The morning greeted her with its pleasant breeze and clear skies. If it weren’t for the painful events that would take place that afternoon, it would be a perfect day. The sun shone brightly down upon the house and through the windows, its rays of warmth reaching her in the sitting room.
She sat in the rocking chair in silence apart from the chair creaking as she rocked. The infant in her arms slept peacefully, so innocent and unaware of what had happened around him.
Teddy Lupin shifted slightly in his sleep but didn’t wake. On top of his small head was a tuft of light brown hair and his facial features at the moment resembled his father’s. Remus Lupin. One of three people that were being buried today.
Andromeda Tonks, with a shaking and pale hand, wiped away her tears. The thought of her husband, daughter and son-in-law dead was unbearable. Dora, her Dora was gone, as well as her husband Ted. If only Dora had stayed with her and her son on that night, then she wouldn’t have died along with Remus. She was so young and had just started her own family. Now all Teddy had left was his grandmother.
The clock gave a small ding dong sort of noise and snapped her out of her trance-like state. It was time for the funeral.
She was already dressed and ready, as was Teddy. Andromeda was dressed in her finest dress of black with spaghetti straps and her hair was tied up in a simple pony tail. Teddy had a little suit on and was now half awake, blinking sleepily at her, a small frown on his face. He seemed to sense that Andromeda was upset.
In an attempt to cheer his grandmother up, he scrunched his face up in concentration. A second later, his nose morphed into a pig’s nose and he snorted at her before bursting out in uncontrollable giggling. Andromeda couldn’t help but smile slightly; he was so much like his mother, and he never really got to know her.
Andromeda glanced at the clock again and gasped. They were late for the funeral. She grasped Teddy tightly in her arms, spun around on the spot and with a Crack, they disappeared.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered her today to mourn the deaths of three very special people, Ted Tonks, Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin,” said the priest sadly.
A group of people was standing around three perfectly dug holes in which the three coffins would soon be lowered. The Weasleys were huddled together to one side. Ron had his arms wrapped around a sobbing Hermione and Harry was silently holding onto a tear-stained Ginny.
They all watched without a word until the priest finished his speech and pulled his wand from his robes. He pointed it just behind the crowd and they moved to let the hovering coffins through. They were truly coffins fit for kings and queens. They were made out of the whitest stone with lines of pure gold colour on them to spell out the words Ted Tonks, Remus Lupin and on the last coffin Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin.
The priest continued to charm the coffins and they lowered themselves gracefully into the graves. He then flicked his wand at the mounds of dirt behind him and they fell onto the coffins, burying them, forming three perfect graves.
“Now if anyone wishes to speak in remembrance of these three people, please come forward,” the priest said softly before moving away.
Harry stepped forward, letting go of Ginny. He took a deep breath and gazed down at the graves before him.
“I didn’t really know Ted Tonks all that well, but from knowing his daughter Nymphadora, I know that he was a great man: he was the man who raised the intelligent, beautiful and humorous woman that was Tonks. Remus Lupin was the closest thing to a father I had after Sirius died and I will never forget him,” Harry said, his glasses fogging up slightly.
He continued to speak after a small pause, “I will always remember Tonks as the clumsiest woman on earth, and she would have been a great mother because she was a wonderful woman who would have loved to see her family grow up, beautiful, well cared for and loved.”
Andromeda bounced a crying Teddy Lupin, trying calm him and stop herself from sobbing uncontrollably. Harry paused in his speech again to let people think about what he had said.
“I met Remus Lupin in my third year at Hogwarts, which seems like a million years ago, he taught me how to fight Dementors and he would have been an excellent father, he would have taught Teddy things that Tonks’ couldn’t and the same for Tonks, she would have been able to teach Teddy about his powers.”
Tears fell silently down Andromeda’s cheeks and Teddy hiccupped, his face flushed red. Harry took a deep breath and glanced briefly at Andromeda before finishing.
“I’m sure, after time, our wounds will heal, but the memory of Ted Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin and Remus Lupin will still be remembered.” He said, silence following his words.
