Teddy Through Time

It was March when luck finally favored Ron. Harry was sitting in the tent entrance, on guard duty, staring idly at a clump of grape hyacinths that had forced their way through the chilly ground, when Ron shouted excitedly from inside the tent.
“I’ve got it, I’ve got it! Password was ‘Albus’! Get in here, Harry.”
“ . . . apologize for our temporary absence from the airwaves, which was due to a number of house calls in our area by those charming Death Eaters.”
“But that’s Lee Jordan!” said Hermione.
“I know!” beamed Ron. “Cool, eh?”
“ . . . now found ourselves another secure location, thanks to the patronage of our friend, Ridiculous,” Lee was saying, "And I’m pleased to tell you that two of our regular contributors have joined me here this evening. Evening, boys!”
“Hi.”
“Evening, River.”
“‘River’” that’s Lee,” Ron explained. “They’ve all got code names, but you can usually tell— “
“Shh!” said Hermione.
"That was Teddy, wasn't it?" Harry asked.
“Oh, didn’t I tell you?” said Ron in surprise. “Bill told me that a few days after the meeting at Grimmauld Place, Remus went to look for Teddy. It took him a few weeks to find him. They're not living together, since Teddy didn't want to, but he says their bond is now almost inseparable! And apparently Tonks’s getting pretty big too . . .”
“Shh!” said Hermione agian.
“But before we hear from Royal and Romulus,” Lee went on, “let’s take a moment to report those deaths that the Wizarding Wireless Network News and Daily Prophet don’t think important enough to mention. It is with great regret that we inform our listeners of the murders of Ted Tonks and Dirk Cresswell.”
Harry felt a sick, swooping in his belly. He, Ron, and Hermione gazed at one another in horror.
“A goblin by the name of Gornuk was also killed. It is believed that Muggle-born Dean Thomas and a second goblin, both believed to have been traveling with Tonks, Cresswell, and Gornuk, may have escaped. If Dean is listening, or if anyone has any knowledge of his whereabouts, his parents and sisters are desperate for news.”
Silence fell, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione did not speak. Half of Harry yearned to hear more, half of him was afraid of what might come next. It was the first time he had felt fully connected to the outside world for a long time.
“And now we can return to regular contributor Royal, for an update on how the new Wizarding order is affecting the Muggle world.”
“Thanks, River,” said an unmistakable voice, deep, measured, reassuring.
“Kingsley!” burst out Ron.
“We know!” said Hermione, hushing him.
“Muggles remain ignorant of the source of their suffering as they continue to sustain heavy casualties,” said Kingsley. “However, we continue to hear truly inspirational stories of wizards and witches risking their own safety to protect Muggle friends and neighbors, often without the Muggles’ knowledge. I’d like to appeal to all our listeners to emulate their example, perhaps by casting a protective charm over any Muggle dwellings in your street. Many lives could be saved if such simple measures are taken.”
“And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be ‘Wizards first’?” asked Lee.
“I’d say that it’s one short step from ‘Wizards first’ to ‘Pure-bloods first,’ and then to ‘Death Eaters,’” replied Kingsley. “We’re all human, aren’t we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving.”
"Well said!" came Teddy's voice.
“Excellently put, Royal, and you’ve got my vote for Minister of Magic if we ever get out of this mess,” said Lee. “And now, over to Ridiculous and  Romulus for our popular feature ‘Pals of Potter.’”
“Thanks, River,” said another very familiar voice. Ron started to speak, but Hermione forestalled him in a whisper.
“We know it’s Lupin!”
“Romulus, do you maintain, as you have every time you’ve appeared on our program, that Harry Potter is still alive?”
“I do,” said Lupin firmly. “There is no doubt at all in my mind that his death would be proclaimed as widely as possible by the Death Eaters if it had happened, because it would strike a deadly blow at the morale of those resisting the new regime. ‘The Boy Who Lived’ remains a symbol of everything for which we are fighting: the triumph of good, the power of innocence, the need to keep resisting.”
A mixture of gratitude and shame welled up in Harry. Had Lupin forgiven him, then, for the terrible things he had said when they had last met?
"And what do you think, Ridiculous?" asked Lee.
