Chapter 4: What of the Boy?

Harry knocked on the door of the little dwelling in Devonshire, just down the road from the Weasleys, the small property bordered at its front by a simple vegetable garden. Shuffling a little on the stoop, he glanced about at the place where a young Tonks would have grown up. Hearing the click in the lock, he quickly straightened and forced his thoughts to wander back towards the here and now, in the moment before the mother of yet another lost friend opened the door.

Andromeda Tonks could hardly be blamed for not aging well over the past few months since the death of her husband, and especially not at all well following the deaths of her only daughter and her son-in-law mere days earlier. Her hair was done up elegantly, though it had gone even whiter in the roughly nine months since Harry had last seen her. She was now also holding a baby – her grandson, now orphaned – in her arms.

Harry smiled at Teddy when the little tyke peeked out of his swaddling blankets at him, studying the gentleman caller the way a puppy might ponder a treat just offered. The Boy Who Lived felt a strong urge to reach out for the baby – in some ways a spiritual successor to him simply by circumstance – but he refrained. In light of recent events, much as Harry had been left to ponder his place in this world in general, he was now also forced to confront what place he had – if any – in this boy's life going forward. He was well aware that it would not do to step on Andromeda's toes…. yet at the same time he also felt it was appropriate to size up the aging widow on where exactly she and he, a mere teenager, stood as it concerned Teddy. What was best for him.

"Hello, Harry," Andromeda nodded, attempting a welcoming smile even under such agonizing personal circumstances. This impressed Harry, to say nothing of his appreciation that she did not attempt any undue deference towards him by addressing him as 'Mr. Potter,' or by one of his many titles. It may have been ironic, but coming from a place of humility, Harry had always felt as though people treated him more like an adult when they were able to strip away the myth from the man and view him as Harry. Just Harry.

"Good morning, Andromeda. I appreciate your willingness to speak with me while you are going through such grieving. I hope I am not in any way an imposition."

"Nonsense, my lad," and she stood aside in the doorway. "Would you care to come in?"

Harry stepped into the simple abode. There were pictures of Nymphadora strategically displayed in every possible place of prominence throughout the foyer and eventually moving into the sitting room, then the meager kitchen beyond. There were also plenty of moving, magical portraits of the late Ted Tonks. One photograph on a desk table caught Harry's eye – it clearly depicted the 'very quiet' wedding between Remus and Tonks that the late Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and werewolf had described.

Harry took a seat at the kitchen table. Andromeda placed her wriggling grandson into the high chair directly opposite him before turning away to the counter, busying herself over a kettle.

"Care for a spot of tea, dear?"

"I think the matter at hand calls for at least a cuppa, don't you?" Harry tried to keep his tone light, somewhat unconvincingly; he was heartened when Andromeda snorted bitterly. "I daresay we'll still be wishing it was something stronger."

"Indeed." The aging woman set about readying cups and saucers all the busier. In the time it took her to prep the tea, Harry took the time to play with Teddy, talk softly to him.

The lad was incredibly alert, for an infant of scarcely five weeks old. Teddy's eyes followed his godfather, tracking intently as Harry fingered and examined a small ball the babe was passing hand to hand.

"Cream and sugar?" Harry glanced up to where Andromeda was standing above him. Her smile was soft, but sad. Harry was at least heartened that nowhere in her face was there anything remotely close to disapproval, or that she would object to Harry engaging with her grandson.

"Cream, ma'am," he murmured. She passed him the saucer, then took her seat at the head of the table.

"First, let me just say, Mrs. Tonks…."

"You are an adult, boy, and have been for quite some time. Andromeda will be fine."

"Andromeda…. I am so sorry for your loss. You've been wronged more than any one person should have to endure." He tried to imagine a scenario in which, say, Molly lost Bill and Fleur as well as Arthur to war. Just the lost of Fred alone had taking a debilitating enough toll on the Weasley matriarch. For Andromeda to be shouldering this grief, along with the responsibility of providing for her grandson, she was going through the unimaginable. Harry hoped he could help her, if she'd let him.

Andromeda nodded in acknowledgement of his condolences. "Thank you. Teddy has been… the one silver lining out of all of this." She smiled at her baby grandson warmly.

"…. and he is my purpose for coming here. Andromeda…. I don't know if you are aware, but over the Easter holiday, your son-in-law came to where I was staying in hiding with Ron and Hermione. He announced Teddy's birth to us in person and while there, a verbal request was made and accepted on my part that I be Teddy's godfather." Harry folded his hands upon the table. "Were you present for or aware of any conversations between To – Nymphadora and Remus regarding godparenthood and candidates?"

Andromeda was thoughtfully silent for a moment before answering. "I know you were in strong contention and highly favored by my daughter for godfather of Teddy. I am less certain if a finalist for godmother was established – certainly these wishes weren't made vocal to me before my children died."