Harry returned to Ginny and held her tightly. The priest looked at Andromeda holding Teddy and she shook her head furiously. She was too distraught to say anything. No one else stepped forward to speak and so the priest stood back in front of the unmarked gravestones. He pointed his wand at each stone individually and when he stepped back from them each had words upon them.
Ted Tonks,
Son of Adam and Sally Tonks,
Husband of Andromeda Tonks,
Father of Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin,
Grandfather of Teddy Remus Lupin.
Andromeda’s eyes passed over her son-in-law’s.
Remus John Lupin,
Son of Mary and John Lupin,
Husband of Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin,
Father of Teddy Remus Lupin
And her eyes finally came to rest on her only daughter’s grave. Her Dora.
Nymphadora Tonks-Lupin,
Daughter of Andromeda and Ted Tonks,
Wife of Remus John Lupin,
Mother of Teddy Remus Lupin
Andromeda sighed as she placed the peacefully sleeping Teddy in his crib. The last people at the reception had just left and Teddy had finally fallen asleep. Now Andromeda could get some sleep.
She curled up in her bed, resting her head on the fluffed up pillow, willing herself to sleep, but the darkness never came. She felt so cold and alone. Ted’s body was like a hot water bottle in the bed and now he was gone. When she was finally able to sleep, tears were coursing down her cheeks.
She woke up a few hours later, her face sticky and tear-stained. The sound of someone knocking at the door was like a hammer, thumping away at the inside of her head. She got to her feet, fixed herself up and went to answer the door.
When Andromeda opened the door, she was shocked to see someone very familiar, yet someone she hadn’t talked to in years. Her sister, Narcissa Malfoy.
Narcissa’s long, silvery hair had been swept up in a neat bun and her blue eyes softened at the sight of Andromeda. She stood in the doorway, blocking Narcissa from entering her house. Narcissa’s words broke the silence between them suddenly.
“Dromeda, I was a fool,” Narcissa blurted out. “I made a terrible mistake years ago, I chose the wrong side.”
“Cissy,” Andromeda started, holding out her arms to her sister. “Come here, Cissy.”
Narcissa stumbled forwards at wrapped Andromeda in a tight, sisterly hug. They stood there for a few minutes, in each others arms. Then Teddy’s cries broke them out of their trance.
Andromeda pulled Narcissa into the house, gestured to the lounge, and hurried off to Teddy’s room. She picked him up and carried him into the lounge room where Narcissa was sitting on the lounge, looking at her hands in her lap. Andromeda placed Teddy carefully on the floor where he rolled over onto his stomach, looking up at Narcissa curiously.
Narcissa looked down at Teddy while Andromeda went into the kitchen to pour drinks for them and get Teddy a bottle of milk. When she returned with two glasses of amber coloured liquid and a warm bottle of milk, she gave Teddy the bottle and sat down next to Narcissa, handling her the glass. Narcissa gulped down the drink in one go and Andromeda sipped occasionally.
“So, he’s my little great nephew,” said Narcissa eventually. “Tonks’s boy, is he? Looks like her.”
Andromeda smiled slightly, placed her drink on the table, and bent down to pick Teddy up. She held him out to Narcissa, who hesitated. Andromeda nodded encouragingly and placed him in her lap. Teddy grabbed at wisps of blonde hair with his chubby fingers.
“Lucius is on trial next week. If he gets off, then that’ll be the end of it, no more…Voldemort.” She stumbled over the word ‘Voldemort’, but managed to get it out. “Draco’s even sort of thanked Harry Potter for saving his life; things have changed.”
Andromeda cast a silent Refilling Charm on her sister’s glass, raised her glass in the air and said cheerfully, “To the future.”
Narcissa clinked glasses with Andromeda and repeated the words brightly. “To the future.”
A/N: Thanks to Colores for beta'ing this. This story is the first of the Teddy Lupin Files which is a collection of one-shot's about Teddy Lupin.