Fifteen Years Later

Teddy Lupin raced into his bedroom and slammed the door behind him. Grinning, he braced it with his back as his brothers and sisters tried in vain to break in.

"Aww, c'mon, Teddy," wheedled Dora, the youngest. "We wanna play."
"With you lot? Wouldn't dream of it," he answered, his voice superior despite a mischievous smile. "All that red hair might rub off on me..." Dora giggled furiously. This was a familiar game, and she was certain Teddy would let them in soon, but not before changing his appearance and pretending to be somebody else to surprise them. He might even let them have a go on his broomstick if they begged him. So she and her siblings remained outside his door, gasping for breath and trying to force it open.

But a voice from the bottom of the stairs ended the seige. "All right, now, leave Teddy alone," it said. "He's been playing with you all morning. Let him have some time to himself!"
"Please, Mum?" This was from little Fred, the next youngest. "He said I could Keep for him this afternoon."
"Later," their mother answered sternly. "Go outside and play. And if you see any gnomes, you know what to do."

Grumbling, the younger children trooped downstairs and out into the garden. Teddy left off barricading the door and closed his eyes, embracing the silence. As fond as he was of his younger siblings, they could be rather over-exuberant, and he appreciated having some time alone. Actually, he reminded himself, they were really his adopted family. His parents had been killed in the famous Battle of Hogwarts fifteen years ago, back in the dark days when wizardkind had been afraid even to say Voldemort's name. That reminded him...

He went over to his bookcase, searching for a particular volume. His eyes found a large, leather-bound book and he retrieved it, enjoying the sense of comfort that it always brought. Teddy sat cross-legged on the bed, with the tome open across his knees. It was a most peculiar book: inside the covers, instead of pages, was a hollow hiding-space. It was the home of Teddy's most prized possession: his collection of Famous Wizard Cards. Trying not to think of what his Aunt Hermione would think of this use for a book, he lovingly exacted his cards from the cavity. This was a common ritual, because in these cards were the records of the last fight against Lord Voldemort. Teddy always looked at his cards in secret, because sixteen was far too old to collect Wizard Cards, and he did not think that even being the godson of the famous Harry Potter would exempt him from teasing at Hogwarts if he was found out.

Teddy had nearly every wizard card ever printed, including the one of Winston Churchill published by mistake, but he prized the ones of the resistance against Voldemort above all. And there they were, right at the top of the pile: his parents.

Nymphadora "Tonks" Lupin, Order of the Phoenix, Auror said one, and Remus Lupin, Order of the Phoenix said the other. And his parents waved at him from their cards, and he read the descriptions of their adventures, including their posthumous Orders of Merlin. Not for the first time did he wish he could have shared in those adventures. He shook his head. They had died doing what was right, as his godparents always said, and he was proud of them. He knew it wasn't that they had not wanted him.

A blonde figure stared vaguely up at him from the next card, which read Luna Longbottom (née Lovegood), naturalist. Luna Longbottom is famous for her role in the famous Dumbledore's Army and the Battle of Hogwarts, as well as for being the first person to capture a live Crumple-Horned Snorkack. She unintentionally instigated a vegetable-themed jewellery fad and the subsequent Rhubarb Riots in Diagon Alley when she wore radish earrings to her wedding. She lives in Hogsmeade with her husband, Professor Neville Longbottom. Mrs Longbottom enjoys collecting antique Butterbeer corks and is a contributing editor for the Quibbler.

The photo on following card was blank, but Teddy knew he would return. They always did. Neville Longbottom, it said, current Professor of Herbology at Hogwarts. Order of Merlin, Second Class. Professor Longbottom achieved fame for his role in the resistance to the Death Eaters' regime at Hogwarts as well as his earlier membership in Dumbledore's Army. He remarkably pulled the Sword of Gryffindor from the Hogwarts Sorting Hat and killed a Horcrux of Lord Voldemort, enabling Voldemort's defeat. He is also known among Herbologists as the one who accidentally discovered that mimbulus mimbletonia sap cures ingrown toenails. He divides his time between Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, where he lives with his wife, Luna. Teddy knew Professor Longbottom well; besides being a teacher at Hogwarts, he was a frequent guest at the Potters' house. That hadn't helped him in his Herbology OWL, though, Teddy reflected ruefully. He had known he was going to fail that one when a Venemous Tentacula had decided to eat his shoes.

