A/N: Wow, I haven't uploaded since May? I don't know whether to be impressed or disappointed with myself. Well, a lot's been going on so I suppose it couldn't be helped. Shout out to onethirteen and KiwiSaladFace for the awesome messages that got me motivated to pound out this next chapter. I'm glad it's out of the way because things with get VERY interesting in the next one.

Disclaimer: I still do not own. :P Blehh...

Chapter 10: Morning After

Soft grey light filtered into the basement kitchen, illuminating the dust that hung stubbornly in the air despite the residents' best efforts. The sun had only been up for half an hour, but a figure was already seated at the table, slumped over an untouched glass of amber liquid. Sirius hadn't gotten a wink of sleep. Thoughts swirled around his head as his weary eyes gazed into his drink, attempting to process the flood of information he had received last night.

They won the war. That knowledge had filled him with both relief and apprehension. After all, the last time the war was won, he'd lost his best friends and his godson was orphaned. What would be the cost this time? Did he truly want to know? It was clear that Harry had at least survived, but who hadn't? Would it all change now that Teddy had told him all of this?

And then there was the plot from future Death Eaters that they had to worry about. Greyback leading the charge was rather… odd. He was definitely cruel, vicious, and blood thirsty, but he was hardly an evil genius. There had to be someone else, someone smarter who was pulling the strings and using Greyback for their dirty work. But why would Greyback help them? What would he get out of it?

Briefly, his mind flashed back to Teddy's face when he talked about Greyback. "More than usual…" The sentence that Sirius wasn't supposed to hear. Teddy had shifted nervously and looked at Sirius with a fear in his eyes that could only be brought on by emotional trauma. It reminded him of the look Harry had in Dumbledore's office after the Third Task a few months ago. Teddy and Greyback had a history - that much was clear. And whatever that history was, it seemed to have left them both scarred: Greyback physically, and Teddy emotionally.

Sirius was worried about the kid. Teddy had definitely grown on him and while he was grateful that Teddy had opened up enough to trust him with at least this much knowledge, he was concerned that whatever history Teddy had with the mad werewolf would end up tearing Teddy apart if he was forced to confront Greyback. Surely he would. It sounded as though Greyback was eager to get his hands on Teddy. Sirius was determined to ensure that it didn't happen, but he wasn't naive enough to think that it couldn't.

He groaned and let his head fall onto the table with a soft thunk. This had suddenly become so much more complicated. They would have to lessen (though probably not stop) guarding the prophecy. The children would have to have guards with them, this time for protection rather than observation. They would need to find a way to track Greyback's actions as well as Voldemort's and find some way to distinguish the two. Perhaps Teddy could become involved in Order meetings, to help provide insight into Greyback's moves. Oh, that idea will go over well with Mad-Eye…

"Good lord, are you drunk again?"

Sirius groaned and folded his arms around his head, not bothering to look up. It was too early for him to be able to deal with Molly Weasley.

The two had been at odds ever since the Weasleys had moved into Grimmauld Place. Sirius had admittedly been amused when Molly had shrieked at the sight of him in the hospital wing, but the amusement had long since faded into irritation. Once she learned the whole story, she no longer feared him and instead seemed to insist on either mothering him or sneering in disgust at his choice of lifestyle. He'd like to see her stay off the whiskey if she was trapped in a house that was all that remained of an abusive childhood. The argument from Harry's first night was only one of many, although definitely one of the more explosive because it concerned Harry's well being.

One of the only things they shared, he thought dully as she bustled around the kitchen to start and early breakfast. And one of the many they argued over.

"I hope you're not, because in case you've forgotten, Harry's hearing is today and the last thing that poor boy needs is to see you in a drunken wreck before he goes off to the Ministry - he'll be nervous enough as it is."

Sirius frowned harshly into the table. No he had not forgotten, thank you Molly. In fact, part of the reason he reached for the whiskey last night was due to Dumbledore's visit to inform him that it was a bad idea for him to accompany Harry. He understood the logic and reasoning, but couldn't get over the bitter iciness in is chest at having another chance to leave the house shot down.

Thinking of last night and remembering his unexpected companion, he felt the bitter anger drain out of him. He sighed, feeling exhausted, "I'm not drunk, Molly."

Molly paused, an egg in one hand and frying pan in another, frowning at him. It was an uncommon occurrence for Sirius to let Molly go unchallenged. Maybe it was left over instincts from being in a pack, but he hated her overwhelming need to mother and control the lives of those under her care. He knew she meant well, and hoped that she knew he did too, but they couldn't stop clashing in a constant battle for dominance. Him letting an insult, even an off handed one, slide by was worthy of concern.

