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Teddy couldn’t stay still.
He tried. He really did. But he couldn’t help it. How could one be still and quiet and well behaved when the firemen were coming to visit? When their truck was already outside the school, shiny and red and ready to be marvelled at?
Teddy firmly believed that firemen were top of the list for the coolest people to ever exist. They’d even hold the spot for first place, if it weren’t for librarians. Librarians were the most coolest, obviously, as they owned a bajillion books, told very good stories, were always kind to kids, and always made the best cheese toasties. Teddy would know. His Da is a librarian, and he’s only burnt Teddy’s cheese toasties three times . That's a better record than what Teddy currently holds.
No, firemen weren’t number 1 on the list of top 10 coolest people to ever exist, but they were a close second. Teddy was going to be a fireman when he grew up. He knew he’d excel at the job since he was adventurous, loves the colour red, and would kill to have a dalmatian. Not to mention, he’d rock the sliding down the pole part of the job.
So, when Teddy found out that a local fire station would be visiting his school to teach a lesson on fire safety, Teddy just about lost it. He couldn’t stop talking about it, thinking about it, dreaming about it. It was as if Teddy’s whole life had been leading up to this moment. It was his destiny. He’d meet the firemen, instantly enrapture them, then be offered a spot on the team immediately.
Teddy couldn’t contain his excitement. He was so ecstatic, he even made Da sign up to be a parent chaperone. The firemen would be at the school all morning; there was no way Teddy was letting Da miss out on this rare an opportunity. Maybe, if Teddy was lucky, the firemen would hire him and Da at the same time. That would be even better. Teddy loved doing everything with Da.
So, here Teddy was, lined up in the hall of Hogwarts Academy with the rest of the year 1s, thrumming with energy. He was buddied up with Victoire, which he didn’t mind, but he would have much preferred being with Da. Instead, Da stood at the back of their group, brow furrowed with concentration as he counted up all of Teddy’s classmates.
Da stopped counting eventually, and turned a thumbs up to Ms. Trelawney.
“Alright, children,” she cooed. Everyone quieted immediately, “who’s excited to meet the firemen?”
The class squealed, Teddy made sure he was the loudest of them all.
“Before we go out and meet them, I want to remind you all to be on your best behaviour. Please ask before touching anything, and make sure you give the firemen your most undivided attention.”
Teddy rolled his eyes. He just wanted to meet the firemen already. And, anyway, who wouldn’t give their undivided attention? Who could not be as utterly enamoured with them as Teddy was?
“Right then, off we go!”
The kids cheered, trailing after Ms. Trelawney into the school’s front yard.
Teddy felt his heart squeeze as he spotted three firemen, all in various states of their uniform.
There was a tall, muscular, asian woman, with springy platinum blonde hair. She looked a bit scary, her arms crossed over her chest, scowl in place, but Teddy wasn’t afraid. She was a fireman, after all, she had to be trusted.
Beside her was a man even taller than she was. He had long black hair and startling blue eyes. Teddy didn’t usually notice a person's eyes, but they were so prominent on the man it was hard to ignore. The man didn’t look as scary as the woman next to him, but there was something about him that gave him an edge. It was probably the tattoos that peaked out of his uniform jacket. Da said only crooks and criminals had tattoos (Teddy pretended he didn’t know about the one on Da’s hip- he let Da try to spook him out of getting one).
Next to the dark haired man was a shorter, stout, blonde man. He had the full fireman suit on, helmet and all, and he waved at the class cheerily as they all ooed and awed at him.
When the class had settled on the field in front of the school, the dark haired man spoke.
“Hello students of Hogwarts! I’m Sirius, and with me today I’ve got Marlene and Peter. We are all so grateful that you’ve invited us to your school, and we are so excited to spend the next couple of hours with you!”
Teddy looked around to find his Da, eyes wide. Are you seeing this? The look said. Da winked back at him, and nodded back towards the fireman. Listen , the nod replied. Teddy turned back around with a brilliant smile.
“Today we’re going to talk about fire safety,” Marlene spoke next, “we’re going to tell you what to do in case of a fire, who to call, where to meet, and we’ll go over some fun fire prevention activities too.”
“And,” Sirius cut in quickly, looking at the crowd eagerly, “if you’re good, we’ll even let you explore the truck.”
The class gasped at this, all tittering away at the revelation. Marlene rolled her eyes, and pinched Sirius, muttering something Teddy couldn’t hear.
“At the end,” Peter spoke over the kids, “we’ll stick around for some questions, and we’ll even stay for lunch!”
Teddy jumped at this, pumping his fist in the air. Lunch. With a fireman. This was quickly shaping up to be the best day of Teddy’s life.
“I like your energy, kid,” Sirius pointed at him with a wink. Teddy simply felt like he was going to burst. He couldn’t contain his excitement, his awe.
Teddy turned back to gauge Da’s reaction, only to see his eyes already trained on him. Da smiled, shaking his head fondly.
Teddy looked back at the firemen, ready for the best day of his life to begin.
The first part of the morning was a bit of a yawn, but once they got through all the boring facts and information, Teddy had a blast. He toured the truck three times, got to try on all the firemen gear, and even got a picture with the three of them.
The day just kept getting better and better as it went on.
Teddy was instantly enamoured with Sirius. He was funny, really funny, and felt like one of the kids. Teddy wanted him around forever. He was already mourning the time when they’d part.
Teddy stuck to Sirius like glue. Anywhere Sirius was, Teddy was too. Sirius didn’t mind the attention, and even started pulling things out of the truck for Teddy alone to see. He was fantastic. The best man Teddy had ever met. So much so, Teddy was thinking of reorganising his Top 10 Coolest People to Ever Exist List. It now went 1. Librarians, 2. Sirius, 3. Firemen, 4. Grocery clerks… and so on, and so on.
Sirius laughed especially hard when Teddy recounted the list to him, and ruffled Teddy’s hair with his thanks. That solidified it. Teddy would never wash his hair again.
When it was time for lunch, Teddy discovered something even better about Sirius. When Sirius peeled away his uniform’s jacket, Teddy noticed the enamel rainbow flag pinned to his red suspenders. Teddy’s eyes widened with recognition. They made their way towards a table set up with lunch, and Teddy couldn’t help but ask,
“Do you like boys?”
Sirius choked on nothing, and looked down at Teddy with wide eyes and a crooked grin.
Teddy pointed at his pin.
“I recognize that. It means you like boys. But you could also just like rainbows. Both are good.”
“You think so?” Sirius hummed.
“Definitely,” Teddy nodded, “though I’d prefer it if you liked boys.”
“Would you?” Sirius laughed.
“Yes,” Teddy answered definitively, “liking boys is much cooler than liking rainbows.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sirius smirked. Teddy allowed for a moment of silence, hoping Sirius would continue and actually answer his question. When it became apparent that he would not, Teddy took the initiative to continue the conversation.
“If you like boys, does that mean you like my Da too?”
“Er…”
“My Da likes boys.”
“That’s great, kid. I’m sure your dad’s brill, but..”
Teddy pivoted, spinning in place until he spotted Da’s lanky figure. Sirius was still talking, but Teddy was only focused on the situation at hand. One of his classmates seemed to have squirted his juicebox all over Da, and Da was trying to both pat his white cardigan dry and soothe the now sobbing kid. Da was never very good at multi-tasking however, and seemed to be handling the whole thing disastrously. Teddy cringed as Da began to pat the boy, and soothe the cardigan.
Teddy pointed at his Da, and looked back at Sirius.
“I just don’t normally go for older men, y’know? Or fathers. I see enough Dad’s at the PTA, and each one is far too grumpy for my liking. I mean, I’m sure your Da is great, if you’re anything to go off of, but it’s just not really my style. Like, I’m 31, I’m not interested in some 50+ bachelor, even though Marlene is always ragging on me to find someone… but I can’t help it, I-”
“That’s him!” Teddy interrupted, puffing out his chest in pride.
“-like to keep to myself for the most part and-” Sirius broke off as he followed Teddy’s finger. Sirius' eyes widened slightly, and he bit down on his bottom lip. He looked down at Teddy with a hint of amusement. “That’s him, you say?”
Teddy nodded eagerly, and began to tug at Sirius’ trousers.
“Yes! Yes! That’s him!” Teddy bounced, “That’s my Da!”
Sirius cocked a hip, and his eyes flickered up and down, roaming Da’s body from a distance.
“What were you saying, Teddy? About him liking boys?”
“He likes boys soooo much!” Teddy quickly added, “girls too. But he likes boys better.”
Sirius hummed and scratched his cheek.
“I suppose I should meet him, then, don’t you think?” Sirius said easily, “does he like firemen as much as you do?”
Teddy wrinkled his nose.
“No one likes firemen as much as me. I like them the most.”
“Of course.”
“But, no,” Teddy sighed, “he likes dinosaurs better. His last boyfriend was a dinosaur doctor.”
“I see,” Sirius stroked his chin, “well, if anyone can convince him to like firemen, it would be me.”
“Oh definitely,” Teddy agreed.
Sirius took a step in the direction of Da, when Teddy faltered.
“But- Sirius?” Sirius paused to look at him, “what about lunch?”
Sirius’ eyes swept between Teddy and his Da, before his shoulders sagged.
“I suppose you’re right. We should eat something.”
Sirius placed a guiding hand on the back of Teddy’s head and led him towards the lunch table.
“So, Teddy,” Sirius began casually, snagging up a bag of crisps, “what kinds of things does your Da like, besides dinosaurs?”
Teddy furrowed his brow and thought hard.
“Well,” Teddy said thoughtfully, “he likes telling me to stop playing video games. And he likes cleaning up my toys. He likes driving me to school, and making me lunch. He likes to read me books-”
Teddy stopped when Sirius threw his head back with a cackle.
“What?” Teddy asked impatiently.
“You-” Sirius shook his head, “nevermind. Continue.”
“He likes hot chocolate. And jumpers. And the colour green.”
Sirius nodded sagely.
“He sounds like a stand up guy, Teds. I bet he’s a really great Da.”
“You think so?” Teddy asked hopefully.
“I do.”
“That’s good,” Teddy hummed. He looked at Da from the corner of his eye. He had just flopped onto the ground, giving up on his efforts to save his cardigan. The crying kid had scampered off, and Da let his head flop into his hands. A thought formed in Teddy's head. One he wasn’t quite sure how to decipher, but knew it must be said.
“Maybe you could marry him?”
When Sirius didn’t respond, Teddy looked up at him. Sirius had a funny look on his face, staring at Teddy as if he’d never seen a child once in his life before. “I bet he’d like you,” he added helpfully.
Sirius swallowed thickly, then let a small smile overcome his face.
“Hey, Teds?”
“Yes, Sirius?”
“What’s your Da’s favourite flavour of crisps?”
“Salt and Vinegar. Why?”
Sirius snatched up a packet of crisps, and started walking backwards towards Da.
“Come on,” Sirius nodded towards Da. Teddy quickly grabbed a sandwich and a juicebox and trailed after Sirius. When they arrived in front of Da, who still had his head in his hands, massaging his temple, Sirius threw the packet of crisps on to Da's lap.
“It’s the most I can do with such short notice,” Sirius said, flopping down next to Da as if he belonged there, “but I hope you’ll accept, all the same. I promise I’ll get a proper ring in time for the ceremony. Can’t have you saying your vows with a crisp on your ring finger.”
Da spread his fingers, peaking through them to peer at Sirius. He lowered his hands, looked over both his shoulders, then back to Sirius.
“I’m sorry?” His eyes swept over Sirius and landed on Teddy. His confused, scrunched up face melted into something soft, and he beckoned Teddy over. Teddy quickly ran into him and nestled himself into Da’s lap.
“Your boy here, lovely sprog that he is, has just asked for my hand in marriage. On your behalf, of course.”
Da’s eyes widened comically.
“Teddy…” he muttered warningly.
“Of course, I couldn’t resist such an offer,” Sirius continued, “not when the person asking is so cute.”
“Yes, well” Da mumbled, running his fingers through Teddy’s copper curls, the ones that matched his very own (albeit, with slightly less grey), “he certainly is adorable, I’ll give him that.”
“I wasn’t talking about Teddy,” Sirius winked.
Da reddened, Teddy giggled at the look.
“R-right,” Da stuttered, looking everywhere but at Sirius. He shuffled Teddy around, trying to look busy when he wasn’t.
“So,” Sirius barrelled on, when it became clear that Da wouldn’t be continuing the conversation, “what do you do for a living, Teddy’s Da? I’ve got to know what kind of man I’m entering into a marriage with.”
Da looked at Sirius wearily. It was the same look he gave Teddy when he had too much sugar and refused to go to bed.
“I’m a librarian.”
“That’s a very sensible profession,” Sirius replied eagerly, leaning forward a bit.
“I suppose-”
“And what did you think of the presentation? Are you as big on firemen as your son?”
“Er,” Da looked away from Sirius’ intense eye contact briefly, only to return it a moment later, “I thought the day was lovely, you and your colleagues are great with kids.”
“And? What about my second question?” Sirius waggled his brows.
Teddy crossed his arms, a pout beginning to form. Sure, he loved his Da, but he didn’t exactly like how much attention Sirius was giving him. Especially when Teddy was right there.
“Am I a fan of firemen?” Da chuckled to himself. Sirius lit up at the sound. “Can’t say I am, no.”
“Well, isn’t that a dam- er- darn shame.”
Da smirked slightly at Sirius’ slip up. Sirius grinned, almost apologetically, and Da seemed to be eating the look right up, his eyes following Sirius from head to toe.
Teddy was starting to regret this. First Sirius was giving his Da too much attention, but now Da was doing the same thing? Had they completely forgotten about Teddy?
“Maybe I can change your mind,” Sirius continued as Teddy began to tug at Da’s hair, vying for attention, “the unit’s doing a calendar for the new year, perhaps I can send you a copy?”
Da hummed as he brushed Teddy’s hands away.
“So, maybe I could get your number? To let you know when the calendar comes out, of course-”
Teddy tugged harder, yanking Da’s head towards him.
“Teddy!” Da admonished, the pleased, rosy cheeked face disappearing only to be replaced with his stern, don’t try me look. He had Da’s full attention now. Upon seeing the anger in Da’s eyes, however, Teddy was beginning to realise he’d gone about this all wrong.
“If you want my attention, you have to ask for it. With your words ,” Da said firmly, his nostrils flaring slightly.
“I only wanted to-” Teddy began, but Da was not hearing it.
“Unless it is an emergency, you need to practise patience. How would you feel if I went around tugging on your hair every time I wanted your attention?”
Teddy furrowed his brow. Da wasn’t getting it. Couldn’t he see Teddy just wanted to be included?
“You can tug on my hair anytime,” Sirius cut in. Da’s attention was once again ripped away from Teddy, and he blinked at Sirius in some kind of stunned stupor. Sirius looked uncomfortable, raising a hand to his mouth in surprise, as if he hadn’t meant to speak. “Er, I mean…”
Teddy began to whine at the loss of his father’s attention, and Da looked back and forth between him and Sirius uncertainly.
“I’m sorry, Sirius, I should really…” he nodded at Teddy, and began to stand, picking Teddy up with him.
“Maybe Sirius can come with us?” Teddy asked desperately, quickly becoming aware he was in for a pattentend Da lecture . He looked over Da’s shoulders and mustered the biggest help me eyes he was capable of.
“I don’t think so. I bet Sirius is a good boy, who understands how to be respectful towards other people’s bodies. I bet Sirius knows how to use his words.”
Teddy watched as a blush formed over Sirius’ features, but couldn’t figure out why it was there.
Sirius’ eyes swivelled between Da’ retreating back, and Teddy’s puppy dog eyes.
“Well, maybe I could-”
“It was nice to meet you, Sirius,” Da called over his shoulders, “wonderful presentation, really. I hope you have a lovely day.”
With that he strode inside, sat Teddy down on a bench in a secluded hallway, and began a long winded rant on consent, boundaries, and politeness.
Teddy sunk into his seat, resigned to his fate.
---
Teddy moved on from firemen. Yeah, they were cool and all, and Teddy would still gladly accept one as a new parental figure in his life, but for the most part, Teddy was over firemen. They were so last week .
Now mermaids, mermaids were cool. They had pretty tails and pretty hair, they sang beautifully, and had a rich mythological history that Teddy's Da was more than happy to indulge in. Da brought home lots of books on mermaids and sirens, and was happy to read them all to Teddy, even when Teddy didn’t understand all the words. Da was really great that way, always patient and knowledgeable, ready to teach Teddy a new word.
