Teddy Lupin and the Resurrection Stone, EiriTheBear

The same day the Wizarding World was liberated from the threatening tyranny of the Dark Lord Voldemort was the same one many were orphaned, widowed and left with deceased relatives. It was a terrible loss, and many mourned en masse, in the privacy of their homes, and in Wizarding cemeteries and graveyards. It was a bittersweet ending to the years of building suffering, despair and tumult, ending in a climax that found many lives lost, many homes broken, and many more, despite all of it, holding on and looking to the future.

One of those who bore the brunt of the casualties over the following months was Andromeda Tonks, who lost an exceptional daughter and a steadfast and enduring son-in-law. Just when the love that blossomed from the two bore fruit in the form of one Theodore Remus Lupin did they meet their untimely demise, only a month and a day after Teddy was born, the same night the most powerful Dark Lord met his match.

Many of Andromeda Tonks’ friends and confidants thought that her grandson and charge would grow up not unlike the person who ended the war—that Teddy Lupin would become, at least in heart and personality, somewhat like Harry Potter. They were, for the most part, right on the nose.

Teddy Lupin grew with love and affection. Despite only having one living direct relative in his grandmother, Teddy was a bright and confident boy, a bundle of energy which family friends Harry Potter and the Weasleys (as Hermione Granger and Fleur Delacour married into the family) always welcomed. They found it necessary, almost obligatory to include Teddy in their families (though they didn’t do it as a menial task), making sure that Teddy never felt alone or isolated.

Teddy’s grandmother made sure he got the most out of life, balancing perfectly the freedom a child should be allowed and the leniency and discipline he or she should be put under. Only a grandmother could be doting and strict at the same time.

Even at a young age his grandmother exposed him to music and the arts, so that he could express himself whenever he wanted to. He grew into boyhood passionate and modest, who found comfort and solitude in self-reflection.

Despite his grandmother’s efforts, which he was truly grateful for, he never really could grasp full closure. He felt like his already amazing life could be more fulfilling if his parents still lived.

That sliver of doubt within himself opened into a dam the day his grandmother died in their kitchen, stricken down by a sudden stroke. It was the first time Harry and the Weasleys saw Teddy devastated. It broke their hearts to see him upset, to see tears of sorrow in his eyes.

He was eleven. His hair changed frequently that summer, depending on his mood—an inky jet black when he was brooding, fiery, wild red when he was frustrated and golden haloed sand when he was alone and meditating.

He found comfort and guidance in his godfather, Harry, who always read him like an open book, who always interpreted his mood perfectly and remedied them accurately. He moved into Harry’s lonely yet cozy household less than a month after his grandmother’s death, not being able to bear looking at his own house with being constantly reminded of what he lost. The Ministry ran over the adoption papers, and soon, through a blood ritual, Harry and Teddy became relatives.

His godfather had friends like he did, but Teddy knew Harry was just like him, never alone yet always lonely. They fed off each other’s similarities like that, and soon Teddy knew Harry almost like a father.

He taught Teddy things his grandmother couldn’t, like how to use magic that isn’t for the household, and how to ride a broom (which had become a four days per week exercise regimen; Teddy found it really fun and exhilarating) and his favorite one, how to be a sneaky, mischievous prankster. The Weasleys never knew what hit them the moment that side of Teddy was opened.

Harry did everything in his power to make Teddy happy. Harry was often reminded of how much like Remus and Tonks the boy was that it sometimes hurt. In the few weeks they have been together, Teddy had become the center of his life. At first it was guilt that ate at him to take Teddy under his wing and raise him, that it was his fault for not ending the war sooner, but then he found a new purpose and resolve to it, that somehow the powers that be put Teddy into the world for something greater. He felt that Remus and Tonks would be proud of them, for seeking comfort from each other and healing each other.