"Is everything alright?"

Sirius paused, thinking of last night. Deciding to converse with Teddy again before telling anyone from the Order what he'd learned, he simply shrugged. Molly looked at him closely, maternal instincts waring with the knowledge of how much he despised to be pushed. In the end she nodded and turned back to the stove.

They passed the next few minutes in silence. Molly bustled around the room and Sirius gazed at the table, lost in thought. Soon sizzling accompanied by a delicious aroma filled the kitchen and before long a plate of eggs and sausage slid in front of him. He dug in ravenously. Whatever his disagreements with her, he couldn't deny: Molly Weasley knew how to cook.

A sudden thumping on the stairs made him look up and he grinned as Tonks ambled into the kitchen, hair mussed and blurry-eyed. His poor cousin had been standing on guard all night over the prophecy. Probably for nothing, he thought, grin slowly slipping from his face as he recalled the conversation from last night.

"W-W-Wotcha," Tonks yawned widely as she plopped down across from Sirius.

"Good morning, dear," said Molly warmly as she placed a plate in front of her as well before starting to make some pancakes.

"Morning Dora," Sirius shot her a grin and reached over to ruffle her hair. She scowled at him.

"If I wasn't so t-t-tired -"

"I would be much more afraid because you wouldn't be yawning in the middle of your death threats?" Sirius teased.

She stuck her tongue out at him, which was ruined midway by yet another yawn. Tonks tucked into her meal eagerly as Molly laid out more plates of food for any early risers coming down. And it sounds as though we've got one, Sirius thought as heavy footfalls rained on the staircase.

Teddy stumbled into the room, looking just as exhausted as Tonks. He dropped down next to Sirius, eyelids drooping. Sirius grinned and ruffled his hair too, grinning even wider as Teddy halfheartedly batted his hand away, mumbling indecipherable.

"How'd you sleep, cub?"

Teddy shrugged before yawning in unison with Tonks. The duo had the exact same shade of blonde hair this morning. Sirius observed them with a smirk. Honestly, how could Remus be so blind?

Molly, too, seemed to be trying to prevent a knowing smile as she placed some pancakes in front of the young Lupin. Teddy groped blindly for a fork and began to eat hazily, either not noticing or not caring what was on his plate.

"Wow, kid," Tonks looked only slightly more alert as she inspected him, "I didn't think it would be possible, but you look worse than me."

Teddy grumbled incoherently.

"Last night was the full moon," Sirius explained, "And taking into account the time difference, it was his second full moon this week."

Tonks and Molly winced in sympathy.

Teddy groaned, rubbing his aching temples, "I hate the full moon. I really do. I always feel like I'm hung over the next day."

Sirius grinned in amusement, "You sure that's the moon and not the firewhiskey? You were really knocking them back last night."

"You what?!"

Teddy shot Sirius a withering look, "And you. I hate you too."

Sirius raised his glass to him in a mock toast.

"You were drinking?!" Molly snapped, looking furious and rather mortified that the responsible teenager she had come to be so fond of was partaking in such dark pastimes. Then, predictably, she rounded on Sirius, "And you didn't bother to stop him?!"

Sirius sighed and mentally braced himself for a battle, "Molly, he's of age and I don't exactly hold authority over him even if he wasn't."

Molly still looked furious, "Still, one would think that you would at least attempt to dissuade him! You probably encouraged him if anything-!"

"Enough!" Teddy yelled suddenly. The other three jumped and looked at him. He was still rubbing his temples. He mumbled, 'It's too early for this,' before looking up at Molly and saying, "Molly, I'm more than old enough to make decisions and understand the consequences. I assure you that I do not excessively drink in my spare time, nor do I intend to start. I only had two glasses at most and I'm sure that Sirius would've stopped me if it had gotten out of hand. I don't normally resort to drinking, but last night was a particularly bad night - what with two full moons and the stress put on me by this time travel mess."

Molly immediately backpedaled, "Oh, of course dear, I understand that this all must be very stressing for you, but surely there must be better ways for you to-"

"Probably," Teddy shrugged and put his head on the table, looking worn out, "but there are worse too. If anything I think you should be glad that I chose to drink with adult supervision rather than spirit away a bottle to an empty room all alone."

"Of course," Molly looked rather flustered and confused, "I'm sorry, Sirius. I shouldn't have snapped."

Sirius blinked in surprise, not expecting an apology. Nonetheless, he nodded, "Thank you."

Tonks shook her head in amusement, "You two, actually getting along? What on earth is going on?"

