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Chapter Text

Harry Potter was not having a good day. After finally pulling himself out of bed at the bright hour of four pm, he tripped over a pair of pants on the floor, whacked his elbow on his bedside table, and fell flat on his face onto his alcohol soaked rug. Thank Merlin that he narrowly missed the pile of vomit from last night (a particularly bad night). 

The fall did nothing but add a sore elbow to his hangover, and goddamnit that was his right arm. Now it might hurt to brush his teeth. Just his luck. 

Going back to bed would be the better option, but knowing what would happen with time to think about the current state of his friends lives (or lack thereof) he forced himself to walk across the hall into the bathroom, resolutely ignoring the all black funeral attire discarded in the laundry basket. Funeral attire from Ron, Hermione, Neville, and Luna’s funeral- 

No. Not today. I have a godson. I still have a godson. Said godson was only four months old. He was planning on visiting him this evening for dinner. Teddy was very fussy about eating his baby food. Not even teething yet and his parents were dea- 

Stop. His mouth was immediately filled with way too much toothpaste (shaky hands make squeezing hard) and he went to town on his teeth and gums. When he spat out the excess, there was blood. It made him feel good, seeing his blood out of his body. Like some sort of penance for allowing everyone close to him to die. 

He walked back into his room at Grimmauld Place, which stunk even more of alcohol, to try and find a clean shirt and clean pair of pants. If such a thing existed. He really needed to do laundry. Maybe today. Most likely tomorrow. Maybe never if his emotions won out over his rational mind. 

I still have a godson. Teddy needs a father figure. I still have a godson.

He read somewhere in a self help magazine (at the liquor store, ha!) that having a mantra could help ward off unhelpful thoughts. It kinda worked. Sorta. 

The problem was, he was convinced those thoughts were helpful. He had the powers, he could make it painless, quicker and easier than falling asleep his father once told him.

What a great father. With the amount of drinking he’s been doing these past few weeks, he’s had a lot of time for unfiltered thoughts to swirl around in his mind. One of these things being that the specters he saw that awful night weren’t those of his parents at all, but merely an illusion created to talk him into giving himself up to Tom. 

Only finding a single clean t-shirt and pair of jeans, he stood in his wretched room working up the motivation to do the laundry. Finally, after what felt like forever, his rational mind won and his feet were walking towards the bathroom.

Towards the bathroom with the laundry bin with the funeral suit he wore to the funeral of his friends who - by the way- were dea- I still have a godson. I still have a godson. As an empath, Harry was really starting to pick up on the fact that he had a godson. He gave a little chuckle at his own joke, shitty as it was. 

The trek through the house down to the laundry machine he installed was perilous. Bottles and the occasional shirt were strewn everywhere. Bottles got kicked to the side and the shirts got added to the laundry pile.

After throwing his things in the laundry resolutely ignoring the suit and its requirements for dry cleaning, he went upstairs to try to choke down some breakfast. He really didn’t like to eat anymore, it didn’t feel fair that he got to enjoy food while all of his friends didn’t. 

After only half a bowl of cereal, he just couldn’t deal with the soggy slop anymore. He put it in the sink along with all the other dirty dishes. Remembering he was a wizard, he waved his wand a few times and the dishes started washing themselves. 

He immediately made them stop, as it reminded him too much of what Mrs. Weasley used to do. She was the one who taught him the spell afterall. He decided he’d set the spell right before he left so he didn’t have to hear a sound as triggering as dishwashing ( pathetic ). 

Looking at the clock and seeing it was already five and dinner was at six, Harry decided he needed a shower, even though he did not feel like a shower. He hated showers. Never wanted to take them; however, he couldn't have an hour free to do nothing.

That would just lead to more alcohol consumption. Setting the spell on the dishes sooner than he thought, he hightailed it out of there and  found solace under the hot spray of water.

He never wanted to leave. Showers felt so nice.

After several minutes his internal clock was shouting that he was going to be late, so he turned off the water and stepped out to dry. He threw his clothes back on and spritzed some cologne on his pulse points to try and look presentable for Andromeda.

Not that he could do anything to fix the bags under his eyes, or the sheer amount of weight he had lost. Or the fact that the skin on his thighs and upper arms was shredded with scratches of varying lengths and depths.

Luckily his t-shirt and pants covered those. There was no hiding the sickly pale color that was his skin or the lack of light behind his eyes. 

Andy would be sympathetic though. After all, she lost her daughter and her husband in quick succession. It seemed like the only thing keeping her going was her grandson. Similarly enough, the only thing keeping Harry on this side of the afterlife was his godson. 

With one last look at his reflection, he walked out of the bathroom and down the stairs into the living room where the fireplace was. He would have considered apparating, except his rampant alcohol consumption recently made that idea less and less appealing. He had also already arranged with Andromeda to arrive by floo. Thank Merlin for that. 

A muttered “Tonks residence” later found Harry on Andy’s living room floor, gracelessly standing up. Floo travel never got any easier. 

“Harry!” 

Andromeda rushed into the room looking as haggard as ever, but truly happy to see him.
“I’m so glad you could make it. Teddy’s been rather fussy today, but he’ll feel better once he wakes up from his nap.”
Harry felt a burst of joy at the thought of seeing his adorable sleepy godson. There was nothing better than sleeping babies. The fact that they couldn’t cry was an added bonus. 

“It’s good to be here Mrs. Tonks. Everything smells so good and I can’t wait to see Teddy again.”
“Now boy, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Andromeda, or at the very least Andy? And Teddy will be very happy to see you as well, dear. He loves you almost as much as he loves me” She said with a small smile

Harry suddenly felt very bashful.
“Ok, A-Andromeda.” He was at a loss for words. Hearing about how his godson loved him from Teddy’s main caretaker was one of the highlights of his day, not that there was much else to be excited about.

A coo from the other room interrupted their stilted small talk and caused Harry to promptly walk into the nursery after a confirmation nod from Andromeda. Walking into the nursery had Harry grinning from ear to ear. The little noise his godson gave him upon seeing him melted his heart. 

“Hey there little dude. Woah you’re getting big.”
Harry lifted Teddy up into the air over his head to a chorus of baby giggles and a little bit of spittle droplets. He then snuggled the sweet little boy to his chest and breathed in the baby smell still clinging to him.

He loved Teddy so much. Teddy made it all worth it. Teddy made him want to stop drinking and to get his life together. Teddy made him want to live.

If only he could have Teddy full time. But he was in no place mentally to raise a child, and he couldn’t take the last family Andromeda had from her. It would be too cruel. He was still learning his role as godfather and how he fit into Teddy’s life, but he was willing to try with everything he had. 

He carried the baby out of the nursery and into the kitchen area where Andromeda was setting up dinner. He plopped Teddy into his highchair and started helping Andromeda by setting the table and heating up Teddy’s bottle.

After everything was in place they sat down to eat. Conversation was scarce, as they were both rather melancholy and content to give all their love and attention to the little one.

