Saving Myself || A Drarry Story

XXXVI: Tonk's Request

Over the course of a few hours, more of Draco's relatives poured through the front door, hugging Draco and smiling and nodding and swallowing when Draco told them about Harry and why a Potter was in his home.

There were even a few professors that showed up, rustling Teddy's teal hair and commenting on Harry's black sweater and jeans quietly behind their hands to Draco, who smiled widely. Professor Lupin held Harry by the shoulders, saying loudly, "Harry is one of my best students next to Blaise Zabini and Draco!"

Harry was silent, however, twisting a bit of his hair around his finger over and over and over again. He followed Draco around like a lost puppy, weaving through the sea of people that wanted to shake his hand or stop for a chat, but he completely ignored them.

Even Professor Hagrid was there, proclaiming boisterously, "Harry is my best student in Care o' Magical Creatures!"

Harry blushed at this and ran into Draco when he, very suddenly, stopped. Draco turned and asked, "Have you just been following me around the house?"

Harry blushed and glared. "I'm not a talker."

Draco patted Harry's head as if he were a mildly misbehaved puppy. "Oh, come off it. You talk my ear off almost every night."

"I do not!" Harry said indignantly. "And don't act as if you don't do the same thing, "

"I don't, " Draco smirked, cocking an eyebrow as the doorbell rang. "C'mon, you weirdo."

They walked to the mudroom and Draco opened the door, saying in a distasteful tone, "Oh, it's you."

"I'm here for Teddy, " a woman with short, bubblegum pink hair and brown eyes told him. She was almost as tall as Draco, her back straight and wearing high heels. Harry thought that the pink hair didn't suit this almost forty years old looking woman, but he silenced his remark by pinching his lips together.

"This is a family thing, Tonks."

"Draco, I really don't have time for this. I'm supposed to meet my fiancee---"

"Then why couldn't you write? Or take Teddy before, when you were supposed to?" Harry retorted, his hands clenched, but his voice was calm.

"I know of you, boy, " she said coldly. She turned back to Draco, asking, "Why is a Potter here? With Teddy?"

"He's my boyfriend and he gets along surprisingly well with Teddy, amazingly, " Draco glared at her, putting his arm in front of Harry's chest as if the woman were going to lunge at him.

"Surprisingly?" Harry repeated questioningly.

"Yes, " Draco said, turning to him with a sly grin. "Because you aren't very open."

Harry stuck his tongue out as Remus appeared behind Draco, asking, "Who is it? Oh." He turned to Draco, saying, "Let me deal with this. Go get yourself something to eat."

Harry started to make his way to the kitchen, but Draco pulled him into an empty study and Harry asked, "Are we doing this right---"

"Shh, " Draco hissed, his thumb on Harry's bottom lip. Harry bit it softly and Draco swallowed audibly. "I want to hear what Remus says."

Harry nodded and they were both silent, listening and peeking out from behind the open door.

"Tonks, " Remus said quietly. He seemed to know that Harry and Draco were watching, for he turned his head a bit.

"Where's Teddy?"

"Opening presents from Sirius a---"

Tonks interrupted hotly, her hair now red, "And you have a Potter here. Do you know how dangerous that is?"

Remus sighed heavily. "He isn't any more dangerous than Teddy at all---"

Tonks' nostrils flared as she interjected, "Don't bring my son into the same sentence as him."

"That isn't fair, " Remus muttered, thinking that he sounded like a child. He knew full well that Draco and Harry were watching. He was always a self-conscious and anxious child at Hogwarts, and it was a wonder how Sirius and Lucius could have ever befriended him. "He's my son, too, Tonks."

She pursed her lips and, for a second, Remus wondered why he had ever liked the woman standing in front of him. She was often rude and quick to snap, a bit like Harry. Six years ago, he had met Tonks and told Sirius about her, completely star-struck at the time.

Sirius knew Tonks since she is his cousin, but he told Remus that she was bad news, but Remus didn't listen. That was the first time he argued with Sirius, saying that he was wrong and he was in love. He had been a fool.

She told him what he wanted to hear and he had thought that she loved him as well, that is, until about three months after Teddy was born, when she left in the middle of the night.

He woke up to Teddy's cries and couldn't find her anywhere. The first person he thought of calling was Sirius, who answered to a hysterical Remus and hearing a crying baby in the background. When he Apparated to Remus' home, Teddy had calmed down enough to be happily giggling whereas Remus was silent, in shock.

That is until Sirius kissed his cheek softly, telling him to get some rest at nearly four in the morning, telling him that he was going to Stay in the room next to Teddy's to ensure that Remus slept soundly. Remus trudged to his bedroom, his hand on his cheek.

"I raised him, " Remus continued, the hurt edge still in his voice. "I had to tell him that you weren't coming to get him last week. I don't even have to let you get him if I didn't want you to."

He felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked, seeing Sirius with his face seemingly turned to stone.

Tonks exploded, telling Remus forcefully, "He's my son! Is he a werewolf? No, he's a Metamorphmagus, like me! He's named after my father. I gave birth to him! And you think you have the right to keep him away from me?!"

Harry was breathing heavily. He knew that she only came to have a go at Remus and possibly Draco, but before he could do anything, Teddy waltzed up, asking Remus, "Daddy, d'you think Snuffles can come out now? He's been in the laundry room for a long time."

"One second, Te---"

"Teddy Bear!" Tonks exclaimed, kneeling down to be at her son's level. Teddy looked at her and then back up at Remus. "Come here, Teddy. We're going to my house and you, me, and Jared can go get some presents. Doesn't that sound fun?"

"Mister Jared's going to pick out my stuff for me, " Teddy muttered. He looked back up at Remus. "Daddy?"

"Teddy, " Tonks said, insistent.

"Daddy?" Teddy repeated, not taking his eyes off of his father.

Remus was having a breakdown on the inside. He wasn't sure if his son was merely asking permission or if he actually wanted to go.

Harry, unable to stand by any longer, rushed out of the office, standing in front of the two men and beside Teddy, his scowl deadly. Tonks straightened herself immediately.

"You can leave, " Harry said in a terribly quiet voice.

"Excuse me?" Tonks asked.

Harry told her, "He doesn't want to go. Can't you see that? That's why he keeps looking at Remus."

"What? Of course he wants to---"

"You make me sick, " Harry grumbled. "You left him. Both of them. And I know for a fact that you only came round to muck everything up because that's the sort of person you are because I'm that sort of person w---"

"You aren't even---"

Harry snarled, "Don't you interrupt me!" He added a bit less aggressively, "Just get out of here."

And with that, he slammed the door in her face, listening to Teddy laugh and ignored Remus and Sirius, telling Draco, "I need a drink."

Secretly, he was proud of himself. Even if he did almost punch a woman in her rat-like face.

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