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SIYE Time:16:31 on 28th March 2024
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Bedside Talks
By Gryffinclaw_31

- Text Size +

Category: Post-DH/AB
Characters:Harry/Ginny, Other, Teddy Lupin
Genres: Angst, Fluff, General
Warnings: None
Story is Complete
Rating: PG
Reviews: 7
Summary: Being an Auror is dangerous, so how do our beloved characters react to Harry's injuries. A one-shot collection of what our different characters do on Harry's bedside, R&R!
Hitcount: Story Total: 2739; Chapter Total: 817







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Someone's hair was brushing his hand, he did a quick self-analysis- he didn't feel too bad and the only thing that did hurt was his abdomen. It must have been a late reaction. He did remember congratulating his team on catching their missing person. He pried an eye open, only to be blinded by the light. Someone stood up and put his glasses on his face, clumsily. He cracked an eye open again.

Teddy Lupin looked eerily similar to Harry when he was fifteen, but the temporary-green eyes were red. His fifteen-year-old godson was looking at him with something like worry and fear?

"Hey Ted," he tried, smiling, and hoped it didn't turn out to be a grimace as he felt pain sear through his right cheek.

"Hello, Harry, Ginny has gone to the Burrow because Lily was crying for her, she'll be back soon,” he said as he sat back down on his chair.

Harry was surprised at the dull way in which the usually cheery Teddy spoke.
"Not a problem. Err, how long have I been out?" He asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He closed his eyes, preparing for the worst.

Teddy’s quiet reply said, "Almost a day."

His eyes opened in astonishment, that was not too bad! He couldn't understand why Teddy was so upset. "Is something wrong?"

He looked up and Harry thought he saw his eyes flash, the smile on his lips was strained and unconvincing when he spoke, "Nothing at all."

Now he was really concerned, Teddy's behaviour was highly unusual. He had never hidden his feelings from Harry before, had someone said something to him? He tried looking at Teddy properly but twisting slightly caused pain to shoot up his abdomen. A hiss escaped his mouth before he could stop it, causing Teddy's head to shoot up. He looked at him with wide eyes, "Are you hurt? Did I do something?"

The pain left as soon as it had come, making Harry aware of the cool dittany-paste. He shook his head, "I'm okay."

Teddy sloped back into his chair.

"Teddy, did someone say something to you?” Harry asked. “Did the Healers say something? Or some friends? Did I do something wrong? What's got you so upset? Has anyone upset you?"

"Save it." Came his short reply, bothering more than annoying, Harry, even further.

But before he could say anything else, Teddy looked up with a shocked face. "Merlin, I'm sorry I snapped at you, I'm fine, just-" He pursed his lips as his hair turned red before swiftly changing into his usual turquoise. "Will you be alright staying alone for a while? I'll go Floo Ginny and see when she's coming."

"I don't want you to go, bud. I know there's something wrong; can you tell me, please? I can confidently say that I won't make fun of you or think it's stupid."

He gave a short forced laugh and turned away before adding quietly, "You won't think it's stupid?"

"Not at all." He wondered what could be so bad to affect Teddy so much.

"Quit the Aurors," he said turning towards him as his hair turned black again.

Harry gaped at him for a moment, "Excuse me?" he said incredulously before he could stop himself.

His face twisted into an unfamiliar expression, "Not think it's stupid, huh?"

"Well, I want you to quit the Aurors, can you do that for me? Hmm?"

"Teddy, how- why- what?" Teddy was making no sense.

He advanced towards him from the door, "Why do you have to be an Auror? Why can't you be like Uncle Ron? Or Ginny? Do something less dangerous? Do you like getting hurt? Tell me. Harry. Do you like getting hurt?"

"No, Ted, I don't like getting hurt-" He started but Teddy cut him off,

"Oh, don't lie! Of course, you do! Silly me. You must like it when people sit beside your bed and cry their eyes out," he said coming even closer to Harry.

"Ted Lupin." he said sharply, though he knew that Teddy was angry, his words cut deeply.

He seemed to have realised what he said, but he just looked down for a second before looking up again in anger and defiance, tears leaked out of his eyes as his face turned red. Harry was briefly reminded of an eight-year-old Teddy when he had come home angry because a bully had called his friend 'useless'. Ginny had gone to his teacher the next day, needless to say, the child had never uttered a wrong word again,

He looked at Teddy with concern, Teddy never cried, he was their optimistic light, the one who managed to brighten the room with his smile, and seeing him like this felt like someone had punched him. "Teddy," he began quietly when he cut him off yet again.