"I'd be interested in finding out," said Arthur as he came into the kitchen. He kissed his wife briefly before sitting at one end of the table. He was dressed in Muggle clothes and had this morning's Daily Prophet tucked under one arm.

"Teddy managed to get Molly to apologize to Sirius," Tonks informed him, "While he was half asleep, too."

Teddy yawned widely into his hand, "Hardly the stuff of legend. 'Specially compared to some stuff Harry's done."

"Yes, well, Harry's not exactly your ordinary teenager, is he?" asked Arthur with a fond smile.

Teddy grinned tiredly as his hair swirled into a rainbow of colors, "Nor am I."

Arthur chuckled, "Indeed. Speaking of Harry, we should be getting to the Ministry in about an hour. Should I go wake him?"

"Nah," said Sirius decisively, shaking his head, "let him sleep as much as he can."

Teddy snorted, "Please. If he's actually asleep and not lying awake in bed dwelling on all possible negative outcomes of the hearing, I'll eat James's socks."

Tonks wrinkled her nose, "That sounds… unappetizing."

"You mean disgusting," Teddy shuddered, "Have you ever smelled that kid's feet?"

"No, and I hope not to."

The stairs groaned again as someone descended and Sirius turned in time to grin at an exhausted looking Remus. Remus's clothes seemed to hang off of his thin frame more than usual and his expression had that pale, gaunt look that tended to linger even after the moon had set. Still, he smiled back at Sirius before freezing as his eyes landed on the teenager next to him. Smiling shakily, he took a seat at the table, deliberately far from Teddy.

Sirius wanted to groan in exasperation. It had been like this since the first night. Remus dancing around Teddy as though he was walking on eggshells. Everyone else adored the colorful and friendly boy. Remus, however, attempted to avoid any and all contact with him. It was clear that Teddy noticed. His bitter expression the night before when he heard Remus had things to 'think about' followed by him reaching for the bottle made it clear. It was so unfair to the poor boy that Sirius wanted to grab his old friend and shake him.

"Good morning, Remus," Molly pushed a plate piled extra high with food towards the werewolf along with a pain relief potion. He smiled gratefully at her before turning to Tonks, trying to avoid Teddy's burning gaze.

"How did last night go?"

Tonks observed him closely (as though debating asking him the same question) before diving strait into a report – not realizing or not caring that Teddy was there and listening to every word.

Sometime during the conversation, Harry shakily descended into the kitchen, looking extremely pale and very nervous. Sirius and the others offered words of encouragement and comfort, assuring him that everything would work in their favor. Every word seemed to only succeed in making him more nervous. Molly attempting to flatten his hair didn't help.

Teddy observed him closely throughout all of this, remaining quiet. Then, he asked, "So, how long were you lying awake and dwelling on your fate before you came down?"

Tonks snorted into her coffee and Arthur raised the Prophet to hide his grin. Harry blinked, looking rather taken aback, "What?"

"You do it in our time too, you know. Obsess over all the worst case scenarios. In fact, every time your anniversary comes around, you plan everything to the last detail a month before and spend the rest of your time fretting about everything that could go wrong." He swirled his coffee around in his mug, frowning thoughtfully down at it, "It's bloody annoying, come to think of it."

Harry shifted around, blushing slightly. He looked distinctly embarrassed, but not (Sirius noted with a smirk) nervous as he had before. "I-I wouldn't say dwelling…"

"But you weren't sleeping," Teddy probed almost urgently.

Harry tilted his head in confusion, "No. Why?"

"Ha!" Teddy gave an exaggerated cheer and punched Sirius's arm, "I told you! No socks on the menu for me!"

Poor Harry looked utterly lost as Tonks burst out laughing. Sirius had to admit, Harry's face was rather entertaining to see. Even Remus smiled at his plate. Molly giggled.

"Well," Arthur chuckled as he folded the paper and placed it on the table, "We'd best be going soon, Harry. We'll be a bit early, but you can wait with me in my office until it's time."

Sirius wanted to kick Arthur as Harry's face faded from amused confusion back into dread. So much for cheering him up.

Teddy seemed to be thinking along those lines. "Buck up, Harry. Look on the bright side: no matter how it turns out, you have cleaning with me and the others to look forward to this afternoon. Wait," he frowned, "that's not a bright side. I think I just made it worse. Sorry, mate."

Harry gave a half-hearted snort and sent him a small smile, "Thanks anyway." He paused thoughtfully, "Hey, Teddy? You're from the future, right?"

Teddy raised an eyebrow, "Uh, yeah. Have you missed this entire week?"

"No, I just… The hearing – do I, you know, get off?"

