Harry Potter Fic: A Small Spark Neglected, 2/3 (Teddy/James; PG-13/R)
A Small Spark Neglected, part 2. Please see the header post for more information.
“And then,” Teddy said, waving his sandwich in the air, “he told me that if I wanted to get in touch with him I had to go through Pomarina or actually go out to the Manor. They’ve disconnected the Floo. He’s not accepting owl post.”
James shrugged and took a bite of his own sandwich. “I don’t see why you’re frothing at the mouth over this. I’d love a couple days at the office without Dad. Maybe I’d actually get some sodding work done, without him barking at me every five minutes. I swear, sometimes I think he’s going to write out a chores list like they did when we were tykes.”
Teddy grinned despite himself. “I remember those.”
“You were never on them, you lucky little shit,” James laughed. “I was always jealous of you for that.”
Teddy frowned, briefly. He’d hated not being on the Potters’ chores list-it had just reinforced his feeling that he was a guest. He’d even asked to do chores, but Harry always shooed him off. “You shouldn’t feel obligated,” he would say, and a dark look would come over his face, and Teddy would slouch off to sit somewhere quiet until he felt better about the whole thing.
Astoria, though. She had set him to work weeding her gardens every summer, which had been perilous at best and often close to lethal. She’d made him help the house-elves with the washing up when he’d been by for supper. Draco, too, had given him chores-they were usually really disgusting, but they’d made him feel wanted. Loved.
Maybe, Teddy thought, it made sense that he felt like he needed to marry a Potter to be part of the family.
Still, he shook off the moment and scowled at James. “Anyway,” he said, “it’s not just that he’s out of the office. There’s-well, there’s stuff on this case only he’ll be able to help with, and I hate to have to pass it through Pom.”
“Why? She’s great, met her a couple times.” James, who had an endearingly disgusting habit of talking with a little bit of food still in his mouth, swallowed. “She’s quick, and dead good at her job. It’s not like she’ll be out selling secrets.”
Teddy didn’t know how to explain that it wasn’t about trust so much as it was about saying as little as possible to as few as possible. “Mundus hic mutus est,” he said, instead, and James rolled his eyes.
“You’re an obnoxious git,” he told Teddy sternly. “Try to work on that.”
Teddy just grinned. “Will do. Thanks for lunch.”
Before James could stop him, he was up and out of his chair. “Hey!” James called after him. “That was a steak sandwich you ordered!” When Teddy didn’t turn around, James yelled “Fuck you too, Lupin!” and then made a still-audible noise of frustration when the whole room gasped at his language.
“He stuck me with the bill,” James muttered, sullenly. Across the room, an elderly woman tutted at him, and he turned crimson and sank in his chair. “Sorry.”
In actual fact, Teddy hadn’t stuck James with anything-he’d paid for both meals while James had been in the loo. It was worth it, to watch the look on his face through the window when he figured that out.
--
“There’s no way anyone could use petrol to control Fiendfyre!” Teddy yelled, eight hours later. His office walls were soundproof, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing him.
Then again, his office walls were soundproof, so no one could hear him and come explain the damn thing either. He stared again at the evidence bag, which the lab had gone over thoroughly. The rubble was indeed soaked with gasoline.
But…even if it wasn’t Fiendfyre-which it was, Draco himself had confirmed that and he’d been the foremost authority on the subject for years-how was the attacker soaking the place with petrol in the first place? Couldn’t do it too far beforehand because of the scent, couldn’t do it while casting because the fire itself would burn you to death. Why was it even necessary? It wasn’t like something as powerful as Fiendfyre needed any help in the accelerant department.
Teddy scrubbed at his face and checked his watch absently, starting when he realized it was already 9 o’clock. “Fuck,” he muttered, “Albus,” and he left at once.
He’d owled the younger Potter brother when he’d left lunch with James. He’d always found Albus more than a little irritating, but he was younger than Harry, and gayer than Harry, and less Teddy’s father figure than Harry. It was an idea, anyway. No harm in trying.
When he arrived at the address Albus had specified, he groaned aloud. The kid would make him come to a bar like this, wouldn’t he? He should have known better than to let him pick the place. The sign-well, calling it a sign was generous. The garish monstrosity blinking above the bar door read, of all things, “The Back Door.” It was purple. And…glittering. Teddy sighed, subtly adjusted his hair color and face shape to make him less attractive to the horrifyingly young crowd, and slipped inside.
Albus was sitting at a table in the back, sipping from a drink that was casually, shockingly pink. Teddy fought the urge to weep with despair. He himself was as gay as they came, James too, and they hit the clubs with the best of them-as evidenced by that photo, said a Draconian voice in his head-but this was just obscene. He wondered, absently, how Ginny could possibly have been surprised when Albus came out.
Albus laughed at him outright when he sat down. “That nose looks terrible on you,” he remarked, and Teddy, who had put this face on purposely, just smiled.
“At least I can change mine,” he said, amiably enough. It was a joke. It wasn’t even a particularly pointed joke-James would have laughed. Albus just scowled.
