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It was Teddy’s 17th birthday, he was finally of age in the wizarding world. Harry, his godfather, was looking joyful. He had dropped by with his family for this occasion and gifted Teddy Fabian’s watch, which he got from Molly Weasley on his own 17th birthday. His grandmother, Andromeda, came up to him, her eyes filled with prideful tears. She hugged Teddy as if it was the first and the last she would ever hug him, or lay eyes on him for that matter, “Teddy Lupin, now that you are of age, me and Harry believe, as your guardians, it is time to fulfil your parents’ final wish.” She nodded at Harry and he gave Teddy an envelope. He opened it and read it out loud;
“Dear Teddy,
If you are reading this, it means your mum and I are dead. More importantly, it means you are of age. I beg of you to understand what we died for. We are both sorry that we couldn’t be there to watch you grow up. Others will tell you why we died; we were trying to make a world in which you can live a happier life.
With my experience, of course, I understand that your peers might just talk about the stories their own parents told them, I guarantee the parents would do that, so me and your mum prepared special…pensives so to speak. They will contain all the stories from my life and your mother’s. Your first destination is my parents’ house, the map to which is attached to this letter.
Please forgive us.
With long due love,
Your dad Remus.”
Andromeda’s eyes were nearly drowned in tears as Teddy finished reading the letter, but she was hiding it well, knowing guests were present. However, Harry seemed to read her expression and said, “So, I am guessing you go there the next-”
“Now!” Teddy interrupted, “I need to know! Please, gran! Please, Harry!” Harry looked proud and nodded, though he knew the decision was up to Andromeda. She looked at Teddy,
“You are of age now. You can go. But please, be careful!” Teddy nodded. And so, Teddy packed a small bag and was getting ready to go. He waved at Harry and hugged his grandmother one last time before leaving.
Teddy travelled to the house, thanks to the broom Harry had gifted him on his 12th birthday, he travelled the long road with ease. He came to a shabby house and knocked on the door. He was greeted by a weary looking, old man, who looked like his father (Teddy had seen many pictures of his parents and had one of himself as a baby, his dad and his mum in his pocket at all times).
“Hello,” Teddy said, “I am Teddy, Teddy Lupin. Your grandson.” Teddy took out the picture from his pocket and showed it to the man, who looked at him and the picture. His eyes were filled with hopeless longing. Then, after a long silence, he spoke,
“I am so glad to finally see you, Teddy. I am guessing you are here because of the letter?” The man looked at Teddy’s shocked expression, “Of course I know of the letter. You didn’t think Remus left me in the dark about this, did you?”
“N-No, sir.” Teddy stammered,
“Please, call me Lyall.” the man replied humbly, “Come in, we have much to discuss. I will get you some tea. Look around while I get the, ahem, present.” Teddy stepped into the house. It was filled with pictures. He saw one of Lyall, young Remus and a woman, who Teddy guessed was Lyall’s wife. The woman had a twinkle in her eye, it was as if her pupils were two stars. Lyall looked younger, his eyes fell upon his son. Both father and son had a happier expression. Teddy stared at the picture. He could have had a life like this. It was taken from him thanks to Voldemort and his followers. Just then, Lyall brought some tea and something wrapped in dirty cloth…
Teddy was sipping his tea as he listened to Lyall,
“I never thought I would live long enough to see you.” he said looking down at his tea as sparkling tears dropped into it, “Your father asked me to preserve his old diary shortly before Voldemort’s downfall. He said he enchanted it to act like a pensive." He handed the diary to Teddy, “He also asked me to give you privacy as you…dwelled in it. A rather odd choice of words, I thought…” he added. Lyall was right. It was an odd choice of words. But nevertheless, Teddy was determined, “Er, Lyall, grandfather, could you show me a room in which I could, er, dwell in the diary?” Teddy asked politely. Lyall looked taken aback at the word “‘grandfather”’ but he quickly shook his head and showed Teddy to a little bedroom,
“This was your father’s room. I will be in the kitchen if you need me.” And with that, Lyall closed the worn down door and left Teddy alone in the, rather claustrophobic, room…
Teddy stared at the diary, it had scratches all over the cover and yet, the pages inside it looked brand new. Of course, Teddy knew there was a repairing spell but never knew the full capacity of it. Maybe his father was so gifted that he recovered scratched pages from his diary? Teddy slowly opened the diary and the world around him seemed to dissolve as he was sucked into it. His hair had, unintentionally, changed colour from blue to purple as he found himself in the living room of the same house he was in now. Except, the sofas were occupied by Lyall Lupin, his wife, Remus and Dumbledore. He tried to ask for help,
“Hello! Lyall? Professor Dumbledore? Anyone?” But no one took notice of him. Dumbledore opened his mouth to speak,
“Mr. and Mrs. Lupin, I see no reason to not allow Remus to attend Hogwarts.”
“But, Professor Dumbledore, his condition-”
“I know the boy’s condition, Lyall. But there is no reason to deny him proper education as long as necessary steps are taken to ensure his safety. If Remus wants to, of course.”
The woman looked at the young Remus Lupin encouragingly. Her face was smiling. Then, Teddy saw his dad speak for the first time,
“Professor Dumbledore, sir, I would like to attend Hogwarts.” Remus looked at Lyall. Lyall stared blankly for a brief moment before smiling approvingly.
“Well, it is settled, then. I expect to see you on the 1st of September, Remus. Good day, Lyall. Hope.” Dumbledore gave a letter, nodded and walked towards the door. Teddy noticed a curious look upon his fathers face. More importantly, he was smiling, for the first time through the whole thing, Remus was smiling…
Then the scenery changed, Teddy saw his dad boarding the Hogwarts Express,
“Don’t worry, mum, dad, I will be careful.” he was saying repeatedly.