"Don't. Teddy. Me." Teddy wiped his tears angrily. "Don't use that tone. I know you want to save the world. I know you want to keep us safe."

He balled his fists, "Have you ever thought what happens when you're just lying there? HAVE YOU? HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT WHAT YOUR CHILDREN FEEL? NO."

Harry looked at him in surprise, what had happened to him? He put a non-verbal Silencing Charm on the door with a flick of his hand as Teddy looked at him, seething.

"HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT HOW WE FEEL? HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT WHAT IT MUST FEEL LIKE TO US? Every time. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. SOMEHOW YOU END UP ON THE HOSPITAL BED. THE HEALERS SAY YOUR CONDITION IS UNSTABLE. THAT THEY ARE TRYING THEIR BEST." It seemed as if his very soul was screaming, and the sight terrified Harry.

His voice went quiet, but he was shaking from head to foot, "Ginny hides it in front of the kids, but I can hear her pace the whole night. The kids don't know anything, right? That's what you think. They come to me, not Ginny, they tug my trousers and ask what's happened. You don't know what it feels like, to watch you in pain, to watch you unconscious. Ever heard them say, If you're hurt, your loved ones are hurt. Hmm?"

"Teddy" His heart clenched at the sorrow in Teddy's voice.

"Have you EVER thought about what will to us if you-" His anguish was visible in his appearance, his hair was limp and a shade of extremely dark blue, and the anger was now replaced by sorrow.

"They're small, Harry. I thought, considering your past, you would not want your kids to live without a dad.”

"Have you ever thought about- about me?" And a fresh wave of tears leaked down his chin, he came and sat down, hard, onto the chair next to Harry's bed. His eyes reminded Harry so much of Remus’, wide, and trusting, except this time they were filled with tears. To see his eyes clouded with so much pain hurt Harry more than any physical wound could.

Teddy's voice quivered as he continued, "Have you ever thought about what would happen to me, Harry? My parents are dead!" He said harshly, "I'm an orphan, Harry, just like you,"

Harry opened his mouth to speak, the word orphan was informally forbidden in their house, Teddy was as much their kid as any of the Potter kids. But Teddy raised his hand to stop him.

"You don't like hearing it, do you? You don't like hearing me say I'm an orphan, and I don't believe in it much anyway. You've always told me that they're always with me. You became my father-figure- you raised me, you never let me feel as though as I was missing something. You became my hero. Whenever someone asked me how it felt to not have a dad, I said I don't know, because I don't, I never felt the absence of a dad. You didn't let me," His voice dropped even lower.

"Have you ever thought what would happen to me should anything happen to you? Have you ever thought about what would happen to your little Teddy? I will never be too old to need you, Harry, and I will never be able to live without you. I've already lost my parents, Harry," he was choking the words out now, "I've already lost them, please, don't take my godfather away, please don't take him away. I am not as strong as Harry Potter, I won't be able to live without my godfather. Please," He sniffed and wiped his eyes, all the while twisting a knife into Harry's heart, he knew the pain Sirius's death had caused, a hole which no one could ever truly fill.

He wrapped his hands around his torso and swaying slightly, faintly repeating, "Please, please, please."

Making sure his voice was levelled he said, "Teddy, come closer, please."

Teddy looked up from his position at the foot of the bed, Harry smiled, not caring about the pain, and extended his arm, "Come here," he repeated gently, and just like when he was eight, Teddy picked his chair up and moved closer to Harry until he was right beside him.

Harry softly wiped Teddy's tears, he didn't cry easily. And never in such heartbreaking sobs.

Slowly brushing Teddy's hair, he said "I do care about you, Ted. How could you ever think I don't? I care about you, and Ginny, and the kids, I care about you all so much that putting it into words will never be enough. I love you all so much that it's silly to think about a number to times it with, I don't like getting hurt and I promise, this won't be so frequent anymore. Soon, I'll have to go on with only being Head-Auror, and completely out of being a field Auror, then I won't get hurt so much. You are part of the little family which I value over everything."