“Nice,” he snapped. He actually looked hurt. Christ, but the kid was touchy. “Bring me out to abuse me, did you?”
Teddy said, “Come on, that wasn’t what I -” and then Albus’s look went from injured to calculating so fast that it was a little unnerving.
“Yes,” he drawled, twirling the straw in his drink-which would be a much more effective intimidation tactic if it weren't bloody pink- “why did you bring me out? Inquiring minds want to know.”
Teddy shrugged uneasily. “Hadn’t seen you in awhile.”
“Oh, because we’re so close,” Albus shot back. Then he sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Look, if you want to lecture me about not warning Dad before I came out to Mum, James and Lily and my father have already done a spiffing job with it, so I’d just as soon not have you at me too.”
“It’s nothing to do with that!” Teddy said, irritably. “Though I do think-”
“Oh, fuck right off! You can’t lecture me because I reminded you to, that’s foul play. Shut up for a second and let me think, yeah?” Teddy resented being told to shut up by such an obnoxious kid-an intern for a fucking barister’s office, no less-but he remembered the horrible attempt with Harry the night before and bit his tongue. It was possible, he thought, that someday he’d find Albus Potter slightly less irritating. He owed it to himself to try.
Albus studied him for a moment and then, talking mostly to himself, said, “Hmm. Can’t need money, you’d have gone to my dad for that. Though you did see him last night, maybe he wouldn’t loan-but then it’d be Mr. Malfoy, wouldn’t it, and Dad would have let something slip-”
“I don’t need money, Albus, I get a very good Ministry salary.”
“Hmm,” Albus said, again. “Not money, then…you don’t want me to set you up, do you? Are you looking for a new little playtwink?”
Teddy groaned audibly and dropped his head into his hands. “I am going to kill James for coming up with that fucking word.”
Albus didn’t appear to have heard him. “Can’t be a new toy, gets those on his own. Why would he come to me? Houseroom-no, he’d go to James for that. Advice? He’d go to James for that too…bugger.” He looked sternly at Teddy. “What the fuck is it you want?”
“You are so annoying,” Teddy snapped. “It’s not possible that I just wanted to see you, buy you a beer?”
Albus smirked. “It’s possible,” he drawled, “it’s just not likely.”
Teddy felt a strong, nearly overpowering urge to tear out his own hair. Fighting that back, he gestured for a waiter. “That’s what I’m doing, ok? I wanted to see you, Merlin knows why. Christ,” he added, as the waiter approached, “do you ever stop with the suspicion? I thought you’d grow out of that.”
Albus smirked some more. “Slytherins never grow out of anything,” he said, “which is why we tend to live so much longer than the rest of you buggers.”
Teddy rolled his eyed and ordered them both a pint, ignoring Albus’s horrified face. “So, uh,” Teddy started, and remembered that this kid, who looked so much like his father, had exactly nothing in common with him. “How’s the job?” he tried finally, for lack of anything better to say.
To Teddy’s great surprise, this seemed to be the right question. Albus animatedly began discussing the position he’d taken on, name-dropping occasionally. Teddy half-listened, and focused on looking instead.
Al was…well. He was really bloody irritating, and even as a kid he’d rubbed Teddy the wrong way. It was a mutual feeling, Teddy knew-three-year-old Albus had put paste in his hair while he was sleeping on the Potters’ couch one summer, and they’d been at each other’s throats ever since. He loved Albus, of course, in the sense that he’d save him unthinkingly from a burning building or make him dinner if he was starving. He just didn’t like him very much.
But-well, he did look a lot like Harry, and Teddy had admitted to himself only yesterday that Harry was attractive. He looked like a much younger version of Harry, with darker eyes and slightly longer hair. He was scrawny, too. Teddy generally preferred them wiry, if not quite so wiry as Al-but it was close. It was close.
“Are you even listening to me?”Albus snapped, irritated.
“Fuck it,” Teddy said, and lunged across the table and kissed him.
It was-oh, god, it was terrible. Albus was stock-still underneath his lips and the edge of the table was digging bitterly into his stomach and he didn’t feel anything, excepting maybe thick incestuous revulsion brimming up under his bones and-
“OI!” Albus yelled, recovering himself and shoving Teddy back. Teddy tumbled over his stool and hit the floor, and Albus scrambled over to stare down at him. “What the FUCK are you playing at? Oh my god!”
“Nothing!” Teddy snapped, coloring. “I just-I thought-”
“You just thought you’d kiss me?” Albus cried. “Oh my god, what is wrong with you?”
“I thought-”
“I have a boyfriend!” Albus shouted. “And you have to know it would kill-”He bit his lip and flushed, which Teddy thought was a bit bizarre. Then he shook his head as if to clear the madness out and glared again.
“Is this some kind of-oh my god. Oh my god, do you have feelings for me, oh he’s going to murder me, I think I’m going to be sick-”
Teddy stood up, trying to retain as much dignity as possible while receiving dirty looks from nearly the entire bar. “No,” he hissed, “I do not have feelings for you. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Don’t be ridiculous?” Albus repeated, his voice getting higher and higher with rage. “YOU kissed ME and now I’m ridiculous? Really? You’re such a bastard, Teddy, I don’t even know where to fucking start.”