Da was so happy with Teddy’s recent point of interest, he even tried cooking mermaid themed things for him. First it was scampi, then it was muscles, and now, Da had branched away from fish and was attempting to create mermaid shaped pancakes. He divided up the batter into squeeze bottles, added different food dyes to each bottle, and tried to make intricate, rainbow coloured tails. Teddy was excited about this at first, but quickly grew bored after the third botched attempt.
Da was great at many things. Cooking, however, was not one of them.
Exiting the slightly smoky kitchen, Teddy dragged himself over to the living room and opened up one of the books Da had brought home. He couldn’t quite read the words, but he had a jolly enough time making up stories for all the sketches included in the textbook.
“ Fuck, ” Da’s urgent voice came from the kitchen, followed by a shrill beeping. Teddy was up immediately to see what caused such alarm, “fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.”
Teddy was taken aback by the sight in front of him. The kitchen was filled with a black smoke. A bright, hot, orange flame shot up from the stove. Da was standing back, t-shirt over his mouth, waving a towel at the flame.
“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck, sh- Teddy!”
Da jumped as he noticed Teddy’s presence, and quickly stepped in front of him.
“You didn’t happen to hear any of that, did you?” Da called over his shoulder as he belligerently fanned the flame.
“Hear what?” Teddy yelled over the fire alarm. Da relaxed for a second, his shoulders less hunched. “Fuck?”
“Fuck,” Da groaned, shoulders flinching, “you didn’t hear that. Not from me.”
The flames grew bigger, and Da shrinked back.
“Teddy love, I'm going to need you to call 999. My phone is in the dining room.”
Teddy’s eyes widened, his mouth dropped. He’d never been in an emergency before. He’d never even used a phone.
“Now, Teddy!” Da urged with a hint of panic.
“What do I tell them?” Teddy yelled as he ran into the other room.
“Tell them we’ve got a grease fire-”
“A grease fire?”
“Yes, tell them-”
Teddy ran back into the kitchen, sans phone.
“Da!” He screamed, “you don’t fan a grease fire! You smother it!”
“What?” Da looked at him with uncertainty.
“Fireman Sirius told us all about it! Weren’t you paying any attention?”
“Er...”
“You’ve got to throw a blanket on it, or a towel! But not your knickers, especially if they're clean. Fireman Sirius said that the only person who should soil your knickers is you.”
Da blinked, he seemed frozen in place.
“Smother it Da! Smother it!”
“Right,” he said with a curt nod. Da tentatively lept towards the stove, much more elegantly than Teddy thought necessary, and threw his towel over the flame.
“Teddy, can you grab me a blanket?”
He didn’t even finish his sentence before Teddy was bolting out of the room. Teddy grabbed his lucky blanket, pulled it into the kitchen, gave it a quick kiss, and handed it over to Da. The flame had vanished under a heap of tea towels Da kept throwing at it, but he used the blanket nonetheless. When it seemed like they were in the clear, Da practically fell back against the counter opposite the stove. His legs wobbled, he couldn’t seem to stand on his own.
“Da?” Teddy asked nervously.
Da looked at him, no, he looked through him. Like he couldn’t even tell that Teddy was there.
Da blinked, and threw his head back with raucous laughter.
He slid to the floor, and outstretched a hand for Teddy to join him. Teddy all but jumped into his arms, and Da pulled him in for a bone-crushing hug.
“My brave, intelligent boy,” Da kissed the side of his head, “you saved us Teddy. That was all you. What would I have done without you?”
Teddy, overwhelmed with pride, hid his face in the crook of Da’s neck. It was just the two of them, frozen in this moment. Neither paid attention to the blaring fire alarm, to the ringing of the phone, or the banging on the door. They ignored it all, until the front door came crashing open.
Da didn’t even flinch, he simply held Teddy tighter, brushing his hands through Teddy’s hair.
“Teddy’s Da?”
Teddy and his Da both looked up at the voice, and suddenly, like an angel parting down from the heavens, Fireman Sirius stood in front of them, haloed in the fluorescent light of their dinky little kitchen.
Sirius was just taking off his helmet when they caught sight of him, his flushed, happy face welcoming them.
Da gulped, his mouth parting slightly.
“Sirius!” Teddy squealed, wiggling out of his father’s hold to latch on to Sirius around the knees.
“Ah! And the man himself!” Sirius bent down, so they could be at eye level, “how are you little man? What kind of trouble have you gotten into today?”
“There was a fire!”
“I can see that,” Sirius nodded, his eyes flickering with concern every time he looked over at Da.
“It was a grease fire! Da didn’t know what to do but I did. I told Da he had to smother it. I saved the day. And it was all because of you!”
“Me?”
Teddy bounced with excitement, and began to babble about all the things Sirius had taught him, but Sirius only seemed to be half paying attention. His eyes roamed the kitchen, constantly making their way back to Da. There were a few other firemen roaming around, a fact Teddy only just noticed. Some were examining the stove, but most had already vacated by the time Teddy was done speaking.
“Hang on a sec, Teddy,” Sirius interrupted, “can you tell me what your Da’s name is?”
“Da?” Teddy wrinkled his nose, and looked at his father, who was still staring at Sirius with that blank look on his face, “erm, his name is Remus? Remus Lupin?”
Sirius’ mouth did a funny little smile at that.
“Hey Teddy, do you remember Peter, from our visit?”
Teddy nodded eagerly.
“Do you want to tell him about how you saved the day today? I’m sure he’d love to listen.”
“But I’m talking to you,” Teddy protested.
“Yes, and I love your stories,” Sirius replied emphatically, “but I think I need to check in on your Da, and make sure he’s okay. Okay?”
Teddy nodded hesitantly, and Sirius signalled for Peter to come over. Peter took Teddy by the hand, and brought him into the adjoining dining room, but Teddy made sure they didn’t go too far. Afterall, he was his Da’s son; he had a right to know if his Da was okay too. Teddy propped himself against the wall, so he could see through the sliver of the door that showed the kitchen.
“Remus, is it?” Sirius spoke as he scooted forward. Da nodded numbly, “are you okay?”
“I…”
Da didn’t finish his sentence. He swallowed thickly and looked away. Teddy heard a sob come from Da, and a look of pained concern pinched Sirius’ face.
“You’re okay, Remus, you’re okay now,” Sirius soothed. He reached out a hand to rub Da’s upper arm, and suddenly Da was throwing himself at Sirius. He wrapped his arms around Sirius, pulling him in close as he sobbed into Sirius’ neck.
“I’m stupid. I’m so, so stupid. I just wanted to make him mermaid pancakes.”
Sirius looked utterly caught off guard, and a little confused. His arms hung limply at his sides.
“I didn’t even know how to stop the fire-” Da said through sobs, “he had to tell me- I- I’m such a shit dad.”
Sirius melted at that, his arms coming to tentatively wrap around Da.
“You’re not a shit dad. It could happen to anyone,” Sirius murmured, so quietly Teddy almost couldn’t hear him.
“I am,” Da replied stubbornly, “I’m pathetic. I don’t deserve him. I can’t believe I- what if I lost him? What if I lost the flat? This could have been so much worse, it could have-”
“Remus,” Sirius began firmly, “a lot of things could have happened. But they didn’t. It won’t do you any good to think about it, so think about the positives. You contained the fire, with minimum damage to the kitchen. Besides a bit of shock, you and Teddy are completely fine. There couldn’t have been a better fire to have.”
Da only cried harder at that, and Sirius seemed content to let him ride it out. Teddy observed how Sirius’ hand made it into Da’s hair, resembling the way Da had just held Teddy only a few minutes ago.
“I’m sorry,” Da muttered as he came to, he looked fleetingly disgusted by his behaviour, “ gosh , I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…” Da waved his hand around to finish his sentence, before his eyes landed on Sirius’ shoulder. “Oh no, I’ve gotten snot all over your uniform.”
Da blushed, as if he hadn’t meant to say that, looking all together quite panicked.
“I’ll pay to get it dry cleaned! I really didn’t mean to make a mess of it… god I feel even more stupid than before. Here you are, just trying to do your job, and I’m over here getting my- my bodily fluids all over you. But I promise-”
“Remus,” Sirius said fondly, wrapping his hands around Da’s wrists, “it’s okay.”
“It’s not,” Da shook his head, “I- oh my- I hugged you didn’t I? That was totally inappropriate. I’m sorry if I crossed some kind of boundary, I didn’t mean to, I just-”
“You just nothing. You reacted, quite appropriately to your situation, if I do say so.”
“Oh.”
“And, it is my duty to ensure your health and safety. So, if that means I have to field a few of your hugs in order to do so… well, I certainly do not mind.”
“You…don’t mind?” Da wrinkled his nose in confusion. Sirius threw his head back with a bark of a laugh. Dad scowled even harder. “What? ”
“Nothing,” Sirius shook his head as his laughter died, “it’s just- Teddy made that exact same face a few minutes ago. It's uncanny how similar you are.”
A gooey, dopey smile stretched over Da’s face; Sirius seemed utterly enthralled by it. They sat there, just staring at each other for what felt like hours. Teddy rolled his eyes. Sirius sent him away to do this ?
“And, for the record,” Sirius said lowly, a smirk tugging at his lips, “You can get your bodily fluids on me anyday.”
“ Wha? ”
“I don’t mind,” Sirius shrugged, winking at Da. The redness on Da's face came back with a renewed vigour.
“That- ah- erm- well- uh-”
Sirius laughed at Da, and pat him on the arm.
“Okay, okay, I’ll stop with the flirting. I think your brain may break if I continue.”
“Thank you,” Da sighed as he sank back against the bottom of the counter.
“Alright,” Sirius groaned as he stood back up, “let's get you a shock blanket, write up a report, and then we’ll get out of your hair.”
Da did not blink once as he watched Sirius languidly stretch his body. When Sirius finished, he extended a hand to Da, and pulled him up.
“I will say this though,” Sirius said quietly, once Da’s head was close to Sirius mouth, “I’m glad I got to see you again, Remus. Not under these circumstances, mind you, but glad nonetheless.”
“O-oh,” Da replied lamely. Sirius’ grin only brightened.
“You’re cute.”
Da pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes.
“I thought you said you were going to stop flirting.”
“That was the last one! Promise!”
Da rolled his eyes, but couldn’t hide his fond smile.
Teddy had to scamper away as the pair walked towards the dining room, but he’d seen enough.
Teddy may not know anything yet. But he knew love when he saw it. Teddy knew he was on to something, that day of the presentation. One way or another, Fireman Sirius would someday marry his Da.
Da did not make any moves to see Fireman Sirius again. Teddy would have sworn on his luckiest pound that Sirius and Da were going to kiss and get married after that whole debacle in the kitchen. But no. Sirius left that day with the rest of the firemen, looking a bit remorseful, if Teddy may say so, and he and Da went back to their regular life.
It is sufficient to say that that simply wouldn’t do.
After a week had passed since the grease fire, Teddy decided he had to take fate into his own hands, and began scheming.
It was simple, really. If fires were what attracted firemen, then Teddy would just have to start more fires.
Thus began Teddy’s foray into arsony. It was difficult, since he didn’t have much access to things that started fires, but he made do.
His first attempt saw him borrowing Da’s lighter and lighting every candle in the house, under Da’s supervision. Teddy spent the whole evening sitting on his hands, waiting eagerly for the flames to become much bigger, or for the wax to completely melt. Teddy didn’t know what happened when a candle came to its end, but he was expecting something similar to dynamite. Once the flame came to the bottom of the wick- BOOM.
Unfortunately, Teddy never got to find out what happened. Da extinguished all the candles before bed, looking far too relaxed for Teddy’s taste.
For his next try, Teddy decided to go back to the stove. If Da could start a fire there, surely Teddy could too. The only problem was that Teddy wasn’t actually tall enough to reach the dials. And when he grabbed a stool, he realised he didn’t actually know how to use the stove either. He twisted the dials, as he’d seen Da do many times in the past, but no flame came out. After a while, there was a weird smell and Teddy started to feel dizzy. It was about that time Da came swooping in, scolding Teddy for playing with dangerous elements.
At a loss, Teddy didn’t know what to do next. Everything he tried was a bust. The answer didn’t come until a dreary, mid-October morning, nearly a month after the grease fire incident.
It was a school day and Da should be out and around the flat already, nagging Teddy to get ready. But, the flat was eerily quiet. Teddy got dressed, without Da’s instruction, packed his bag and all, and still Da was yet to emerge from his bedroom.
Tentatively creaking the door open, Teddy slid into his Da’s room. The lights were off, the bed was in a state of disarray, sheets thrown around everywhere. Da was twisted in the middle of the mattress, a folded shirt covering his eyes.
“Da?” Teddy asked loudly.
Da flinched, and immediately started sushing Teddy. Teddy quieted, and took a step back, dread filling his stomach.
“Teddy, Love,” Da croaked, “I’m not feeling too well.”
Teddy looked down at his feet, a bit scared of this near lifeless version of his father.
“Could you bring me a cup of water, if you’d be so kind?”
Da tried to smile, but it came out thin and watery. Teddy’s breath hitched. He nodded vigorously, and ran out of the room. Da really looked awful. He’d get sick like this sometimes, but it had been a while since his last episode. Teddy shuddered as he prepared a glass of water. The last time Da had been sick, it was awful. He hadn’t been able to get out of bed for days, and Teddy had to stay at Auntie Dorky’s for a whole week. While he loved Auntie Dorky, and they had the best sleepovers, he missed his Da tremendously during that time. He was not exactly excited by the idea of a repeat.
Teddy, being the good son he was, decided to surprise Da with breakfast. Breakfast always made Teddy feel better, and Da always insisted there was no better way to start the day. Teddy grabbed an orange and a slice of bread from the fridge. He used his stool to climb up to the counter, and popped the bread in the toaster oven, choosing a setting at random. He climbed down, and brought the orange and cup of water back to Da.
“Thanks love,” Da mumbled, sitting up slightly to lean against his headrest. Teddy watched silently as Da swallowed some pills with his water, and placed the orange on his bedside table.
“Why so quiet Teddy-Bear?” Da asked weakly, “not scared of me, are you?”
Teddy, very much afraid of his father and not wanting to disturb him, nodded silently. Da had his eyes closed, but he always had a sense for Teddy’s reactions. Da sighed, and patted his lap for Teddy to join him. Hesitantly, Teddy climbed up on his lap, and rested his head against his Da’s chest.
“There we are,” Da hummed, “not so scary now, am I?”
Teddy nuzzled into his chest in response.
“I’ve messaged Auntie Dorcas,” Da said as he pressed a kiss to Teddy’s head, “she’s going to take you to school today. She’ll let herself in when she gets here, so we can have a kip in the meantime, if you’d like?”
“Okay,” Teddy mumbled.
Da hummed again, nestling back into his bed. Da was out like a light. Teddy took a bit longer to fall back asleep, but eventually fell into a fitful slumber.
Teddy awoke to the smell of smoke, and a bright light flashing in his face. He could hear a woman crying in another room. He was completely disoriented, and when his vision cleared, he saw a familiar face bent over him, panicked and concerned
“Sirius?” Teddy grumbled, as he rubbed his eyes.
“Hey kid,” Sirius replied, the relief clear in his voice, “are you okay?”
“What’s going on?” Teddy whined.
Sirius moved to flick his flashlight over Da’s face, biting his lip.
“It seems your aunt came to pick you up for school, and was met with an apartment full of smoke, with her two favourite people knocked out on the bed.”
Teddy pouted and turned up to look at his Da, who was dead asleep despite all the noise.
“Da’s sick,” Teddy explained, “we were sleepy.”
Da shifted in his sleep, Sirius looked relieved by the movement.
“Remus,” Sirius said loudly, snapping his fingers right next to Da’s ears, “Remus, wake up.”
After a few more repetitions of this, Teddy decided to help out too. He started slapping Da’s chest as he wailed,
“DADDY WAKE UP.”
Sirius looked alarmed at the sudden movement, and put a gentle hand to Teddy’s wrist to stop him.
“Teddy, no-”
“ Was’happening ?” Da slurred as he bolted up, instictively wrapping a protective arm around Teddy. Da frowned when he saw Sirius standing by the bed, eyes flickering over the man. “Am I still dreaming?”
Sirius’ eyes lit up, and he pursed his lips to smother a smile.
“Sirius?” Da asked groggily, “what are you doing here?”
“There was a fire,” Sirius spoke quietly, as if he was shy.
“Fire?” Da’s brow creased even deeper, “but- how? I haven’t even been up this morn-” Da paused, turning his heavy scowl on Teddy, “Edward? Would you like to explain?”
Teddy blushed under the scrutiny, and hid his face in Da’s neck.