Teddy was doing him good, the same way he was helping the boy. Harry had felt reclusive and melancholic ever since the end of the war, when he and Ginny broke things off. It was a whirlwind of emotions, but Harry finally settled into a realization that he found men more attractive than women. That spurred a new insecurity in him that left his dating record close to nil. He was quite simply loveless, and even the security of his friends Ron and Hermione accepting him for who he was and being there for him wasn’t enough to stop him from spiraling into his own depression.

Teddy had been a focus of fatherly affection and love, and he found great reassurance in giving Teddy what he was robbed of when he was young.

Ron and Hermione saw light in Harry’s laughing eyes again, the same effervescence they missed when Harry was with Sirius. They found Harry looking better, and anticipated a rapid transformation. Harry looked younger than his war-beaten past, and even more handsome than he was all those years ago in Hogwarts.

The married couple bantered all the time, but they were always conspirators of their own, especially with Harry’s well-being. They thought about setting Harry up with some people, in the hopes of finding the true happiness they did, that Harry rightfully deserved.

All too soon the summer end neared, and Harry found himself as excited as Teddy was in their trip to Diagon Alley for his Hogwarts school supplies.

It was a rare twist of father and son who stood next to a train bound for Hogwarts. They stared at each other awkwardly, shifting from foot to foot, a hand in one pocket and light blush in some cheeks, a cigarette in a mouth and hands clasped limply behind.

It was when the telltale whistle of the train resounded throughout platform 9 and ¾ that Teddy shot from where he was standing and clung to Harry, bursting into tears. Harry’s heart couldn’t be any clenched than it was the day Sirius died, and he dropped to his knees and hugged his godson tightly, in an ironclad embrace that spoke of their unbreakable relationship. Teddy sobbed and burrowed into his godfather’s arms, and Harry kissed Teddy’s hair repeatedly, the cigarette getting dimmer on the floor, abandoned.

“Harry, I don’t wanna go! I wanna stay with you!” Teddy sniffled. Harry chuckled silently, feeling a few tears spring in his eyes as well.

“I know, tyke. I want you back in our house, too. But we can’t have that now can we?” he said, changing his tone from understanding to placating.

“You’re strong Teddy, and you’re already turning into a confident young man. You can do this. You’ll have the best years of your life in Hogwarts.”

A few seconds of more sniffling and Teddy reluctantly let go, grinning at his godfather. Harry smiled a brilliant smile.

“We did pack Uncle George’s Mischief Mix Kit, didn’t we?” Teddy said, giggling despite the tears.

Harry grinned wickedly, grasping Teddy’s shoulders. “Yup, sure did. Now, I want you to do all your schoolwork, fill your head with all things magic, make friends, and on the side,” he winked conspiringly, “have fun being a prankster like me and your dad.”

Harry rubbed Teddy’s beautiful brown hair, strikingly similar to Remus, and Teddy wiped his tears with a sleeve, nodding eagerly, “I promise I will, Harry!”

He hugged the Boy-Who-Lived again, and Harry stood, seeing Teddy off as they loaded his trunk into a luggage cart.

“I expect you back for Christmas, you imp!” he yelled as the train started moving, and Teddy hung from the entrance. He wasn’t worried. He somehow knew Teddy would always be safe.

“I love you, Harry! I’ll be there at Christmas for sure!” he cried back, looking happier than ever.

Harry saw the train turn along the tracks, and he whispered, “I love you too, Teddy.”

…


Harry spent the first week without Teddy in a lonely relapse. Ron and Hermione noticed it too, but chose not to comment or bring it up. Harry on the other hand saw their efforts in spending time with him, and assured them that he was fine.

He instead drowned himself in Ministry work. He found a career in the Auror Division of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and it’s been working for him in almost all the right ways. He found a natural affinity to battle spells and found exhilaration from basically being a wizard police officer. What he didn’t like about his career however was the constant slew of paperwork coming and going from his desk at the Ministry.

His nose deep in some documents, he didn’t notice the spritely blonde head that peeked out from his cubicle at the Auror.

“Hey Harry!”

