Author's Note: I really wanted to write something to honor the reveal of Teddy being in Hufflepuff. :)

Written for…

Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. Team/Position: Montrose Magpies, Chaser 1. Task: Write about Teddy Lupin with Harry Potter. Prompts: curious, embrace, pride

His Mother's Son

There were plenty of reasons Harry should be worried at being called to Hogwarts exactly two weeks after his godson's arrival at the school. The moment he received McGonagall's letter, his mind began to whirl with scenarios involving bat-bogey hexes and canary cremes.

"He hasn't even been there a month. He's not getting into trouble," Ginny had told him, but Harry wasn't so sure. This was the boy who had put hair dye into their shampoo bottles and talked James into taking a broom for a joyride. If anyone could get detention before he'd even learned a spell, it was Teddy.

He had expected to find the eleven-year-old sitting in the Headmistress' office looking guilty and with a head of charcoal grey hair, like it always looked when he was in trouble. Surprisingly, McGonagall was alone when Harry arrived.

"Where's Teddy?" he asked straight away. He didn't enjoy the idea of having to reprimand the boy for whatever he'd done, but better to get it done and over with.

"He's in the infirmary. I wanted to have a talk with you before you see him," McGonagall answered as she poured them tea.

Harry frowned and took a seat in front of her desk. If they had to talk without Teddy then it really had to be bad.

"What's he done?"

McGonagall chuckled, settling into her chair. "What makes you think he's done anything?"

"I know my godson."

"He is very much like his parents," she conceded. "I'm afraid that's part of the problem."

This part confused Harry. If anything, Teddy's best qualities were those he inherited from Remus and Tonks. Not to say that the things he picked up from the others over the years weren't valuable traits, but Harry mostly enjoyed seeing his friends alive in the way Teddy spoke or laughed or tripped over his shoelaces.

"Why am I here? What's happened?"

"Teddy has been having a difficult time settling into school. You're here because his grandmother and I feel that you may be able to resolve the situation more easily, as he's refusing to speak to myself or his head of house about the issues."

Harry scoffed. "You're sure we're talking about the same boy? Hogwarts is all he talked about for an entire year, he's been studying textbooks since he could read, and he makes friends at the drop of a hat. What's the matter?"

"Perhaps it'd be best if you spoke with him."

Harry braced himself for what he would find in the infirmary, coming to terms with the idea that something was very horribly wrong, but nothing he imagined prepared him for seeing Teddy with a black eye and ordinary light brown hair. He'd never had anything but brightly-colored locks for as long as he could control his abilities, and Harry dreaded to think what had brought on the sudden change.

They were the only ones in the infirmary. It seemed Teddy was prepared to ignore him – he hadn't smiled or even looked his way when he'd come in – but Harry persevered, positioning himself in the chair directly in front of the boy. Teddy immediately tried to turn away, but Harry gently grasped his chin and tilted his head from side to side, getting a better look at the bruise over his left eye.

"Care to tell me what happened?"

Teddy frowned and a flicker of neon green shot through his hair. It was just as quickly gone and Harry wondered what it meant. Neons weren't on Harry's reference list of Teddy's moods. The fact that he was still ignoring Harry suggested it probably wasn't good. Time for a different tactic.

Harry moved to sit beside Teddy on the bed, draping an arm across the boy's shoulders to keep him in place.

"Professor McGonagall tells me you've been having some trouble. I know it's not with your classes, because Aunt Hermione's been prepping you for ages and you're probably at a fifth-year level by now. So I'm assuming this has something to do with a person. The black eye is a bit of a giveaway, I admit."

"I didn't get in a fight," Teddy said quietly.

"Then what's wrong?"

Teddy sighed and shifted under the weight of Harry's arm. "I don't like it here."

Harry tried to keep his tone neutral. "Why?"

"I'm a Hufflepuff," the boy said as if that cleared everything up.

"And?"

"Hufflepuffs are boring. I wanted to be in Gryffindor, like you and Aunt Ginny. And Dad."

Harry nodded. He was beginning to see why McGonagall called him. Orphan issues. Perfect. "So this is about your dad?"

"It's not just about Dad. Gryffindors are cool."

He couldn't help but laugh at that. "I don't really think it's the house that makes a person 'cool.'"

"But Gryffindors are better than everyone!"

"Whoa, no. No, no, no. You know that's not true. Houses don't mean anything, Teddy. Your Aunt Luna was Ravenclaw. Your gran was Slytherin. Your mum was Hufflepuff. How could you think any house is better than another?"

Teddy kicked his legs. "My dad was pretty awesome, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, of course. Your dad was one of the best people I ever knew. Your mum too."

"Why can't I be like him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Gran's always going on about how much like Mum I am. I'm a metamorphmagus and I'm loud and clumsy. And now I'm in Hufflepuff, just like her. I just wanted to be a little more like Dad too."

Harry sighed exasperatedly. "I know it's hard for you to see, Teddy, but you are like your dad. That curiosity that's gotten you into so much trouble definitely comes from him. Your courage comes in part from him as well. You're patient occasionally, and kind. Those are qualities Remus had too. And I know it's … it's not easy hearing this, because you didn't know him. You'll never really understand how alike you are, but he's in you, Teddy. I see it all the time."

Harry looked down to find his godson sporting soft blue hair and a small smile. Good signs.

"I didn't get this in a fight," Teddy said, gently brushing the bruise. "I was helping Andrew carry some books back from the library and I tripped and … my face sort of landed on the boot of that statue of Godric Gryffindor. It landed really hard."

"Jeez, Teddy. One of these days you're going to wind up in a full-body cast."

The boy giggled softly, running his hand along the bridge of his nose. "I broke my nose too. And my jaw. I begged Madam Connelly to let me keep the black eye. I think it looks cool."

Harry shook his head. "I'm going to have to see that she gets a raise for putting up with you."

They were left in silence for a moment before Teddy's hair began fading again and Harry grew worried.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you think Dad would be upset that I'm a Hufflepuff?"

Harry smiled. "I think he would be just as proud of you as I am." He waited until Teddy's hair was back to its normal electric blue and he was relaxed in Harry's embrace before he added, "But if I'm called out here again, you won't be getting a broom for your birthday."