Harry nodded, weighing this intriguing information. He wondered if Remus or Tonks had even thought to name a godmother to serve in conjunction with him in the event of the unthinkable. His own godfather, Sirius, had never mentioned a godmother having ever been named to serve alongside him in watching over Harry. Harry pondered if his mum and dad had ever had a candidate for godmother in mind. As for Teddy's case, logic told him that, if Remus and Tonks had considered appointing a godmother, there surely would have been a few finalists in contention: Hermione, for instance, strongly came to mind. Or Ginny. Luna was also a possibility. Or maybe a godmother would have been named who was completely unknown to him. In any case, it was likely that Remus and Tonks' wishes on this score, unless documented clearly elsewhere, might never be known.

"Harry, if I may…. What exactly did Remus say to you, in these discussions of guardianship?"

"Remus was over the moon with excitement at Teddy's birth. He asked me if I would be godfather, without any preamble or warning, really. It was quite a pleasant surprise for me, because the last time we had spoken… we had a fight. Words had been exchanged. I was touched to think Remus had moved beyond that and still thought enough of me to appoint me, make this request of me."

"What were Remus's exact words?" Andromeda pressed.

"He asked, 'You'll be godfather?' – that was how he phrased it, almost assuming I would say Yes even as he asked it. I was taken aback, then he said, 'Yes, of course; Dora says no one better!'" I agreed."

"A vocal confirmation?" Andromeda asked.

Harry thought back. He nodded. "Yes, there was vocal confirmation."

Andormeda steepled her gnarled fingers upon the table. "The reason I ask, my boy, is not out of any objection to you. I am no lawyer, but it has been made clear to me that neither my daughter nor my son-in-law left any wills, or that you were named as guardian in any such legally binding document."

Harry felt his stomach drop as he realized what this meant. "You mean to say that in the absence of a will left by either Remus or Tonks, I technically have no legal rights to Teddy, despite these conversations we had prior to their deaths?" It agonized him that the couple had not left behind provisions making crystal clear their last wishes on behalf of their son.

Andromeda shook her head, smiling sadly, pained. "I, of course, would go to the Wizengamot and plead your case as my children's affairs and estate, such as there is one, are put in order. In essence, I would act as a witness – I know my Dora wanted you for godfather, but…."

"…. some evidence of an offer being tendered and accepted would have to be present," Harry finished. In most other situations, the awareness that he was thinking more like Hermione would have amused him, but in this instance, it only led fear to grip him. Though emotionally fraught, the consideration of legal remedies was necessary – if he wanted to become an Auror, he would have to understand matters of the law inside and out, same as any magical public defender. "Otherwise, if a tree fell in the woods and no one hears it, did it really happen?"

"Precisely."

Harry nodded stoically, reaching out a finger for Teddy to grasp and fiddle with. "Please understand that your position as Teddy's guardian at this present moment is not in question here," he told the old woman. "I would not want you to think that I in any way want to usurp that from you. This needs to be about Teddy – what's best for him. And right now, that is staying with his grandmother. I trust that my appointment as godfather, and even the naming of a godmother, if necessary, can be established in due course."

Andromeda nodded. "I trust you, Harry. I appreciate your continued devotion in this matter. All I want is to follow my Dora and her Remus's wishes as they can best be interpreted posthumously. In the meantime, until your appointment is made final under the law, I want to assure you that you may visit Teddy as often as you can."

Harry grinned. "You can count on it."

Back at the Burrow later that afternoon, it was a quiet lunch that was being held inside the Weasley family kitchen. Harry was surrounded by his two best mates and Ginny, the lot of them deep in thought.

The Chosen One had correctly surmised that a consultation with Hermione and her analytical mind was in order, regarding the question of guardianship. Of course, she would have a book on matters of wizarding family law with her – he didn't bother to ask from where she had procured the tome, because at this point, nothing surprised him with Hermione anymore, despite her amusement at a continued tone of surprise at her brilliance, particularly from Ron.

The beautiful brunette witch frowned as she consulted the text. "Well, with only a vocal confirmation between you and Remus, it amounts to little more than a gentleman's agreement. You reached a clear understanding, but one that is not legally binding. An appointment like this, especially as it concerns guardianship, would have to have been made in writing." She bit her lip sympathetically.

"Bloody hell!" Ron gawped. "And without any sort of will…."

"…. it becomes my word against that of a dead man's," Harry murmured grimly. "It's not as though we can resurrect Remus or Tonks for confirmation."

A lightbulb went off in Ron's head. "The Stone! We could consult with them through the Resurrection Stone!"

"It's useless, Ron – I dropped it in the Forbidden Forest. Thing is as good as lost now. Even if we tried to recover the Stone, I wouldn't even know where to look!"