Harry jolted immediately, almost knocking an open inkwell over some papers from the recent potion drug den raid in Liverpool. Harry closed his eyes, took his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Yes, Jeremy,” he said patiently, “what can I do for you today?”

Jeremy Eigenmann was a Muggleborn wizard, a year higher than Harry was at Hogwarts. Somehow Harry never noticed him at school, yet Jeremy politely explained to him that he was usually bedridden and in St. Mungo’s, getting his education and homework owled there.

Jeremy’s apparent dislike of sterile hospital settings struck a soft nerve with Harry, and they had become fast friends. Of course, it also helped that Jeremy was an orphan as well, abandoned by his Muggle parents after some accidental magic manifested in his infancy.

Jeremy propped an elbow on the cubicle wall and rested his cheek on his palm. “You work too hard, Harry. Look at you—those aren’t supposed to be filed until next week. You’re supposed to work on this week’s papers, but oh! You’ve done those, too! They zoomed out of your cubicle faster that the Head Auror’s self-indulgent memos.”

“Shouldn’t you be starting on this week’s case? What was it? That one with the crazy woman on the run with dangerous magical artefacts?” Harry said innocently, blinking. Jeremy gaped at him.

“R-right! That one. Er … yeah, that was supposed to be last week …” Jeremy said, rubbing the back of his head and looking apologetic.

Harry turned away from him and smirked to himself. “You know, if Head Auror Weasley finds out you’ve been slacking on the job … Maybe you’d be the one doing his self-indulgent errands next time …”

Jeremy’s brilliant blue eyes widened. “What? No! Harry, you wouldn’t!”

Harry put his hands together and propped his chin on them, letting his smirk be seen. “You don’t know me all that well, Eigenmann.”

“Harry, please! I worked hard for this job! Where would I live without any income! My flat’s already bad as it is! And I am not sleeping with that homeless guy outside the Ministry gates again—I mean that was absolutely horrid! He tried to feel me up!”

Harry chuckled, smiling at the man. “I was kidding, Jer. Of course I wouldn’t.”

Jeremy’s mouth stopped mid-ramble, opening and closing like a fish. “I—you—“

Harry grinned, going back to his papers. “Besides, I already finished them for you. The woman had a Lemon Leech sucking on her neck. The juices just went to her head and she went all loony.”

Jeremy mock-glared at him. “You evil ‘Vanquisher of the Dark’, you.”

Harry put his quill down and gestured towards a chair behind him. Jeremy sat, looking like a nervous school boy sent to the strict headmaster’s office.

Harry swiveled on his chair and slouched, his elbows on his knees. He stared at Jeremy for a second, once again contemplating how such a sickly boy turned out so differently.

Jeremy had fairly short blonde hair, laughing blue eyes and an almost permanent crooked smile. He had a few inches on Harry, both in height and shoulder width, and never relented in informing Harry about it. He was well-built like any Auror, and horribly robed, like the usual middle-class Ministry worker.

Harry for his part had the money to buy decent robes, but settled for the normal ones Ron and Hermione bought him for his birthday, in an attempt to update his closet. But that wasn’t the topic at hand.

“You’ve been losing sleep again, haven’t you?” Harry said, looking worried.

Jeremy stifled a yawn while responding, “no, of course not.”

“Jeremy, you will tell me now why you’re always losing sleep,” Harry said firmly. Jeremy was taken aback, swallowing.

“I, well, you know—the things that usually keep a man up late at nights …” he said, not meeting Harry’s eyes.

Harry’s eyebrows crinkled together in worry. He wheeled himself closer to Jeremy, placing a hand on his knee. “You very well know I’m not taking anymore of this shite, Jer. I don’t mean to be rude but you will lose this job if you can’t do it right.”

Jeremy sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and head, which Harry found early on to be a habit of his. “I go to the Wreck Center after my shift.”

He looked at Harry defiantly, almost daring Harry to say he’s doing the wrong thing. “I go there to help with taking care of some of the orphans.”

