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SIYE Time:2:38 on 29th March 2024
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A Great Wizard in the Making
By faithwood

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Category: Post-DH/AB
Characters:None
Genres: Fluff, General
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 20
Summary: Harry already knows how it feels to love a son. A Harry and Ginny moment with a healthy dose of Teddy.
Hitcount: Story Total: 9952



Disclaimer: Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions in this story are my own and in no way represent the owners of this site. This story subject to copyright law under transformative use. No compensation is made for this work.



Author's Notes:
A big thank you to my beta firebolt153!




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Stepping out of the bedroom, Harry yawned, and quickly closed the door behind him. Ginny was still sleeping soundly and Harry did not intend to wake her. Today was Ginny's birthday and he planned to make breakfast and surprise her with food and presents as soon as she woke up.

"'m hungry," a small sleepy voice said and Harry's gaze snapped towards the guest bedroom. Teddy Lupin stood there, looking half-asleep, gripping the doorway, and blinking thickly at Harry.

Harry smiled at the image – Teddy was barely standing, looking for all the world like he was drunk. To say that he wasn't a morning person would be an understatement – even his hair tended to be mousy-coloured and longish in the morning to reflect his sour mood.

This was something about Teddy that Harry learned only this past week, which Teddy spent with them while Andromeda was visiting her friend in Ireland. Both Harry and Ginny had insisted that she should go alone, primarily for her own good, since she rarely left her house and Teddy. She needed a little break from responsibilities, even one as sweet as Ted.

The other reason was of course that Harry and Ginny loved having Teddy around. Also, now that their first child was on the way, they did need to practice their parenting skills. So far, they had concluded that their children would end up spoiled rotten.

Harry's mind went blank for a minute, as it always did when he thought about his unborn child, but then the fact that Teddy had no socks or slippers on snapped him back to reality.

He crossed the distance between them with few long strides, and easily picked up the sleepy child.

"We told you, no walking around barefoot," he chastised, as Teddy's hands wrapped around Harry's neck, and Harry in turn, wrapped his hands around Teddy's waist, forgetting his initial wish to exercise some discipline.

"'s warm, 's summer," Teddy protested, and he was actually right, but really, it was the principle of the thing. Teddy buried his head in Harry's neck, apparently deciding to sleep some more. He was uncharacteristically cuddly these last few days, especially in the mornings and evenings. Harry suspected that he missed his grandmother a lot more than he was willing to let it show. Initially, he had puffed out his small chest and proclaimed that he was old enough to spend a few days without Gran around, and every time that Andromeda Floo-called he would roll his eyes and give an exasperated sigh, even as he quickly ran to the fireplace.

Harry kissed the top of Teddy's head, regretting the fact that this was the last day of Teddy's stay and tomorrow they would have to send him home to his grandmother.

Teddy showed no signs of wanting to be put down to get dressed, and Harry had no choice but to try and make breakfast with the child firmly attached to his neck.

He walked to the kitchen and took out pots and pans, and then heated the stove with his wand, vaguely proud of himself that he had managed to do all of that one-handed.

Eventually, Teddy's hair turned vivid blue as he woke up fully, and lifted his head from Harry's shoulder just as Harry was making an omelette, breaking eggs expertly in one hand while Teddy ooh-ed and ahh-ed, appropriately impressed.

"Are you making pancakes?" Teddy asked hopefully.

"Er ... sure," Harry confirmed, quickly getting more eggs from the refrigerator. "Want to sit down now?" Harry asked hopefully; his hand was starting to go numb. This carrying around business was a lot easier when Teddy was a two-year-old. Surely, he was breaking some rule that said that a seven-year-old shouldn't be carried all the time, but both he and Ginny were mindful of the fact that Teddy missed his grandmother and they worked hard on spoiling him senseless. Andromeda wouldn't be pleased, Harry thought worriedly.

"No, it's fine," Teddy said, sounding for all the world like he was doing Harry a favour. "Throw it in the air!" he cheered, as Harry made to turn the pancake.

Harry bit his lip and took the pan's handle. This usually worked, but many times pancakes ended up on the floor, and on one memorable occasion, it actually ended up on the ceiling, an anecdote Ginny was very fond of recounting to everyone who would listen.

