It was an unseasonably warm day in May when Harry took his six-year-old godson, Teddy, to the beach.

Teddy seemed to be having a good time. The two had taken turns burying each other in the sand, chasing each other around the shore and then raced each other into the water. It turned out to be far colder than the warm weather led them to believe, and the pair shivered violently as their swimming lesson quickly degraded into a vicious splash-fight. After that they laid down on a blanket, Teddy resting his head against Harry's side, wrapped in towels and trying to warm themselves in the sun.

Teddy spent several minutes cheerfully chatting about his many friends before a companionable silence fell between them. Harry decided that this was the moment he'd been waiting for and raised himself by his elbows.

"Teddy, there's something that I've been meaning to tell you."

"What?"

Harry had made this announcement several times already to other friends and family members. He never felt like he knew quite what to say, and then always defaulted to the direct approach.

"Ginny and I are going to have a baby."

Teddy sat up and turned to him. His expression could best be described as curious.

"A baby?"

"That's right."

"When?"

"We don't know exactly. Probably a little before Christmas."

"Christmas?" His face fell. "I thought you meant soon."

Harry grinned, ruffling Teddy's damp hair; this stretch of beach was pretty much empty, so he had allowed it to change into the clear blue color of the water. "Well, it takes nine months to make a baby. And Ginny's already three months pregnant," he added, as Teddy screwed up his face and began counting on his fingers.

"Is it going to be a boy or a girl?"

"We don't know. But whatever it is...you realize it's going to be your little godbrother or godsister, right?"

The interest on Teddy's face intensified. "Is that like having a normal brother or sister?"

"I suppose."

Teddy smiled, and the sunlight seem to twinkle in his eye as he laid back down. "I'd kind of like having a little brother," he murmured.

The following months seemed to be as slow as they were busy. Even with the baby's arrival so far away, Harry discovered that there was a lot to deal with.

Ginny took a sabbatical from the Holyhead Harpes, with the understanding that, after a year or two away for pregnancy and maternity leave, there might not be an empty spot for her to return to. She and Harry had known this, had factored it into their decision about starting a family, but without practice she found herself bored for much of the day. She was also prone to the occasional mood swing, during which she would wail about having surrendered such a promising career, especially since she was going to be dreadful as a mother anyway. Harry quickly learned to just rub her back and say nothing during these periods.

Also taking up much of their attention: morning sickness ("Why do they call it that when it comes at night?!" she cried, running toward the bathroom) and odd cravings ("This baby loves peanut butter," she muttered, eating a spoonful out of the jar). Not to mention, of course, the myriad discussions of names, baby equipment and everything else that would be needed before Potter Junior's arrival.

They at least had some company there, since Ginny's pregnancy overlapped with two of her sisters-in-law. Fleur was expecting her third child, while Audrey, like Ginny, was about to become a first-time mother. Both gave birth in the early summer, however, so she and Harry spent much of the next few months visiting and babysitting little Louis and Molly, trying to cram in some practice.

"I'm surprised that you feel like you need this," Bill said, passing his son into Harry's arms. "I would have thought that Teddy gave you plenty of experience."

"Well, Andromeda did most of the work there, didn't she? Especially in the first couple of months, I didn't really do much but drop over and bring him soft toys."

"Maybe, but at least you have the experience of a part-time father. More than the rest of us had."

He grinned and clapped Harry on the arm, not really noticing the grimace on his brother-in-law's face.

"Godfather," Harry corrected, patting Louis on the back.

Harry had to admit that, with all of the obligations that he was currently juggling, he wasn't seeing Teddy as much as he used to. He did still try to see his godson at least once every week, but after a while Andromeda noted that it was becoming every fortnight instead.

On this particular autumn day Teddy was having a play-date at the home of a Muggle neighbor. Harry arrived to pick him up and was greeted by a cheerful, round-faced woman named Mrs. Haywood.

"TEDDY! Your father's here!" she called as she led Harry into the house. "You have a lovely son, Mr. Lupin. Jessica and I are always happy for him to come visit."

Harry gave a somewhat forced smile. "I'm not actually Teddy's father. I'm Harry Potter, his godfather."

"Oh! My mistake, then."

"Quite alright." Then, just to make conversation, "My wife and I are actually expecting our first child in about two months now."

"Congratulations! I'm sure―oh, there you two are."

Harry turned to see Teddy and his friend Jessica standing in the threshold. He was looking uncharacteristically sheepish at the moment, shifting his weight nervously from one foot to the other.

"Good afternoon, Teddy. Is everything alright?"

"Fine," he murmured. "Bye, Jessica."

