By the time he was ready to start at Hogwarts, Teddy had become fairly skilled as a metamorphmagus. Those who saw him frequently were used to him turning up with different coloured hair or eyes or occasionally a different nose. It was never a skill he had taken very seriously and he certainly never cared what he looked like; instead he preferred experimenting with different guises or mimicking the features of those he was spending time with.

However in the month leading up to his arrival at Hogwarts, Teddy started spending increasingly lengthy amounts of time in front of the mirror, trying to decide upon his 'Hogwarts look'. The mirror was most unhelpful, making comments like "way too scruffy" or "you can't go out looking like that", yet Teddy was determined that his fellow students should see him at his coolest. It wasn't until Ginny caught him on one afternoon in late August (leading to much red faced embarrassment) that Teddy considered he might be going a little overboard.

"Just be yourself," Ginny had offered casually, whilst almost pretending she hadn't noticed what he was doing.

But that in itself was the problem, Teddy decided. At the grand old age of eleven and a bit, Teddy Lupin had absolutely no idea who he was.

He was never short of people to tell him, of course. "You're Harry Potter's godson, aren't you, the one whose parents died in the Battle of Hogwarts? You're the orphan. Your mother was an auror and a metamorphmagus, your father taught at Hogwarts for a time. Then everyone found out he was a werewolf. He must have been brave though, he was awarded the Order of Merlin. You live with your grandmother, and isn't she the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange?"

Godson. Orphan. Metamorphmagus. Auror. Professor. Werewolf. Death Eater.

Teddy turned the words over and over in his head. There were so many labels, so many things people saw when they looked at him...but he wondered whether anyone would ever see past all of that and appreciate him for who he was, not the stories that surrounded him.

So that was why, as he studied himself in his bedroom mirror for the last time before leaving for Hogwarts, Teddy abandoned every cool image he had considered and appeared in his natural form.

As he followed his grandmother, who was levitating his trunk down the stairs, he thought back to the conversation he had with Harry the previous evening.

...

Ginny had made spaghetti bolognaise with garlic bread for tea, Teddy's favourite. They talked animatedly all through the meal, discussing everything and anything related to Hogwarts.

"What time do you want me to meet you at Kings Cross tomorrow?" Harry asked suddenly.

Teddy took a deep breath. He'd been dreading this moment all night. "Er, I've been thinking...I think it might be best if I just go with my Gran tomorrow...I don't want...I know you want to come but...people can get really excited when they see you and I'll be meeting people for the first time and...and I don't want them to see me as Harry Potter's godson, I just want to be Teddy Lupin." The words came out in a confused tumble. Teddy winced slightly, hoping he hadn't caused offence.

If Harry was offended, he did a good job of concealing it. "Of course, you're right. It would be much better if you just go with Andromeda. Last thing you want is any kind of frenzy. It will be nice to spend some time with this lot anyway, it's not often I get time off at the minute."

"You don't mind, do you?"

"Of course not. Look, Teddy, I want you to be happy. I want Hogwarts to be the best experience of your life. I don't want anyone or anything to ruin tomorrow for you, especially not me getting hounded by some past-their-sell-by-date fan club on the platform." Harry laughed and Ginny rolled her eyes. "You'd have thought they'd be over it by now, wouldn't you, but apparently being the 'Chosen One' sticks with you for life. I hated being so well known at Hogwarts, and I definitely don't want to push that stigma onto you too."

"Did I ever tell you," Harry began, obviously looking to lighten the conversation "that I made friends with Ron on that very first train journey to Hogwarts. Molly told me how to get through the barrier and then we ended up sitting in the same compartment. Who knows what would have happened if it had been somebody else...maybe I'd have avoided getting stuck with this one."

Teddy laughed as Ginny swatted Harry playfully on the arm.

It was a lovely final evening with the Potters, as they continued to share their Hogwarts memories and offer him advice for the following months. James and Albus refused to go to bed until Teddy had read them a bedtime story and he even spent some time amusing Lily, morphing his hair from one colour to another, as she lay in her cot and giggled up at him.

All too soon though, it was time to leave. Teddy felt his first real pang of nerves as he said goodbye to Harry. Ginny respectfully gave them a moment by going to settle the now very excited Lily. Although there had been worries before, the excitement had always taken over.

"You know you'll have a brilliant time, don't you Teddy. And if anything is wrong, you can send an owl anytime you like, to me or your Grandmother. Your head of house will always be there for you, or any of the other staff, and Neville will keep an extra special eye out for you."

Teddy nodded. "What should I do if someone asks about my parents?" he voiced the concern that had been growing for a long while.

"Your parents were incredible people, Teddy. They died fighting for the noblest cause. Don't ever be ashamed to talk about what happened or who they were. Besides, there will be many more students who lost family members in the war. Don't think you're alone in this." Harry ruffled Teddy's hair affectionately. "You've been luckier than me Teddy, you have been brought up by many people that love you. But when you get to Hogwarts, when you start making friends there and going to lessons together, eating together, sharing a dorm, you'll find that those friends become like family too. Being at Hogwarts made me feel like I really belonged somewhere and some of my happiest memories are from my time there."

