#tharry

Hermione smiled at the scene. “Thank you, I’m glad I could help. I know how much this means to them – to Harry especially.” When Harry had adopted his godson as his son he swore that Teddy would never lack the love of a parent the way Harry had growing up – and that the boy got to do all the things Harry had always been excluded from: vacations, trips to the zoo and the amusement park and trick-or-treating.

The two women shared a knowing look as Harry came up to them. “Alright, we’re ready to go. Thank you both for your help.” He gave them both a kiss on the cheek and held Teddy up to do the same. “I’ll try to be back to help with the Samhain preparations,” he said, but Andromeda waved him off.

“Don’t you worry about that. You boys go and have fun. We women can handle ourselves here,” she said decidedly, and Harry couldn’t exactly argue with that given the two very capable women in front of him.

“Alright, hold on tight Teddy. Let’s go get some candy.” With those words he apparated them to a muggle neighbourhood near where Hermione’s parents lived. They arrived in a small, empty alley with a near silent ‘pop’. Harry set Teddy down and crouched down to be eye to eye with his little wolf.

“Okay cub, listen. We’re in the Muggle world now so try not to change your hair colour, alright? But if it does happen, don’t panic you won’t be in trouble. If someone sees it, I’ll find an explanation.” Colour-changing hair dye had become Harry’s most common explanation over the years especially when visiting Muggle playgrounds.

Teddy nodded solemnly causing Harry to smile slightly at the seriousness on his young and temporarily furry face. “Very good. Now come on, there’s candy waiting with our names on it,” he said and instantly the serious look was replaced by a bright smile. They left the alley onto a moderately sized residential street on which most houses had at least a pumpkin if not more decorations in their front yard.

Although it was just gone five o’clock, the evening was getting darker already and quite a lot of children and their chaperones seemed to be about. As usual Hermione was right about the neighbourhood being a good place for Teddy’s first trick-or-treat adventure. The young boy looked around in amazement before insistently tugging Harry to the nearest house.

Harry didn’t need to encourage Teddy as he knocked on the door without any trepidation. Ah, to be a child again. “Trick or treat!”, he basically shouted holding out his little bag as a friendly looking, middle aged woman opened the door. Harry shared an amused look with her over his son’s head.

She leaned down to be closer at eye level with Teddy. “Oh, I don’t want to imagine what tricks a clever, little wolf like you might have up his sleeves. It’s a good thing that I have prepared some treats as a precaution, isn’t it?”, she said with a wink. She took a handful of bonbons from a bowl that was placed on a side table next to the door and placed them into the bag Teddy was holding out.

“Thank you,” Teddy said brightly clutching the bag to his chest. “You’re welcome, little wolf,” the woman smiled and with a glance at Harry stage-whispered in a conspiratorial tone, “I better give your Daddy some treats as well, don’t you think? After all I don’t want my house to be haunted.” Teddy giggled and nodded as the woman handed Harry a few bonbons as well. They both thanked her again and then went on to the next house.

And on it went. At most houses Teddy received some form of sweet, either bonbons, lollies or – to his absolute delight – chocolate. Teddy Lupin was definitely his father’s son. A few times Harry got some candy as well. They both also received many compliments on their costumes which made Teddy very happy and that was all Harry wanted for his adopted son.

Soon it was completely dark and the time neared when they had to get back home. “A few more houses, Teddy-bear and then we’ll go home,” he told the little wolf who was a bit disappointed but determined to make the most out of the last houses they visited.

They approached a small, cottage style house next and Teddy knocked on the door. It opened and Harry found himself face-to-face with someone he hadn’t seen in six years. “Nott?”, he blurted out surprised and caught off guard. To be fair, Theodore Nott didn’t seem to be doing much better staring at Harry in bewilderment.

“Potter?”, he questioned his gaze travelling from Harry to Teddy and back. Teddy, who was quite used to Harry being recognised on the street, held out his bag which by now was almost completely full. “Trick or treat,” he said unperturbed, drawing Nott’s attention. The former Slytherin crouched down with a friendly smile and Harry realised with a pang that he had never seen such an open expression on Nott’s face before. “And who might you be?”, he asked.

“I’m the big, bad wolf,” Teddy answered, and Nott threw his head back and laughed out loud. Harry gulped at the sight and decided not to look at the feelings it evoked while in the company of his son. “I can see that”, Nott said once he stopped laughing, “and who are you when you are not the big, bad wolf?”

