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Remus couldn’t believe it. His boyfriend had just broken up with him a few weeks ago, claiming that it “wasn’t working out” and they should “go their separate ways” and “just be friends”. Remus was absolutely devastated, because he and Sirius had been dating for over two years, and he thought things were going perfectly. Apparently, Remus was wrong about that.
To make matters worse, Remus found out that he was pregnant.
He was absolutely terrified when he found out that he was pregnant with a child, because he didn’t know he had the ability to carry children, and was still getting over a broken heart. Remus should have told Sirius as soon as he found out, he knows that. Everyone told him that he should tell Sirius. But he was scared, and it was clear that Sirius didn’t want anything to do with him, so what was the point in contacting him at all?
~
Now, it’s been over two years, and Remus has been focused on taking care of his beautiful son, Teddy. It was with the help of his best friend, Tonks, that he was able to get back on his feet. She allowed him to move in with her, and gave him all the time he needed, before he finally decided that he needed to get off his feet and start looking for a job again.
“You don’t have to do this,”
Remus sighs, and he looks over at Tonks, who’s standing with him in the kitchen. “I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, Tonks, but I can’t just sit around and not help out anymore,”
“I told you that it was fine. It’s not like I’m worried about financial issues,” Tonks argued.
“I know, but it’s been two years. That’s long enough,” Remus says. He turns to look at Tonks. “Besides, I actually have a great opportunity. Dumbledore is offering me a place at Hogwarts for teaching the Dark Arts class.”
“Wow,” Tonks says, raising her eyebrows. “Yeah, I would say that’s quite the opportunity, Remus. What about Teddy? That’s a long time to be away from home. From him.”
“That’s why Dumbledore is wanting to meet with me in person at Hogsmeade,” Remus says, and zips up his bag. “He says we can make arrangements for Teddy to stay with me at Hogwarts, and there will be extra help for someone to be there with Teddy while I’m teaching. If I get the job. I don’t even know if I actually have the job yet.”
“I can help,” Tonks says.
“Tonks, no, you can’t just- you already have a job!”
“A job that I don’t even like, and you know this, Remus. Think about it. I know Teddy just as well as you do. Besides, I’ve been wanting to quit my job anyways. This will be the perfect opportunity to do it. I mean, think about it, wouldn’t you rather have someone you can trust to look after him?” She crosses her arms against her chest.
Remus sighs as he stares at her. “Of course I want that. I’ll talk to Dumbledore about it,”
Tonks smiles, and nods. “Brilliant. Let me know how it goes. Want me to watch Teddy for you?”
“Actually, I was thinking it would be good for me to take Teddy with me. He’s never been to Hogsmeade before, and I was thinking it would be good for Dumbledore to meet him too.”
Tonks nods. “That makes perfect sense. Well, good luck.”
Remus looks over at her, and nods. “Thanks. I’ll need it,” he says. He starts heading towards the living room, but he stops, and walks over to Tonks, hugging her tightly.
“Oh,” Tonks says, surprised by the action. “Everything okay?”
Remus chuckles, and pulls away from the hug, and looks her straight in the eye. “Well, that’s just me saying thank you,” he says sincerely. “I mean, for everything you’ve done for me and Teddy. Just because I’m leaving our home for now doesn’t mean I’ve stopped appreciating everything you’ve done for us. I will always be grateful for you.”
Tonks sighs softly as she stares at Remus, and gently squeezes his arm. “Even if things don’t work out, you are always welcome here. You and Teddy both,”
“Thanks T,” Remus smiles softly at her. “Well, I should go collect the little demon.”
Tonks’ ears perk up when she hears running across the house. “I think I already hear him!”
Remus waits a moment, before Teddy comes running into the kitchen, and crashes right into him, hugging his legs. Remus chuckles, and bends down, picking the little boy up. “Alright Teddy boy, want to go on an adventure today?” Remus looks at Teddy, and grins when Teddy starts cheering excitedly. “That would be a yes.” He turns to look at Tonks. “I’ll see you later?”