“Shit,” Teddy muttered. “Look, I-that was stupid. I promise I’m not secretly in love with you or anything, I just-fuck. I had a moment, I don’t want to talk about it.”
Albus eyed him suspiciously. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of ‘sexual favors’ when I was coming up with reasons you wanted to meet me,” he said, darkly, and Teddy sighed.
“I don’t want sexual favors. Christ, Al, can’t we just-finish our beers and forget that ever happened?”
Albus grabbed his drink and tossed it back in three large gulps. “My beer’s done.”
Teddy sighed. “Al, I’m sorry, okay? Why don’t you just-tell me about your boyfriend, I didn’t know about that, and then I’ll promise that we never have to do this again and we can both go home feeling less weird than we do now.”
Albus gave him a long look. “If I agree,” he said, finally, “no one ever hears about what just happened. Not your stupid boss, not Lily, not my parents, and especially not my brother. Okay?”
“Believe me, kid,” Teddy said, “I’m not going to be telling anyone.”
Albus let out a relieved little breath, slid into his chair, and signaled for the bartender. “Fine,” he said, as Teddy resumed his own seat, “but I’m going to need more alcohol.”
---
Wednesday, Teddy didn’t leave his office. He’d gotten an owl from Astoria on his way home from the bar, letting him know that Draco had been moved from the Manor to a secure holding facility in Glouster in response to another fire. It wasn’t Azkaban, but it was close, and Teddy had to figure it out. He’d gone to the site of the latest crime-the same as the rest-and then come straight in to work, figuring he could sleep when he sorted everything and cleared Draco’s name. He’d pulled all-nighters before; he could do it again.
But the whole case was bloody impossible, and he was older than he’d been the last time he’d skipped a night of sleep, and his boss was more or less in jail, and everything was going to explode around him if he didn’t get to the meat of it soon. He’d papered his walls with sketches and lists and documents, tracing the magical paths, the similarities between sites, the personal details of each victim. Aside from the fact that they’d met with Draco shortly before their deaths, he couldn’t figure out how they were similar.
It was a relief when James stuck his head in Teddy’s door, looked around, and whistled. “New wallpaper?”
“You could say that.” Teddy scrubbed at his face; he’d caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror hours ago, and he wondered if the circles under his eyes had gotten less prominent since then. He kind of doubted it, but a man could always hope. “Look, I can’t tell you how much I’d love to do lunch today, but I’m swamped-”
“Lunch?” James interrupted. He gave Teddy a concerned glance. “Mate, it’s 5:45. I came to make sure you’re still coming to dinner.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“I’m not.” James moved over to the side of Teddy’s chair; he clapped a hand to Teddy’s back, and Teddy leaned his head down to rest on the cool surface of his desk. “You look like shit,” James said quietly. “Has anyone mentioned that?”
“Just everyone I’ve seen today.” James made a sympathetic noise. “D’you know how long I’ve been here?”
“I can guess,” James muttered. “You’re going to drive yourself crazy like this, you know. Have you slept? Eaten anything?”
“There were some crackers in the drawer,” Teddy muttered. Then he thought about what James had said about dinner, and sat bolt upright. “Christ, is it Wednesday?”
“Yeah,” James said. “Family dinner.”
“I forgot to get the dessert,” Teddy moaned. James laughed.
“We’ll stop on the way,” he said, offering Teddy a hand. “More then one way to avoid Lily’s tripe, don’t worry. We can get you some headache potion, too. And you’re not coming back to this office until tomorrow morning.”
“But-” Teddy protested, letting James haul him up out of the chair.
“You’ll burn yourself out like this,” James said firmly. “I understand that you’re crazy and everything, and I know that this is stressful, but you’ve got at least a week before anyone gets up the cojones to throw Draco sodding Malfoy in Azkaban.”
“You’re not supposed to know that’s a possibility,” Teddy protested, as James dragged him toward the door. “Which-security leaks. Maybe…can I at least grab that file, I need to check-”
“No, you can’t,” James said. “We’re leaving. And I’m not a security leak, you twit, I’m Harry Potter’s son. I hear everything. Calm down.”
“Sometimes I hate you so much,” Teddy said. James grinned at him and slammed the office door behind them.
“No you don’t,” he said. “Come on, let’s find you that potion.”
--
James and Teddy actually showed up at Harry’s before anyone else; Teddy fell asleep on the couch while dinner was cooking. James shook him awake at seven, and he blinked his way blearily into consciousness.
“Plonker,” James said fondly. “I told you-burning yourself out. We’re eating now. Go say hi to Lily and Al.”
Teddy stood up and groaned. “You’re sure I can’t just, you know, die?”
“Not an option,” a light voice said. Teddy turned, and Lily smiled at him, blue eyes dancing. “You have to at least say hello first, it’s bad form to expire before you’ve greeted everyone.”
“Who could argue with that logic?” Teddy asked. He opened his arms and Lily hugged him. Her hair, red and wild, got in his mouth a little, and she was soft and yielding against his chest. Teddy thought about how easy everything would be if he could muster up even the smallest bit of interest in women, and sighed.
