Harry couldn't believe - couldn't understand - that Dudley called him because Teddy punched a classmate.

Teddy was generally a well-behaved six year old, despite his excess curiosity and rambunctiousness. But as long as he didn't hurt anyone, then Harry let him have his way.

And he knew Teddy knew better than to hurt people, especially children. He inherited some of Remus' werewolf traits such as enhanced strength, reflexes, and senses; though he would never compare to a real werewolf, which Harry was eternally thankful for.

(Not that Harry would love his godson any less if he was a werewolf, a vampire, a half-breed or whatnot; he just didn't want his godson to be any sort of pain - like what Remus went through.)

As soon as he got to Teddy's school, the brunet who was currently in his late-twenties got out of his car (he had to keep up pretences, after all) and rushed to Dudley's classroom.

"Hello?" he said, knocking on the door and opening it at the same time. Inside were his precious darling Teddy and Dudley, Teddy's homeroom teacher.

"You're late. We've already settled it," Dudley huffed and Harry ignored him in favor of doting on Teddy.

"What happened, Cub?" he asked Teddy, who was looking at everywhere but Harry.

"Teddy?" he said, trying to get his attention.

"He punched a classmate," Dudley answered for Teddy. And Harry gasped, which made Teddy even more determined not to look at him.

"Teddy?" he repeated gently, cupping Teddy's cheeks so the black-haired green-eyed child would look into his own green eyes hidden behind his pink shades.

(He recently took to wearing glasses even though his magic fixed his vision since too many people were intimidated by his glowing eyes. He would have chosen something less conspicuous like dark or reflective shades; but Teddy wanted him to wear pink shades and Dudley bought it for him.

And he couldn't find it in himself to deny his family, so he kept them.)

"I didn't mean to, Harry!" he pleaded, looking at Harry tearfully. Harry rubbed his thumbs on his cheekbones, comforting him with a smile.

"Tell me what happened, Cub," he said gently.

"Uncle Dudley was our substitute Arts and Crafts teacher today and he wanted us to make Mother's Day cards for Mother's Day," he started and Harry sat down comfortably in front of Teddy.

"Which is a stupid holiday because why do you need to thank your mum once a year when she does nice things all year round?" he continued and in his peripheral, Dudley shrugged and mouthed: He asked and I didn't know what else to say.

"And so I made a Mother's Day card. Then Michael saw my card and said that it was stupid and I was doing it all wrong. And then he ripped my card, Harry!" Teddy finished his tale and Harry put the pieces together.

"So you punched him," he concluded and Teddy looked defiantly at Harry.

"You know you're not supposed to hurt your classmates even when what he did was wrong," he admonished gently and Teddy looked away. But Harry wasn't done so he gently tilted Teddy's face so he would look at Harry once more. "So did you apologize for punching your classmate?"

"Yes, Harry. Uncle Dudley made sure we said sorry to each other," he said petulantly and Harry gave him a proud smile.

"Good," he said, pecking Teddy's forehead, before looking at Dudley, who was watching them with a smile, used to their shows of affection.

"Is that all, Big D?" he asked his cousin, who shook his head.

"Why did Michael think your card was wrong, Teddy?" Dudley asked the child, who blushed, his hair turning into a sickening shade of neon green, sky blue, and dirty white.

"Uncle Dudley!" he whined and Dudley gave him an amused smile in return.

"Don't you think Harry deserves to know?" he answered back and Teddy just gave him a glare before pouting and staring back at the ground.

"He said that my card was stupid because Harry is a boy's name," he mumbled, but Harry has long attuned himself to his godson's voice.

And just because he heard what his godson said didn't mean that he understood what he said.

"Harry is a boy's name. What does that have to do with anything?" he asked, looking at Teddy, who still won't look at Harry, and at Dudley, who looked partially amused and partially exasperated.

"Teddy?" Harry asked again, hoping for this whole thing to make sense.

"Uncle Dudley said that mothers take care of kids. They make them get better when they're sick and feed them and tell stories and sing lullabies and love them forever and ever because that's what they do best," he continued, his face practically beet red with embarrassment.

"The card was for you, Harry," Dudley finally said, taking pity on his sort-of-nephew.

"…oh," Harry said, feeling both small and humbled.