“Sirius?” The female firefighter from the school’s presentation day, Marlene, arrived in the bedroom’s doorway. She held a pair of tongs that grasped a charred piece of toast. “We’re in the clear. Seems that someone forgot about the piece of toast they were making.”
“Edward…”
“I’M SORRY,” Teddy wailed, “I just wanted to make you breakfast and make you feel better! You always make me feel better when I’m sick! I just wanted to help!”
“That…” Da said faintly, his hand rubbing circles into Teddy’s back, “that was very sweet of you Teddy, but you know you’re not allowed to use the appliances by yourself.”
“I j-just w-wanted to h-elp.”
“I know, love, I know.”
Teddy pulled back, and wiped his eyes. He felt so incredibly guilty, so distraught, it took him a while to realise Sirius was here . In his flat . His plan had worked.
Sitting up right, he looked at Sirius with his biggest puppy dog eyes.
“Hi Sirius,” Teddy said softly. Sirius looked amused at the sudden shift, and shared a look with Da.
“Hi Teddy.”
“Thank you for saving us.”
“Oh,” Sirius’ eyebrows lifted, “I didn’t really- there wasn't much to save you fro-”
“Da would like to eat your dinner and kiss you and hold your hand to say thank you.”
“Edward!” Da gasped, but could barely be heard over the shocked laugh that tore through Sirius.
“Is that so?” Sirius smirked.
“ No ,” Da vehemently denied.
“Yes,” Teddy agreed easily, “and he can hug you too. He gives the best hugs.”
“I’m sure he does,” Sirius replied fondly, eyes sparkling as he looked at Da.
“I’m sorry,” Da rushed out, “he doesn’t know what he’s saying, he-”
“I think you should marry each other now. That way Sirius can make sure we don’t have another fire.”
“I like the way you think, Teddy-monster.”
Da glared at the both of them.
“What is this?” Da accused, waving a finger between Teddy and Sirius, “are you ganging up on me? Why are you ganging up on me? How?”
“I’m only acknowledging Little Lupin’s extreme intelligence,” Sirius shrugged, “no harm in that.”
“No harm?” Da asked, raising his voice, “ no harm? ”
Da suddenly flinched, groaning as he rubbed his forehead.
“Fuck,” he muttered, squinting his eyes closed.
“Remus?” Sirius stepped forward, all traces of humour gone, “are you okay? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Da waved him off, “just a migraine. To no one’s surprise, they don’t stop just because a cute firefighter talks to you.”
Da continued to massage his head before stopping mid action. His eyes snapped open, and he looked at Sirius in horror.
“I didn’t- I mean-”
“REMUS LUPIN.”
Da’s horror stuck face turned to the doorway.
“I’m going to kill you, you son of a bitch!”
Auntie Dorky appeared, chest heaving, cheeks stained with tears.
“M’am,” Marlene appeared behind her, putting her hand on Auntie Dorky’s shoulder, “we are looking after them to the best of our abilities, you need to-”
“DO you know what it’s like coming into your home with smoke everywhere? Finding the two of you unconscious, looking dead to the world? Do you have any idea what that’s like? I have half a mind to kill you right now just to teach you a lesson!”
“M’am-”
Auntie Dorky shrugged out of Marlene’s grasp, and strut towards the family. Auntie Dorky was being uncharacteristically rude, and yet Marlene looked quite enamoured by the behaviour.
Sirius stepped out of her way, smartly choosing to avoid her wrath. She threw herself at Da, pulling him in for a tight hug, squishing Teddy between them.
“I was so scared! Never do that again!”
“Mind the head, Dorky,” Da groaned.
“Don’t tell me what to do! I should knock your brain around for the fright you gave me!”
Auntie Dorky pulled away, and Da smiled guilty.
“I’m not the one to blame here, Teddy’s our little fire starter.” Da tilted Teddy’s head towards Auntie Dorky and smushed his cheeks together, “you can’t stay mad at this face, can you, Dorky?”
Auntie Dorky all but growled, and rolled her eyes.
“ Fine . You're forgiven, but only because Teddy is too adorable to stay mad at.”
“Thank you, Dorcas. Much appreciated.”
Auntie Dorky huffed, and turned to exit the room.
“C’mon McKinnon, let's sort out this incident report and leave this sorry excuse of a man to his migraine.”
“Yes M’am!” Marlene replied, standing to attention. The women left the room, and Da practically melted into the bed.
“I’m sorry, Sirius,” Da said softly, “we’re not usually like this. We’ve never even had a fire before this month.”
“No need to apologise, I’m happy to help.”
Da peeked an eye open and looked at Sirius wearily.
“Do you always get calls for things this… inconsequential?”
“I wouldn’t call this inconsequential,” Sirius smiled simply.
“Small, then.”
Sirius chuckled softly.
“Oh, all the time. Just yesterday I had to get a cat out of a tree, and last week we had to help some folks out of a lift- mind you they were only stuck between the first and second floor.”
Teddy perked up at his. He had no clue firemen responded to things other than fires. This opened up a whole new world for Teddy’s plan.
“Well, I’m glad then,” Da nodded, closing his eyes again, “would be hard, if you only had those nightmare fires. Would all start to feel rather hopeless, I imagine.”
Sirius hummed in acknowledgement, carefully watching Da’s tense body.
“Well, I should leave you to it,” Sirius said softly.
“No!” Teddy cried out before he could stop himself, “stay! You can cuddle Da! It will make him feel better. And it’s your job to make him better, isn’t it?”
Da, too exhausted to be mad, only chuckled softly. He reached up blindly to card his fingers through Teddy’s hair.
“Leave the poor man alone, Teddy. I think you’ve done quite enough today. But, thank you again Sirius, for everything.”
“It’s no problem, really.”
Da hummed, but broke off with a yawn.
“Get some rest, Remus,” Sirius whispered. Da smiled, and Sirius saw himself out.
Teddy whined, and flopped back against Remus’ chest.
“Oh no you don’t, Anwyl, ” Da said with some amusement, “don’t think that burning the flat down gets you out of school.”
“But Daaaaaaa- ”
“Don’t give me that, Edward. Go get your stuff and Auntie Dorcas will take you.”
Teddy groaned, but listened to his father.
It was the least he could do.
----
Teddy didn’t understand how he could still be unsuccessful. Sirius had been to his house. Twice . And still, nothing! It didn’t make any sense, Sirius and Da should be in love already, if all the sappy rom-coms Da made him watch were to be believed.
Teddy figured the issue was with the flat. Home was a special place, for just Teddy and Da. Sirius probably didn’t feel as comfortable at their flat since he didn’t know it well. Teddy always felt a bit weird going to someone's home for the first time. He always gets quiet and shy, much to his own frustration, so Sirius must be the same. Teddy decided to change the scenery, get Da and Sirius to meet on neutral ground.
So, Teddy went to the best mischief maker he could think of, his year 6 reading buddy, Harry Potter. He asked Harry to sneak him into the school’s science lab to try out some experiments. Harry, a good sort of chap with a great sense of humour, agreed. His only rule was that he had to watch everything Teddy did. That didn’t stop Teddy though. He wasted no time running around the lab, twisting handles every which way, spilling liquids all over the floor. Harry was already chasing after him, begging him to stop tearing the room apart. But Teddy was a man on a mission, and evaded capture easily.
Teddy didn’t really know how it happened, but suddenly, there was a flame, and then there was smoke, and then the fire alarm was going.
It was Ms. McGonagall who found the two of them, screaming at the tiny flame, doing their best to extinguish it. She evacuated them, along with the rest of the school, with a severe look of disappointment on her face. The minute they made it outside, she started lecturing Harry about being a good example and learning to take responsibility.
Teddy wasn’t paying attention, however. Instead, he watched giddily as his plan was put into place. The school would have to contact his Da about the fire, and Da, being the worrier he was, would rush down to the school immediately, where he would meet Sirius once again. The fire trucks were already rolling up to the school, and Teddy could barely contain his excitement as the firemen began to exit the truck. They walked casually, and Teddy inspected them closely.
There was just one problem.
Sirius wasn’t there.
He recognized Peter, but the rest were strangers. Teddy couldn’t believe it! Where had these extra firemen come from? How dare they take Sirius’ rightful place in the truck?
Teddy was indignant on Sirius’ behalf, and when the firemen had finished their inspection and given the all clear , Teddy stormed right up to Peter to get to the bottom of this.
“Where’s Sirius?” he demanded, with a stomp of his foot.
Peter looked at him through the corner of his eye and kept walking.
“Dunno. It’s his day off, kid.”
Teddy felt like he’d been slapped.
Day off? Day off ?
Teddy went through all that, just for Sirius to have a day off ?
Teddy groaned and went back to Ms. McGonagall, who was already yelling at Teddy for leaving their designated safe spot. Harry tried to give him a silent warning from behind Ms. McGonagall’s back, but Teddy paid him no mind. Teddy rolled his eyes, and crossed his arm with a huff of breath. Ms. McGonagall grew very red in the face at the action.
It was no surprise when he, and Harry, were ordered to go have a chat with the headmaster.
Teddy and Harry came out of the headmaster's office with their shoulders slumped and heads hung. Mr. Dumbledore had given them a stern talking-to for their reckless behaviour. Teddy tried to defend his older friend, but Mr. Dumbledore didn’t take him seriously when he said Harry wasn’t to blame.
Teddy rubbed his fists into his eyes. No tears had poured yet, but he knew they would come soon. He really hoped this didn’t ruin his friendship with Harry. He really hoped this wouldn’t make his Da mad.
Teddy stopped walking when he recognized an old, beaten up pair of sneakers resting in front of a chair opposite the office. Teddy followed the protruding legs up until he saw the face of his unamused father.
“Da?” He asked weakly, only a little mortified his Da was here.
“Teddy,” he replied sternly. Teddy breathed a sigh of relief. He would still be in the doghouse, but Teddy knew he was only in real trouble when Da called him Edward.
“‘M sorry,” Teddy mumbled, shuffling forward and shoving his face in Da’s lap. Da tsked, but began gently petting Teddy’s curls.
“What are we going to do with you, Teddy-Bear?” Da sighed, though there was no bite to it.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Lupin,” Harry enunciated clearly from somewhere behind Teddy, “it’s all my fault.”
“Oh?”
“Yes, sir. I’m Teddy’s reading buddy, you see, and I thought it would be nice to show him the ropes in some other school subjects. I suppose I shouldn’t have started with science…”
Teddy shifted so he could watch the interaction. Da looked very endeared by Harry.
“Why don’t you have a sit, er…?”
“Harry.”
“Harry, ” Da said warmly, “sit, please.” Da nodded to the empty seat next to him. Harry did. “I appreciate you taking accountability, Harry, but I don’t believe you for a second.”
“I’m telling the truth! It’s all my fault! Teddy didn’t do anything, I convinced him into it! I-”
Da chuckled, and scooped Teddy up onto his lap.
“Teddy’s not in trouble, Harry, you don’t have to protect him.”
“He’s not…?” Harry asked hesitantly.
“Well, he is a little,” Da added with a gentle smile, “but I’m not angry, so you needn’t worry.”
“Oh.”
Harry looked uncertain with what to do with that information.
“But thank you, for trying to take the heat off of him. It's very nice to know Teddy has someone looking out for him at school.”
“Oh, yeah, it’s no problem,” Harry rubbed the back of his head, sending a nervous smile Da’s way, “he’s like a little brother to me. All of my friends love him. He’s a proper trouble maker, that one.”
“Don’t I know it,” Da laughed. Teddy stuck his tongue out at both of them.
“Harry James Potter! What is the meaning of this!” A man’s voice came bellowing down the hallway, his following footsteps echoing with each hurried clank, “you tried to light your school on fire? Why would you ever do that? That’s something I would do, and we both know you have double the sense I do! I can’t believe yo- oh! Remus!”
Da and Teddy both looked up in shock to see Sirius in front of them, out of breath. He wore a tight pair of dark jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket. Da’s breath notably hitched at his arrival.
It was quite odd seeing Sirius out of his work clothes, but Teddy definitely preferred this style. He looked like a movie star, like a race car driver, or something equally magnificent.
“Sirius?” Da started blushing profusely, “what are you doing here?”
“Picking up my good for nothing godson, that’s what,” Sirius snorted, quickly followed by a blinding smile.
Da flicked his wide eyed gaze between Sirius and Harry, who was grinning bashfully.
“Hiya, Pads,” Harry said anxiously.
Sirius levelled Harry a flat look.
“Explain. Now.”
“Well, you see, I was being a good mate to Teddy- you know Teddy, right? Look at him! No one can say no to those cute, chubby little cheeks! And those eyes! Pads, how could I say no to him when he's blinking up at me with those puppy dog eyes? I mean, look at him!”
Sirius turned his unamused gaze to Teddy, who batted said puppy dog eyes at him. Sirius’ eyes shifted up to look at Da’s face, and Teddy had to stifle a giggle when he saw Da using the very same look.
“Oh well that’s just not fair!” Sirius whined, gesturing to the father-son duo.
Da laughed, and covered his mouth quickly. He attempted to straighten himself out, doing a poor impression of a matter-of-fact man.
“I’m sorry Sirius. As you may be able to tell by now, my son here is a bit of a troublemaker. I’m sorry he dragged Harry into his antics.”
Sirius snorted, and any anger disappeared from his demeanour.
“Right, yes, I’m sure Harry was dragged kicking and screaming into Teddy’s little scheme. Harry would never cause trouble on his own, right, Harry? You’re too much of a model student to become an arsonist by yourself?”
“Yes, Sir!” Harry replied eagerly, hiding his laugh.
“Well, there you have it,” Da clapped a hand to his thigh, “we can all agree that Teddy here is the evil mastermind.”
Sirius nodded in agreement, looking at Teddy with keen curiosity.
“Is that true Teddy? Are you an evil mastermind?”
“Yes!” Teddy screamed in excitement, “I’m an evilmashzermynd!”
“Then it’s decided,” Da said, easy smile tugging at his lips, “I’ll go home and punish Teddy as best I can, and Harry can walk out of this unscathed.”
Da started to push himself up, one hand on his arm rest, the other secured around Teddy’s middle to hold him close to Da’s chest. Da wobbled in the process, and Sirius was quick to swoop in and place a cautious hand on Da’s side.
Once Da was on his feet, he blushed, sticking his chin down. He easily got embarrassed about his health, and always hated asking for help (unless you were Teddy, and then it was always Teddy, bring me a blanket, Teddy, make me some tea, Teddy, give me a massage) .
“Alright?” Sirius asked with a cheeky smile.
“Very much, yes.”
Da kept his gaze to the floor, Sirius watched his face attentively. Sirius’ eyes sparkled, reflecting the light Da didn’t know he shined.
“Well-”
“So-”
Both parents started at the same time. Da coughed, and looked at Sirius through his lashes. Sirius’ bit his grinning lip, and nodded for Da to continue.
“I… uh…” Da’s eyes flickered over Sirius’ face, a smile growing to match Sirius’, “I should take Teddy home.”
Teddy scowled, not wanting to be used as an excuse.
“Right,” Sirius nodded quickly, “well- um- it was really good to see you, Remus.”
“Yeah, yeah you too,” Da replied earnestly.
They continued to stare at each other, neither making any move to leave.
Teddy turned in Da’s arms to face Harry, giving him a look that said are you seeing this?
Harry laughed, pulling Sirius’ attention.
“What are you laughing at?” Sirius narrowed his eyes.
“Nothing,” Harry chuckled, his face twinkling with mischief, “but boy am I hungry. Today took a lot out of me.”
“I bet,” Sirius replied, suspicion clear in his voice.
“ Frankie and Benny’s would be so good right now,” Harry continued, rubbing his tummy and licking his lips, “hey, Teddy, you like Frankie and Benny’s , right?”
“Who’s Frankie and Benny?”
“Ha. Ha ha,” Harry stated clearly, “Oh Teddy, you ol’ firecracker, you. What a funny joke.”
“Harry,” Sirius pinched his nose, “What-”
“Say, since Teddy loves Frankie and Benny’s so much, and I’m clearly craving it, what do you say we just go together.”
Sirius’ jaw dropped, he seemed to be taking a while to process Harry’s words.
Finally, Teddy understood Harry’s plan, and began nodding along vigorously.
“Oh please, please, please Da! I love Frankie and Benny! Can’t we go say hi to them, with Harry and Sirius?”
Da bit the inside of his cheek, and looked at Sirius anxiously.
“Well… I don’t have anything planned for supper…”
Sirius’ head snapped towards him, his face full of pure astonishment.
“Really?” Sirius asked hopefully, “you don’t?”
Da shook his head, looking back at Sirius fondly.
“Right. Yes. Lets. Splendid idea, Haz. You’re sure, Remus?”
