A strong wind gusted against the cottage windows as Bill and Ollivander set off into the night for Aunt Muriels. The rest of us squeezed in around the table, elbow to elbow and with barely enough room to move, we started to eat. The fire crackled and popped in the grate beside them. Fleur was merely playing with her food much the same as me as I pushed mine around my plate not really hungry. Fleur glanced at the window every few minutes; however, Bill returned before they had finished their first course, his long hair tangled by the wind.
"Everything's fine," he told Fleur. "Ollivander settled in, Mum and Dad say hello. Ginny sends you all her love, Fred and George are driving Muriel up the wall, they're still operating an Owl-Order business out of her back room they also tried to get me to bring them with me so they could see Rory. It cheered Aunt Muriel up to have her tiara back, though. She said she thought we'd stolen it."
"Ah, she eez charmante, your aunt," Fleur said crossly, waving her wand and causing the dirty plates to rise and form a stack in
midair. She caught them and marched out of the room.
"Daddy's made a tiara," piped up Luna, "Well, more of a crown, really." I noticed Ron grin at Harry. "Yes, he's trying to re-create the lost diadem of Ravenclaw. He thinks he's identified most of the main elements now. Adding the billywig wings really made a difference" There was a bang on the front door making me jump as Charlie wrapped his arm around my waist pulling me closer to him as he raised his wand with his other hand. Everyone's head turned toward the door. 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 howlingwind. "I am a werewolf, married to Nymphadora Tonks, godfather to my little wolf 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. Moony 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,
"It's a boy! We've named him Ted, after Dora's father!" Hermione shrieked.
"Wha-? Tonks-Tonks has had the baby?"
"Yes, yes, she's had the baby!" shouted Moony. 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," Moony said again, who seemed dazed by his own happiness. He walked over to me and gently hugged me until I hugged him back tighter then he tightened the hug more.
"Congratulations Moony" I said quietly as I smiled at him.
"Thank you wolf, I want you to be Godmother" I look at him shocked.
"Me"
"Yes wolf you, you and we want Charlie to be godfather"
"Blimey Remus, I'd be honoured" Charlie said as he shook Moonys hand his other hand going back around my waist. Bill was
hurrying to fetch wine, and Fleur was persuading Moony to join for a drink.
"I can't stay long, I must get back," Moony said, beaming around at everyone. He looked years younger. "Thank you, thank you, Bill" Bill had soon filled all of our goblets, we stood and raised them high in a toast. "To Teddy Remus Lupin," Moony said, "a great wizard in the making!"
"'Oo does 'e look like?" Fleur inquired.
"I think he looks like Dora, but 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 colour the day that she was born." He drained his goblet. "Oh, go on then, just one more," he added, beaming, as Bill made to fill it again. The wind buffeted the little cottage and the fire leapt and crackled, and Bill was soon opening another bottle of wine. Moony's news seemed to have taken everyone out of themselves, removed them for a while from their state of siege: Tidings of new life were exhilarating. Only the goblin seemed untouched by the suddenly festive atmosphere, and after a while he slunk back to the bedroom he now occupied alone. I saw Bill's eyes following the goblin up the stairs. "No no. I really must get back," Moony said at last, declining yet another goblet of wine. He got to his feet and pulled his traveling cloak back around himself. He gave me a quick hug. "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 othet women and grasping hands with the men, then, still beaming, returned into the wild night.
"That's the happiest I've seen him in so long" I say to Charlie as Bill and Harry start taking the empty goblets out to the kitchen.
"I can't believe we're godparents" he smiles down at me placing a kiss on my forehead before I lean into him.