There was a long silence.

"But it isn't as though Harry is trying to deceive anyone!" Ginny cried, dismayed. "The conversation happened between him and Remus and a request was made and accepted!"

Hermione pursed her lips tightly. "Even with Harry telling the truth, the fact remains: we need it in writing." Her brown eyes suddenly brightened with inspiration. "What if you recounted your last conversation with Remus in the form of a sworn affidavit?" she turned to Harry. "You would sign it as a means of attesting, and Andromeda could file it! Merlin, I'd file it for you myself, if I were credentialed!"

"We could write testimonials on your integrity!" Ron added. He glanced to Hermione. "Remember when I helped you work on Buckbeak's case, love? That document we filed…."

"…. an amicus brief," Hermione breathed. "Ronald…. You're a genius!" And gripping his chin, she pulled him down for a firm kiss on the lips, eyes shining.

"There's one more issue to entangle," Harry raised. "Godmother."

Another pregnant pause.

"Do we need one?" Ginny frowned. "You only ever had Sirius as a guardian – well, aside from your horrid relatives, and I Merlin damn well doubt your Aunt Petunia would have been named your godmother."

"It might be beneficial to have one," Ron pointed out. "Cause let's face it: Andromeda's a bloody incredible bird. Real battle-axe, she is! But, she's…. blooming hell, how old is she?"

"Old," Harry grunted, though he winced even as he said it.

"Too right. Little Ted will be lucky if she manages to see him reach Hogwarts age! And then what?"

Hermione cringed. "If we can get this affidavit signed off on… the responsibility would fall to Harry. Possibly alone, because it's clear that there was never even a vocal decision expressed by Remus or Tonks over who their choice for Teddy's godmother was, or even who they were considering!" She consulted her family law book. "Now, the naming of godparents is becoming more and more symbolic but in a broken household situation such as this…."

"The need for guardians, even multiple ones, is imperative," Harry concluded. He chewed on his bottom lip. "Knowing Remus and Tonks, I have a feeling I know who they would have been vetting:" He glanced at the girls in turn. "Ginny. You. Possibly Luna. Maybe Fleur…. she was rather invested in knowing about the boy."

Hermione blushed. "We can't presume to know Remus or Tonk's minds on this, or who they would have chosen. And I think it would be tricky, ethically speaking, to just appoint someone ourselves…."

"Is there anything in the law that says we can't, even on behalf of the deceased?" Ron inquired.

Some page flipping. "Not that I've seen, but still…." Hermione winced. "It doesn't seem right. And who would….?"

"I'll do it," Ginny offered up.

Hermione smiled softly. "That's very sweet of you, Ginny, but with Harry as godfather, that would be problematic. It's generally frowned upon to appoint couples to act as godparents for a child together. What if something catastrophic occurred and both godparents became deceased? The child in question would be left with nowhere to go."

"Why should that matter?" Ron ogled his girlfriend. "It's not like Harry and Ginny are together – they haven't been for over a year!" Harry pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and began pushing some papers, suddenly finding the wooden tabletop very interesting. Hermione, meanwhile, was smiling at her lover indulgently, even with a touch of amusement. Harry wondered if his best girl knew that he and Ginny had reconciled, rekindled their old flame.

"Besides, Ginny, what if something were to happen to Andromeda tomorrow? I don't think you're ready or want to be someone's mum, any more than I'm clearly not ready to be someone's dad…." Harry smiled at his girlfriend. "Not at seventeen! It would put us in an awkward position and with undue pressure, particularly given our history. Would we be made to feel we needed to stay together or get together for the sake of the baby?" With his hazel eyes, he implored with Ginny to play along, even as they likely both knew that such pressure wouldn't really be there in such a scenario.

Yet another silence until Ron turned to his girl.

"Hermione… you do it."

Hermione's face immediately fell. "I can't…."

"Yes, you can," Ron urged her.

"Ronald, love, you know I adore that baby more than anything, but…"

"…. All the more reason that you and Harry would make a great team. It's not as though you two are a couple or anything…." On this point, Ron seemed the most self-assured that Harry had ever seen him, after a history of doubting himself and his own relationship with the woman who was now his romantic partner. "And Merlin forbid, if something were to happen to one of you, there would be a surviving godparent for Teddy to fall back on."

Hermione smirked weakly. "Suppose in such a situation, that designated survivor was me: would you be ready to be someone's dad….?"

Ron bent and kissed her deeply. "With you as their mum? I'd be ready for anything."

Hermione smiled, and the couple kissed again, the embrace deepening into a full-blown snog.

From across the table, Harry and Ginny glanced at each other. When Ginny made a face at him, sticking out her tongue, Harry couldn't help but smile.