"You're going to wear a hole into the carpet, Al."

Al stopped pacing in front of the fireplace and scowled at Teddy.

"Not that it matters, frankly," said Teddy, eyeing the hideous, moth-eaten Oriental rug, "as we'd be better off getting rid of it, but pacing isn't going to bring Sirius home any sooner."

"He's been with Dad all day! I want to know what's happening!"

"I know, mate," Teddy said, tossing an old Snitch in the air, "but you'll have to be patient. Sirius has to tell Harry he's a wizard, smooth things over with the Dursleys, and convince them to let Sirius see Harry almost every day from now till the term starts. It's not going to be easy."

"Can we go out somewhere?" Scorpius asked, looking up from his sketchbook. "It's so boring in here."

"Boring?" Teddy sat up and gawked at him. "This house is literally haunted. There is a ghoul ten feet above us. Go have fun with it."

"Ooh, I know! Let's bother Granny Walburga!" Scorpius lit up at Al's suggestion and the two went running off to see the portrait.

While Walburga loathed the sight of Sirius and Teddy, she was tolerant of Al and Scorpius. According to the portrait, Sirius had done the 'decent' thing and had children with a pureblood witch (even if they were illegitimate), but at least the House of Black had two healthy, strong heirs to boast of. Scorpius and Al liked to tell her fake stories about the world outside, to see which one could get a more belligerent response from her.

It was tiring, but harmless, so Teddy put up with the portrait's indignant speeches over the horrors of the Muggle world.

Like the boys, Teddy was anxious to have Sirius back home. He had a 'date' with Victoire, which he was both dreading and anticipating. They were going to the Buzzy Bee, a pub between the Ministry and St. Mungo's, which was a known favorite among young people, both magical and Muggle alike. Victoire suggested they go out to be seen by their respective coworkers and make some friends.

Teddy feared seeing his mother, making a fool of himself with Victoire, or making their situation worse. He wasn't certain how much worse it could get, and he didn't want to find out.

Upstairs, as Walburga began a tirade on the dangers of mobile telephones, which wouldn't be common for several years, the Floo lit up and roared with life. Teddy heard the boys said goodbye to 'Granny' and rushed back downstairs at the sound of the fire cracking.

"You're home!" Albus ran in to greet Sirius. "How's Dad? Is he okay? Did you tell him about us?"

"One question at a time, Al," Sirius said, yawning. He fell into a dusty settee and groaned. "Harry's all right. He had a bit of a shock today, had lots of questions, and I did my best. The Dursleys aren't thrilled with me, but they understood that I'm going to be in Harry's life, whether they like it or not. I'll be there most days as Padfoot, to keep out of the neighbors' way, and we'll spend time together. I did tell him I had 'sons and a nephew.'" He gazed between Teddy, Al, and Scorpius, nodding at each of them. "I told him you'll all meet each other later. He was worried I was taking time away from you lot by spending time with him."

An overwhelming surge of affection came up in Teddy's heart. He wanted to see Harry and assure him the future would be better. He wanted to swallow his godfather into a hug and tell him how loved he would be.

"We'll be taking it one day at a time," said Sirius, with another wide yawn. "Blimey, I'm tired." He glanced at Teddy and then the clock. "Shouldn't you be leaving soon?"

"Oh, right." Teddy stood up and smoothed his black shirt.

"Should I wait up?" Sirius smirked while Al and Scorpius stared.

"It's not a real date," Teddy said tersely. "We'll have dinner, make small talk with other people, and no matter what happens, we'll be returning to our respective rooms."

Sirius assumed Teddy had feelings for Victoire, and while not incorrect, Teddy had no plans to tell her. They were stuck and he didn't want to ruin their friendship. Sirius gave them the master and mistress's suite upstairs, which had two bedrooms and an adjoining door. It was traditional and outdated, used back when husbands and wives slept apart, but it worked well for the situation. Sirius took his old room, Scorpius took Regulus's old room, and Al decided on a spare bedroom.

