Don't own Harry Potter

Chapter 3- The wolf and his Cub

Awful smelling smoke was rising from the cup Harry had filled with the Wolfsbane potion. Remus took it, somewhat apprehensively. Harry could understand why. He remembered Remus telling him how awful the potion tasted. The werewolf drank it as quickly as possible so he wouldn't have to taste it for long. Remus gave a shudder, and for a moment Harry though he might spit the potion out. But he swallowed and made a face.

"If the taste is anything to go by you made it perfectly. Just the same, I'd feel better if you could lock me up somewhere. Even if I can keep my mind I'd rather the kids didn't see me that way, especially Teddy."

"Remus, Teddy will love you no matter what. You mustn't be ashamed of what you are, especially since you have no control over it." Tonks said. Remus thought back to how his wife had kept insisting his being a werewolf didn't matter to her. He no longer worried about her loving him no matter what, but would Teddy feel the same way? Being what he was, Remus had picked up something Tonks had not. Teddy seemed reluctant to get to know his parents, and Remus didn't want to give him one more reason to feel that way.

"I'll stay with you through it," Tonks said, but Remus insistently shook his head.

"No. There's no reason for you to have to worry about me. It's much better if nobody else is there. It's something nobody should have to see."

"And what about 'for better or for worse'? If you don't want Teddy to see it fine, but there's no reason you should go through it alone every month." Tonks had a note of sharpness in her voice that clearly said "I love you, you git. Don't shut me out like that."

"There's a very good reason things have to be that way. If you're not willing to do it for your own sake, then do it for mine. Let a sick man have some dignity."

It was the closest to pleading Remus had ever come, and Tonks knew it was time to give in.

"Is there anything else at all we can do for you?" Harry asked.

"No. Just go to bed like always and wake me up in the morning."

Harry sighed, but nodded. He knew waiting up wouldn't do any good, and it would just make his friend feel guilty. He wished with all his heart that somehow there was a way to cure Remus, but even the Healers at St. Mungo's hadn't been able to find a way. So that night Harry locked Remus in the attic, and went to his own room with Ginny like always.

Teddy, however, had a true Marauder's spirit, and couldn't leave well enough alone. He had heard that werewolf transformations were painful, and if there were any way to help his father…Well, he didn't know what he could do exactly, but maybe just by being there somehow he could give support. Standing outside the door he heard a low growl and another sound. He had never heard the sound before but could guess it was sound of bones stretching, almost breaking, It sounded as painful as he'd always been told it was. Then he heard a whine and a flop as if Remus had either thrown himself down or passed out on the floor.

Teddy hesitated only a moment. He was about to willingly go into a room with a transformed werewolf, something he imagined no sane person had ever done yet. But surely his father wasn't dangerous as long as he'd drank the potion right? He'd heard enough courtesy of Uncle George's extendable ears to know Remus wanted to be left alone, but it sounded like he needed help. It still didn't feel like his father and mother were anything other than close friends of the family yet, but Teddy had inherited his mother's Hufflepuff kindness as well as his father's Gryffindor courage, and would never have let even a stranger on the street go through what it seemed like his father was without at least trying to help.

Harry had arranged permission for Teddy to learn the Patronus charm as part of "summer tutoring," but using Alohamora to open the door would surely get him in trouble. Luckily he knew how to pick locks, also courtesy of Uncle George. In a moment he had the door open and looked inside. His father had apparently heard him, because Teddy caught a flash of gray quickly disappearing into the shadows.

"Dad?"

No response.

"Dad, it's OK. It doesn't bother me. You can come out."

There was a slight movement in the shadows, and the werewolf slowly stuck his head out. His head was hung low, the ears were laid back, and the look in his eyes told Teddy how ashamed he was. Remus stepped forward, his expression more like a whipped puppy than a werewolf, his tail between his legs.

"It's not your fault dad. I hope you're not mad at me for coming. I thought maybe I could help. Harry told me how his dad and Sirius would keep you company when you- got like this. I thought maybe I could do the same. So can I stay? Please?"

Remus seemed to be debating, then slowly, as if against his better judgment, he held up a paw and Teddy took it, a smile starting on his face. Remus couldn't speak at the moment, but he made a mental note that as soon as he could he would thank his son. His tail wagged a bit at the thought that Teddy was so obviously a Marauder's son, but there was plenty of his mother in the boy too.

Teddy stayed with Remus in the attic throughout the night, and finally they both fell asleep. When the sun rose Remus started to change back, and the process woke him from what had been a deep sleep. Teddy was still sleeping, and Remus didn't know whether to be even prouder of his son or scold himself for keeping Teddy up all night. Tired though he was, Remus picked Teddy up and gently carried him to his room before he headed to his and Tonks' room to finally get some sleep.

Author's note: It has been brought to my attention, thanks to a reviewer, that I never explained how Remus and Tonks were unfrozen. It's like when Dumbledore froze Harry in HBP. When Dumbledore died the spell was broken. That's why it took twelve years for them to come back. It took twelve years for the person who froze them to die. I thought for a moment about Remus' survival being due to his being a werewolf, but I wanted Tonks to come back too, so although I know it's kind of weak, it's the best I could come up with. Anyway, more soon and thanks so much for the reviews. They mean a lot to me