Teddy stood in front of the mirror, trying to figure out what to do with his hair. For all of his vaunted Metamorphmagus power, he could never quite duplicate Harry's debonair casual style, something his godfather insisted his hair "just did". "What if I part it in the other direction?" He vigorously attacked his hair with his brush, frowning at the result. "That just looks dumb," he told his reflection, brushing it back into his usual style.
"Well, I guess that's that." Teddy patted his hair a bit more into place and sighed, turning to the dress robes hanging on the back of the closet. After he was satisfied with the knot on his tie, he slid on the waistcoat and then the heavy robes, tugging and pulling until they felt right.
Nodding at himself, he left his room, walking out into the lounge and spreading his arms. Harry was at the breakfast bar, reading over a magazine while he waited for Ginny to finish getting ready. "Well?" he asked, turning around in a circle.
Harry stared at him, mouth slightly open and Teddy surreptitiously checked his flies. "What?" he asked. "Do I have something on my face?"
"No," Harry said, shaking his head as if he were coming out of a reverie. "You look great. Fantastic."
"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself." Teddy punched him in the shoulder, grinning when Harry tapped him back. "Bet you five dollars Mrs Peterson asks to dance with you."
"I will not be taking that bet," Harry said, raising an eyebrow at him.
"What bet? Who's betting?" Ginny asked, heels clicking on the wood floor as she came out of the bedroom.
Teddy turned and stared at his godmother. She was in a gold dress that seemed to shimmer in the lights of the lounge, the neckline exposing her finely-made collarbones. The skirt of the dress came just to her knees and she had gold strappy high heels that gave her an extra couple of inches of height. Her hair, rather than its usual straight self, exploded around her head in a nimbus of curls, held in place by an elaborate arrangement of hair combs.
"Wow," Harry said quietly, walking forward to take Ginny's hand in his, raising it to his lips. As he watched them, Teddy knew that he'd pretty much ceased to exist to them as they looked at each other and he wondered if that's how it had been for his parents as well.
Ginny laid her hand on her husband's cheek and pulled him down for a kiss. Teddy felt his face grow hot and he looked away. He was no stranger to Harry and Ginny kissing in front of him, but this time it seemed like they deserved a bit of privacy.
A moment later and they were just his godparents again, Ginny smiling brightly at Teddy. "Come over here and let me look at you in the light," she said, holding out her hand. He obligingly stepped forward and bore her attentions as she adjusted his robes, tie, waistcoat and hair before finally stepping back, an odd look on her face.
"What?" Teddy asked, exasperated by the attention.
"You look just like him," she said with a wistful smile.
"Like Remus," Harry clarified. "I have some pictures I'll show you."
"Um, thanks," Teddy said, feeling a little bit awkward. He'd seen pictures of his parents and never really thought he looked much like the scarred, careworn werewolf his father had been as an adult. I guess he's younger in the pictures Harry has, he thought as they got ready to leave the house.
"Here," Ginny said, putting a plastic box in his hands. Teddy looked down, raising his eyebrows at the orchid nestled inside.
"Thanks," he said, kissing Ginny on the cheek. "I forgot."
"I know." She smiled up at him and he grinned back, glad that she'd remembered. She turned to Harry and took his hand. "Did you get James to Sarah and Archimedes all right?"
"Of course. Sarah said we don't have to pick him up ever."
"So tempting …" Ginny said as she checked her handbag. "It feels odd to be leaving the house with only this tiny bag," she remarked.
"You should get that spell from Hermione, then you can carry everything in an elegant little bag," Harry said, helping her on with her jacket. "Ready?" he asked Teddy, who nodded and took his hand as he Apparated them to the garage.
Teddy looked at the sleek car shining in the lights of the garage and felt his excitement mount as Harry handed him the keys. "Now, I'm trusting you not only with this car, but with the lives of your friends, yeah?" he said solemnly, giving him what Teddy thought of as his Ultimate Teacher Look and he nodded. "Only you will drive this car tonight. Not Duncan, not Kelly, not Alison. You will drive the speed limit. If you speed, I will know. If anyone else gets behind the wheel, I will know. Clear?"
"Crystal," Teddy said, clutching the keys in his sweaty hand.
