora Andromeda and Remus Harry, traveled around the world with him, collecting different materials for the wands. The family made their wands together every summer, always managing to make it back to Diagon Alley just in time for the yearly rush of Hogwarts students.

Some people said that Teddy's wands were even better than Ollivander's. Indeed, they were very different- Teddy had a more varied amount of cores, and used several more wood types. But Teddy refused to say that anyone's wands were better than anyone else's, because, really, the wand depends on the wizard or witch. So aren't all wands really the same anyways, when it came down to it?

Teddy Lupin was several things. An orphan; a Ravenclaw; and a husband and father, amongst many others. He was different, just like every single person is different from every single other person. But he was even more different, because most people only have one family. He had three. He had Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, the birth parents he never knew; he had his Grandmother; he had Harry and the Weasleys. The latter two took him in, raised him like he was their own child, not a mere grandchild or godson. He was part of their family, through thick and thin.

And he couldn't help but feel pretty darn lucky about that.

Meh... not my best chapter. Personally, I don't really like it. But, at least it's a quick update, by my standards! Please review (even if it's to tell me that this chapter sucked)! They make me write more!

Thanks for reading!

-Joelle8

P.S. I only need four more reviews to make it to 200! Please, please, PLEASE help me achieve that! I'm begging you here! I promise a shout-out to my 200th reviewer!