Chapter 17 2008, New York, New York (Yes Teddy We Know You Like The Song But Please Stop Singing The Chorus For One Minute!)
Anyone looking or walking along Sixth Avenue would have seen, amongst the thousands of tourists already wandering its length, a family of four. Most people would pass right on by, there was nothing unusual about these people. Although some more inclined to gossip would note that the age of the oldest boy would have made the parents late teens at best when he was born. They would silently condemn such recklessness from the youth of today, one or two of the more outspoken ones would make an off handed comment to the parents directly. Purely by coincidence these people would also find later on in the day that they were having trouble walking in a straight line for a few minutes or suddenly become incredibly clumsy. Ginny was surprisingly good at those types of subtle confundus spells, making people to leave them alone, or getting a small measure of revenge. ("Quidditch fans are something else, you'd have learnt it too if you went professional" Ginny explained to him a few years ago). Despite it technically being muggle-baiting, and something that as an Auror (and a shoe in for Head of Department in the next few years) Harry really should've stopped, he was always coincidently busy with James or Teddy, or checking their guidebook at the time.
Harry, and Ginny Potter were enjoying a rare holiday abroad that Ginny was determined nothing would spoil, with their son and godson – Ginny wouldn't hear it any other way, her and Harry were a package deal, so Teddy became "their godson" almost by default - it was the boys first time in America, Magical or otherwise, and they were both soaking up the sights.
James Sirius Potter of course had no real idea what was going on, the toddler insisted on waddling along holding Ginny's hand, was fixated on the skyscrapers, or "skyscus" as he babbled. He was doing a marvellous impression of a fish, eyes wide and gaping at everything as Ginny gently tugged him along, occasionally stopping to focus on the extraordinarily complex manoeuvrer of putting one foot in front of the other whilst avoiding scattered bits of rubbish. This caused some older ladies to stop and comment "What a lovely young man you have there.", especially when he would brightly mutter a "Hello" and then immediately point and share his enthusiasm for "skyscus" to the latest adult in his vicinity.
Teddy, being of course much wiser and mature at 7, distanced themselves from the toddler and childish fascination with skyscrapers, they were "much of a muchness" after all – Harry knew that Teddy was rather proud of that phrase - and was more enthralled with the size of the shops. It helped a great deal that the fashion here was to wear baseball caps, so Teddy could freely express their delight at particular things without wondering if their changing hair colour would catch the eye of passing muggles.
Harry on the other hand was simply relaxing, the first 'proper' holiday he'd managed to get with Ginny in two years, and it was bliss. Absent-mindedly he reached for one of the touristy cameras they'd bought from a stall in Central Park. As he was reaching into his rucksack, his hand brushed across an old two way mirror, that had not been used or active in a good five years, of course the kids or demigods or whatever were fine, he told himself. He'd stressed to them it was for emergency use, and the fact it stayed silent for so long was a good sign – at least one batch of kids could have a safe childhood. Harry then found the tourist camera, and pushed all thoughts of pre-teen demigods out of his mind. The wizard focused on taking another picture of Ginny and James both gazing up at another skyscraper with Teddy grinning at them in the background. He and Ginny both knew with Teddy that time would vanish and before they knew it James would be starting Hogwarts, and wanted to capture as many moments as they could.
James was always confused with their camera, and motionless pictures. More than once he had to pass off the toddler's confusion at the "no-moove" pictures as the toddler mixing up film cameras and photographs to passing-by muggles. Of course this usually set off a round of coo-ing when the passing muggles had a family of their own. This usually ended up with James making new friends ("Me James" he always introduced himself as) and Teddy acting as chaperone for the younger children, or chatting with some of the older ones. Thankfully Teddy was very good at passing any slip ups on James' behalf as an active imagination, which would usually send the parents regaling Harry and Ginny with the hijinks of their children, then usually it was time to move on when one set of children inevitably got bored. Ten minutes was the longest either set of children had lasted.
"Harry?" Teddy managed to slide up next to him, the young metamorphmagus had the terrifying ability to seemingly disappear at will in any crowded location, and almost (he wouldn't let Teddy claim otherwise) startling their godfather whenever they reappeared. Aurors didn't know a thing about terror until one of their kids just wandered off somewhere, Harry thought, and not for the first time.
"Yes Teddy?" Harry knew that the pleading tones of Teddy heralded nothing good, but as usual was unable to deny them anything.
"C'n we go up to Central Park? Just for a bit?" Teddy leaned their head on Harry's arm as they walked along, keeping Ginny and James - or "double trouble" as Ron referred to them - in sight, Harry instinctively put his arm around the metamorph's shoulders.
"Well we'll see, James is rather enjoying all the tall buildings at the moment." Teddy groaned at that, but Harry knew it was probably just for show. If Harry would do anything for Teddy, then Teddy would do all that and more for James. Harry knew that he had a good four years at most before things would all change, he was reliably informed by Ginny and Ron that siblings could be absolute hell to each other once they became teenagers.
"We're not doing much though, just walking around, 'n we can do that in the Central Park thing, plus I think James would enjoy the chance to run around." Harry couldn't see, but knew anyway that Teddy was grinning. Not for the first time Harry wondered about wrapping James in a fluorescent yellow robe just to see where the hell he would sprint off to. He swore, Ginny as well, that toddlers were probably the fastest thing on Earth. He remembered Robards' advice whenever he mentioned James, that toddlers were the probably the only beings that could pass the Evasion portion of Auror recruitment with no training whatsoever, and that included demiguise.