“Good to see you, Lil,” he murmured, breaking away. She grinned.
“Pleasure’s mine, really,” she returned. “I hear you got dessert; didn’t want to risk my attempt?”
“I, uh-” Teddy started, warily, but she laughed.
“You’re so predictable,” she told him. “I only ever threaten culinary disasters because I know you’ll bring éclairs.”
“Sneaky Slytherins,” Teddy said, a chuckle belying his tone. Albus, setting the table, preened.
“We pride ourselves on it,” he called over. “Not our fault some people were sorted to lesser houses.”
“Hey!” James, Teddy and Harry protested at once. Albus grinned.
“Envy,” he said, to Lily, rolling his eyes. “It’s sad, really.”
“What’s sad is that I’ve raised such traitorous children,” Harry threw in. “Let’s eat before it gets cold, yeah? You lot know I can only barely manage to toss together a decent meal, I’d hate to see how it tasted lukewarm.”
“Hear, hear!” James cried.
They sat; Teddy was next to James and across from Albus, who gave him a few nervous glances but otherwise acted entirely normal. Teddy was grateful-he’d been worried things would be awkward between them. He’d also been worried that Albus would want to spend yet another twenty minutes rambling on about Draco’s son’s glorious arse, but he’d apparently gotten that all out of his system the previous night.
The meal was delicious, even if James did have to elbow Teddy awake rather too hard every 10 minutes or so. “Git,” James muttered, every time, and Teddy smiled viciously at him and stole bites of chicken from his plate as punishment. Albus made a choked noise every time this happened, for reasons Teddy couldn’t fathom.
After the fourth time Teddy nearly dropped his face into his peas, Harry rolled his eyes and said “For Merlin’s sake, Teddy,” and grabbed him some Pepper-Up out of the cupboard. He protested that he wasn’t sick, and Harry gave him a stern look chock full of typical parental dismissal, and Teddy wanted to laugh hysterically at the idea that he’d ever considered Harry a marriage possibility. Then Lily mentioned that Harry only ever stocked Auror’s Pepper-Up, which was a strange combination of the original potion and a metric fuck-ton of caffeine, and Teddy downed it at once. It helped.
No one mentioned that Ginny, who came to family dinners every week and had since the divorce, was not in attendance. Teddy caught Harry glancing at the empty chair a few times, and felt bad; twice he felt James stiffen next to him, and knew he was noticing it too. That, Teddy supposed, was the trouble with having a host of trained investigators over to supper, but it couldn’t be helped.
Still, the whole affair was pleasant and relaxing, and Teddy was just starting to feel that third glass of wine when Harry yawned and said he was going to have to turn in.
“At 9:30?” Teddy asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re getting old, Harry,”
“Like you’re one to talk, Mr. Asleep At The Table,” James snapped, only half playful. Teddy gave him a baleful look, which James met with a stern gaze of his own.
“Some of us didn’t sleep last night,” Teddy said, a challenge.
“Then some of us are idiots.” James’ tone was light, but his eyes were more worried than joking. Albus made that choking sound again, and Teddy could hear Lily snorting around a badly held-in laugh.
He looked away from James; Harry was smiling at him, strangely. Teddy would worry about it later-if they all left at once, there was the chance James would forget to tail him home, and he could go back to the office.
“Better let Old Man Potter get his beauty sleep,” he said.
“Yeah,” Albus said. “I, uh. I’ve got to meet someone.” His mouth tightened, and it occurred to Teddy that dating someone whose father was more or less under arrest couldn’t be easy. He wanted to say something, but Albus had made him swear up and down not to mention anything to the family. He settled for a kind smile instead; Albus twitched and looked away, clearly thinking he meant something else by it.
“Thanks for dinner, Dad,” Lily offered, as Teddy was contemplating exactly how fucked up this whole situation was. “It was delicious.”
“Anytime, Lilybilly,” Harry said. She winced at the name, but stood and kissed him on the cheek; Albus and James both hugged him, and Teddy clapped him lightly on the shoulder. Harry rolled his eyes and put an arm around Teddy’s back, pulling him in for a hug.
“Don’t drive yourself crazy over this case,” Harry said in his ear. “Everyone who matters knows Malfoy didn’t do this. It’ll work itself out.”
“Let’s hope so,” Teddy said, smiling grimly and pulling away. “Without him, I’m not sure I have a job.”
“There’s always a spot for you on my team, Ted,” Harry said, firmly. “Don’t forget it.”
“Thanks,” Teddy said. Harry showed them out, and Teddy offered a quick goodbye to Lily and Albus; he was just contemplating the best way to sneak off when James grabbed his arm.
“We’re going to my place,” he announced.
“Oh,” Teddy said, feigning a yawn, “well, uh, I’m really tired-”
“There’s enough caffeine in one of those Pepper-Ups to keep an Erumpet awake for a week,” James said. “You want to go back to beating your head against that desk, and I’m not having it. We’re having a drink. Come on.”
--
Four beers later, Teddy was feeling a little tipsy.
