Spider Web Baby
It's funny really, those little moments that make up who you are. Something that may seem insignificant to one person, is the most important moment of another person's life. He would never tell anyone (because who would believe him really?) but 10-year-old Teddy Lupin had experienced a number of these moments in his short life. Though none were as life changing as today (and that part he could tell people, because none of them would come out of this unscathed). But really, this event is made up of many moments, spanning over many years, and to understand today you have to understand yesterday, and the day before that, and even the day before that…
Looking back, it really started when he was about five. Up until then he had never understood what those clear strings were that could make Uncle Ron cower in a corner, but today he knew. Today little Teddy Lupin discovered the beauty of a spider's web, and he knew his life would never be the same. None of the adults understood – how many five-year-olds do you know that can sit staring at an empty spider web for hours? Who includes a web in every drawing, sometimes big and obvious, and sometimes so well hidden only he can find them? Little Teddy Lupin did. At the time, he didn't know what fascinated him so much about a simple spider's web, but when he was seven he finally figured it out – it was how something could look so fragile, yet be so strong; how something could hang in one place for years, resistant against even the strongest wind, yet could be obliterated with on sweep of a hand or the head of a broom.
Over the years Teddy didn't lose his fascination with spider webs. James was not a week old before he was told about the wonders of a spider's web – that was right when Teddy was the most obsessed. Al was told about them when he was not even a day old, but only Teddy knew why he did it so soon. Al was the baby that almost wasn't, the baby that could have died today and Teddy wanted him to know all about spider webs before he went.
But today was different. Today, Teddy Lupin thought he might hate spider webs. Because here he was, standing with his face pressed up against the glass for the tenth day in a row, watching her. The baby who wasn't meant to be, who was a medical miracle. The baby who needed a miracle. That was his baby sister in there, the sister the doctors said he would never have, and the sister he would protect with his life. But out here, he couldn't do anything, stuck out in the hallway for the tenth day in a row while she was in there in that big plastic dome that Aunt Hermione said was a special crib to help her breathe.
So how do spider webs come into this? Simple – Lily was his new spider web. The pattern of her tiny veins against her mottled skin, not quite ready for the harshness of light. The way her chest rose and fell with the tiniest of movements, like the immovability of a web in the wind. The way she looked so fragile and breakable, yet he knew she was so strong. But he also knew from his spider webs that if someone really wanted to destroy a spider web, they could. If Death really wanted Lily – sweet little sider web Lily – then Death would have her. And that's why today Teddy Lupin, aged ten years and two months, decided that while he would always be fascinated by spider webs, a part of him would always hate them. Because if a spider web could be destroyed, so could his spider web baby.
Uncle Harry never did understand why Teddy insisted that a spider web always be left in Lily's room, nor why her first word was "spi'er 'eb". That is, until he watched Teddy comfort Lily with the story of the spider web baby as they watched another baby battle against lungs that were too small, a heart that was too weak and a fever that was too high, just as her mother had.
To Teddy, James and Al would always be his brothers and he would always love them. But little Lily Luna was his spider web baby, and no matter how old she got, he was always there to protect her from the hand that might try to wipe her away.
Connect the Weasleys Challenge – Teddy/Lily: Spider web
Scrabble Challenge: fever
A/N. I love writing Teddy! Just to clarify, in my headcannon Ginny is told after Albus' birth that she is unable to have any more children, however somehow falls pregnant with Lily. Lily is born six weeks premature and spends the first month of her life in the NICU at St Mungo's. Even though James and Al would have no idea what was going on, I think that at 10 Teddy would understand just how serious the situation is, especially in that first week or so. Anyway, I hope that makes sense! Let me know what you think. NG