“We know. We just want to make sure that you are-” Hope’s voice tailed off. She suddenly started to hiccup violently. Remus hugged his parents,
“See you! Love you!” and he got onto the train. Teddy looked at Hope. She had no wand. Was she a muggle? But that question didn’t need an answer right now. Teddy was watching his father navigate the train. Then, suddenly, a boy, who was trembling had that Teddy thought he might burst, bumped into Remus,
“S-S-Sorry!” he stuttered, “D-Didn’t mean t-to-”
“It’s alright!” Remus answered, smiling gently, “Remus Lupin.”
“P-Peter P-P-Pettigrew.”
“Let’s find a compartment together, Peter!” Remus said, his voice was more energetic than Teddy had ever known or thought.
“O-OK. T-Thanks.” Peter stammered.
The two boys searched for empty compartments but didn’t find one. Luck would have it, however, they found a compartment with two chatting boys.
“Excuse us, do you mind if we join you?” Remus asked politely.
“Sure! The name’s James. James Potter!” the boy with glasses answered.
Remus and Peter settled in the compartment and started chatting with the boys. The other boy was named Sirius Black. Then, they suddenly started laughing,
“Wh-What is funny? Did I d-do something again?” Peter stammered.
“It’s not you, Peter.” James said.
“Just before you two came in, there was a ginger haired girl and a slimy, greasy boy.” Sirius said.
“The boy thought that being in Slytherin would be the best thing in the world!” James added.
“My whole family has been in Slytherin, but, who knows, I might break the tradition.” Sirius winked. So they all laughed through the rest of the journey as James and Sirius told stories…
The scenery changed to The Sorting. The Hat started to sing its song, and, Professor McGonagall called the first years,
“Black, Sirius!”
Sirius stepped up and sat on the stool. He closed his eyes and seemed to concentrate hard. The Hat then shouted,
“GRYFFINDOR!”
The Gryffindor table erupted with applause, Teddy found himself clapping among them. He looked at the Slytherins. They didn’t seem happy, at all. The others were being called,
“Evans, Lily!”
The ginger haired girl next to a boy with significantly longer hair than most boys, stepped up. Could she be the one his father’s friends talked about?
“GRYFFINDOR!”
The table erupted with applause again, accompanied by Teddy. The boy, whom she was next to, seemed deeply unhappy, as if betrayed.
“Lupin, Remus!”
There was his father sitting with The Sorting Hat upon his head,
“GRYFFINDOR!”
Teddy was cheering harder than ever! He was cheering so hard, in fact, that he sprained his wrist while doing a cheering move. The others were called one by one. Mary Mcdonald, Dorcas Meadows, Mulciber. Then came Peter, who had a hat stall (it took a tedious five minutes to decide his house).
“GRYFFINDOR!”
The table erupted once again.
“Potter, James!”
James stepped up, proudly, he puffed his chest and sat,
“GRYFFINDOR!” The Hat shouted the moment it touched James’s head. Then came Evan Rosier. Then, Severus Snape…
The boy walked up, his posture clearly sulking, and sat down. The moment The Hat touched his head, it yelled,
“SLYTHERIN!”
Applause erupted from the Slytherins. A boy with long, blond hair (apparently a prefect as he had a badge) clapped Snape on the back. Stebbins, Wilkes. Both came and went to their tables. Remus ate happily, yet quite silently, as the feast began…
The scenery changed again. Remus was with Madam Pomfrey, they were walking towards The Whomping Willow. Why, though? Teddy had a few run ins with that tree and it was not something he would do on a regular basis. Madam Pomfrey cast a spell at a knot which seemed to freeze The Whomping Willow. Since when has that been a thing? Why didn’t anyone tell Teddy? Did everyone ignore telling Teddy this important piece of family history just for this? Bit of an overexaturation. Teddy was spiralling in his head about those questions when he noticed Remus and Madam Pomfrey going into a hole under the tree. He followed them to the Shrieking Shack. Madam Pomfrey left the room as the full moon arose. Remus let out a blood curdling shriek. So that’s why it’s called The Shrieking Shack! It wasn’t spirits, only a kid werewolf. Teddy couldn’t help but feel sorry for his dad. The transformation seemed painful…
Then came a memory Teddy didn’t expect. His dad was sitting across from his friends. He could hear James talking,
“Remus, I know this is an odd question. But, do you have a…er…problem?”
“No offence, mate, but you leave every month.” Sirius added,
“A-And t-th-that time is a-always a w-w-week before the full moon.” Peter stammered.
“And you have scratch marks all over.” James added. Remus sighed, as if he feared this day would come,
“You guys are right. I haven’t been…completely honest. My mother was never sick. I-I am a-a…” Remus couldn’t bring himself to say it.
“A werewolf?” Sirius whispered. Remus nodded,
“I-I understand if you don’t want to be my friend anymore. I was afraid this day would come. I just never wanted to tell you guys in case you…” Remus was trembling.
“Remus, you are… an idiot if you think we would ever leave you!” James exclaimed.
“Stop acting foolish, man! We'd never do that! We are together until the very end!” Sirius added.
“Yeah, until the very end…” Peter repeated.
Teddy looked at Remus, whose eyes were glimmering with tears of joy as he hugged his friends. Teddy couldn’t feel better. His father had made friends who were willing to stick with him even with his condition! Except one, of course…
The Marauders sat together in the dorm room. They all looked deep in thought (except for Peter who was just stuttering and looking around).
“So…Werewolves are only a threat to humans, right?” James asked. Remus nodded.
“But not to animals?” James asked. Remus’s eyes widened with realisation,
“James, if you are suggesting what I think you’re suggesting…It’s illegal. Dad told me that there is a hefty registration process. Not to mention the ingredients!”