“Better. I want to hear how the meeting with Dumbledore goes,” Tonks tells him, and gently pats him on the shoulder. “And good luck. But I don’t think you’ll need it.”
“Thanks. Let’s go Teddy,”
Remus makes it to Hogsmeade. He has a little bit of time before he needs to go meet up with Professor Dumbledore. Remus is quite nervous, so he’s glad that he has time to relax and prepare himself before going to meet for a job interview. He desperately needs this job, so he’s really hoping for a good outcome after today.
“What do you think, Teds?” Remus asks quietly as he walks into Honeydukes with Teddy in his arms. Luckily, it’s a Monday early afternoon, so it’s not too busy in the shop today, but he knew that Teddy would love this shop. He's two years old, of course he would love a candy shop.
“Candy!” Teddy shouts excitedly as he kicks his leg.
Remus chuckles, and he starts by the window. Remus is so busy showing Teddy all the candy, that he doesn’t notice the stranger outside of the window staring at him and Teddy.
A few moments later, Remus hears his name being called.
Remus looks over and is completely shocked when he sees none other than his ex boyfriend, who he hasn’t seen since they broke up right when Remus found out he was pregnant with Teddy. Remus never thought that he would see Sirius again.
“Sirius?”Remus gasps. He watches as Sirius walks up to him, and he’s engulfed into a hug, despite Teddy being in his arms. “Oh my God. What are you doing here?” Remus asks when they pull a part from their hug. Remus looks at Sirius. He looks the same, still gorgeous as ever.
“I was running some errands when I looked in the window and saw you. I debated saying hi, but… I missed you. I wanted to see you,” Sirius says. He looks over when the little boy in Remus’ arms starts whining, whining about wanting the candy. “Oh. Uh, who’s this?”
“I-” Remus is frozen, because how is he supposed to introduce their son to Sirius? Sirius had no idea that Teddy even exists. That he’s a father now.
“Remus?” Sirius asks, frowning, instantly knowing something is wrong. “What’s wrong?”
Remus takes a deep breath. “Look, I… I have a meeting. A job interview. I don’t have much time to talk right now. But, I think we should. It’s important,” he says. “Are you busy tonight?”
Sirius shakes his head. “No. Do you want to come to mine?”
“That might be best. Tonks might kill you if you step foot in her house,”
“Tonks?” Sirius asks, blinking. “Are you two-?”
“No,” Remus chuckles, and he shakes his head. “We dated for a little while, before we realized that we were better off as just friends. She’s actually the reason I never went homeless.”
Sirius nods. “Come over whenever you’re free tonight. I live in the same place,”
“I’ll know where to find you,” Remus says. “I should buy Teddy some candy before he has a heart attack over it, and then I have to get to my job interview. I’ll see you tonight.”
“Tonight,” Sirius says. He starts to walk away, but he stops, and looks back at Remus. “Remus? It was really good to see you again. You look… You look good.”
Remus takes a deep breath, and he nods. “Yeah, uhm, thanks. You too,” he says, and he’s quite proud of himself for not completely losing his mind over seeing Sirius again for the first time in two years. He never expected to run into Sirius at Honeydukes of all places.
“I’ll see you tonight,” Sirius says, before finally walking away, and exiting the shop.
Remus stands there for a short minute, before Teddy finally reaches up and grabs at his face. Remus blinks, and he looks down at Teddy. “That was your daddy,” he whispers.
“Daddy?” Teddy repeats, and then he starts whining about the candy again, which makes Remus laugh. Luckily, he has Teddy with him to distract him from the many thoughts about Sirius swirling around in his head right now.
Finally, Remus makes it to Hog’s Head with Teddy. He knows that it’s not really the place to bring a two-year old, but he also knows that it’s a safe place because of who he’s meeting and who it’s owned by, and Remus is actually quite familiar with the people who work here.
“Remus Lupin!”
Remus looks up and is surprised that Dumbledore is actually already there, waiting for him. Remus thought for sure he was arriving early. It is Albus Dumbledore, though. He shouldn’t be totally surprised by Albus arriving early.
“Albus,” Remus smiles, and he walks up to Albus, hugging him. “Thank you for meeting me.”
