Through Teddy's Eyes

Harry85

Rating: PG13
Genres: Romance
Relationships: Harry & Hermione
Book: Harry & Hermione, Books 1 - 7
Published: 27/05/2008
Last Updated: 30/05/2008
Status: completed

An external POV on Harmony, with a bit of build up in the first chapters.

Chapters

1. Bringing Teddy Home

2. Breaking Up

3. Getting Closer

4. An Outside Point of View

1. Bringing Teddy Home

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Do I seem a H/G RHr shipper to you?

A/N: My response to the “Through Teddy's Eyes” Challenge by moonies rule. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26785&st=0 Hope you will enjoy the story, this won't be very long, just four/five chaps at max, but I hope you'll like it all the same, lol.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Through Teddy's Eyes

Chapter One: Bringing Teddy Home

Harry Potter woke up particularly happy that morning. A year had gone by since his defeat of Voldemort, and while the reconstruction of the Wizarding World as they knew it was still in progress, you could easily breathe the hopefulness the wizards and witches that were still alive lived in. An huge evil had been defeated for good, and while they would never forget those who had fallen, now it was time for happiness and looking to a future of peace and prosperity.

But that was not the reason Harry was so happy.

Nor was the huge fame that came with his victory over Tom Riddle. He was pretty famous before that too, after all, and he never truly enjoyed it.

Then it must be the fact that since the end of the war, he and Ginny had gotten back together and were currently as happy as one could be, right?

Nope.

Harry Potter was extremely happy because he finally made a decision about his godson Teddy Lupin, and today he was going to talk with the child's grandmother, Andromeda Tonks. He was sure she would be reasonable and allow him what had lately become his deepest desire.

So, after a quick breakfast and a shower, Harry Apparated to the old witch's house, and rang the bell.

“Who's there?”

“It's Harry”

The door quickly unlocked, and Andromeda appeared on the threshold, little Teddy in her arms, his brown hair quickly turning green as he spotted Harry, who couldn't help but chuckle.

Andromeda smiled fondly at her grandson, bouncing him up and down a little, making him giggle.

“So, Harry, to what do we owe your visit?” the witch asked as they were sitting at the kitchen table, a pot of water warming on the stove as she was making tea for the two of them.

“Well, I hope you won't take this as an offence, Andromeda, but you know how Remus and Tonks made me Teddy's godfather and…well, I know you're more than able to care for him, but I'd like to be a more active godfather for him than Sirius was for me. Not that it was his fault, of course, but I know how much he regretted being away from me and I don't want to make the same mistake” he rambled.

Andromeda, who had by now brought the cups of tea to the table, sipped her own while listening to Harry. When he was finished, she smiled at him, to reassure the young man that she wasn't offended by his request.

“Harry, I perfectly understand. And, if the truth be known, I kind of feel like I'm growing a bit too old to run back and forth caring for him. Don't misunderstand me, I love doing it, but I keep feeling more and more tired as the evening comes, and I am not sure how much longer I can do it” she admitted with a heavy sigh. Then, she looked up again, and smiled.

“So yes, I'll be glad to let you take care of Teddy, as long as you let me visit him”

“Of course I will!” Harry said with a grin. “You'll always be welcome at Grimmauld. I also think your visits will really be helpful at first. Since I don't know a lot about caring for babies. I've read a fair bit on it lately, but first hand experience is what I lack” he said with a chuckle.

Andromeda laughed too, and then they chatted a bit more before she helped him ready Teddy for the trip. She gave him a small list of things he had to remember through the day, and after a bit more advice, the two were on their way to Harry's home, Grimmauld Place.

It hadn't been easy living there at first, but slowly he had adjusted, with Ginny and Hermione's help they had made it a likable place to stay in, and now he wasn't so burdened by Sirius' memory when being in the house. Although, he still missed him.

