A/N: Everything you recognise obviously isn't mine. I'm just playing in someone else's sandbox.

Prologue: After the end

Over. It was all over.

At least that's what people told him when they patted him on the back. Shook his hand in congratulations. Spoke too much. Laughed too loud. Averted their eyes when they walked past the Great Hall where the dead and the wounded lay.

It was over – and Harry felt numb.

Numb to the bodies and the grief for the countless people who had died in that final pointless battle of that pointless war in which Harry had been a pawn since before he'd even been born.

Numb.

Without realising, Harry had drifted down the Great Hall, past the Weasleys, to the furthest corner of the room where a lone witch knelt in front of two bodies. They were covered in a sheet now, but Harry knew what lay beneath its spotless surface. He'd known, in fact, before he'd even seen their bodies laid to rest, when Remus had been called forth by the Resurrection Stone…

Remembering the last words his father's friend had spoken to him, Harry looked at the prone witch, and at the tiny squirming parcel she was barely managing to cling onto in her grief. His godson. A fellow orphan of war – but one who would grow up with a loving grandmother rather than a hateful aunt.

Harry nodded, satisfied at the thought. He was about to turn away when Andromeda's voice stopped him.

"Could you take him?" Her tear-stained face was lifted towards him and she held up Teddy. "I can't really…"

She didn't finish her sentence but simply looked back towards the white sheet. Her hands started to shake, and Harry stepped forward, awkwardly scooping up the bundle seconds before Andromeda's strength gave way.

As soon as he felt Teddy's weight in his arms, he froze. He'd never held a baby before. He stood there, one hand under his godson's head, another under his little bottom, worried that he might drop him if he moved a muscle.

Teddy was warm and surprisingly solid. Beneath a tuft of blue hair, two little eyes blinked open tiredly, a small mouth turned down and opened, and a plaintive little wail escaped.

Harry jumped, startled by the sound.

There was a second of silence. Godfather and godson looked at each other. Then Harry smiled tentatively and said "Hello", feeling slightly foolish.

But Teddy's frown grew more pronounced. He whimpered and wriggled and started crying in earnest.

Around the Great Hall, heads were turning to see what was happening, some people simply curious but others with disapproval written all over them. Harry felt the blood rush to his face and, jerkily at first, he started walking, turning away from the sea of faces, rocking Teddy, gentle gentle, murmuring sweet nonsense – it's alright, you're ok, everything's fine – but it wasn't and Teddy would not relent. His screams grew louder, more desperate and –

And just when Harry was starting to panic, before he'd even had the chance to try something different, Andromeda was there, her eyes red and swollen but her expression calm once more. She held up her hands and Harry deposited Teddy in her waiting arms.

"Hello, my lovely boy," Andromeda crooned, her voice low. She gently rocked him against her. Teddy snuffled and stilled, reassured once more by the familiar sounds and smells.

And seeing them together, Harry felt, if possible, even more bereft than he had a moment before…