Harry Potter and the Death Awakener

Chapter Fifteen: Welcome Back

Harry startled awake at the sharp beep of his watch. He groaned and carefully reached around Teddy to push the button on the side of the watch.

Teddy was snoozing heavily on Harry's chest, his mouth slightly open. Once the Teddy was asleep it was hard to wake him up. The kid would still be sleeping if the Hogwarts Express came thundering through Harry's kitchen right now.

Harry stood up and groaned again as he carefully shook out his stiff limbs. He should've laid Teddy down in the crib he kept in one of the spare rooms, but he was afraid it would just anger the baby more. Harry was lucky he even got him to calm down, let alone sleep.

Two sets of steps sounded on the stairs as Harry pushed in his chair. He was already regretting sleeping in it.

Now that he was standing with Teddy still in his arms, he could see Kreacher finish cooking the eggs and bacon on the stove. How he worked so quietly, Harry didn't know.

"That smells great, Kreacher," Harry murmured to the house elf. Kreacher nodded his head in appreciation, too absorbed in his work to say anything.

The steps quieted as they came into the kitchen. "Harry?" His mother's voice was behind him. He turned around and faced her and James. Their eyes widened as they took him in. He knew how he must've looked. His was hair mused from sleep, his shirt and pants rumpled, glasses askew, and of course, the sleeping, blue haired baby in his arms. He was a sight to behold.

"He's not your's, is he?" Lily asked, glancing between Teddy and Harry.

"No, no! He's not mine!" Harry said quickly and a little too loudly, he realized, as Teddy twitched in his arms. He could see the worry and shock melt off their faces at the words.

James asked, "Why is his hair blue?"

Harry chuckled quietly and said, "This is Teddy Lupin, son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks. As you know, Tonks was a metamorphmagus which is why his hair changes colors occasionally. I'm Teddy's godfather."

"You didn't tell us Moony had a son," James said. Harry could hear the accusation and hurt in his voice and was instantly guilty.

"I'm sorry," Harry said, "The night I told you everything was a long one. I only told you the bigger picture and left out the small details." He paused and then said again. "I'm sorry."

"You didn't think to tell us that one of my best friends has a kid because you thought it was a small detail? You've had plenty of time to tell us since then!"

Harry winced at the words as the came out of James' mouth. "I didn't mean it like that."

Lily laid a small hand on James' shoulder and said, "Harry's had a lot on his mind, James. Between worrying about work and us, he hasn't even had much time to so much as think. He said he was sorry, James." His father nodded and a look of guilt crossed his face at his sudden anger. Harry didn't blame him for his outburst, though.

Lily turned to Harry and said, "Hand Teddy to me and I'll watch him while you're at the Ministry."

"You don't have to watch him all day," Harry said. "I can get Mrs. Weasley to take care of him while I'm gone."

"Nonsense!" Lily exclaimed while carefully taking Teddy into her arms. "James and I don't have anything planned for the day. It would be our pleasure!" Excitement was plainly written across her face at the idea of watching the baby. He wondered if maybe it was because Lily didn't get much time with her own.

Harry said, "Okay, then. I'm going to go get ready. I'll be back down in a few minutes."

Harry sprinted up the stairs, taking two at a time. If he didn't hurry, he'd be late and today was not a good day to be late.

Once he was in his room, Harry opened his drawers and pulled out a black pair of slacks, a brown leather belt, a white button up shirt, and his Ministry issued tie. He briskly pulled on his slacks and nearly fell over in the process. He continued getting dressed as he walked into his bathroom.

Harry frowned at his reflection. His hair was messier than usual and the underneath of his eyes looked vaguely bruised. There was nothing he could do about his eyes, but he did his best to tame his hair. He then brushed his teeth and started to leave his room. On his way out, he grabbed his Ministry robes.

He fastened them around his neck as he walked back down the stairs and headed for the kitchen. James had already dug into the breakfast Kreacher made and was on his second when Harry entered. Lily was carefully eating around the still sleeping baby in her arms.

Harry glanced at his watch as he entered and sighed in relief. He would be on time. He grabbed a plate of eggs and sat next to his father. Harry wolfed down his eggs and stood up to leave.

He said to Lily, "Everything you will need for Teddy is in the spare room next to mine, so you don't need to worry about that. The diapers are- "

"Harry, love," Lily cut him off and stood up. She gave Teddy to James and came to stand in front of him. She placed a hand on his face and said, "Don't worry about us. We will find everything."

Harry nodded and placed a kiss on Lily's check. She smiled and then gave him a small shove towards the door. Harry took that as his cue to leave.

As he walked, Harry touched his face where his mother's hand had been and frowned. Her hand was icy against his face and when his lips touched her cheek, it felt frozen as well. It was almost like there was no blood running through her body. Harry shook his head. It was probably nothing.

Harry opened the door and was about to apparate on the top step when he saw three figures standing there, one with their fist raised about to knock. Harry wished he could say he was surprised at the people he saw, but he wasn't.

He stepped aside with a small sigh so they could enter Grimmauld Place and said, "Welcome back."