“I’m sure,” Da responded softly.
Sirius’ grin took up his whole face.
“Well then, let's go celebrate all of our little troublemaker’s accomplishments today!”
Sirius put a hand on the back of Harry’s head and began leading the group out of the school.
Da trailed behind them, shaking his head fondly. When some space was put between the families, Da placed a sneaky kiss on Teddy’s cheek.
“You’re a mischievous little monkey, aren’t you?”
Teddy shrugged, and looked away impishly.
Da laughed loudly, drawing Sirius and Harry’s attention.
“Sorry,” Da said apologetically, shuffling forward to catch up with them.
They exited the school together, and separated ways to go to their individual cars. Neither Teddy nor Da could contain their excitement about their upcoming supper.
-----
They began seeing Harry and Sirius a lot more after that. That first dinner had gone over splendidly, Harry and Teddy had sat across from Da and Sirius, chatting the whole meal. Teddy recognized the fond looks on Da and Sirius’ faces, and he knew he was finally getting somewhere.
Getting somewhere, however, looked a lot different from what he had expected. He expected grand declarations of love, heroic acts, riding into the sunset on a white horse, not… whatever this was.
It was as if Da and Sirius refused to see each other without their kids. Sometimes they would run into each other at school drop off or pickup, and would talk so hesitantly, and for so long, that even Teddy was begging for them to get a move on.
Harry had offered to start tutoring Teddy in some subjects outside of school. Teddy was far too young to even dream of studying, but he saw the excuse for what it was. So, every Wednesday, Harry came home with Teddy afterschool. At first, Harry had one clear objective: to make his godfather look good to Da. Each car ride home, and the following snack time in the flat, was filled with Harry telling stories of how hilarious, kind, and loving Sirius was. Teddy was so enraptured by these stories, he couldn’t even pay attention to Da, and see if he was under the same affect.
At some point in the two months since they’d begun their tutoring sessions, Harry’s conversations changed. He stopped talking about Sirius’ grand adventures as a fireman, and started asking Da about the library, about Greek mythology (of which Da had a degree in), and then about every other aspect of Da’s life. Harry, seemingly, wanted to know everything about Da. He followed him around the house like a lost puppy, he started abandoning ‘tutoring time’ to stand with Da in the kitchen while he made supper. Teddy knew he should be jealous, but even he could recognize how cool his Da was, and couldn’t blame Harry for being taken with him. Teddy did wonder if this was just another of Harry’s tricks, if he was trying to dig up dirt to give Sirius, but he seemed far too earnest in his endeavours to discover every intricacy of Da’s life, that Teddy couldn’t be sure.
One Wednesday, Da came to pick them up from school and was wearing an awfully funny smile on his face. He stood outside Teddy’s classroom, looking constipated and amused and in love all at the same time.
“What?” Teddy wrinkled his nose as he approached Da, Harry right behind him.
Da just shook his head.
“Nothing,” he mumbled softly, leading the boys out of the school. He opened the backseat car door, and only spoke again after Teddy had climbed in. “I like your outfit, Harry.”
Harry beamed at him, as he crawled inside. Teddy looked back and forth between Harry and Da. Harry wasn’t wearing anything special. He was in a green button up shirt and a crisp pair of blue jeans, with the cosiest, most oversized looking cardigan draped around him. He looked a lot like Da, come to think of it, who made cardigans and blue jeans a staple of his wardrobe.
Now that Teddy had noticed it, he realised this was nothing like what Harry typically wore, or at least, used to wear. Harry always had a cool, untamed look to his style. He was all old band tees and ripped jeans. Everything he owned seemed stained with grass and dirt, the mark of a true adventurer. But now, Teddy realised, probably for the past month or so, Harry had been walking around as if he was born and raised in a library, he looked swottish and proper, a far cry from The Harry Potter Teddy had come to love. Even his hair was cut different, looking remarkably similar to Da’s.
Da winked at Harry, and turned back in his seat.
“Ready?” He asked the boys, waiting for their eager nods before taking off.
Da asked Harry and Sirius to stay for dinner that night.
He always seemed on the cusp of offering, whenever Sirius came to collect Harry. The two adults would linger by the door, Sirius propping his arm up and leaning against the frame, head resting in his elbow so he could watch Da as he talked animatedly. Teddy thought they could spend hours like that, in their own little bubble, chatting about work and kids and friends. Eventually, Teddy and Harry would get restless. Harry would ask to leave, and Da always looked torn, ready to ask them to stay, but could never quite manage it. Until tonight.
Teddy didn’t know what inspired the sudden change, but he had a feeling it had something to do with the way Da’s eyes kept fondly following Harry.
Sirius was more than eager to agree, and just like that, a new tradition was born.
Teddy thought it would be odd, having Harry and Sirius become such a mainstay in their lives. It was nearing christmas, and they had just sat down for their third post-study meal together. It should have been unnerving, how well Sirius and Harry slotted into their lives, how easily routines were made. Sirius would come over with ingredients, Da always cooked (despite Sirius’ jokes that he was a firehazard and should keep out the kitchen). Sirius always served up the dishes. They’d sit at each head of the table, Teddy and Harry between them on opposite sides. Sirius would make a big show of doing dishes, Da would stick around and chat with the boys, eyes anxiously flittering to the kitchen, before eventually joining Sirius and taking over.
They were in the chatting stage of the night now. Sirius had just disappeared into the kitchen, and Da was making an effort to conceal his affectionate gaze. He shook himself, once he realised Sirius was no longer in the room, and turned to the boys in front of him.
“Excited for the holidays, Harry?”
Harry grimaced, looking into his lap.
“Uh oh, that’s not a good look.”
Harry squished his smile, and looked at Da with shining eyes.
“Permission to be honest, Sir?”
“Harry, how many times have I told you to knock it off with the sir stuff. Just call me Remus.”
“Sorry, Mr. Lupin.”
Da snorted into a laugh.
“You and your manners. Why does it always seem like I’m the only person who knows how well behaved you are?”
“Teddy knows,” Harry replied quietly.
Teddy giggled around his glass of orange juice. Da and Harry watched in disgust as the sip he had just taken trickled down his chin, through his open smile.
“You’re not well behaved! You’re ruder than a bowtruckle!” Teddy laughed openly.
“Well, he-” Da stopped, and turned to frown at Teddy in confusion, “a bowtruckle? What on earth is a bowtruckle?”
“They’re little creatures made of leaves! Harry showed them to me! They live in trees and only come out when you cover yourself in dirt. They're scared of humans, so you have to blend in to the environment to make them feel safe.”
Da blinked, struggling to hide a smile.
“Is that why the shirt Nain just bought you came home covered in mud?”
Teddy nodded solemnly.
“Harry was introducing me to them. We made friends.”
“I’m sure you did,” Da hummed, sharing an amused look with Harry.
“We did!” Teddy cried, “here, let me grab them!”
Teddy ran off to his room without a second glance. He’d started a collection of bowtruckles, and had them shoved in a bunch of old jam jars around his room. He hid the jars in different spots, since he thought Da might confiscate them if he found them all in the same place. The only problem was that he couldn’t quite remember where he had put all of them. So, tearing his room apart, Teddy searched for his four jars of bowtruckles. When he found all of them, he sprinted back to the dining room, only to pull up short. The atmosphere was quite sombre. Da had scooted his chair closer to Harry, and was rubbing Harry’s back. Harry had pulled his knees up to his chest, and was staring at them resolutely. He blinked a steady line of tears.
Teddy was shocked. Harry didn’t cry. He was too cool for crying. Why was he crying?
“I’m a horrible person,” Harry whispered.
“No you’re not,” Da shook his head, looking at Harry with concern.
“I am. What kid doesn’t want to spend Christmas with their parents?”
“It’s different, you know it is. It doesn’t make you a bad person for wanting something different. Have you thought of talking to Sirius…?”
“No!” Harry snapped, teeth bared as he finally looked at Da, “he can’t know.” The brief fight sagged out of him, and Harry curled further into himself, “it would break his heart.”
“It breaks his heart when you don’t talk to him. He loves you so much, Harry, he wants you to be happy.”
Harry rubbed away the tears in his eyes.
“I know he does, I-” Harry choked out a sob, tucking his head into his knees, “I’m a terrible person.”
Harry began crying in earnest, Da looked so full of concern it pulled on Teddy’s heart strings. Da scooted even closer, putting his arm around Harry. Harry fell into the half embrace, crying into Da’s armpit.
Teddy felt stuck. This was clearly a private moment. He should go, he should help Sirius in the kitchen. But Teddy was curious by nature, he needed to know what they were talking about. Quietly, Teddy put his jars down and tucked himself into the corner of the room where he wouldn’t be noticed.
“It’s j-just the s-same thing every year. Every year, we freeze our butts off for hours, we eat soggy sandwiches and drink cold hot chocolate. Every year, we give them wilting flowers, and stilted updates about our lives. Every year, Sirius cries, and I stand there like the emotionless prick I am. Every year, they're still dead . I hate it, I hate it so much, Remus. And I hate that I feel this way. They are my parents. I should want to see them. Sirius clearly does.”
“I can’t imagine how difficult it must be,” Da whispered after a few moments of contemplation, “you are so young, Harry. To have lost your parents at such a young age… I can’t imagine the grief you must be holding inside you.”
Harry dried his eyes on Da’s shirt and pulled back to look at his face.
“I’m not sad anymore, I was for a really long time, but I’m okay now. I’m happy.”
Da gave him a watery smile in return, and continued to pet his back.
“You can be happy, and still feel grief. They don’t cancel each other out.”
“... they don’t?”
“When my Da died, I was ecstatic,” Da said bluntly. Harry looked appalled by this. Da chuckled at his expression. “I know. You want to talk about terrible people? Talk about 19 year old me having a celebration when I heard the news.”
Harry was watching Da with rapt attention. Teddy was too, he’d never heard this story.
“Da and I never got along. He was a rude, stubborn, stuck in his ways kind of man. We fought like crazy. Mam left him when I was 11, but I still had to spend summers with him. He was too prideful to let his only son leave his life without a fight.” Da sighed, and looked off vacantly. “We just had such clashing personalities. I never trusted him, most of the time I wondered if I even loved him. I was filled with so much relief when he died. Even though I had already moved away for uni and hadn’t properly spoken to him for a year, it was like this huge weight was taken off my shoulder. So I went down to my local pub, and drank as many pints as I could, bought rounds for the everyone there, even. Only thing is, at some point during the night, the pints stopped being celebratory, and turned into a way to stifle my grief.”
Something clicked behind Da’s eyes, and he turned his gaze back to Harry. He spotted Teddy, but didn’t say anything about his appearance.
“I was so shocked to discover my grief. How could I grieve someone I hated for so much of my life? Someone who was awful to me? How could I grieve when I was so clearly happy ? But grief, it’s not just sadness. It’s everything, it’s everywhere. It’s your chest tightening when you see your best friend make her cup of tea the same way that your Da did, it’s hearing his favourite football team won, and feeling a spark of pride on his behalf, it’s-” Da paused to really look at Harry, “it’s dreading christmas. It’s hating the cold, the graveyard. It’s hating everything that can remind you of the fact that they're gone. The rest of the time, we can ignore it. We can live our lives and pretend that we aren’t experiencing it, that we haven’t lost someone. But Christmas without your parents, Christmas at a graveyard- well, it’s impossible to forget then, isn’t it?”
Harry sniffled, and nodded slowly.
“I just miss them so much.”
“I know,” Da replied softly, “and Sirius does too, even if it doesn’t feel like it.”
Harry blew his nose on to his shirt sleeve, he wiggled under Da’s grasp, and Da let him free. It was quiet and still. Harry played with the hems of his shirt, sniffling now and then.
“Do you like football?” He asked quietly. Da took the topic change in stride, and brushed his fingers through Harry’s dark curls.
“I thought I did, for a while. Da made me play when I was a kid. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t forced into it.”
Harry blinked up at Da, his face growing more hopeful.
“You used to play? What position?! Were your very good?!” Harry moved onto his knees, bouncing off the back of his heels as he shot question after question.
“Oh god ,” Da chuckled softly, dragging hand along his face, “I dunno… defence? I think? The one where you run up and down the field.”
Harry giggled, and clapped a hand over his mouth to hide his smile.
“Remus,” he groaned teasingly, “they all run up and down the field.”
“Ah well,” Da waved his hand dismissively, “goes to show how much I remember.”
They smiled at each other softly. Harry’s smile slipped from his face.
“I want to play football,” he whispered like it was his darkest secret. Da nodded for him to continue. “My Dad used to play professionally, and I used to do it as a kid, but I stopped after he died.”
There was a tense silence, and Harry seemed to flicker through some more emotions.
“The community centre near where I live… they have a children's league. You sign up every couple of months. I never wanted to do it before, but I’ve been thinking of trying it out, recently.”
“That’s good,” Da said encouragingly.
“But-” Harry replied instantly, cutting himself short with a deep breath, “but what if I’m no good? Padfoot has so many stories about Dad, about how good he was, like he was born to play… what if I can’t live up to that?”
“I’m sure just playing is enough. You don’t have to be good to feel connected to him.”
Harry scrunched up his face in distaste.
“I… nevermind. Forget I said anything. I don’t think I want to play after all.”
“Harry…” Da frowned. He was about to continue when Sirius slid back into the dining room, a tray of biscuits in hand.
“Who-” Sirius quickly cut himself off after receiving a rather withering glare from Da. Harry turned to look at his godfather, face full of tear stains and remorse. Da made a shooing gesture at Sirius from behind Harry's back.
“Er.” Sirius looked between the two nervously, “I forgot something in the kitchen. Back in a jiff!” With that, he leapt out of the dining room. Da sighed, and gestured for Teddy to come join them.
Teddy slowly made his way back to his seat, and Da leant over to give him a quick kiss on the head, before turning back to Harry.
“Look, Harry, I can’t tell you what to do. But if you think playing football again would make you happy, you should do it. Even if it’s scary, even if you fail, it is worth it to try. And if it would be any help, I’d be happy to give you a few pointers. although I-”
“Really?” Harry sat up straight, looking shocked and delighted that Da would offer his services, “you’d help? You’d train me?”
Da blinked, stunned by Harry’s sudden enthusiasm.
“Well, I can’t say I’d be any good, it has been 20 years since I last played. But if it would make you feel more confident-”
“Yes!” Harry shouted enthusiastically, “Yes, yes, yes! SIRIUS! SIRIUS COME BACK!”
“What! What is it!?” Sirius came charging back into the dining room looking around frantically. He had one of Da’s old notebooks in his hands. Da looked at Sirius (who was definitely snooping), unimpressed.
“I’m going to play football again! And Remus is going to coach me!”
A slow grin stretched across Sirius’ face.
“That’s great, Harry,” Sirius said warmly, “I’m so happy to hear that. James would be so proud.” Harry looked shy and pleased by that, and suddenly, Teddy felt incredibly left out by whatever was forming between the trio.
“What about me?!” Teddy cried, throwing is hands in the air.
“What about you, Teddy-Bear?” Da asked calmly, “do you want to play football too? If that’s the case I’m sure we could-”
“No, urgh,” Teddy retched, “I do not want to play football . No thank you.”
“Ok. So…?” Da prompted.
“ So , if you and Harry are going to play football together, what will Sirius and I do?”
Sirius looked elated to be lumped into this dilemma. He came to Teddy’s side and ruffled his hair.
“Well, Teds, you and I can do whatever we want!”
“Can we?” Teddy asked suspiciously, looking to Da for confirmation. Da bit his lip, and shrugged.
“I don’t see why not. Unless you’d like to join Harry and I when we go to practice.”
Teddy looked back to Sirius in awe, the opportunities endless.
“You should take me on your fire truck,” Teddy decided.
“Yeah, that’s not gonna happen,” Sirius snorted.
“Your motorcycle, then.”
“Try again.”
“Your… bicycle?”
“It’s the middle of bloody winter!”.
Teddy pouted. Sirius broke at the sight.
“Ugh, fine. I’ll teach you how to ride a bike. Happy?”
“Yes!” Teddy shouted. He stood on his seat, and flung himself into Sirius’ arms. Sirius, while not expecting the sudden child, was quick on his feat, and swung Teddy around in a circle one he caught him.
Da pulled Harry back against his chest, carding his fingers through Harry’s hair. It was lovely, it was domestic. Teddy couldn’t remember a time he’d felt quite so settled .
-----
And yet, despite these weekly dinners, despite Teddy and Sirius, and Da and Harry’s respective bonding activities, Sirius, seemingly, made no deeper of an impression on Da’s life. There was no kissing, or hand holding, or promises of marriage. What was the point of all this scheming, of all this time spent together, if Sirius and his Da weren’t even going to end up together? Da didn’t need another friend, he had plenty of those.