“Absolutely,” Albus says. “Please, let’s have a seat.” He leads the way over to a table that’s a bit ways away from other customers in the restaurant. “Would you like anything?”
“No thank you. Not at the moment. Maybe something for Teddy?” Remus asks.
“Yes. We can do that,” Albus nods. Teddy orders Teddy a small pumpkin juice as well as some fish and chips, just to keep him occupied while Remus and Albus talk business. There’s nothing Teddy loves more than food.
Remus tries to focus once Albus starts talking about the position he’d like to offer Remus at Hogwarts. He really does try to focus. But, his mind is still thinking about the fact that he actually ran into Sirius, and that he’s going to have to tell Sirius about their son. He’s worried, and he’s afraid that Sirius is going to hate him forever once he knows.
“Remus? Are you alright?”
Remus blinks, and he looks up at Albus. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Albus. What did you say?”
“Are you alright?” Albus repeats. “You haven’t been saying much.”
Remus groans and hangs his head. He hadn’t been paying attention at all, and this is not how he wanted to make an impression on Albus. “I’m so sorry. I swear I had prepared everything I wanted to say about this job, and what I was willing to do about making it work. Unfortunately, I just ran into Sirius a couple moments ago before we arrived here and it threw me for a loop. God, I haven’t seen him since we broke up.”
“And I take it he has no idea about Teddy?” Albus asks, raising his eyebrows.
Remus shakes his head. “No. No idea,”
“Listen Remus. I know you. I know you’re smart enough to do this teaching position. I saw what you were like in school. That’s why I approached you. We can make this work,
Remus instantly lights up upon hearing Albus say this. “Are you sure, Albus?”
“I have never been more sure about anything,” Albus says. “Hogwarts would be lucky to have you as one of our teachers. I just hope you don’t let the Dark Arts curse change your mind,”
Remus chuckles. “I heard about the curse. I’m still interested,”
Albus smiles. “Excellent. And, not to worry, we’ll be able to make arrangements for Teddy to have a stable living situation whilst you're teaching. We’ll make sure he’s looked after,”
“Actually-” Remus clears his throat. Despite his mind being fuzzy, he hasn’t forgotten about Tonks' offer, and he’s always willing to speak highly of his best friend. “Speaking of that. My best friend and roommate Tonks actually offered to come with me and be the one to look after Teddy while I’m teaching. He knows her well the most.”
Albus nods. “Nymphadora. I remember her well,"
“Don’t call her Nymphadora. She hates it,” Remus is quick to add.
“I don’t see why we can’t make it work. So,” Albus stands from his seat. “I’ll see you at school?”
“Wait-” Remus stands as well. “That’s it?”
“What more is there?” Albus asks. “I’ve already looked over your resume. We’ve talked, and discussed everything we need to discuss. I have faith in you, Remus.”
Remus takes a deep breath. “Thank you, Albus. You have no idea how much this opportunity means to me. I promise I won’t let you down,” he excitedly shakes Remus’ hand.
“I’m not worried,” Albus says. He looks over at Teddy, who’s still happily eating his fries. “Mr. Lupin. I’ll be seeing you at school.” He gives Teddy a salute before looking at Remus again. “Well, do you need a walk out?"
“No, thank you, Albus. I actually think Teddy here is enjoying his food. We’ll stay a bit longer,” Remus chuckles, looking over at Teddy.
“I’ll speak to you soon,” Albus says, before disappearing.
Remus lets out a sigh of relief. He feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, knowing that he’ll be getting an amazing job opportunity. He never thought it would be this easy to get a teaching position at Hogwarts, but he’s thrilled, and he can’t wait to tell Tonks.
For a moment, Remus forgets all about Sirius until he gets home.
He excitedly tells Tonks the news about getting the position at Hogwarts, and then he remembers. He remembers that he ran into Sirius at Hogsmeade and he has to meet up with the man who is the father of his child, a child he has no clue about.
“You ran into Sirius?” Tonks asks, gasping. “He just happened to be there in Hogsmeade?”
