A/N: Hey there! On a recent trip to a place in which I had no internet, I needed a bit of entertainment and decided to put together this cliched little story. The Potters are in here as well, but this is mostly a story about Teddy and his parents. The rating's a bit high because of language and some intimate situations, but there's nothing intensely mature.

Oh and this story has already been written in its entirety, so there's no chance of me not finishing it unless there's no interest. Expect 16 chapters and around 60,000 words. So I hope you enjoy! Please review. That would make me so happy.

***If you want more Teddy from me, I also have a one-shot up called Under the Full Moon. (It's not in the same canon as this. I'm just far too interested in finding ways for Teddy to talk to his parents).

Chapter 1

Remus waited anxiously on the couch in the Tonks' living room. He sat there, elbows resting on his knees, and then he stood and paced and then he sat there. He stood again as he heard another drawn out cry of pain coming from upstairs. It was torture just waiting there, unable to do anything, while Tonks was obviously in such pain. From what it sounded like, Remus assessed that childbirth was a bit like a very long transformation. He did not envy her.

It had all begun late in the afternoon when Tonks, who had been puttering around looking uncomfortable the whole day, had suddenly grabbed around her expansive middle and stifled a yelp of pain. Everything had progressed, then, sometimes quicker and sometimes slower than Remus had expected. Though he had dutifully done his reading on the topic, he found that the pages of books did the whole process no justice.

Luckily, Andromeda was there to guide her daughter up to the bedroom and talk her through it as Remus flooed right to the burrow for reinforcements in the form of Molly Weasley.

"Oh, how exciting!" the Weasley mother said as Remus appeared in her fireplace and choked out something akin to, 'Baby, now, what…' She immediately began to gather a few things, all the while telling a story about the births of one of her own children. It might've been the twins, but Remus wasn't listening. He only wanted to get back to Tonks to see how she that she was alright.

Together, they climbed the stairs of the Tonks house and entered the room where Tonks was positioned on the bed atop towels. She smiled at Remus as he entered, but she looked in pain and already there was a slight sheen of sweat on her forehead.

"Hello, Molly," Tonks greeted, "Lovely of you to join the party." She grimaced and Remus dropped to his knees beside her.

"How are you doing?" he murmured, pushing the hair off of her forehead. It was her natural dark brown.

"Could be better," she said, "about to get worse, probably. Don't worry, Remus. I'm a tough cookie." She grinned at him and he kissed her forehead gently.

Those were some of the last kind words she had said to him before the contractions really began closer and closer together, and she was in even more pain.

"This is bloody horrible!" she cried and squeezed Remus's hand. "Why…Do people…do this…more than once?"

Molly gave her a knowing smile. "You'll find out soon, I'm sure, dear," she said.

"Well I'm not bloody well letting you anywhere near me again," Tonks muttered to Remus. She was breathing heavily and the muscles of her arms and face were tensed.

"Is there anything I can do?" Remus stood and looked between Andromeda and Molly somewhat desperately. "Really, please, can I do anything? Can we give her a potion or something to lessen the pain?"

"We've done what we can, Remus," Andromeda said. "Now she has to do the work."

Eventually, he had been kicked out because he was 'making all three of them nervous'. It was worse outside of the room where he couldn't see what was going on and could only wait through each cry of pain.

It seemed rather like it would never end. Remus could not tell how long it had been going on, but he wished it had been over and done with before it had started. Why childbirth had to be such a struggle was a mystery to him. He suddenly perked up as a cry shot through the air that was most definitely not from Tonks.

Remus let out a small sigh of relief. It was over. The baby had cried and that must've been good. Now all he had to do was make sure that Tonks was alright. He began to pace again as he waited for either Andromeda or Molly to open the door.

"Remus," Molly's voice called from the top of the stairs. She was beaming widely, her eyes bright. "Would you like to come meet your little baby?"

Remus nodded and walked up the stairs slowly, suddenly nervous about something entirely different. All of his former worries were beginning to come back to him. What if the baby wasn't healthy? What if it was like him? What if it grew up to resent him?

