 Changeable
Part 4: Saying Goodbye
Disclaimer: I don’t own Harry Potter...sadly.
Summary: Andromeda and Harry see Teddy off to his first year at Hogwarts, and Teddy wants to know if his parents are there with him. 4th and final part of Teddy’s Visitors a short series. Post-DH Pre-epilogue.
A/N: Just a quick thank you to my beta CarlieD (FF.net) who ensured that this story actually made sense.
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Andromeda watched as Teddy said goodbye to Harry with a smile on her face. She couldn’t say that the past 10 years had been easy - she certainly had not been prepared to raise another child at her age. Harry, however, had been a godsend. Teddy was a ball of energy and he could easily tire her out, but Harry was always there when she needed a break.
As much as it had been difficult, she was very proud of her grandson and would miss him every day he was gone. It would be strange to have an empty house.
“Okay, okay, I’m finished embarrassing you. Have a good time, write lots to everyone - including every Weasley member - and be careful. I love you!” She watched as Harry hugged Teddy for the umpteenth time, and realised how hard this was for him as well - he was practically sending his first child off to school.
“Can I say goodbye now?” she asked her grandson with a smile on her face.
“That depends. Are you going to be as embarrassing as him?” Teddy asked as he turned to his grandmother. Instead of answering, she just pulled him into a tight hug. “That’ll be a yes.”
“Oh, hush, you! Can’t a grandmother hug her grandson anymore?”
Teddy smiled and drew her back in for another hug. “Of course you can. I’m going to miss you, Gran.”
“I’m going to miss you too, but it won’t be long until you’re back, full of stories about your first term.” She looked down at her grandson, marvelling at how much he had grown. Of course, she would have preferred he kept his hair a natural shade instead of turquoise - but would he listen to her? “You look so much like your mother today,” she said, ruffling his hair.
"Do you think they’re here, Gran? Just like you said they were when I was younger?”
“Of course they are! They wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
“Then I wish I could see them, just to prove it to myself.”
“Well I’m afraid that’s just how it goes. You will see them again, but not until you’re well over a hundred.” Suddenly the train whistle shrilled, startling them both. With one last hug from his Gran, Teddy ran onto the train just as it was beginning to move away from the platform. This left Harry and Andromeda to wave at it until the train was a spot in the far distance, happy that their little boy was on his way to Hogwarts.
“Do you really believe that they visit him and that he used to be able to see them, or is it just a story you tell him?” asked Harry.
“Oh, no, I fully believe it, young man! I would never lie to my grandson, what do you take me for?”
Harry laughed. “Okay, I believe you. But there is no way I’m going to let you pretend that you never lie to him - need I remind you of a certain incident involving his training broom?” They both laughed as they entered the Muggle world again and walked out of the station together, reminiscing about their not-so-little boy. |