“I didn’t ask. I was too stunned to ask any questions,” Remus mumbles. He looks at Tonks. “Tonks, what am I going to do? I have to tell him.”
“Yes, you do have to tell him. I think it’s finally time Remus, especially while Teddy is still young. Sirius will be able to see him grow up,” Tonks agrees
“What if he hates me?” Remus asks.
“Remus-”
“No, hear me out. What if he hates me and takes it out on Teddy? I know I should have told Sirius as soon as I found out about Teddy, but I was scared and we had just broken up. Teddy deserves to know his other father and Sirius deserves to know his son,”
“So, you need to explain to Sirius what happened. I’m sure he’ll understand,” Tonks says. “Besides, Sirius doesn’t seem like that type of person to take it out on Teddy. He might be upset at first, but I don’t think he’ll be angry at you or Teddy in the long run.”
“You think so?” Remus asks nervously, his heart pounding against his chest.
“I do,” Tonks confirms. “I don’t know what happened between you two, but you were so close, and I know Sirius cared about you. I think he still cares about you-”
“I guess we’ll see if that’s true after the conversation tonight,” Remus says.
“You’re meeting him tonight?” Tonks asks, a little surprised.
“There was no other time. I have to prepare for my teaching job, Tonks. Which, I think Dumbledore is on board with you watching over Teddy. I’ll have to double check with him,”
“Well, let me know. You should probably clean yourself up and start heading to Sirius’ place,” Tonks says. “You’ve got yourself into a bit of a pickle, my friend.”
Remus can’t help but let out a scoff at that. “Don’t worry, Tonks, you don’t have to tell me that. I already know,” he mumbles, before making his way towards his bedroom.
Remus takes his time getting ready. He’s nervous about seeing Sirius again, but he knows this is something he needs to do, especially since he’s about to spend a school year at Hogwarts, and he might not get the chance to see him again. Remus doesn’t want to risk that.
Before leaving, Remus makes sure to check on Teddy, and once he sees that he’s sleeping away, Remus disapparates, sending himself to Sirius’ new flat. Remus takes a deep breath as he stands there for a moment, before knocking on the door finally.
The door opens a moment later, revealing Sirius.
“Remus,” Sirius says, and Remus hates that Sirius sounds so surprised to see him.
“Yes, it’s me. Did you forget that I was coming over tonight?” Remus asks, raising his eyebrows.
“No, of course I didn’t forget you were coming. I’ve been waiting for you, actually. I just didn’t think that-” Sirius sighs as he stares at Remus. “I’ll be honest, Remus. I didn’t think you were going to come tonight. I’m just surprised, that’s all.”
“I told you I’d come,” Remus says. “We have a lot to talk about.”
“Do we?” Sirius asks, and he opens the door, allowing Remus to walk into the house.
“Well firstly, I have so many questions about our breakup, but we’ll have to save that for another conversation,” Remus says, and he turns around, watching as Sirius shuts the door behind him. “You asked who the little boy was in my arms. I didn’t really give you an answer.”
“Yeah, he was pretty cute,” Sirius says. He stares at Remus for a quiet moment, before his eyes widening in realization. “Oh, fuck. Please don’t tell me you’re going to say that’s my son.” Remus doesn’t say anything after that, and that’s all Sirius needs to know for his answer. Sirius can’t help but groan and throw his head back.
“I have an explanation!”
“An explanation?” Sirius exclaims, looking back at Remus. “This whole time, I've had a kid that I’ve known nothing about!” He throws his arms up in the air angrily. “I mean, seriously, Remus. You didn’t think that I deserved to know about him?”
“Of course I thought you deserved to know him!” Remus hisses, and he takes a deep breath. “Look, I didn’t know about him until right after you broke up with me. I wanted to tell you, but I didn’t know where you were and I had no idea if you wanted to see me ever again.”
“I told you I wanted to be just friends,” Sirius argues.
“Couples who break up never stay just friends with each other,” Remus argues. “I mean, this is the first time I’ve seen you since you broke up with me. You never reached out to me.”
