Happily ever after?
Chapter 26 - Happily ever after?
Molly, and Andromeda had left after three days, when Remus was no longer panicking and knocking things over. In fact, he was simply excellent, Remus was on top of everything which needed to be done, except nursing Teddy of course. Andromeda and Molly had taught Remus and Dora several useful household spells which would make cleaning up a breeze. Apart from that, Remus’ wand work in the kitchen improved greatly, he could now whip up dinner in under five minutes. This gave them more time to spend with each other, and Teddy.
On the first full moon after Teddy’s birth, Remus had gone to the shed at the back of their house where he would usually transform. Although he would take Wolfsbane, he absolutely refused to be in the same room with Dora, no matter how much she insisted. And now since they had Teddy, he refused all the more. The shed had been reinforced with all the spells he could think of to prevent him from getting out. Even if he was just a sleepy wolf, he didn’t want to take any chances.
As Remus was still unsure if had passed down his condition to Teddy, he and Dora had casted several protective enchantments over his cot to keep him in there. Although this killed both Remus and Dora to do so, they had no choice. There was really no way of knowing for certain whether or not Teddy had lycanthropy but to wait and see. Dora waited in bated breath as the Sun began to set, and the Moon appeared in its place.
The Moon was full, Remus was most certainly the furry version of himself by now. Dora’s heart still ached for her husband, his monthly transformations were something she would never get used to. Dora looked out their window to the shed Remus was in, this was only once a month, for a few hours, she kept reminding herself. Dora stayed up the whole night, until the Sun had risen, her heart pounding the entire time.
Much to her delight, the only thing that changed about Teddy was his hair colour, although she half-knew this, she needed to be certain. Once morning had broken, she ran all the way downstairs and out of their cottage to the shed in their back garden. From the look on her face, Remus could tell Teddy didn’t have his father’s furry little problem after all, or Moon days as it was called in the Lupin household.
‘I knew it! It was only a matter of time,’ exclaimed Remus loudly one evening in the sitting room. Dora just rolled her eyes in response, she knew what was coming.
‘After everything we’ve been through Dora, after all your promises...you’ve finally done it,’ continued Remus, he collapsed on the sofa dramatically.
‘What have I done this time Remus?’ said Dora in a mock curious voice.
‘You’ve replaced me!!! My old heart is in tatters now, how could you Dora?’ said Remus with a sigh, ‘ and with someone so much younger than me! How could I ever compete with that?’
‘Well Remus it was you got us here, so now you’re just gonna have to live with the consequences of your actions I’m afraid,’ said Dora trying to sound furious, although it was proving to be too difficult.
This was a common occurrence in the Lupin household, where Remus would dramatically pretend Dora had replaced him with a much younger man, although he glossed over that fact that it was his son, whom he adored. Teddy would just continue to suckle, without a care in the world. These were the happiest days in Remus' life, so far.
Although they were parents to a newborn, Dora and Remus got back to practicing their defensive magic a week after Teddy’s birth. Harry was right, the son of a werewolf and blood-traitor, who were both active members of the Order would be marked for death before he could even lift his own head. Andromeda would watch over Teddy while Dora and Remus practiced, although spending time with Teddy didn’t cure her longing for Ted, it still helped.
Dora’s mummy instincts had taken over her like a train-wreck, she found herself with increased energy levels, and her reflexes had never been better. Teddy was her fuel, she had to be stronger, faster, and better, all to make this world a better place for him someday. There will always be time for cuddles and kisses in the future. Dora knew as soon as Bellatrix got wind of Teddy, she would lose no time in trying to end their little family. She was already hell-bent on doing Dora in, and wouldn’t bat an eyelid before doing the same to Teddy.
As for Remus, it was his Moony instincts which had heightened, he knew wolves were family orientated animals, even if he hated the idea of everything wolfish. It was like waking up from a particularly refreshing slumber, he now had a new purpose in life; Teddy, and he no longer existed for himself, but his wife and son. Remus knew they were in the middle of a war, and they could be called into battle without a moment’s notice. Remus wanted to make sure he was ready. Someday when this war was won, he and Dora would spend every waking moment with Teddy. Although they were spending a lot of time with him, they always put time aside for practicing their defensive magic.
They started slow with their defensive magic practice, Dora still wasn’t 100% her old self, but thankfully, her magical blood expedited the healing process. That and the fact that Molly was particularly adept with postpartum healing spells made it so much more bearable compared to what muggles had to endure. Thank Merlin, Dora thought to herself. Andromeda would send Dora several different concoctions to help her bounce back to her old self, they tasted terrible, but always made Dora feel better after drinking them. Dora could brew them herself of course, and she didn’t want to cause her mother any more trouble, but Andromeda wouldn’t hear a word of it. She insisted Dora focus on Teddy, and practiced her defensive magic.
Although Andromeda would never admit it, she had this constant fear at the back of her mind that she would lose Dora and Remus in this war. They hadn’t had word from Ted in ages, and the only news they got was from Dean, as he was on the run with Ted and Dirk. But alas, they got separated just before the Snatchers got Dean.
Andromeda feared the worst, but she kept her woes to herself, she didn’t want Dora to know, and she didn’t want to dampen her and Remus’ spirits, especially not right after they just had Teddy. It was impertinent that Dora and Remus were ready for whatever that came their way. She knew her sister would be glad to finish Teddy off too had she got the chance. Sometimes Andromeda hated herself for the hardship she brought upon her family.
Granted Ted would still be hunted for being a muggle-born at a time like this, but it was the fact that Andromeda was a Black which made Bellatrix want to kill them all ever so badly. She had already done Sirius in two years ago in cold blood, the fact that they were cousins meant nothing to Bellatrix. Andromeda still remembered how her daughter was fiercely pursued by her sister last year when they were moving Harry from Privet Drive. It was nothing short of a miracle that they survived.