Sirius chimed in,
“What do we care? We are like brothers, are we not? We are not giving up on each other!"
“R-Right! But, j-just t-t-to be sure, what exactly are we d-do-doing?” Peter stammered.
“You are so thick, Peter! We’re talking about becoming animagi of course!” James exclaimed, rolling his eyes.
“Quieter, won’t you! We cannot let others hear!” Remus whispered. James wrapped his arms around all his friends,
“Come one, gentlemen! We have research to do!” Teddy couldn’t help but smile, his hair corresponded as it changed from blue to yellow (his hair had changed to its regular colour earlier).
The scenery changed, it was night, lightning was striking. Then, the three boys, now older, were drinking from a crystal vial, inside was a blood red liquid. They were chanting in sync as Remus watched nervously,
“Amato Animo Animato Animagus.”
Then, before Teddy could comprehend what he was seeing, three animals appeared on the spots of where the boys were. A black dog occupied Sirius’s spot. In James’s was a regal stag. And in Peter’s, a rat. The animals transformed back to humans. Their eyes met the eyes of a very shocked Remus. Remus shook his head in disbelief then came back to his senses and hugged his friends.
“We did it! Now, we can accompany Moony when he transforms. Oh! I made nicknames for all of us, by the way.” James said, jumping up and down like a six-year-old.
“Moony…I rather like it!” Remus exclaimed. He seemed happier than ever, “But we need to get under the cloak if we don’t want to get in trouble.” So the boys snuck into the dorms and were laughing themselves hoarse when they arrived.
“OK. What is my nickname then, Prongs?” Sirius asked.
“How did you know the nickname I gave myself?” James asked in awe.
“Great minds think alike!” Sirius replied.
“How about Padfoot?” Remus asked merryly.
“GREAT!” Sirius cheered, “And Peter can be…Wormtail!”
“S-Sure! I-I like it!” Peter stuttered.
“It’s not fair! How can you guys guess the names I gave to you?” James grinned.
The four boys laughed. Teddy laughed with them. Then the scene changed once again…
The four boys were older (probably in year 6) and were looking at a parchment. Teddy had seen the parchment of course. Albus had shown it to him. It was The Mauraurders’ Map!
“Good enchantment, Moody!” James patted Remus.
“Nothing much. Just a simple spell.” Remus answered, his face as red as a quaffle.
“A simple spell? Moony, half the staff would have a hard time performing this!” Sirius’s voice piped.
“Y-Y-Yeah!” Peter said with his familiar stutter.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen. There is one issue we need to address.” James said, his voice grimmer than usual.
“What?” Sirius asked, frowning.
“Snivellus of course! He will poke his nose into this. I'd bet my life he would!”
“Well…yeah…that is a worry.” Remus muttered.
“So how about we make him…a little surprise?” James grinned maliciously.
“Prongs, you genius mastermind!” Sirius exclaimed.
“We can all write our own insults!” James exclaimed.
“Well then, mine can be: Mr. Moony presents his compliments to [name] and begs him to keep [his/her] abnormally large nose out of other people’s business.” Remus whispered, then looked at his friends’ confused faces, “Oh! Well, I thought we can apply this method to anyone who tries to snoop around.”
“Great! Mine can be: Mr. Prongs agrees with Mr. Moony and would like to add that [name] is an ugly git!” James added.
“My turn! Mr. Padfoot would like to register his astonishment that an idiot like that ever became a(n) [their job].” Sirius laughed.
“M-M-Mine can be: Mr. Wormtail bids [name] a good day and advises him/her t-to wash his/her hair, the slimeball.” Peter concluded.
Remus waved his wand and grinned, “The insults are inputted!” Then his grin widened, “Actually, I am pretty sure that the enchantments are so complex that they might have the same effect on the map as the enchantment on The Sorting Hat!”
“What does t-t-that mean?” Peter asked.
“Oh, isn’t it obvious, Peter?! We accidentally gave the map a mind of its own!” Sirius shouted.
“Keep it down, won’t you, Padfoot?” Remus pleaded.
“OK, OK.” Sirius whispered. The boys laughed and the world seemed to turn upside down as Teddy finally got out of the diary…
Actually, Teddy had forgotten that the things he witnessed were mere memories. And seeing the claustrophobic room again was mortifying. He looked around, no laughing boys, no Hogwarts… no parents. Teddy shed a tear of frustration and sorrow. Perhaps if his father didn’t pity that vermin Wormtail; He would be alive. James and Sirius would have been here. His own mother would have waved goodbye at him at the station, his dad would have told him bedtime stories. They would be happy…Teddy’s hair turned bright red, as if it were on fire! Then he noticed another letter. It fell from the end of the diary. It read;
“Dear Teddy,
If you are reading this, then you accessed your dad’s memories of his time at Hogwarts. Now is the time for you to see my memories. There is one problem I need to tell you, however;
Unlike our dad, I didn’t keep a diary and had to enchant one a while after you were born. Long story short; My memories will be a little bit more vague.
Go to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. The rest of our memories are there. There’s a Fidelius Charm on the place so I attached a note which explains where it is.
We love you!
Your mother
Tonks”
Grimmauld Place? Teddy heard of that place but neither Harry or his grandma ever took him there. Teddy suddenly got excited and his hair turned orange. HE WAS FINALLY GOING TO VISIT GRIMMAULD PLACE! Not even Harry’s kids had been there! It was basically abandoned after the war! The thought of visiting the place was too…unreal. As if it were a dream. Teddy changed his hair colour back to blue and got out of the room. He was immediately met by Lyall,
“So, you are leaving now, I guess…” Lyall’s voice tailed off. Teddy couldn’t help himself and, to the amazement of Lyall, hugged his grandfather,
“I will come back! And come visit me and my gran! She won’t mind.”