“No time for a stroll down memory lane now” he chastised himself. “I need to prepare Teddy's meal”

--

A few days had gone by since Harry had brought Teddy home, and more than once he had had to floo Hermione or Andromeda for help.

The brunette had been ecstatic with his decision and had promised she would help as much as she could. Right to her word, every day after her lessons at Oxford University she would come to the house and see how Harry was doing. More than once, her visits had coincided with Ginny being there too, and the redhead had thrown some not so friendly stares Hermione's way.

Harry was completely oblivious to the hostility his girlfriend had toward Hermione, and every time Ginny would confront him about her visits, Harry would just reply that the brunette was there to help with Teddy.

“Something I can't say for you, Gin” he often remarked, which infuriated the redhead even more.

“Harry, I'm too young to be a mother!”

“Nobody asked you to have a baby, you could just be kind and help me with my godson, since women are supposed to be better than men with babies” Harry replied. “You're my girlfriend, we should be experiencing this together”

“He positively hates me!” Ginny protested. And, she had a point. Teddy's hair always flamed bright red whenever Ginny was around, and no, it wasn't just to imitate her hair colour. Whenever Hermione held him or fed him, the baby would turn his hair green, just like with Harry or Andromeda.

It was like his hair was showing who he liked and who he didn't.

Tonight was not different, and when Ginny arrived at Grimmauld, she found Harry, Hermione and Teddy in the living room, the baby on Hermione's lap, as the brunette bounced him up and down making goofy faces.

As soon as he spotted Ginny, Teddy stopped giggling and his hair turned red. The newcomer just rolled her eyes and went to sit on Harry's lap, almost as if she was marking her territory.

Hermione, sensing the tension in the air, left with Teddy to go feed him.

“Harry” Ginny said, clearly annoyed that her boyfriend wasn't paying attention to her, but was following Hermione and Teddy with his eyes.

“What?”

“Seriously, Harry, I'm tired of this. We barely see each other since you got Teddy!”

“Sorry if my godson is just a baby and needs me to care for him” Harry sarcastically replied. “You could see me a lot if you visited us more”

Ginny scoffed.

“Harry, I'm just out of Hogwarts, I don't think it's so wrong of me to want to be out, having fun, enjoying life before I settle down. It's what people our age does! You shouldn't always be here, closed in this house. You should go out, have fun, live!”

“I have a responsibility toward Remus and Tonks. They made me Teddy's godfather and I plan to honour that role” Harry said, and he was quite determined, if the deep green of his eyes was a hint. Hermione could have told you that his eyes only got that shade of green when he was positive of doing something, and no one would be able to sway him from his decision, however right or wrong that it may be. He had acted the same way the night they went to the Department of Mysteries.

Ginny, however, didn't know. She didn't pay attention to such things, and so she kept pushing the issue, until Harry got fed up with her and gently pushed her off of him, before standing up and going to check on Hermione and the baby in the kitchen.

Ginny followed him, still angry, and in retrospect that wasn't a smart move, because she decided to show Harry she could care for Teddy just as well as Hermione. It was almost if she thought it was a race about who could care better for the baby, but what she missed was that Hermione was completely willing to spend her nights there with Harry and little Teddy, even after long and tiring days at the university.

As she almost roughly took the child from Hermione's arms, Teddy started crying, and Ginny started bouncing him up and down to calm him down. Wrong move, again.

“Ginny, don't! He's just been fed…” Hermione tried warning her, but it was too late. With a gurgling sound, Teddy ended puking all over Ginny's front.

“Aargh!” the redhead shouted, almost dropping the baby. Luckily, Harry was there to grab him and soothe him in a few moves. Ginny sent a last glare to both Harry, Hermione and finally Teddy, before Apparating away.

Mere moments later, Harry and Hermione locked gazes and suddenly burst out laughing, Teddy joining them with his giggles.

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2. Breaking Up

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Do I seem a H/G RHr shipper to you?