Ginny squeezed his arm and gave him a reassuring smile. "Have fun tonight at dinner with your friends," she said. "Smile big and make sure that Mrs Taylor sends me copies of the pictures, okay?"
"Okay." Teddy pressed the button to unlock the car and got in, feeling silly as he adjusted the seat and mirrors while Harry and Ginny stood outside watching him. Finally, he gave a little wave and backed carefully out of the parking spot, keeping an eye on them in the rearview mirror as he exited the garage. Harry stood with his arm around Ginny, tall and imposing in his formal dress robes. Teddy had a brief moment where he wished it were his parents standing there to see him off, but he shook his head, thinking back to his encounter with the strange old man when he found the feather. Parents only ever want the best for their children.
"Well, he's off," Ginny said, a trace of wistfulness in her voice.
Harry sighed and nodded. "Yeah."
"Does he know exactly how many spells are on that car?"
"He knows a few of them. Dirt-repelling, window-darkening, petrol-replenishing … the usual," Harry said, taking Ginny's hand in his.
"But he doesn't know the others? Collision-avoidance, speed control, driver access control, anti-speed detection?" Ginny squeezed his hand in hers as they headed for the stairwell.
"Oh no. He does not need to know that he can drive right off the bridge and not take any damage," Harry snorted. "That's the last thing he needs to know about that car."
"Good. Where are we going for dinner?"
"Dunno. Sushi's out," he said, laying a hand on her barely-curved belly. "Steak?"
"Hmm." Ginny pursed her lips and paused on the stairs, making them the same height. "It occurs to me that we have an empty house for the first time in months," she purred, putting her arms around his neck and pulling him close.
"Yeah? So what are you saying?" Harry asked, nuzzling her neck. The smell of the perfume on her skin tickled his nose as he took a deep breath.
"I think you know exactly what I'm saying." Harry closed his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair, bringing his mouth to hers for a hard kiss.
"You want a home-cooked dinner?" he said, giving her his best innocent look when they broke apart, sure that she could hear his heart thundering in his chest.
"Hmm," she hummed through pursed lips. "I was thinking about a couple of quick sandwiches eaten standing up in the kitchen."
Harry cocked an eyebrow, leaning back to catch the wicked gleam in her brown eyes. "This is a bit earlier than last time," he murmured.
"I know! We should take advantage of it. Who knows what I'll feel like next week?"
"Well. Never let it be said that Harry Potter failed to honor his wife's wishes," he whispered as he silently Apparated them back home.
Teddy swayed gently underneath the swirling colored lights in the St Ambrose all-purpose room, Kelly's head resting on his shoulder. The room had been transformed into a winter wonderland, complete with magically-generated snow gently falling from the ceiling. Since it was magic, it didn't melt and both he and Kelly had a generous dusting of it in their hair. Teddy thought she looked beautiful with the ersatz snowflakes in her shining blonde hair.
So far, the night had gone well. He'd had a bad case of nerves when he'd arrived at her house and had to go back to the car for the corsage, face hot with embarrassment when she held out her wrist expectantly. He had a vague impression of Alison in some sort of pink, frilly dress, but Kelly in her sleek, figure-hugging emerald green dress would be imprinted on his memory forever.
Another thing that would be imprinted on his memory was the look her father gave him when he walked in the door. Adam Taylor was very tall, very wide and very much a Muggle, something that had surprised Teddy when he found out. He stood with his arms crossed, considerable biceps bulging as Kelly's mom snapped away with her camera. The constant flash of the camera couldn't keep Teddy from seeing the frown on Mr Taylor's face that deepened every time he laid a hand on his only daughter.
"How in the world did your parents even meet?" he asked Kelly when they were finally on the way to dinner.
"They met at a college frat party, if you can believe it!" she said with a laugh. "My mom had a very adventurous friend and she dragged her to this party up by Cal. He couldn't figure out how she kept winning at beer pong and the rest is history."
"Aw, that's adorable!" Alison exclaimed from the backseat.
"Yeah, they're ridiculously cute together. Makes me and my brother gag sometimes," she said and Teddy tried and failed to imagine the imposing Mr Taylor being cute with anyone.