Mrs. Haywood walked them to the door, and soon they were walking down the sidewalk, looking for a hidden spot where they could Disapparate. Teddy still seemed oddly quiet, his head bowed toward the ground.

Harry tried to break the silence. "So, how do you going to do your hair today?"

"Huh?" Teddy paused and touched his fringe; it was still brown, it's "default" color, which is how he kept it when he was around Muggles. "Um...let me think..."

He screwed up his face, and after a moment his hair turned black. He smiled tentatively, running his hand back and forth through it to make it disheveled.

"Look! Now I look like you, Harry!"

"Yeah, a bit."

His tone was indulgent, but not particularly impressed, and Teddy looked nervous again as Harry took his hand and Apparated them to Diagon Alley. Once there they headed to Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, where they sat down to eat a pair of Knickerbocker Glories.

"Ginny and I are planning to find a new place sometime after the baby is born," Harry said. "Either a larger flat or a house. We only have the one extra bedroom, so otherwise you and the baby would have to share whenever you sleep over. We have my godfather's old place, but it's not in a very nice neighborhood."

"My friend Callum has a baby cousin," Teddy said conversationally, picking at his ice cream. "You know they cry a lot, right?"

"Yes," Harry said, thinking back to Baby Molly's loud wails the night before.

"And they smell bad."

"Yes," Harry agreed, as he remembered the awful experience of changing Louis' nappies a week before.

A long moment passed. "Why do you want a baby, anyway?" he asked, looking up to meet Harry's eyes.

Harry paused, trying to think of an answer that would make sense to a child. "It's hard to explain. It's just...something most grown-ups feel like they need to do at some point in their lives."

"But you don't need to," Teddy insisted. "You're happy without a baby, aren't you?"

Harry just smiled. "Yes. But a baby will make us even happier. You'll understand when you're older. Now hurry up and eat your ice cream before it melts."

October turned to November. Harry and Ginny now had a bassinet―a hand-me-down from Fleur and Bill, as Louis was now using a cot―and were 95% sure that their future son would be named James Sirius. For a girl they were still sorting through various combinations of "Lily," "Luna" and "Hermione." Ginny's due date was barely more than a month away, and she and Harry went from being excited to anxious about it on a roughly hourly basis.

Ginny was showing now, of course, so the Wizarding world had quickly realized what "family business" had led to her Quidditch sabbatical. Naturally, Rita Skeeter was taking advantage of the situation: wasn't it suspicious that they had held off revealing the truth for so long? Had Harry forced Ginny to have a baby, and did she resent the likely end of her Quidditch career? Though she later changed tactics, writing weekly articles to suggest that nearly anyone except Harry was the baby's most probable father. The main suspect was currently Orsino Thruston, the drummer of the Weird Sisters.

So once again, there was a lot on the pair's mind, but Harry still did his best to keep up with visiting Teddy. This weekend he was actually staying over at the Potters' flat, perhaps for the last time before the baby was born. Harry arrived to pick him up at noon, patting ashes from his clothes as he stepped out of the fireplace of the Tonks house. Andromeda was waiting for him, looking distinctly harried.

"Good afternoon, Harry. How are things?"

"Fine. Is everything alright here?"

"Yes and no." She looked over her shoulder for a moment, and then, in an undertone, said "Something is bothering Teddy, but I can't figure out what. He's so upset that he can't even change his hair anymore."

"How long has that been going on?"

"A few days now."

That certainly gave Harry pause. Teddy had lost his powers before―Metamorphmagus abilities were apparently pretty spotty at his age―but usually only for a few hours at a time. The longest that he had lost it before now was a full day (in that case, due to the embarrassment of wetting the bed at a friend's sleepover).

"He hasn't said what's wrong?"

"No, and it has me very frustrated. I'm hoping this weekend will help cheer him up."

Teddy appeared a moment later, carrying a bag over his shoulder. He was wearing a jacket with the hood up; though it fit the weather outside, Harry had the sneaking suspicion that he was trying to hide his hair.

"Wotcher, Teddy," he said, trying to sound cheerful. "Are you ready to go?"

He shrugged, keeping his eyes downcast.

"We're going to have a great time. We're going to stop by Ginny's parents' for lunch, then Ron and I are going to give you a flying lesson."

Teddy's mood seemed to brighten a jot. "Really? On a real broomstick?"

"That's right."

Andromeda bent down and gave him a kiss. "Well, you boys just be careful. And owl me if there are any problems," she added to Harry.

They stepped into the Burrow's kitchen to find Ron setting the table as Mrs. Weasley finished making lunch. "Good afternoon, boys!" she called without turning.

