House: Snakes

Class Subject: Transfiguration

Story Category: Standard

Prompt: [Emotion] Heartbroken

Word Count: 1626 words

Beta: Mama Bean

"Are you sure you'll be okay, Hermione?"

"Of course, Andy." She then turned to Teddy, "I bought you a new story book, Teddy. We will have fun reading together, won't we?"

Andromeda chuckled. Of course, they would read a book. She muttered a 'thank you' to the younger witch and kissed Teddy on his forehead before walking toward the fireplace to travel by Floo.

xxXxx

"This one is Goldilocks, this one is Little Bear, this one is Mama Bear, and this big one is Papa Bear."

"U-na?" Teddy pointed at Goldilocks picture.

Hermione chuckled and ruffled his now long and blonde hair. Teddy loved Luna. He associated anyone with long-blonde hair with her.

"Yes, I have to agree with you, Teddy. She sure looks like Luna," Hermione replied seriously.

Teddy let out a baby laugh. Feeling motivated, he pointed at the bear. "Bhey."

Hermione nodded, "Very good. That's Little Bear."

"Ma-ma," he pointed at Mama Bear.

"Smart boy! That's Mama Bear."

He looked at the picture again and then at Hermione, pointing his finger at her he said, "Ma-ma?"

Hermione froze. She swallowed thickly, trying to calm and collect herself.

"No, Teddy," she shook her head gently. Unconsciously she gave him a smile filled with grief.

She summoned the framed photograph of Teddy with his late parents, "This is Mama, Papa, and this is you,"

"Ma-ma," he poked Tonks' picture, her hair shortened to a pixie cut.

Hermione knew if the photograph were in color, it would shift color as well. She shook out for her reverie when Teddy's chuckled in delight.

"Mi no Mama?" he asked her. Hermione shook her head, tears threatened to fall.

"Mama?" he asked her again pointing at the picture and then looking around, trying to locate his mother. When he couldn't find his mother, he started to cry, calling out his mother.

"Oh, Teddy…" she hugged the wailing baby and cried as well.

When Harry walked into the living room early that evening, he saw Hermione sleeping on a long sofa hugging Teddy. Both had tear stains streaking their cheeks.

xxXxx

"Grandma, this is Teddy. We friends."

Teddy looked happy, but he was still a bit shy around strangers so he hugged Hermione's leg. Harry and Hermione often took Teddy to Muggle Park to let him learn to socialize with kids his age. During their trip, they also asked if Teddy could take one trait from Harry and Hermione so they could also help train his Metamorphmagus ability. They will cut the trip short if Teddy had started to lose control of his ability. To avoid being noticed, they go to a different Muggle park every week.

"Hi, I'm Clarice," the Grandmother of Teddy's new friend offered her hand.

Hermione shook her hand and smiled, "Hermione."

They were having a small talk about the kids when Harry appeared, holding three ice creams.

"Hawwy!" Teddy exclaimed. The three-year-old sure loved his ice cream.

Clarice looked at Teddy who had Harry's green eyes and Hermione's brown wavy hair, and said, "Oh, is that your husband?"

Hermione blinked her eyes several times, before she finally found her voice, "Oh, no. No. No. We're not… we're not married,"

"So Teddy was born out of wedlock?"

Hermione's cringed on her question.

"Kids these days!" she said in venom. "You should know better, young lady! Not even married. How could you even think you could raise a kid properly? No wonder we have so many problematic kids right now. Hayden could not be friends with the likes of your kid." She walked briskly.

"Let's go Hayden," she called her grandson who was playing with Teddy.

"No, Clarice. You don't understand," Hermione called after her but she took Hayden and walked as fast as possible, but still had a chance to throw a look of disgust to Harry, who was confused.

Hermione didn't know whether she was angry, insulted, or upset. Perhaps all of those feelings. She didn't realize that she was drawing blood from her palm when she fisted her hands or that her tears had flowed freely until Teddy cried because he saw her crying.

xxXxx

"I don't like that place," he pouted.

"School?" Hermione heard Andromeda ask.

"Yeah," Teddy replied.

"Oh Teddy, everyone felt that way. But you will like it sooner or later."

"I don't want to go!" he started wailing.

Hermione opened the door to the kitchen and saw an upset 5-year-old Metamorphmagus eating a bowl of cereal.

