Never Alone

Disclaimer: Look at the previous chapter.

Chapter 3

Several years later...

"Mum, can't I - ?"

Ginny sighed, not even looking at her daughter and not waiting for her to finish the phrase - there was no need of that. "No, Lily, you can't go. You're too young."

"But I wanna!"

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to wait."

"I want to go to Hogwarts! Why is it that James can go and I can't?"

"Because James is eleven and you aren't, Lily," Harry said.

Lily pouted and turned her back to her parents, accidentally hitting Jinxie's cage. The owl started hooting indignantly and attracted the attention of the Muggle commuters, who started looking at the family. Harry reached out just in time to catch a hold of his daughter, before she could disappear into the crowd.

"Why should they be so difficult?" Ginny said exasperatedly.

"It's their job, dear." Molly smiled patiently.

"How did you manage to send us all to Hogwarts without going mad?"

Molly shrugged. "It isn't this bad, Ginny."

The owl was hooting, Lily was wailing, Albus could hardly hide his envy because of his brother's leaving, and James looked like he wanted to run away from all of them; it was that bad. Fortunately, they had almost reached the barrier. James was the first one to run against it and Harry barely had time to stand up behind him to conceal his disappearance into the wall from the eyes of the Muggles. Lily winced, looking a little afraid, but her father led her through the barrier safely.

"Finally!" Ginny sighed with relief, when they were all on the platform 9 ¾. "I thought we would never make it."

"Here you are!" George exclaimed, appearing from the mist that was surrounding the station. "We were thinking that James would miss the train."

"Where is he?" Ginny asked and looked around.

"He's okay, Gin. He's with Fred."

That statement did little to calm Ginny's nerves and judging by her mother's look, Molly felt the same way.

"What?" George asked. "They are safe."

Molly sighed. "It's not them we're worried about, it's the platform!"

George shuddered, but it could pass as a shudder from cold. Harry gave him a sidelong look: he would be surprised if his brother in-law had not given the two first-years a good supply of his products - without Elly knowing, of course. If there was someone who could raze the gifted wizard George Weasley to the ground, it was the Muggle Elly Weasley.

"Mum! Dad!"

James had appeared again, accompanied by his cousin. Since they were the same age and had the same Weasley hair, they could pass for brothers. Right now, they looked flushed and very pleased with themselves, which immediately raised the suspicion of their grandmother, let alone Ginny.

"Where have you been?" Molly asked sternly, and they grinned innocently.

"We were just looking around, Grandma."

"Need help with those?" Victoire asked, emerging from the mist and tightening her shawl tighter - it was really cold.

Both boys shook their heads and spread protective arms over their trunks - they might not be able to entrain their luggage, but they did not need help from a girl, a Prefect, or their cousin, and Vickie was all those things.

"Fine," she said, and smiled at the others. "See you at Christmas, Uncle George, Uncle Harry, Aunt Ginny!" The last name came out somewhat muffled because her grandmother had pulled her into a fierce hug. "Oi! Grandma! You're smothering me!"

"Have a nice term, Vickie," Molly said.

"Bye, Grandma!"

Victoire took a deep breath, making sure that all her ribs were intact, and went on her Prefect duties.

"Need help with those?" a familiar voice came and in front of them stood someone who could only be Teddy.

But how did he look like! He had sprouted fur all over his face, and probably all over his body, because his coat looked too close-fitting. It was probably a good way to keep himself warm, because, while the others were winding their coats and shawls tightly, Teddy had unbuttoned his coat and wore no hat, his golden Head Boy badge in a striking contrast with his blue fur.

Lily forgot that she was angry with her parents and goggled; Harry and George burst out laughing; Ginny and Molly tried to be firm in their disapproval, but they hardly could fight the smiles that kept creeping on their faces despite their best efforts.

"Yes, Teddy! Yes!" James and Fred yelled at the same time, and Ron, who had joined the others, groaned.

"Can these kids ever talk normally?" he wanted to know.

"You've been shouting the same way until you turned fifteen," his mother reminded him.

Ginny paid no attention to him. "Why didn't you want to accept Victoire's help, but it's okay with Teddy's?" she asked her son and her nephew.

"She's a girl," James answered and both boys rolled their eyes at her ignorance, while Teddy was heaving their trunks onto the train. "You wouldn't understand."

In no time, the whole Weasley family, plus Teddy's grandmother, Andromeda Tonks, gathered onto the platform. There was laughter at Teddy's fur, nostalgic remembrances about their own years at Hogwarts, and a big deal of sulking from the younger children, who were not old enough to leave. Lily even clung to James and he had to push her aside quite roughly. She cocked her nose up and refused to talk to him anymore, much to her brother's relief; unfortunately, when the train started moving, she began running after it with tears pouring over her cheeks. James waved at her but that only seemed to make her cry harder. Feeling quite helpless, he looked around for Fred, who seemed just as confused as him, and Teddy, who made the fur on his face disappear and replaced his face with a clown's one - red cheeks and everything. It was one of their traditions, and Lily knew what was expected of her and laughed, although she was still crying. The younger kids burst out laughing.

"I'll never know why the whole family should come here every year," Fred said.

"They come only when we have a new Hogwartian, Fred," Teddy reminded him, and the red-head rolled his eyes.

"That's what I said, every year!"

"I have to go," Teddy said. "Duties, you know. You'll find a nice compartment, right?"

"Of course we will!" James sounded offended. "What do you take us for? Don't you know us?"

"I do know you - too well. Don't try any funny business while you're on the train, otherwise I'll have to take measures."