"I agree with Romulus. The families of many could be torn apart and erased if we don't continue this fight. If Harry can hear me, I would want him to know that families are fighting by his side," said Teddy without a hint of embarrassment.
A flush of color spread across Harry's face.
“And what would you say to Harry if you knew he was listening, Romulus?”
“I’d tell him we’re all with him in spirit,” said Lupin, then hesitated slightly, “And I’d tell him to follow his instincts, which are good and nearly always right.”
"And I want to tell Harry, that I am with him with all my heart and soul. Unlike Romulus," said Teddy, and Harry imagined Teddy winking with a teasing smile, "I always trust Harry's gut feelings. I know they will always be right. And whatever path he chooses to take, I will always walk with him, head held high."
Harry smiled.
"He's so charming," said Hermione, "he's so full of hope!"
"Shh!" This time it was Ron's turn to silence Hermione.
“ . . . and our usual update on those friends of Harry Potter’s who are suffering for their allegiance?” Lee was saying. “Well, as regular listeners will know, several of the more outspoken supporters of Harry Potter have now been imprisoned, including Xenophilius Lovegood, erstwhile editor of The Quibbler,” said Lupin.
“At least he’s still alive!” muttered Ron.
“ "In recent hours, Ridiculous—who regularly infiltrates Hogwarts thanks to those he calls 'the Marauders'—has also informed us that Rubeus Hagrid— “ all three of them gasped, and so nearly missed the rest of the sentence— “well-known gamekeeper at Hogwarts School, has narrowly escaped arrest within the grounds of Hogwarts, where he is rumored to have hosted a ‘Support Harry Potter’ party in his house. However, Hagrid was not taken into custody, and is, we believe, on the run.”
“I suppose it helps, when escaping from Death Eaters, if you’ve got a sixteen-foot-high half brother?” asked Lee.
“It would tend to give you an edge,” agreed Lupin gravely
"But what Romulus is trying to say is—Hagrid, we salute you for your fighting spirit and bravery! But we ask—truly, we beg you, dear listeners—not to follow his example. In the current political climate, if you value your lives, it's highly inadvisable to hold a pro-Harry rally. Trust me, I tried it," said Teddy.
"Highly inadvisable, Ridiculous," said Lupin, and Harry imagined, in his mind’s eye, Lupin placing a hand on Teddy’s shoulder and looking at him with admiration.
“So we suggest that you continue to show your devotion to the man with the lightning scar by listening to Potterwatch! And now let’s move to news concerning the wizard who is proving just as elusive as Harry Potter. We like to refer to him as the Chief Death Eater…”

The days passed, and with them came the month of April. The Shell Cottage, a beautiful little house perched on a cliff overlooking the sea, its walls studded with seashells instead of bricks, might have seemed even more lovely to Harry had it not been for the circumstances that had brought them there. Several days had gone by in which he, Ron, and Hermione had stayed at the cottage, until there was a bang on the front door. Everyone’s head turned toward it.
Fleur came running out of the kitchen, looking frightened; Bill jumped to his feed, his wand pointing at the door; Harry, Ron, and Hermione did the same. Silently Griphook slipped beneath the table, out of sight.
“Who is it?” Bill called.
“It is I, Remus John Lupin!” called a voice over the howling wind. Harry experienced a thrill of fear; what had happened?
“I am a werewolf, married to Nymphadora Tonks, and you, the Secret-Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and bade me come in an emergency!”
“Lupin,” muttered Bill, and he ran to the door and wrenched it open.
Lupin fell over the threshold. He was white-faced, wrapped in a traveling cloak, his graying hair windswept. He straightened up, looked around the room, making sure of who was there, then cried aloud, "She’s had the baby! Teddy — Teddy’s been born. It’s a boy! We’ve named him after Dora’s father!"
Hermione shrieked.
“Wha—? Tonks—Tonks has had the baby?”
“Yes, yes, she’s had the baby!” shouted Lupin. All around the table came cries of delight, sighs of relief: Hermione and Fleur both squealed, “Congratulations!” and Ron said, “Blimey, a baby!” as if he had never heard of such a thing before.
