Father Figure

Written by: HoshiHikari

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. All characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Summary: All Harry wanted after the war was to fulfill his promise to Remus and Tonks. However his chance to raise Teddy Lupin is snatched away when he is placed in Azkaban for murdering Lord Voldemort. Thirteen years later Harry breaks out of Azkaban in hopes of perusing his role as Teddy's godfather. Despite being labeled as the new Dark Lord, Harry tries his best to be the father figure that would make his parents, Sirius and Remus proud.

Warnings: Spoilers from DH!

Chapter 1

He was running. His feet pounded the ground as he carefully navigated through the people who were both mourning and celebrating all at once. Briefly he wondered if this exact scene had taken place 17 years ago when he had first been named the Boy-Who-Lived. Harry shook the thought off with little care as he knew he had more pressing matters to attend to. Being hidden under his father's invisibility cloak was already hindering his progress even though it did shield him from unnecessary disturbances. Passing through the Great Hall, he couldn't help but stop in front of the dead bodies of Fred, Remus, Tonks, Colin and Severus, whose body had been moved to join the others after he had been discovered dead at the Whomping Willow. Wanting to speak, but knowing that he would be discovered if he did, Harry merely bowed his head to the dead in a form of respect before he reached out and squeezed Remus and Tonks' cold hands. Then he gently searched Remus' robes until he found the photo of Teddy Lupin and pocketed it. Having done that he fled the Great Hall, running out of Hogwarts with full speed, knowing perfectly well that if he stayed any longer he would not be able to leave and he needed to leave as there were people waiting for him. When Harry finally felt that he had passed the apparition wards protecting Hogwarts, he stopped and concentrated before disappearing with a crack.

The moment Harry arrived at Ted and Andromeda Tonks' garden, he immediately pulled off his cloak and dashed to the door. It was only when he was about to knock did he hesitate and so he lowered his fist. Again the images of the recent dead bodies of Remus and Tonks flooded through his mind and he had to quench it down with all his might. He would grieve for them as well as the others later, but for now he had a task to do, a very difficult one at that. How was he suppose to tell a mother who had recently lost her husband that she had now lost her daughter and son in law? The task was practically impossible. Besides this, he had come to take Teddy away from his only living relative, even if it would have been what his parents would have wanted. Fate was cruel to have left such a task for him, but it was left to him, and Harry was determined to see through it.

Again Harry raised his fist to pound lightly on the door. He only had a second's time to inhale when the door swung open and Andromeda stood there looking as though she had been standing on the other side all night. The two stood staring at each other, Harry afraid to speak and Andromeda afraid to ask. Finally the latter could not stand it and spoke in a shaky voice.

"Dora? Where's Dora?" she questioned. "and Remus? Harry where they are?" she asked. A sense of gratitude filled Harry when he had been asked about the man he had come to know as his uncle or even as his 3rd father. He knew that Remus had been disliked by the Tonks for being a werewolf and their only daughter's husband but now even this dislike had dissolved to nothing when faced with more pressing matters.

"At Hogwarts? Are they injured?" By now she had closed their distance and her hands were gripping Harry's robes, shaking him as though it could make him answer. "I'll wake Teddy and we could go see his parents. They'll be happy to see him. In fact I'm sure they'll recover sooner. Remus' a werewolf, he'll be healed in no time and Dora if she's anything like me then she'll hide all those injuries if only to make us worry less."

Harry's heart clenched in pain at those words. At last he diverted his gaze from her eyes and said very softly the words in which he knew would crush all her dreams. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." His arms were already open and waiting when her strength left her and she collapsed in his arms.

"I'll take Teddy. I'll raise him, I'll spoil him, and I'll make sure he knows about his parents. I'll be the Godfather that Sirius was unable to be, I'll be the father that Remus yearned to be, and I'll provide for you as Tonks would have wanted. It's my fault. They both died selflessly to protect me. I'm so sorry. I'm so very sorry."

"Harry, oh Harry," Andromeda pulled him closer. "This isn't your fault. They knew and I'm sure they don't regret it."

"But it's not fair!"

"Yes we know Harry." Kingsley Shacklebolt's voice floated from behind him. Harry detangled himself from Andromeda and turned to face the new Minster of Magic. He was surprised to find a dozen more aurors standing behind the Minster with wands outstretched.

"Kingsley?" Harry questioned as he too pulled out his own wand. "What's this about?"

"First off congratulations on your defeat of Lord Voldemort, Harry. I, as well as many others am very proud of you." Shacklebolt began and Harry narrowed his eyes, instantly knowing something was wrong.

"But?" Harry questioned, eyeing the outstretched wands wearily.

"As you know Harry, I am the new Minster."

"Yes, I do."

"And well it's my obligation as Minster to keep the wizarding world safe. As the majority of the wizarding world feels unsafe with a murderer," here Kingsley gave an apologetic smile. "on the streets, I am obligated to bring you in."

Harry's eyes bulged out at this. "But you said many others are proud of me defeating Lord Voldemort."

"And they are. It is just that people are afraid and they feel unsafe. Please Harry, you must understand."

"But you are Minster. Kingsley, you must have some say in this. You know Harry's not…" Andromeda spoke up from behind Harry.