A/N: My response to the “Through Teddy's Eyes” Challenge by moonies rule. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26785&st=0 Hope you will enjoy the story, this won't be very long, just four/five chaps at max, but I hope you'll like it all the same, lol.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Through Teddy's Eyes

Chapter Two: Breaking Up

As the evening progressed, Harry and Hermione relaxed a bit in the living room after putting Teddy to bed, Harry suddenly asked her something that had been bugging him for a bit.

“You never told me what happened with Ron”

Hermione sighed, smiling. “I didn't, did I?” she admitted, taking a sip of her Butterbeer. “Well, there's not much to say, really. In the frenzy of the final battle, the fact he finally acknowledged that House Elves are living creatures just like us made me impulsively kiss him, I don't even know why. I thought he might be a nice boyfriend, before he left us that day in the tent, but after that I kept telling myself if he couldn't realize what was really important in a moment like that, he probably wouldn't when an argument between us happened. I mean, what would he do, just run away? But somehow what he said at that moment brought back for just a moment the idea of a matured Ron I had developed through the summer” she explained. Harry listened to her sipping his Butterbeer.

“After the war, we briefly tried dating, but as you know it didn't last more than a couple months. The excitement over his sudden realization of elves' rights died down and I was left with my previous evaluations about if he had really matured. In the end, I realized he probably had, but some traits of his personality would always remain with him, traits I couldn't change, but that didn't sit well with my idea of an healthy relationship” she concluded, with a smile.

Harry nodded. “I've always wondered about that kiss, you know. I'd never seen you do something that impulsive before, and my first thought was, “my, she must really be in love with him”” he said, earning a scoff from Hermione before both chuckled.

“Well, Harry, this has been a pleasant evening, but I really need to go home to get some sleep” she sighed, standing up. Harry followed her to the door, and before she left he spoke.

“You know you could always sleep here, there are lots of empty rooms” he found himself blurting out, and she looked at him surprised.

“Forget it” Harry said, nervously running an hand through his hair. “I'm sure you'll be more comfortable in your flat anyway” he added.

Hermione slowly nodded, still pondering something, before kissing him on the cheek. “Thanks for the offer, Harry” she whispered, before Disapparating away.

That night, Harry didn't sleep much, his mind filled with Hermione's story about her relationship with Ron. He found himself wondering if he and Ginny were somehow headed down the same path, only it had taken them a longer time to get there. She sure didn't seem to want to head the way he intended to in life, seeing how her biggest worry right now was to have fun. He knew he deserved to have fun too, but he felt he truly needed to be there for Teddy, and that's what he wanted to do. If Ginny couldn't understand that, well, then maybe they were better heading off in separate ways.

And then there was the matter of his sudden offer to Hermione to spend the night there. He had never asked Ginny, who was his girlfriend, to spend the night there since Teddy had come to live with him, so why did he ask Hermione?

Sure, the brunette was much more comfortable with the baby than Ginny, but that couldn't be the only reason, right?

Lately, Harry had felt himself much more comfortable with Hermione than with Ginny, and not only regarding Teddy. Then there was the fact that his female best friend had grown to be a lovely lady herself, with nothing to envy of girls like Lavender, Cho, and Ginny herself.

Sighing loudly, and knowing sleep would not be on his side that night, Harry got up and went to check on Teddy, smiling fondly as he stared at the peaceful form of his godson.

--

A couple days had gone by, and Harry had finally managed to get in touch with Ginny. They had to talk, and he knew she wouldn't like what he was going to say, but the final decision lay in her hands.

“Ginny, I think we need to clarify once and for all if this thing we've got is working or not. And before you interrupt me, I mean we need to know if we want the same things from life. Right now, I seriously doubt we do. You are, rightfully of course, wanting to have fun, find yourself a job, but still hang out with friends, go out at night and things like that. I know we are still young and supposed to do this, but I also have a responsibility toward Teddy. I promised Remus I'd take care of him if anything happened to them, and that's what I intend to do. If this leads me to live what you called an “old man's life”, then so be it. Now, are you willing to share this adventure with me, or not?”