He paused in front of the door and took a deep breath before pushing it open. Andromeda was hurrying about the room, looking as though she had just been crying, as she tried to clean up the area. Remus averted his eyes from the bloody towels that were on a table across the room.

Andromeda smiled at him warmly as she caught sight of him and patted him on the shoulder. Remus nodded at her, but only had eyes for the woman sitting up on the bed. Tonks looked absolutely beautiful, he thought, though her hair was a tangled mess and the sweat was still on her forehead and neck. She looked both utterly exhausted and completely awake and the happiest he had ever seen her.

"Come here, darling," she said, smiling widely. Remus approached slowly, quietly. He eyed the carefully-wrapped bundle in her arms. A little pink fist emerged from between the fold of the white blanket and Remus's breath hitched. That was his child, there in her arms.

He sat down carefully beside Tonks. She was rocking the baby gently against her chest, an instinctive movement, as she looked down at the child with pure, complete love.

"Come meet your son," Tonks said. She tore her eyes away from the baby boy to look at Remus, watching his expression. Remus shifted more on the bed and he gazed into the bundle to see the little boy's red face. His eyes were shut and his tiny lips pouted. On his head there was a tuft of dark brown hair. The fist that had escaped from the warm wrappings waved in the air.

Remus reached towards him with a finger and touched him gently. His little fingers seemed impossibly tiny. His whole body seemed so very delicate, as if he would fall apart at any moment.

Seeing him hesitate, Tonks said, "It's alright. He's a robust little thing, no doubt." She stroked his cheek with the back of a finger and he made a little noise.

"He's so beautiful," Remus said, his voice filled with wonder. He didn't think he had ever seen anything so beautiful in his life. He seemed absolutely perfect. "Dora, darling, I love you so much." Remus leaned over to press a kiss to Tonks's temple. She leaned into his touch and hummed in appreciation, her eyes falling shut. When she opened them, she gazed into Remus's eyes and they kissed sweetly, the little child they had made nestled between them.

"Do you want to hold him?" Remus hesitated, afraid of hurting the new baby. The chap was hardly an hour old, after all, and Remus hadn't been around many babies. In fact, the last one he had seen was Harry. He, Sirius, and Peter had all hurried over together to see James and Lily's little baby boy. He had looked rather like Remus's son, all red with dark hair.

Remus nodded and held out his arms slightly. He and Tonks made the transfer carefully, and Remus realized that Tonks must've been a little afraid of dropping him like a teacup in the kitchen of 12 Grimmauld Place. Remus positioned the little boy carefully in his arms so that his head was propped up by the crook of his elbow. He let out another infantile squeak and Remus could feel him kicking his legs.

As Remus looked down at him, he realized that something was off.

"Wasn't his hair darker?" Remus asked. "Or do they do that?" Tonks leaned over and they both examined their son's dark ginger hair for a long second.

"Mum?" asked Tonks. Andromeda hurried over. "Mum, is his hair supposed to change color that fast? I mean, I know some do get different-colored hair when they grow up, or their blue eyes fade…" Andromeda gazed down at her grandson affectionately and tickled him under his chin.

"I think he's like you, Dora," she said. Remus and Tonks looked at each other, their eyes wide. They started laughing together happily and the bundle squirmed in Remus's arms. Another fist poked out.

"Oh, get those hands back where it's warm," Tonks told their son, gently tucking him back in again. She rubbed his tummy and they watch with awe as his hair faded more to a sandy brown. Tonks beamed at him proudly. "Look at our little man!" she said. "What a talented boy."

"You were the same way," Andromeda said. "Ted and I thought we had done something wrong until we read up a bit." She shared a sad smile with her daughter. "Anyway, I should go down and see if Molly hasn't gotten lost looking for that old camera. And you two have a very important job." Tonks raised an eyebrow at her.

"Find my grandson a nice name!" she said with mock exasperation. She beamed at them both and then slipped out of the room, leaving Remus and Tonks alone with the new addition to their family.