"Good afternoon, Molly. Anything I can help you with?"

"No, no, you lot just sit down, lunch will be ready in a minute."

"Hey there, Teddy," Ron said, trying to ruffle his hair through the hood. "You ready for your first real time in the air?"

"Yeah!" Teddy said, and Harry was pleased to see that he was smiling, albeit tentatively.

Ginny was already waiting at the table, her hands resting on her swollen belly. She was in no state to ride a broom, of course, but she insisted that she at least he here to watch Teddy's lesson, if only to heckle Harry and Ron as they no doubt did everything wrong. In fact, as the five of them sat down to lunch she and Ron immediately began to debate which of the Weasleys' old brooms Teddy should practice on, which somehow devolved into a discussion of whether or not the Kenmare Kestrels had any hope of beating the Pride of Portree in that weekend's Quidditch match.

Teddy was quiet for most of the conversation, slowly eating his shepherd's pie, but Harry noticed that his expression was becoming more cheerful the longer the conversation went on.

"Harry?" he asked suddenly, as Ron's rant about the Kestrels' new Seeker paused for him to take a breath. "Do you think―you and I could go and see a Quidditch match? With real teams and everything?"

Harry hesitated. "Maybe. I'd have to talk to your grandmother. It's kind of hard, because you never know how long a game is going to last, so―"

Ginny interrupted with a groan, rubbing her stomach. "The baby's kicking. I swear, he's going to leave bruises on my insides..."

"Ooh, let me feel!" Mrs. Weasley said, bustling up from her place. "I don't know what it is with this baby, but so far it's always stopped moving every time I try..."

"Consider yourself lucky. I usually wake up with the little rugrat kicking me in the back," Harry said.

"OH! I felt that one!"

Ginny smiled and glanced up at Teddy, who was bent down over his food, and Ron, who was watching him curiously.

"Teddy, you haven't had a chance to feel the baby yet, have you? Come on."

"No."

Ginny didn't seem to notice the warning in his voice. "Don't worry, it'll be real quick, just put your hand on my stomach and―"

"I DON'T WANT TO FEEL THE STUPID BABY!"

All of the adults jumped as Teddy looked up and glared. Harry was the first to recover, standing up to tower over his godson.

"Teddy! Apologize to Ginny this minute!"

"No!"

"Then no flying lesson! Now, go to your room!" Harry blinked, remembering that Teddy didn't have a room at the Burrow. "I mean―Ginny's old room! It's on the first floor," he added lamely, motioning toward the staircase.

A strange look flashed across Teddy's face, which Harry could only interpret as a feeling of abject betrayal.

"FINE! I DON'T WANT YOUR STUPID FLYING LESSON ANYWAY!"

He ran out of the room, the sound of his sobbing following in his wake.

"Well!" said Molly after a moment's silence, finally removing her hand from Ginny's stomach and instead clutching her own chest. "What's gotten into that boy?" Her tone was more concerned than angry.

Harry deflated, falling back into his chair. "I don't know. Andromeda said he's been acting funny, but he won't tell her why."

"He's upset about the baby," Ron said automatically. He frowned at the others, who looked surprised. "What? It's obvious, isn't it? Did you notice his face? He started scowling as soon as Ginny brought it up."

"That's an awfully big tantrum for a simple interruption."

"No, I'm saying he's not upset because Ginny interrupted you. I don't think that he likes the baby at all."

Harry stared, but Molly seemed pensive. "Ron may be onto something. Heaven knows it happened enough with you boys. It's not unusual for the last child to be worried that a new sibling will come and take all their parents' attention."

Harry shifted uncomfortably. "Well, that doesn't really apply to Teddy, does it? The baby's going to be his godsibling, and he hasn't got a―a parent for it to take his attention from."

"Why does this bother you so much?" Ginny asked suddenly.

"What?" he asked, though his defensive tone suggested that he already knew what she meant.

"People calling you Teddy's parent. Even when we're joking, you always get so upset and I don't understand it. You love Teddy," she said, in a needling voice. "And you're the closest he has to a father, you know."

"But I'm not his father!" The words came out harsher than Harry intended, so he lowered his voice and looked down at the table. "Lupin was." He sighed, suddenly feeling very tired. "I know it's stupid, but sometimes...I actually start feeling guilty about spending time with Teddy. Like I'm stealing him away from Lupin and Tonks. They're the ones who should be doing this stuff, not me."

"But they're not here," Molly said simply. "And they asked you to be his godfather. So you're only doing what they would have wanted."

