A Family Reunited (A Teddy Lupin Afterlife Story) (Book 4)

Chapter 8: The Brothers

Sometime after the feast, the party had gone to bed or back to their respective branches of Heaven. Teddy was happy that he was invited to spend the night with his parents, but had never imagined that this would be the case on his first night in Heaven. He often imagined that his first night here would be spent with his beloved Victoire whom remained absent from the celebrations.

Teddy was shown around the unfamiliar Gryffindor common room. He was a Hufflepuff himself, but he could not help but admire the splendour of the room and he was given a spare bed placed next to that of his parents in the bedrooms.

Teddy was even tucked in by an adoring Tonks, which was an uncomfortable occurrence because not too long ago, Teddy was a century old miser, and even now, he looked the age of seventeen or eighteen, and so was still unfamiliar with the context of being tucked into bed like a little boy, as he once was for many years by Andromeda.

After a kiss goodnight from both of his parents, Teddy slept soundly on the first night of his eternity.

The following morning, the sun shone as it always does in Heaven, and Teddy rose late. He found that only Tonks was with him in the room, smiling blissfully at his snoozing form.

"Mum?" he whispered.

Teddy had at first wondered if it had all been a senile dream and that his loved ones back on Earth were pandering to his needs in his old age, but was much relieved by Tonks' evident presence, made more emphatic by the fact that her hair was still shifting between four colours rapidly.

"Hello, sweetheart." she said quietly.

"Where is everyone? Dad? ...Is Victoire here?" asked Teddy in his tired disorientation.

Tonks' hair and expression grew redder but soon shifted back once Teddy was fully awake.

"No, she isn't." said Tonks in a strained voice. "Your father and the others are breakfasting in the Great Hall. They await us."

Teddy got dressed soon enough and they were soon entering the Great Hall. The usual living residents were there. Harry and Ginny shared some buttered toast, and Teddy noticed that both Lilys were there but Severus was not sat next to his wife, as James was with his. Lily Snape was chatting cheerfully to Petunia. Remus was chatting less joyously with Sirius and Peter but his expression rose slightly when he saw his wife and son.

"Hello, Teddy." he said paternally, offering a spare seat to his son, whom obliged delightedly.

Tonks sat next to Teddy on his left.

"Where's Professor Snape?" asked Teddy to Lily Snape.

"You can call him Severus, dear." smiled Lily Snape. "He has gone to find Sirius' brother as he had said he would."

"Great!" smiled Teddy, looking to Sirius, whom had gone substantially pale.

It quite reminded Harry of how Sirius looked upon their first acquaintance in the Shrieking Shack when he was interrogated and tormented by a vengeful Severus.

"Cheer up, Padfoot!" said James broadly.

"You're about to see your little brother again." said Remus softly.

"And he's the only blood relative you have left, even here." added Peter rather too bluntly.

Sirius smiled through his pale complexion. "I guess. Although, Peter, I see who is sat here before me today more as family than anyone I can admit to be blood-related. Especially less so in the case of bloody Bellatrix."

"Ah, yes." said Harry. "What happened to her in the end? Does anyone know?"

"Oh yes." said Sirius with a broad grin. "She and her excuse of a husband are wallowing in the loss of their precious Dark Lord. Their, uh, Heaven is no more than a Hell, a shrine to Voldemort. In fact, I think they are separated because Bella was more in love with Voldemort than her own husband."