It was time for Teddy to kick things up a notch. He’d been patient, he'd played the long game, but it was time to get back to his original scheme. He had to get Sirius to do something big, something so swoony and grand, Da had no choice but to fall into his arms. Heroes were very easy to fall in love with, afterall, and what’s more heroic than a firefighter saving a man from the grips of death?
So, Teddy had to engineer the perfect scenario, make a setting so terrifying that Sirius could not be seen as anything but a hero when he came to save them. The first opportunity presented itself the third week of January, when he and Da went to the doctor’s office. The office was located in a janky old high rise that smelt like mints and mothballs. Da always looked a little green when they rode the dilapidated lift up to the 12th floor, and today was no exception. The trip up proved Da’s unease, and as the finished their check ups and made it back into the death trap of a lift, Teddy threw caution to the wind. He jammed each button, played them like a keyboard, watching in satisfaction as the buttons glowed under the repeated pressure.
They got stuck half way down. Teddy grinned smugly; Da looked ready to throttle him.
Teddy’s anticipation was bursting at the seams when, after 40 minutes, the firemen arrived to pry them out. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Sirius’ face when he recognized who he was saving. Surely, after saving Da’s life the two would get together. Sirius would pull Da out of the lift, and Da would fall into his arms and snog him senseless as thanks.
The only problem- Sirius wasn’t there when the lift opened. There was a woman and a man who Teddy didn’t recognize.
Teddy got rather huffy after that, just another wasted day, and he would get in trouble for it.
Da was unnervingly silent on the drive home, his hands tense against the driving wheel. He didn’t say a single word to Teddy, but Teddy knew he’d be in for quite the scolding when they got home.
Da almost banned Harry from coming over the following Wednesday. Luckily, Da still had his heart, no matter how disruptive Teddy had been, and Wednesday saw Harry and Teddy cuddled up together, going over a spelling book.
“Why can’t they just get married already?” Teddy whined, flopping on to his back after a particularly strenuous set of words.
Harry and Teddy had conferred plans recently, after discovering their mutual interest in getting their parents together.
“Patience, young one, things like this take time,” Harry replied wisely.
“I don’t have time!” Teddy wailed, “I’ll be 6 soon- who wants to parent a 6 year old? Everyone knows the best age is 5!”
Harry shook his head with laughter, and pushed Teddy on the shoulder.
“Please, everyone knows the best age is 11. Plus, you should be grateful they’re taking their time. Sirius wouldn’t know what to do with a 6 year old; He’s never had to raise one before.”
“Really?” Teddy looked at Harry in intrigue, “then how long have you…”
“Since I was eight,” Harry replied quietly, tucking his chin down, “that’s when I moved in with Sirius.”
Teddy blinked, unsure how to proceed with the suddenly sombre mood.
“Oh,” he said quietly, “do you-”
“Teddy? TEDDY!” Da started shouting, his feet trampling down the hall to Teddy’s room.
Da came bursting in, chest heaving, looking at the boys frantically.
“No, Dorc, I’m just talking to him now- no, I need- I can’t take him with me, can you-” Da clenched his teeth as the person on the phone chatted away, “I’m going to call him right after this. I need - yes, can you? That’s- yes, I know - Just- hold on-”
Da held the phone to his shoulder.
“Teddy, Nain’s had an accident- I’m going to call Sirius and have him pick up Harry, and Auntie Dorcas is going to come over and look after you while I go to the hospital.”
Da turned his attention back to the phone, where he was presumably speaking to Auntie Dorcas.
“Can you come? I know it’s last minute.” Da turned around, lowering his voice “I can’t leave them here on their own…”
Teddy was stunned at the turn of events, and looked at Harry with horror-struck eyes. Nain? In the hospital? But Nain was impenetrable, the strongest woman Teddy knew. How could she be in a hospital?
Da hung up with Auntie Dorcas, and immediately began typing into his phone. Harry bit his lip, looking between the two Lupins anxiously.
“Shit,” Da whispered, shoulders hanging, clenching the phone in his hands.
“Er… Remus?” Harry said shyly. Da looked at him fleetingly, before turning his attention back to his phone, “I can babysit Teddy. I’m old enough. You don’t need to call Sirius.”
Da eyed Harry wearily.
“Thank you for offering, Harry,” He said, already dialling a new number, “it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I’d like to have a proper conversation about what it would entail, if you were to babysit. And I’m afraid I don’t have time for that right now.”
“But-”
“ Remus! Hello!” a bright, loud voice boomed from the phone.
Da’ eyes widened comically, and he flailed his arms around as he brought the phone up to his ear.
“Hi,” Da said breathily, eyes darting around the room. Da relaxed a little, his gaze dropped to the ground, his cheeks turned pink. “Hi,” he said again, much more softly.
Teddy and Harry watched intensely, wishing they could hear what Sirius was saying.
“No, no,” Da shook his head, “everything’s alright.” He looked at the kids quickly, with a pained expression.
“Actually, it’s not. I don’t know why I said that,” Da huffed. “Oh! No, the boys are fine. It’s just my Mam, she had a fall. She’s in the hospital. I need to- you will ?”
Da blinked, looking utterly surprised by whatever Sirius had said.
“You really don’t have to. That’s too much. It’s fine, I can always...”
Da smiled shyly, but it lit up his whole face. He scuffed his foot along the floor, and leaned back against this wall with a dreamy look to his face. He reminded Teddy of the girls at school who would swoon over boys like Harry whenever they did something particularly brave.
“Thank you,” Da whispered, “I’m sure he’d like that. He adores you… oh, I don’t know about that.”
Da laughed in a self-deprecating kind of way, and looked at Harry fondly.
“Alright. I’ll see you soon, then?” Da nodded to himself, “okay, bye.”
Da hung up, and stared down at his phone lovingly, unable to hide his smitten smile.
“Well?” Harry prompted.
Da jumped slightly, as if forgetting they were there. He ran a hand through his hair and began nodding quickly.
“Sirius has offered to take Teddy home with him, so you two can have a sleepover.”
“REALLY!?” Teddy shouted, already buzzing with energy. Da laughed at his enthusiasm.
“Yes, but you have to be good, since it’s a school night.”
“I’ll be so good, Da, thank you, thank you, thank you!!”
Da ruffled Teddy’s hair, and looked at Harry with his eyebrows raised.
“Is that okay with you, Harry? I know you didn’t sign up to host an over enthusiastic five year old all night.”
“Of course!” Harry exclaimed, “it’ll be great! I’ll finally get to show him my race car collection.”
“Wonderful,” Da said, though his face didn’t convey it, “now, lets get you all ready to go, so Sirius won’t have to wait long when he gets here.”
Things moved rather quickly after that.
Sirius came, Teddy said goodbye to his father for the night, and then they were off. Things were a blur at Sirius’ place. Teddy was overcome with excitement at seeing the place his favourite person and his best friend lived. Harry and Sirius made him feel extremely at home. They played with Harry’s toy cars, they watched a movie, and even made hot cocoa. On a school night !
“Will Remus be alright?” Harry asked, over his cup of cocoa, lips downcast, eyes pulled in a frown.
“I’m sure he will, Prongslet,” Sirius replied easily. Harry did not look eased by that.
“He just seemed so frantic, earlier.”
“I have a feeling that’s just Remus’ natural state of being,” Sirius said with a wink directed at Teddy.
“I just,” Harry sighed, and slowly pushed his mug along the dining room table, “Remus only has his Mum and Teddy. And with Teddy here, and his Mum in the hospital… don’t you worry that he’ll be terribly sad? And alone?”
Teddy’s eyes widened. He hadn’t thought about it like that. He’d been so excited at the prospect of a sleepover, he didn’t even think about what his Da was going through. Or his Nain. Teddy’s eyes watered as he thought about the pain she must be in.
“Oh, Teddy! Don’t cry,” Harry urged kindly, placing a sturdy hand on Teddy’s shoulder, “I didn’t mean to upset you, I’m just worried. I’m sure your Da is fine. I didn’t mean it.”
It was too late for Harry’s consoling words to have any effect, and tears came easily. Teddy slumped back in his seat, threw his head back, and let out his most devastated wail.
Harry immediately covered his ears, sending a panicked look towards Sirius. Sirius returned the look only momentarily.
“Harry, why don’t you go upstairs and get Teddy’s bed all set up?”
Harry was all too eager to comply. Once he’d fled, Sirius tentatively made his way to Teddy’s side.
“Shh, shh, Teds, it’s alright.”
Teddy flung himself into Sirius’ chest without thinking, sobbing into his chest. Sirius took him easily, rubbing soothing circles into his back.
“I-I want m-my d-da,” Teddy said through sobs.
“I know, dear, I know,” Sirius continued his soft ministrations, “you must be very scared right now. But your Da is okay. He’s a trooper, that one. Nothing can hurt him.”
“B-but-”
“No buts. Your Da is the strongest guy I know.”
Teddy’s breath hitched at that, his sobs quieting.
“Really?” he blinked up at Sirius.
“Really,” Sirius replied, leaving no room for disagreement, “he is strong, and brave, and fearless-”
“Just like a firefighter?”
Sirius struggled to stifle his smile. His smile won out.
“Yes, Teddy, just like a firefighter. Braver, even.”
“Wow,” Teddy sniffled, tucking his head back into Sirius’ chest.
“You know, if my Mum was in the hospital, I don’t think I could bear to face her. It takes a lot of guts for your Da to be there with your Nain. And it’s brave of you too, to let him do it alone.”
“It is?”
“Yes,” Sirius replied emphatically, “it is so brave. It can be so hard letting someone you love feel pain, so the very fact that you care for your Da, the fact that you’re scared for him, just shows how brave you are, how much love you feel.”
Sirius began to rock Teddy in his arms, like he was a little baby. Teddy thought he should be a little affronted at that, but he supposed he deserved it, since he was in fact acting like a big, giant baby.
“‘M sorry,” Teddy mumbled, feeling much more calm. He pulled away slightly, wiping furiously at his eyes, “I know you don’t like five year olds.”
“What?” Sirius spluttered, holding on to Teddy even tighter.
“It’s okay, Harry told me you don’t like them,” Teddy shrugged helplessly, “sorry for being bad.”
“ Teddy.”
“I said no such thing!” Harry screeched from wherever he was eavesdropping. There were rushed footsteps, and Harry came panting back into the dining room.
“Harry James Potter,” Sirius began crossly, tucking Teddy back into his chest, “what exactly have you been telling Mr. Tedward here?”
“I didn’t-” Harry began defensively, “I just said you’ve never raised a 5 year old before- that you wouldn’t know what to do with them! I never said you didn’t like them!”
“Same thing,” Teddy pouted.
“It is not!” Harry shrieked indignantly. Sirius began to snicker, and all the fight left Harry.
“Oh, you ,” Harry said sourly as he threw his hands in the air. He slumped into the seat across from Teddy, and stuck his tongue out at him, crossing his eyes. Teddy giggled freely.
“Right, then,” Sirius began to bounce Teddy on his knee, “nothing like a good night’s sleep after a big cry. What do you say, boys? Is it time to hit the sack?”
Harry pouted, but nodded in agreement.
“Alright, you two get into your jammies, and I’ll meet you in the toilet for toothbrushing, okay?”
Harry groaned, already dragging himself from his seat.
“C’mon, Teddy,” he beckoned.
Teddy wiggled out of Sirius lap. He felt much better already, but still had an echo of his strong emotions rattling around in him. Without any hesitation, Teddy grabbed Harry’s hand, and intertwined their fingers. Harry startled slightly, but looked down at Teddy with a giant, brotherly grin.
“C’mon, I’ll show you to your bed.”
Teddy was shocked to discover a third bedroom in the flat. Teddy didn’t know flats could have third bedrooms.
The room was small, but cosy, and Teddy was more than happy to fling himself onto the mattress.
“Sirius said you had to get changed,” Harry reminded him before Teddy could get too comfortable.
Teddy sighed and rolled off the bed. Harry helped him wiggle his shirt off when it got stuck over his head.
“What I said before, about your Da being alone,” Harry said so quietly, Teddy almost couldn’t hear him, “I really didn’t mean to upset you, it’s just… when my parents died, I had Sirius to look after me, y’know?”
Teddy looked down at his feet, not sure what to say.
“I don’t know what I would have done without Sirius…” Harry trailed off, a far away look glazing over his eyes. He shook himself, and directed a tiny, hopeful smile towards Teddy. “What I’m trying to say, is that maybe if your Da doesn’t have someone like Sirius to look after him… maybe he could just have Sirius?”
Teddy looked at Harry in awe.
“I’d like that,” Teddy replied, almost too earnestly, “I’d like that a lot.”
Teddy awoke to the sound of the doorbell, and an urgent pair of shuffled feet.
“Remus? What are you-” Sirius’ voice echoed throughout the house, before dropping to a whisper, “sorry. What are you doing here?”
Da was here? But it was still dark outside! Teddy had probably only been asleep an hour! Teddy immediately got up, sneaking across the room and cracking the door open.
“No, no. I’m sorry. I should have given you a heads up. But after what you messaged about Teddy, and everything with my mam, I thought- I wanted-” Da let out a choked noise. Some more shuffling occurred, and the front door slammed shut. Teddy already had one foot out his bedroom door, when Sirius spoke.
“Teddy’s already asleep, has been for a while.”
There was a pause, then Da replied with a dejected, “oh.”
More silence. It grew heavier with each passing second. Apparently, Sirius and Da could only take so much of it, and broke it at the same time.
“I guess I should go.”
“Would you like to stay the night?”
The silence was abrupt, it was as if some outward force had commanded the two men to stop speaking at once.
“Uh-”
“Spend the night,” Sirius said with determination, “Teddy will be happy to see you in the morning.”
“Okay,” Da replied slowly; suspiciously.
“And, um, well, er,” Sirius took a breath so deep, Teddy could hear it from the second floor, “I would be too. Happy, that is. To see you. In the morning.”
Teddy held his breath, it felt like the appropriate thing to do, though he wasn’t quite sure why.
“Oh,” Da breathed out, like he was having some great revelation. “Right. Okay. Yes. Right.”
“Alright?”
“Yes.”
“That’s okay?”
“ Yes .”
“Are you sure?”
“For god's- Sirius ,” Da laughed joyously.
“I only have one bed though, Teddy’s in the spare. There’s the couch, it’s not always comfortable, but I can-”
“I don’t mind,” Da cut him off, sounding rather flippant.
“...You don’t mind?”
“No.”
“Which part, exactly?’
Da laughed again.
“I don’t mind,” Da stressed, “we can share your bed.”
“We can?” Sirius asked, sounding a bit dumbfounded.
“Sure,” Da replied lightly.
“O-okay.”
Teddy groaned at the following silence. Why couldn’t they just talk like normal people?
“Shall we, then?” Sirius asked shyly.
“Lead the way.”
Teddy tucked back into his room as he heard two pairs of feet ascending the hall. His heart felt tight and fluttery, and he crawled back into bed with the warmest feeling settling into his stomach.
----
They didn’t speak about it. They didn’t speak about the way Teddy had woken Da up, finding him in Sirius’ bed with no evident clothes on, tangled together in a heap of limbs. They talked about Nain, and Harry, and sometimes Sirius, but they never talked about that morning. It had been two weeks and nothing.
Now, Teddy didn’t know for certain if two adults sleeping in the same bed meant anything, but he knew for a fact that that’s what parents did. What couples did. But his Da didn’t say a single word about that day, and now Teddy didn’t know what to do with himself. Was his plan working? Was Sirius actually on his way to becoming Teddy's second Da?
With these questions left unanswered, and Da’s reluctance to share anything about Sirius, Teddy, once again, decided to take things into his own hands.
He needed to speak with Sirius. Alone . After the whole ordeal with Nain, Harry had stopped coming over. While Da had been able to squeeze in the odd football practice with Harry, Teddy couldn’t get a free moment with Sirius. Despite completing their goal of learning how to ride a bike, Teddy felt Sirius' absence deeply.
Teddy now either spent his free time at the hospital, at the library with Da as he made up for shifts he missed, or with Auntie Dorcas while Da did a combination of the previous two by himself.
It was one of those afternoons now. Auntie Dorcas had finished helping him with his subtraction timetables, and was now making tea, when Teddy got his next great idea. Auntie Dorcas’ cat, a tabby named Gertrude, was staring wistfully out the window, and Teddy was suddenly reminded of a story Sirius had told him, one where a fireman had to rescue a cat from a tree…
Before he could second guess himself, Teddy wrestled Gertrude into his arms, and sprinted outside.