Tonks leaned forward to capture Remus's lips and kissed him gently. "See," she said when she pulled away. "He's absolutely wonderful- ten fingers and ten toes and a metamorphmagus to boot!"

"Yes, I'm quite besotted, I think," Remus agreed. He rocked their little Lupin back and forth gently. "But your mother's right. We haven't named him yet."

"Ted," Tonks said without hesitation. "I want to name him after my dad…If that's alright with you." Remus kissed her on her head.

"That's absolutely perfect," he said. "Edward it is- and we can call him Teddy for now. What do you think?"

"That's adorable," Tonks grinned, "Edward Remus Lupin." Remus's eyes widened at her. "What? We have to honor his daddy as well. Plus, he looks like you."

"How can you tell already?" Remus asked.

"Just wait until he opens his eyes. They're yours exactly."

Andromeda came back upstairs with the camera, trailing Molly behind her, and they were both very pleased with the name Tonks had picked out. Andromeda instructed them to sit together more so they could all be in frame as she positioned the camera. A wide flash went off, awakening little Teddy Lupin, who had another chance to display his well-developed lungs.

"Wow," Remus breathed. He had passed Teddy back to his mother, who rocked him back into contented silence. "He's rather loud."

"Get used to it," Molly said. "You'll be hearing that all through the night for the first few months until he's old enough to sleep more than a couple hours at a time."

"Look, Remus," Tonks told him. "See, your eyes!" Teddy blinked up at him, his eyes the type of green that faded to a starburst of brown around the pupil. He couldn't deny that the similarity was rather strange and wonderful all at the same time. It was definitive proof that that boy, who seemed far too perfect, was really his son.

Teddy was passed around a little between Andromeda and Molly, who each crooned over him adoringly. He then found himself in Remus's arms once again and he placed the boy in the cot gently. Remus had put it together himself and he and Tonks had picked out the blankets (light green because they didn't know the baby's gender) and the mobile that swung overhead (a lovely mix of stuffed hippogriffs, unicorns, and phoenixes that moved on their own). Andromeda came over and took another picture of him. The picture fell out the bottom and developed instantly. His hair was growing darker again.

"We should tell people," Remus said as he stood up again. "A birth announcement might brighten spirits a little bit. Times have been so dark lately. Would you mind terribly if I went?" Remus glanced sidelong at their son, who was asleep peacefully again.

"I'll be fine here with mum and Molly," Tonks said with a smile. "Go; I know you want to brag about how handsome he is." Remus leaned over the bed to kiss Tonks deeply. His hands caressed her face.

"Get plenty of rest, Mrs. Lupin," Remus said. She pulled him in for another kiss.

"I will, Mr. Lupin. Say hi to everyone for me." Remus kissed her once more in goodbye, and then again. He couldn't seem to walk away.

"I'll be back soon," he promised, and got his cloak. Andromeda hugged him goodbye in what was the most obvious display of affection he had ever received from Mrs. Tonks. Remus thanked her and headed outside to apparate from the front stoop. His first stop would be Shell Cottage.

Remus was drunk with happiness; he downed another shot of firewhisky to add to his exuberant state. He had been pleasantly surprised to find the great crowd of people that were filling Bill and Fleur's little cottage by the sea- especially Harry Potter. After what had happened that afternoon in 12 Grimmauld Place what seemed like a lifetime ago, Remus knew he owed Harry for knocking some sense into him and driving him back to his wife.

There would be no one better, Remus knew, for the role of godfather to his child. Harry accepted and Remus downed just one more before returning heading out on his way. He would make one more stop.

The Potterwatch station consisted of a portable radio transmitter. All of the equipment was ready to move at any time. The whole station could move across the country each night for the next broadcast. Tonight, news from the resistance would be flying through the air waves straight from the attic of Weasley's Wizard Wheezes.

Remus ascended the stairs a little shakily from the mix of alcohol and apparition. He knocked on the door and Lee Jordan's voice called out.