Dinner at the agreed-upon Indian restaurant had gone very well and Teddy had half-expected to see Harry and Ginny there, but they weren't. "I guess they found something else to do for dinner," he remarked as he slathered a piece of naan with dal makahni.
"What's it like to actually live with Harry Potter?" Alison asked, leaning forward with an eager expression.
"Um …" Teddy chewed slowly, thinking over her question. "Fine, I guess?"
"Just fine? What about the whole … Harry Potter thing? You know, from history and stuff?" she said, sounding genuinely perplexed.
"You mean the whole 'Boy-Who-Lived' thing?" Teddy shrugged, tearing off another piece of naan and dipping the corner in the last of his butter chicken sauce. "It's not really a thing in our house, or ever really, now that I think about it. He's always just been Harry to me. In fact, I didn't even know half of that stuff until we covered it in Ms Okefor's class."
"So you didn't know anything about the basilisk or the Dark Lord or any of it?" Duncan asked, eyes narrowed speculatively.
"Nope. No one ever said, 'Oi, Teddy, here's your godfather. He killed a bloody big snake when he was twelve. What've you done besides soil your nappy?'" Teddy broadened his accent as he grinned and popped the last bite of naan in his mouth, flushing with pride at Kelly's giggle.
"The Dark Lord, that's when your parents died, right?" Kelly asked, taking his hand underneath the table.
Teddy nodded. "Yeah. Nobody's really sure how it happened though. I understand it was very chaotic."
"And are you mad at Harry? Because of your parents?" she asked softly, squeezing his hand tight.
The question surprised him and he glanced quickly at Duncan and Alison, seeing the bare curiosity on their faces. "No," he said after several moments. "I mean, it wasn't his fault, was it? They had a choice and they made it," he said quietly, avoiding the eyes looking at him. That choice was something he'd thought about often, wondering why they had chosen to leave him and go fight against the Death Eaters. Were they more loyal to Harry than to their own son?
"Speaking of choices," Duncan said loudly, "when are you putting in your application to the Auror academy? My dad said the earlier the better."
Teddy took a long slurp of his Coke and grinned at his best friend. "I actually have good news about that. Harry's finally going to let me put in my application."
"Are you serious?" Duncan held out his hand and Teddy gave him a high five across the table. "Finally!"
"He didn't want you to apply?" Kelly asked curiously. "Wasn't he an Auror?"
"That's exactly why. He's convinced that it's too dangerous and I'll get killed or something." Teddy shrugged and finished the last of his Coke, sitting back in his seat with a groan.
"Well, at least he lets you out of the house," Kelly said wryly. "Mom had to do some really fast talking to get Dad to agree to this dance."
"Why didn't he want you to go to the dance?" Alison asked. "I've been going to the formals since I was a Freshman."
"He says that he's seen plenty of regular teenagers get themselves in trouble at dances and parties and that with the addition of magic, there's just that much more potential for getting hurt. He's a fireman," she said by way of explanation.
"Yeah, but just because we can do magic doesn't automatically mean we'll get into more trouble," Teddy said as he tried to reason out Mr Taylor's logic.
"Come on, doesn't it?" Duncan said, raising an eyebrow at him. "What about that time we—"
Teddy raised his hand, interrupting him. "Fine, you've proved your point," he said, sure he knew which incident he was referring to. Don't need Kelly to know about that right now, he thought, giving his best friend a glare.
Teddy had taken great satisfaction in telling Duncan that he absolutely couldn't let him drive the car from the restaurant to the school. "Harry said he'd know if someone else got behind the wheel and I don't know about you, but I don't particularly care to test that, all right?"
Duncan grudgingly agreed and they spent the ride to the school coming up with exactly how Harry would punish Teddy upon discovering that he'd let someone else drive. "He'd probably Apparate right on the hood of the car and start yelling at us. I bet he'd be so pissed off that his eyes would glow," Duncan said, chortling with unholy glee. Teddy could all too easily envision exactly that and he suppressed a shudder.
Before too long, they were on the road approaching the school and there were several students in their best finery walking from the closest Apparation point to the front gates of the school. Teddy slowed the car to a crawl and they all rolled down their windows to wave and shout to their friends.
"Wow, Teddy! Mr Potter let you drive his car?" his fellow Chaser Jordan Armstrong said, leaning his arm on the window frame.