Auntie Dorcas had a splendid little cottage just outside the city. It was quaint and colourful, two stories tall with a vibrant garden in the front. Teddy particularly loved the two sweeping sycamore trees that hid the house from the main street. They were broad and tall and sturdy, perfect for entrapping a cat.
Shifting Gertrude onto his shoulder, Teddy took hold of the nearest branch, and began hoisting himself up. Teddy had never climbed a tree before, Da had never let him. It was surprisingly easy to scale, and Teddy was buzzing with adrenaline as made his way higher and higher. It was liberating, to climb so fast, to feel the wind tickling his ears and his feet at the same time.
Getrude wiggled against him, scratching at his back, hitting his face with her tail. Teddy paused at a particularly high branch to readjust his grip, and only then looked down.
Teddy felt the air leave him. His feet wobbled, he scrambled to take hold of the tree. He was up high, really high. Too high.
“Auntie D-dorky-” he whimpered, his fear permitting him from speaking any louder. Shakily, he scooted into a sitting position, holding Gertrude to his chest. This was a bad idea. A really bad idea.
The sobs began immediately, Teddy’s little chest felt tight with his choked air. He cried and cried and cried, unable to hold back his fear.
He’s not sure how long he was out there, not sure when Auntie Dorky discovered his disappearance, when she came outside and heard his terrified cries. All he knew was that he was scared and cold and all alone. He would probably be stuck up in this tree forever. Teddy swore to himself that if he made it out of this tree alive, he would never ever do anything this daring and adventurous ever again.
Teddy was soon brought out of his hazy fugue state when the sound of sirens punctured the eerie quiet of the pleasant countryside. His sobs began to soften as he watched the fire truck pull up in front of Auntie Dorky’s house. He could see her now, pacing anxiously with her head turned towards the sky, towards Teddy.
A firefighter appeared beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder, breaking her rapt attention. Auntie Dorky’s head turned sharply toward the person, and she sagged with relief. The two spoke for some time, Auntie Dorky nodding and smiling along. She hugged the firefighter fiercely, and when they parted, the firefighter began climbing the truck’s ladder that had been extended towards the tree.
“Hey kid,” a teasing voice said from behind a helmet and a pair of cool sunglasses, “fancy seeing you here.”
Teddy recognized the firefighter to be Marlene, her springy blonde curls poking out from under her helmet.
Teddy’s lip wobbled, too afraid to speak or move.
“You’re in quite the pickle, aren’t you,” she continued flippantly, leaning her elbows on a ladder step as if she wasn’t several feet off the ground, “would you like some help getting down?”
Marlene reached out her hand, inviting Teddy to take it. Teddy looked at it with wide eyes, looked to the ground, scanning the group that had gathered below, then glanced back at Marlene.
“I want Sirius.”
Marlene sucked air through her teeth, and shook her head.
“Tough luck kid, Sirius isn’t here.”
“He has a day off?”
“Nope,” Marlene replied, popping the ‘p’, “he had another call to respond too.”
Teddy let this sink in, eyes roaming back to the ground.
“You do know we have more than three firefighters in our unit, right? We don’t all respond to the same emergencies”
“Right,” Teddy choked out, very much not knowing this.
Marlene watched him carefully, Teddy did everything in his power not to start crying again. Marlene nodded to herself once, and leaned in conspiratorially.
“Tell you what, if you help me out, I’ll help you.”
Teddy looked at her, the question clear on his face.
“You put in a good word for me with Ms. Meadows down there, I’ll help you get out of this tree.”
Teddy bit his lip, glancing down at Auntie Dorky.
“I mean, I’m sure you could get down all by yourself, and that you don’t even need my help. But this thing is, I do. I need your help, Teddy. But I’m too prideful to ask you for a favour without returning one. So. You help me out with your Aunt, and I’ll help you get down. What do you say?”
Teddy sniffled, and wiped his eyes briefly. He nodded and scooted forward, readjusting that cat in his lap.
“Take Gertie first. Dorky will never forgive me if I let something happen to her.”
Marlene shot Teddy an appraising smile, and scooped the tabby into her arms.
“Hang tight Teddy, I’ll be back in a ‘mo.”
With that she scrambled down the ladder, passing Gertrude off to another firefighter, and was back up with Teddy in an instant. Teddy went easily this time, falling helplessly into Marlene’s arms. Guilt swirled at the bottom of his stomach as they approached ground level. Auntie Dorky was sure to yell at him.
However, to Teddy’s surprise, Auntie Dorky’s agitated face was not what met him. Instead, she looked soft and relieved, and the second Marlene’s feet hit the ground, Auntie Dorky was running over to them.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said breathlessly, kissing both Teddy and Marlene on the cheeks.
She caressed Teddy’s cheek lovingly, and Teddy was appalled to see tears in her eyes. He never thought he would make Auntie Dorky cry!
“You have no idea what this means to me,” she said to Marlene, staring up at the taller woman with stars in her eyes, “you saved him… I have no idea what I would have done if… thank you. ”
Marlene’s cheeks turned pink, and she bit her lip.
“Really, it’s no problem. It’s my job…” Marlene replied bashfully.
Auntie Dorky gripped Marlene’s bicep, staring into her eyes with determination.
“And you were amazing at it. Really. I can’t thank you enough.”
Marlene opened her mouth to respond, but Teddy was quicker, making due on his promise.
“Marlene was really brave. She was so strong and understanding and very nice. She would make a good wife, I bet.”
Marlene cackled, looking slightly embarrassed. Auntie Dorky took a step back, letting her eyes roam Marlene’s figure.
“Mmm. You know what Teddy, I think you’re right.”
“Maybe you should kiss and hug her as a thank you?”
Dorcas grinned brightly, and nodded. She leaned in and placed a slow, grazing kiss to the corner of Marlene’s lips.
“Thank you,” she batted her eyes at Marlene. Marlene’s mouth dropped wide open.
Teddy blinked. He did it again. Surely, it wasn’t that easy? He’s been matchmaking for Da and Sirius for months, and nothing he’s said or done has worked. What was wrong with them? Why couldn’t they just listen to him, like Auntie Dorky did?
Marlene gulped, staring at Dorcas with wide eyes as she stepped away. Marlene put her hands on her hips, dropped them, then propped them back up again.
“Food?” Marlene said abruptly, “tonight? Pasta. Meal. Spaghetti? Food- but at night.”
“Dinner?” Auntie Dorky clarified, humour clear in her voice.
“Yes,” Marlene sagged, “that.”
“Yeah, alright,” Auntie Dorky smiled sweetly.
Marlene looked stunned at this, and finally put Teddy down. Teddy scampered inside, needing to release his bladder after all that anxiety. When he returned, the firemen had left, and Auntie Dorky had a dreamy look to her face.
It faltered, when she made eye contact with Teddy.
“I-” Teddy began, apology already on his lips.
“You are having a talk with your father,” she all but growelled.
“But-”
“Your. Father.”
Teddy sighed, flopping onto the couch. He should have known he wouldn’t have gotten out of this unscathed.
-----
Strictly speaking, Teddy wasn't grounded. He was too young to be grounded, too innocent. He was, however, on strict Da Duty. Or more, Da was on strict Teddy Duty. Teddy never had a moment to himself anymore. Da was there when he woke up, when he fell asleep. Teddy went to work with Da when he wasn’t at school. Harry was allowed over, but only if they were doing homework where Da could see them. Da never asked Sirius or Harry to stay for dinner anymore either, he didn’t want them to wind Teddy up. Teddy wasn’t even allowed to go to Auntie Dorky’s without Da’s supervision.
Needless to say, Teddy was sick of it.
He missed the days when he’d been a young, reckless lad, free to roam the flat whenever he chose. Now, he felt like a prisoner. And sure, maybe he dug his own grave by continuously getting first responders called on him, but he didn’t think it required this strong of a reaction.
So, Teddy sat, bored as ever, at Da’s feet under his desk at the library. Teddy was doing his best to use his imagination, to make their monotonous routine a bit more interesting. Currently, he was pretending to hide from a dragon. But even this imaginary dragon couldn’t hold his interest for long.
Chalk it up to boredom. Chalk it up to Teddy being a restless, good for nothing kid. Blame his age, his innocence, his lack of understanding of how his actions affect others. Or maybe it was sheer spite that made him do it, maybe he resented his Da for punishing him, wanted to twist the knife in a little further while he could. Or maybe, he was just an addict who got off on the thrill of causing emergencies.
Whatever it was, it caused Teddy to zero in on the shiny, bright red fire alarm that was positioned next to a very climbable photocopier. It caused Teddy to abandon his post under Da’s desk, to stoop under Da’s legs while he was talking to a patron, to throw caution to the wind and climb up the mountain of a machine, his very own Everest, and wrap his fingers around the fire alarm and pull down harder than he’s pulled on anything in his life.
Teddy felt victorious as the alarm’s wails filled the spacious library. He watched with a twinge of corrupted satisfaction as the sprinklers began to pour down, extinguishing a fire that wasn’t there. Teddy felt smug as he saw the alarm in people’s faces, at the way they rushed around him looking for an exit. There , he thought, that’ll teach Da. He won’t ever punish me again after this.
If only he knew how wrong he could be.
Teddy slipped away from the fire alarm, making his way back to Da who calmly packed up his bag. Da’s shoulders were raised high, nearly touching his ears. He gripped his briefcase so hard his knuckles were white. Teddy sidled up to him, the face of innocence.
Da was not fooled.
He stared at Teddy unflinchingly. He looked down at Teddy as if he didn’t recognize his own son. His nostrils flared, his chest filled and emptied with each consistent deep breath. Da didn’t say anything, he simply began to walk, expecting Teddy to catch up with him. Da’s posture was too rigid; he walked like a robot. Teddy was starting to get a bad feeling about this, the slightest feeling of guilt niggling away at the bottom of his stomach.
When they made it outside, Da didn’t go to the library’s designated meeting spot. He kept walking down the long courtyard towards the street. His hackles were raised, anger practically radiating off of him.
“Da?” Teddy asked hesitantly, looking over at Da’s boss as they passed, “shouldn’t we-”
“We’re going home,” he said with a tone of finality that even Teddy dared not question.
They kept walking in silence, Teddy taking stock of all the minute changes in Da’s body language. He didn’t think he’d ever seen Da so... livid … before. Teddy was paying so close attention to Da, he didn’t even notice what was going on around him until Da pulled up short, Teddy crashing into his legs shortly after.
“Remus!” A cheery, honey laced voice pulled Teddy from his stupor.
“Sirius,” Da grunted roughly, crossing his arms.
No , Teddy silently begged, don’t ruin things with Sirius just because you’re mad at me.
“We’ve got to stop meeting like this,” Sirius said sweetly.
“Actually,” Da’s voice was the opposite; cold, hard, detached, “I agree.”
“Oh.” Sirius’ grin was uncertain, wavering as his eyes flicked between Remus and Teddy. “Everything al-”
“Sorry, but we’ve got to go.”
Da didn’t wait a single second. He put his hand on Teddy’s head and started to pass Sirius briskly.
“Harry’s got his first footie game at the end of the month. It would mean a lot to him if you came.”
“I don’t think that's a good idea.”
Da didn’t even look at Sirius as he huffed out his response. Didn’t see the hurt flash across Sirius’ features.
“Remus, really, is everything okay?” Sirius jogged after Da to keep up.
“I’m fine, Sirius. I need to get Teddy home.”
“Let me drive you.”
“You’re working.”
“The building’s got faulty wiring, there’s no emergency. The team won’t miss me. And you’re what, five minutes away?”
“I’m good,” Da grit out, before belatedly adding, “thanks.”
“Look, Remus, you’re clearly upset about something. I don’t want-”
“Do you even have your car?” Da spun around to face Sirius. Sirius took a step back on instinct.
Sirius opened his mouth to respond. He closed it, then scratched his head.
“Er, I was thinking I could drive your car if that's alright with you.”
Da glared at him. The joints of his jaw were the only thing that moved, grating his teeth in irritation.
“Fine,” he barked out, “I don’t see why it’s so important to you. But okay, you can drive us home.”
“Great” Sirius perked up like a puppy, but Da didn’t even see his reaction, not waiting for anyone as he made his way towards the car, “I’ll just let Benjy know.”
Da grunted his acknowledgment. Teddy ran up to keep pace with him, sending a look of fear towards Sirius. Sirius shook his head with a laugh, and walked-jogged over to a fireman by the library entrance.
Da had just finished tucking Teddy into his booster seat when Sirius returned, nicking the keys from Da’s jean pockets and shimmying away quickly as if Da was about to whip around and snatch them back that very second.
“Let’s go, Lupins!” Sirius cried out far too cheerily, hopping into the driver's seat without a second thought. Da reluctantly joined him in the passenger's seat.
“How have you two been? I feel like it’s been forever since we last spoke…” Teddy could see through the rearview mirror that Sirius was glancing at Da shyly, “been starting any fires, Teddy-Monster?”
“He may as well have,” Da grumbled, shifting in his seat to glare out the window.
Sirius hummed, but not even his extraverted tendencies could save the conversation.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence, not a Lupin said a word. Now and again, Sirius would pipe up when a random thought crossed his mind, but his lackluster audience silenced him pretty quickly.
“Home sweet home!” Sirius cooed as soon as he finished parking the car. Da slumped out of his seat, collected Teddy, and held out his hands for the car keys. Sirius returned them, but began to follow them into the building.
“Coming in now, are you?” Da asked, half amused and enraged by the presumption.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in for a cuppa?” Sirius batted his eyes.
Da scoffed, but held the door open for Sirius behind him.
Once in the flat, Da told Teddy to go to his room, that he would deal with you later .
Teddy sent the biggest thank you eyes to Sirius, no doubt the reason he wasn’t getting a lecture, and scampered off.
“Alright,” Teddy could hear Sirius’ voice echo throughout the flat, “do you want to remove that giant stick in your arse, or shall I?”
“I’d rather like to keep it in, actually. So if you could bugger off-”
“What’s going on, Rem? You’ve gone all… cold. I feel like I haven’t seen you all month.”
“I saw you last week,” Da mumbled.
“Yeah, for half an hour during your lunch break. We talked about tennis the entire time.”
“I thought you liked tennis.”
“I like it when you talk about tennis.”
Da huffed, Teddy felt as if he’d just watched a bomb go off. Da saw Sirius? Without Teddy? They talked about tennis?
“I just-” Sirius cut himself off, “I want you to know you can talk to me.”
“I know,” Da said it like he was trying to convince himself.
“Do you?”
Silence.
“What’s going on with you and Teddy? And don’t tell me its nothing or its fine, it is clearly not fine.”
Da sighed, shuffling around the kitchen. Teddy’s heart was hammering out of his chest.
“I don’t know what’s going on with him,” Da admitted quietly, “he’s always been such an easy kid. From the day we brought him home from the hospital, he was on our sleep schedule. No waking up in the middle of the night, no screaming, nothing. Even when Nym left, he was good. Loving, and forgiving, and curious, but never mad. But now… it’s like I don’t even recognize him. He’s acting out for no reason. It’s like I can’t go a week with emerg being called on him. I’d understand if he had a passion for starting fires, hell, if that were it I’d take him camping every weekend just to quench his thirst for it, but that’s not it. You know, last month he took Dorky’s cat up into her old Sycamore? The tree is three stories high, rotted to the core. The city has it marked to be chopped down… it could have snapped under his weight. He could have seriously injured himself. But he’s just been so… so thoughtless , like nothing even matters to him anymore. He always thinks- that's why he and I get along so well. We like rules and order and manners… but clearly he doesn’t anymore. I don’t know when we stopped liking the same things. God , Sirius, he’s only five and I already feel like I’m losing him.”
“Remus…” Sirius replied sympathetically, “have you ever thought of just… giving him a break?”
“Excuse me?” Da replied sharply. Sirius didn’t hear the edge.
“He’s five . He’ll grow out of it. He’s not some crook just because he’s gotten into a bit of trouble.”
“A bit? Sirius, he’s had emergency responders called on him five times! This isn’t some little accident anymore, he is actively going out of his way to cause harm. I don’t understand his reasoning at all.”
“His reasoning is that he’s a kid.”
“But what if it’s not?” Da barrelled on, barely letting Sirius respond, “I’m scared, Sirius. I genuinely have no idea what’s causing him to act out. I know he’s always looked up to firefighters, but surely all this isn’t about some childish infatuation?”
Teddy gnawed on his lip, guilt plucking away at him. He couldn’t bring himself to stop eavesdropping, however.
“Yes, well,” Sirius began with a faux haughtiness, “when we’re as phenomenal as we are, can you blame him for wanting a little attention?”