It wasn’t, he protested to himself (or, possibly, to James-he was having a little trouble deciding if he was thinking out loud or not), that he was a lightweight. He was a heavyweight and older than James by a fair margin besides and James shouldn’t be laughing at him. He was an experienced drinker, he’d just not slept and had that Pepper-Up and the headache potion and three glasses of wine at dinner besides and there’d been that whole thing with Albus-
“What thing with Albus?” James asked, amused. That answered the thinking-out-loud-or-not question, Teddy supposed.
“Oh,” he said, absently, “kissed ‘im. Bloody awkward, innit?”
James spat out a mouthful of beer, and Teddy laughed so hard his stomach hurt, even as he slapped James on the back to keep him from choking.
“You what?” James gasped, when he could breathe again. Teddy shrugged, still snorting, and leaned back against James’ ratty couch.
“I kissed ‘im,” Teddy repeated. He took a contemplative swig of his beer. “Bad idea. Draco’s fault. And m’grandmother. Meddly-like. In my business. You know.”
James pulled the beer out of Teddy’s hand. Well-really he ripped the beer out of Teddy’s hand, spilling some of it on the floor. “I don’t know, actually,” he snapped, his voice clipped. “Explain.”
Teddy waved a hand; then he reached for his beer, which James held out of his reach. “You know,” he said, annoyed, “meddling! Said I had to get married an‘ stuff. Pick a good family and-contracts. Stuff.” He stopped and peered at the beer bottle James was still holding. “How many ‘f those have I had?”
“More than enough,” James said. He looked-angry. Really angry. As angry as he’d been that time when he was 16 and Teddy’d needed to borrow his broom for a case and had ended up flying it into a tree. Angrier, maybe.
“I wouldn’t’a!” Teddy protested, realizing why James was upset. “I didn’t know ‘bout his-Scorpius-thing.”
“Wait, Al’s mystery man is Scorpius Malfoy?” James said, momentarily distracted. Then he seemed to come back to himself and said “Fucking hell, Teddy.” He looked angry again, and he got up, slamming his way into the back of the flat.
He’d left Teddy’s beer. Teddy downed the rest of it and yelled “’M sorry!” but James didn’t answer him. He was vaguely worried about that, and he was digging around for his wand to cast a sobering spell when James came back out. His eyes were flashing and he was wearing his leather jacket, the one that had been Harry’s godfather’s.
“I’m going out,” he snapped. Teddy raised both eyebrows in confusion but stood; he wobbled, and James said “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He whipped out his wand and said “Sobrietus,” viciously.
Teddy felt the force of the spell wash over him; it was too strong by half, and he could feel it eating away at the potions he’d taken too. “Hey!” he cried, hideously, abruptly sober, following James as he stalked out the door, “what the hell are you playing at? That nearly knocked me over!”
“Fuck off,” James growled. “You were making an arse of yourself. Something had to be done.”
Teddy found he had to jog to keep up; this was unusual, because he had the longer legs, and James wasn’t exactly running. He was just…moving at the speed of rage, Teddy supposed, which would make sense if Teddy could figure out what, exactly, he was so bloody angry about.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked, panting. “I’m sorry I kissed your brother, all right? I wasn’t planning on fucking him or anything, I just wanted to see-”
James ignored him, and turned left abruptly; Teddy realized they were at The Wizard’s Staff. “Hey,” he said, holding up his hands, “after that thing with the Prophet, I’m not sure I want to-”
“Then don’t,” James snapped, and vanished through the doors.
“Fuck,” Teddy groaned. He idled on the sidewalk for a moment, then cursed again and followed. He could feel exhaustion nipping at his heels, and the burning hangover of an over-eager Sobrietus behind it, but he couldn’t just leave, not with James this upset. It-aside from the time with the broom, and the time last winter when Teddy’d had to spend a week in the hospital because he’d gotten pneumonia and used suppressing charms to hide it until he’d nearly died, James had never been really angry with him. Annoyed, sure, even pissed, but never furious like this. Teddy was surprised to find that the experience left his stomach in hard, aching knots.
The lights were dim inside the club; somewhere a strobe was going, and Teddy glanced around desperately. He’d never been in here sober, and he decided at once that he liked it better drunk. In the brief flashes of light he could see men writhing against each other, and he searched almost frantically for any sign of James-the flashes of red that sometimes shone out from his dark brown hair, that olive skin, those hands that were too big for his body.
His clothes, you idiot, Teddy thought, suddenly, you’re more likely to identify that jacket than his fucking hands in the dark. He swore and, feeling like an imbecile, cast his eyes around for-
There. James was up against a wall, having a spirited discussion with a man nearly twice his size. He saw Teddy looking and scowled. Then he said something that Teddy couldn’t make out to the man, who grabbed James by both shoulder and kissed him roughly.
Teddy felt something twist, violent and furious, in his chest. As he stalked over to them, he was nearly knocked down by the sudden cacophony of thoughts clamoring for first ranking in his mind. Sharpest among them was Fuck, I am an idiot; most persistent was Seriously, I am a fucking idiot. There were innumerable others-shades of panic, the fact that he’d never actually seen James touch anyone at a club before, ways he could commit murder without being traced-but one drowned out all the rest.