Harry of course told Andromeda the food was wonderful (it tasted like ash in his mouth) and that he was so thankful she had him over (he would have been drinking if not).

She was very polite as well and thanked him for his kind words and for being involved in his godson’s life. Then came the million dollar question. 

“So, Harry, how are you? How are you really? I don’t want any shit that you’re fine or that you're doing alright. I have eyes. I can see that you’re struggling.” 

Harry let out a long exhale through his nose.
“I guess its just hard reconciling the fact that they’re gone and I’m still here. It isn’t fairthe whole ‘master of death’ thing makes it even worse. How can one be called a master of death if they can’t even prevent their friends from dying? Why is it just mastery over my own death? Why couldn’t I have saved them?”
Harry’s eyes got suspiciously prickly, and Andromeda looked back at him with sad eyes. 

“I’m so sorry Harry. And I really don’t know. I wish you would believe me when I tell you it will all be ok one day, its just I don’t know if I believe it either. Please promise me that you won’t use your power to cross over any time soon. I would master death myself and force him to give you back just to kill you myself.”
Somehow Andromeda saw right through him. She had that effect on people. Luckily, turnabout was fair play.
“I really am trying, Andy. It’s hard, but I'm trying. What about you? If you don’t mind me saying, you’re looking a bit peaky yourself.”
Andromeda looked at her clasped hands.
“I should have told my daughter I loved her more than once that night. I should have hugged her extra long. I should have gone with her. But then who would Teddy have? The situation was doomed from the moment that maniac took power again.”
Harry shrunk into himself at that last remark. 

“None of that, boy. It wasn’t your fault. That old man should have never let you stay in that tournament. Anyone with half a brain could have smelled foul play from the start.”

Harry looked at his hands.

“I guess you’re right. It's just hard to accept I guess.”

Harry suddenly realized just how tired Andromeda looked as she responded.
“I know, dear. I know.” 

Their little chick flick moment was interrupted by Teddy fussing over his bottle. Harry’s heart melted yet again. He couldn’t ignore Teddy any longer. 

“Hey buddy! Is that formula good? It's gonna make you grow real big one day little guy.” 

It turned out Teddy had finished his bottle and wanted more. Harry got it ready real quick and after Teddy drank part of it, he got real sleepy. After a big burp and some lullabies, Little Horses and The Old Therebefore (yes that’s a lullaby sybau) Teddy went down for the night. Little tyke was such a good kid, most nights he slept right through them. 

Harry hugged Andromeda goodbye and with a final “take care of yourself” and a “yes ma’am” Harry was on his way back to Sirius’ old home.

Chapter Text

He dropped unceremoniously onto the floor of the living room of Grimmauld Place - floo travel never got any easier. After hauling himself up and wiping the dust off his now scuffed jeans, he remembered the laundry he had to move to the dryer. He really wanted to go to bed, but if he didn’t take the wet clothes out they’d start to smell and he’d have to start the whole load over again. Water and energy were valuable resources and all that crap.

 He walked to the laundry room and was shoving all his clothes into the dryer when he came across that damned black suit. The black suit which now looked ruined and torn and wasted, just like his friends, just like his life.
He felt it all come crashing down. Everything he’d worked for over the past few hours, the short amount of peace he found within his scant family, gone. Gone all in a moment. Snuffed out, blown away in the wind.
Hundreds of people died in the war. He could never forget that. hTheir faces haunted him. Their voices haunted him. The entire wizarding world of Britain, all relying on a stupid helpless boy. He felt like a dam had burst, all these feelings welling up and drowning him. Broken sobs wrested their way out of his tight throat. 

He stumbled to his liquor cabinet and grabbed a bottle of Merlin knows what. After nearly making his hands bleed from trying to pry the cap off, he remembered he was a wizard and shot a burst of raw magic at the bottle cap. It came off with a shattering sound, as the neck of the bottle got absolutely obliterated. Whoops. Well, alcohol was alcohol and Harry was beyond giving a shit that his lips were getting cut up by the jagged bottleneck. 

He drank and drank until a semblance of oblivion overcame him - damn Master of Death powers made it ten times harder to get properly hammered. He drank and cried and drank and sobbed and drank and wept and drank, threw up, cried because throwing up is scary, and then

 drank some more.  

As one does when severely depressed and heavily under the influence, he contemplated death. A lot. He knew he could make himself do it. As the Master of Death, he had the power to take his life whenever he wished. He simply could will it and he would cross the veil. He only knows because in other alcohol induced fits he strongly wished to die and suddenly felt himself slip away. In a panic, he snapped back to himself and shit got ten times more real. 

He had the power to painlessly take his own life, and he was super depressed. Even someone as fragile as him knew the danger he was in. That's when he started his mantra about his godson. He couldn’t leave Teddy, so he vowed that he would at least see Teddy through adulthood before slipping away. 

Of course, in the present moment, addled by alcohol as he was, he forgot this. All he knew was the throbbing of his cut up lips, the pounding headache, and the awful feeling in his chest. He tried everything he knew to take away the urge to die.
He stabbed himself, he cut his arms, he burnt his fingers, and he banged his head against the wall, all in an effort to satisfy the urge without actually letting himself die. Being master of death had some perks afterall and to hell if he wasn’t going to use and abuse them.

Spoiler alert, nothing worked. All he succeeded in doing was covering himself in more scars than he already had. That was one downside. He could control his healing up to the point of scar tissue. He had no idea how to control the scar tissue. So it was ugly and pulled and puckered from previous nights like these.
Sitting in a pile of hard liquor, blood, maybe a little piss, and a fuck ton of broken glass, he contemplated hust letting go. Realistically, Teddy didn’t need someone like him in his life. He would only be a bad influence on Teddy. He also would bring unwanted fame and stalkers into Teddy’s life, what with being the Boy Who Lived Twice and all that shit. 

Teddy was probably better off without him. Godfather or not, Harry was not good for him. He was toxic, never had a healthy family model, and would get way too emotionally attached. Teddy would be better off without him.
It was decided then. The Boy Who Lived Twice would die in a puddle of blood, vomit, and rum. He could feel himself slipping away. He could see the edge. He could also see… an owl?

What the fuck was an owl doing at the gate to the afterlife? What the fuck was an owl with the Ministry of Motherfucking Magic’s emblem doing at the gate to the afterlife. Snapping back to himself at this oddity, he found out tha the owl wasnt at the gate to the afterlife, but rather right in front of his face. In the present life. 

Great. Just fucking great. The damned ministry couldn’t even let him die in peace. Of course those fuckwads just had to interrupt his farewell with some inane stupid request to attend a banquet or cut a ribbon on some stupid attraction Teddy might one day enjoy. Fuckers, the lot of them. 

With his dying breath spoiled, he decided to read the letter, then try to kick the bucket. It was a fair compromise. 

He opened the letter and immediately vomited again. 