“Yes—yes— a boy, You should’ve seen Teddy — the grown one, I mean — he was so excited when he was born” said Lupin again, who seemed dazed by his own happiness. He strode around the table and hugged Harry; the scene in the basement of Grimmauld Place might never have happened.
“You’ll be godfather?” he said as he released Harry.
“M–me?” stammered Harry.
“You — yes, of course — I’ve been thinking about it, from the very start -  Dora quite agrees . And Teddy himself, to be honest. He says — and I agree — there’s no one better. In fact, he’s already said you’re his godfather."
“I—yeah—blimey— ” Harry felt overwhelmed, astonished, delighted;
“And how’s Teddy — the older one, I mean?” asked Hermione.
“He’s absolutely wonderful! He arrived an hour before the birth itself. We’d been begging him for months to tell us when the baby was supposed to be born — we knew the date, of course, but it was still a surprise.”
now Bill was hurrying to fetch wine, and Fleur was persuading Lupin to join them for a drink.
“I can’t stay long, I must get back, I promised little Teddy I wouldn’t be long, and older Teddy looked exhausted.” said Lupin, beaming around at them all: He looked years younger than Harry had ever seen him.
“Thank you, thank you, Bill”
Bill had soon filled all of their goblets, they stood and raised them high in a toast.
“To Teddy Remus Lupin,” said Lupin, “a great wizard in the making!”
“’Oo does ’e look like?” Fleur inquired.
"It’s rather funny, really — the older Teddy looks just like me, but I’m quite sure the little one takes after Dora entirely and she thinks he is like me. Not much hair. It looked black when he was born, but I swear it’s turned ginger in the hour since. Probably blond by the time I get back. Andromeda says Tonks’s hair started changing color the day that she was born.” He drained his goblet.
“You know, Remus, Teddy will grow up to be such a ’andsome boy,” said Fleur.
“Thank you Oh, go on then, just one more,” he added, beaming, as Bill made to fill it again.
“Good-bye, good-bye— I’ll try and bring some pictures in a few day’s time— they’ll all be so glad to know that I’ve seen you— ”
He fastened his cloak and made his farewells, hugging the women and grasping hands with the men, then, still beaming, returned into the wild night.

The beginning of May had arrived. There was a scuffling and a great thump: "Great, another Weasley," said a familiar, disdainful voice.
Someone else had clambered out of the tunnel, overbalanced slightly, and fallen. He pulled himself up on the nearest chair, looked around through lopsided horn-rimmed glasses, and said, “Am I too late? Has it started? I only just found out, so I–I— ”
Percy spluttered into silence. Evidently he had not expected to run into most of his family. There was a long moment of astonishment, broken by Fleur turning to Lupin and saying, in a wildly transparent attempt to break the tension, “So—’ow eez leetle Teddy?”
As if conjured by some cosmic inevitability, a young man sprang lightly out of the tunnel. His hair was immaculately parted down the middle, giving him the odd appearance of a slightly off-kilter version of Percy — that is, if Percy had dyed his hair a bright turquoise.
“Perce, I thought you’d never drag your arse out of that tunnel. Took a decent curse to get you moving,” he said, bowing theatrically.
“No!” barked Remus angrily. “You’re staying with your mother!”
"I hate to break it to you, Dad, but I’ve never taken orders or discipline from you, And I don’t plan to start now." Teddy said with such casual nonchalance that it rattled Lupin to the core. "She’s looking after little me — with Gran. I’m coming, whether you like it or not."
"Little brat," Lupin muttered.
"It’s true," Teddy laughed. "Now, if you don’t mind, I may have just been born, but I’m twenty-three, and there’s no way I’m letting you fight this alone. Do something useful and show Harry and the others what a hot baby I am… I know you carry a picture of me inside your coat."
Teddy winked at Harry and strode out of the room, sprinting straight into the chaos of battle.
"Little brat!" Lupin shouted after him, cross — and then, in an instant, his face softened.
"But he really is one cute baby." Lupin say, pulling a photograph from inside his jacket and showing it to Fleur and Harry, who saw a tiny baby with a tuft of bright turquoise hair, waving fat fists at the camera.

Ron led the way to the Great Hall. Harry stopped in the doorway.
The House tables were gone and the room was crowded. The survivors stood in groups, their arms around each other’s necks. The injured were being treated upon the raised platform by Madam Pomfrey and a group of helpers.