"It's Romulus," Remus said, "Resident werewolf, husband of Nymphadora, better known as Tonks, and brand-new father." The door opened immediately and he was greeted by the grinning faces of Lee Jordan, the twins, and Kingsley Shacklebolt.

"Well come on in!" they chorused excitedly. Remus wasn't surprised as he was handed another shot glass and they all toasted to Teddy Remus Lupin.

"Great name," Fred said. "Kind of rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?"

"Excellent," George concurred. "I can really hear that." Fred hit him in the back of the head.

Remus arrived back at the Tonks's house with his hair windswept and his cheeks red from the celebratory shots he had shared first at shell cottage and then with his fellow radio broadcasters. Fred had even promised to slip the announcement into the program. Remus couldn't keep the grin off of his face as he opened the door. Andromeda and Molly were talking in the living room.

"Thank you for everything you've done, Molly," Remus said. Mrs. Weasley pulled Remus into a tight hug.

"Think nothing of it," she told him, patting his cheek. "I'd best be getting back to Arthur, though," she said. "I'll tell him the news, of course. You just go back to that beautiful family you have." She said her goodbyes to Andromeda and promised to pop by again soon before hurrying out the door and disappearing with a pop.

"Thank you, too," Remus told Andromeda. She looked at him long.

"I wasn't sure about you and my daughter," Andromeda said, "But I've never seen her so happy and that is a beautiful boy you have. I think I might've judged a little harshly."

"Not to worry," Remus said. "Your kindness was more than I would expect from anyone."

"Maybe, but we're family now," Andromeda said. "I want you to know that I'll stick by you." Humbled, Remus thanked her quietly before excusing himself to see Tonks. "Quietly," Andromeda warned. "She's taking a nap."

No matter how quietly he moved, however, she still woke as he slipped in and beckoned him to her side. They curled up together and Remus tapped his wand on the wireless, saying that night's password. They listened through the program for the little bit of happiness Remus knew would be there.

"And now, a bit of a brighter announcement in these dark times," Lee said.

"We are proud to congratulate the always wonderful- except when he's hairy- Remus Lupin and his lovely wife, known commonly as Tonks, for the birth of their son, Teddy, today. It's nice to know that there's still a bit of love in the world. That's all for tonight; tune in next time. The password is 'Teddy'. Goodnight!"

Life with a newborn was tough in a different sort of way that, after so much worrying about the war, Remus welcomed. He provided the greatest distraction to all the worries of the outside world, if only for a little while. Teddy proved to be a rather docile child most of the time, but had a wail reminiscent of a banshee whenever he did get upset.

Remus eagerly took on the job of getting up in the night to answer those cries and change his diapers, only getting Tonks up if he needed a feed. He wanted her to be as rested as possible after all her hard work. Tonks, on the other hand, was ready to get back on her feet the next day, eager to spend as much time with Teddy as possible.

As the full moon approached, Remus began to get a little anxious about Teddy, but every time he got that look in his eyes, thinking about all the things that could go wrong, Tonks would rub his shoulders and kiss his cheek and tell him to 'Stop looking so morose. Nothing's going to go wrong.'

As the fateful night finally arrived, Remus kissed his family goodbye and made the journey to the burrow, where Arthur and Molly had offered up their basement very generously for his use. Andromeda, who was even more adept at potion-making than her daughter, had managed to concoct enough Wolfsbane for that cycle, which he had taken each night for the days preceding the full moon, and he would no doubt sleep it off without trouble.

Still, his mind was not at ease and, as the pains of the transformation wracked his body and broke his bones, he wondered about Teddy and Tonks and hoped that they were okay.

The night passed without complication and Remus was able to apparate back home, only slightly bruised. His eagerness to see his family overpowered his aching muscles and he rushed straight upstairs. Tonks was up, rocking Teddy. As she spotted him, she brightened but motioned that he should be very quiet. There were dark rings around her eyes and she looked like she hadn't slept.

"How is he?" Remus asked hesitantly as she placed him back in his crib. He looked sound asleep. His hair was deep purple.

