Note: There are spoilers for and references to Lies and Letters in this chapter! So if you haven't read it and can't be bothered to, either (I don't blame you, it is horrifically long!), all you need to know is that Teddy has seen many of his parents' exploits during the War in a pensieve.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, nor am I making any profit from this piece of writing.
7: The Instructions
Teddy stared disbelievingly at the letter, his heartbeat drumming in his ears.
One thousand galleons? It just did not make sense. How could this whole horrible mess simply be about money?
Who cares what it's about, a voice in the back of his head declared fiercely. They'll let Mum and Dad go, that was the important thing.
One thousand galleons didn't seem to be a that huge sum of money for a ransom...
There wouldn't have to be any fighting, it would all be over quickly. Then Tonks could take Remus to St. Mungo's and the healers would make him better.
Surely there were other, richer, easier targets? Who in their right mind would kidnap the Head of Aurors just for money?
Harry was clearly lying. Teddy had heard the blonde haired wizard, the Aurors had no idea where his parents were. And Remus wasn't going to last long without medicine...
Again, Teddy recalled his father's pale face, his shallow, desperate breaths...
Help me...somebody help me...
Teddy read the instructions again.
Go to Gringotts. Take one thousand galleons from your family vault. Go down Knockturn Alley and turn left down the alleyway beside the second boarded up shop. Wait there. Tell nobody.
He could do that, couldn't he? He'd just have to floo home to fetch the vault key, morph into his father so that they goblins weren't suspicious, he could be halfway down Knockturn Alley before Harry even realize he was gone. After all the Auror office was in chaos, Harry knew he was safe, he wasn't going to keep checking up on him...
Remembering Remus' violent vomiting over the edge of the bed in the Hospital Wing, Teddy returned the note to it's envelope and stored it in the deepest pocket of his school robes. He got to his feet and walked purposefully towards the door.
"Don't worry, Dad." he whispered to himself under his breath. "I'm going to save you."
Harry wasn't in the main office when Teddy re-entered it. With any luck, Teddy thought to himself as he spotted Ron and one of the other Aurors having some sort of heated discussion over by the time line, the Deputy Head of Aurors might have left the Ministry all together. Teddy shuffled over to the arguing pair, waited for them to pause for breath before asking:
"Ron?"
"Bit busy for a sec, Ted." Ron told him, without turning round.
"I need the toilet." Teddy explained, and the red haired Auror pointed a blind arm towards the door.
"Left down the corridor, third on the right."
"Okay...where's Harry?"
"Minister's office...if Roger Hanks saw Tonks at six o'clock, there's no way that Gertrude Armitage saw her at five past six..."
Teddy turned and headed for the door, resisting the urge to run. He reached the elevator and jabbed impatiently at the button on the wall, attempting to take deep breaths to calm himself.
"I can do this," he mouthed to himself as the doors opened and a couple of people got out of the lift and he hurried inside. "I can do this...just...just get to the Atrium..." he pressed the corresponding button and felt a strange sense of achievement when some minutes later the doors opened and a voice informed him that he had arrived at his destination. As usual the Atrium was flooded with people rushing in all directions, nobody noticed the grey haired child making a dash for the floo. Teddy kept his gaze upon the shiny marble floor, hands shoved deep into his pockets. He felt as though hundreds of eyes were staring at him, and yet he forced one foot in front of the other, stumbling when people brushed past him, muttering apologies under their breaths. Once he had reached one of the fireplaces, he glanced nervously around, just to make sure people weren't really all staring, before reaching determinedly for the floo powder. As he disappeared in a burst of emerald flame, Teddy felt a leap of hope. He was out of the Ministry, nobody was going to stop him now, he was sure of it.
Teddy stumbled out of the fireplace and into the kitchen of his family home, reaching to brush soot from his hair. The room appeared to have been untouched since his father had cooked him breakfast the morning he had been due to return to Hogwarts. The frying pan was still soaking in the sink and one of Remus' jumpers had been abandoned over the back of one of the dining chairs. Teddy wandered over and picked it up, pressing the material to his face and breathing in deeply. For a brief moment, his vision engulfed by darkness, Teddy felt calm wash over him. The jumper smelt of the cologne that his grandmother had gifted his father at Christmas, the wool felt soft against his skin. He didn't want to move, he wanted to stay there frozen in a little bubble of calm, where he could pretend that everything was going to be fine, pretend that he felt brave.
Even Gryffindors got scared sometimes, he realized as he reluctantly lifted his face away from the jumper. But sometimes it was okay to be afraid, he would not let it stop him, not when his parents needed his help. How many times had Harry been scared when he was younger? How petrified had he been to stand and face Voldemort, the most feared dark wizard of the age? And how scared had all those students felt, desperately defending themselves from the countless Death Eaters who had swarmed into Hogwarts all those years ago, striking dead anybody in their path?
Had they stopped fighting? Had they given up trying?