"I know." He glanced up toward the stairs. "Was I too hard on him? Should I―I don't know what I should do."

Molly patted him on the shoulder. "Well, he's old enough that you can talk to him about it, ask him how he feels. It's usually the younger kids who are the most jealous. Like Ron here," she said, her tone a bit teasing. "You weren't even two when Ginny was born, and oh, you got so upset sometimes when your father and I were busy with her! But you grew out of it eventually," she shrugged. "All of you boys did."

Now it was Ron's turn to squirm, and Harry looked away. He knew that Ron had struggled with jealousy toward his siblings for longer than Mrs. Weasley probably realized. He was suddenly quite aware of why Ron, more than any of them, had been the first to notice Teddy's problem.

The thought also gave Harry a terrible sinking feeling. The last thing he wanted was for Teddy to stew in his feelings for the next eighteen years.

Harry waited a few minutes, then tiptoed over to Ginny's old bedroom, Teddy's plate in his hand. The door was open, but he knocked softly entering.

Teddy sat on the bed, looking mutinous, but his bloodshot eyes made it clear that he had been crying recently. Harry took a deep breath and held out the plate.

"I brought you your lunch. Finish it in here, and then come out so that I can have a talk with you."

Teddy didn't respond, but he took the plate and, several minutes later, came down to the kitchen where Harry was waiting for him. He started to sit, but instead Harry rose. "Let's go outside. Get a bit of privacy."

"Okay," Teddy practically whispered.

They headed out the backdoor and into the garden, Teddy trailing behind with his shoulders hunched. Harry conjured a bench, and for about a minute the two merely sat in silence, watching a few gnomes hobble along the ground. Teddy seemed to be deliberately keeping several inches between them.

"So, do you want to talk about what happened a few minutes ago?"

Teddy didn't answer.

Harry was trying hard to think of the right words. "Ron and Mrs. Weasley think...that you might be upset because the baby will―"

"I don't want to talk about the baby!" Teddy exploded. "Every time you come to see me all you want to talk about is the baby! We were talking about Quidditch, and I was gonna have a flying lesson, but then the stupid baby had to ruin it! I HATE THE BABY!"

He was very red in the face by the time he finished, glaring with all the intensity that a six-year-old could muster. Harry found his own anger starting to rise. He had never been very good at holding his temper, and he suddenly found a great paternal fury toward anyone who could say that they "hated" his child, even if it was his other―even if it was Teddy.

So it is perhaps a good thing that Teddy took that moment to screw up his face and start crying, since it redirected Harry's paternal instincts in a more constructive direction.

"Hey. Come here," he said softly, drawing Teddy over so that he could sob into his robes. "It's alright."

"You like the baby more than me!" Teddy moaned, his voice muffled against Harry's chest.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do," he accused, turning his head to the side. "That's why you talk about it every time you see me. It's gonna be born and then y-you're gonna stop v-visiting me."

"No, I'm not," Harry whispered, rubbing Teddy's back in what he hoped was a comforting way. "Where on earth did you get that idea?"

Teddy sniffled. "Jessica," he said, his voice very wet. "Her dad u-used to visit her every two weeks, but then he got a new baby and n-now he doesn't visit her at all anymore."

"Really?" Harry said, because he couldn't think of anything else. "That's sad, isn't it?"

Teddy's grip on him suddenly tightened, and when he spoke again the anger had returned to his voice. "And you told Jessica's mum that you weren't my dad!" he sobbed. "You said that you'd be the baby's dad but not mine!"

"Well...I'm not, Teddy." Harry was trying to sound gentle, but instead the words came out as painfully awkward to his ear.

"But I want you to be." He buried his cheek deeper into Harry's robe. "Sometimes I pretend you are. Like when my friend Callum's dad took him to the beach―I told him about the time you took me to the beach―sniff. Except I said that my dad took me, because I was sad that he has a dad and I don't."

Harry's brow furrowed, and he gently pushed Teddy away so that he could look him in the eye. "But Teddy...you know you do have a dad, remember? He and your mum were friends of mine."

He wiped his eye on his sleeve. "So? They're dead. They can't take me anywhere, or teach me to fly or anything that you can."

That one stung. Harry wanted to argue, to remind Teddy of all the wonderful things that he had already told him about his parents..but he couldn't exactly deny that, wonderful as they had been, they weren't exactly around to parent him these days.

Harry was really out of his depth here. He turned away to collect his thoughts.

"I have to admit, I know how you feel," Harry said. "When I was your age I lived with my aunt and uncle. They really didn't care about me the way that they did my cousin, because he was their son and I'm not. But that's not how it's going to be with you and me. I promise."