Ever since he realized that he stopped aging, he gave up the very idea of a family because he could never, in good conscience, pass his curse to his own flesh and blood. (Not to mention, he knew very little why he stopped aging, whether it was a curse or something else.) Even when he took in Teddy because Andromeda passed away about four years ago, he never expected to be a parent. But he did his best to be what Teddy needed - someone who took care of him, raised him, fed him, clothed him, told stories and sung lullabies (well, not so much of the latter because he can't sing, to be honest). Someone who loved Teddy for simply being himself.

(He never realized that was what it meant to be a parent.)

"Teddy…" he said, trailing off as he tried to find the words that were clogging in his throat.

"I know, mums are girls and so you're not my mum," Teddy said sullenly, not believing his words. Harry shook his head vehemently.

"You're wrong, Teddy. It doesn't matter if mums are supposed to be girls. I'm your Mum, your Dad, your brother, your sister. I'm whoever you want or need me to be because I'm your family, do you understand?" he said, serious and solemn, as he looked at his cub, who stared at him with wide eyes.

"So you'll be whoever and whatever I need you to be because we're family too, right, Harry?" Dudley butted in, breaking the moment between the two wizards.

Teddy laughed at the annoyed look Harry gave Dudley, who just grinned unrepentantly.

"Yes, Dudley. I'll play your nanny since you can't seem to take care of yourself," Harry retorted, grinning unrepentantly while Dudley gave him an annoyed look in return.

. . .

Reborn woke up to the familiar feel of comfortable cotton sheets and the familiar smell of dittany and something that he always connected to home.

(One day, he would realize that scent was Harry's magic and flames, saturating the air.)

But he didn't open his eyes or give any sign that he was awake because despite the familiar surroundings, there was something warm and unfamiliar curled up to his chest.

Unfamiliar but not entirely unwelcome.

"James was worried, you know. You disappeared for an entire year," a familiar baritone spoke from his other side. "I was worried as well."

Reborn should have realized that it was a futile hope to feign sleep, especially when Harry was around.

"How did you find me?" he asked, his voice hoarse and raspy because his throat was dry. Without opening his eyes, he felt Harry move about until he felt a straw against his lips.

"Drink up. It's mixture of pain-relievers and healing potions to speed up your healing," Harry said and Reborn would have drunk it even without the explanation. Despite his paranoia (a side-effect of being a hitman), it never crossed his mind that Harry would hurt him.

(Even though he learned trust was a very bad idea - the worst - in the underworld, there was simply no way he could not trust the man who raised him.)

"It wasn't easy," Harry said while Reborn was drinking the surprisingly sweet concoction. "I had to bother both Zabini and Death to find out that you gave yourself the name 'Reborn'," he admitted and Reborn knew that Harry hated asking for favors from both men. (Beings? Death wasn't human even though he looked very much like one.)

But Harry did so anyway. For him.

"'Reborn', really? How cliché," Harry commented as he pulled away the empty glass. Reborn opened his eyes to weakly glare at Harry.

"It is not cliché. It's an appropriate name. And besides, aren't aliases part of the Marauder tradition?" Reborn retorted and Harry just chuckled softly.

"I think 'Master of Death' is enough of an alias for me," he said, both sad and resigned, as he ran his fingers through Reborn's spiky hair.

Reborn hummed in contentment as he was surrounded by his family - with James possessively wrapped around him like a leech and his father watching both of them protectively, lovingly.

(How could he have ever been so stupid as to leave them behind? Not contacting them for a year?

He swore right then and there that he would never abandon his family ever again.)

"Aliases are supposed to be given by fellow Marauders," Reborn pointed out and Harry just shrugged.

"You named yourself Reborn."

"James named me Reborn and he's as much as a Marauder as you and me," he said, knowing that Harry would never say otherwise because James was as much as Harry's as Reborn was.

"When?" Harry asked, sitting on Reborn's bed.

"…before I left," he said in small voice, barely remembering why he wanted to leave in the first place.

(Not to say he couldn't remember the bitter sting of jealousy and fear. Jealous of James because Harry would replace him with a child of his own flesh and blood - despite the process. Scared of Harry because there were so many people - groups, organizations, Familgias, countries - were after him and his "curse".

He was so selfish, prioritizing and fearing for his life alone.

He was so ashamed of himself.)

"Well then, you already gave me my alias: Lupin," Harry brought them back to their original conversation and Reborn gave him an odd look.

"That's not much of an alias. Besides you use as your last name, what kind of alias is that?"