Ginny was speechless. She had always dreamed of being with Harry, eventually to marry him and be the mother of his children. But right now their lives were heading down different paths, and if they didn't make a decision soon, they would only end hurting each other.

Truthfully, she wasn't ready yet to act as a mother, as an adult. She still wanted that freedom that came with her young age. She could understand why Harry would want to care for Teddy, but honestly that was his choice, his call, not hers.

These thoughts led her to a realization. If she wasn't willing to give up what she had to be with him, then maybe she didn't really love him like she thought. Maybe they were truly better on different paths.

“Honestly, Harry, no, I'm not ready to commit to something like this. And the fact I'm not willing to do that speaks volumes about my true feelings for you, I realize. I think we should break up”

There, she'd said it.

Harry nodded, smiling at her. “You've matured quite a bit, Ginny” he praised her. “This wasn't an easy decision to make, but you did what was right and ending things instead of hanging onto an empty relationship”

She smiled ruefully. “We all had to mature fast”

“Don't I know it” he said with an hollow laugh, before kissing her on the cheek, and accompanying her to the door.

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3. Getting Closer

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Do I seem a H/G RHr shipper to you?

A/N: My response to the “Through Teddy's Eyes” Challenge by moonies rule. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26785&st=0 Hope you will enjoy the story, this won't be very long, just four/five chaps at max, but I hope you'll like it all the same, lol.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Through Teddy's Eyes

Chapter Three: Getting Closer

A couple of weeks had gone by since Harry's break-up with Ginny, and Hermione wondered why he didn't seem affected by it. Ok, the break-up had been mutual, but still, one should feel at least a tiny bit of sadness over it, right?

So, her curiosity getting almost incontrollable, that night while they were feeding Teddy, who was making all kind of happy sounds and gurgling, enjoying the attention and especially Hermione's company, she decided to ask him.

“Harry, you don't seem bothered by the break-up…”

He nodded, picking up Teddy and tickling him, making him giggle.

“It's all thanks to this little rascal here” he said, making a goofy face at the baby, who was quickly growing and would soon prove to be hard to lift like that.

“He's given me an aim in my life, something I missed since Voldemort was killed. Now I know what I want to do, and I know this is the right choice” he explained. As Harry gently patted him on his back, Teddy burped softly, and Harry locked eyes with Hermione before both shared a smile over it. Bringing the little guy in the living room as he could play a little bit before they put him to bed, Harry asked Hermione how things were going for her at the university.

“I mean, if you ever feel that coming here to help me with Teddy becomes a burden, feel free to cut back coming around, ok? Your studies are very important to you, I know that and I wouldn't want you failing an exam because you were too wrapped up in how to rightfully change diapers or feed a baby to concentrate on the right answers” he joked and she shoved him lightly on the arm.

“Prat” she said, sticking her tongue at him, before both chuckled, making Teddy giggle too.

“No, seriously, Harry, I truly enjoy these evenings with Teddy and you.. They help me relax and I've learned you can't study 24 hours a day, so…” she said, but she didn't complete her sentence. The truth was, she had become used to those visits, and since it was a way to be with Harry, her best friend, she was more than happy to do that, even if maybe after along day of lessons a hot bath would have been nice. She missed being with Harry when at the university, so she wouldn't give up the nights with him for anything.

Harry was glad she didn't regret spending time with him and Teddy, because he felt he would miss her terribly if she stopped coming around at night.

They chatted a bit more, before it was time for Teddy to go to sleep. Hermione picked him up from the floor, and the baby pouted, almost knowing what was coming, his hair turning a deep shade of blue, almost showing his discomfort at the idea of going to sleep. However, a tiny yawn betrayed the fact that he was, indeed, sleepy.

