Introductions
Walking into the kitchen, Lily Potter put the kettle on to boil and tapped her wand carefully on the stove. Slipping into the chair next to her she looked at the clock and realized sleepily that it was only six in the morning. She smiled to herself, six in the morning on a June afternoon was too early for anyone but…
”Happy Birthday, Lu!” she felt her father put his hands on her shoulders and press a quick kiss to the top of her head.
Between the anxieties that were brought with children and a career of chasing dark wizards, Harry Potter usually woke up before the rest of his family. In the early years he went around the manor checking protection wards and avoiding the darker genre of dreams that tended to follow him when he closed his eyes. Now it was simply a habit.
“How does it feel being a grown witch?” He asked his youngest child and only daughter as he sat in the rickety wooden chair next to her.
“I feel the same,” she sighed and smiled. “How does it feel to be old enough to have four grown children?” She laughed, poking her father’s arm as the kettle whistled and she got up to pour them both a cup of tea.
“It feels fine! And despite what you might say I certainly still have enough energy to beat you kids at the game today!” She smiled and placed the mug of tea in front of him.
“Sure, dad…” Her father frowned mockingly at her hestiance and sipped his tea.
“Speaking of which, I do have to slip out for a bit before the festivities begin…” He got up and slipped on his cloak.
“Hmmm...a last minute present perhaps?” Lily smiled and lifted her eyebrow flippantly.
“Maybe! But that’s for me to know and for you to find out, miss!”
Still laughing, he picked up a pinch of floo powder from the small bowl kept on the kitchen mantle and turned to his daughter once more “Tell your mother I’ll be home by noon, please.” Before throwing the powder into the fireplace and disappearing into the green flames.
*****
Teddy Lupin was still wiping the sleep from his eyes when he walked into the Magical Law Enforcement offices. Even though him and Vic had spent a rather late and interesting night determining the guest list for their wedding he had wanted to come in early to get some work done. Looking down at the mounds of paper on his desk he ran his hand through his ever changing hair and worried for a moment that he might be late to Lily’s party later today. He had promised his adopted sister to be a Chaser on her team for the family quidditch match today and although Lily wasn’t the whinging type, he knew he’d feel bad if he disappointed her today. Searching through the papers on his desk and reflecting on how quickly the smallest Potter had come of age he hardly noticed his colleague barge into the room.
“Lupin!” Rogers looked pale and a bit excited when he stopped at Teddy’s desk.
“Rogers?” Teddy asked not looking up from his papers quite yet.
“There’s been some reports coming in, reports from Hogwarts.” Teddy looked up, half heartedly still and nodded for Rogers to continue.
“Well...you see...uhh…” He’d gone to school with Rogers. They’d both been in Hufflepuff together and he wasn’t used to his now colleague being at a loss for words.
“What is it, Andy?” Teddy asked now a bit concerned, slowly raising himself from the desk chair.
“We got word from the Headmistress early this morning to come and investigate because a few people had shown up at the school.” Now Teddy straightened up and grabbed his wand, walking towards the door.
“An attack at Hogwarts? Why didn’t you say that sooner?” But as he reached for the handle he heard Rogers sigh loudly and then finally say
“No,,,no you see….Ted, it seems that there are some…umm…persons of interest at the school.” Even before Teddy turned back to face him, Rogers knew the incredulous look that he’d be met with.
“At the school? Are the students all safe?!” Rogers nodded but looked at the floor quickly, swallowing, before turning back at his colleague.
“Yeah, yes, they just said they needed you there as soon as possible.” The look on Rogers’ face made him nervous, but knowing he was relatively new, Teddy shrugged it off as nerves.
“Ok, I’ll head over now…” Teddy grabbed his coat and headed out the door.
*****
Lily sat curled in her favorite chair finishing her book as she waited for the rest of the family to wake up. The Potter’s living room was spacious and comfy. Although her mother and father had refurbished most of the manor when they got married, this room had remained largely untouched besides a few repairs and a couple of cleaning charms. Red and gold, with large chairs, dark chestnut bookshelves and a warm stone fireplace, the room was exactly as it had been when her grandparents and great-grandparents lived here. When she was smaller she used to imagine what conversations and ideas must have passed through this room. What pieces of family history her nor her father would ever know. As she got older though, she began to use it as an escape from her loud and all encompassing family. Whenever her brothers got too rowd –- or her mother decided to yell at her brothers for their rowdiness – she would crawl into the chair and continue whatever book she was working on at the time. Now, even with Teddy and James gone and the house quieter, she still found comfort here quite often. She was thinking about getting something to eat when she heard a faint ‘pop’ from just outside the window. Running to the front door she smiled as she saw James and his longtime girlfriend, Mel walking briskly to the front of the house, a brightly colored package in his hands and a bouquet of flowers in hers.
“I told you she’d be up!” James said towards Mel and laughed as he wrapped his long arms around Lily.
“She’s an early bird!”
Lily smiled and returned the hug warmly. “I’m honestly surprised you’re up this early! Jemmy Potter, rising before noon?” she turned to Mel with a smirk.
“Well…” Mel said slyly, flinging an arm around Lily’s shoulder and guiding her into the house.
“He made me promise to wake him up before eight no matter what!” She looked over at James and then back at Lily conspiratorially “I think he might have been more excited about this day than you were.”