Lyall shed a tear of hope and happiness, for the first time (in what Teddy theorized was over a decade) Lyall Lupin was genuinely smiling…
Teddy got ready to take off to London. Lyall gave him a few biscuits and sandwiches for the road. And so Teddy took off as Lyall waved behind his back. The journey from the countryside to the city (without being seen, of course) was tricky, not to mention long. This gave Teddy time to really think about what he saw. Now that he had time to let it sink in, Teddy’s thoughts were now clearer and more able to comprehend those memories. Yes, it was probably the worst luck for his dad that he ever met Wormtail. And perhaps that is why Wormtail was put into Gryffindor despite being so cowardly. But it was the most ‘Remus’ thing to do! And Teddy couldn’t blame his father for being kind. Too bad Wormtail wouldn’t have batted a single eye if he watched the man who pitied him all those years ago die. Too bad Voldemort got in the way of every family’s dream of a peaceful life. Too bad fate was too cruel to let anyone off the hook easily… Most compared Teddy to Harry. They had both lost their parents to the war against Voldemort. Even their names were similar. But Teddy always knew his childhood was better than Harry’s was. At least he had two relatives who loved him. Albeit he was raised only by Andromeda but still, two loving grandparents.
Then he thought of the map. It was brilliant, it was clever, it was the sure sign that those four boys were more knowledgeable than probably 99% of every student who passed through Hogwarts. Then Teddy’s mind wandered to the four boys as a whole. Remus had lied to his friends just so he wouldn’t be shunned. James and Sirius had decided to research about animagi so they could become one. Wormtail, still no less guilty, had gone along with all of it despite being too cowardly to do any of that by himself…
Teddy was so deep in thought that he nearly hit a flock of birds, twice. “HOW COULD THE SAME THING HAPPEN TWICE?” Teddy scolded himself for his lack of focus. Then he arrived…
“So…this is Number 12 Grimmauld Place?” Teddy muttered under his breath. The note mentioned The Fidelius Charm. So the muggles or any other witch or wizard would call him mad! Not that he cared. He entered the place. It was old, dusty and infested by doxies and ghouls. But that didn’t stop Teddy from going in. NOTHING! And emphasis on nothing, could stop him from getting that diary! Teddy swore on Gryffindor’s Sword that he’ld not stop. He went in slowly. And found a pink diary. His mother’s signature colour. He opened it, but, instead of the sucking sensation of his father’s diary, this one suddenly came to life and floated. It turned to the kitchen and projected a vision of a young girl with pink hair running in Andromeda’s kitchen, and how young Andromeda looked! How…happy. The young girl, obviously Nymphadora Tonks, tripped and fell. Instead of crying or even groaning, she giggled. As if she was used to it. Teddy looked more closely at young Nymphadora, her arm was covered in bruises. Yet she looked at if she was eating a never-ending toffee. Teddy remembered how much his grandmother said that he, quote on quote, “Smiled exactly like your mother.” And Teddy understood why. Nymphadora’s smile was the spitting image of his own. Then the diary flipped a page, an older Nymphadora was getting up towards the stool to be sorted. But she tripped, she clearly took her clumsiness to Hogwarts with her. The Sorting hat humphed and yelled into the room, “HUFFLEPUFF!”
Teddy couldn’t help but notice how much more vague and less detailed it was. But that didn’t matter to Teddy. He would have killed for this (as a figure of speech)! He had begged Harry to let him use The Resurrection Stone every time Harry told him the story of how he defeated Voldemort or The Tale of the Three Brothers. If Harry was able to bring back Remus, surely Teddy could too. He could see his parents back. But Harry refused to let him. He said, quote, “If I could, I would but I never found it again. And remember what happened to Cadmus in the story? I don’t want anything even remotely similar happening to you. I said I would be your godfather and I am not letting harm come to you!” He was very strict with this specific rule. And Teddy knew that The Forbidden Forest was forbidden for real now and that the forest was given fully to the creatures living in there. Not even Hagrid went there on a regular basis. Only if he needs to and without a weapon or his umbrella, accompanied by Firenze. Yeah. Super off limits!
Tonks was older in the next memory, she was with another, slightly older, wizard. Teddy recognized him immediately: Mad-Eye…
“Tonks, meet Kingsley Shacklebolt.” He said bluntly. Ignoring his magical eye, his other, normal eye, showed signs of pride as he looked at his protege.
“Hello, Mr. Shacklebo-” Tonks held up her hand but tripped, Mad-eye flinched. Kingsley helped her up,
“You are in luck, Mad-Eye is the best auror The Ministry ever had.” He smiled at Tonks. Teddy saw how friendly those serious aurors were. Kingsley even became the minister yet was as friendly as ever. Teddy had met him before. He was ever smiling yet very dignified. Then Tonks got older, She was taking some kind of test. Teddy looked at the supervisors board, Outstanding on disguises, Exceeds Expectations on everything else except for stealth which was an Acceptable. Mad-Eye’s training worked. She was as good, if not better than, the other potential aurors. And, obviously, she got in. Then, the scene changed. Tonks was older, and angry.
“Mad-Eye! I can handle it! Let me join The Order!” But Mad-Eye was strict,
“NO! You are too young, Nymphadora!”
“DON’T CALL ME NYMPHADORA! And, I can handle it!”
“I said NO! N! O!”
Then a wizard with long silver hair came, Dumbledore,
“Everything alright, Alastor?”
“Everything would be if this youngling would only accept that she is too young to join The Order!” Tonks humphed.