No, they had not. Not the Gryffindors, not the Ravenclaws, not the Hufflepuffs or the Slytherins. Not anybody.
Not Teddy, either.
Jumper still in hand, Teddy made for the stairs, his footsteps loud as he marched upstairs and into his parents' bedroom. He undressed quickly, leaving his robes in a pile upon the floor, before looking inside the wardrobe and grabbing a random selection of his father's clothes. Once he had put them on, he went to look in the mirror, careful not to trip over the too-long trouser legs.
A few moments later, Remus Lupin headed downstairs to the living room, a bundle of Hogwarts robes under one arm and a shiny golden key in one hand, that he stored deep in the inside pocket of his robes. He stuffed the robes into a bag that had been left in the hallway, before proceeding to the kitchen and flooing the the Leaky Cauldron.
Teddy had no idea just how well known his father had become over the years. He tried to keep his head down and not appear alarmed when a few strangers waved or called greetings to him in the street. Nobody attempted any real conversation, though, and he managed to reach the steps of Gringott's Bank without too much trouble.
But then he heard an excited voice calling to him and there came the sound of light feet running across the pavement.
"Uncle Remus!"
Teddy froze, forcing himself to take a deep breath as the footsteps halted beside him and a small hand reached to tug the sleeve of his father's robes. He turned to find himself looking down at the beaming face of young James Potter.
"You're better!" James enthused, bouncing up and down on his heels excitedly. "Mummy said you were terribly sick!"
Teddy cleared his throat and, trying to make his voice far lower, hoarser, told the boy:
"That's right, but I'm feel much better now." He glanced over the top of James' head rather worriedly, before asking: "Where is Gi...your mother?"
"She's left me with Auntie Angelina so she can go to the Order meeting at Grandma's house. They're looking for Auntie Dora!"
"And where is Auntie Angelina?" Again, Teddy glanced around nervously.
"She's in Madam Malkin's." As Teddy was silently thankful that James had wandered off on his own, Harry's son giggled as he said: "Your voice sounds funny."
Teddy forced himself to smile again, desperately trying to think of what to say.
"Well..." he began rather uncertainly, drawing in a deep, calming breath. "That's...that's what happens...when you've been really sick. Sometimes it makes your voice...different."
"Why aren't you at the meeting?" James asked curiously, and Teddy resisted the urge to turn and flee from the question. Willing himself to think quickly, Teddy plucked a reason out of thin air.
"Well...I was there...but I left. I'm looking for Auntie Dora too...but you must not tell anybody because it's a secret. Don't want the Death Eaters to find out, do we?" As James looked alarmed at the mention of Death Eaters, Teddy attempted to fix a firm expression onto his father's face as he said: "You know, it's naughty of you to go wandering off like this. Your Auntie Angelina will be worried about you."
As if on cue, a voice called:
"James? James Potter, when I get hold of you, I swear..."
James' eyes widened a little and he hurriedly mumbled:
"Bye Uncle Remus!"
"Bye James." Teddy replied, equally as hurried as he spotted Angelina Weasley making her way through the crowded street. He and James fled in opposite directions.
Teddy had never particularly liked goblins, they made him feel a little uneasy. As he made his way towards the desk that ran along one side of the room, he couldn't help but jump at the sound of stamps being banged upon documents, or the sound of rubies being poured upon brass scales. He fumbled in his pocket for the golden key, before holding his head high and striding up to one of the goblins who sat eying him from behind the desk.
"What can I do for you today, Professor?" the goblin inquired politely, but Teddy did not feel assured. He shuffled his feet under the probing gaze and held out the key. Again, he cleared his throat and, recalling the exact words that Remus had said the last time Teddy had accompanied him to the bank, recited:
"I wish to make a withdrawal." He held out the key expectantly.
"I see." the goblin's gaze continued to shake the metamorphmagus' confidence, but within moments another goblin had appeared at his side and gestured for him to follow.
Teddy had ridden through the underground tunnels on a great number of occasions, indeed he always accompanied his parents to the bank if he could because he enjoyed shooting along the tracks in the carts so much. He would shriek and whoop excitedly, holding his arms in the air to feel the wind rush past him. The goblins always looked disapproving, Tonks would attempt to force his arms down to stop him battering them on the low ceiling and Remus would request his silence: I feel ill enough being tossed from side to side without you shrieking in my ear, too.
This time, however, Teddy was completely silent. He sat with his hands firmly in his lap, bolt upright in an attempt to ignore the twisting of his stomach as the cart hurtled downwards, vault doors and corridors flashing by at alarming speed. After some minutes the brakes were slammed on, and Teddy was jolted in his seat, causing him to gasp. Feeling shaken, he careful clambered out of the cart and watched as the goblin set about unlocking the vault. As the door swung open and Teddy came face to face with the Lupin family savings, neat stacks of gold, silver and bronze, the boy found himself suddenly paralyzed with fear.