The two young women giggled as James blushed and tried, bumbling, to defend himself. “Oi! It’s not everyday the final Potter kid turns seventeen! Besides, Fred and I have a bet going as to who will get the first hex now that she’s of age.” The girls laughed again as they turned into the kitchen and found Albus and Ginny Potter preparing breakfast.
Surprised, Lily turned towards her mother. “When did you get up? I didn’t hear anything!”
Albus smirked and looked at his sister. “Some people in this family do know how to be quiet.” Both of his siblings rolled their eyes as they sat down and began nibbling on the toast Ginny put down in front of them.
“Did you expect we would have you make your own breakfast on this of all days?” Ginny asked and kissed her daughter on the head quickly before turning back to one of the pans on the stove, aiming her wand at the eggs. Despite Harry being the cook in the family, breakfast was Ginny’s specialty. When it wasn’t a special occasion and the kids woke up to the smell of bacon, pancakes, and other morning treats they knew that their mother had spent all night finishing an important assignment for her work and had woken up in a good mood. After four years of playing for the Holyhead Harpies, Ginny Potter retired with a generous offer from the Daily Prophet to be their head Quidditch correspondent. Although she still returned to the pitch when her former coaches needed someone to train new recruits or help with tryouts, she was rather relieved to be out of the spotlight as much as she could be while raising her children.
“Where’s dad?” James asked as he took a bite out of some bacon.
“He said he’d be back by noon.” Lily shrugged and looked towards her mother. “He has some things at the office to finish up before everything begins today, I believe.” Ginny offered as she placed more food on the table before taking a seat herself.
“Alright, dig in everyone!”
*****
Teddy Lupin walked briskly down the familiar halls of his old school and towards the hospital wing, the pit in his stomach becoming more and more noticeable with each step. Turning the corner and now striding towards the large door at the end of the hall, he slowed and took one large breath.
“You can do this, Ted.” he whispered out loud to himself. It can’t be them. It was impossible. But then, another part of him, the part raised by Harry and Ginny Potter, knew that in their world “impossible” almost never held up for long.
Allowing himself one last breath he pushed the door open and was met by several frantic voices from behind the screens used to separate patients. Once the door closed behind him the voices stopped and Teddy straightened up as the headmistress walked towards him.
“Ah, Ted, good to see you. How is your family?” Teddy looked at her, surprised by the calm tone her voice was taking.
“They- they’re um, fine headmistress. Thank you.” The older woman sighed and gave him a stern look,
“You are twenty nine years old and have not been a student here for quite some time, I think it’s ok for you to call me Minnie.” He smiled a bit at this as it was not the first time she had made this request and nodded.
“Right, sorry headmistress-er, Minnie.” She was trying to keep him calm he realized as he saw his former headmistress now nervously eyeing the screen which separated them and several people.
“I’ve asked Professor Slughorn to bring the necessary potions immediately, he should be here any second. In the meantime, would you like to….” She gestured towards the screen and he gulped louder than he wanted to.
“Yes, of course, that’s uh, that’s what I’m here for.” Minerva nodded and suddenly Madame Pomfrey popped from behind the screen, pushing it back carefully.
Before him stood five people he had only ever seen in family albums and history books. Two men who looked only slightly older than Ted himself, one with black shaggy hair and dark eyes, the other with the same sandy blonde hair Ted had when he was sleeping or too ill to transform. A couple that he realized with a start couldn’t be more than Jame’s age, the young woman with familiar dark red hair and bright green eyes and the tall gangly man with hazel eyes and short but messy black hair. Finally, he saw a small woman with bright pink hair and his own sharp cheekbones staring, tearily up at him. Feeling the pit in his stomach grow deeper and begin to drag him in, he smiled softly at the group before Edward Remus Lupin promptly fainted.
Teddy awoke to his Godfather’s green eyes sparkling intently with only a small pang of worry in his smile. “Finally, I thought you’d be out all morning.” his voice told Teddy that he was trying very hard to seem nonchalant about their current circumstance.
Teddy sat up quickly as he remembered what had happened - “How long was I out for?”
Harry smiled and shrugged “Only about an hour. Enough time at least to do the necessary tests and background checks.”
Looking around he couldn’t see anyone else in the room. “So...it’s...I mean who, um...who are they?” Teddy knew that at this point his hair was probably changing color from his normal turquoise to his natural sandy blonde.
Harry nodded “It’s them, we’re sure of it now.”
Teddy blinked “You...we did the tests? All of them?” Again, his Godfather nodded and then stood.
“I haven’t actually seen them yet.”
He said and touched Teddy’s shoulder nodding his head towards the door. “Mind facing them with me?”
Teddy knew that Harry was treating him like he was seven and had just fallen off his first broomstick, but he also knew it was exactly what he needed just then. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet his parents, as well as Harry’s, and their Uncle Sirius. It was more just the idea was so foreign to him, so far off and deeply buried in his wildest dreams that he was afraid to be pleased, even in the slightest. He thought, looking at Harry as they walked towards the Gryffindor common room where the group was waiting, that his Godfather might feel the exact same way. They were both very quiet as they approached the fat lady who was sitting in her portrait expectantly.
“Go on through, dears - they’re expecting you.” She said happily as the hidden door swung open and the two men climbed through the portrait hole.