Dear Mr. Potter,

We are writing to inform you that you have assumed full guardianship of Teddy Remus Lupin upon the death of one Andromeda Tonks. Please come pick him up from the Ministry Child Services office at your earliest convenience.  We are sorry for your loss and happy for the gain of your new ward. 

With condolences, 

Mafalda Hopkins 

What the fuck. Teddy didn’t just need him now, he required him. He was his ward. Harry was Teddy’s only guardian and currently pissdrunk and suicidal. What a great fucking turn of events. 

And Teddy was with the fucking Ministry! Who knows how they were treating him. Harry immediately tried to burn off the alcohol by pushing a huge burst of magic through his veins, quite similar to healing himself. 

His drunken state remedied, he reread the letter to make sure he remembered everything. He then checked the time, which read 7:30 AM. Damn that was a long episode. 

Luckily, Harry was quite skilled at pulling all-nighters. Frankly, he could go around five days wi th out sleep ever since those three stupid fucking artifacts stumbled into his life. They had their perks though, undeniably. 

The next order of business was his appearance. He certainly couldn’t show up to the Ministry to claim guardianship of an infant covered in alcohol and vomit. He went upstairs for a lightning quick shower, magicked his still wet laundry dry, (even though he preferred it done the muggle way) and got ready to floo to the Ministry. 

A stumble and a half later he was walking through the halls of the Ministry, ignoring the adoring looks and journalists trying to talk to him. 

Upon getting to the Child Services Center, he saw Teddy in a worker's arms, being cooed at and comforted to no avail. His little face was red and squished with the impressive screams he was producing, audible only once Harry crossed the threshold of the office. Thank Merlin for silencing charms. 

The Ministry employee looked overjoyed to see Harry. He didn’t mind it this time. Instead of the joy being because he was the Chosen One or whatever the fuck they were calling him these days, it was because he had come to pick up the screeching banshee of a baby in their arms. 

When Teddy was safely in his arms it felt like he could finally breathe again. 

“I’m sorry little dude. I know. I know. You’re gonna be ok.” 

Teddy didn’t act like he knew this. 

Harry looked up at the brunette ministry employee - a male, about a few years older than him, very handsome. During the camping trip from hell his seventh year, Harry made a few discoveries about himself. 

He like canned beans. He liked two-ply toiled paper.  He also liked men. Not exclusively men, but he had a pretty strong preference for them. He would have a preference for this man, but  Teddy seemed to hate this poor guy. That’s too bad. 

“How did…it…happen?” Harry just needed to know. 

“I don’t know, man, he just started crying and wouldn’t stop once he got here. Someone suggested I should hold him and then he just started screaming and I didn’t know what to-“ 

“I mean how did Andromeda die for God’s sake!” 

The employee stared blankly for a moment. 

“Uh-I-um the mediwizard said her heart just gave out in her sleep. She didn’t feel any pain if that’s what you were wondering.”

“Oh. ok. Uhm- Thanks, I guess.” 

“Yeah no problem. I’m sorry for your loss.” 

“Its ok -well uh not really but thanks anyways.” 

Harry’s face flushed. 

“Anyways,” the ministry employee said, “just sign here and here and you’ve got full legal custody as his godfather. Would you like to change his last name to Potter as well?” 

“No. He’ll stay Teddy Lupin. To honor his parents.” 

After signing the forms, Teddy had finally quieted down a bit. The little guy giggled and changed his hair from turquoise to jet black. 

“What am I gonna do with you, little dude?”

Chapter Text

Harry decided to walk the distance back to Grimmauld in order to avoid dropping Teddy when he inevitably fell on his face from the floo.

It was the worst idea Harry ever had. Teddy was fussing over the hordes of people following Harry out the door of the Ministry (Harry found himself fussy as well.) Journalists were clamoring for their questions to be answered. It was overwhelming to say the least.
“Mr. Potter, how do you feel about Andromeda Tonks’ death?”
“Mr. Potter, are you ready to raise a child?”
“Mr. Potter, how close were you to Andromeda Tonks?” 

“Mr. Potter, why did the Lupins name you godfather? Were they trying to secure fame for their son?” 

Harry was fed up. It took all his strength to not respond. Give reporters an inch and they'll take a mile. He couldn’t say a word, even to Teddy. He hated reporters. It made his skin crawl with how much they dug into his personal life. It hurt. It wasn’t fair. 

He just lost virtually a member to his family and all these people cared about was picking his brain for some juicy gossip to spread in the papers, probably all twisted around and full of lies anyway. Rita Skeeter was the worst. Thank Merlin she wasn’t here. 

Oh fuck. Rita Skeeter appeared in the corner of his eye. He picked up his pace significantly (it’s really hard to run with a kid in your arms) and made it out into the streets of London, where, thankfully, journalists in all manner of wizardry apparel couldn’t show their faces and make such a ruckus. 

Now free of those dogs, Harry remembered that he needed to set up a room for Teddy. Since he had no idea what Andromeda’s will looked like, he decided just to get a whole new setup for Teddy. Luckily, there was a department store on the way back home. 

After picking out a ton of cute outfits for Teddy, (his favorite was a onesie covered in bumblebees with soft yellow overalls) he decided to look at cribs and nursery furniture. He found a really pretty haunted looking mahogany crib on sale.
“Look at this, little guy. Do you like it?” 

Teddy babbled nonsense in response. 

“I really do too. I love the flowers on the sides. It looks like really good craftsmanship.”
Teddy thought this was hilarious. He giggled. 

“I agree. They don’t make things like they used to.”
Teddy burped. 

“I think so too. Let’s get it.”
Teddy got the hiccups. 

After finding a store attendant and asking to buy the crib over the noise of Teddy’s hiccups, Harry found himself on the street corner in possession of a very large box and several bags containing clothes, bottle warmers, bottles, formula, diapers, and whatever else looked necessary for being a father figure to an infant. Namely stuffed animals. Teddy loved stuffies. 

Looking around, Harry expertly scooted everything (with the help of magic) to an alley where no one was watching. He shrunk down everything and made his way back to Grimmauld. 

Taking care of Teddy was tough. The first order of business was to clean his decrepit house. This was done as a sort of magic light show for Teddy, who got fussy after the shrinkage of his favorite crib. 

Alcohol bottles and various cigarettes danced in the air with flashes of gold and silver. It was quite hilarious, both for Harry and Teddy, one for darker reasons than another. 

It became quickly apparent that Grimmauld was no place to raise a child. Whenever Harry left the room Teddy would start screaming. Harry decided to do a little scientific investigation with it. He took Teddy to the park (a goddamned journalist was hiding in the fucking bushes)(he was quickly acquainted with a stinging hex) and disappeared from sight. Teddy didn’t seem to mind. He just watched a butterfly and a bumblebee fly around his head. Teddy was very giggly at the park. 