"I know Andromeda, I know." Kingsley replied, running a hand through his shaved head. "But I reckon I can be a decent Minster, and a decent Minster is what Britain needs right now."

"I don't see how locking away their savior after said savior has completed his task is a decent thing a Minster does." Harry retorted coldly.

"Please understand Harry." Kingsley pleaded. "You used an unforgivable. It is hard to argue with that, even if it was the right thing to do."

"How else was I supposed to defeat Voldemort and his Death Eaters? Was I supposed to use a stunner?" Harry snapped back.

"Harry."

"Back off Shacklebolt and take your men with you. I will not be going to Azkaban for doing what's right. If I had known all along, I wouldn't have murdered Voldemort. I would have left you lot to rot." Harry spoke dangerously, pulling out his wand.

"Please Harry. Don't make this harder then it has to be." The Minister pleaded.

"I am not going to Azkaban!" Harry hissed. "

"We will bring you in one way or another." One of the aurors sneered. "If you resist then we will use force."

"I will not be going to Azkaban."

"Then you give me no choice." Kingsley said glumly. The aurors from behind the Minster spread out in a half circle around Harry and Adromeda. From the corner of his eye Harry saw Andromeda pull out her wand and point it at the group.

"Harry Potter is not going to Azkaban." Andromeda added without hesitation. "not while I'm around."

"No!" Harry retorted, though he didn't turn to look at the widow. "Teddy needs you. If anything happens to me…"

"Remus and Dora explicitly wanted you to be godfather. They wanted you to care for Teddy if anything were to…." Andromeda trailed off, her voice breaking as sadness engulfed her. "I'll be damned if I don't see to it that the last of my daughter's wishes are going to be obliged by."

Harry couldn't respond to that. He didn't know how to respond to that.

"Oh neither of you have to worry about the monster." The auror who had spoken at first, spoke again. "We'll make sure he'll be put down after we're finished with the two of you. After all, his death can set a fine example to other werewolves about what would happen if they do decide to procreate against the law."

Harry gave a cry of outrage at that. He turned his wand at the auror and fired a non-verbal spell at him. He didn't even realize it was the killing curse until the green light shot out of his wand and hit the auror straight in his stomach. In an instant spells of assorted colors were thrown this way and that. Harry effectively blocked off the various spells while throwing his own. He watched with satisfaction as two more aurors fell to the ground dead. Still he didn't have time to savor his satisfaction when he heard the triumphant cry of another auror. Harry spun around in time to see Andromeda fall to the ground, dead before she even hit the floor. Perhaps it was the backwards posture that she fallen in or perhaps it was simply because all Blacks looked similar, but for a split second, Harry thought he was watching Sirius fall through the veil. The split second cost him for before Harry could recover from his déjà vu, he felt a spell hit his side, cutting it open. He screamed in pain as he fell to the ground. Instinctively he used his left hand to touch his injury. As he tried to remain coconscious, Harry watched as one of the aurors approached him with an outstretched wand and a deadly gleam in his eyes.

"Shall I kill him?"

"Not unless you'll like to rot in Azkaban" Kingsley spoke as he waived the wand that was pointing at Harry to the side. "for an unauthorized kill. The world is grateful to their savior yet they fear him. As a general rule we owe him a life debt for saving us. If we send him to Azkaban and not to his death as the world wants, then we no longer owe him that debt. We also will be protecting the world from a murderer."

"Very well." The auror grunted.

"I'll take care of Potter. You can take care of young Lupin." Kinglsey said.

"I swear I'll kill you if you touch him." Harry sneered even as Shacklebolt removed his wand and grabbed him roughly by his clothes. He found that it was impossible to resist the man that he had thought was his friend, the man that had once help protect Sirius when his godfather had been in a similar position. Harry watched helplessly as the remaining arurors surged into the Tonks residence to take care of Teddy.

Oh please, no. Remus, Tonks, Sirius, dad, mom, anyone, please, don't let them take Teddy away. Please I beg you. Please protect him. Please!

Ten minutes later the aurors came out of the house. Harry waited anxiously for the dreaded news.

"He's not here. We've checked everywhere but Lupin isn't here." An auror said with disappointment. "There are lots of baby clothes, photos and even a warm bottle of milk, but there is no child."

"Strange. Have you checked with magic?" Shacklebolt asked.

"Yes. Nothing strange."

Kingsley turned to Harry and gave him a penetrating gaze. Finally he let his eyes wander back to the remaining aurors.

"Teddy Lupin is of little consequence. We have what we came for. We shall leave." Shacklebolt said. He took out a shoe from his pocket which Harry assumed was a portkey.

"You'll never get away with this." Harry again tried to resist the Minister's firm grip. "You'll never get away for locking up your savior, nor will you get away for murdering an innocent child."

"I will be the Minister of Magic that England needs me to be. If this is what the world wants, this is what the world gets." With that Kingsley activated the portkey.

The last thing that Harry saw before being taken away from the Tonks home was Kreacher's head poking out from behind a tree that was far away from where the group was. For a split second Harry and Kreacher's eyes met and the house elf stepped out from behind the tree that he was hiding behind. In Kreacher's arms was a bundle and even though Harry couldn't tell what the house elf was carrying from the distance that was between them, he did know without a doubt that the bundle in Kreacher's arms was Teddy Lupin.