Sirius shrugged at Teddy and lifted himself off the settee. He led the boys down to the kitchen for dinner, while Teddy went out to the front step of Grimmauld Place to Apparate near the Twisted Talon, where he'd meet Victoire soon. He arrived a few minutes early, feeling unsure over his clothes, as he was getting looks from passers-by. The higher-waisted jeans and tucked in shirt appeared to be the style. He never cared much about fashion, but when he, Sirius, and the boys had gone shopping, they were all similarly affronted by the options; Sirius still clung to the late 70s, while Teddy, Al, and Scorpius were definitely used to 21st century fashions.

Victoire appeared, wearing similarly high-waisted, light-colored denim trousers that accentuated her backside very nicely. She wore a top that showed off some of her belly, and Teddy was intrigued to see she had a navel piercing. He hadn't noticed it during that fateful night they slept together.

Staring at it, he realized that perhaps the vintage fashions weren't so bad.

"Hi, Victoire," said Teddy. "You look nice."

She smiled and hugged him. "Hey, husband. I'll get us a table."

They sat down and made small talk while they ordered their food. A few of their co-workers did come by to meet one or the other. Teddy was effusive in his praise of Victoire, enjoying the blush that came over her cheeks, and she was scarcely less generous, claiming Teddy was the most charming husband in the world, and she was very lucky he was hers.

When they finished eating, they were joined by a few Mediwitches who were somewhat nosy in their questioning. They wanted to know all about Teddy's background, how he'd managed to find and marry a pretty, French witch, and how he'd got into the Healer trainee program without attending Hogwarts.

He answered everything as best he could and looked frequently to Victoire for help.

When asked if he could turn his nose into a pig snout, elephant trunk, or toucan's beak, Teddy begrudgingly obeyed. His status as a Metamorphmagus was well known by then among the hospital staff, and he'd learned that Nymphadora Tonks was unabashed in showing off what she could do. Teddy didn't mind showing his skills off, but he preferred to wait until he knew others better, or was entertaining children. It made him feel like a zoo animal when he was put on display.

All the Mediwitches knew Nymphadora and were quick to compare the Metamorphmagi's techniques.

Seeing Teddy's discomfort, Victoire shifted the subject of the conversation.

"I will admire my husband's talents, alone, later ," Victoire said, in a clipped tone. She ran her fingers through his turquoise quiff. He'd had a couple drinks and the affection was both comforting and arousing.

There was a brief, awkward silence, and then a witch called Evelyn gasped and pointed to the pub's door.

"Look who's here! Speak of the devil!"

"Is she with Weasley?" another witch asked.

"No, no, she's with Fawley," said another, "there she is, right behind them!"

Teddy and Victoire turned around to find Nymphadora Tonks, Bill Weasley, and a witch with short black hair waving at their group. Teddy suddenly felt his hand being squeezed painfully.

"Vic," he muttered into her ear, "we've got to go."

"He looks so different," she breathed.

"I know, but we've got to—"

"— gorgeous, isn't he?" Evelyn whispered loudly at Victoire.

"We need to—"

"Well hello there!"

"Bill," one of the witches said, turning her nose up. "Good to see you."

"Sophie, sweet as ever," Bill replied, his eyes on Victoire. "Who are you ?"

"That's Victoire," introduced Evelyn, "and she's married. So no flirting, even if she's French!"

"Married?" Bill almost frowned.

"I'm her husband, Teddy Howell," Teddy said, sure that Victoire would break his bones any second now, with how hard she was squeezing his hand. "You must be Bill."

"No hard feelings, mate," Bill said coolly, extending his hand. "Didn't see you there."

"You can be such a prat," interrupted another, punching Bill in the arm. She turned to Teddy, who felt like a cornered animal. "I apologize on behalf of this idiot. You must be—"

Nymphadora's eyes flew open when they landed on Teddy's turquoise hair. "Are you the Metamorphmagus my dad keeps telling me about?"

Teddy offered his mother a weak, pained smile. "Yes."

"You're a Metamorphmagus?" Bill asked, looking mildly impressed. He glanced at Victoire, who couldn't take her eyes off her father.

Teddy scrunched his face and nose, quickly going through a beak, snout, and a flashing rainbow across his hair. It was a spectacle, and he received a round of applause when he finished.

"We've got to be friends," Nymphadora said instantly. "I've never met another—this is wicked! Oh, by the way, I'm Tonks, and this is my girlfriend, Maggie."