After this clear warning, Teddy left the younger boys alone.

"You're no fun!" James cried after him.

"Do you think there's a chance that he will give us out Dungbombs back?" Fred asked, referring to the magical objects that Teddy had caught them throwing in the corridor, when the three of them had been entraining the first-years' trunks.

James shook his head, disgusted. "No," he answered darkly, "I think we should consider ourselves lucky, because he didn't give them to my mum or - or Grandma."

Both boys fell silent, considering this horrible prospect. Finally, James sighed. "And this coming from the boy who had caused school owls flying to his Grandma's house every other day. One of them found her at our place and was clearly familiar with her - Mrs Tonks said that she'd seen it at least four times."

"Maybe he is ill," Fred supposed hopefully, "and when he gets better, he'll be our good ol' Teddy again."

"Forget about good ol' Teddy," James advised his cousin grimly. "He isn't ill, he's a Head Boy. As it comes, I won't be surprised if Vickie makes a Head Girl next year."

Fred looked at him, appalled.

"Come on," James sighed, "let's find a compartment. I want to show you the cloak that I borrowed from Dad."

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A few hours later...

"Abercrombie, Peter!"

"Gryffindor!"

"I'll kill Teddy," James whispered furiously, "what was that about fighting a dragon? It's just a stupid old hat!"

"At least your dad didn't try to freak you out with stories about trolls and giants," Fred said, looking relieved at the discovery that there would be no fight to seal his fate - his House. "Mine's been doing it the whole summer and since Mum never went to Hogwarts, she could hardly tell me whether he was joking or not."

James nodded. Holey Uncle George had tried to scare him with those stories too, and had had a great success' he could hardly imagine what it must have been for Fred - he lived with Uncle George, for Merlin's sake. "That does not change things," he said grumpily. "Teddy dies."

"Who is Teddy?" asked Jack Warner, another first-year, who they had met on the train.

Fred pointed at the Gryffindor table. "See him? The boy with the green hair. This is Teddy Lupin. He's a Head Boy," he added.

Jack nodded and his eyes widened, when Teddy's hair settled on bright blue. "How does he do that?" he asked and since James was too angry with Teddy to answer, it was Fred who did it.

"He's a Metamorphmagus," he said. "He changes at will."

Jack, who was a Muggleborn, gaped at him. "You're joking!"

Fred chuckled. "No. He can change into anyone. Once, he did it with my father. He must have been twelve or something. He morphed into Dad and started selling products at the joke shop. Unfortunately, he made the mistake of keeping both his ears intact which gave the game away immediately - you see, Dad had only one ear, he lost the other in the war."

Jack was fascinated with all he heard, but their other new friend, Adam Spencer, looked quite nervous. "But wasn't his dad a - you know, a werewolf?"

Fred blinked. "What - ah, you're talking about Teddy. Yes, his dad was a werewolf. A war hero, you know - he was killed in the Battle of Hogwarts, along with Teddy's mother."

Spencer could not move his eyes away from Teddy, who did not see his glance. "Isn't it - dangerous?"

Fred frowned, trying to understand. "What should be dangerous?"

Adam looked very uncomfortable. "For him - to be allowed to attend Hogwarts. I mean - isn't he dangerous?"

Fred laughed. "Oh yes, he is, especially when he is in his Head Boy mood."

"No, I didn't mean it like that. I mean - isn't he a - a?"

Fred stopped laughing, having finally started to realize that the other boy was serious - serious and scared. Before he could give an answer, another voice did it instead of him.

"He. Is. Not. A. Werewolf," James said through clenched teeth.

"But - are you sure? I mean - "

"I know what you mean," James snapped quietly. "And he is not, I can assure you."

The pureblood boy looked miserable and confused. "I only - well, everybody knows what his father was. I thought - "

"Teddy's father," James hissed, still trying to talk as quietly as possible, "was a great man. A hero. He was one of those who won us the war, Spencer. What were your parents doing back then? Hiding under their bed and trembling at the thought of Voldemort, huh?"

Adam looked angry. "Don't start with my parents, Potter!"

"Then watch your big mouth!"

"Why? Because of him?" Adam threw a look at Teddy and his irritation with James made him add, "He's just a - "

The rest of the phrase was lost, because James' fist collided with Adam's jaw. "Don't you dare to talk about Teddy or his father like that ever again," James hissed in a deadly voice, "or you are going to pay for this with more than just your jaw."

"MR POTTER!" someone yelled and one of the teachers hurried to them. "What are you doing?"

"Nothing, Professor," he answered and smiled charmingly. Unfortunately, his charm did not seem to work on her.

"Picking up a fight even before being Sorted, this is a first - " the woman said, shaking her head. "Are you okay, Mr - " she asked and healed Adam's nose with a wave of her wand.

"Spencer. Yes, Professor, I'm fine."

"What happened?" she asked, and he shrugged without answering. "Mr Potter?"

James gave her a blank look that did not fool her.

"Twenty points from your House, whatever it is. Why did you attack a fellow student?"

"Because he is a jerk," James said curtly.

"What made you think so?"

James said nothing.

"Mr Potter, if you do not give me an answer, I will take twenty points more from your House for disrespecting a teacher."

James still refused to say anything. The woman sighed exasperatedly and walked away. James stood, waiting for his turn to be Sorted, not knowing that he'd just broken a tradition, as old as Hogwarts itself - the tradition of quiet and frightened first years who did their best to remain unnoticed before their Sorting.

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A. N. So? What do you think this far?

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