Hermione laughed softly at that, and Teddy looked at her almost sheepishly. “Come on, little man, time to go to sleep for you” the brunette declared, before walking out of the room and up the stairs to where Teddy's room was.

Harry remained there in the living room for a while, smiling fondly as he replayed the evening in his head, before finally moving to see how Hermione was doing. He arrived at the baby's room, and stopped in his tracks, leaning on the doorway, as he watched Hermione tell Teddy a story, to make him fall asleep. Her voice was soft, and even from there he could see that Teddy truly enjoyed hearing her.

When the little child was finally asleep, Hermione turned and was surprised to see Harry there, watching her with something undecipherable in his eyes.

“You're going to be a great mum” he finally said, and she felt her cheeks redden at the praise. Looking down as she tried to hide her blush, she whispered her thanks, before both of them walked back to the living room.

It was getting late, though, so after another bit of friendly conversation, Hermione finally stood up with a sigh, claiming she better go home to get some sleep.

“You know, the offer still stands” Harry said gently, and she nodded. “I know, Harry, and it's sweet of you” she said, before kissing him on the cheek before she finally Apparated home.

As she arrived there, she sighed loudly, before heading to the bathroom for a well deserved hot bath.

“One day, Harry, I might just take you up on your offer” she thought as she stripped, checking the water temperature before sinking in it, letting the soothing effect of the bath wash over her.

--

As the days passed, both started to crave the nights they would spend together, preparing dinner for themselves and Teddy, laughing as Hermione's attempt at lasagne got completely burned, or enjoying the quiet once Teddy was asleep. Anyone observing them from afar would surely notice what they still didn't see, that they were slowly but continuously falling in love with each other.

One night, as Hermione was cutting vegetables to put them in the stew, Harry stopped what he was doing, and observed her. He was startled when he found himself thinking that she was really beautiful, just as she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

Sure, she might not be a top model, but this didn't mean she wasn't attractive in her own way. Feeling emboldened by the usual glass of wine they would sip while preparing dinner, he silently walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Startled, Hermione almost cut herself, but when she half turned to glare at him for that, her eyes locked with his green ones, so close to her face. Her breath hitched in her throat, and she gulped.

“I just wanted to thank you once more for being on my side with this” he whispered, almost mesmerized by her lips, which looked so kissable right now.

“You're welcome” she stammered, before a crash in the living room interrupted the moment, and Harry released her to go check on his godson, leaving Hermione to wonder what had just happened.

--

That night, Harry lay in his bed, awake, reliving the events of the evening in his head. He was still a bit surprised at the realization that he thought Hermione to be beautiful, or better, he was surprised he hadn't noticed sooner, but he knew he didn't regret hugging her like he had done. He was feeling more and more drawn to her lately, and he wondered if maybe he wasn't falling for his best friend. He hoped not, because that would complicate things a lot between them, but at the same time he hoped he was, because if she felt the same, well, he couldn't think of anyone better to share the rest of his life with, loving her and making her happy.

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4. An Outside Point of View

Disclaimer: Nope, not mine. Do I seem a H/G RHr shipper to you?

A/N: My response to the “Through Teddy's Eyes” Challenge by moonies rule. You can find it here: http://talk.portkey.org/index.php?showtopic=26785&st=0 Hope you will enjoy the story, this won't be very long, just four/five chaps at max, but I hope you'll like it all the same, lol.

Thanks to my beta Gingercat!

Through Teddy's Eyes

Chapter Four: An Outside Point of View

I've always loved Christmas, especially because at Christmas we stay with the Weasleys at the Burrow. It's not that I don't like my home, really, but when we stay here, I get to spend the night with all my cousins, and it is always a lot of fun.

Who am I? Teddy Lupin, of course. Ten years old, and eager to go to Hogwarts next year.

As you all know, I've never known my real parents, but hey, I got pretty lucky, because I got stuck with Harry Potter. I can think of many worse solutions.