“Alastor is right on this, Tonks. You are too young and I could not allow you to join.” Dumbledore said calmly. Tonks shifted and fell silent. Dumbledore nodded at Mad-Eye and left. Mad-Eye exhaled,
“Look, Tonks. You are fresh out of Hogwarts and still very young. Your time will come and when it does, you will be the best auror The Ministry will ever see. Even better than me. But for now, I need you to sit this one out.” Tonks looked up at her mentor, and nodded. Mad-Eye turned to leave, to his surprise, Tonks shouted his name,
“Mad-Eye!” He turned to her. Tonks continued, “Don’t die before seeing me surpassing you!” she laughed. Mad-Eye smiled. Teddy had never imagined the strict, paranoid auror being this kind to his protege…
Then the vision glitched and faded. Again, Teddy was upset. Then the diary floated around Teddy, then a vision of Remus and Tonks appeared; they were holding hands and looking at him adoringly. The vision of Remus started speaking,
“Hello, Teddy. If you are seeing this, then you saw our memories from our Hogwarts years. Now, you will be witnessing my memories from The First War. Then our collective memories from The Second War.” The vision of Tonks started talking,
“We are so proud of you for getting this far. This is the final journey. Go to the place where a story begins. 7 years until the story ends and another begins. OK, I will drop the riddle like talk! Go to Hogwarts.”
“We…love you.” Remus whispered as Tonks sent a kiss flying towards Teddy before they disappeared. Leaving Teddy alone in tears. He was grateful no one was there to see this.
He looked at the diary and saw a ticket for The Hogwarts Express. He had just graduated and going there again would be amazing. He looked at the ticket, he had 3 days until September 1st. He went to a nearby owl post and sent a letter to Andromeda and Harry, letting them know that he will be staying in Number 12 Grimmauld Place for the next 3 days. They both gave their approval. Teddy explored the place for a few hours and picked a small, minimalist bed to sleep in when he heard a crack. He went to the kitchen and saw a little, old creature searching the area before noticing Teddy,
“Kreacher is at your service, Master Teddy.” it said and lightly bowed. Teddy had heard of Kreacher, Harry described him to be stubborn and strict but he turned out to be a nice elf in the end. He worked in the Hogwarts kitchens.
“Kreacher? Why are you here?”
“Master has called for Kreacher and told him to look after you. He said you were in my mistress’s home and Kreacher pleasantly accepted looking after you and coming to my mistress’s home again.” Kreacher snapped his fingers and disapparated. Teddy heard some rustling in one of the bedrooms and understood that he had gone to clean. Now Teddy understood why they allowed him to stay by himself this easily, Harry must have told Andromeda that he’ld send Kreacher to look after Teddy and sent the house-elf here. Teddy emphasized with his grandmother and his godfather, he too would have been more at ease knowing his 17 year old kid was being watched over, but was upset that they thought he couldn’t handle himself. Nevertheless, it was only for 3 days. So Teddy sighed,
“Let the countdown begin…” he muttered under his breath and went up to grab his backpack. If he didn’t want Kreacher to interfere in everything, he’ld have to be sneaky…
Well, he managed to keep Kreacher out of his personal possessions. But as the days went on, he started to hate the blood purity obsession embedded into its history. And how he found out was horrible… He found a portrait covered with a black curtain. He opened the curtain to the horror of Kreacher who fled muttering, “Mistress will punish Kreacher, mistress will…” over and over again. The woman in the portrait started screaming, “BLOOD TRAITORS! BLOOD TRAITORS IN MY FATHERS’ HOUSE!” Teddy tried to calm her down.
“Please calm down! I-I am a Lupin”
“Lupin?” she repeated as a matter of fact, “LUPINS AREN’T PART OF THE SACRED 28!” Teddy tried to calm her down again,
“Wait! I am descended from The Blacks!”
“How?” the portrait asked.
“My grandmother is Andromeda. Her maiden name is Black!”
Then the portrait started to scream again,
“THE BLOOD TRAITOR ANDROMEDA?! THE ANDROMEDA WHO MARRIED THAT MUDBLOOD?!” Teddy was enraged at these words but kept his cool and closed the curtain as he enchanted a harp he found in the attic to play calming music, hoping it would shut the woman in the portrait, whoever she was.
Teddy asked Kreacher who the woman was, and he explained it,
“That is the portrait of Mistress Walburga. This house is the house of The Ancient and Most Noble House of Black, Master Teddy. Mistress will punish Kreacher.”
“Kreacher,” Teddy said calmly, “Walburga is dead.”
“Kreacher is sorry, Master Teddy. Kreacher finds it hard to remember that Harry Potter is his master.” Kreacher started to hit his head on the wall as Teddy desperately tried to stop him. He managed to stop him but Kreacher was still muttering to himself. His thought stream must have gone off to different things because then he started mourning some guy named ‘Regulus’. Teddy had heard of him but never really knew much about him. But that didn’t matter right now.
Teddy left Kreacher to calm down and went to bed, the 3 days had gone by so fast that Teddy had forgotten that he had to catch the Hogwarts Express tomorrow. He closed his eyes and dreamt about his parents. They were hugging him. Just hugging him. That was the only thing he could have wanted. It was so realistic that he shed a tear when he woke up alone.
Kreacher had made a wonderful breakfast. Teddy thanked him and took a muggle bus to King’s Cross. He went to the wall between platforms 9 and 10. Then he made sure no muggles saw him before running into the wall and ending up on the magical platform…
Teddy had felt very nostalgic. He was 17 and just graduated (his birthday was literally a day after he graduated, I know, weird. Just be tolerant.) He got on the bus and which, to his surprise, didn’t attract attention from the younger kids but did cause some older ones to raise eyebrows at the sight of a newly graduated kid boarding the train. And, to the displeasure and embarrassment of Teddy, they bombarded him with a lot of questions.