Teddy looked to Harry for permission which he gave with a slight nod and a smile. “Teddy Lupin-Potter, pleased to meet you,” the six year old answered, sticking out his hand which Nott shook without hesitation.

“Pleased to meet you as well, Teddy. I’m Theo and I went to school with your dad,” he introduced as he stood back up. Only now Harry noticed how much his once lanky frame had filled out over the years they hadn’t seen each other. “At Hogwarts?”, Teddy asked by which he subtly asked if Nott was indeed magical. Harry was so proud of him.

“Yes, we went to Hogwarts together. Nott was a Slytherin in my year,” Harry answered this time, and Nott’s bright blue eyes moved to look at him intently. Harry smiled slightly to show that he harboured no ill will towards him for the green and silver he used to wear.

“You were a Slytherin, really?”, Teddy asked excitedly to which he received a nod, and it was like a dam of questions broke. “Is it true that your common room is under the lake? That’s so cool! Can you see the Giant Squid from there? Does it get wet there a lot?”, he asked with barely a breath between sentences.

Nott laughed again and Harry put a hand on Teddy’s shoulder to calm him down. “Easy, cub. I’m sure Nott is sworn to secrecy the same way Uncle Draco is,” he said, and Teddy’s shoulders slumped slightly at losing another potential source of information about Hogwarts.

Nott looked at Harry in amusement. “Please, call me Theo,” he said before turning back to Teddy. “That might be true, but if you can prove to be an up and coming Slytherin I might be able to make an exception,” he continued, and Teddy’s eyes began to shine in excitement.

“You do know that Fred and George are his uncles, right?,” he drawled sarcastically before adding, “and call me Harry.” No- Theo smiled slightly and inclined his head. “How those two didn’t end up in Slytherin, I will never know,” he said and sometimes Harry had to agree. The twins could be resourceful and sneaky to the extreme.

“So, Harry,” Harry determinedly suppressed a shiver at how his name rolled off Theo’s tongue, “how did you come by this little fellow?”, he asked with a gesture to Teddy. Harry sighed lightly stroking his son’s hair in an absentminded way.

“I think that is a story for another time,” Harry replied as he saw Teddy suppressing a yawn. He looked at Theo and made a split second decision. “Why don’t you come by my place tonight? We’re having a Samhain celebration and I’m sure you’ll see some familiar faces,” he suggested. “We can talk about what happened since Hogwarts and maybe I’ll get to know how you ended up living in the middle of Muggle London.”

It was silent for long enough that Harry thought he had been too presumptuous, but then Theo broke out in another smile. “I’d like that,” he said, and Harry had to smile as well. He quickly wrote down the address and ward password on a piece of paper Theo gave him.

They said goodbye until later and after receiving another handful of candies, Harry and Teddy returned to the apparation point. “Are you alright, Teddy-bear?”, he asked his son who was unusually quiet especially for the amount of sugar he had consumed.

“Is Theo going to be your boyfriend?”, he asked suddenly causing Harry to sputter in surprise. He was used to his son being blunt, but he had never really asked about Harry’s relationships, so the question caught him off guard.

“I don’t know, cub. Why are you asking?”, he deflected while trying to come up with a better answer that wouldn’t embarrass him once Teddy told Theo which he undoubtedly planned to do.

“You like him,” Teddy said almost accusatory, “and he likes you too. You should be boyfriends.” It was said in such a matter of fact tone that Harry had to suppress a bout of laughter. But Teddy’s words made him think, did Theo really like him? Harry shook his head internally, that wasn’t the point right now.

“It’s not that easy, cub,” he said while trying to come up with a way to explain that there was more to a relationship than two people just liking each other to a six year old.

Teddy just stared at him in an unimpressed way that was very much like his grandmother. “You should change that,” he finally said causing Harry to really start laughing this time. To be a child again and see the world so simply.

but theodore nott seems scared, and warded, and he keeps eyeing harry's wand like he's sure he's going to be stupefied sooner than later, or something worse; and harry can see his eyes moving fast, like he's trying to think about what to do next and his options, before harry moves first.

harry doesn't know much about theodore nott, all he knows it's that his father is one of the earliest supporters of lord voldemort, and that makes him an automatic enemy in harry's eyes. hermione talked about him a few times, because they are together in her arithmancy elective, but nothing but being a quiet and fidgety, 'even if brilliant, surprisingly', was said about him by her.

even though, harry doesn't give a single fuck. fidgety or quiet or brilliantly smart, nott is still a slytherin, and harry is fixed on this idea of: act first, ask later. there's no another option in front of members of the snake house. if nott had his wand still, he would have been probably been stupefied already, or worse, harry snarls in anger as he imagines himself twisting on the floor suffering the jolts of pain of a cruciatus curse.

so he tightens his wand in his hand and theodore nott pales, his breath hitching in his throat, and the thought that this is not the first time nott seems to be threatened by a wand pointing at him, makes harry curious, if only for a second.