Harry also tried it at the grocery store. (A different journalist in crazy muggle clothes was hiding behind the display of bananas with a camera.)(He too was quickly acquainted with a stinging hex.) He left Teddy’s eyeline, specifically in a place with nothing amusing going on. Teddy just seemed to look around, see that no one was there, and kept babbling to himself in whatever language he was currently speaking. 

Back at Grimmauld however, - whether in the kitchen, the bathroom, the sitting room, the nursery, even Harry’s own bed- if left even remotely alone, Teddy would scream . 

“I don’t blame you little guy. This house sucks.” 

Teddy whimpered. 

“It’s decided then. We’re gonna move. I’ll sell this old hovel and we’re gonna move somewhere big and open and beautiful with plenty of outside for you.”
Teddy sneezed. 

“Yeah that too. The reporters are really getting annoying.”
Teddy made grabby hands for the bottle Harry was heating up.
“That’s a really good idea, little dude! We should just leave London. Maybe England in general. Too many memories.”
Teddy immediately began slurping on the bottle Harry handed to him. With gusto. 

“I really like the London climate though. I wonder if there's anything similar out there. Getting away from the wizarding world would be nice too. I’m kinda sick of being a celebrity. It’s really detrimental to my mental health.”
Teddy always loved when Harry used big words, and he giggled around the nipple of his bottle. 

“What about America, Teddy? Or maybe Australia? They both speak English there.”
Teddy dropped his bottle and started crying. Harry quickly handed it back to him.
“You’re right, little guy. Australia’s too hot. Let me do some research and try to find something similar to here, alright? They gotta have something like England in America. It's huge.” 

Looking into it on his new phone he found at the department store for a good price, Harry found a near exact match. It was a little town called Forks (what a name) that was on the Olympic peninsula of Washington. It had beaches, forests, and even mountains. There was also a nearby Indian Reservation. Something pulled at Harry’s memories about that Indian Reservation. He couldn’t remember what though. 

He got excited. The nearest wizarding village and small school was in Seattle, Washington, about a three hour drive from Forks. This meant no danger of reporters hounding him out in Forks.
Harry could feel himself getting excited. He decided to call a local housing company he saw a blurb about on Fork’s website, and see if there was any land for sale. Harry wanted to build his own house (or rather have his own house built.) Being nighttime in London, he figured it’d be around business hours for people in Forks. 

“Hello, Forks Real Estate, how can we help you?” A friendly female voice answered him. 

“Hi, I was wondering if there was any land for sale in the area?” 

“Oh um, yes sir. There's a few things. There's about two square miles for sale in the middle of the woods off of Highway 101 south of the fishing charter. It borders on the lake.”
Harry had no idea what that meant, but it was nice to have the only odd thing about him be his accent and lack of knowledge of the empirical system. 

“Would I be able to buy all two miles ma’am?”

“Excuse me did you say you wanted the whole two miles?” 

“Yes ma’am.”
“Sir, do you know how big a mile is?”

“Uhm, no. Not really. I’m from London.” 

“Sir that's almost ten and a half square kilometers.”
“Oh my that's a lot. How much for it?”

“Sir, that's about two million dollars.”
“How many pounds is that?”

“About 1.5 million.”
“Oh perfect! I’ll take it. Can I wire you the money?”
The lady was quiet for a moment.
“Sir, will you hold for one minute? I have to ask my boss if we can legally sell all this to one person.” 

“Oh sure that's fine. I can wait.” 

Harry really didn’t understand what the problem was. There were plenty of millionaires in the world (even if Harry was almost a billionaire) that would want to buy a ton of land in the middle of nowhere, right? Maybe it just never happened in this town before. 

“Sir, are you there?”
“Yes, I’m right here.”

“Ok well I talked to my boss and he said it should be fine, but you’ll need a permit from the city. What do you plan to do with this land? It might be protected and have to stay mostly forested. Just so you know.”

“Oh yeah uh I just planned to build a house and leave the rest alone. My godson needs some place to explore.”
“Sir you do know that there are wild animals in these woods, correct?” 

“Uh yeah. I knew that. He’ll be careful.” More like Harry would use repellant spells. 

“Ok well our fax number is 23843409 so you can send us the money that way. We will have additional paperwork for you to sign upon arrival. When do you think you’ll be in?” 

“Day after next? Is that too soon?” 

“No not at all. See you then.”
Harry sent the money and thought about what he just did. Was it impulsive? Yes. Very much so. But it just felt right. Like he had been asking a question his whole life and the answer was in this little tiny town on the Olympic Peninsula. 

The house would take a bit to build, and Harry would need a car in the meantime. Also a hotel room. 

He was googling the attractions around Forks, and one thing that piqued his interest was the high school. If he wanted to give himself more options for his later life, he should probably get a muggle diploma. 

It would also be a good way to have a new experience of school and forget about what happened at the end of his wizarding education. 

He looked into the grade system in American schools. He could enroll in ninth grade, but that seemed way too young when he googled the typical ages of ninth graders. He could possibly do eleventh or twelfth grade. That seemed more reasonable. He felt a pull toward eleventh grade. It seemed right. He could do the second half of American high school, fake his records for the first half, and not be too far up a creek. 

He decided to look at the class lists for the high school. He saw one that peaked his interest. AP United States History. Otherwise known as APUSH. He never liked history of magic, but he figured he should learn the history of the place he was about to put down roots in. 

Apparently this class went more in depth than the other history class. It was also for sophomores and juniors, which a quick google search later revealed those to be alternate names for the tenth and eleventh grades, respectively. What a weird country. 

He looked over at his sleeping godson. He wondered if the high school would allow him to take Teddy to class with him. That was the only way he would go. He decided to make a quick call. 

“Hello this is Amanda from Forks High, how can I help you?”
“Hi Amanda, I was thinking of enrolling here as a junior, however I have an infant that I need to take care of. Would I be able to bring him to my classes?”
“Oh. You have an infant? Yes, that should be fine. We’ve had another teen parent with the same problem. Just don’t use him as an excuse for late homework.” Her tone got infinitely more judgmental. 

Harry got pissy. “Ok ma’am. Thank you so much for your kindness to me and my godson.”
Harry promptly hung up.
“Well Teddy, it looks like you’ll be going to high school with me!”  

Chapter Text

Two weeks later found Harry’s house completely finished. It’s crazy what an insane amount of money (and a few compulsion charms) could do. 

Teddy seemed excited about all the hustle and bustle of packing up Grimmauld and shrinking everything down, but he didn’t like it when his gothic crib disappeared. Harry had to take ten minutes to comfort him after that debacle. 

With his international portkey all ready, Harry looked around the furniture and knickknacks of Grimmauld. He decided to leave everything (except Teddy’s crib) because he wanted his new house to be light and open and homey, not dark and depressing like Grimmauld. 

He was still gonna keep Sirius’ ancestral home, as an England townhouse, but he didn’t plan on living there again anytime soon. Maybe if Teddy ever wanted to go to Hogwarts and not the wizarding school in Seattle. 