Teddy found an empty compartment and sat in the corner. In the same place as Remus had sat, as far as Teddy had heard from Harry at least. Harry had always satisfied Teddy’s questions about well…everything! Even if it was hard for him to tell the older memories, or deal with Ron if he is there, and interrupting the story to add, rather unnecessary, comments and details. Hermoine would usually stop Ron, though, then again, they are old friends and husband and wife so it is expected. Rose would roll her eyes when that happened while everyone else chuckled. Those are very dear memories for Teddy but he had other things on his mind. His eyes got heavier as he was listening to the engine’s roars. They got heavier…and heavier…YAAAAWN…and he dozed off…
Teddy got up to find the entire train empty. No students…no prefects…not even The Trolley Lady…
“HELLO! ANYONE?” he called out…no response came…
“This is weird…Who am I kidding?! This. Is. MENTAL!” He thought to himself. “Why in Merlin’s beard would THE Hogwarts Express be empty?” He looked around, he saw Lyall and Andromeda’s faces.
“Granfather? Gran? Why are you here? What are you doing here? How did you come here?”
“I. Am. An. IDIOT! Why would their FACES be HERE? Is this a dream?” he thought after he scolded himself…
Lyall’s face and Andromeda’s face pointed to the farthest compartment in unison.
“But, I can’t go there! That is the Prefects’ compartment!” Teddy whispered, he didn’t mean to whisper, though. It was as if his voice was fading. He tried to shout Lyall and Andromeda’s names but no sound came out. Teddy’s feet started to move towards the compartment. His face was fixed upon the door as if he were in a trance.
“NO! STOP! LET ME GO! WHATEVER THIS IS OR WHOEVER YOU ARE! I KNOW YOU CAN HEAR THIS! LET ME GO!” Teddy pleaded desperately in his mind. His feet stopped an inch away from the door and his hand, against his will, moved to open the compartment. It was as if Teddy was no longer in his body but was spectating in first person…
The door creaked open, Teddy was trembling. He looked at his hands, he was back in control.
“Revelio!” he shouted, nothing happened except for the realisation that he could speak again. Teddy saw a black door at the end of the compartment and ran towards it, faster and faster. The compartment was either getting longer or Teddy was running on the spot because he couşdn’t get near the door at all. It was as if he were blocked by something…Teddy was evaluating all of this when these words appeared,
“To prevail you must;
face the thing you most despise.
Answer us now, be honest;
What is the thing you sorely miss?”
“The thing I sorely miss?” Teddy thought aloud, his mind raced back to his thoughts in Lyall’s home and in the diary,
“My parents?” he said unsurely. The words seemed to nod as Teddy said this and he reached the door…
Teddy opened the door. Remus’s diary was floating in front of him. He tried to touch it but his hand flinched back in agony. The diary was burning hot!
“Accio!” Teddy cried. Nothing happened.
“Glacius!” Teddy shouted, hoping it would freeze the diary so he could unfreeze it and touch the now cooler diary. It didn’t work. Words appeared again,
“You faced your despise, now face your fear.
Think about the things you hold dear;
Now think of a life without any,
You have nothing but unexplained glory,
Would this be a cause for envy or pity?”
Teddy was starting to get irritated by these vague riddles. But he understood the last part right away,
“You mean like Harry? I don’t see anything envious about a life without your loved ones. But I also don’t see a need for pity for someone healthy. I for one don’t like it when people pity me. I am healthy and well. Besides, being pitied like that sounds like a burden for the pitied and the one who pities.” The words responded,
“You are right about the conclusion;
but not the pity,
For it is naught but an emotion.
What else could it be?
Naught a burden, naught a lie,
This you shan’t deny.”
The diary grew and became another door. Teddy went in, anticipating the end of this nightmarish adventure in the uninhabited train.
Boy, was he wrong…
Teddy opened the door slowly, the creaking sent shivers down his spine. He couldn’t describe it. It was as if someone was scratching their incredibly long fingernails on a blackboard but 10 times worse! Nevertheless, he proceeded. The creaking was drowned out by a soothing lullaby. Even if the lullaby didn’t make his ears bleed, Teddy wished it would go away. Because it caused nothing but his eyes getting heavier. He was losing his balance, he held a compartment door and saw the diary from Grimmauld Place. It revealed these words;
“We congratulate you, you faced 2 of your 3 tests,
But nothing rests,
Not yet,
Now tell us;
Would you exchange your life with someone else?
Or wish it upon your worst enemy?
Is it just us or are you feeding something angry?”
“OH GOSH! For Merlin’s sake, give this a rest!” Teddy exhaled, “No! OK? NO! I am happy with this life! And mind you my worst enemy is Voldemort and he already was an orphan. Besides, he is dead. The only thing I am angry at is this rubbish!”
The words seemed to be upset, yes, they indeed did, they redesigned themselves to spell out this;
“You are angry, we were right,
The night,
Might seem dead,
But as the sunsets,
Arrives; the night, moon and wolves.”
The diary revealed a key, Teddy took it with shaking hands. The key seemed to be a perfect match to the final door. Teddy’s hands trembled as he placed the key into the keyhole and turned it. The door revealed a blinding light. Teddy shielded his eyes and went inside…
Teddy woke up, startled. So he had been dreaming! Oh, thank Dumbledore! The Trolley Lady came to Teddy’s compartment,
“Anything from the trolley, my dear?”
“No thanks…” Teddy managed to say, “When do we arrive at Hogwarts?” he asked. Usually, he’ld know. But since his dream, Teddy had lost all sense of time.
“Why shortly. About half an hour, I should think.” The Trolley Lady answered back kindly.