“p-please wait.” nott pleads, and his voice is nothing like harry has imagined. it's soft, and controlled, and if it wasn't so strained by fear and panic it would had have a melodic quality to it, pleasant to the ear. “just listen to me.” his lips are chopped and dry, and his tongue flattens against his lower lip, which is slightly shivering.

a snort passes by harry's nose, as if nott's words have been hilarious to listen to, and he can see how the other takes a step back, his shoulders growing with tension. “why would i, nott.”

“i-i have information valuable to use...” he looks around, and he looks truly scared, more than before, as he takes the step forward he undid before, and now harry is genuinely interested, even if wary. “t-things you might want to know.” he's whispering, as the walls and the floors has eyes and ears, and for the first time, it crosses harry's mind that this might be dangerous for nott, reckless. stupid.

but it's not enough, because his mind jumps right after it about an ambush. nott and malfoy are friends, harry is bloody sure. and he's not about to trust any of them. not parkinson and her quirky remarks, or zabini and his superiority airs, and definitely not malfoy, up to something, sneaky and bloody annoying malfoy.

all of them could be waiting somewhere, sending nott first because he's the most harmless, the one harry won't react heavily against at first, and waiting for him to get distracted to attack him, bring him to voldemort, kill him.

so his wand tightens in his hand once again, and points at nott more directly. “why would i.” he repeats, his eyes pure fire as he stares at nott, and this deep, primal, instinct takes all over him. it's quite a terrible thought when he thinks about it, but at the same time, it's for the greater good. a swift movement of his wand would mean the disappearance of a potential death eater, someone that might threaten or try to kill his friends later on. someone no one is going to miss.

so harry doesn't know why he's being so patient, and nott seems to be noticing that too.

“i don't negotiate with death eaters.” he finally says, and it feels like he's spitting on nott's face, who seems, somehow, hurt by his words. “you have taken the mark have you, like malfoy's did. and all of your bloody friends.” it's all musings in harry's eyes, and ron and hermione are tired of telling him he's being paranoid, but harry is sure, as sure as the sun goes up every day that malfoy is now a baby death eater strolling around the corridors of hogwarts.

but nott's reaction is the last thing harry has expected to hear, or see. he starts laughing, his eyes curving upwards and a dimple so deep into his right cheek harry is completely fixated looking at, he's laughing but he sounds so bitter, so done with his circumstances, and so hurt too, harry can feel the feelings like warm waves hitting against his chest.

his laugh doesn't last more than a few seconds, and when he looks up, he looks much older than the teenager boy he, they, is supposed to be, like he has lived a lifetime during his youth, like he's holding more than he can handle on top of his shoulders, and he's slowly crushing under it.

“believe it or not, not all of us wants to take a part of voldermort's plan, or his stupid bloody war. some of us just want to live in peace.” nott continues, and harry just stares at him, not sure about what he's listening to. he has never, ever, expected that one day he would have the son of probably the first and oldest voldemort supporter denying blatantly his own father's desires like that, he's completely stunned, and he just keeps looking at him, unaware his wand is slowly coming down, until his arm is resting next to his body.

all the schemes in harry's head are coming undone, all of them, melting like snow. from all people, he always has imagined that nott would be a rabid supporter and follower of both his father and lord voldemort. the mere idea of a member of the slytherin house not following that path was just... completely out of his mind, not even a possibility.

nott takes his silence as disbelief, and with a deep sigh, he undoes his robes and his shirt cuff until he can show harry an expanse of pale skin, untouched, where the dark mark should have been. he simply stares as harry patiently inspections his arm, and then nott tugs hastily his clothes with warm cheeks, until his forearm is covered again. “will you listen to me now?”

and harry thinks this is still stupid, and dangerous, and  that malfoy, and zabini, and parkinson, and crabbe, and goyle; they all could appear from the shadows at any second and everything would be over, but a side of him, the one fixated in the deepness of theodore nott's dimple and the paleness of his skin wants him to believe.

so he gives curtly nod, and his arms cross over his chest, his wand still in his hand, his eyes piercing through nott's ones.