Two identical redheads winked at him in union from a card reading Fred and George Weasley, Dumbledore's Army and joke-shop proprietors. Teddy's godmother often told him how it had been her brother George's idea to share a Wizard Card with his twin. They had been very close, she said, and now they would always be together in one sense. Teddy read about their Hogwarts pranks, their famous joke shop which he visited every year before school, Fred's death at Hogwarts, and George's vow to continue Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes in memory of his brother. Teddy had adored him ever since Uncle George had given him a trick wand for his second birthday, but he wished that he had known Fred too.

The next card was familiar, too. A young woman with bushy brown hair smiled and waved. It was obviously Hermione Weasley (née Granger), Dumebldore's Army and Department of Magical Unity. Hermione Weasley, the biography continued, is primarily known for her role in aiding Harry Potter in his fight against Lord Voldemort. She was also, however, almost single-handedly responsible for reforming the Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures (now the Department of Magical Unity) , and is frequently called on to arbitrate in inter-species disputes. She lives in Godric's Hollow with her husband Ronald Weasley, their two children, and their cat.

His Uncle Ron's card was here too, with details of his fight against Voldemort and his subsequent career in the Ministry. Teddy reflected, again, that Ron and Hermione weren't his real family. They were his godparents' family, after all, but Teddy's own family was dead. This was an uncomfortable thought, so he turned to the next Famous Wizard Card.

Harry Potter, The Boy Who Lived. Order of Merlin, First Class. Nearly legendary for his numerous defeats of Lord Voldemort, Harry Potter is currently Head of the Auror Office. He is rumoured to have refused the post of Minister of Magic at least seven times since leaving Hogwarts. He is the only person ever to have survived the Killing Curse -- twice -- and to be an unintentional Horcrux. He lives in Godric's Hollow with his wife Ginevra, their children, and their godson. He enjoys Quidditch, wizard chess, and saving the world.

"Teddy?" There was a knock at the door, and the real Harry Potter entered. Teddy made to hide the cards, but his godfather had seen. "Oh, wizard cards -- d'you mind? I used to love them." Teddy shook his head and mutely handed them over. Harry perused the pile, smiling as he recognised his friends and pausing slightly when he reached Fred Weasley and the Lupins. "These are great! I thought you got rid of them ages ago. Where have you been hiding them? No, don't tell me. I'd rather not know." His godfather winked at him, and Teddy realized he wasn't the only one who had grown up with someone else's family and had to hide the things he cared about. Harry would understand if he asked the question that had been bothering him for as long as he could remember.

"Um--Harry?" Harry raised his eyebrows and waited. "This might sound stupid, but...do you...d'you mind me living here?"
"What?” His godfather gaped at him. Teddy was taken aback; he had thought that nothing ever surprised Harry Potter. “Mind you living here? We adopted you, Teddy! You're family. I agreed to be your godfather almost as soon as you were born, and even though I hoped it would never need to happen, that meant that I would be glad to have you here if anything happened to your parents." He looked at the teenager's skeptical face. "I wish as much as anyone that Tonks and Remus were still alive, but honestly, Teddy, having you around is the next best thing. I know you must miss them" -- his voice was strangely constricted for an instant-- "but try to deal with us, okay?"

Teddy found his body releasing tension. He hadn’t realized how much anxiety he had been carrying until it had been relieved. "Well," he said slowly, "I suppose it could be worse. I could be living in a cupboard under the stairs." They both chuckled. It was a favourite story among wizarding children, how Harry Potter had spent years in a cupboard, only to emerge as one of the greatest wizards of the age.

Harry clapped a hand on his godson's shoulder. "Come on. Family Quidditch match. Fred's been hinting for days that he wants to learn to Keep, and I've run out of excuses. Besides, if you don't practise you'll get chucked off the team and I'll never hear the end of it. Your parents would never forgive me, for one thing, and I could do without their vengeful ghosts after me."

Teddy laughed and followed him out into the July sunshine.