Apparently there was a wizarding school in almost every state in America. Ilvermorny got the most publicity for being like Hogwarts with the whole house system, but most wizarding schools in America were most similar to American high school, which Harry had come to learn was quite different from the British system. 

There were no houses, no points, no overnight boarding, and no block classes. 

It honestly was a lot better, because Harry wouldn’t have to basically give up parenting Teddy once he turned eleven. 

Some things about America sucked, but others were quite nice. 

Taking a deep breath, Harry activated the portkey with the hand that wasn’t holding Teddy, and found himself being pulled by his belly button towards his new life. 

He landed with a thump on his butt. At least Teddy was safe, giggly even. He looked around his new house. It was a very Victorian era, light, ornate, and fancy house. The walls in the sitting room he was in were light blue with gold trim around the paneling and crown molding. He would not have Teddy growing up in a classless modern monstrosity. 

The outside design of the house was modeled after an old American style of townhouse. Boxy, but with a small turret and white embellishments, the pale green house looked like something out of a quaint old town.
It was nothing like the cookie cutter house he grew up in or the gloomy house he almost drank himself to death in. It was perfect. Also surprisingly large. 

Teddy was looking all around with a cute little smile on his face. Harry just had to pick him up and snuggle him to his chest. It didn’t matter that Teddy was squirming and huffing to get a better view of the house. 

“You like it, Teddy? You like your new home?” 

Teddy babbled happily and giggled at his own sounds. 

“I think you’re right. It could use some art. How about we go look at your nursery?”
Teddy seemed happy enough with this course of action. Harry started moving towards the ornate white spiral staircase in the back of the hallway leading to the kitchen. Was it necessary? Hell no. Was it absolutely essential to Harry’s new home? Hell yes. 

Harry changed Teddy’s nappy in the light blue and grey nursery and set him down for a quick nap while he unshrunk and unpacked more boxes. He was interrupted when his stomach started growling. 

He then realized that he had no groceries and was running low on formula for Teddy. He grabbed a pen and paper he found in the mess of unpacking and started a short grocery list, and other things that he might need for keeping a house running. 

Such things included a broom, a mop, dish soap, scrub daddy's, a rocking chair for Teddy (to match the haunted Victorian crib), and laundry detergent. Also a washer and dryer. And a fridge. This was a brand new house. 

Harry was almost ready to go when he realized he had no way to get anywhere except apparition. While that was all well and good, he needed something to help him blend in with the muggles. He needed a car. 

“Wake up Teddy!!! You're gonna help me choose a car!” 

Luckily there was an auto dealer not too far into town. Harry and Teddy apparated to somewhere close in the woods behind it and simply walked onto the property. Teddy was definitely enjoying all the different color cars, even making his hair reflect them. 

Oh shit. Harry threw a quick glamour to give Teddy mousy brown hair like Remus had, and continued to let Teddy coo and babble at the cars. 

It wasn't until Teddy giggled out loud and reached for a bright blue Toyota Rav 4 that Harry stopped and examined a car.
A salesman saw him looking at it and came over.
“Hey, I haven’t seen you around these parts, you new to Forks?” The salesman seemed friendly enough.

“Yeah. I just moved here from England with my godson. Today actually.”
“Oh wow. Pretty soon to be looking for cars, don't you think?” 

Harry looked at him skeptically.
“Well I need a way to get around and buy groceries and all that sort. Also to go to school. It’s a rather long walk.”
“Oh you’re going to Forks High? Me too. I’m Mike Newton. I’ll be a junior this year.” Mike suddenly seemed interested in appearing cool in front of Harry. 

“Yes, I'll be going into my eleventh year. I’m Harry.” 

“Nice, that's so cool. We’ll have to hang out before then. I mean, only if you want to, you totally don’t have to really.” Mike’s face turned pink. 

“Teddy keeps me really busy so I don’t really have time for anything between him and moving in, but I’ll definitely see you around at school. Speaking of Teddy, is this car safe for kids?”  Harry felt that this was getting quite awkward, and all he really came here for was a car. 

“Car? Oh, yes! The car that you’re here for.” Mike slapped the hood of the car. “This gal is great for kids. Tons of space, up to date safety features, lane censors, and emergency braking built into the brake lines if you need to slam real hard. She should be awesome for your son.”
“He’s my godson, and that sounds nice. I'd like to buy the car. Do you take cash?” 

Mike blinked. 

“You have twenty thousand dollars in cash on you?”
“Yes. Is that enough? Is there an upcharge since it’s cash?” 

“No, no, actually, there's a five percent discount for cash payments. Especially all at once. We honestly have never had anyone ever use it. That’s crazy, Harry, where did  you get all that money? Did a rich uncle die and leave it all to you haha?”
Ouch. On the nose much? Harry wilted a bit
“Of a sort. My godfather.”

Realizing his mistake, Mike tried desperately to fix it. 

“Oh jeez, I’m sorry - I didn’t mean to - I didn’t know-”
“Look mate, it's fine, can I just get my car?”

“Yes, sure, of course. Follow me I’ll get the paperwork all set up. Do you have a license I can see?”
Harry freaked out. He didn’t have a license. He theoretically knew how to drive a car, but not on paper. Certainly not on paper in America. 

“Uh no actually. I don’t. Is there somewhere close by that I can get one?”
“Yeah man, the DMV is right over there. Wanna get one before you buy the car? I can watch your son. Only if you want of course.”
Harry pulled a face and said, “No. My godson stays with me. I’ll just take him with me.”
“You do know you’ll need a baby seat, right?”
Fuck. Fuck fuckity fuck fuck. Harry was awful at this whole parenting thing. 

“Right. Yea. I just don’t have one.”
“They sometimes get donations at the DMV, you could check with them when you go to take your test.” 

Harry did just that. The driving test wasn’t too bad. He learned most of it from observing Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia driving, and maybe just maybe he used a little bit of magic to help him with maneuverability. 

No one would find out. Certainly not the old lady currently cooing over Teddy in his brand new used car seat. She was honestly paying more attention to Teddy than to Harry. 

After passing his driving test with a 95%, (he hesitated around a left turn) he was officially ready to go to the grocery store and get Teddy a car seat that didn’t have a mysterious stain around the crotch area. Only the best for his godson. 

He pulled up to the local Walmart in his sweet new ride and immediately pulled Teddy out of his suspiciously stained car seat. While the novelty of car travel kept Teddy from crying about his carseat, he certainly seemed happier when out of the monstrosity. 

Inside Walmart, Harry got a cart that Teddy could sit in (Harry’s arms were getting tired) and still be able to look around. Teddy seemed to like that a lot, as he was giggly and babbly. 

Harry’s first order of business was food. He picked out various types of pasta, fruits, veggies, and meats to keep himself healthy and able to be there for Teddy. He was in the egg and yoghurt section of the store when the most peculiar thing happened. 