"Yep," Teddy said proudly, buoyed by his friend's envy. "Well, I gotta get going. I'll see you in there, all right?" He pressed the button to raise the window, smiling as Jordan was pushed off the side of the car.
"Dude, that was awesome!" Duncan crowed, pounding him on the shoulder. Teddy cut his eyes to Kelly next to him, delighted at her smile.
A few moments later, he'd parked and both he and Duncan had handed their ladies out of the car, the girls covering their giggles with their hands. As usual, the faculty had done a stunning job on the all-purpose room and it had been transformed with evergreen trees filled with Mr Keller's cunningly animated hand-carved figures, animated snowmen, and plenty of mistletoe. Harry had promised that there was something new this year and they all cried out in amazement when the magical snow began to fall from the ceiling.
Duncan nudged him in the side, cocking his head over to the refreshment table where Harry and Ginny stood chatting to Headmaster Ashborough and his wife. "She looks amazing," his friend whispered to him, making Teddy elbow him in the ribs. The girls excused themselves to the ladies' room to freshen up and the boys ambled over to the refreshment table.
"Boys," the headmaster said, nodding at them.
"Headmaster," they said in unison.
"Everything all right with the car?" Harry asked, taking a sip of punch from a plastic cup.
"Yeah. You didn't get any alerts or anything, did you?" Teddy asked nervously. He knew that there were more enchantments on the car than Harry had told him and he figured it was only a matter of time before he tripped one.
"You didn't do anything to cause an alert, did you?" Harry asked, raising a single eyebrow.
"Of course not," Teddy said with more confidence than he felt.
"You look very nice tonight, Duncan," Ginny said, making him blush.
"Thanks. You look, um, amazing," he choked out, face flaming.
"Thank you, you're very sweet to say so. Where are the girls?" she asked, turning her attention to Teddy.
"They're 'freshening up'," Teddy said, gulping down a cup of punch to cover his nerves. "What did you end up doing for dinner?"
"Oh, we just did something simple," Ginny said, taking Harry's hand. "I think your dates are ready for some dancing."
Teddy turned around and quickly drank down the rest of the punch as he watched Kelly walk toward him. She looked like she'd made some adjustments to her hair and she'd reapplied her lipstick, making him ache to kiss her.
And now she was snuggled up against him in his arms as they swayed to the slow ballad playing over the DJ's impressive sound system. He sighed and closed his eyes, wishing the butterflies that had invaded his stomach would find someone else to bother. The song ended and the DJ announced a short break in his smooth, deep voice.
Kelly lifted her head from his shoulder and smiled up at him, setting those monstrous butterflies to battering his innards once more. "Are you thirsty or anything?" he asked, his own throat feeling like it was made out of sandpaper.
"Sure. Do you think we can go outside for a little bit? It's kind of stuffy in here," she said, fanning her face.
"Yeah. Be right back, okay?" He made his way through the crowd to grab two cups of punch, meeting Duncan on the way. "Me and Kelly are going to go outside for some fresh air. You guys want to come?"
Duncan looked at him skeptically. "Are you actually getting fresh air or 'fresh air'?" he asked, making air quotes with his fingers.
"Leave off. Do you want to come or not?"
"Don't get your panties in a knot, Lupin. We'll be along directly."
On the way back to Kelly, he caught Harry's eye and cocked his head at the door, getting a nod in return. Handing Kelly the cup of punch, he took her other hand, those butterflies exercising their wings again, and walked outside. A small area for tables and chairs had been set up on the walkway, surrounded by soft fairy lights and Warming Charms. This was a new development after several students had complained to the headmaster about wanting a break from the loud music.
He found an empty table and carefully pulled out a chair for his date, sitting down across from her. They sat quietly for a few minutes, looking around at the lights and decorations while they waved to some of their friends who were also enjoying the outdoor seating area. "It's nice out here," Kelly finally said, lifting her hair off her neck. She'd chosen to wear it loose tonight and Teddy found it a very nice change from her customary plait.
"Yeah, it was kind of loud and stuffy in there," Teddy said, quickly gulping down his drink. I hope Duncan gets out here soon!