Firenze was amongst the injured; his flank poured blood and he shook where he lay, unable to stand. The dead lay in a row in the middle of the Hall. Harry could not see Fred’s body, because his family surrounded him.
George was kneeling at his head; Mrs. Weasley was lying across Fred’s chest, her body shaking. Mr. Weasley stroking her hair while tears cascaded down his cheeks.
Without a word to Harry, Ron and Hermione walked away. Harry saw Hermione approach Ginny, whose face was swollen and blotchy, and hug her. Ron joined Bill, Fleur, and Percy, who flung an arm around Ron’s shoulders. As Ginny and Hermione moved closer to the rest of the family. Harry nearly stumbled forward as someone collided with him. It was a young man, limping, walking without a shirt. Harry noticed the round, open wound in the centre of his back, bleeding steadily. The man’s entire body was covered in white ash, as though he had walked through shattered bricks. Harry only recognised him by the colour of his hair — blue now, whereas the last time he had seen him, it had been turquoise.
Teddy didn’t stop. He walked past the Weasleys, and only halted when he reached the next row of bodies. That’s when Harry finally saw who lay beside Fred: Remus and Tonks, pale, still, and peaceful-looking, as if merely asleep beneath the dark, enchanted ceiling. He dropped to his knees and hands instantly, over the bodies of his parents, howling in grief, a sound like a wounded animal.
The Great Hall seemed to fly away, become smaller, shrink, as Harry reeled backward from the doorway. He could not draw breath.
...I grew up on stories about you... You were always a hero to me...
... I lost a lot too, believe me... The war spared no one...
The way and reverence with which he had always looked at his parents...
Harry suddenly understood. Teddy had never grown up with his parents; he had become an orphan long before Harry had ever become one himself.
He couldn’t bear the knowledge that, because of him, his godson had grown up an orphan... that the parents who were supposed to raise him had died for him. He could not bear to look at any of the other bodies, to see who else had.
He yearned not to feel . . . He wished he could rip out his heart, his innards, everything that was screaming inside him . . .
Harry stood there, watching Hermione approach Teddy and try to lift him to his feet, knowing it should have been him. He should have been the one to do it. He was meant to be there for him.
But he couldn’t move. It was as though his legs had betrayed him.
Harry was afraid to look the orphaned boy in the eye.
Had Teddy ever realised that it was Harry who was responsible for his parents’ deaths? Had he ever blamed him — and been right to do so?
And Harry, who so desperately wished to feel nothing at all, saw Bill and Fleur helping Teddy to his feet as he collapsed into Hermione’s arms.
His eyes blurred with tears.  Harry turned away, thinking of running — fleeing — and froze with one foot already lifted.
He turned back and walked towards Teddy. He owed him that. He had to be there for him. He had to say he was sorry.
The distance felt like forever. The more he walked, the further away it seemed. He was terrified of the moment their eyes would meet.
Bill and Fleur, still raw in their grief for Fred, supported Teddy, whose face was pale and exhausted, his features drawn tight from crying.
From the crown of Teddy’s head, Harry noticed a thick, dry line of crimson blood trickling down through his blue hair.
Teddy clung to Bill’s chest, sobbing into his shirt, while Fleur cradled his body, pressing kisses to his head, her beautiful face streaked with glistening tears.
Harry stepped closer, and with each step, he watched Teddy’s hair darken, gradually fading from blue to its natural black.
He couldn’t find the right words. No comfort came. So he simply placed a hand on Teddy’s shoulder and hoped the gesture might somehow say everything he couldn’t.
Teddy turned his head to face Harry — and then turned away.
Harry noticed the faint scarring across his neck, the shallow marks Fenrir Greyback had left behind, a cruel reminder — a shared fate with his father. And there, on Teddy’s chest, the tattoo of a wolf and moon.
“Ted…” Harry began but he couldn’t bear to hear the orphan’s sorrow. The guilt crushed him. The same kind of guilt he had felt when Sirius died — for him. Because of him.
Because of a mistake Harry had made.
Teddy suddenly seemed to notice Harry fully, physically there.