He looked down to where Teddy was just listening to him with a semi-blank expression, staring at the door, but his alert eyes showed that he was listening to every word. He looked up again as memories stood out vividly, "You, Ginny, Ron and Hermione. You were the only reason I didn't turn into a complete, permanent, mess, after the war. Teddy, your smile, your charm, you've been the reason for me to keep going for so long, I will never leave you."

"I know how it feels to lose a godfather, and I promise I'm not going anywhere until you have your great-great-grandsons or granddaughters to play with," he shot Teddy a grin, but he didn't return it. Sighing he continued stroking his hair.

"I don't do it out of fun, Teddy, yes, I cannot live a dull life, but the reason I joined the Aurors was not because of that, I don't want parents to ever worry about their children in public, and I don't want children like you or me, to ever end up without anyone to take care of them. I want to protect them, Teddy, and I never intended to make you feel unsafe in the process. But Ted, you said it yourself." He let out a long sigh and leaned back into his pillows.

Teddy gently turned his head towards him, making Harry smile slightly, he continued, "You said it yourself, you can't live without me. I can't live without you either Teddy. I've lost too many people, losing anymore may just crack me, and that's not something I ever want to think about again," At this, he heard a soft ruffle of the sheets as he finally looked up at him, but Harry didn't look down, "well, there are other children like you, Teddy, and they may not be able to live without their guardians like you do. I can never let that happen because I want everyone to smile like you. I want every kid who had to go through the war, feel relieved that the young will not need to feel that way, and that's just who I am."

He felt Teddy tense slightly. "I can't leave the Aurors, Ted, but I can promise to be more careful. I can promise to not go on countless missions. I'm sorry to put you through so much, but you're my brave boy, aren't you? You're just as, if not braver, than me. You take care of the kids and Ginny, and you never let anyone know how scared you are. But Teddy, promise me you won't bottle your feelings up again? You'll let me know if you're upset, even if you think it's stupid or selfish or anything else. Can you do that for me?"

He looked down to where Teddy was staring at the bedpost, his hair had turned back to his usual turquoise, as he lifted his head to look at him, a blush appeared on his cheeks, "Sorry," Teddy said in a low voice.

"It's okay. I'm glad you let it all out, but I hope you see reason in what I'm saying?" he answered. "You'll never lose me, I promise." A distant memory of the night he was named Teddy's godfather came to him. He would not leave Teddy alone like Sirius had to.

"It's not selfish, Teddy, to wish for your family to be safe, it's human, even if it can't always be made true," he murmured, looking straight into Teddy's big amber eyes,

"I understand. I'm sorry I shouted. I didn't mean to accuse you of not caring," Teddy said slowly as he folded his arms and rested his head on them.

"You're forgiven, I know you didn't mean it, and next time, maybe tell me before it gets too much?" Harry said firmly.

"Can you tell me about them? Like you used to?" The request, which Teddy had made ever since he could understand words, a bittersweet feeling settled in his heart.

"Of course," He smiled and began the story of the first time he met professor R.J. Lupin, softly brushing Teddy's hair.

He didn't know how long he spoke when he saw Ginny enter the room. "You're awake!" she said rushing to him, but when he bought his fingers to his lips and gestured at the sleeping Teddy, she continued coming to him at a slower pace.

"How're you feeling?" She asked in a hushed tone.

"I'm alright actually, it wasn't too bad," Harry replied.

"What were you two doing, was he sleeping when you woke up?" Ginny asked as she picked took a blanket out from her bag and draped it over Teddy.

"Oh, nothing, he just needed some reassurance," he answered, pulling the blanket to Teddy's left shoulder.

"He's my brave boy," Ginny planted a kiss on Teddy's head. She then came and sat on the bed's other side, taking something that the kids had sent out of the bag.

Harry withdrew his hand from Teddy's hair, "Yes, he is."

OoOoOoOoOoOo

Author's note: So here's the second one! I did like writing this one very much because I think it's important to show that Teddy and Harry had their ups-and-downs as well. I hope you like it! As always, please review as they're the only way I have of knowing your opinion, and I hold them very close to me, any constructive criticism, suggestions etc. are welcome. Thanks for reading! I also did want to thank the people who've reviewed every story I've posted, it means a lot, so thanks for that too! A huge thanks to Arnel for beta-reading this!
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