Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. No money is made from this.

Chapter 10 - A long night

Entering the kitchen Harry found his wife and Hermione sipping tea at the kitchen table.

"Hermione, what are you doing here? I didn't even hear you coming."

"Apparated in the garden, Ginny let me in through the back door. I came to make sure you hadn't killed Teddy yet."

Harry threw her a pointed look. "As you have probably heard, he is very much alive."

"Didn't go to well, did it?" she asked empathetically.

"You could say that."

He poured himself a cup of tea. Feeling the heat around his hands, he studied the steam rising from the milky liquid.

"I don't know what to do anymore. I lecture, he looks contrite, but I feel that I don't get to him. And when he snaps I see a different boy in front of me."

"He's a teenager Harry, he is 15. It's his job to rebel." Ginny assured him gently taking his hand.

"Besides, during 5th year you had a temper and moodiness that wasn't much like the Harry we knew either."

"Hermione, during fifth year Voldemort was invading my mind, hardly comparable I think."

"Well maybe, but there was still a lot of teenage Harry we saw that year."

"Great, thanks. Still doesn't tell me what to do about Teddy."

"You're doing fine. Don't worry so much, just trust your instincts. I'll be off. We drop your children back here tomorrow after lunch. I really hope Ron managed to get them to bed."

Harry looked at her with sympathy and said: "Thanks for everything today. I promise I make it up to you. I'll take the kids next weekend or something and if James gives you trouble you tell him he'll sorely miss his broom if he doesn't behave. He's already on probation for fighting with Albus."

Hermione smiled at him and left through the floo. Ginny placed their two cups in the sink and turned to her husband who was still staring at his cup.

"Hermione is right. You're doing fine. You're a great dad."

She squeezed his shoulder assuringly.

"Don't stay here pondering too long." With a gentle kiss she wished him good-night.

Finishing his tea and washing the cups in the sink, he went over the incidents of the day before retreating to bed only thirty minutes after Ginny, who was already fast asleep.

Over an hour later Harry was still lying wide awake throwing himself from left to right haunted by questions.

What was he doing wrong with Teddy? What if something would have happened to him?

Was he too strict, too lenient? Maybe Teddy just had to live through this.

Had he been wrong in taking Ted's broom? He didn't want him to think he didn't trust him. Teddy was such a vulnerable child, how could he forget that?

"Harry, stop turning and throwing around like a pig in dirt. I can't sleep like that and I need to get up at seven."

"Sorry Gin, you know I was just wondering about Teddy ..."

"Seven Harry, need to get up at Seven. Shut up and sleep."

Sheepishly Harry fell silent, but he knew he couldn't sleep. Grabbing the parenting book from the nightstand he headed to the living room. Settling on the couch, he found where he had stopped reading and started again in the hope to find answers.

The next morning Ginny woke up alone in the bedroom, which was highly unusual since Harry never got up this early if he didn't have to. However getting downstairs for some breakfast she realised that her husband had in fact not gotten up before her at all.

Harry was lying on the couch, half covered with a blanket, one arm tangling off the couch and the parenting book tossed open on the floor. Picking the book up and placing it on the coffee table she leaned close to him. Brushing his hair away she kissed his forehead and gently shook his shoulder.

"Sweetheart, wake up. You fell asleep on the couch."

Stirring slightly and blinking a couple of times Harry mumbled: "Gin?"

"You know I didn't mean to put you out of the bedroom last night."

She chuckled and left him to get her breakfast before hurrying to work.

Harry righted himself, elbows on his knees. Sighing he brushed through his hair and stifled a yawn. The last night had neither been good nor helpful. Suddenly the toy soldier in the corner caught his eye. He picked it up and moved it in his hands. A reminder of yesterday's events, a reminder of his childhood. Last night's thoughts returned to Harry and he decided that he needed to talk to him. Ask for his opinion, advice even. Talk to someone on his level. He would have to go visit him before talking to Ted. Jogging upstairs he headed for the shower getting ready to leave the house. Teddy would be asleep for another while and he didn't want to leave him alone for too long.

...

Bright light woke Teddy from his deep sleep, the sun coming through the window and dancing on his face. The whole room was filled with brightness. He stirred a little, slowly opening his eyes and adjusting to the light.

Teddy let out a yawn. Last night's sleep hadn't come easy. He had been thinking about the row with Harry and hated himself for the fact that he could never control his anger in the right moments. To make it worse, it was even on public display as he often enough lost the control over his morphing when emotions ran high.

Contemplating all that had happened that day, he lay wide awake on his bed. He had heard mumbled voices from downstairs then someone coming upstairs. A little while later the next person climbed upstairs. Unable to sleep, he tossed and turned in his bed. What seemed like hours later he heard footsteps on the stairs again. Probably Harry or Ginny getting a glass of water, but even after 30 minutes the person hadn't come back up.

Still unable to find the peace to sleep, Teddy headed to the toilet. On his way back he noted the light coming from the downstairs living room. Somehow he knew that it was Harry, who couldn't sleep for the same reasons he had trouble too.

Well maybe not entirely the same, after all Harry didn't dread another grounding. Teddy felt the urge to go downstairs and seek comfort like he so often had when he was younger. But he wasn't a child anymore and this wasn't about some nightmare. He had brought this upon himself and found it hardly appropriate to now run to his godfather for comforting like a toddler. So he had gone back to his room and waited for exhaustion to claim him.

Now, the next morning, besides the brightness in his room, he didn't feel better. Glancing at the watch he realised it was already 10.30 and Harry hadn't woken him up, which was weird since he only had two more days until the exams.

Entering the kitchen, he quickly found the reason on a note by the set breakfast table.

Good morning,

I hope you've slept well. I'm sorry I didn't wake you for breakfast together, but you looked like you needed the sleep. I'm out for a little while, but will be back before lunch.

Please use the quite time for some revising, exams start on Monday!

See you later

Harry

"Of course studying. Haven't done enough of that already."

Teddy thought miserably, but complied his godfather's request. After all the announced "Discussion" was still hanging over him like the sword of Damocles.

A/N: Alright, so it's been pointed out during beta reading that I should clarify which "him" Harry intends to talk to. I assure you it's not a grammatical slip up and I'm sorry should you have stumbled over it. It will become clear in the next chapter. Sorry about that, just wanted to point this out. Thanks for reading and reviewing!