Chapter 1

May 2, 1999

It had been a year; one whole year since Lord Voldemort was killed. Since Fred was killed. Since Remus, Tonks, Colin, and so many more.

Harry was now working as the current Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, at special request of the now Headmistress, Professor McGonagall. Even though Harry was only eighteen (almost nineteen) years old and hadn't finished his education, he was still permitted to teach at the school. After all, he had more defense against the dark arts education than half-the-ministry put together! Next year, he would be joining the others who were training at the Ministry to become aurors, he would not need to train, not much. None of that mattered today; for Harry planned on journeying into Hogsmeade and apparating to some of the graves of those people he knew and was closest too, those who had been lost in the Battle of Hogwarts.

First, he went to see Andromeda Tonks and his godson. Every weekend, Harry picked up Teddy and spent a few days with him; he had an arrangement worked out with both the headmistress, and with Teddy's grandmother so that he could do this. After spending a lifetime not having parents and not even knowing about his own godfather, he vowed that he would always be there for Teddy Lupin. When he got to the house, Andromeda came to the door, Teddy in tow, and greeted him.

"Hello Harry," she said, and Harry could tell that she had been crying, "How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine, how are you?" He asked back bending down to pick up the toddling youth scampering towards him. "Hey kiddo! And how are you doing today?"

"Hawey!" The little boy greeted his godfather. Cute kid, Harry thought He doesn't even know what today is.

"Shall we be off then?" She asked, grabbing her traveling cloak off the stand by the door. Together, they walked down the lane to the small cemetery just outside of town. As they entered, Harry carrying Teddy, he waved his wand, and two small bouquets of flowers appeared out of thin air. Harry set down Teddy who instantly put his hand in the air to grab onto his godfather's. Harry got down so he was as close to Teddy's height as he could get. He looked him in the eye, and grabbed his hands; in each, he placed a bouquet and told him that they were going to put them on the ground where some very important people lay. Teddy looked back at Harry and stared into his emerald eyes clearly confused by what he was just told, and Harry chuckled. Of course, how could he expect a boy who was barely more than one to know what they were there for?

Andromeda, Harry, and Teddy walked towards the place where their loved ones lay. When they got to the tombstones, Harry knelt on the ground and waved his wand in the air, two wreaths now appeared in the air floating down on to the ground in front of each of the stones.

"Teddy, can you do me a favor, please? Can you put one of those down on top of the thing that I just put there?"

"Why?"

"Because that's how we show that we miss someone, by remembering them, and showing them respect, even when their gone." Again, Teddy got that glazed look on his face that clearly meant, 'I don't know why I'm doing this, or what you just said, but I'll do it, you've never steered me wrong before.' And, again, Harry grinned at him, and asked him to repeat what he did onto Remus' gravestone.

"Now," Harry said, "look at both of them," the boy did, "and say 'I love you' just like you do to me and your grandmother."

"I wuv you." And even though he didn't know why he was doing it, Harry could tell that somewhere inside of him, he knew that he was talking to his parents, and that one day, when he was old enough, he would be doing this on his own, and maybe even with his children.

After Teddy said the words, Harry looked up at Andromeda, the woman who had lost so much and still found the strength to raise a baby and face the fact everyday that her husband and daughter would not walk back through the front door. She had tears in her eyes, and when Teddy turned around to look up at her, they spilled over the edge; she bent down to pick up the child. She squeezed him close to her, putting all the affection that she felt towards those whom she had lost onto her grandchild. First she looked down and then up to the sky, when she whispered, "I miss you, so much." Then down to Teddy where she whispered, barely audible, "I love-" but she stopped, she became choked up and simply held him even tighter.

Even though Harry had lost his parents, godfather, mentor, and so many others, he could not possibly imagine the kind of pain that Andromeda was in. He had never truly lost the love of his life; Ginny was, after all, alive and well; and he had never lost a child. He thought, for a moment, what it would mean to him if something were ever to happen to Teddy; but he had to stop, that thought was too unbearable, and he refused to think about it. He could only watch the boy and think how different this experience would be when Teddy was old enough to know and realize what he had lost a year ago today.

Andromeda had slightly released her grip on her grandson and pulled him away to look at him again. In this sad mood, Teddy's hair had turned black. It often did that, changed with the mood that he perceived or felt. He reached his tiny hand up to Mrs. Tonks' face and wiped the tears off her cheeks.

"Be happy," he said.

This statement was so plain and simple that the two adults could not help but laugh through their sadness.

"You're right, we should be happy, shouldn't we Teddy? After all, today is not to mourn our loss, but to celebrate the life that they had, and the life that they made."

"Here-here!" Harry said mocking holding a glass in the air. Teddy turned around and, seeing that Harry was holding his hand in the air, held his up too. Then he reached out and made grabbing motions towards his godfather.

"Hawey! Hawey!" Harry reached out and Andromeda handed the boy off.

"You're going to visit the rest today?" She asked, still wiping her face.

"Yeah. I thought we would. I was going to go to the Weasley's at least. Bill and Fleur haven't seen Teddy that much, and Fleur really wants kids, so I thought they might like to see him and watch how crazy he is." He said with a grin at the last part. "Mrs. Weasley invited us for both lunch and dinner. Ginny was going to come in for a few hours, and Teddy really loves her. Ron and Hermione are also going to be there, and they haven't seen him in months, also, I haven't seen them much since I've been spending the weeks at Hogwarts and my weekends with this little monkey. Or, should I say: little wolf." He corrected himself, tickling Teddy's stomach and smiling broadly at him. No matter what was going on in his life, nothing cheered him up more than playing with his godson. Well, Harry thought, a moonlight walk with Ginny never hurt either.

"Alright, well, if you're going to make it on time you better be off. Were you planning on apperating, or flying?"

"I was going to apperate, if that's alright with you. I don't want to hurt Teddy or anything, so whichever you think would be better."

"I actually think that apperating might be safer, I know you're quite good at both dear, but I'm not so sure I like the idea of him making a long journey on a broom quite yet."

Teddy chimed in: "Pop!"

Harry laughed, "Apperating it is, sounds like that's what he wants as well." To be respectful, they walked to the gates of the cemetery before they apperated, where they bid good-bye to Andromeda and Harry promised to have him back to her by the following evening. As Andromeda walked away, Harry couldn't help but look back to where his father's friend lay, and then turned his head skyward. "Remus, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for all the horrible things I said. I'm so sorry that you'll never get to properly see your son grow up. I'm sorry that you had to loose your best friends. I'm sorry you didn't get the full and long life you deserved. I'm-" he broke off, feeling tears well up, but forced himself to continue on. "I'm sorry Tonks, you both didn't deserve to go, and certainly not like that. But I will promise you now, I will take care of Teddy," he said this strongly and with conviction as he pulled the subject of his promise closer to his chest, feeling more protective than he had ever felt, "and I will watch over him. I'll make sure that he doesn't get into too much trouble, but most importantly, I'll do what you said. I'll make sure that he knows that you died making a better world, a safer world for him to grow up in. And that you both loved-love- him."

When he was finished, he turned his gaze down to Teddy, who looked up at him, and, with a tired look on his face, nuzzled it into the crook at Harry's neck. At that moment, Harry squeezed his godson closer to his chest, turned on the spot, and vanished from sight.