“No, Harry, no!” he cried out, an instinctive panic flaring in his voice. Harry flinched. He didn’t know whether to stay or go.
Did Teddy even want him near? He wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t.
Teddy pushed him. “Harry, do you have Severus’s memories?” he asked, anxious. “Harry, listen to me — there is nothing more important right now than Severus’s memories!” Teddy pushed him again. “Nothing!”
Bill tried to hold Teddy back, one arm firm across his shoulders to calm him.
“No, Bill — you don’t understand,” Teddy gasped, voice trembling. “He has to see Severus’s memories"!
"W-Why?" Harry asked, startled—too startled. What else did Teddy know? What was he still keeping from him?
"You’ll understand the moment you see them," Teddy tried to explain.
"You knew your parents would die tonight?" Harry asked quietly.
"Yes. I... I grew up without parents. My grandmother raised me, really. Holidays, summers—we always stayed with Arthur and Molly. I always called them uncle and aunt. That’s why I’ve always felt at home at the Burrow—even after coming back."
Teddy turned to look at Bill, and Harry followed his gaze. Beneath the scars and bloodied face was a look of horror and pain.
"You knew about Fred too?" Bill asked, his voice hollow. "You knew he was going to die?"
"Yes..." Teddy said softly. "But this time felt different. It wasn’t like when Mad-Eye died..." he trailed off, trying to explain.
"Nor like when Dumbledore died?" Harry asked. He wasn’t even sure what he was feeling. If he'd had the chance to save his parents... would he have stood back and let fate decide?
"No, with Albus it was different. Harry, you have to see Severus’s memories..." Teddy pleaded. Suddenly, the grief that had moments ago wrapped itself around Harry began to dissolve into a torrent of confusion.
Teddy’s tears began to fall again, and Harry found it hard to hold back a wave of frustration—not at Teddy, but at the crushing unfairness of it all.
“I thought,” Teddy said, wiping at his tears, “that this time would be different. I thought there was a reason I’d come back now — to this year. Back when Albus first talked to me about the mission I had to complete, I was sure… I was sure it was all leading to saving them .I ran ahead, hoping to take down Dolohov before my dad reached him. I shielded him with every charm and curse I knew. I stunned Mum back at Gran’s house and begged her not to come — I thought that would be enough. I really thought I could save them.”
He broke into sobs again. Fleur stroked his head, tears in her own eyes.
“It doesn’t matter what I did, or what I could have done… Their fate was to die…” he went on, crying.
Teddy pulled away from Fleur, as though he no longer felt worthy of her comfort.
“Teddy…” Hermione said gently, trying to soothe him. “I understand…”
“It hurts that they’re gone,” he whispered, “but at least now… I got to know them. And they got to know me.”
Harry wrapped his arms around Teddy, tears brimming in his own eyes. He shut them tightly and held the boy close, letting him grieve, giving him space to cry.
And then, Harry felt it—a strange warmth, as though sunlight had broken through the storm and was embracing them both. A bright light began to pulse behind his closed lids.
“H–Harry,” Teddy’s voice shook with fear. “Harry! What’s happening to me?”
Harry’s eyes flew open. He looked at Teddy’s back and saw, from the centre of the wound, a radiant glow, like a small orb of light within him.
He let go instantly. Teddy looked down at his stomach, and Harry saw the same light shining there. And in that moment, he understood—Teddy’s soul had come to peace. He had accepted the death of his parents. The gaping hole in his heart had finally begun to heal.
Parents who had fought. Parents who had loved. Parents who had died bravely.
Teddy looked into Harry’s eyes as the light inside him grew brighter and stronger. A new wave of tears surged down his face.
“No!” he cried. “I didn’t get to say goodbye!”
The light was everywhere now—filling the room, brilliant and blinding.
“Teddy!” Harry shouted, reaching for him.
And then, silence.
Seconds passed. Harry blinked rapidly, his eyes still adjusting to the blinding glare.
Where Teddy had stood—just moments before—there was nothing.
He had vanished, just as he had arrived.

Notes:

Thank you for following Teddy’s journey all the way to the end. This story has meant a great deal to me, and if it touched you too — even a little — I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Feel free to leave a comment, share your favourite moment, or just say hi. Your words mean more than you know.

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