"But it's not fair!" Teddy's voice cracked. "Why does the baby get to be your real kid and I don't? Can't you just―pretend that I am?"

"You're not my son, Teddy. No, listen to me―" Teddy started to get up, but Harry put a hand on his shoulder and met his gaze. "When I got older, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley started taking care of me. I'm not their son, either. But I know that they love me just as much as they love Ron or Ginny, and I love them like they were my parents. And that's how I feel about you. You're not really my son, but I love you like a son. Nothing can change that."

He looked down at his shoes. "You talk about the baby every time that you see me. It's like you don't want to spend time with me at all."

"That's not―Teddy, I'm excited about the baby. And...kind of scared, too. But that doesn't mean that I don't want to spend time with you. It means―well, that I want to share the baby with you. Remember what I told you, way back on that day at the beach? The baby's going to be your little godbrother or godsister. I thought you were excited about it, too."

"I'm not," he said petulantly. "It's going to ruin everything."

Harry sighed, rising to his feet.

"Well...I hope you change your mind when the baby's born. Because you know, I bet he or she is going to love you just as much as Ginny and I do."

Teddy looked a bit startled, then went down to staring at the ground.

Harry tried to think of something else to say, something that would fully convince Teddy of the truth.

"If you go inside and apologize to Ginny, Ron and I will still take you flying," was all that he could come up with.

He thought that this was a rather lame way to end this conversation, so he was surprised when Teddy suddenly looked up, rubbing tears out of his eye with his fist. "Really?" he sniffled.

"Well, um...sure."

Teddy's mouth twisted into a sort of pained smile before he ran inside the house. It was only then that Harry realized his accidental genius―after all, all that his godson wanted was some quality time with him.

It was six months later, on another unseasonably warm May day, that Harry and Ginny took their seven-year-old godson, Teddy, and five-month-old son, James, to the beach.

The baby, of course, was really too young for any beach activities; he spent most of the day in the shade with Ginny, playing with his favorite rattle and a Quaffle that she had brought from home.

Harry still visited Teddy every week, despite how hectic things were with James. He was pleasantly surprised to learn that, as long as he didn't bring the baby up too much, Teddy would begin to discuss him unprompted―in fact, he had been the one to suggest bringing him along on this trip. So far Teddy's main complaint was that James didn't really do much; apparently he had been expecting a toddler instead of an infant.

Today, however, he had Harry to play with. So the two took turns burying each other in the sand, chasing each other around the shore and then raced each other into the water. Once again they learned that the water was still cold in May, and after a splash-fight they laid down on a blanket, Teddy resting his head against Harry's side, wrapped in towels and trying to warm themselves in the sun.

They stayed there in companionable silence for several minutes before a shadow fell over them. Harry barely had time to open his eyes before he felt Ginny plop James down on his chest.

"Well, Mummy's completely covered in throw-up, which means that it's Daddy's turn with the baby for a while. I'll be in the water."

"Alright, dear," he chuckled as she walked off.

James worked his arms and legs, trying to crawl his way across Harry's torso, but he was still too young to manage the task. Harry raised his head to give him an encouraging grin; Teddy turned as well, watching his godbrother's efforts.

"Can I hold him?" he asked suddenly.

"Alright."

He lifted James off his chest and handed him to Teddy, who spread his legs and placed him sitting on the sand between them. James cooed and leaned forward, struggling to hold his body upright, but could only do so for a few seconds before falling back against Teddy's damp bathing suit.

About two minutes passed before Teddy gasped loudly.

"Harry! He just sat up for ten whole seconds!"

"Did he now?"

"Uh-huh! He's never done it that long before!"

"Pretty soon he'll be able to do it for as long as he wants. And then he'll be crawling, walking, talking...heck, pretty soon I'll be buying him a toy broomstick. And then in a few years, you can help me teach him to ride on a real one."

The thought made Teddy turn pink. He lifted James onto his lap, where he began to reach for Teddy's dark green fringe.

"Hey, Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think you and Ginny will ever have any more babies?"

Harry raised himself by his elbows, frowning thoughtfully.

"There's a good chance," he said finally. "Not too soon, but one day. Why? Do you want us too?"

Teddy shrugged. He tried to swat James' hand away from his hair, and James responded by wrapping a tiny fist around Teddy's much-larger index finger.

"Yeah. I think I'd like a big godfamily."

He turned to give Harry a sheepish grin. Harry grinned back and then, without warning, sat up and wrapped both of his boys in his arms, tickling them until Teddy squealed for mercy.