"We'll see Teddy." Which to the metamorph was as good as a confirmation. Without even a backwards glance, Teddy shot off to where Ginny and James were admiring another 'skyscus'. Probably, Harry guessed to tell them that he thought it was a good idea to go to Central Park. Teddy was excitedly chatting and gesturing to James while Ginny looked back at Harry with a knowing grin.
The 7 year old probably thought they were being very clever, but they forgot that Ginny grew up with Fred and George. Harry could still remember the first time Teddy tried to pull the wool over their eyes.
"Aww he's trying to be sneaky." Ginny cooed after Teddy the moment he'd shut the door. Harry sputtered for a moment, half-certain he'd misheard.
"Erm, Gin, you do know that-"
"Yes yes, shush you. He's trying to get one over on us." Ginny shushed her husband with a dismissive wave. "But you have to admit it is cute."
Only a Weasley could find a six year old's attempts at lying and being sneaky cute, Harry guessed, but if it gave them a few minutes extra in bed, well it wasn't too bad. He'd just have to tell them later about lying and why it sometimes wasn't nice.
Harry never did get around to having that conversation with Teddy, now he'd thought about that didn't matter right now, since apparently they were off to Central Park.
It was bound to happen eventually. Jut when another muggle camera had run out of film, this one filled with pictures of Teddy and James running and playing with other kids in Central Park, Harry reached down into his, only slightly Extended, bag. Suddenly, when he brushed the mirror to reach for another one of the cameras – muggles really needed to be shown the wonders of an extension charm sometimes, or magical film at the very least – the tingling of a now active two way mirror froze him briefly.
Suddenly he ran through his mental checklist every Auror had drilled into them.
Wand – in holster
Able to move – yes
Visible danger – no
Protective robes -n-WAIT
Only a few seconds had passed before he forced himself to stop, and realise that, he was on holiday, not about to conduct a raid, or subject to an ambush. Again he sympathised with Ron, retiring when he did probably saved the caution from turning into paranoia.
Steadying his breathing, he gently reached for the mirror, and checked around Central Park – James and Teddy were playing with another group of children, multiple groups had congregated together as children were wont to do. Ginny was watching them alongside a number of other adults, she was more than capable of holding her own, everyone in the DA was, and a Harpy even more so.
Taking another handful of calming breaths, and checking that no-one was looking at him, he cast a few privacy charms, and took the mirror out of the bag.
Suddenly the pale face of a surprisingly young Thalia stared back at him. Harry sometimes gave lectures at Hogwarts - and he knew what a seventh year, or even an Auror applicant, looked like - and Thalia barely looked like a fifth year.
"Oh thank the Gods you're still there." some of the panic visibly receded from her expression. "Hi Harry, sorry for worrying-"
"Thalia is everything OK on your end?" Harry asked, exchanging pleasantries was one thing, but he'd been an Auror, and a parent, too long to not immediately jump to the worst case scenario whenever a kid looked in danger. Luckily the mirror resembled one of the muggle phones, so he probably wouldn't be seen as odd talking to it so openly, but concealment really wasn't a priority right now - obliviators existed for a reason after all.
"Wha-Oh, well its a bit of a story there." Thalia chuckled, but it sounded suspiciously forced. "I'm safe at the moment, but well, I panicked a bit. Don't worry it's all good my end."
Before Thalia could finish her sentence Harry cut her off, well versed in the deflection tactics of teenagers – he, Ron and Hermione were far too used to that from their Hogwarts days – and jumped straight into his next concern.
"Hey that's fine Thalia, but what got you all panicked, did you Annie and Luke make it to your camp?" Although he disliked leaving children alone to fend for themselves, the rigmarole with MACUSA and his 'consulting' status limited the free time he had to travel across America.
He was told in no uncertain terms by Grover that the monsters pursuing the children would have an easier time finding them if Harry was with them. Apparently the only safe place for demigods, according to the satyr of all creatures – and a young one at that – was a summer camp (Half-blood or Pure-blood or something, either sounded particularly insulting to Harry's ears).
Only one place in the entire USA was safe for demigods, which seemed problematic not having a fallback option. He disliked it, but after giving Thalia – the most level headed one between her and Luke – a few survival pieces from his Auror kit, and a few extra from his personal 'armoury', he managed to convince himself that they would be safe, and had to get back to the UK for his actual job, and friends.
And anyway, the sound of a purpose built camp for demigods that they could get to did ease his worries more than any amount of 'trinkets' he could pass onto them. He was more than aware that if wizards were tracking him, that he would rather leave the children to face their own monsters rather than drag them into a wizarding conflict, and by the sounds of it the camp was able to withstand a great deal.
Thalia's face scrunched up and she visibly stopped to think before answering. That wasn't a good sign.
"Well, that's where it gets complicated."
A/N: Hey everyone - so a large delay (RL got in the way) but 2 chapters in one day, both time-skippy because I was struggling loads to write Harry's 'training montage' chapter like I did with Luke/Annabeth at CHB, so I skipped that instead (I will write a 'oneshot' work with all of the 'missing' or filler chapters in, but that will be a future work)
Update schedule: well RL is being mean so I can't promise anything, once a month is the most I can say at this point; next chapter Harry/Ginny/Teddy/James all meet Mr. D and Thalia and Chiron (Mr D. and Harry deadpan-snark-off anyone?)
Plan for the story: its all planned out, but filling the plan out with words/chapters is taking longer than I thought, but I do plan to write up to TLO with Harry's involvement changing the story more and more as he gets involved
Also I tried to write Teddy as non-binary - any criticisms or advice I'd be happy to take on board
Cheers,