"Girlfriend ?" Teddy half-screeched.

The temperature in the pub might've dropped several degrees with his outburst.

"Is that a problem?"

Nymphadora's eyes were dark and menacing. She looked like a younger version of his gran, and Teddy felt an uncomfortable prickling in his eyes when he realized his mother was ready to scold him.

"Teddy's never met a lesbian," Victoire blurted. "He's surprised—sheltered, homeschooled—not a problem—" She elbowed him in the side, her own eyes demanding and frantic.

"Yes," Teddy croaked. "Sheltered. Anyone can love anyone. Lesbians are lovely."

"That's nice of you to say," Tonks said curtly, nodding at Maggie, "but I'm bisexual and so's Maggie."

"I am too," Victoire said cheerfully. "My bro— cousin —forgot the word—likes boys. It's all good, all very good."

Another short, tense silence followed. Bill cleared his throat.

"That was fun. Anyway, Howell, willing to help me get a round for the ladies?"

Teddy extracted himself from his chair and followed Bill to the bar.

"She can be a bit intense, Tonks," said Bill, once they told the barkeep their order. "She's got a bit of a temper, but she means well."

"I'll try to remember that."

"Sorry about earlier—I didn't realize you were married to—"

"—it's fine. We're young and no one knows us," Teddy dismissed. "You couldn't have known."

"Teaches me right," Bill muttered, "not to flirt with the first witch I see."

Teddy wanted to tell him that there was even more wrong with what he'd done, but as it was neither the time nor the place, he simply picked up the flagons of Butterbeer and brought them back to the table. A few Mediwitches had gone, but were replaced with a few blokes Teddy didn't recognize, though their robes indicated they might work with his mother.

Upon his return, Nymphadora gave him a thin smile and Victoire was talking too fast, visibly nervous and awkward around the gaggle of strangers.

When there was a free moment, Teddy stepped into the conversation.

"Erm, Nym—"

"Don't call me that," she snapped at him. "Is that what my dad calls me at work?"

"He calls you Dora."

"I go by Tonks."

"Right, er, Tonks," Teddy began shakily. "I apologize for my . . . poor reaction. I'm not, er, not . . ." He ran his hand through his hair and clenched his hands. Not once, in his 19 years of life, had his grandmother mentioned that Nymphadora was also attracted to women, and seeing her sit so closely with someone who wasn't his father was acutely uncomfortable.

"—you were homeschooled," Tonks said, raising a pink brow at him. "You probably didn't meet many people. That's what Victoire said."

Teddy nodded and held his breath. "I'm sorry, I really am, I didn't mean to—I'm not uncomfortable—"

"You are, but you'll get over it." Tonks took a large swig of her Butterbeer and then kissed her girlfriend, who smirked widely at Teddy. He wanted the earth to swallow him whole.

"Oi, is Bill really—"

"—snogging Sophie," Evelyn sighed, shaking her head and pointing at a dark corner, where Bill and the aforementioned Sophie were groping and kissing.

Victoire squeaked when she saw them.

"That's disgusting ."

"Both of you prudish, eh?" Tonks snorted.

"They said you were French!" Maggie giggled at Victoire.

Teddy's head was spinning. He found Victoire's hand and gave it a squeeze, trying to comfort her: she was just as unhappy to see her father with someone else, and they were both being mocked.

"Drop it, everyone," said an unfamiliar wizard. "They're new and we're all being arseholes. Change the subject."

Teddy offered the stranger a grateful smile.

"Why don't you talk about your families?" the wizard said. "I'm Wood, by the way. Owen Wood."

Victoire gave a quick account of her 'Flamel' family, and when it came to Teddy, he hesitated. This was his chance to show more of who he really was.

"My parents died when I was a baby," he began, earning soft ohs from various witches. Right on cue, many offered their condolences. Strangers always did that when they found out he was an orphan.

"I was raised by my great-aunt . . . and then she died two years ago." Seeing the sympathetic faces of the others, he continued. "I wasn't so alone—" He felt Victoire pat his arm encouragingly, and he wondered how the next part of the fabricated family would be received. "—I've got two young cousins. They're more like brothers, and they were raised with me. Their dad is alive and I call him my uncle, but not by blood. He was recently reunited with his sons . . . and his name is Sirius Black."