A cart driven by an absurdly attractive blonde man (who was staring right at Harry) smacked into Harry’s cart, jostled Teddy, and upset the eggs in Harry’s hands. 

What the fuck was this guy’s deal?
Harry’s shoes were now covered in egg, Teddy was wailing, people were staring, and all that dumb blonde did was stand there and stare. Harry was pissed. 

“What the fuck?” Harry gestured to the screaming child. 

The blonde snapped back to reality.

“Sir I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to meet you like this.”

What an annoying southern accent. The blonde immediately walked (more like glided) to find a staff member to help clean up all the eggs.

Once he got back with reinforcements, he kept apologizing profusely as Harry stood there silently wiping egg off of his shoe and calming Teddy down. 

Before the blonde could keep rambling on about how sorry he was Harry stopped him. “Look mate, it's alright. Just watch where you’re going next time.”
“I’m so sorry sir, I really didn’t mean to.”
“It’s fine. Teddy needed an excuse to scream his lungs out today. He’s been suspiciously behaved.”
The stupid blonde apparently couldn’t take the fucking hint, read his fucking body language, and leave him the fuck alone. 

“Is he yours?” The blonde almost seemed disappointed. What a judgmental religious fuck. 

“No, actually. He’s my godson but I’m raising him since all the rest of his family is dead.” Harry hated this fuckwad who wouldn’t mind his own goddamned business. 

“Oh. I’m sorry sir. That’s very unfortunate. I hope you know it's very kind of you to take him in.”
“Yeah I guess so. Thank you for your condolences, but I have to go.”

The blonde seemed to be hanging off Harry’s every word. What a weirdo. Maybe he just still felt really bad for ruining Harry’s shoes and Teddy’s demeanor. But anyways, Harry’s shoes were all clean and Teddy had quieted his screaming to small whimpers. It was time to never see this guy again. 

Harry didn’t spare him another glance as he wheeled the cart to the baby section of the store to get Teddy the supplies he needed. The whole time he was still pissy about the egg spectacle. 

Everyone around him was staring at him because Teddy was screaming and Harry hated it when people stared. It made him feel like his skin crawled. It was fourth and fifth year all over again. It was the press asking him about everything that hurt him most. People staring at him made him want to knock back ten whiskeys then disappear from existence, but he couldn’t because he had a child to raise and watch grow up.
As Harry browsed the car seats and various baby furniture items, he let himself have his first moment to wallow in self pity since he acquired a full time ward. 

Harry was so tired. Raising a child while being formerly suicidal was one of the hardest things Harry has ever done. He had no one to ask advice from: all his friends and family (even surrogate family) were either dead or blamed him for their relatives' deaths. The only soul in the world who loved him was an infant. A wonderful, perfect, beautiful infant but an infant all the same. 

It would be nice to have someone who understood the weight of the war, someone who understood the weight of wanting something, particularly death, so badly but being unable to have it due to responsibilities. He needed someone who understood what it was like to fail and cost people their lives. He needed someone to hold him and tell him it was gonna be alright. 

He found himself near tears, and that’s when he decided his little pity party was over. He had a godson to raise, and he had to raise him right. In order to raise him right he had to be fully present. 

I have a godson. I still have Teddy. 

Harry looked down at his sweet godson and smiled. Teddy smiled back. Harry’s heart melted. 

“Come on big guy,” Harry said, hefting Teddy into his arms. “Let's get you a car seat.”
Teddy cooed and snuggled into Harry’s chest. 

Maybe everything would be alright one day. 

Maybe.

Chapter Text

Jasper Whitlock Hale was not having a good day. 

First of all, he was hungry, and deer blood just wasn’t cutting it. But that was his life now. No more obligatory killing, no more culling disobedient newborns, no more of the one thing he craved most: blood. So, he did what he did best: brooded out on the back porch. 

Was the burn worth it? Of course. He hated his time with Maria. He hated the killing, and he hated the fighting. The incessant burn in the back of his throat was a small price to pay for his family and his freedom. 

All of the Cullen siblings were having a bad day. School started in four days and all that meant for them was the unending bore of information they had heard ten times over. Also hundreds of delicious smelling humans who also smelled horrible overtop the scent of their blood. 

It was not fun.

Jasper barely remembers his human high school aged years. All he remembers was skipping class that one fateful day to make the worst mistake of his life: joining the wrong side of history. He thought he had been doing something noble. Everyone told him that what he was fighting for was freedom, not oppression. 

Turns out they were liars.

Years later into his vampirism, he finally got bits and pieces of the whole story of the Civil War. He hadn’t been fighting for southerner’s freedom, he’d been fighting for African American southerner’s oppression. He wasn’t noble at all. He was an oppressor. 

He was extra viscous to the newborns the night he realized that. 

He had a sick desire to learn more about what he helped fight for. He studied eye witness accounts of slavery, he read memoirs, he stole away in hours of the night into libraries and freedmen's houses to gather information. What he learned would have made his human stomach turn. 

The brutality that was shown to these people astounded him. He vowed that he would never fight for slavery again. This was ironic because his lover ran one of the biggest slave operations in the south: the newborn army. 

It was poetic justice for him that in defending the south’s right to own slaves he soon found himself at the forefront of a brutal slave based regime. He couldn’t pretend he was doing the right thing anymore, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave the only thing he’d ever known.

In short, he hated himself. He hated what he stood for, what he fought for, what he killed for. He hated himself so thoroughly, and deep down he knew it was all deserved. 

He had done terrible things. How does someone come back from that?
The answer is that they don’t. They simply need to move on and try to do better.
That's what he thought of the burn at the back of his throat. It was his penance. It was his punishment. 

Thank whatever higher power existed that Alice found him when she did. He was ready to go to the Volturi and do something very, very stupid. The description of the life she saw for him was just enough to peak his curiosity.

Curiosity might have killed the cat, but it certainly saved the vampire. 

Pondering curiosity led him to ponder the curiosity he met (ran in to) at the grocery store a few days ago.
A scent like a gunshot, like gun powder, like metal, like lightning, like pure magic, like home. He’d never smelled such a thing in all of his 165 years. He couldn’t help walking towards it.
Seeing that scent’s owner was another experience entirely. He never saw such green eyes. He never saw someone look so beautiful and so tired at the same time. He never saw someone so perfect. 

Everything was glorious for one thousandth of a second until those stupid eggs fell all over the man. His mind yelled and screamed and clawed at him for annoying this man. He felt awful. The man also happened to have a child with him.
An ugly beast reared its head in his chest at the thought of this man having a child with anyone other than him. He tried to tamper it down into a friendly question, but from how the man responded  and how his emotions took a disdainful turn, he knew he let a little too much of that feeling leak into his voice. 

So now, the man thought he was a judgemental bigot.
No, not the man, Harry thought he was a judgemental bigot. 