"There was no change," Tonks said with a smile. Remus let out the breath that he was unconsciously holding. "But he did stay up all night. Nothing I could do would send him to sleep."

"Was he in pain, do you think?" Remus could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage. Tonks shook her head.

"He wasn't screaming," she said. "In fact, he was rather quiet. But he didn't go to sleep either until just now." She looked at him thoughtfully and shrugged. "I'll have to see what he does next time. Maybe this will turn out to be a quirk of his."

The next day, Tonks took the camera out again to capture more moments with Teddy. At a week old, he was livelier and began to show a bit of personality. Tonks snapped a picture as Remus burped him. The camera whirred and spit out the picture onto the floor.

"Do the changes in hair color mean anything right now?" Remus asked. Teddy's hair was turquoise, a color for which he seemed to express some favor for.

"I don't think he really knows what he's doing," Tonks said. "I didn't have full control over it until I was around eight. Just imagine me visiting my Muggle cousins. I had to wear a hat all the time and they thought I was so weird." Remus laughed and Teddy spit up. Tonks took him as Remus cleaned off the towel.

"What about changing facial features? Will he be able to do that?"

"Thankfully no, not right now," Tonks replied, bouncing Teddy. "That actually involves intention. Hair color is easier to do; sometimes it just reflects mood- like a chameleon or something. According to a study on Metamorphmagi, the chameleon was the most common patronus form found, actually. Of course, that study was done on a grand total of one Metamorphmagus in 1542, so I'm pretty sure it's not the least bit accurate."

Remus laughed as he sat on the couch and Tonks handed Teddy off to him again. The little boy blinked at him, their eyes mirror images of one another. Tonks clicked the camera, but nothing happened.

"Out of film already?" asked Remus. They switched- Tonks got Teddy and Remus fiddled with the camera. "We must have taken a thousand pictures already! And how old is he? Ten days old?"

Remus couldn't believe it, actually. It seemed like such a short time and already they had fallen into a routine. As Teddy still could only go about two hours at a time without alerting his parents to some sort of discomfort, both of them (and Andromeda as well) were basically dead on their feet, but Remus reveled in this weariness because, with Teddy around, there was always something to look forward to and keep him going.

"That's a true mile mark right there," Tonks grinned. "Be a dear and find some more please." Remus kissed first Tonks and then Teddy.

"For you," he said.

Truthfully, he had no idea where the film could be. He knew that Tonks had another camera that was brought from her old flat, though, so he set off to find the few boxes they had packed during their hurried and impromptu move. Sifting around in one that held a couple of Remus's spare things, he came across and a half-empty box of Best Magical Instant Film. Remus put it in his pocket, but was distracted by something else in the bottom of the box.

"What's this?" he murmured. At the bottom of the box sat a letter addressed to him and Tonks in unfamiliar rigid handwriting. He picked it up, sat back on his heels, and opened it.

Dear Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, he read.

You do not remember, but we met in November of 1996. My name is Edward Remus Lupin (though everyone calls me Teddy) and I am your son.

Remus's brow furrowed and he read over the first line again and again. The words did not change. He looked around, as though expecting one of the twins to pop out and yell 'just kidding!' This was absurd; it was an impossible joke. Teddy wasn't even two weeks old. He immediately thought back to the Potterwatch announcement of Teddy's birth. But no, they hadn't given away his full name. And, anyway, how could anyone slip the letter in the bottom of a random box in their tightly-secured house? Remus decided to put up new protections after he finished reading the rest of the letter.

Well, correction, I am your son in the future. Maybe you haven't had me yet, or maybe you have. When I met you, though, you and mum were hardly on speaking terms with each other. So, if you haven't gotten married yet, just know that that will be coming down the pike very soon. Anyway, I know this must be very difficult to believe. I suppose I should explain how I, your now twenty-four year old son, came to meet you, my pre-Teddy parents. It all started with James Potter II and a trip into his father's office…

A/N: Thanks for the read! Don't forget to review. The next chapter will be up soon and you'll get a look at the year 2022 with Teddy, Vic, and the Potters!