" The Sirius Black?" someone asked.

"The one who was wrongly imprisoned?" said another.

"What is he like? Is he okay?" the Mediwitch, Evelyn, pressed.

The rest stared in stunned silence, including Tonks, who was gazing at Teddy with concentrated interest. At least it wasn't hostility or laughter.

Teddy pursed his lips. "He's all right. He knew he was innocent. My brothers—cousins, technically—are getting to know him and vice-versa."

The others peppered him with questions about Sirius, his health after Azkaban, what it was like to see a father reunited with his sons. He was mildly relieved that Sirius, Al, and Scorpius were more interesting than his orphanhood, and it seemed to have the effect of smoothing Teddy's bad first impression on so many of them. Victoire was helpful, adding details about Teddy growing up fast, helping his 'great-aunt', and being a devoted older brother.

"So we're related, sort of," Tonks said, during a lull in conversation. "Sirius Black is my mum's cousin."

"He said she was his favorite cousin," Teddy replied, scratching and tearing a hole into a paper napkin. "He's been busy with the kids." Next to Tonks, Maggie mumbled something into her ear. Tonks groaned and stretched her arms.

"I've got to be up in six hours," she said, yawning. "Training's a bitch."

Teddy shook her hand stiffly when she offered it to him. Bill had left, with one of the lads at the table guessing he'd gone to Sophie's, and Victoire winced.

"Why don't we go, too?" Teddy nudged Victoire. "I'll make us hot chocolate before bed?"

Victoire nodded as a few witches sighed softly at them. They bid everyone a good night, and when they returned to Grimmauld Place, Teddy made two gigantic mugs of hot chocolate.

"Good or bad night?"

"Weird night," Teddy murmured.

"Talk about it another day?"

"Definitely."

The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures had become one of Teddy's most hated offices. There were inflammatory posters everywhere, and despite Victoire's attempts to rid the office of the propaganda, it stayed.

New posters were up that afternoon. Giant pictures of werewolves with bloody jaws and teeth stared down at him. The caption read " WEREWOLVES: TURN THEM IN OR TURN THEM OUT".

"I've no clue whose idea it was," Victoire said hotly, seeing Teddy come to her cubicle. "It's just cruel. I wish Auntie Hermione would grow up already and fix all of this."

Teddy gave her a defeated sigh. "It's up to us for now."

"At least lunch will be good today."

"It will?"

"You're here, silly." Victoire tapped the tip of his nose with her finger and tugged on his robes. He smiled, ignoring the bloodthirsty werewolf propaganda around him, and followed her to the Ministry dining hall.

He didn't usually join her for lunch, with their mismatching work schedules, but he'd had an early shift at the hospital and was done by two. Victoire agreed to a late lunch, and by that hour, the dining hall was almost deserted.

Teddy brought her takeaway from an Italian restaurant. She beamed at him and they dug in.

"I see your mum sometimes. She seems to think I'm okay."

"I'm pretty sure she hates me," Teddy said glumly.

"I managed to convince her and the Mediwitches that you're sweet, but awkward." She giggled as she stabbed a meatball in her bowl. "It's like you're someone else with strangers. I never saw it before."

Teddy frowned and said, "What does that mean?"

"It means," Victoire replied, smiling, "that I got so used to seeing you at family stuff and school that I didn't know you were really shy with new people. Who'd have thought Head Boy Teddy L— Howell —" She hissed, feeling a sting from the effect of the non-disclosure agreement. "—you were always so cool and confident. It's kind of nice, seeing this side of you."

"Cool," Teddy repeated, disbelievingly, "and confident?"

"You still are. Just not around all these people." She cleaned the tines off her fork and set it down. "But I don't feel like myself either, and after seeing my dad . . ."

Teddy nodded in understanding. Watching Bill Weasley snog and feel up a witch in the back of a pub had certainly altered his impression of the serious, responsible man he'd known only as Victoire's father.