"The DJ is really good. He's only played a few things I didn't know so far." Teddy watched as her hand slid slowly across the table top, fingers entwining with his. "Do you listen to a lot of music?"
"Uh, yeah, actually. Harry and Ginny always have something playing, usually when Harry cooks," Teddy said, curling his fingers around hers.
"Mr Potter does the cooking?" Kelly asked, amusement plain. "That seems so weird. I wouldn't have thought that of him. He always seems so serious in class, you know?"
"What's weird?" Duncan asked, flopping down into the seat next to Teddy. Alison took her seat next to Kelly much more delicately.
"That Mr Potter does the cooking at home," Kelly said, gently withdrawing her hand from Teddy's.
"Oh my God, he's amazing in the kitchen," Duncan said, leaning forward with an eager expression.
"I bet that's not the only place he's amazing," said Alison, covering her face a split-second later as she realized what she'd said. "Awwww, I can't believe I just said that!" she moaned as they all erupted in laughter.
"Anyway," Duncan said pointedly after they'd all settled down, "Harry is an excellent cook. You guys should come for Sunday dinner sometime."
"Thanks for inviting people over to my house, Dunk," Teddy said, elbowing his friend in the ribs.
"No problem." Duncan flashed him his most winning smile and Teddy grinned back, shaking his head.
They continued chatting about music and food, Teddy watching Kelly's face as she talked about her favorite bands. He noticed that her tastes ran very close to Ginny's and he wondered if all girls liked mostly the same music. They were in the middle of a heated debate about the best Beatles album when Alison sat up straight in her seat, looking at something out towards the Quidditch field.
"What was that?" she said, sounding startled.
"What was what?" Teddy asked, twisting around to look behind him. He adjusted his sight to take in more light without it being painful from the ambient light around him and didn't see anything. "Did you see something?"
"I thought I saw a flash of light, but now …"
Teddy frowned and stood. "I'm going to go check it out."
"Should we get Mr Potter?" Kelly asked, putting a hand on his arm.
"Nah." Teddy shook his head, still probing the dark Quidditch field with his enhanced vision. "Probably nothing or someone's out there messing about with a torch or Lumos. I'll be right back."
"I'll go with you." Kelly stood up, straightening the skirt of her dress. Alison and Duncan followed suit and Teddy shrugged.
"All right. It's probably just someone having a laugh." Teddy held out his hand for Kelly, a warmth sweeping over him when she took it. He saw Duncan and Alison were also holding hands and he didn't feel quite so out of place as they all trooped out to the dark field, following Alison's lead.
They had just reached their own home goal posts when she slowed down, looking around doubtfully. "I swear it was out over this way, but maybe …"
Teddy looked around again, stretching his Metamorphmagus skills beyond anything he'd ever done before and as his eyes moved over the tallest goal post, he saw a brief flicker of light and he quickly restored his vision to normal to avoid being blinded. "Who's there?" he called. "Is there a Freshman up on the goal? You'd better get down or I'll get Mr Potter!"
A loud boom startled the four of them and Kelly ducked her head into his shoulder as Teddy groaned. "Teddy Lupin, what is a Freshman?" Niyol said as he landed on the grass in front of them, folding his enormous wings neatly behind him.
"Aw, it's a bird!" Alison said, quickly recovering from her initial fright.
Teddy looked down at the thunderbird in consternation. "What are you doing here? Are you stalking me?"
"I do not need to stalk you, Teddy Lupin. You are not my prey." Niyol preened the feathers on his breast. "I sensed you were here tonight and I came here hoping to speak to you."
Duncan shot him a look and Teddy shrugged. "Well, what did you need to talk about?"
"Yoki will begin constructing her nest soon."
"When the snow comes to the mountains, right?"
Niyol gave his birdish nod, clicking his sharp beak for emphasis. "Yes. The snow will be coming soon and you still have not gotten Coyote's whisker!"
"I know, I know. Listen, I think I know where the entrance to his den is, but I haven't had a chance to get out there since figuring it out, all right? I can't exactly just tell Harry that I need to go meet with a deity one afternoon," Teddy explained, hoping the bird would understand.
Niyol cocked his head to one side, reminding Teddy of an owl. "Why not, Teddy Lupin? Harry Potter is a great wizard."
