only the truth.

Mr. Potter was something called an Auror for a society called the Ministry of Magic. He was a slightly muscular man with dark hair that hung over his green eyes, although if you looked close enough you could see a small lightning-shaped scar peeking out on his forehead. Mrs. Potter was thin and red-haired; her neighbors all knew her as a star in the sport of something called Quidditch. The Potters had three children; James, Albus, and Lily, and in their opinion, like any parents’, there were no finer children out there. However, unlike most parents, they had another addition to the household from time to time: Harry’s godson, Edward Remus Lupin.

Many were aware of why Teddy Lupin had been placed under the care of his grandmother and godfather, a story that Andromeda and Harry had to tell the boy under his starry night sheets and a comforting hand running through the boy’s sandy curls. A story of the body of a professor with an enthusiasm for chocolate and a hairy little problem curled around a woman with a young spirit and ever changing hair colors, entangled in an eternal embrace that none could release either from. When Edward had been young, he’d heard several variations of the story-- ones where the Wolf and Little Red decided to live happily ever after or where the Prince and Princess would never be bothered by anyone else ever again. But as he grew older, he was able to recognize that his parents had not lived the happy ending that the Potters had painted to help him sleep at night. He’d learn that those stones in the ground that the family visited every year, as well as countless others, were not in fact someone’s rock collection but rather a harrowing ground full of people torn from their lives before they could truly recognize what to live for. He liked to believe that he resigned himself to the fact that his parents were dead rather early in his life.

Was resignation ever truly acceptance?

A quick stretch, rolling his shoulders back in preparation for the jump before him. Preparation for a new year at Hogwarts was proving to be quite a bitch-- his hair slipping into a deep read in frustration. Not to mention that this would be his last year at Hogwarts, N.E.W.T.S. and all. To say that Teddy was nervous was an understatement, his stomach swirled with teenage nerves but excitement all the same. He’d hardly needed to knock on Harry’s door before his godfather pointed him in the direction of the attic where a certain invisibility cloak laid ( he liked the privacy it allowed him when he was feeling particularly introverted ) . The same as the previous six years, the attic laid above him and while he was of average height, it had always seemed to tease him-- guaranteeing a chance that he might fall through the roof of the possible embarrassment of tripping over the countless boxes that laid within. From what he’d heard, his mother had been quite clumsy as well so luckily he could always chalk it up to genetics.

After a few tries and several darting glances to make sure none of his ‘adoptive siblings’ had seen, his finger finally caught on the attic before pulling the latch down, the rickety stairs immediately following its descent. So far so good. Taking extra notice of the rotting wood steps, Teddy slowly climbed up into the attic ( which he now decided should be named the Wooden Death Trap ). And somehow just as he had gotten comfortable and confident that he would probably leave this trip up with high levels of success, his head slammed against the narrow wood of the roof, causing the boy to let out curses that would make even Ginny raise a brow. He palmed gently at his head to ensure there wasn’t any serious injury aside from his battered pride and gladly found only that his hair had turned green-- a little habit he’d never really gotten a handle over where his Metamorphmagus genes would react whenever he experienced strong emotions.

By this point, Teddy just wanted to go in, grab the Invisibility Cloak wherever his godfather had left it, and get out. Attic: 1. Teddy Lupin: 0. And he wasn’t quite ashamed of his defeat. After rummaging through box after box, he ran his fingers through his settling yet sweaty hair, the annoyance of green slowly fading until it would turn back to his natural sandy brown. After looking through Albus’s old baby photos ( which he’d gladly hold over the boy’s head later ) and several old tapes labeled with ‘Harry & Ginny ;)’ ( that he didn’t want to find out the contents of in a million years ) , he finally stumbled upon a large packing case. It was a dusty old thing likely having never seen the light of day for countless years. Brushing back some of the dust, Teddy hardly made out the words ‘Professor R.J. Lupin.’

Now, let it be known that Teddy had always dreamed of this moment, wondering when his grandmother or godfather would approach him with some sort of great item that belonged to either of his parents but to much of his knowledge, there were no such things. So after discovering such an item-- one allowed to collect dust in his godfather’s attic-- hardly any time was wasted at all, his fingers clawing at the locks and openings until a dust cloud was blown into his face before settling.

The case as a whole was scuffed and a mess--he could only assume that his father had brought it on many a journey with him. What laid inside was quite alike to the outside, although Remus Lupin always had a knack for messy organization. Various clothes within, after all of this time, had lost whatever smell might have lingered. Books on things like wolfsbane and childcare made Teddy smile sadly. Harry had told him that his father had struggled with the idea of having a child for quite some time-- the idea of possibly passing on his furry little problem to any potential offspring had been of prime concern. The boy tore through the case, wanting to look at anything and everything within as if there would be some sort of secret way to bring his parents back inside.

His fingers barely brushed a slip of paper within before clasping it in his fingers. A photograph, undoubtedly taken a little before the Battle of Hogwarts-- Remus Lupin looked tired but joy clear on his face as he clasped a woman’s hand. That woman being his mother, Nymphadora Tonks was grinning from head to toe. They looked happy. The way they looked at each other was like there was some sort of secret between them that only they knew. A look like that would undoubtedly make others wonder what exactly that secret was. Teddy wanted to know what that secret was.

His fingers brushed lightly over his parents’ faces, the glistening of the photograph reflecting his appearance back at him. Blue. Not even a bright blue or a cerulean but a bluish gray for the dreariness and loss of hopes he was experiencing all at once. Scraping the back of his hand across his eyes, Teddy stifled a sniffle. He hated this. He hated all of this. He knew it was stupid as he had so many people around him, surrounding and supporting him. But it would never be the same as having the parents that he heard countless stories about. Stories were pleasant and nice but ultimately, they were just stories. Nothing more than a fairy tale.

Pushing the case away, Teddy tucked the photograph into the pocket of his pants before shuffling away to find what he’d come for. After a few more minutes of looking ( give or take ten minutes of trying to put himself back together ) , he finally climbed down the stairs with the Invisibility Cloak firm in hand.

“You find it okay, Teddy?” the sound of his godfather’s voice startled the boy out of his thoughts. He barely managed a nod before brushing past him, his hand curling into a fist around the fabric. “Everything okay?”

“Fine.”

He should think this through. Decisions made on a whim like this never ended up well. But all he could think about were the happy looks on his parents’ faces-- the secret between them.