He still hadn't dropped one in front of Teddy though, and Ginny graciously never shared the pancake-on-the-ceiling tale with him. He took a deep breath and hoped for the best – after all, his reputation of a cool godfather was at stake. With a flick of his wrist, the pancake flew in the air, remaining on a safe distance form the ceiling, and flipped over, landing neatly back in the pan.

Harry grinned, relieved and pleased as Teddy whooped, delighted as though that was the first time he had seen Harry do that.

"Shh," Harry shushed him quickly. "Let's not wake Ginny, all right? We'll surprise her with breakfast in bed. It's her birthday, remember?"

Teddy's eyes widened. "My card! Where is it? I forgot where I put it," he said, distressed.

"It's okay, it's right there on the table." Harry pointed towards three packages and a cheerful-looking green-blue card on top of them.

Teddy relaxed instantly. "What did you get her?" he asked curiously.

Harry smiled and shook his head. "You'll see when she opens them," he promised, not intending to tell Teddy something in advance. He had made that mistake last year, and suddenly everyone knew what Harry had bought for Ginny, Ginny included. He did hope that he'd surprise her this time.

Some weeks ago, she had expressed her delight with Fleur Weasley's new shawl, and had mourned the fact that its designers didn't include the colour she wanted in their collection. Normally, it probably wouldn't bother her that much, but now that she was five months pregnant, her wild-temper was more prominent than ever. Therefore, Harry went all the way to France, and made sure to look extremely miserable when informed that, no, the shawl didn't come in sea-green. ("But, Mr. Potter, I'm sure zat we'll be able to think of something!" the saleswomen said rather excitedly.) Harry felt only a little guilty for using his fame in such a way, but if it meant that Ginny would be happy, the guilt would be forgotten quickly enough.

Teddy's stomach growled loudly as he eyed the pancakes with a wistful expression on his face.

"Just a minute," Harry answered the unspoken question, loading the tray with food, coffee, milk and presents, silently thanking magic for existing.

He then levitated the tray to his and Ginny's bedroom, while Teddy leant down and opened the door helpfully. They entered the room with a birthday song on their lips, but then paused in surprise, realising that the room was empty.

Harry frowned as Ginny walked out of the bathroom, wide-awake, and wrapped in a dressing gown, her hair still damp from the shower.

"Happy birthday!" Teddy exclaimed, unperturbed, as Ginny's eyes widened when she spotted the tray.

"Thank you, sweetie." Ginny recovered quickly and smiled, walking over to them and accepting a wet kiss from Teddy. She bit her lip, looking amused and Harry realized that he probably looked ridiculous, glaring at her, upset that he didn't manage to serve her breakfast in bed.

She hastily walked back to the bed and lay down, yawning widely.

"I was just about to sleep some more," she assured them.

Harry couldn't keep glaring at her for long, so he smiled and moved to sit beside her. He deposited the tray as well as Teddy on the bed and leaned down for a chaste but sweet kiss, though Teddy still made an ew-sort of sound.

"Happy birthday, love," he told a bright-eyed Ginny.

"Oh, Harry, this was so sweet. I am starving, you know."

"Me too," Teddy agreed quickly.

Harry laughed and pulled Teddy closer, loading a plate with food, and then held it in front of Teddy, hoping that he would minimize the mess that way.

They tucked in with vigour, though Ginny kept eyeing the presents. She must have been really hungry, or Harry would have expected her to attack them instantly. She did look at Teddy's card though, appearing quite impressed, as she should have been. Teddy drew a Quaffle flying above the green field, and Harry charmed it so it really did fly and bounce around, jumping through the hoops between letters that spelled Happy Birthday. The card looked truly professional, in Harry's opinion, and Ginny had asked at least there times, "Did you really draw that, Teddy?"

Rather than being insulted with her disbelief, Teddy looked extremely pleased, and replied, "Why, yes, all by myself," every time she asked again.

When they were finished with breakfast, Harry placed the tray aside and Ginny ripped the presents' wrappings to shreds. "Where did you find it!" she exclaimed, after unwrapping the shawl.