Edward heard from Carlisle that there was a new man with his godson in town. Apparently he had taken Teddy in to the doctor for a cough yesterday, and Carlisle thought Teddy was so adorable he thought of him after work. Edward, being the homeboy that he is, told Jasper the name of the man that had been haunting his thoughts about groceries and stores and life in general for days. 

Edward’s reasoning was the fact that it got annoying hearing about “the man” this and “the man” that. He thought it would be much easier to listen to Jasper’s thoughts if he ascribed a name to Harry.

At least that’s what Edward said. He was just a gossip though. Nothing wrong with passing friendly information. Especially when it concerned a creature as beautiful as Harry. 

But Jasper was wary of using his name. It already tasted like honey in his head, he didn’t want to get used to the feeling. He could feel the loathing radiating off of the man from the second Harry realized Jasper was the reason for the egg catastrophe. 

He seemed to have an unusually strong reaction to the mistake, but who knew what kind of day he was having. Raising a child while still being a teenager (early twenties?) was bound to be stressful, so Jasper didn’t blame the man too much for his strong emotions. 

Jasper wondered if the man would be attending school. He sure hoped so. What if they had classes together? Maybe he could switch his classes around to have class with Harry. That sounded like a good idea, also not too creepy. Definitely not.
Harry was the only source of entertainment he had at school, he had to milk it for all it was worth.
It was along this line of thought that he received a text from Alice. 

Switch from AP US History into regular American history. I’ve heard the class is much more interesting ;)

Jasper loved his siblings. They were so delusion affirming. He immediately set to emailing his guidance counselor, and within the hour he was in regular American History. He couldn’t wait. 

Even in those brief egg filled moments, Harry felt like the answer to a question he’d been asking his whole life. He needed to befriend the man. He needed to erase the egg-shaped stain he had left on Harry’s life and make a wonderful second impression in History class. 

He also had to pretend not to know Harry’s name. That would be a dead giveaway that he, Jasper Hale Whitlock, liked to gossip. Was it true? Yes. Did he want Harry to know that it was true? No. 

He needed to play his cards right and get in the man’s good graces. Also the good graces of his godson.
To do that, he needed a plan. 

Step One: Make a good second impression. This meant that Jasper had to look friendly but not too friendly, interested in Harry but not too interested, and smart but not a know-it-all. 

It was like walking on a knife’s edge. 

Step Two: Establish a connection outside of class. This had to come in the form of a phone number, a study session, a lunch get together, or even a conversation outside of class. Jasper was a realist. He’d take what he could get. 

Step three: Establish an emotional connection. This was most likely going to be the hardest step, as it required both Harry and Jasper to actually like talking to one another. Jasper’s persistence couldn’t force something like this. 

On paper, (Jasper literally wrote it down) it didn’t seem too hard. Relationships were messy things though, even when one party wasn’t a vampire who was obsessed with the other party. 

And it wasn’t exactly an obsession- it was more of an intense desire to befriend someone. Definitely not an obsession.
Jasper barely even knew he liked men like that. Ever since Maria, he hadn’t felt attraction at all. Although, he has faint human memories of a childhood best friend he got a little too close with in hindsight. But that was just one time in a hayloft. It didn’t mean anything, did it?

Apparently it did because the idea of Harry in that hayloft had his emotions turning molten. Definitely not something to think about with Edward within mind reading distance, even though he was probably used to it.
“I never get used to that. Try hearing all of Carlisle’s thoughts about Esme and come talk to me later” 

Jasper must have been thinking too loud, but Edward’s interjection elicited a small chuckle.
“I definitely ain’t jealous of you, Ed.”

Jasper was jealous of Carlisle on the other hand, for getting to meet Harry under different circumstances, even if he was bound to be stressed out from how his godson was sick. 

It was only four more days. Jasper could wait.

He had to, in order to make a good impression.

He had to.

Until then, Jasper Whitlock Hale would not be having a good day.

Chapter Text

Everything was not alright. Teddy let out a pitiful wail. For the umpteenth time. It was four in the morning, five days before school was set to start. Well technically four, but it felt like five because Harry hadn’t gone to fucking bed yet.

 Neither had Teddy. That was the main problem. 

Teddy had a cold or a flu or something that definitely needed medical attention if it was keeping him this miserable for this long. Harry groaned and picked Teddy up to rock him from side to side, hoping to soothe the poor little guy. 

Maybe singing would help? He hadn’t tried that yet. Harry wasn’t in a great headspace himself, as he missed his friends, and he felt like throwing up due to all the noise. Singing would probably help. Singing always helped. 

You’re headed for heaven- the sweet old hereafter, 

And I’ve got one foot in the door, 

But before I can fly up, I’ve loose ends to tie up

Right here in the old therebefore

Harry started tearing up. Hermione once sang that song to him on their camping trip from hell. He was at the end of his rope and her sweet voice made everything ok again. Later he found out she got it from a muggle book series and that there was a recording of it on the internet.
He listened to it until his ears bled. 

I’ll be along when I’ve finished my song 

When I’ve shut down the band, when I’ve played out my hand

When I’ve paid all my debts, when I have no regrets

Right here in the old therebefore, 

Where nothing is left anymore

He sang it to himself whenever he was at the end of the line. Something about the lyrics of being headed for the grave but staying for a little while longer spoke to him. Like really, really spoke to him. 

He also had next to nothing left. He had one person left in his life who loved him, and that person was four months old. He sometimes felt like he had nothing. 

I’ll catch you up when I’ve emptied my cup 

When I’ve worn out my friends, when I’ve burned out both ends 

When I’ve cried all my tears, when I’ve conquered my fears

Right here in the old therebefore

Where nothing is left anymore 

His voice started cracking around the lump in his throat but he kept singing. He needed it as much as Teddy. Also, it seemed to be working. Teddy had stopped crying and was just whimpering softly every few words. Almost as if he could sense Harry’s pain. 

I’ll bring the news when I’ve danced off my shoes 

When my body’s closed down, when my boats run aground

When I’ve tallied the score and I’m flat on the floor 

Right here in the old therebefore 

When nothing is left anymore 

Teddy finally quit whimpering and was staring transfixed at Harry as he sang the last iteration of the verse. 

When I’m pure like a dove, when I’ve learned how to love

Right here in the old therebefore 

When nothing is left anymore 

Right as Harry started humming the tune one last time, Teddy let out a giant yawn and closed his eyes. After rocking and humming for a few more minutes, Harry risked putting Teddy down to sleep. The newborn kept his eyes shut and didn’t make a peep the rest of the night. 

The same could not be said for the morning. 

Bright and early (9 am) Teddy found his lungs again (or rather found his stuffy lungs again) and decided this just wasn’t right. His solution was to yet again scream about it, waking Harry from caramel colored dreams. 

After making an appointment with the local hospital and applying a glamor to mask Teddy’s metamorphagus abilities, Harry wrestled the wriggly little guy into his car seat and took off towards the hospital, speeding slightly. 