It said, quite simply, Mine.
Teddy tapped the strange man on the shoulder when he reached them; the guy broke from James and turned to Teddy with a lazy, arrogant grin on his face. “Little busy here, mate,” he said.
“I am not your fucking mate,” Teddy snapped, and punched him.
It was, admittedly, not his best punch ever. Teddy had been a Ravenclaw, and they weren’t much for physical violence; he’d gone through hand to hand combat training with the Aurors, of course, but that had been nearly a decade ago. Still, he put all of his weight into it, and he felt pretty good about himself as the guy reeled backward, clutching his face.
He felt less good about himself when James yelled “What the fuck is wrong with you,” like he’d stomped on a kitten, and less good in general when the guy straightened up and sighed heavily. Teddy, in his rage, had not taken into account exactly how massive he was.
“A jealous boyfriend,” he said, cracking his jaw against his hand. “Right shame, but I get that. I’ve been there. We could have discussed it; I would have been reasonable. But now,” he said, a little mournfully, “now you’ve gone and hit me.”
“I’m not sorry,” Teddy said, valiantly. He was sorry, a little, because he could see where this was going, but the bastard had deserved it.
“Of course you’re not. I told you, I’ve been there. But man, I am sorry-because nobody hits me and gets away clean. Bad for the reputation.” He cracked his knuckles and glanced at them, a little regretfully. “You seem like a nice enough guy,” he said, “but a man’s got to do what he’s got to do, you know?”
“Fair enough,” Teddy said faintly, and the guy cracked him hard across the jaw. Teddy stumbled back but didn’t fall-Auror training, even a decade old, apparently had its advantages-but fuck if that didn’t hurt. He spat blood onto the ground while the stranger shook his hand out.
“And you,” the guy said, wheeling on James. A little quicker on the uptake about this kind of thing than Teddy, he had his hand on his wand, and he glanced between the two of them warily.
“Going to hit me too?” James asked-always the false bravado. The man sighed again.
“No,” he said, “you’re too pretty to hit. But you need to sort your shit out, because that-” he jerked a thumb at Teddy without turning around, “is bad for business.”
Without any further explanation, he grabbed both James and Teddy by their collars and hauled them to the door. Teddy, who hadn’t been forcibly removed from a bar since he was 23, felt ridiculous-James, who hadn’t, to Teddy’s knowledge, ever been forcibly removed from a bar, was white with fury.
The door slammed heavily behind them. “I hope you’re happy,” James yelled; Teddy was torn between a pressing need to yell back and the new, strange desire to touch.
He settled for yelling, because the other option seemed infinitely more dangerous. “Happy? What, that I got thrown out of a bar by your new boyfriend? Yeah, I’m thrilled.”
“He was the bouncer, you prat! And what fucking right do you have to, to, to punch people in the fucking face-”
“I didn’t want him to touch you.” Teddy meant to yell it, but it came out quiet, a little ashamed. “I saw him, and I-I didn’t-”
James’ mouth twisted into a wry, feral smile. “Oh,” he said, “so I’m the best Potter for the job, am I? Picked me, did you? I’m flattered, Lupin, but I just don’t think I’m ready for that kind of commitment.”
“What are you on about?” Teddy snapped. “For fuck’s sake, Jamie, would you just-”
“Don’t,” James said, breathing heavily out of his nostrils, “don’t you fucking call me that. That’s a family name.”
That stung. Teddy took a reeling step back and James advanced, cornering him against a lamppost.
“Thought you’d just pick one of us,” James hissed, “and everything would work out, is that it?”
“What the fuck are you-”
“Wanted to marry into a good lot,” he spat, furious, and Teddy actually felt the blood drain from his face. “That’s what you said, right? And what better family than the famous Potters, especially for an up-and-coming Ministry man like yourself.”
“It wasn’t like-”
“So you tried Albus and that didn’t work, poor Lily’s got a vagina so she’s right out. I suppose I can only be thankful you didn’t go for my father-”
Teddy couldn’t stop the guilty, shamed expression that flitted across his face, impossibly hard though he tried. He covered it as fast as he could, but not fast enough-James saw, and his eyes went from furious to disgusted to hurt before Teddy could blink.
“Oh my god,” he said, stunned. Then he started laughing; it was a horrible, raw sound. It made the bruise on Teddy’s face throb. He reached out a hand, wanting to-to do something, and James shied away from him and went abruptly silent.
“James,” Teddy tried, “if you’re just-”
“Do you know,” James interrupted, his voice deadly calm now, “how hard it was? To be your friend, your brother all these years? Because that’s what you wanted, and I wanted to do what you wanted, never mind that I’ve been in love with you since I was fifteen.”
“James,” Teddy repeated, his voice cracking.