"—I was more like him than I thought," Victoire said quietly. "It's not that I don't want to have fun, but it feels harder to have fun anymore. Do you know what I mean?" She looked up at him, those crystal blue eyes staring deeply into Teddy's.

"Yeah," he agreed. "It's hard to feel 'cool and confident' when the whole world fell apart."

Victoire began to sniffle. "I miss home, Teddy."

"I miss it too."

"Even if you met your mum?"

"That's not my mum," Teddy said curtly. "My mum wasn't a 19 year old trainee staying out late before a work night. My mum was a war hero."

Victoire's face crumpled, and suddenly, she was crying. Teddy panicked, taken aback by the outburst, and scrambled off his chair to wrap her in a hug.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what I said, but I didn't mean it—"

Victoire shuddered in his arms, sobbing, and Teddy held her tightly, going over their conversation. Was she simply homesick? Had she been offended by the way he'd spoken of his mother?

"M-m-m-y s-s-s-sister," Victoire sobbed. "M-m-y b-b-rother! What if—I n-never see them again?" She cried harder on Teddy's shoulder, and he finally understood what she was trying to say.

Teddy could see his parents and grandparents; there was a chance, for Victoire, that while her parents might get together, her siblings might not be born. If they were never born, Victoire had seen Dominique and Louis Weasley for the last time when they left 2017.

"We won't let that happen," Teddy promised, knowing it was useless. "Your parents will get together. Mine will too. You'll get them back, Vic."

Victoire continued crying and shaking her head.

"They won't be the same! They won't be my Kiki or my Louis!"

Teddy swallowed hard. He didn't have siblings, so he couldn't understand her pain, and while he was very fond of all his Weasley friends, as well as the Potters, he hadn't considered that he might never see any of them—except for Albus and Victoire—again. They were all younger, and while he'd miss them, it wasn't like the sisterly bond that Victoire and Kiki shared.

"It's going to be okay, Vic," Teddy murmured. "It's not our fault, we're trying, we're going to find a way to get them back."

Teddy's back was hurting from holding Victoire, but he stayed put, holding her close until her breathing evened.

"Even my parents won't be the same," Victoire said miserably, wiping her tears away. "My dad's a shameless flirt and mum—I reckon I'll hate her and she'll hate me."

"She won't, Vic. She'll be your mum, just younger. Unlike me , you'll get off to a good start. We'll make sure of it."

Teddy pulled his chair around to keep his arm around her, noticing that it seemed to help calm her. He felt guilty, though he wasn't sure why, and wanted to give her as much reassurance as he could muster.

"Thank you, Teddy. I really needed this."

"Anytime, Vic. You and me—we've got to be a team. At least we're not alone, right?"

Victoire sniffled and nodded. "I've got you and Al . . . and maybe I'll get to see Granny and Grampa Weasley."

"Probably, but we'll have to be—"

"—careful, I know. It'll be nice to see them, even if they don't know us."

Teddy rubbed her back with his hand. "You should probably go back to the office and I should go home."

Victoire murmured her agreement. "Is it you or Sirius cooking tonight?"

"Sirius. He's figuring out what Harry likes and bringing it to him the next day."

"Good of him to do it." Victoire stood and waved her wand over the remains of their lunch, cleaning it up. "What are you doing for the rest of the day?"

"I dunno. Sleep, maybe?"

"Is that what you'd be doing if we were home?"

Teddy closed his eyes and thought of home. When he wasn't at the hospital, he might see a friend, help his gran around the house, or visit the Potters. Sometimes he stopped by his parents' grave to chat with them and leave flowers.

"Maybe I'll go to a bookshop," he replied, thinking of how few options he had, "I can't have read all the books from this century."

"There's the silver lining you've been looking for," Victoire told him, finally smiling. "If you see any good romance novels, pick one up for me?"

"Romance? Really?" Teddy smirked, imagining her reading the types of novels he found in his gran's room when he was a boy. The covers of half-naked people made him giggle, but when he tried reading one, he got bored.

"Don't laugh!" Victoire turned pink and tried hiding part of her face with her long hair. "I know they're cheesy but they're fun."

"All right, Victoire. I'll find you one with the least clothed people on the cover. Is that okay?"

She playfully swatted his arm, and he walked out of the Ministry with a giant grin.