Just seven over. It wasn’t a big deal. 

What was a big deal, however, were the blue and red flashing lights behind Harry. 

Oh fuck. 

Harry’s stomach turned over, and sensing the deceleration of the car, Teddy decided to voice his disapproval. Loudly. 

The wait of shame was cut short by the middle aged cop walking up to Harry’s rolled down window.
“License and registration please,” said the officer. 

Harry grabbed his ID, the car’s registration, and his proof of insurance just to be extra safe. He handed them over to the officer who was doing his best to inconspicuously look into the back seat at the wailing baby. 

After a quick glance at his license, the officer said, “You must be that new kid who moved in that big plot of land. I’ve heard that your house is gorgeous, but what’s a young guy like you doing all on your own with a kid?” Stupid nosy cop. 

“Yes sir. My godson and I are from England and were given an inheritance that attracted the press. We wanted to get away from it all.” That was plausible enough, right?

“Godson? Where are his folks at in all of this? Surely they must not have approved of you taking their son across the world. And where are yours? You’re awfully young to be out on your own.”

Was this guy dense? Why else would a kid have custody of another kid?
“Uh no sir, both our parents passed away in a war.”

“Oh.” The policeman got very gruff all of a sudden. “Well I always said we should leave those countries alone. The price of oil ain't worth all that.”

This guy thought his parents died in Afghanistan? Harry appreciated the cultural literacy, but that was way off the mark. Not gonna correct him though. 

“I agree sir.” 

After another second of the police looking at him and his car, he said, “Alright kid I’m gonna go run your info. Stay right there.”
Like Harry would drive away without his ID 

After a few minutes, he came back and gave Harry his stuff back.

“I’m Charlie Swan, chief of police in Forks. Now since you were only going seven over and are new in town I’m gonna let you go. If you ever need any help or baby supplies you let me know. Or if anyone gives you any trouble. Small town gossip and the like. What's the kid's name? He’s got a real set of lungs on him, thats for sure.”

“Teddy, sir.”

Charlie frowned.

“He sounds congested. You should get that checked out.”

“Yes sir, I was actually on my way to an appointment with a Dr. Cullen.” 

“Oh Dr. Cullen? He’s a great doctor. Forks is lucky his wife wanted to live in a small town. He’s a great physician. Teddy will be in good hands.”
Well that was a relief at least. 

“Thank you, sir. I appreciate it. For everything.” 

“You’re welcome, Harry. Here’s my card if you ever have any trouble. Just call that number and I’m more than willing to help.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Chief Swan walked away with a muttered “Damn shame” under his breath that Harry definitely heard. Harry hated pity, but he appreciated Chief Swan’s concern. 

Crisis averted, Harry pulled back onto the road and kept driving toward the hospital. Luckily the motion of the car seemed to calm Teddy down again. 

After checking into his appointment, Harry waited in the sterile white room with Teddy while a nurse checked his weight and vitals. A furrow appeared between her eyebrows as she told Harry that Teddy’s heart rate was a bit high and he had a fever. Harry got really worried.
He was startled out of his anxious thoughts when a smoking hot doctor walked through the door introducing himself as Dr. Cullen. 

“Uhm hi uh, it's nice to meet you, sir. I’m Harry.”

“No need for that,” Dr. Cullen said with a smile, “Call me Carlisle.”

“Ok sir, uh Carlisle.”

Dr. Cullen smiled, as if he was often confronted by speechless patients (he definitely was.)

“So, what seems to be the problem with the little guy,” A glance at his folder, “Teddy?” 

Harry immediately forgot about how hot Carlisle was and started mother henning
“He didn’t sleep hardly at all last night and he’s been coughing and fussing and feels warm and the nurse said he has a fever and his nose has been running but he can’t blow it for himself so I just kind of wipe it and keep him sitting up and I think he has a flu or something and will he be ok?”

“I’m sure he’ll be fine, Harry. May I take a look at him?”

Harry reluctantly relinquished his death grip on his godson and allowed the doctor to look in his ears and nose and throat, check his heart rate, listen to his breathing, and take his temperature again. Teddy seemed to be on the verge of tears the whole time, and kept reaching out for Harry. 

It was going as well as it could be until Carlisle decided to swab Teddy’s throat for some sort of test, which warranted a loud scream followed by several coughs and wails.

“Oh it's alright little guy, we’re all done.” Dr. Cullen smiled down at Teddy. 

While the doctor had been examining Teddy, Harry had been examining the doctor, who bore a strange and uncanny resemblance to the man who egged Harry in the grocery store. Especially the eyes. Were topaz or caramel eyes a big thing in America or was it just the blonde weirdo and this guy? 

Dr. Cullen handed Teddy back, and the question erupted before Harry had the chance to stop it from passing his lips.
“Do you have any siblings around here?” Fuck that was a weird question. 

Carlisle looked up and smiled. “No siblings, I’m an only child, but I do have five adopted children, a few of which sort of look like me.”

“Woah that's a lot of kids. How do you do it?” Harry made a pointed glance down towards where Teddy was still weeping in his arms. 

“They're all in their late teens. No sick babies to deal with.” Carlisle had a glint in his eye. 

“Oh. Well then I think I met one of them the other day. He had the same eye color as you so I thought you might be related somehow.”

“Ah yes.” Carlisle laughed. “Did this meeting perchance involve eggs?”

“That was your son?! Yes, it did involve eggs. I’m afraid I was quite rude. I was very thrown off though.”

“Yes, Jasper did say that you seemed very uncomfortable and that your attitude was most likely born out of embarrassment rather than a lack of character.” 

Jasper. The name felt so right in Harry’s head. He wanted to wrap his lips around the syllables and taste them. What the fuck, Harry? 

Harry had never had thoughts like that for anyone's name before. Much less someone who spilled eggs on him. Harry realized that Dr. Cullen was still waiting for a response. 

“Oh. Well I am sorry. And I appreciate the benefit of the doubt. I hate when people stare at me though.” 

“I understand. If it's any consolation I know that Jasper didn’t take it personally. Although his siblings did laugh at him the entire night for it.” 

Good. He deserved it.

“That's funny. At least I wasn’t the only one who got embarrassed.” 

Teddy decided that moment was perfect for a coughing fit, followed by lots of spit and crying.

Dr. Cullen looked down at Teddy after grabbing the test swab in a little jar. “Well, his strep test came back positive so I'll write him a prescription for antibiotics, and he should be feeling better twenty-four hours after his first dose. Just in time for the first day of school?”

“Thank you, sir, but how did you know that he’ll be attending school with me?” Did creep run in the family? Adopted family? Caramel eye color genes?

“Small town gossip,” he said with half a smile. 

“Oh. Of course. I forgot.”

“Don’t worry, it will die down soon. Both Teddy’s cold and the gossip. Everyone will know all about you by the end of the first week.”

“I sure hope not.” Harry laughed, playing his comment off as a joke.

He wasn’t joking.