“I kept telling myself,” he said, and sighed heavily. He looked old: suddenly, terribly. “I kept telling myself that you’d come around eventually-because everyone else saw it, you know. People kept asking me, ‘How about you and Lupin,’ and I’d smile and tell them we were just friends and I kept waiting, I kept waiting for the fucking day you’d-”
He stopped and took a deep breath. Then he smiled; the expression left him looking nothing at all like himself. “And apparently,” he said, his voice bitter, “you have come around. I’m just the last resort. The last Potter standing. How fucking romantic; you should write a novel, Teddy.”
“It’s not like that,” Teddy said, desperately. James gave him a pained, knowing look and Teddy didn’t know what he could possibly say, because of course, of course it looked like that. What else could it look like? “I didn’t realize-”
James reached out and ran two fingers across the bruise on Teddy’s cheek. “Fuck you,” he said, softly.
“Let me explain,” Teddy whispered.
James leaned close, his lips just barely brushing Teddy’s. “Drop dead,” he hissed. Then he stepped back sharply, turned on his heel, and stormed away, leaving Teddy reeling and alone on the street corner.
Part Three
“And then,” Teddy said, waving his sandwich in the air, “he told me that if I wanted to get in touch with him I had to go through Pomarina or actually go out to the Manor. They’ve disconnected the Floo. He’s not accepting owl post.”
James shrugged and took a bite of his own sandwich. “I don’t see why you’re frothing at the mouth over this. I’d love a couple days at the office without Dad. Maybe I’d actually get some sodding work done, without him barking at me every five minutes. I swear, sometimes I think he’s going to write out a chores list like they did when we were tykes.”
Teddy grinned despite himself. “I remember those.”
“You were never on them, you lucky little shit,” James laughed. “I was always jealous of you for that.”
Teddy frowned, briefly. He’d hated not being on the Potters’ chores list-it had just reinforced his feeling that he was a guest. He’d even asked to do chores, but Harry always shooed him off. “You shouldn’t feel obligated,” he would say, and a dark look would come over his face, and Teddy would slouch off to sit somewhere quiet until he felt better about the whole thing.
Astoria, though. She had set him to work weeding her gardens every summer, which had been perilous at best and often close to lethal. She’d made him help the house-elves with the washing up when he’d been by for supper. Draco, too, had given him chores-they were usually really disgusting, but they’d made him feel wanted. Loved.
Maybe, Teddy thought, it made sense that he felt like he needed to marry a Potter to be part of the family.
Still, he shook off the moment and scowled at James. “Anyway,” he said, “it’s not just that he’s out of the office. There’s-well, there’s stuff on this case only he’ll be able to help with, and I hate to have to pass it through Pom.”
“Why? She’s great, met her a couple times.” James, who had an endearingly disgusting habit of talking with a little bit of food still in his mouth, swallowed. “She’s quick, and dead good at her job. It’s not like she’ll be out selling secrets.”
Teddy didn’t know how to explain that it wasn’t about trust so much as it was about saying as little as possible to as few as possible. “Mundus hic mutus est,” he said, instead, and James rolled his eyes.
“You’re an obnoxious git,” he told Teddy sternly. “Try to work on that.”
Teddy just grinned. “Will do. Thanks for lunch.”
Before James could stop him, he was up and out of his chair. “Hey!” James called after him. “That was a steak sandwich you ordered!” When Teddy didn’t turn around, James yelled “Fuck you too, Lupin!” and then made a still-audible noise of frustration when the whole room gasped at his language.
“He stuck me with the bill,” James muttered, sullenly. Across the room, an elderly woman tutted at him, and he turned crimson and sank in his chair. “Sorry.”
In actual fact, Teddy hadn’t stuck James with anything-he’d paid for both meals while James had been in the loo. It was worth it, to watch the look on his face through the window when he figured that out.
--
“There’s no way anyone could use petrol to control Fiendfyre!” Teddy yelled, eight hours later. His office walls were soundproof, so he didn’t have to worry about anyone overhearing him.
Then again, his office walls were soundproof, so no one could hear him and come explain the damn thing either. He stared again at the evidence bag, which the lab had gone over thoroughly. The rubble was indeed soaked with gasoline.
But…even if it wasn’t Fiendfyre-which it was, Draco himself had confirmed that and he’d been the foremost authority on the subject for years-how was the attacker soaking the place with petrol in the first place? Couldn’t do it too far beforehand because of the scent, couldn’t do it while casting because the fire itself would burn you to death. Why was it even necessary? It wasn’t like something as powerful as Fiendfyre needed any help in the accelerant department.
Teddy scrubbed at his face and checked his watch absently, starting when he realized it was already 9 o’clock. “Fuck,” he muttered, “Albus,” and he left at once.
He’d owled the younger Potter brother when he’d left lunch with James. He’d always found Albus more than a little irritating, but he was younger than Harry, and gayer than Harry, and less Teddy’s father figure than Harry. It was an idea, anyway. No harm in trying.
When he arrived at the address Albus had specified, he groaned aloud. The kid would make him come to a bar like this, wouldn’t he? He should have known better than to let him pick the place. The sign-well, calling it a sign was generous. The garish monstrosity blinking above the bar door read, of all things, “The Back Door.” It was purple. And…glittering. Teddy sighed, subtly adjusted his hair color and face shape to make him less attractive to the horrifyingly young crowd, and slipped inside.
