Irrelevant Character Note (ICN): I imagine that usually, and especially as he gets older, Teddy is super chill. Like a stoner without the weed. Possibly with the weed, later on in school. Let's be honest.

HAIR: varies; originally dark brown, frequently turquoise.

EYES: varies; originally grey-blue.

WAND: chestnut, phoenix feather, eleven inches.

Teddy Lupin felt his stomach flutter as the girl in front of him was called to be Sorted. She walked forward with tense shoulders and clenched fists, mirroring the way that Teddy was feeling. He'd been excited and happy on the train, even on the little boats on the lake, but now... It suddenly seemed so real. His godfather Harry had come with Teddy's Nanna to see him off and their pride and confidence had boosted him through the journey here, but nothing could now distract Teddy from the fact that he was alone, in an unfamiliar place, with an uncertain future.

The girl in front was placed into Slytherin and Teddy's name was called. He tried not to stumble as he edged towards the ragged, ominous-looking hat drooping from Professor Sprout's arthritic fingers. He swallowed and concentrated on keeping his hair brown and his skin flesh-coloured, knowing his tendency to morph randomly when under stress. Despite being generally outgoing, Teddy didn't enjoy being in any kind of spotlight and the hundreds of eyes he could feel upon him as he reached the little stool next to Sprout made him want to turn invisible. Unfortunately, that was not possible even for a metamorphmagus. Perhaps he should have nicked his godfather's prized cloak.

He clambered onto the stool and turned to face the crowded Great Hall. It was even more majestic than his Nanna had told him; the clear night sky above glittered with stars that made the many floating candles seem almost pointless. The beauty of the ceiling couldn't distract him from the sea of faces below it, though. The hum of chatter in the hall had hushed slightly when his name had been called out, but now it was rising even louder than before as students pointed him out and murmured all the things that marked him out from the other first-years: he was the orphaned child of war heroes, son of an actual werewolf, practically adopted by the great Harry Potter… and even cooler than that, it was rumoured that he could change his appearance at will! Teddy closed his eyes to block it out as the fabled Sorting Hat was placed on his head. The voices died down again, only to be replaced by a different one inside his mind.

"Feeling a bit terrified, eh?"

Teddy jumped, fingers gripping the edge of the wooden stool. He was glad the hat was covering his head because he was sure his hair had gone purple out of surprise. He opened his mouth to answer but then changed his mind, nodding instead. The friendly little voice chuckled.

"I get that a lot. Still, perhaps we can rule out Gryffindor."

Teddy's face fell. He had been hoping for Gryffindor because his father had been in that house, not to mention practically all of his adopted family. As much as he loved his Nanna, he had never liked the sound of her house… in fact, as much as Nanna was a proud Slytherin she had never spoken very fondly of it either. There was no way he was smart enough for Ravenclaw, so that was right out of the cauldron. Gryffindor, though, with its majestic lion and history of greatness and bravery… what eleven-year-old boy wouldn't want to be in Gryffindor?

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?" whispered the Hat. Teddy shrugged. He liked Hufflepuff well enough and he knew full well that it wasn't a house of losers like people said. After all, not only his heroic mother but also his grandfather, whose image was framed in almost every room of his Nanna's home and whose name was shared with Teddy himself, had been in Hufflepuff. But Gryffindor…

"I can put you in Gryffindor if you really want it," sighed the Hat, sounding suddenly a little annoyed. "But if you ask me, you'd do well in Hufflepuff. You're kind, thoughtful and steadfast and I fear that you'd feel out of step with the other Gryffindors. What's it to be, Lupin?"

Teddy stared down at his hands, which he'd clasped in his lap. His fingernails shimmered neon orange at him and he frowned as he made them go bright red, then vivid yellow. If he went into Hufflepuff, surely the rest of the family would be in Gryffindor and he'd be even more the odd one out than he already was. Who would be a Hufflepuff with him? Mischievous little James wouldn't be, Fred most definitely wouldn't be and neither would the precocious Molly. Everyone else was too young to tell, really. Maybe Vic… sweet, pretty Victoire, whom they only saw a few times a year as her family spent most of the summer holidays in France. He didn't know about little Dominique but Victoire could definitely be in Hufflepuff. He'd always gotten on well with Vic and it was only two years until she would be at Hogwarts too. Nodding to himself, he whispered a word to the Hat and tensed as it delightedly echoed it to the whole hall:

"HUFFLEPUFF!"