Harry wanted to swear out loud, but decided against it. Why did Jeremy have to be so bloody noble? Harry was sure he would’ve been in Gryffindor if he was in Hogwarts, but apparently he was as Hufflepuff as they go: all smiley and hardworking.

“Jeremy …” Harry said after a while. “Just … would you at least allow yourself some rest? You could always go on the weekends. Like you said this job’s important to you. At the very least learn to prioritize. Or manage your time or something. Or you could … let me have some of your workload. Maybe.”

Harry welcomed any distraction. Teddy was at Hogwarts and he felt dreadfully bored and alone at home, and any overtime work at the Ministry is time well-spent. Hell, he’d pay Jeremy and the Department for it if they allowed him.

“No! No offense Harry but my work is mine to do, thanks,” Jeremy said, looking somewhat offended, but not really, since it was Harry, and he could never really be annoyed at the raven haired man for some reason.

Harry smirked at him. “I’m still doing them anyway. That last report I signed was also yours.”

Jeremy groaned. “Oh, bugger. Harry, you didn’t have to do that either—“

“It’s seriously no trouble, Jer. Honestly,” Harry said to placate Jeremy’s embarrassment.

Jeremy stared at him for a second, his emotions unreadable on his face, until he broke out into a grin. Harry raised an eyebrow.

“At least let me make it up to you, Harry,” he said. Harry was on the immediate defensive.

“Jer,” he asked tentatively, wheeling his chair back to his desk, “what are you planning?”

Jeremy grinned mischievously. “Let me take you to dinner later. I discovered an awesome Chinese place. It’s all lanterns and dimsum and everything.”

By the innocently pleading look Jeremy was giving him, it didn’t take long for Harry to desist and agree.

…

Five thirty p.m. found Harry and Jeremy in Muggle London, outside the Ministry gates laden with Notice-Me-Not charms.

“Wait—Jeremy, why can’t we just Apparate there?” Harry asked, all bundled up in his fall cloak. Jeremy took his bare hand and gestured with his head to follow him. Jeremy’s hand felt warm against his, which was freezing from the unexpectedly chilly September twilight. Jeremy’s other hand was deep in his other pocket, and he tugged Harry along.

Harry forgot a comment on his tongue when they turned left towards the next street, where they stopped at a figure covered with plastic. Jeremy grinned easily at him and pulled the plastic off, revealing a rather beautiful motor bike.

“I came with it today so I can’t very well leave it for tomorrow.”

“Wow … you never told me you had one,” Harry breathed, his eyes dancing along the vehicle in awe. It was smooth and jet black. It almost looked fresh from the store.

“Yeah well, you never asked,” he said, smiling proudly at it. The other hand in his pocket drew out a key attached to a keychain matching the bike. He grabbed a spare helmet from a compartment and lobbed it at Harry, who deftly caught it with his right hand.

“Nice. Thought you were left handed?” Jeremy said, inserting his head into his own black helmet.

“Ambidextrous. At least with catching stuff,” Harry said, smiling despite himself. He hasn’t ridden a motor bike before; or rather he almost had—only it was on a side car, with Sirius’ motorcycle, and Hagrid as the driver …

“Right,” Jeremy drew out, his voice muffled by the helmet, “bloody Seekers.”

Jeremy threw a leg around the bike and mounted it, gesturing with his head again for Harry to climb on. Harry nodded and obliged, jumping onto the sleek vehicle behind Jeremy. He was supposed to wrap his arms around the driver for safety, and so he did, and found his arms around a surprisingly slim waist and flat torso.

“Ever ridden one before, Harry?” Jeremy asked as he turned the engine on, revving the bike a bit. Harry nodded, and then remembered Jeremy couldn’t see him.

“Er … no. But I’ve seen people riding it loads of times, though.”

Jeremy laughed, his back and chest heaving against Harry with each exhale. Jeremy, he found, was pleasantly warm to be against.

“Just don’t counterbalance as much, Harry. I know you’re a very able Flyer but leave this one to me.”

“Roger that,” Harry said against the blonde’s helmet, and Jeremy released the brakes.

…