Past (1995)
Teddy woke up with a jolt, he looked around and found himself in his bedroom in Grimmauld Place, sleeping between Ron and Harry; since the others left for home, the boys had to move into the other room.
Teddy rolled out of bed groggily and headed downstairs, but was confronted again by Walburga's screaming portrait. But this time, she taunted him about Remus's condition as a werewolf and called him a good for nothing mutt.
"Don't you dare talk about my father that way! He may have a conditon but at least he's a much better person than you, horrible Blacks!" Teddy hissed at the portrait.
"BEGONE FROM THIS HOUSE YOU FILTHY BLOOD TRAITOR!!"
"Good morning Teddy!" someone greeted from the kitchen: it was Lily.
"Hi Lils," said Teddy quietly. "The others?"
"Still asleep. It's 4:30 in the morning, Grandpa and Grandma should be up by now," Lily grinned. "Would you like some tea?"
"Yeah, thanks." Teddy yawned.
After a few minutes, Lily came back on the table with a mug and kettle; and poured it cautiously. "Careful now, it's hot." said Lily.
"I know Lils, I'm 23-years old." Teddy reminded her.
"Merlin! Teddy, you're beginning to look like Remus." Lily said with surprise, as she noticed the deep circles under Teddy's eyes.
"Oh this?" he chuckled. "I couldn't sleep."
"You're probably missing Victoire, eh?" Lily teased.
"Of course I miss her, she's my fiancé. But that's not the reason." Teddy answered, his hair suddenly turning into a shade of darkish brown.
"Teddy. There's something wrong." said Lily, but now more serious. She never seen Teddy that upset like this before; his auror training four years ago had been a challenge, but he'd always be optimistic. There was something wrong.
"Please." she pleaded.
"I'm just, thinking of lots of stuff, that's all Lils." Teddy answered, looking defeated.
Lily's heart sank as she saw her godbrother's sad face. It was truly heartbreaking for her.
"I'll get Remus!" she whispered, trying to head upstairs.
"No, Lils!" said Teddy, grasping her arm quickly.
And at this, there was an awkard moment between Lily and Teddy, as the 13-year old girl had no idea to help him and tried to think what would Mrs. Weasley or Ginny would do in these kind of sitiuations.
"This is very awkward." said Teddy as he let out a hollow laugh.
Suddenly, there was an agonizing howl which sounded louder and louder, grew fainter and fainter after a few moments.
"Dad," Teddy said hoarsely.
"Sit, I'll make you some tea." Lily
"Whatever you say miss." Teddy chuckled.
Lily got up and filled the bronze kettle on the stove and was lauded with the Black Family crest. "They even got their own crest on the kettle." Lily laughed, allowing it to boil on the stove.
Teddy grabbed two mugs from the shelf, as he polished it with some tissues he said, "You know, it's a little foiled up, being stuck here in the past and seeing themselves everyday."
Lily's body froze, almost as rigid as a black board as she knew who he was referring to.
"Sorry Lily I didn't mean to offend you," Teddy continued speaking. "What I meant was, here I am in the past. There's everything I wish I could do, but at the same time, nothing I can. I just can't take it anymore, I wish I was never involved in this."
After a few minutes the kettle began to whistle as steam was exiting. Lily poured the hot water into their mugs, adding a tea bag and placed it on the table.
"Here." she said quietly, cutting a slab of Honeydukes' Best Chocolate Bar and giving the Teddy the bigger half and kept the other for herself.
"Albus told me that he feels guilty for bringing us here. If only he didn't steal it from Aunt Hermione's office," said Lily sheepishly. "Well I guess I never realized how hard it is for you to see your parents, well er —"
"Alive," said Teddy, finishing her sentence. "It just makes me feel more useless."
"Teddy, don't say that!" Lily scoffed.
"You don't understand Lils. What if, Dad hadn't go to Hogwarts with the Order? What if Mum stayed with Nana Dromeda instead of going to stay with Dad? What if? What if?"
"What do you mean I don't understand?" Lily asked, she was now looking more concerned. Teddy let out a muffled cry and said.
"Lily, my heart shatters, seeing them. Mum and Dad, alive and well. It's just, it's isn't fair!" Teddy said sobbing, slowly biting the
slab of chocolate and swallowing it.
It seemed to came Teddy down, and his composure was regaining slightly. "See? Now, eat you'll feel better." said Lily. Soon, Teddy was eating the chocolate with an appetite of a hungry lion and spoke in a low whisper.
"You know Lily, when I was a little boy, I used to hate myself. I felt that it was all my fault. We were all a happy family and then all of a sudden, Nana Dromeda lost her husband, her daughter and son-in-law, and instead of mourning for her family, she had a miserable life raising me. I felt guilty. I felt that I was the reason I didn't have any parents, and most of all, I felt that I was the reason I didn't have a happy and complete family."
No words were able to escape from Lily's mouth. He didn't know what to do to comfort her godbrother.
"And Harry," Teddy sighed. "How could I explain this? A seventeen-year old, with an orphaned infant, entrusted into his care by his late parents. The offspring of his late father's best friend, who also died protecting him. And he never wanted to raise me in the first place, he never wanted me to feel welcome into their family; it wasn't fair on him. Nothing was fair, nothing was!"
"Teddy," said Lily, who began to cry as well.
"When Harry and Ginny got married, I felt that it was the beginning of a great life together. I felt like I was going to have the life my parents would've gave me if they haven't died; and when James was born, I felt as though I was being stabbed by a thousand knives all over my whole body; I felt I was replaced, he was his son, and I was nothing more than a war orphan just being pitied by others. And up to this day, I still am, my suffering would probably end the day I die."
Lily then stood up from her chair and sat next to Teddy. "Teddy, I want you to listen to me very carefully," she told him. "You're not a war orphan; and we never pitied you, we loved you and have always had. You're a part of our family."
Teddy's head fell with despair as he gazed at his chocolate with an agonized face. And Lily continued.
"You and Dad were so similar and also different; you both had loving parents, who lost their lives to Voldemort, left as an orphan in a world where people didn't know if they were either to celebrate or mourn. But this is where your stories lead to a different path. You were raised by people who loved you unconditionally; raised in a home with laughter, understanding, friendship and above all, love. I know you grew up never knowing who your parents were, but they still loved you and you never failed to show that you were proud to have two brave heroes as your parents. A wise man once told my Dad that the ones that love us never really leave us and you could always find them...in here."
Lily reached her hand across and touched the area where Teddy's heart was in his chest.
"Let me guess who that wise man was, Dumbledore?" Teddy guesed.
"No, Sirius Black." said Lily; Teddy smiled at her.
"I love you Lils,"
"I love you too Teddy,"
The two embraced tightly, as Teddy's hair turned back to its familiar shade of blue.
Then, footsteps slowly descended from the stairs. "Oh, this early?" said Mrs. Weasley, who had just woken up. "Good morning dears!"
"Good morning Grandma!" said the two godsiblings.