Sirius finished speaking with an easygoing chuckle. But Da was not laughing. Da was not saying anything. The silence stretched out, thick and uncomfortable, making Teddy’s skin itch even from his removed distance.
“Oh. My. God.” Da said slowly, clearly enunciating each word.
“Remus?”
“You need to leave,” Da said in a rush.
“Excuse me?”
“You can’t be here anymore.”
“I don’t understand.”
“How did I not see it? God, of course that’s what he’s been doing. I’m so fucking stupid-”
“Hey now-”
“You really need to go, Sirius.”
“Are we still on for Tuesday?”
“No,” Da said firmly, Sirius breathed in heavily at that.
Their voices grew further away, drifting towards the front door.
“Ok, Harry’s game, then?”
“No, I-” Da broke off shakily, “I don’t think we should see each other again.”
“ What? ”
“Teddy’s been infatuated with you since you met. No wonder he’d been acting out, he’s been trying to get your attention!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Remus, I was joking before-”
“No. No, it makes sense. All those comments when we met- he’s trying to-to replace Nym, or something. He wants you to be in his life, filling that role.”
“Would that be so bad?” Sirius asks, voice low.
“It would be dangerous .”
“How? I’m not going to hurt him!”
“You don’t know that.”
“I’m not!” Sirius replied stubbornly, a bit more bite to his voice, “I love Teddy, I would never-”
“Stop. I don’t want to hear it.”
“You have to!”
“No, I really don’t. I can’t have you around Teddy anymore. Not if he keeps thinking starting fires will impress you. I can’t have that stress in my life, wondering what he’ll do next to get your attention.”
“Don’t do this, Remus.”
“It’s done. We both knew our kids came first when we started this.”
“You are impossible,” Sirius said sourly, the hurt clear in his voice.
“I’m sorry Sirius,” Da said quietly, “but it has to be done.”
Silence followed.
“What about Harry?” Sirius asked defiantly.
“I-”
“What about me ,” Sirius' voice broke with his last word. Teddy didn’t know why, but he felt tears slipping down his cheeks.
“I have to put my kid first.”
Sirius didn’t respond. Teddy creeped out of his room quietly to get a better look at them.
Sirius had his back to the door, looking up at Da both defiantly and with grief. His eyes flickered between Da’s unbelievingly. His body was open, limp, except for the hand that tightly gripped Da’s wrist. Teddy couldn’t see Da’s face, but he breathed raggedly, his shoulders sagged. He still had his angry, tense demeanour from earlier, but he seemed less certain of himself. Less whole.
Da placed his other hand on top of Sirius’ death grip.
“I have to,” he repeated, squeezing Sirius’ hand once before prying it off. Sirius pursed his lips sourly, but his eyes were glossy with tears.
“ Fine ,” Sirius snarled. He didn’t let Da get another word in before turning around, flinging the door open, and slamming it shut with equal vigour.
Da stood in the dust for many minutes. He pinched the bridge of his nose, curling in on himself more than he already was.
“I know you're hiding,” Da mumbled. He shifted slightly, so he could open a weary eye and peek at Teddy. Teddy stood up straight, unaware he’d been caught up until this moment. “Let’s chat, yeah?”
Teddy bit his lip, looking at the couch Da was approaching as if it might attack. But it wasn’t like he could say no. Hesitantly, he shuffled forward, sitting across from Da on the opposite end of the couch.
“Why did you ask Sirius to go away?” He asked, wide eyed and innocent.
Da’s face was made of stone, it gave nothing away.
“I’ve tolerated a lot of your outbursts,” Da began slowly, ignoring the question, “I’ve encouraged them, even. I’ve been lenient and understanding, because you’re my boy and I love you . There is nothing more important to me than you, Teddy. And I know you’re a kid. I know you may not realise what you’re doing, so I’m not… mad … not in a real sense. I’m not angry with you Teddy.”
Teddy swallowed. His guilt should have disappeared, right? Da was forgiving him?
“But,” Da said sharply. Teddy should have seen this coming, “what you did today… I understood the toast in the oven, I understood playing at school, playing with lift buttons, climbing Dorcas’ tree… but this? Teddy, we were at my place of work. I don’t have any protection, they could fire me if they find out you pulled the alarm.”
“What?!” Teddy exclaimed, swinging onto his knees. He felt as if he’d just been sucker punched. Da grimaced, pushing through Teddy’s outburst.
“There are fines for these kinds of things, when you pull a fire alarm and don’t mean it… I don’t have the money to pay that kind of fee.”
“But nobody saw me! Nobody will know!”
“There are security cameras, Ted. Someone will look.”
“No!” Teddy’s eyes began to prickle, his head beginning to swim with what if scenarios… What if he’ll have to live with Nain again, like he did when Ma left, and Da couldn’t support them on his own? What if he’d have to go to an orphanage now that Nain was in the hospital? What if he was a crook now, what if Sirius never forgave him for committing this act against firemen?
“Money aside, there are precious books in that library, books that could now be damaged from the water the alarms caused. We have safeguards in place, but Teds, we could be looking at thousands of books damaged because of your senseless action.”
Teddy’s lip wobbled. Da loved books, Teddy loved books. How could he have ruined something he loves?
“Whatmore,” Da continued, unrelenting, “when I bring you to work, I trust you to act with your best judgement. I trust you to represent me, my values, everything I’ve taught you. I’ve always been so proud to show you off, to call you my son. You are such a lovely presence to have by my side. But Teddy,” Da’s breath hitched, tears streamed down his face, already hurting over what he’d have to say. “Today, you did not make me proud.”
Teddy was sure this was hell. The ground must have crumbled beneath him, he must be falling into Hades arms this very moment. There was nothing worse than this feeling. This was rock bottom. This was what men died from. Teddy, not once, not ever, had felt so horrible. And what made it worse, he knew he deserved it. He’d only been thinking of Da, and yet he’d hurt him the most. Teddy wasn’t aware that anyone else could experience the consequences of his actions. This was life shattering, world altering. If Teddy knew that he was hurting his Da, Sirius, their relationship to their jobs… well, Teddy would have put an end to this long ago.
Teddy, after minimal sobbing, pulled himself together.
“I’m sorry, Da,” he whimpered, “I’m so, so sorry. I’ll never do anything like it again.”
“I know Anwyl, I know,” Da said soothingly, opening up his arm. Teddy took the invitation, flinging himself into Da’s chest. They shared many hugs, many tears. It was painful, but it was good. They needed this. They needed to feel together, to talk together.
Teddy knew he’d made a big mistake, knew he’d been causing his father stress. He promised himself he would make things right. He wasn’t sure how just yet, but he would. He would be the son that made Remus Lupin proud.
Teddy saw the world in hues of grey, after that. He walked around school like a zombie, crumbling under the weight of his guilt. He was less engaged in his classes, in his friends. He stopped speaking to Harry altogether. It wasn’t too hard, they didn’t even share any hallways at school, but Harry used to take Teddy under his wing at lunch times. He would chat and laugh and ruffle Teddy’s hair, as if he would honest to god would rather hang out with a five year old than he would his own grown up friends.
Teddy had gotten through three weeks of self isolation, three weeks without Harry and Sirius, when the library incident occurred. Teddy could avoid Harry no longer. It was a reading buddy day, and Teddy had no choice but to face his friend. Harry followed his lead at first, ignoring the obvious tension between them. He pulled out a book, handed it to Teddy with a kind smile, listening patiently as Teddy emotionlessly sounded out words. He used to love reading day, it used to be the highlight of his month. Now it was just a reminder of all the things he’d done, all the people he’d hurt.
“Are you coming to my game this weekend?” Harry asked under his breath, eyes watching Ms. Trelawney as she walked aimlessly throughout the reading room.
“No,” Teddy whispered back.
“You have to,” Harry said, as if that decided things, “Remus promised.”
“I don’t think he’ll go.”
Harry’s face flickered through many emotions, landing on anger.
“He has to,” Harry replied snipply, “he’s the whole reason I’m doing this. He has to go.”
Teddy began shaking his head, but Harry wasn’t finished, his irritable mood increasing tenfold.
“Just because Padfoot muffed things up, like he always does , does not mean-”
“Mr Potter?” Ms. Trelawney floated in front of them, “I do hope you are sticking to the book?”
Harry grit his teeth, and nudged Teddy with his elbow. Teddy coughed, and began reading again. Ms. Trelawney watched them for some time, but when she whisked herself away, Teddy and Harry did not return to the conversation.
“Remus is coming,” Harry mumbled bitterly, more to himself than anyone else. Teddy looked at him wearily, not so sure Da would.
It was that same afternoon, Teddy was just packing up his things for the day, when he heard shouting come from outside the classroom.
“You promised! You promised! You have to!”
Teddy jolted as he recognized Harry’s voice. Teddy moved quickly, shaking everything from his cubby into his Bluey backpack.
“Whatever Sirius did, he’ll apologise! I’ll make him!”
“Sirius didn’t do anything, Harry-”
“Like hell he didn’t!”
Teddy picked up the pace when he recognized Da’s voice, heart hammering out of his chest. Teddy didn’t even wait to zip up his bag before he took off, ignoring Ms. Trelawney’s calls to stop running. He came to a halt as he exited the classroom. Da stood just off to the side, looking properly accosted by Harry, who had pulled himself up to his full 4 '1, and had an accusing finger pointed at Da’s stomach.
Da laughed nervously, eyeing the other parents in the hall apologetically.
“Harry, I think we should talk about this later-”
“Why won’t you come!” Harry shouted, “I want you there. I need you there. How am I supposed to play, Remus? I never would have joined the team if you didn’t think I should. I can’t- I can’t go out there without you. I-I’m not brave enough- I can’t-”
Harry’s volume had decreased, and each sentence was punctured by a shivering breath.
“Did I do something? Why can’t I come around anymore? Why doesn’t Teddy like me? Why don’t you ? If not Sirius, is it me? Did I do something?”
“No, Harry,” Da replied fiercely, eyes flickering with protection. He got onto his knees to be eye level with Harry. “Of course you didn’t. It’s me, I’ve been off. Everything with my Mam, and Teddy-”
“Don’t lie!” Harry wailed, cheeks red and tear stained, “You don’t like me anymore! Admit it!”
Harry shoved Da on the arm, Da looked unfazed. He cupped Harry's cheeks in both hands, wiping away the tears with his thumbs.
“Look at me Harry,” Da said softly, looking at Harry like he was the most precious thing in the world. Teddy felt like he should be jealous, seeing his Da look at another kid so fondly. But it felt right, it felt like Harry deserved to have Da look at him like that- like it was natural.
“I’m sorry I hurt your feelings. I didn’t think about how you’d feel in all this, and I’m sorry you were hurt- I’m sorry that I hurt you.”
Harry sniffled, but greedily soaked up the attention Da was giving him.
“You deserve more than how I treated you. I was thoughtless, and know better than to leave you hanging like that. I can’t speak for Teddy’s actions, but I’m sure he was doing what he thought was right by me… and I’m sorry for the whole thing. I’m sorry to Sirius too, for that matter.”
“I know,” Harry mumbled, “I told Sirius you would be. He didn’t agree.”
Da cringed at the mention of Sirius.
“Well, I am. But I know that doesn’t change the fact that I hurt you, both of you.”
“S’okay,” Harry shrugged, wrapping his hands around Da’s wrists to keep them in place, “I forgive you. Sirius does too.”
“You don’t know that,” Da said with a self deprecating smile. Deeming it safe, Teddy slowly made his way towards them.
“He would,” Harry said eagerly, “you can talk to him at the game. You’ll see.” Da bit his lip. He looked down at his feet. “You are coming, aren’t you?”
Da’s eyes flickered up, they caught Teddy’s and held them for a moment, before returning to Harry.
“Yeah, yes. I’ll come, Harry.”
Harry beamed, and began bouncing on the heels of his feet. Teddy appeared at their sides, happy to bask in their shared attention. Da shook himself. He rubbed Harry’s cheeks to the point of smushing them.
“Wha?” Harry cut off with a laugh- pushing Da’s thumbs away from him. Da quickly brought his thumbs up to his under eyes, blinking as he pulled his thumbs down across his cheeks.
“There,” Da said once he’d finished rubbing his face, “now, if any of your friends ask, it was me they heard crying in the hallway.”
Harry guffawed, looking at Da like he hung all the stars in the sky.
“I’m not embarrassed about crying, Remus,” Harry said giddily, “communicating your emotions is cool.”
Da blinked.
“Oh,” was all he said.
“Mm. Sirius taught me that.”
“I see.”
“‘communication is sexy!’ is what he always says.”
“Alright,” Da coughed, rather pink in the cheeks. Harry laughed, and pat him on the shoulder.
“I’ll see you Saturday,” Harry said, as he began to walk away backwards.
“Er-”
“Saturday!”
Da didn’t hide his worry very well, but nodded nonetheless.
Saturday morning saw Teddy banished from the flat, as Da anxiously tittered around, cleaning every possible surface. Teddy wasn’t complaining, however. It was the first time in over a month he’d been left alone to do something by himself.
Now, Teddy wasn’t trying to start a fire, per say. He had realised the error in his ways, and was no longer trying to get Sirius’ attention. However , he’d heard some kids at school say you could light things on fire using only a magnifying glass and the sun… and, well, Teddy had a magnifying glass. He liked science. Of course he would want to try out this experiment. And if an accident were to occur, and Sirius had to come rescue them, and Da and Sirius would be forced to talk… no. Teddy shook his head. He wasn’t doing that anymore. Da and Sirius weren’t speaking, and Teddy would just have to accept that.
Teddy pouted at the thought, and shuffled his magnifying glass in his hands. He was doing this for research purposes, that’s all.
It was incredibly dull, though. He’d been sitting in the front yard outside their complex for two hours, positioning his magnifying glass to glare right at the damp grass, and nothing. No fire, no sizzling, nada.
Teddy smacked his magnifying glass around. Maybe there was something wrong with it.
He quickly stopped, however, when the sound of approaching footsteps quickly faltered, followed by a soft ‘oh.’
Teddy looked up at the newcomer. His eyebrows flew to the top of his head.
“Sirius?”
“Uh, hey Kiddo,” Sirius said a bit awkwardly, guilt etched into his features.
“What are you doing here?” Teddy frowned in confusion. Had Da and Sirius reconciled without Teddy knowing? Surely not, or Da wouldn’t be anxiously tearing the flat apart.
In his hands, Sirius gripped onto a small shoe box. Sirius looked at it, then raised his eyes to their flat window.
“What’s that?” Teddy stood up to get a better look, “is it a present? For Da?”
“Uh, not quite,” Sirius mumbled. Teddy stole the box out of Sirius’ grip, Sirius looked too exhausted to fight him on it. Running his hands through his hair with a heavy sigh, Sirius explained. “It’s just some things your Da left at my place. I thought I should return them.”
Teddy’s frown deepened. He sorted through the shoebox’s contents. To put it nicely, it was all trash. It was filled to the brim with movie ticket stubs, old receipts, a broken cufflink, things of that lot.
“Da won’t want any of this,” Teddy said simply, putting the box on the ground and giving it a reassuring pat, “he has enough trash already.”
“It’s not trash!” Sirius replied defensively, scooping up the shoebox and keeping it close to his chest.
“Whatever you say, but I’m telling you now, he won’t want it.”
Teddy shrugged, and turned back to the task at hand. Maybe with Sirius nearby the grass would be more inclined to combust. But of course, the sky clouded over before he could even get a chance to find out. Still, Teddy persisted, steadfastly ignoring Sirius.
“Uh, is your Da home, Teddy?”
“Yup.”
“Do you think I could, uh, go up and see him?”
“You better not,” Teddy replied distractedly.
“No?”
“No. He’s a mess. Stressed out about the game tonight. I don’t know why, we all know Harry will win.”
There was silence, and then, “He’s coming tonight?”
Teddy finally looked at Sirius, his voice was high and strained; it was weirding Teddy out.
“Course he is.”
“And he…” Sirius started slowly, his eyes glazing over, “he’s nervous about it?”
“Yes! That’s what I just said!”
“Okay, okay,” Sirius chuckled as he put his hands up in defence. His whole mood seemed altered, like he had more pep to his step. Sirius flopped down next to Teddy, completely disregarding his initial motive. He looked over Teddy’s shoulder, peeking at the magnifying glass. “What are you doing?”
“It’s none of your business,” Teddy replied bitterly.
He hadn’t thought he was upset with Sirius, but upon seeing the man, Teddy realised just how angry he was. Sirius had left , he let Da push him away, just like Ma had. How easy was it for Sirius to go? To stop caring about Teddy? Had they even been friends at all?