"He is a great wizard and he'd probably go great wizard all over my ass if he knew what I was intending to do," Teddy said with a nervous laugh. He glanced at Kelly and saw she was looking at the thunderbird with a mixture of awe and avid interest.
"But the snows, Teddy Lupin," Niyol said, a note of desperation creeping into his voice.
Teddy blew out a breath and nodded. "Listen, I'll try and get it done tomorrow, all right?" He looked over at Duncan who gave a stout nod. "Me and Duncan have a plan."
"You have a plan?" Kelly cut in. "You haven't mentioned it to me."
"Yeah, what is this about a coyote? Are you talking about the Coyote?" Alison asked, mirroring Kelly's arm-crossed stance. "How come you haven't said anything to me about it, Duncan?"
Teddy exchanged a wide-eyed look with Duncan, glad to see that his friend looked as flummoxed as he felt. "Um, well," he began, only to be interrupted by Kelly.
"And I helped you find that first clue, too," she said, a tinge of betrayal in her voice.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd be interested," Teddy said, reaching out for her hand.
She looked at him like he'd completely taken leave of his senses. "You're going to meet with a literal god and you didn't think I'd be interested?"
"Well, when you put it that way …"
"Coyote is unpredictable and dangerous. Teddy Lupin is right to protect you," Niyol said and Teddy groaned. Way to go, bird brain.
"What makes you think I need to be protected?" Kelly asked, withdrawing her hand from Teddy's. "In case you didn't notice, I can cast a corporeal Patronus and I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself."
"I didn't say anything about protecting you!" Teddy protested, shooting a glare at the thunderbird. "I just didn't think you'd want to come."
"Well, I do."
"Well, okay then!"
"I want to come, too!" Alison declared. "I've never met a god and this will probably be my only opportunity."
Duncan shrugged helplessly and Teddy sighed. "Fine. Anyone else you want to invite on this little junket?" Alison opened her mouth and he held up his finger. "Rhetorical question. No one else. We have no idea what's going to happen and it's bad enough that the four of us are going," Teddy said, the thought of Kelly being hurt by an angry deity making him sweat despite the cold air.
"We're wizards, Teddy. How dangerous could it be?" Duncan asked, fixing him with his cockiest grin. That grin scared Teddy almost as much as the thought of Kelly getting hurt did.
Niyol spread his wings wide in approval. "Yes, Duncan Sutton. It is good that Teddy Lupin will have his friends with him. Numbers are always good when dealing with Coyote."
"See?" Duncan said, "the bird agrees. I think our plan should still work, don't you?"
"If you don't kill me with your baby Apparation skills."
"At least I have baby Apparation skills. Alison, you can Apparate, can't you?" Alison nodded and Duncan rubbed his hands together. "Great. See, I take Teddy and you take Kelly," he said, pointing at the two girls.
"Um, take me where?" Kelly asked.
"Here to the school. Then we get brooms from the equipment room and fly to Mt Diablo. Dress warm."
Alison raised her hand like she was in class. "Um, I haven't been up on a broom in forever."
"Ah, it's just like riding a bike," Duncan said, flapping a hand at her. "You can ride a bike, can't you?"
"All right. Well, we'll need to hammer out the details, but let's put a pin in tomorrow afternoon around one, all right?" Teddy ran an agitated hand through his hair and sighed.
"Teddy Lupin, what is a pin?"
"Never mind. Just … I'll call your name around one, okay? Then you come with us and we'll get your whisker," Teddy said, hoping against hope that they would be successful in this mad endeavor.
"Yes, Teddy Lupin. I will hear you on the wind." Niyol gave them a nod and flapped his massive wings, rising up into the night sky with another loud boom. Teddy watched, enhancing his eyesight until the bird was no longer in sight.
"So … was that the thunderbird?" Kelly asked as they walked slowly back to the dance.
"Yep."
"And he's doing this to get a mate?"
"Yep."
She squeezed his hand and looked up at him as they walked. "It looks like I've been letting you off entirely too easy," she said, the smile on her face making Teddy feel like he'd lost contact with the ground.
"Um …" he croaked, throat spasming as he tried to form words.
Kelly laughed, the sound echoing as they walked down the covered walkway. "Don't worry. I don't have any tasks in mind for you … yet."