“Thanks!” Teddy said as The Trolley Lady left. He spent the rest of the trip looking at the scenery whilst thinking of his most peculiar dream…
The train screeched to a halt as Teddy got out of his compartment. He got onto the platform and was met by a familiar voice,
“FIRST YEARS ‘ERE! FIRST YEARS!”
Hagrid was bellowing through the wind as a group of little kids gathered around him. The eyes of the half-giant met Teddy’s,
“Teddy! ‘Ow are you, now? Guess yer ‘ere ‘coz of the lette’, yeah?”
Teddy nodded.
“C’mon, then! Get to the ‘arriages! Professor McGonagall’ll meet yeh after the feast.”
“OK. Thanks, Hagrid!” Teddy answered, determinedly.
Teddy did as Hagrid advised and got in a carriage. They were pulled by Thestrals, of course, though Teddy couldn’t see them. For once, Teddy forgot about his thoughts and just enjoyed the sensation of coming back to Hogwarts. It wasn’t long before he got into the castle and a feeling of deja vu washed over him. He was home again…
Teddy was met by Professor Flitwick, the short yet lovable charms professor; he seemed delighted and unfazed at seeing his former student. “So everyone knew of this except me?” Teddy thought. After some small talk with Professor Flitwick, he led Teddy inside the castle,
“Now, Mr.Lupin, I expect you to wait here until Professor McGonagall comes.” He chimed,
“Of course, sir.” Teddy answered as Flitwick left. Teddy was silent, that silence enabled him to hear The Sorting Ceremony. He couldn’t make out the names but he heard the houses,
“GRYFFINDOR!
HUFFLEPUFF!
GRYFFINDOR!
SLYTHERIN!
RAVENCLAW!” The hat was yelling. Teddy cheered along every time The Hat yelled “‘Hufflepuff’”. It was his house after all…
After a while, the feast ended. Professor Longbottom was the first to come out of the hall,
“Teddy!” he exclaimed, delighted, “Hey! How are you?”
“Well, thanks, Professor.” Teddy answered, he wasn’t used to being this casual with his professors.
“Professor McGonagall will come soon enough. Nice to see you again. Still in auror training?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You got lucky with your godfather, Teddy. I need to get going, I expect great things from you.” Professor Longbottom winked before leaving. Then she came…Professor Minerva McGonagall…
“Mr.Lupin…Glad to see you. Follow me, please.” She said calmly.
Teddy didn’t dare answer, he followed Professor McGonagall to The Headmasters’ Office.
“Albus Dumbledore.” Professor McGonagall muttered. The gargoyle jumped to life. They went in, the portraits started to talk as they saw them,
“So,” Professor Snape’s portrait said, “The day finally came.”
“We are happy to see you Teddy.” Professor Dumbledore’s portrait muttered.
“So, everyone knew this except for me?!” Teddy yelled, tears were running down his cheeks, “All these years! Everyone was just getting ready for this surprise! I had no idea! I grew up without any information about my parents beyond their marriage and heroism! Just so they can set up this treasure hunt!” Teddy wanted to stop, he really did but the fire was raging, he needed an outlet and the timing couldn’t be worse, “If everyone knew of this! Answer me! Why in Merlin’s name did I have that dream on the plane?! Why did my father have to befriend that good for nothing, vermin called Wormtail?! Answer me! ANSWER ME!” Teddy was seeing red yet crying, Dumbledore looked like he too would start to cry. The other portraits all spoke in overlapping disgust and an agreement that Teddy was being disrespectful. Professor McGonagall darted her eyes away,
“What did I always say? Never try to make students happy! They'd rather swim in their own stew of disappointment!" Professor Black spat. Every portrait, except Dumbledore’s and Snape’s, nodded in agreement.
“That is quite enough, Phineas.” Dumbledore said calmly. Professor Black sniggered. Professor Dumbledore turned to Teddy, or turned in the way a portrait can,
“Teddy, love blinds everyone. You are upset, rightfully so, but remember, your parents loved you and made this so you'd be happy. I made this mistake myself, leaving someone in the dark when they would rather be in the know is not a wise idea.” His eyes gleamed, “You remind me of someone.” he winked.
“Potter?” Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape asked simultaneously.
“More specifically, after he lost his godfather.” Dumbledore corrected.
“Not the biggest loss…” Professor Snape muttered.
“Severus…” Dumbledore whispered.
“Well…” Professor McGonagall cut everything off, “Here is the thing you came for.” She gave a little box to Teddy. He looked at everyone,
“I’m sorry…for everything.” Teddy cried.
“It really is nothing to worry about, Teddy. Now, open it.” Professor Dumbledore said softly. Teddy did so, struggling with trembling hands. He opened the small box…
The box carried a bunch of things; a vial of memories, a few old photos, a letter and a diary with the Hogwarts emblem.
“I advise you to open the diary first, Mr.Lupin.” Professor McGonagall whispered, “And, preferably, over there.” she nudged towards a space that must have been set up today, for Teddy. It had enough privacy for Teddy to open the diary and explore it without anyone interfering or looking. He walked over there, his steps real slow. And opened the diary. The diary swooshed and beams of light surrounded Teddy, one hit his forehead, Teddy couldn’t make out anything for a moment but felt that he fell.
Teddy saw his dad, older than his Hogwarts years, younger than his final years. He saw James, Sirius and Peter. The four marauders were in The Three Broomsticks, fresh out of Hogwarts. Remus started speaking,
“Guys, you are the best friends a wizard could ask for. And I am very grateful for you”
James joined in,
“You guys are like brothers, I’ve never had!”
Sirius laughed,
“I consider you a family more than I consider my family as a family!”
“Y-yeah.” Peter stuttered.