"Morning Teddy," she kissed his forehead and nodded to Andromeda, who looked relieved.

"What is it that I heard that you don't like school?"

"I don't like school," he repeated.

"Don't you want to learn and play on your school playground?"

He was silently nodded.

"Do you like having new friends?"

He nodded, but then shook his head.

Hermione hugged him tightly, remembering how she used to hate going to school because the other kids made fun of her. Andromeda had chosen to send Teddy to a Muggle Kindergarten, instead of teaching him herself.

"Were your friends making fun of you, Teddy?" Hermione continued questioning the boy.

He just hugged her tightly.

"What did they say?"

"That I am weird because my mum didn't come to school events. It's always Nana, or Harry, or you.,"

Both women shared glances, both had the same expression on their faces.

"Why can't you be my mum, Mi?"

Hermione hugged him again while Andromeda sipped her tea with her trembling lips.

xxXxx

"Teddy Remus Lupin!" Hermione bellowed for the sixth time.

"Hermione, let me talk to him," Harry said from behind her. "What happened this time?"

"He got into a fight. Again," Hermione sighed.

After Andromeda passed away, Teddy lived with Harry and Hermione at Grimmauld Place. He kept getting into trouble ever since he entered Hogwarts, but Hermione never once sent him a Howler because she still remembered the look of embarrassment and terror her friends shared whenever one of them received a Howler. She felt lucky because she was Muggleborn and her parents didn't know there's such thing as a Howler.

"HE CALLED ME A MIXED BREED!"

Hermione cringed hearing the loud voices from upstairs. She tried to block the voices while preparing her tea in the kitchen. She heard the thudding of the staircases when she prepared the biscuits, she looked to see who it was.

"Where do you think you're going, Teddy?"

"Not your business!"

"Teddy…" Hermione started. "Could we please discuss this calmly?"

"What for? So you can scold me? So you can tell me that I embarrassed you and Harry? Harry already did that because unlike my friends' mum, you didn't care enough to send me a Howler. So now, you can just piss off!"

"TEDDY!" Harry roared. "Apologize to Hermione! You cannot speak to her like that!"

"Why?" the thirteen-year-old looked angrier and angrier. "She is not my mother!"

And then he stormed out of the door and they could hear the crack of Knight Bus outside.

Harry caught Hermione before she slumped to the floor. She tried to blink her tears back but she couldn't, so she cried while hugging her best friend.

xxXxx

"Why don't you and Harry get married?"

Hermione choked on her tea, "What?"

"Is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"That you just stay together because of me and you don't have a life because you both want to give me one?"

"Who said ridiculous things like that?'

Teddy shrugged.

"Did you read the gossip column in Witch Weekly?" Hermione asked.

Earlier this week, Ginny showed an article in Witch Weekly about why Harry was still single. They even mentioned that Hermione guilt-tripped Harry with the responsibility to raise Teddy together as Godparents. Of course, any of those articles were the courtesy of one beetle reporter: Rita Skeeter.

"Oh, Teddy…" Hermione was torn between amused and angry at Skeeter. "Let me tell you a story about a very ambitious and arrogant beetle who got caught up in her own glass jar."

"Ugh… I'm fourteen, not four, Mi," Teddy groaned.

"Believe me, you'll like this story."

After Hermione told him the story, he laughed hard. "You were so cool, Mi. I wish you were my mum."

He kissed the petrified Hermione, oblivious to the way she cast down her eyes.

xxXxx

"Dear Harry and Mi,

Thank you for the birthday presents you both gave me. My friends were green with envy when they saw that I got the newest racing broom and a coat with Undetectable Extension Charm in every pocket! You guys are awesome.

However, I want to return those presents because I want you to fill out this form instead. I know it's only two years until my coming of age, but it's very important for me if I can have this. And yes, it means you have to stop being a coward and just get married to each other! I am sick of hearing all the excuses from Harry why no man is good enough for Mi, and Mi's excuses for not dating any guys.

Don't worry, I won't call you mum and dad because as you said, my mum and dad are Nymphadora and Remus Lupin and no one can take that place. But I also know that my parents asked you to be my godparents for a reason: that you two are the best people they could trust.

You are not my mum and dad, but you are my parents. I am what I am today because of you.

So please… just sign the adoption form and I won't ask for anything ever again if that what it takes.

Your son,

Teddy Lupin"

xFINx