Harry breathed out in relief, feeling a rare moment of gratitude for his fame.

"I can't tell you, of course. Top secret," he assured a truly happy looking Ginny. The other present was a shockingly expensive quill, picked appropriately for Ginny's new career.

"Honestly, you spent too much, Harry," she said, smiling widely, not looking very upset at all.

The last present wasn't really for Ginny. It was a pair of tiny blue socks that Harry had spotted in a store by accident, and it was the cutest thing he had ever seen, so he had felt compelled to buy them right away.

Ginny looked a bit teary-eyed for a second, and Teddy frowned. "Er ... they're too small for her," he pointed out, looking somewhat perplexed with Harry's ill choice for a present.

Both Harry and Ginny laughed. "They're not for me," Ginny said and then pointed at her round stomach. "They're for the baby."

"Oh," Teddy said, looking at Ginny's stomach doubtfully.

"You know," Ginny addressed Harry, "we'll have to stop calling him the baby one day."

Harry bit his lip and scratched the back of his head. Lately, they had this discussion at least three times a day. "I told you, you can name him whatever you want. I just ... don't know," Harry said miserably.

"Well, I don't know either," Ginny said in the same tone, looking upset, as though the baby was due tomorrow and the world would end because it was still nameless.

"How about Remus?" Teddy asked suddenly, and Harry felt his insides clench.

Ginny looked lost for words and Harry swallowed, pulling Teddy closer. "That name is already reserved," he said as Teddy frowned up at him. "You see, one day when you grow up, maybe you would want to name your child after your father. I have no right to take that name from you," Harry explained, knowing that the meaning of his words was probably lost on Teddy. But he was sure that Teddy would understand once he got older.

Teddy looked horrified. "My ... what?" he spluttered. "Babies drool. I don’t want them!"

Harry laughed. Yes, he definitely shouldn't have said that to Teddy. Teddy was still making faces as Harry lifted his gaze to Ginny to share both amusement and sadness with her, but she was staring at him intently, abusing her lower lip. "Is that what you want? Do you want to call our child after your father?"

Harry froze, caught. He had tried so hard not to voice that wish, it seemed like such a low blow, almost like a blackmail, to ask that their son be named after James Potter. He knew that had he said as much, Ginny would agree immediately, and it just didn't seem fair. He wanted Ginny to be happy with their choice, after all, it was their child, and though naming his son James appealed to him strongly, it would mean nothing if it made Ginny give up on some name dearer to her.

"I didn't say that," he said quickly.

"Oh, but Harry, I love the name James. I wanted to ask you before, I just didn't know whether it would make you sad or happy," Ginny said, looking quite earnest.

"I like the name James too!" Teddy said quickly, probably feeling left out of the conversation.

Ginny smiled at Teddy fondly. "There, it's settled then."

"Ginny ..." Harry tried, not really wanting to change her mind, but feeling like he should.

"Hear that, tiny baby-person?" Ginny addressed her stomach. "Your name is James Sirius Potter."

"He could be James Arthur, your Dad would love that," Harry said, hating his suddenly scratchy voice.

"No, Harry," Ginny sighed. "You keep forgetting that other people knew and cared about Sirius too. And by other people, right now, I mean me. If our son's name is James, his middle name should be Sirius – it's only right."

Harry couldn't help smiling, feeling ridiculously happy, thinking that if he didn't love Ginny so much, in that moment, he would have fallen in love with her all over again. "No, I suppose we can't separate those two. You're right."

Ginny gave him a brilliant smile. "Of course I am."

Teddy huffed, looking annoyed. Feeling guilty for ignoring him, Harry kissed the top of his head. "Want to go flying?" he asked, bracing himself for an explosion of happiness. Teddy didn't disappoint and he stood up quickly, his eyes wide and his blue hair standing up almost as horridly as Harry's own.

"I need to get dressed! And find my broom! And –"

"Calm down," Ginny said soothingly. "It's Sunday, we have the whole day ahead of us."