"Well, Marauders treat their aliases as their real names, and so I should do the same, right?" And he understood because Reborn felt more real than Teddy. (Besides, what kind of hitman would have a name like 'Teddy'?).

"Why?" Reborn asked. Why would Harry prefer to use such a non-descript name such as Lupin when he could be a Potter or Black, which were more powerful and important than plain old Lupin?

"You do know that last names are also called family names, right?" Harry asked, seemingly non-sequitur. But he knew that no matter how off-tangent Harry's answers seemed to be, he was never derailed.

(But then again, Harry could have always been on a separate rail of conversation. Who knew? It wasn't much of a stretch when it came to his dad and his eccentricities.)

"Yeah?" and he didn't voice out what did that have to do with anything?

Harry huffed, poking Reborn's forehead. He frowned (because men - he was finally seventeen! - didn't pout).

"Since I had so many last names to choose from, I chose the one that meant family," he said as he tucked in James and kissed his forehead.

Then he looked at Reborn - Teddy - with his glowing green eyes and Teddy could remember a time when he wished he had Harry's eyes as well because they were mesmerizing.

"I chose yours," he said, before pecking Teddy on the forehead like James.

I chose you.

. . .

Sometimes, Tsuna dreams.

His father is the very definition of tall, dark, and handsome. He wears confidence like his suits - constantly and perfectly. He may seem arrogant but considering he's a holder of several doctorate degrees and the most powerful person in the world, it is not misplaced. He would definitely be a lady-killer if he wasn't a sarcastic bastard on a good day and a cold-hearted asshole the rest of the time; and if he wasn't so very devoted his mother.

His mother, on the other hand, is nearly the complete opposite of his father with her sweet and mild-mannered demeanor. She's pretty enough, though her hair looks like a bird's nest if she doesn't tie it back.

Tsuna thinks she managed to catch (and keep) his father's attention because of her eyes which change color according to her mood (her caramel brown eyes would turn brilliant green while his own would turn golden-orange); and despite her small and seemingly delicate build, she can beat dad. (So much for being the most powerful person in the world, Dad.)

Tsuna takes after his mother rather than his father, especially her seemingly delicate build, which meant that he seems to be an easy target for bullies and the like. Then he shows them what his father has taught him.

(If he ever asked his parents, though, they would claim that Tsuna took more after his father than his mother which was no surprise since he was always his father's son.)

Many think that his father is naturally multi-talented, but Tsuna knows for a fact that he is not. He trained and worked and bled until his skills are perfect. And though he sets high standards for himself, he sets the bar even higher for Tsuna, so much so that not even the sky can reach it. And he would push Tsuna to his very limits and beyond them to achieve those impossibly high standards.

No matter how much his father trains (tortures) him, Tsuna never gave up. In fact, the mere thought of giving up has never crossed his mind because his dad never gave up on him. He believes in Tsuna so much that he has never lowered his expectations for him. That he never needed to lower them because Tsuna would rather die than fail his father's complete and utter trust in him.

So he trains and bleeds and succeeds.

And it is worth every sweat and blood he sheds because his father, who is actually awkwardly affectionate towards him and his mother, would give him a small genuine smile and say "Good job, Son."

He lives for those not-so-rare moments of pride from his father just as much as he lives for his mother's smiles.

It doesn't take much for his mom to smile; she's prone to smiling for the smallest of reasons or for no reason at all. She smiles when she greets him good morning, when she cooks meals for him and his dad with or without his help, when she dotes on his cousins and aunts and uncles, when he passes his exams, when he brings home his friends, when his dad does something sweet, when they would eat together as a family (usually with his extended family), when she kisses him good night as the day ends.

And as much as he adores those little moments that make his mom happy, those kinds of smiles are not the ones he lives for. He doesn't know how to bring them out (because as open as his mother is, she is also very mysterious) but he's determined to find out.

Her smile, the one he lives for, always blindsides him because it usually appears out of nowhere. It is small, like his father's, and warm and gentle and perfect because her whole face is practically aglow with love and affection for him.

(If he ever asks her why she smiles like that, she would only give that perfect smile of hers and say, "Because I just realized how much I love you.")

Though he is an only son (which means they dote on him so much and cherish him as if he's their most precious treasure because he is), he's never really alone because he's surrounded with cousins and aunts and uncles (mostly from his father's side).