Harry is really a cool godfather, although I call him dad now. He also spoils me too much, but I would never admit that to him. However, he only does that when Hermione is not around, as she always reins him in. I guess it comes from his abused childhood, he told me many times about it and how he would treat me differently from those monsters known as the Dursleys.

It wouldn't take much, would it?

But anyway, back on topic, I really like the Burrow. Nana Molly is always ready to slip me a biscuit or two, and when time for dinner comes, I always wonder how will we manage to fit all of the food she cooked inside our bellies. Nonetheless, we always do. That might be because Uncle Ron is at the table. He eats like an army, and never gains a stone, Aunt Ginny always complains about that.

However, this time we came here first, so no cousins to play with yet, and there's still a lot of time before dinner.

I don't really know what to do, so I decide to go take a peek under the tree to see how many gifts I got.

As I near the living room, though, I hear whispers from within. So much for sneaking a peek at the gifts. However, curious, I poke my head inside the room and suddenly smile.

There they are, Harry and Hermione, locked in an embrace, whispering in each other ears, smiling fondly at each other. And then it happens, Harry moves in, and their lips connect. It's not the first time I've seen this happen, of course. I mean, they have been married for eight years now, I just had to have caught them kissing, right?

Strangely, I know I should be freaked out, I mean, at my age boys and girls still despise each other, right? So the mere idea of kissing should make me feel sick. And it does, when it is Aunt Ginny and Uncle Draco, or Aunt Luna and Uncle Ron, or even the twins with their wives. But when it is Harry and Hermione, somehow it just feels right.

I don't remember much about when Harry was dating Ginny, but they tell me my hair would flame red anytime she came in the house. It's funny, because I like her, now that I've grown up, but for some reason I didn't when I was a baby. I'm not sure about it, but if that helped even a tiny bit to get Harry and Hermione together, then I'm happy for that, because as much as I like Ginny, it's crystal clear that Hermione is the one for Harry.

They use to tell me stories about their years at Hogwarts, and you can feel the special bond they have always shared.

I'm sure you're wondering how could a ten years old boy have such deep thoughts. Well, I dunno. They tell me Remus, my father, has always been pretty smart and insightful too, so maybe I just inherited it. Or maybe it is Hermione's influence, or a mix of both.

Ok, so Harry and Hermione kissing is nice and all, but I really want to take a peek at the gifts under the tree now! Why is it that every time they kiss they take so long to do it?

Still, I wonder if that's how my parents were. They tell me they were both special people, and they were very much in love, so maybe I could have witnessed the same thing if they were alive. Or maybe not, who knows. I have an hunch that Hermione and Harry share something really rare, although I can't put my finger on what it is.

Oh, sissy must have woken up. I can hear her cries from upstairs, and sure enough they heard that too. Hermione lets out a little groan at being interrupted, and they rest their foreheads together for a moment before they both sigh and Hermione goes to check on little Katharine while Harry goes to look out of the window at the snow slowly falling down.

She is Harry and Hermione's baby daughter, just a few months old, and I remember pretty well when Hermione was pregnant, I think that's the term but I'm not sure, with her. I was a bit scared of her sudden bursts of anger, but Harry reassured me, that it was normal.

But I also remember the look of happiness on both their faces when they were holding her in the hospital, and maybe the shouts and strange eating habits were worth living through after all.

“Teddy, what you doing here?” someone asks me. It's Mark, their first child, seven years old.

“Nothing, Mark. Just trying to get a peek at the gifts but Mum and Dad were in there” I say, and head back to the kitchen to see if I can get Nana to slip me something. It's then that there is pounding on the door. Someone must have arrived, and I cast a last glance at the living room before going to see who it is.

A smile spreads on my face as I see the three of them, Harry, Hermione and Katharine. I just hope one day I'll find someone to make me as happy as Harry is with Hermione.

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