“Really?” Sirius replied, unaffected, “because it sort of seems like your trying to start a fire. And, you know, fires sort of are my business.”
Teddy huffed, and scooted away from Sirius ever so slightly.
“C’mon Ted,” Sirius whined, “I’ve already got your Da upset with me, I don’t need you upset with me too.”
“Like you care,” Teddy muttered, ignoring all indications of Sirius’ joking tone.
Sirius seemed generally alarmed by the response. He sat up straighter, his whole demeanour awash with worry.
“Hey,” Sirius said softly, “have I done something to upset you?”
Teddy shook his head fervently, afraid of what he would say if he opened his mouth.
“ Teddy . If I've done something to hurt you, you need to tell me.”
Teddy scoffed, glaring at his magnifying glass. Just light already , he begged it.
“Whatever I did, I didn’t do it intentionally.”
Teddy snapped. He threw his magnifying glass on the ground and stood up, arms crossed over his chest as he gave Sirius his meanest look.
“You left !” Teddy shouted, “of course I’m upset! You left me! You left Da!”
“Now that’s not fair-”
“Da always does this! He pushes people away! Why do you think his only friend is Auntie Dorky. Why do you think Harry was so scared when Nain had her accident? Da doesn’t just have people, but he had you! We both did!” Teddy breathed heavy with rage, only faltering with insecurity after his last sentence. “Or, I thought we did… but now you left. You listened to him even though he wasn’t making any sense. You left . Just like Ma. Just like all of Da’s other boyfriends. I thought you were different.”
Sirius' eyes began to water, his tears leaking out, seemingly against his will. Teddy softened at the sight, but still had his guard up.
“I am,” Sirius urged, “You have me, Teddy. You and your Da. Hell, your Nain too, if she wants me. Every Lupin in the world has me.”
Teddy had to look away, he couldn’t bear the sight of a sympathetic Sirius just now. But Sirius wouldn’t take that, of course he wouldn’t. He got to his knees in front of Teddy. He reached out, but paused before he could touch.
“I’m sorry, Teddy. I never meant to leave, I just wanted to give your Da space…” Sirius trailed off when he saw Teddy’s unimpressed face, “I love you, Teddy. Your Da, too. But I love you, Teddy Lupin, separate from your Da. I think I’d love you even if you weren’t my- if you weren’t Remus ’ kid. I think you're rather spectacular, all on your own.”
Teddy’s chest felt tight, his breath shallow. He looked at Sirius through stunned, fluttering eyes.
“You think I’m… spectaular ?” He asked breathlessly.
Sirius laughed proudly, smiling through his tears.
“Yes, love, I rather do.”
Teddy couldn’t believe it. That was all he ever wanted to hear. Fireman Sirius thought he was spectacular. Little ol’ Teddy Lupin. That was just about the loveliest thing Teddy’s had heard in his nearly six years on earth.
“I love you too,” Teddy whispered, throwing himself into Sirius’ arms, “I’m sorry for yelling.”
“I’m not. Yell at me more often please. Especially if you think I’m being a berk.”
“Okay,” Teddy nodded, a bit numbly. Teddy pulled back slightly, and looked over his shoulder, up at the flat. “Do you still want to see Da?”
Sirius followed Teddy’s eyeline, and bit his lip.
“No… I…” Sirius’ look of hopelessness quickly settled into one of determination. “No, I’ll see him tonight. I’ll speak with him then. You’re sure he’s coming?”
“Yes,” Teddy giggled, “we already went over this!”
“I know, I know, still…”
“He’s coming,” Teddy confirmed.
“Right,” Sirius poorly hid his giddy grin.
“Can I tell him you stopped by?”
“Yes,” SIrius replied quickly, “you-”
“I’ll give him your trash!” Teddy continued eagerly, collecting the forgotten shoebox.
“Oh no, you don’t have to. I don’t think I’ll need to be returning it anymore…”
Teddy held the box closer to his chest as Sirius tried to take it.
“No! I’m giving Da your gift. I want to do something nice for you.”
Sirius deflated slightly, but in a fond way, if possible.
“Alright, Teddy-Monster. You give that box to your Da. Give him my love.”
Teddy was bouncing on his heels; Sirius’ good mood was infectious.
“And one more thing, Teddy-Monster.”
“Yes?”
“You have me, okay? And I have you. So just… cut it out with the fires, yeah? If not for me, then for your Da? I don’t think his heart can take another emergency.”
Teddy thought about this. He’d been meaning to stop anyway, but he would miss the thrill of it. Sirius had a good point, though. If he already had Sirius, why would he need to start any more fires?
“Alright.”
“You have to promise,” Sirius narrowed his eyes in accusation.
“Fine,” Teddy groaned, “I promise not to start any more fires or other emergencies of the type.”
Sirius gave him an overly fond look of love, one that made his insides squirm.
“I’ll see you tonight, then?”
“Sirius!” Teddy shriek-laughed, “for the last time, we’re coming!”
“Okay! That was my last check!” SIrius laughed along, letting Teddy push him down the gravel path, back towards his car.
Da was wringing his hands, looking the most unkempt Teddy had seen him in ages. It was clear Sirius’ shoebox had riled him in some way. When Teddy had first given it to him, when he’d told Da what Sirius said, Da completely froze. He trifled through the trash in awe, his eyes glossy, lower lip wobbling. He didn’t say anything after that, but he’d been in a right proper state ever since.
Da gave up on deep cleaning the flat, opting to focus on his appearance instead. Da could barely dress himself on a good day, so trying to look good while facing the insurmountable stress he was under? Yeah, needless to say, the final result wasn’t pretty.
Since his fight with Sirius, he’d stopped shaving. His cheeks and chin hairs were now nearly as full as his copper and grey moustache. He looked haggard and unfamiliar, uncomfortable in his own appearance. He’d also bitten his nails down into stubs. Teddy offered to paint them, in an attempt to inspire some self-confidence within Da. But Teddy was no artist. He had no technique, and Da’s hands were now dusted, from nail to knuckle, in vibrant, clashing paint smatterings.
While Teddy thought a smart looking polo and comfy pair of trousers would be the best outfit to wear, Da seemed to think the opposite. He donned a tight pair of jeans, one he’d clearly grown out of if their abrupt cut off at his calves were anything to go by. On his top, he wore a red Cymru football kit (one that he hadn’t worn since he was teen, mind you) overtop a blue long sleeve button up, layered with a floral cardigan and trench coat to go on top. To finish off the outfit, he added his old Doc Martens (also unworn for the last 10 or so years), and a pair of knee high socks once he realised the Docs wouldn’t cover the gap between his jeans and his feet.
Overall, he looked like quite the disaster.
Teddy was already embarrassed as he marched his anxious, cartoon character of a father into the community centre Harry's game was at. Once inside, Teddy’s gaze never paused, always on the search for a classmate in case he needed to shove Da aside and hide. Luckily, there were no classmates to avoid. He did, however, spot Sirius and another man right away, setting up on a picnic blanket as close to the field as they could.
“Let's sit here,” Da nodded to the bleachers behind them. They were on the opposite end of the field from Sirius. Teddy scowled.
“But Sirius is over there. We should sit with him.”
Da bit his lip. He looked at Sirius, his companion, then the bleachers.
“I don’t know if that's a good idea…”
“Fine,” Teddy groaned, “but I’m saying hi. He’s my friend too, you know.”
With that, he pivoted, striding towards Sirius without a second thought. He moved quickly, slipping away before Da could stop him. He peeked over his shoulder. Da was frowning, but already attempting to politely shuffle through groups of families to get to him. Teddy started running.
“Sirius!” He cheered as he approached their blanket, not even stopping to think before throwing himself at Sirius.
“Teddy!” Sirius exclaimed, sounding genuinely startled. He caught Teddy nonetheless, swaying back slightly as he wrapped his strong arms around Teddy’s body. “What are you doing here kiddo? Where’s your Da?”
“I came to say hi!” Teddy bounced with excitement, despite it only being a few hours since they saw each other, it felt far too long since he’d seen Sirius. “Who’s your friend?”
“Uh,” Sirius looked at the man, who bore a striking resemblance to him, then turned back to Teddy with a pinch of worry behind his eyes.
“Teddy, where’s your Da?” Sirius repeated, ignoring Teddy’s question.
Teddy shrugged.
“Ditched him.”
“Ditched him?!?” Sirius’ eyebrows raised with alarm. He swiftly removed Teddy from his lap and got onto his knees in one fluid movement. “Teddy, you can’t ditch your Da. Do you know how irresponsible that is? He’ll be having a proper panic. You can’t just run off like that.”
Sirius spoke in one breath, looking exceedingly more panicked. He patted the blanket, searching for something. When he found it, he pushed it into his back pocket as he began to stand and turn.
“Reg, can you look after Teddy for a second? I need to- oof!”
As Sirius turned around, already walking away from the blanket, he barreled straight into a large, broad chest. Familiar paint splattered hands came to steady Sirius’ hips.
“Careful there,” Da’s voice came out low and sultry, barely loud enough for Teddy to hear.
“Remus!” Sirius squeaked, wide eyed, “I promise I didn’t- I wouldn’t- Teddy came to me- he-”
“Sirius,” Da said with a sad smile, “it’s okay.”
Sirius breathed deeply and took a step back. Da and Sirius stared at each other in silence, their eyes never once breaking contact.
“Ehem,” the man, Reg apparently, coughed pointedly, “are you going to introduce me to your friends, Sirius?”
Sirius startled, cringing slightly, but didn’t spare Reg a second glance, watching Da instead. Sirius took in Da’s outfit, his lips tugging up in amusement. When his eyes made it back to Da’s face, Da was blushing.
“Have you got enough layers, do you think?”
Da blinked, before he came stuttering back to life.
“Excuse me?”
“It’s March, Remus. We’re indoors.”
“I run cold,” Da grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. Sirius looked utterly endeared.
No one said anything for a moment, it was strange to feel this uncomfortable silence once again.
“Yes, well,” Da shuffled awkwardly, scuffing his shoe along the grass, “we were just about to sit-”
“Would you like to join us?”
Da, who had started to stare at his feet morosely, looked up at Sirius in surprise.
“Uh-”
“Yes!” Teddy exclaimed, flopping onto his stomach in front of Reg. Reg handed him a slice of watermelon. He seemed like a good sort of chap.
“C’mon,” Sirius smiled sweetly, taking Da’s hand and dragging him forward, “have a sit.”
Da looked about ready to cry, but allowed Sirius to pull him into a sitting position next to him.
“Teddy, is it?” Reg asked, stealing his attention. Teddy nodded distractedly. “Are you here to see Harry?”
“Obviously,” Teddy scoffed. Reg put his hands up in mock surrender.
“I was only asking.”
Teddy rolled his eyes. He looked back over at Da and Sirius. They were bent towards each other, like a poorly folded piece of origami. Da was speaking straight into Sirius’ ear. Teddy strained to listen.
“I’m sorry,” Teddy was certain Da whispered. “I’m so, so sorry. I overreacted. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Sirius’ cheek grazed Da’s as he returned a whisper. The positions were so intimate, Teddy almost had to look away.
“It’s not. I was mean, and I wouldn’t listen, and I hurt you-”
“Teddy,” Reg said a bit urgently, looking at the pair with nervous eyes, “perhaps we should go find Harry before the game? Give him a-”
“SHHH,” Teddy cut him off urgently. Reg looked appropriately scolded, and held his tongue. He turned back to face Da, hoping he hadn’t missed anything. Apparently, he had.
Da was blinking fast, a steady stream of tears trickling down his cheeks. Sirius was rubbing circles into Da’s lower back, mumbling sweet nothings into his ear, only pausing to kiss away the odd tear.
Teddy’s heart soared at the sight. Finally .
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” Da was still saying, “you shouldn’t forgive me.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Okay. Sorry.”
Sirius laughed brightly.
He glanced around to see if he’d been too loud, and made eye contact with Teddy. He held it as he leaned back into Da, mumbling something indecipherable, before the two withdrew from each other. Scooting to opposite ends of the blanket. Da looked down at his hands, his face red and ridden with embarrassment.
“Reg,” Sirius clapped his hands together, “meet Teddy Lupin, he’s a pal of Harry’s at school.”
Reg looked clearly unamused by whatever Sirius was doing. The two men stared at each other, Reg’s face accusing, Sirius’ defiant. Reg rolled his eyes, and looked at Teddy flatly.
“You’re a bit small for an 11 year old.”
“I’m five!” Teddy cried indignantly, “I’m perfectly tall for my age!”
Sirius winked at Teddy, and clapped a hand on Da’s shoulder. Da jumped slightly.
“And this is Teddy’s illustrious father, Remus Lupin. Remus, this is my brother, Regulus Black.”
“It’s good to meet you, Remus,” Reg reached out to shake Da’s hand, “I’ve heard lots about you.”
“Likewise,” Da replied shyly. Sirius nudged Da with his elbow, and Da gave Reg a grimace of a smile.
Nothing else could be said, as the football teams began sprinting on to the field, waving to their parents in the crowds. Harry waved politely at Sirius and Reg when he spotted them, and absolutely beamed once he saw Teddy and Da. Harry started jumping, hand high in the air as he waved ceaselessly. Teddy met his energy.
“Go Harry!” He yelled enthusiastically, Da’s soft chuckles could be heard in the background.
From then on, Teddy was lost in the sight before him. Football was amazing . Football was war, it was violence. Football was death, it was birth, it was the history of humanity repeating itself over and over. Seeing it on TV was a bit of a bore, but when it’s right there in front of you, close enough to touch (And Reg did actually touch, when a stray ball barreled into his head- Teddy had to pretend he wasn’t jealous) it was fantastic. Teddy was enthralled. Harry was amazing, the team was amazing. Football was- well, you get the point.
Teddy revisited his list of the top 10 coolest people to ever exist. Footballers were easily making their way into the top 3, and Harry might even too.
The final whistle blew, the teams broke out into their respective cheers and hung heads. Harry’s team had won, obviously. Harry even got a point in too! It was mind-blowingly brilliant, the whole thing! Harry paused on the field, eyes wide and disbelieving to think he’d won his first ever competitive game. He looked at their little group on the picnic blanket, as if to verify the win. Sirius nodded eagerly, Da gave two thumbs up.
Harry’s smile was blinding and brilliant, and in no time he was charging full speed towards them.
“I did it! I did it!” Harry started screaming as he approached the group. Sirius shifted up on to one knee and threw his arms open for a hug.
“Way to go kiddo-”
But Harry bypassed Sirius, ignored him all together. Instead he surged right into Da throwing his arms around Da’s neck. Da only had a second to return the hug before he was knocked flat on his back.
“I did it! Did you see me, Remus! I did it! I scored! We won! Did you see, Remus? Were you watching me? I can’t believe you came!”
Da chuckled and patted Harry’s squirming body on the back.
“You were wonderful out there Harry. It was lovely to watch you play.”
Harry stuck his face in Da’s neck, and clung on for dear life. Da looked at Sirius with a put upon exasperation. Sirius just looked stunned. Heartwarmed, but stunned. Harry mumbled something into his neck, Da whispered back. Teddy was too distracted by all the buzz around them to make out what they were saying but he could hear Da ending his sentence with “I’m so proud of you, Bud.”
Harry pulled away a fraction of an inch, rubbing at his tear stained cheeks, he mumbled again, then returned to his spot in Da’s neck.
“Okay,” Da groaned as he pushed himself back into a sitting position, keeping a hand on Harry’s neck and back to keep him tethered in place. He locked eyes with Teddy, and smiled warmly.
“Tired, Teddy-Bear?”
“As if!” Teddy all but shouted. Sirius laughed, taking his eyes off of Harry-Da, and brushing a hair out of Teddy’s face.
“C’mon, Teddy, help me and Uncle Reg pack everything up.”
“Why?” Teddy pouted, “Harry doesn’t have to.”
“Well, Harry just won the game for us. He doesn’t have to clean up.”
“That’s not fair!”
“And who else do you think is going to clean up your watermelon rinds, hmm?”
Teddy threw his head back with a groan, but didn’t fight Sirius on it. Together, with the help of Reg, they packed up all their blankets, snacks, and trash. By the time they were finished, Da had made it into a standing position, Harry still koalaed to his chest.
Sirius smiled, walking towards the pair. He kissed Harry’s half asleep head, then Da’s lips. His freaking lips!!!!!
“Let me take you home,” Sirius said softly.
“Yeah, alright,” Da matched the tone, matched the loving look in his eyes too.
Teddy giggled when he noticed Reg miming retching.
Sirius took Teddy’s hand in his own, and used his other arm to wrap around Da’s lower back.
They walked out of the community centre, the five of them, a family.
Teddy had never been happier.