“Rem-”
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about him. We had just broken up, and I was scared. Actually, I was terrified when I found out I was pregnant. You weren’t there, and I couldn’t get a hold of you,” Remus says. “That’s why I’m trying to make up for my mistake by telling you now.”
“Do I even get to know his name?” Sirius asks, much more calmly.
Remus takes a deep breath. “His name is Teddy,”
“Teddy?” Sirius asks, raising his eyebrows.
“Yes. Teddy,” Remus repeats. “I want you to be able to be in his life. I want you to meet him. The thing is, I’m kind of starting a new job at Hogwarts this year. I’m taking Teddy with me.”
Sirius stares at Remus for a quick moment before chuckling. “Well, that’s a good thing, because I’m starting a job at Hogwarts as well,”
“What?” Remus asks, taken aback. He never expected Sirius to get a job at Hogwarts as well, and he’s wondering if Dumbledore did this on purpose. “What job are you getting at Hogwarts?”
“I know. I was just as surprised as you when Dumbledore approached me about the job. Well, I’m teaching Transfiguration. Minerva is apparently going to take Dumbledore’s place soon, so she has a lot of training to do for that position, and so they wanted a new teacher for the class. I accepted the offer before the words got out of his mouth. Before you ask, Remus, I swear I had no idea you were taking a teaching job as well,” Sirius says.
“Wow,” Remus says. “We may not be together anymore… but that doesn’t mean you can’t be in Teddy’s life. I mean, if you want to be in Teddy’s life, that is. I can’t force you.”
“Don’t be such an idiot, Remus. Of course I want to be in Teddy’s life,” Sirius says. “I’ve already missed so much of his life. I have a lot to make up for. I want to be there for him. I need to.”
“Okay,” Remus says, and he takes a deep breath. “I have to prepare for my classes. I’ll write to you before the school year starts. We’ll figure out a plan soon. Alright?”
“Are you leaving?” Sirius asks, frowning.
“I have to. I don’t like being away from Teddy for so long. I trust Tonks to look after him while I’m away, but I just… you’ll understand eventually,” Remus says. “I’ll speak to you soon.”
“Remus, I want to meet him,” Sirius says urgently.
“I know,” Remus nods. “I’ll make sure that you do meet him. You know me. I keep my word.”
~
Remus gets busy over the next few weeks preparing for his Dark Arts classes, although he keeps to his word and writes to Sirius. They are planning for Sirius to meet Teddy at Hogwarts, when they are settled into their new living situation. Luckily, Dumbledore set them up with a nice living quarter in the castle that’s big enough for Remus, Teddy and Tonks.
The first day of school goes smoothly.
Remus is excited to start teaching and getting to know his new students, and the other teachers seem great as well. He feels more comfortable with Sirius being there as well.
After the ceremony feast, Remus meets up with Sirius at his living quarters.
“Hey,” Remus greets as Sirius walks up to him.
“Hey,” Sirius replies. “Are you sure you want to do this? You don’t have to.”
“I made a promise to you, Sirius. Besides, I do want to do this. I really want Teddy to have both of his fathers in his life. It’s what he deserves,” Remus says.
“Okay,” Sirius says, and nods in understanding.
“Let’s go,” Remus says, and he leads the way into the living quarters. He’s surprised when he sees Tonks still awake. “Tonks. I thought you’d have been asleep by now?”
“Teddy has been fussy. I don’t think he’s used to you being gone,” Tonks says. “I was actually just about to go check on him. Would you like to do the honors?”
“Actually,” Remus turns to Sirius. “I think you should go.”
Sirius blinks, and looks at Remus as if he’s crazy. “What? I can’t-”
“You can,” Remus says. “It’s something you’re going to have to do anyway if you want to be a part of his life. He’s still a baby in my eyes. He’s going to need us for a long while.”
Sirius takes a deep breath. “A- Are you sure?”
“Sirius,” Remus warns softly. “Go.” He nods his head towards Teddy’s room.
“Okay,” Sirius heads with hesitance, and slowly starts making his way towards Teddy’s room.
Tonks watches Sirius as he goes, before walking over to Remus. “So. Are you sure about this?”
Remus looks over at Tonks, and smiles. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”