Harry's words were similar to those Teddy had heard from various people over the last few weeks, but they did help to reassure him.

Harry glanced up at the clock on the wall. "Crikey, I didn't realise that was the time. Come on, we'd better get going." He took a handful of Floo Powder and threw it into the fire.

Teddy took one last, appreciative look around the Potter's familiar lounge and they were off.

...

Teddy's grandmother jumped up quickly when he and Harry stepped out from the fireplace.

"Oh Teddy, you're back. I was getting worried; I was expecting you ages ago."

Harry looked sheepish. "Sorry Andromeda, the kids didn't want to let him go. You know what they're like...anyway, I won't stop. I'll be in touch later on tomorrow..."

The two exchanged a look that Teddy couldn't quite read. Before he had chance to wonder about it though, Harry had pulled him into one final hug. "Have a fantastic time and remember, anything you need, just get in touch. However small a thing it might be."

He ruffled Teddy's hair again and then he was gone. Teddy stared after him, a peculiar feeling in his stomach.

"I don't know why Harry has kept you so long, it's rather late," his grandmother was fussing. "You've got such a busy day tomorrow."

Although she was smiling, on closer inspection Teddy noticed that her face looked rather red. Her eyes failed to meet his and he couldn't help but wonder if she had been crying while he had been out.

"It will go really quickly to Christmas, won't it?" he asked quickly.

"Of course!" She gave him a bracing smile.

The thought suddenly struck Teddy that he really was the only person she had. Of course she had her friends, but he was her only family. He hoped she wouldn't be too lonely.

"Now, you really must go to bed. We've got to be up early."

She continued to fuss as Teddy got himself ready for bed, hurrying him along at every opportunity. Finally satisfied, she kissed him goodnight and retreated. However, Teddy lay awake for a long while after she had gone.

...

"Go on then dear, you go first. You know what to do."

Teddy took a deep breath and ran at the barrier. The thud he was expecting never came. Instead, he was met with the hubbub of Platform 9 ¾. Wisps of steam clouded the air, making him cough slightly. He blinked a few times to regain focus. The platform was packed with students and their families; a sea of unfamiliar faces. To his right, a tall boy was proudly puffing out his chest and Teddy couldn't help but notice the shining Head Boy badge pinned there. Two younger boys ran past, chasing a cat, whilst their mother shouted. Owls screeched above the lively chatter and the train's whistle blew. Teddy noticed that many students were already on board. This was it, he thought, the start of the rest of his life.

His grandmother appeared beside him, looking as if she might cry again. Teddy swallowed hard to stop his own tears from forming. Suddenly everything seemed to be going at double speed. The whistle blew again and they hugged one last time, clinging on for slightly longer than normal. Then he was picking up his trunk and stepping on to the train. He squeezed past the groups of other students already laughing with their friends and found himself an empty compartment.

Teddy hurried to the window and waved frantically as the train pulled out of the station. That was it. She was gone. He wouldn't see anyone he knew until Christmas. He stared at the empty seats opposite him. What if no one else came? What if he didn't make any friends? Maybe it wasn't too late to change his mind. If he found the driver he could get the train to stop and go back, they hadn't gone far. He was sure they could find some excuse, so that he didn't have to go until Victoire did. The train lurched, forcing Teddy to sit down. The train was going faster now. It wasn't going to stop. He had to go. He knew that.

He stared at the empty compartment, half hoping for, half dreading the interruption of some other unsure first year. As if on demand, the door slid open. Teddy took a deep breath.

"Okay if I sit here?" A boy, shorter than Teddy, with glasses, freckles and dark brown hair was glancing at him incredibly nervously.

Teddy nodded. "Sure. I'm Teddy."

"Jack."

Just then another boy appeared, looking at one of the still vacant seats.

Teddy smiled at him. "Come in. I'm Teddy, this is Jack."

"Aiden."

The three boys were soon chatting. Aiden was from a wizarding family in Norfolk, but Jack had known nothing about Hogwarts or magic until a few weeks ago. Apparently his family were still trying to get over the shock.

It wasn't long before the witch was bringing around the trolley. Teddy felt his stomach rumble. It seemed a long while since breakfast. He grabbed a handful of Chocolate Frogs. Jack watched in amazement as Teddy pulled open the wrapper and the frog hopped out. Teddy and Aiden chuckled.

"What card did you get?" Aiden asked.

Teddy smiled as he glanced down at the familiar face grinning up at him. "Ron Weasley." What had Harry said about meeting people on trains?

"Ace, he's the only one I need to complete the trio!" Aiden exclaimed, wide eyed.

"Here, have it...I've got it at home already."

Aiden beamed. "Thanks, I owe you! This is brilliant!"

Teddy felt a warm sensation grow inside him. He had a feeling everything would be alright.