lotrwariorgodss (lotrwariorgodss) wrote in hp_tarot, @ 2008-08-18 18:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | by: lotrwariorgodss, fic, harry, hp/ss, r, round 3, teddy |
FIC: Goodnight, Moon
Title: Goodnight, Moon
Author: lotrwariorgodss
Type: Fiction
Length: ~11,000
Main character or Pairing: Harry (& Teddy Lupin); Harry/Snape side-plot
Cards/Card Interpretation:
Five of Pentacles, meaning "Drained resources; exhaustion; struggling to stay afloat while searching for relief; fighting to keep morale and energy levels up; temporary hardship."
Ten of Swords, meaning "Sudden and unexpected failure or disaster; learning from past mistakes; a power beyond your control that humbles you without warning or mercy."
Eight of Cups, meaning "Turning away; giving up; abandoning a dream; choosing to sacrifice in order to make a clean break and start afresh elsewhere"
Rating: soft R
Disclaimer: Anything recognizable isn't mine, it belongs to Jo and WB and whoever else has a legal claim.
Warnings: Inadvertent psychological/emotional/physical abuse of a child, language, allusions to sexual activities (between consenting adults), umm angst? (put it this way – it's not the happiest in the world, but I doubt it'll make you cry)
Summary: When Harry finds out Teddy's inherited more from Remus than his love for books, he is forced to make some difficult decisions. But what happens when his dedication gets a little out of hand? Will he lose the people he loves most?
Author Notes: This story is DH-compliant (EWE), though obviously someone survived a certain snake-attack. Big thanks to my beta - backstgartist. More detailed author's notes can be found here.
As Harry wakes on this bitter March morning to the sight of clouds in the sky and the sound of a gentle panting in his ear, he feels like it just might be a salvageable day.
He's careful opening his eyes – he doesn't want to move without being ready. Maybe this time he can sneak his hands…
No. Amber-yellow eyes stare straight back into his, and he only gets a short bark and a lick on the nose before the small wolf cub perched on his pillow pounces on his chest.
Harry laughs as the cub bathes his face in kisses and yelps in delight. He tries to grab the scruff of the animal's neck to pull him off, but the cub dodges his hands and snaps at his fingers playfully. Harry groans in mock annoyance. "Alright, Teddy - I'm up!"
The little wolf merely barks and grabs hold of Harry's shirt with his teeth, growling and tugging as his claws dig into Harry's belly. Harry sits up, chuckling, as he tugs back on his shirt. "Come on, Teddy – let go now." The cub's tail is wagging so quickly it's a little grey blur against the dark blue sheets, and he only growls louder at Harry's demand.
A sudden rip and Teddy loses his balance on Harry's stomach. His paws flail clumsily as momentum carries his head along with a hunk of Harry's shirt back towards his tail and he begins to fall.
As the cub tumbles backwards down Harry's legs, his body elongates and grows as fur dissolves into his skin, leaving a skinny boy giggling at the foot of Harry's bed. Harry's eyes narrow as he fingers the gaping hole in yet another shirt, staring at Teddy intently, waiting for the boy to catch on. The child looks far too pleased with himself, and this time Harry wants revenge. The giggling subsides, leaving a mischievous smile behind, a smile that fades more and more as Harry continues to stare.
Suddenly, the boy yelps and leaps to the side, but Harry is on him like lightning, and shrieks of laughter break out all through the room as Teddy is tickled into a frenzy. Only a short time passes before the boy is begging for mercy, and Harry obliges with a short laugh and a silent prayer that all their mornings will begin like this.
"That's another shirt you owe me, you little terror," Harry says. This isn't the first time the boy has morphed into a wolf since Harry began telling him stories of his father. Harry knows the feeling. Quidditch had taken on a new meaning for him after he learned it was something his father had done. He smiles at his godson and ruffles his hair, now settling into orange from the tickle-fight. "I'll just take it out of your trust fund, shall I?"
Teddy rolls off the bed and gives him a shy smile. Anybody else would call it "sweet", but Harry knows it means trouble. He imagines McGonagall might know the look well – after all, she did deal with Remus in his Marauder days.
"I don't think Nana would like to hear about you stealing from my trust fund again, Uncle Harry."
"Oi!" Harry throws the covers back and stands. "That money was for your school tuition!"
Teddy grins and backs towards the door. "I know. But that's not what I told Nana."
And he's off through the door before Harry can catch him. Harry races to the door anyway and hears giggling from down the hall.
"You tell that portrait anything and…I'll close the library for a week!"
The giggles stop, and a little head peeks out of Teddy's bedroom door. "Alright, I won't tell."
"Good. Now get cleaned up, and remember to dress decently; we're supposed to be at Healer Boot's in an hour."
A precocious roll of the eyes is all Harry gets in acknowledgement before the door is slammed shut and the old house groans with disapproval. Harry kicks at the doorframe for good measure and curses the constantly complaining house. But it's worth it for now; Harry gets a certain satisfaction knowing that the two Black heirs – a half-blood and the Metamorphagus son of a werewolf and a blood-traitor – are still gracing the hallways of 12 Grimmauld Place. Plus the privacy wards are unbeatable.
They eat breakfast in a rush, and then Teddy takes his position at Harry's side for the Floo ride to the Healer's office. In his new olive green jumper, khaki corduroy trousers, and lightly scuffed brown shoes, it's only his abnormal hair color that reminds Harry that Teddy is not only Remus's son.
Reminds me more of his father every day, Harry thinks nostalgically, thinking back to a time when he must have looked to Remus just as Teddy is looking to him now – a desperate link to his father's past, someone who will care about him, someone to protect him.
It is with this thought in mind that Harry prepares for what will be, at best, a trying day. Even if Teddy's bizarre bouts of illness when the moon hangs heavy and full over the world are what he fears – he will protect the boy. They will be a family, and Harry will love him.
And I will never let him suffer like Remus suffered, Harry promises, to himself, to the souls he knows are watching over them, and most importantly, to Teddy.