Just what would Remus say to hear that his son had been so utterly deceitful, sneaking away from the Aurors and stealing gold from his parents' vault?
And what would Tonks think of him giving in to the demands of Death Eaters just like that?
Secretly, the voice in the back of Teddy's head assured him, Dad would be proud. He is a Marauder, after all, and deceiving the Deputy Head of Aurors...well it was rather clever, wasn't it? And he had no choice but to give in to the demands! Surely both of his parents would be able to see that? It was only a bit of gold, after all. They might miss a holiday in the summer, perhaps, but they would get it back soon enough and what was a silly summer holiday compared to life itself?
If Remus and Tonks died, there would be no family holidays at all. Ever.
Yes, there was more to life than gold, his parents knew that for sure. And so Teddy opened up his bag, stepped over the threshold, and began shoveling handfuls of gold inside, attempting to ignore just how guilty he felt about it.
All too soon, Teddy found himself stood atop the steps of Gringott's Bank, blinking rapidly at the bright sunshine of the chilly January afternoon. As his eyes ached at the sudden brightness, it occurred to Teddy that he had just one thing left to do. He had the bag held tightly in two hands, so heavy with gold that he was at risk of dropping it. Just how would that look, he wondered, if he dropped the bag and flooded the pavement with gold coins? The very idea made him shudder.
Concentrate Teddy, he told himself firmly, this is no time to panic, Mum and Dad need help quickly!
First things first, drop this morph and get out of Dad's clothes. Can't risk another episode like the one with James earlier...
Teddy headed for the nearest alleyway, and, crouching down behind a stack of dilapidated cauldrons and cardboard boxes, he hurriedly morphed back to his usual self, hair a conservative brown, and changed back into his school robes. As he shoved his father's clothes hurriedly into the bag, his nerves finally got the better of him and he felt tears in his eyes. For some time he simple stayed put, crouched down upon the dirty cobbles, sobbing uncontrollably at the realization that he had nearly completed his task.
And at the end, he thought woefully, petrified at the very thought, he was going to meet the Death Eaters.
He thought back to Christmas at the Potters' house, sat in the living room opening presents. He distinctly remembered Harry watching him unwrap his fourth book with a grin upon his face.
"He's Remus' son for sure," his godfather had muttered to Tonks who was sat beside him, and Teddy had felt pleased.
Crouched in the alleyway, face pink with tears and breaths shallow and salty, Teddy wished Harry's words had been more than just slightly true. Teddy could not comprehend the notion that Remus had ever cried at the thought of facing Death Eaters, not even back when he had just finished school.
At eleven, younger than Teddy himself, had Harry cried when faced with Voldemort demanding he hand over the Philosopher's Stone? Teddy thought not.
But he wasn't Remus, and he wasn't Harry either. What did it matter what other people were capable of?
For ten whole minutes, Teddy stayed crouched in the alley, crying miserably at his shattered nerves, He couldn't do it, he simply couldn't. He'd tried his best, but to go down Knockturn Alley looking for Death Eaters...no. No, it was too much. Far too much...
How did people do it? To think during a war his parents could have remained so calm, so...casual!
Teddy recalled the events that his parents had shown him in the pensieve a few months previously: his mother's jokes about Bellatrix Lestrange, her concern that, with Death Eaters about to break down her door and attempt to kill her, she didn't have time to change out of her pajamas, his father's fearless stroll into a trap he knew all too well was waiting for him, their joking about his run in with the werewolves that had left him to stumble through the back door of the Burrow and drop to the floor, out cold.
How could anybody manage such things? How?
However they did it, Teddy reasoned with himself, reaching to swipe furiously at the tears upon his face, he best learn to copy them quickly. Remember, Dad doesn't have all that much time...
Just stand up. Stand up and start walking. That's all there is to it. Just walk.
And so it was that Teddy Lupin stumbled across the street, down Knockturn Alley and disappeared around a dark corner, tears still trickling down his face. Nobody noticed the crying boy, nor where he was going, they were all too focused on their shopping.
Nobody heard the commotion that occurred in the dark alleyway mere moments later, either. A panicked cry had barely pierced the air before there came the gentle pop of disapparation.
Besides, the shoppers were far too interested in the drama that suddenly began to unfold back in Diagon Alley.
"Look Mum!" a little girl cried excitedly as a loud series of cracks disturbed the hustle and bustle of the street. "Look! It's Harry Potter!"
"So it is!" her mother said, as the man in question came sprinting down the cobbles, flanked by two other scarlet-clad Aurors. "Well, they seem to be in a hurry, don't they?" As the Aurors began frantically calling for somebody named Teddy, she took hold of the little girl's hand and led her away up the street. "Come along," she said cheerfully as another Auror with red hair apparated in front of the shop opposite and made a beeline for Gringott's, bellowing for Teddy just like the others. "I'll buy you an ice cream."