Teddy's face was carefully expressionless, "Sorry, Harry. You'll have to find out on your own."

Harry looked rather frustrated, but also resigned as though he expected this. He and Arthur got up and left the kitchen, Arthur babbling away about how they were going the 'Muggle way' to the Ministry. Sirius waited until he heard the sound of the upstairs door close before turning to Teddy expectantly.

"So? Does Harry get off?"

Teddy snorted, "Of course he does. They have no case against him. Trying to persecute someone for self-defense is ridiculous, and even the Ministry knows it."

The others let out breaths they didn't know they were holding. Sirius felt as though a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders, before another similar one was put in its place. Harry was going back to Hogwarts. Just when he'd gotten him back, he'd lose him again.

"What happened to not wanting us to know the future?" asked Tonks curiously.

Teddy met Sirius's gaze for a brief moment before quickly looking away, "Just figured… you know… it's not exactly earth shattering news, and you'd find out later today anyway. I just didn't want Harry to know in case that changed the outcome."

Tonks and Molly nodded, accepting the answer. Remus, however, glanced suspiciously between his son and his best friend. He had noticed their shared look, and Sirius had a feeling that it wouldn't be long until he was confronted about it.

Sure enough, once the others came down and the room filled with morning chatter, Sirius slipped out of the kitchen and found himself closely followed by Remus. On the ground floor he found himself dragged into the barely used dining room. Remus shut the door and cast some silencing charms before turning to his friend.

"What was that about? What happened between you and Teddy?"

Sirius sighed, "What do you mean?"

"Don't insult my intelligence, Sirius," Remus crossed his arms and glared at him, "I saw that look. Teddy told you something, didn't he?"

"So what if he did?" Sirius demanded, suddenly defensive, "What's it to you what he and I talk about?"

Remus looked rather taken aback, then angry, "I'm your friend, Sirius. One would think that is reason enough to tell me."

"One would also think it reason enough for you to trust me." Sirius stepped forward, his face an inch from Remus's furious one, "I have reasons for not telling you anything Teddy may or may not have told me. As my friend, you should understand that."

"I have a right to know!" Remus said loudly. Then, realizing that his voice could carry downstairs, he lowered it and continued, "Anything Teddy said could have significant impact on the outcome of the war –"

Sirius rolled his eyes, "You think I don't know that? Hasn't it crossed your mind that maybe – maybe – that could be the reason I'm not telling you anything?"

"You can't keep information from the Order –"

"I'm not keeping anything from anyone." Okay, so that wasn't technically true. But Remus was eating at his nerves. "Anything he told me can and will be shared at the next Order meeting, so don't pretend that that is what this is about."

Remus stiffened, "What do you mean?"

"You care about him. Admit it – it's not a sin."

The werewolf glared at his feet, "It may as well be."

Sirius threw his hands in the air in exasperation, "For God's sake! Remus, if anything, it's a good thing! All fathers should care for their sons."

"I shouldn't be his father," Remus snapped, "He deserves a better father."

"Is that why you've been avoiding him, then? Because you believe you're not worthy or something?"

"I haven't been avoiding him."

Sirius scoffed, "No, you just conveniently become busy on the off chance you happen to be in the same room as him." Remus shifted guiltily. "He notices, you know. I can see it in his eyes. The hurt. The rejection." Sirius paused and stared at his old friend. He had known Remus Lupin ever since James had pulled him into their compartment on the Hogwarts Express in their first year. He could see, more clearly than ever, the guilt and self-depreciation. The fear of discovering just how much the prejudice and hostility towards werewolves had beaten down on his precious son. He sighed, "Remus, if you're so curious about what we spoke about, go ask Teddy."

He turned and left the dining room. The last thing Sirius saw as he shut the door was his oldest friend looking more torn and guilty and afraid then when his three friends had discovered his darkest secret.

A/N: In case you didn't catch it, that last line references the night Remus learned that the other Marauders knew about him being a werewolf. God, poor Remus.

I must admit I enjoyed writing some Mrs. Weasley vs Sirius action, even if it didn't last very long. And Teddy's great at cheering people up, isn't he? Must come from growing up as the oldest of a truck load of Weasley kids. I have a lot of love for the Lupin boys, don't I? If you don't count how much I torture them.

Speaking of torturing Lupins, Teddy's in for a big shock next chapter. *Nervous giggle* I'm just going to hide in my bunker in case any of you come at me with torches and pitchforks.

onethirteen was right: reviews and PMs really encourage me to write faster. I like hearing from you people! Let me know what you think and it'll encourage me to put out more stuff. For now, see ya!