Chapter Text
Teddy, Wales, summer 2020
Teddy was sitting almost at the edge of the cliff. The sea below him seemed ready to blow, waves huge, crashing against the stone walls. In the hottest August in years, it seemed like the only place to get a cool breeze was Teddy’s new favorite spot to read. The location had other advantages. The beauty of the landscape, firstly, and the mix of wildness and tranquility, and also, Teddy admitted it, the fact that no one would ever disturb him there. Teddy loved his godfather sons, but he was older, and honestly, he preferred not to be mixed to the dramas between James and Albus.
The cottage where they were staying was a rental, and had three rooms, one for uncle Harry and aunt Ginny, one for Lily, and one for the three boys. Quickly exhausted Teddy had gotten used to going for a walk in the afternoon to get away from the teenagers, and to take a book with him. At the time, he was reading a Greek tragedy.
The full moon was soon, which never helped his temper. Thankfully, his adoptive family knew that and had gotten used to it. He hadn’t inherited his father's lycanthropy, but his senses could be more precise than others, and of course, his feelings were more extreme around the full moon. It could get him reckless or insolent. Teddy was a Hufflepuff, and was usually quite gentle and patient, but could become violent by his words sometimes very quickly because of his “furry little problem” as James and Albus liked to tease him.
Teddy hated that. He liked to control what he was doing, and acting mean because of his stupid temper, even if he knew it wasn’t entirely his fault, always made him feel terribly guilty. Those days, he tried to talk the least possible, control his expressions, and, if needed, avoid all people.
At the Hufflepuff common room, he always felt bad, because everyone was caring and affectionate, and he could be, well, "a bit of a bitch" sometimes, like Victoire said. Victoire didn’t care about those days. She said she was a Ravenclaw and French, and that made her less sensitive to a bit of dark humor, however that mean. She said it gave him a tortured poet kind of look and that was very romantic. But most importantly, she told him she will appreciate him at all times, even the ugly ones, “because she’s not an idiot, she knows it’s temporary and not his fault”.
At his workplace at the ministry, in the magical creatures department, the mix of people was refreshing. The Gryffindor talked loudly and were fierce with ideas, the Slytherins worked alone and in silent, but always perfectly well, the Ravenclaws always had every slight detail in check, and the Hufflepuff, between redacting two papers, made sure everyone was at their best. Everyone had bad days and good days, and nothing was expected from him because he was a Hufflepuff.
Growing up, and seeing Albus and James fight over the houses, he was confused. The system of putting these lonely children, far from their parents, to houses with older ones to check on them was a good idea. Teddy loved all his prefects who always tried to keep a warm and familiar atmosphere in the common room. However, the division between the houses ? The competitiveness was enjoyable, Teddy was a former quidditch captain, he couldn’t say the opposite, but at a young age rivalry was quickly mixed with hate. Mcgonagall, as headmistress, was trying to prevent that, but sadly, the stereotypes between houses were still alive. On top of the list was the usual : “The slytherins are evil purebloods.”
Well, anyway, his days at Hogwarts were over, and his days were divided between working in London, some rare trips at the Ministry of Magic in New-York, and the best weekends ever, staying at Victoire’s flat in the south countryside , where she was writing a thesis on the parallels between the evolution of representation of sirens in muggles literature and in the novels of the magical world. Teddy didn’t understand all she was saying, but she was passionate about it, and that was enough for him.
On the other weekends, he would go see his grandparents Ted and Andromeda Tonks, probably the most perfect example of a couple he had ever encountered in life or in books. They would tell stories of their youth, and explain how they met, and how they felt in love. They would tell about how Teddy’s parents got married, in a short and private ceremony during the second wizarding war. Teddy enjoyed these calm moments, in the old living room, in an armchair between the ticking clock and the old grammophone.
And the weekends when he had no work, no visits to do to his fiance or his grandparents, he came back home to the chaotic Potter house.
Well, when the children weren’t there, it wasn’t so chaotic. Teddy would go for a walk with Harry to talk, play wizard chess with Ginny, cook, read and finish his work while enjoying a plate of muffins (as a son of werewolf, he ate a lot. At least it was a great excuse to do so).
But as soon as the three teenagers were home, there were screams, doors slamming and explosions if Fred Weasley, their cousin, was invited by James. James… Well James was James. Gryffindor golden boy, quidditch star, and, if rumors were true, quite popular with the ladies. He had recreated the Marauders with Fred as second . The leaders of pranks, insolent jokes and clandestine parties. They were helped by Rose Granger-Weasley, who had never ever been caught by any teachers, and whose identity was hidden. Louis Weasley, smart and charming, was the fourth marauder. A perfect student, without much work, according to his sister Victoire, he was as discreet as brilliant when the time for pranks came.
Then there was James’s little brother Albus. He was a piece of work. He was desperate to show he was worthy of as much attention as James, but probably didn’t even know it. Sadly for him, he was never as charismatic and confident as James. As a child, he was always testing if he had the grownups approval. Teddy remembered when Albus was eight and imitated everything he did, looking up to him, hoping to get a congratulation. And now, Albus seemed to decide that if he would never be as admired as James, he was going to fight his father on every single element. Well, he was fourteen. It was a rebellious time for everyone. There was something Teddy hadn’t admitted to his godfather, because he knew it was a tense subject, but he was actually glad little Albus was in Slytherin, with Scorpius Malfoy. Indeed, it wasn’t exactly the Potter legacy, all red and gold, but at least Alby was finding his own path, and Teddy thought that now it was important to trust him, and trust his judgement. And if he made mistakes, well, it was part of life. And Teddy was rather certain that Scorpius Malfoy wasn’t an evil son of Voldemort. Has anyone met him ? Teddy thought it hard to imagine the heir of the-one-who-must-be-named collecting chocolate frog cards, or having a talent to imitate the songs of birds, or playing with pebbles. He had passed one afternoon with Albus and him in Hogmeade last year, and he was convinced it was the cutest boy ever.
And what to say about Lily ? Well Teddy had a soft spot for her. She had her temper, and enjoyed the princess treatment she knew he gave her, lifting her on his back, and playing with her, and helping her do her chores, like tidying up her room. She loved to talk about Hogwarts, and her friends, and the classes, and how she was her quidditch professor’s favorite. And Teddy always acted surprised and interested, as if he hadn’t lived for seven years in Hogwarts. She was a Gryffindor too, which wasn’t surprising, she was much like her mother. Born to be brilliant. She was a hard worker but also capable of taking things with a giggle and always optimist. Her main interest was potions, because it amazed her, and, Teddy believes, it amused her, to see the colors change in the cauldron. “It’s like cooking,” she laughed. Teddy would like to tell her it’s much more serious than making cupcakes but can’t in front of her little laughing face so he would usually start spinning her around. As she liked to say “ You’re like my knight” and well, he was ready to do anything for little Lil’.
Teddy looked at his watch and closed his book, ready to come back to the house to help prepare the dinner. He felt a bit dizzy, probably because he had stayed under the sun too much. Thankfully he was a metamorphorgus, and he could remove sunburns when he had some. With his usual swift walk he took the path for the house. And fall, unconscious.