His cousins, though their ages vary, usually act younger than their real age, making Tsuna some sort of older brother figure who dotes and cares and loves every single one of them despite (or because of) their uniquely eccentric personalities and makes sure that they don't kill each other. (He also used to ensure that they don't cause too much collateral damage but he gave up because despite having different and often contrasting personalities, they are all very very destructive. It runs in the family.) And for all their faults, they are also there for him when he needs them so he does his best to do the same (though he is not strong or smart enough to be of help to them even though they insist otherwise).

As for his aunts and uncles, who are no doubt siblings of his father with how they interact with (beat up) each other, he looks up to them most of the time. They are really talented and so well accomplished in their own specialized field but would take time to teach Tsuna their craft (even though he's really no good at them). And no matter how much they (seemingly) hate their father, he knows that they will be there for him if he really needs them. They're dependable, reliable, and as destructive as they are (like he said, it runs in the family), they're also good people.

Of course he might be a bit delusional because they are his family but he inherits his mother's loving personality and her ability to calm - control - their unruly family with just a glance. (It's the eyes and it's incredibly effective.)

But that doesn't change the fact that he loves them as much as they love him and it is -

Then he wakes up and bitterly remembers blood is thicker than water.

(And one day, he will wake up and realize the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.)

glorious.

Interlude: Truth about Blood and Water - end.

added info because i couldn't place it in the drabbles:

drabble one: dudley is teddy's homeroom teacher and is absolutely terrible at arts and crafts, but the arts and crafts teacher was sick that day so he subbed for her. also, harry and dudley are cool now since dudley is less of a bullying ass and apologized and so they bond over weekends. they would sometimes have barbeque at harry's place because dudley lives in a bachelor flat, complete with the mess and all. and harry would sometimes clean after him because he does care of his cousin. also note that harry does his best not to call dudley 'mr. dursley' and avoids the rest of the dursleys. also, harry uses illusions for other people because they're so nosy and such busybodies, since teenagers, no matter how capable, taking care of children/babies of their own seems wrong to a lot of people. but he also doesn't like lying to family so they know his real form. if this was a stand alone chapter, it would have the title: the truth about motherhood.

drabble two: this drabble is directly after drabble four in the first interlude (where teddy was facing the carcassa famiglia). after harry treats him, he brings him home wherever he and james are currently bunking then. and yes, teddy became the hitman reborn when he was sixteen and he disappeared for a year and he was found when he was seventeen. (also, i wanted to add pikachu in the last line. xp) if this was a standalone, it would have had the title: the truth about family. but then i already used that so never mind. xDD

drabble three: i wrote this before chapter three. yes, that way back. and the quote "the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb" is said to be the original verson of "blood is thicker than water". i'm sure you're already familiar with the latter quote, which basically means putting blood family first. the former quote implies that your chosen family (the people you would bleed for) is more important than your birth family (hence the water of the womb). of course, if they're one and the same, you're lucky. but then tsuna doesn't have that, so he chose his own family, the ones whom he would bleed for and would bleed for him in return.

anyway, this is basically how i plan interludes to be, a mix of introspection and past drabbles which are connected by a theme. so yeah.

to Grayfia, thanks for your review and i'm sorry for your suffering? xDDD to be honest, i was kinda overwhelmed with how sweet they were as well. and well, making reborn change into his ninja outfit never crossed my mind. i mean, in canon, he didn't do it when he hid so yeah. maybe next time?

to KK, thanks for your review. and well, tsuna's adorableness is basically canon so i refuse to change it. xp and like i said, a reviewer pointed out that harry and tsuna were taking center stage and it broke my heart to be honest because i love khr because of tsuna and reborn's relationship, which evolved from being simply abusive to something special (that tsuna would risk his life and make miracles happen so that reborn wouldn't die!). and well, yeah, reborn is family and dino is reborn's cub/family, which makes dino family by association. at least that's harry's reasoning.
as for reborn's mysteries (because he's really mysterious and i wouldn't want to change that from canon as well). i'm sure i said in the third chapter, it's the curse why he lost most of his magical abilities. hence the can't not couldn't.
and okay, you lost me, what does being a black have to do with anything? xP

to MaterialScience, thanks for your review. x3 and yes, tsuna with reborn's hat is one of my favorite images in this chapter, in addition to dino wearing pink glasses with his normal outfit (i really think it fits him. ahahaha) and you're very welcome, it's nice to see that this fic could give you the happiness to start your day. xDDD

so how did you like it? tell me in your review.