Patrick Stump and the Flying Car Brigade

Chapter 35

Chapter 35

I stepped up to the mirror, while Teddy followed me, observing the room. A familiar vision greeted me once again, and I couldn't help but smile as I watched my reflection cross the lake once again, with my friends and classmates on the other side. "Do you see it, Teddy?" I asked him. "I'm graduating, and it's going to be the beginning of a lifetime of laughter."

"That's not what I see," Teddy replied.

How could that be possible? I wondered. I could see the lake and everything around it so clearly, and yet Teddy claimed that he was seeing something completely different. "What do you see?" I asked him.

"I see myself, but I'm with my mum and dad," Teddy said. "There are other people there too. There's my grandfather, and my dad's friends, and so many other relatives too. My whole family is here."

At first, I had no idea how he could see something completely different than what I was seeing, but then I looked up at the mirror's inscription. It said, "Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi." What could that mean? I wondered, but then I read it backwards. "I show not your face, but your heart's desire." That made far more sense. The mirror was simply showing me what I wanted most. In my case, that was to be able to finish my seven years at Hogwarts, and for Teddy, it was his family.

The scene faded away again, and the voices came back. "Who is that?" Teddy asked, looking around the room. "Where is it coming from?"

"It's the voices of the dead," I said. "They're coming from the crack in the mirror."

"Stump?" Sirius asked. "Is that you?"

"Yes, it's me," I said. "Teddy Lupin is here too."

"We're only liars, but we're the best!" Teddy added.

Sirius chuckled. "I like this lad already," he said. "How are you doing, Teddy?"

"I'm not okay," Teddy said. "I promise."

"You're really getting into this emo thing, aren't you?" I commented.

Teddy nodded. "I like listening to you and the rest of Fall Out Boy practice," he said. "You got me into it."

"What are you talking about?" Sirius asked.

"Teddy's turning into an emo," I said. "Teddy, I'm fine with you being an emo, but don't even try to talk to Pete about eyeliner. He has this whole monologue that he gives every time..."

"Is it about how makeup is great for a guy because it makes a guy look beautiful?" Teddy asked. "I've already heard it."

"Yes, it's that one," I said. "Sirius, this is going to sound like we're becoming as mad as rabbits, but did you ever have to deal with newspapers attacking you and your friends?"

"The Daily Prophet thought that I was a highly dangerous criminal for nearly a year, so yes, I think that counts," Sirius said. "Why?"

"That's what we're dealing with right now," I explained. "What did you do when that happened?"

"I turned into a dog and hid in the Forbidden Forest," Sirius stated.

"I'm not a good enough wizard for that yet," Teddy said.

"Me neither," I said. "I just learned Cross-Species Transfiguration. I could never become an Animagus."

"It's not that hard," Sirius said. "I did it when I was younger than you, Patrick."

"You're also a better wizard than I am," I argued.

"You just have to have motivation," Sirius said. "One of my best friends was a werewolf, and my friends and I wanted to accompany him. Transformations were brutal back in those days, since they hadn't invented the Wolfsbane Potion yet. That's why I became an Animagus. Wait a minute. Teddy? Did you say your last name was Lupin?"

"Yes," Teddy said.

"Are you Remus' boy?" he asked. Teddy smiled and nodded. "I'm sure you want to talk to your mother and father. I'll go find them for you."

The voices went silent for the minute, and then an unfamiliar voice spoke. "Teddy? Is that you?" the voice said.

"Dad?" Teddy said, standing on his tiptoes to look up at the crack in the mirror.

"Teddy!" his father exclaimed. "Oh, you've grown so much. How are you?"

"I'm feeling a lot better, now that I get to talk to you," Teddy said.

"I missed you so much all of these years," Lupin said. "The hardest part of this was leaving you."

Teddy smiled. "I missed you too, Dad."

"Dora!" Lupin exclaimed. "Look at this! It's Teddy!"

"Hi Teddy," Teddy's mum said. "I see that you've joined Hufflepuff. That was my old house."

"It's great," Teddy said. "I'm meeting lots of new people, like my friend Patrick."

"Hi Patrick," Teddy's mum said. "I'm Tonks. Thanks for bringing Teddy here."

"You're welcome," I said.

"This is wonderful," Lupin said. "He's a Metamorphmagus like you, and he's not a werewolf! Teddy, be thankful that you're not like me. All of the mothers raised their babies to stay away from me."

"Werewolves aren't that bad," Teddy said. "We have the Werewolf Protection Act now that ensures that werewolves are treated equally."

"So much has changed," Lupin said. "I wish that I was around to see all of it. How is Harry doing?"

"He's the Head of the Auror Office now," Teddy said. "I usually see him a few times a week over the summer, and he writes to me all the time at Hogwarts."

"Are you talking about Harry Potter?" I asked, wondering how Teddy could know someone that famous.

"Yes," Teddy said. "He's my godfather."

"I knew that we made a good choice," Tonks said.

I smiled as I watched the three of them continue to talk. I had reunited a family, and Teddy seemed happier than ever. I had given an opportunity that he had been denied for the last eleven years of his life: the opportunity to have a real family. The lights were on and everyone was home.

Teddy, Lupin, and Tonks wrapped up their conversation. "We love you Teddy, but you have to carry on," Tonks said.

"Bye Mum. Bye Dad," Teddy said. "I love you too."

Teddy and I left the classroom and returned to the Hufflepuff Common Room. It was getting late, and I had a Transfiguration exam the next day. Nevertheless, I was satisfied with everything that had happened that day. I had helped someone, and that was all I wanted.