"You're coming?" Harry asked in a neutral voice. Ginny glared at him, and he swallowed, suppressing every instinct within him that screamed at him to convince Ginny to stay home in bed. They had had a memorable fight about this already, and after shouting at him for a long time, Ginny finally calmed down and explained to Harry that she wasn't sick, just pregnant, and no, she didn't have to spent nine months in bed doing absolutely nothing. "Great," he managed to say finally, plastering a smile on his face.

Ginny shook his head and smiled at him knowingly.

Relieved that the crisis was averted, Harry addressed Teddy. "Need help getting dressed?"

"No," Teddy said indignantly. "Well, you could come along," he added airily.

Harry picked Teddy up again, and with a last smile in Ginny's direction, carried him to his room, where Teddy successfully demonstrated that he really didn't need help getting dressed. He did have some trouble with shoelaces, but Harry suspected that that was the result of excitement rather than lack of skill.

Teddy gave up after a while and smiling, Harry knelt on the floor to tie them up himself.

"Harry?" Teddy said tentatively, and Harry looked up, surprised with the sudden serious tone. Teddy was staring at his shoes, avoiding Harry's eyes. "Will this be James' room?"

Harry winced inwardly, but tried not to react, as he tied the laces and sat on the bed next to his godson, throwing a hand around the small shoulders.

"Actually, we were thinking of buying a bigger house."

"Oh," Teddy said, still serious.

Harry struggled to say something consoling. He knew that this would be difficult; he knew that Teddy might feel like an intruder once Ginny and he had a child of their own, but he was determined not to let that happen. "You know, James will be like a little brother to you. You could teach him stuff," he said bracingly.

"I guess," Teddy agreed, not sounding overly enthusiastic. He looked up at Harry, his currently brown eyes troubled. "I just ..." Teddy looked lost for a second, as if he didn't know what he was thinking either.

"We're your family, Teddy. We'll always have room for you, all right?" Harry said seriously, hoping that Teddy would see that he meant it.

Teddy stared at him for a second; looking so much like Remus in that moment that Harry's heart nearly skipped a beat. "Alright," Teddy said finally, smiling brightly, apparently finding reassurance in Harry's expression. "I'll go get my broom," he declared, jumping down from the bed.

Harry rubbed his eyes, clearing his blurry vision, and got up to get his own broom and see if Ginny was ready. Teddy was soon griping the Firebolt in his hand, which Harry had bought him for his second birthday. It was quite a memorable occasion, because that was the first time Harry saw Andromeda laugh. It was a bit perplexing to see her eyes fill with tears of mirth instead of sadness.

"Oh, I'll need to polish it!" Teddy exclaimed, as he always did. That was probably the most polished broom in the whole of England. Harry waited another moment for one more inventible question. "Can I fly by myself today?"

"No," Harry said patiently, as Teddy sighed and dropped to the floor heavily, getting ready to polish his broom.

Harry stepped into the living room, and moved towards the bedroom, to see if Ginny was ready and possibly steal a proper kiss while Teddy wasn't looking, but along the way, something caught his eye.

There on the mantelpiece among many other photographs, was a picture of newly wedded Nymphadora and Remus Lupin. Harry walked over, taking the photograph in his hand. Tonks waved at him brightly, looking so much like Teddy that it made Harry's heart ache for Andromeda. He wondered if it was consoling or painful to see her daughter in her grandson every day.

Remus wasn't waving, just looking at Harry with a warm but serious expression. Harry stared back, overwhelmed with sadness, for Remus and Tonks, as well as Teddy, who would never meet his parents, though Harry and many others made sure to tell Teddy everything they could.

Remus kept staring at Harry with Teddy's eyes.

"I love him like a son, Remus," he promised, knowing it was the truth. When his son would be born, Harry couldn't imagine loving him more than Teddy.

Remus smiled and Harry imagined that he could hear him.

Warm arms encircled Harry's waist, and he felt Ginny lean her head on his back. "He knows, Harry. I don't think he ever expected less."

Harry sniffed and returned the photograph on its rightful place and turned around to get that kiss he was craving.

"Mmm," Ginny murmured after they separated. She looked at him, with that blazing eyes of hers and Harry felt instantly better.

"You know, I think you're right," he told her.

"Smart man," she praised, pulling him down for another kiss.




Fin
Reviews 20
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