“So…” James asked, his voice lower, “Any plans for the future? Anyone joining…” His voice got lower, “The Order?”
“J-J-James! Is this r-r-really the best t-t-time to-” Peter stammared, absolutely horrified. Obviously trying to drift the conversation somewhere else.
James cut in,
“Just asking.”
Sirius put his glass down,
“Let’s see… Joining The Order would mean defying my parents, going to the complete opposite side of the spectrum, against my brother, and having the chance to fight my chum of a cousin, her husband, and my other cousin’s husband, Malfoy. Even Snivellous. With my friends. It’s a tough desici- HOW FAST CAN I SAY YES?!?”
“I am not staying out of this. You-Know-Who is rallying up werewolves and they need my help to get them on our side.” Remus said thoughtfully.
“Peter, are you with us?” Sirius asked. Peter looked taken aback.
“We trust you, Peter. If you wanna settle down, that’s fine!” James said to Peter.
“You know, James, you really matured in a span of a year.” Remus pointed out.
“You know, being with Lily showed me that there’s more to life than picking on others.” James answered. Sirius’s attention went back to Peter, he hadn’t forgotten.
“So, Peter, with us? Sitting this one out? Or…”
“Don’t even think about it. He’ld never.” Remus snapped, albeit, very calmly.
“Against us?” Sirius finished. Those words carried a lot of weight for everyone.
Especially Teddy.
“O-Of c-course I’m w-w-with y-y-you! H-How c-c-could y-y-y-you t-th-think ot-therwise?” Wormtail stammered, even more than usual
“I’m kidding, guys! I’m kidding! Besides, Peter couldn’t be against us if he tried! Andromeda has more guts than him and that’s saying something. No offence, Wormtail, just the truth.”
“N-None t-taken. A-An-And I’m doing it!”
“Joining The Order?” James urged.
“Y-Y-Y-Yeah!”
“Very well then. Let’s show Voldemort what we can do!” James whispered excitedly.
Everyone, except Sirius, flinched. James looked at Remus and Peter,
“C’mon! If we’re gonna fight him! We need to be able to stand up to him. Be brave. We’re Gryffindors are we not?”
Remus nodded,
“You’re right. If we’re to defy him, we shouldn’t be afraid of saying Voldemort’s name.”
Peter flinched again,
“C-C-Can’t I c-c-call h-hi-him Y-Y-Y-You-K-K-Kno-Know-W-Wh-Who?” He stammered.
“Fine.” James sighed. He drank the last of his Butterbeer and stood up, “If you’re done too, let’s go and pay. Then, we can see Dumbledore!” The other three cheered, even Peter. But Teddy saw a glimpse of uncertainty and fear in Peter’s eyes, which faded quickly, very quickly…
The scene changed, James, Sirius and Peter had disappeared. Tonks was older, The Second War…
Remus and Tonks were alone at night, outside a house Teddy didn’t recognize. Tonks made a little remark,
“He’s still handsome, isn’t he, even after Azkaban?”
Lupin frowned,
“He did always get the woman.” he replied bitterly, his eyes revealed so much more, though.
Tonks suddenly got angry,
“You’d know perfectly well who I’ve fallen for, if you weren’t too busy feeling sorry for yourself to notice.”
Teddy saw a glimpse of triumph, surprise and joy in Remus’s eyes, but it was extinguished almost instantly. Tonks looked at Remus, clearly unfooled.
The scenery changed once more, Teddy recognized the place almost instantly, The Hospital Wing. He saw Bill lying on a bed, scratch marks etched upon nearly every inch of his face. Fleur, Bill’s wife, started talking,
“What do I care how ‘e looks? I am good looking enough for the both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave. And I shall do just zat!”
Time seemed to skip a few seconds…
“You see!” Tonks said, glaring at Lupin, “She still wants to marry him, even though he’s been bitten! She doesn’t care!”
“It’s different,” Lupin replied, “Bill isn’t a full werewolf.”
“BUT I DON’T CARE EITHER!” Tonks shook Lupin, “I’ve told you a million times…”
“And I’ve told you a million times! I’m too old for you, too poor, too…dangerous.” Lupin muttered slowly.
“I’ve said it all along, Remus. You’re talking a ridiculous line on this.” Mrs.Weasley chimed in.
“I am not!” Lupin denied, “Tonks deserves someone young and whole.”
“She wants you, though.” Mr.Weasley said, “And, Remus, young and whole men don’t necessarily remain so.” Mr.Weasley turned a melancholy look towards Bill.
The scene faded, it turned into a small wedding. Teddy saw a very stressed, yet very happy, Remus Lupin. He was smiling in a way that was hard to describe, he was smiling as if it was the best thing in his life, which it was. Yet, very deep down, deep, deep, deep down, he thought it was the worst thing he could inflict upon a human being, which was too wrong to even describe. Teddy figured he got his wits from his mum, because he knew his dad was being stupid. But he was right about one thing; Marrying Tonks…
Teddy felt too numb with joy to pay attention to the rest of the ceremony. The families were talking. Teddy looked at Ted Tonks, he looked like him. He saw his gran, smiling. He saw his parents beaming brighter than the sun. His legs gave out as he looked around. Teddy woke up on the floor of The Headmasters’ Office. Teddy saw the letter, he quickly grabbed it without thinking. It read;
“Dear Teddy,
If you’re reading this, then you’ve seen our memories. The vial has memories in more detail. We’ve left you a secret Pensive that we’ve made ourselves.
We hope you found some closure.
We love you,
Your parents.”
Teddy muttered, “I did.” under his breath. He bid good day to The Headmasters, Headmistresses and Professor McGonagall.
“Truth,” Dumbledore muttered behind him, “Such a beautiful, complex and dangerous thing…”
The End?