Albus was sitting at a table in the back, sipping from a drink that was casually, shockingly pink. Teddy fought the urge to weep with despair. He himself was as gay as they came, James too, and they hit the clubs with the best of them-as evidenced by that photo, said a Draconian voice in his head-but this was just obscene. He wondered, absently, how Ginny could possibly have been surprised when Albus came out.
Albus laughed at him outright when he sat down. “That nose looks terrible on you,” he remarked, and Teddy, who had put this face on purposely, just smiled.
“At least I can change mine,” he said, amiably enough. It was a joke. It wasn’t even a particularly pointed joke-James would have laughed. Albus just scowled.
“Nice,” he snapped. He actually looked hurt. Christ, but the kid was touchy. “Bring me out to abuse me, did you?”
Teddy said, “Come on, that wasn’t what I -” and then Albus’s look went from injured to calculating so fast that it was a little unnerving.
“Yes,” he drawled, twirling the straw in his drink-which would be a much more effective intimidation tactic if it weren't bloody pink- “why did you bring me out? Inquiring minds want to know.”
Teddy shrugged uneasily. “Hadn’t seen you in awhile.”
“Oh, because we’re so close,” Albus shot back. Then he sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. “Look, if you want to lecture me about not warning Dad before I came out to Mum, James and Lily and my father have already done a spiffing job with it, so I’d just as soon not have you at me too.”
“It’s nothing to do with that!” Teddy said, irritably. “Though I do think-”
“Oh, fuck right off! You can’t lecture me because I reminded you to, that’s foul play. Shut up for a second and let me think, yeah?” Teddy resented being told to shut up by such an obnoxious kid-an intern for a fucking barister’s office, no less-but he remembered the horrible attempt with Harry the night before and bit his tongue. It was possible, he thought, that someday he’d find Albus Potter slightly less irritating. He owed it to himself to try.
Albus studied him for a moment and then, talking mostly to himself, said, “Hmm. Can’t need money, you’d have gone to my dad for that. Though you did see him last night, maybe he wouldn’t loan-but then it’d be Mr. Malfoy, wouldn’t it, and Dad would have let something slip-”
“I don’t need money, Albus, I get a very good Ministry salary.”
“Hmm,” Albus said, again. “Not money, then…you don’t want me to set you up, do you? Are you looking for a new little playtwink?”
Teddy groaned audibly and dropped his head into his hands. “I am going to kill James for coming up with that fucking word.”
Albus didn’t appear to have heard him. “Can’t be a new toy, gets those on his own. Why would he come to me? Houseroom-no, he’d go to James for that. Advice? He’d go to James for that too…bugger.” He looked sternly at Teddy. “What the fuck is it you want?”
“You are so annoying,” Teddy snapped. “It’s not possible that I just wanted to see you, buy you a beer?”
Albus smirked. “It’s possible,” he drawled, “it’s just not likely.”
Teddy felt a strong, nearly overpowering urge to tear out his own hair. Fighting that back, he gestured for a waiter. “That’s what I’m doing, ok? I wanted to see you, Merlin knows why. Christ,” he added, as the waiter approached, “do you ever stop with the suspicion? I thought you’d grow out of that.”
Albus smirked some more. “Slytherins never grow out of anything,” he said, “which is why we tend to live so much longer than the rest of you buggers.”
Teddy rolled his eyed and ordered them both a pint, ignoring Albus’s horrified face. “So, uh,” Teddy started, and remembered that this kid, who looked so much like his father, had exactly nothing in common with him. “How’s the job?” he tried finally, for lack of anything better to say.
To Teddy’s great surprise, this seemed to be the right question. Albus animatedly began discussing the position he’d taken on, name-dropping occasionally. Teddy half-listened, and focused on looking instead.
Al was…well. He was really bloody irritating, and even as a kid he’d rubbed Teddy the wrong way. It was a mutual feeling, Teddy knew-three-year-old Albus had put paste in his hair while he was sleeping on the Potters’ couch one summer, and they’d been at each other’s throats ever since. He loved Albus, of course, in the sense that he’d save him unthinkingly from a burning building or make him dinner if he was starving. He just didn’t like him very much.
But-well, he did look a lot like Harry, and Teddy had admitted to himself only yesterday that Harry was attractive. He looked like a much younger version of Harry, with darker eyes and slightly longer hair. He was scrawny, too. Teddy generally preferred them wiry, if not quite so wiry as Al-but it was close. It was close.
“Are you even listening to me?”Albus snapped, irritated.
“Fuck it,” Teddy said, and lunged across the table and kissed him.
It was-oh, god, it was terrible. Albus was stock-still underneath his lips and the edge of the table was digging bitterly into his stomach and he didn’t feel anything, excepting maybe thick incestuous revulsion brimming up under his bones and-
“OI!” Albus yelled, recovering himself and shoving Teddy back. Teddy tumbled over his stool and hit the floor, and Albus scrambled over to stare down at him. “What the FUCK are you playing at? Oh my god!”
“Nothing!” Teddy snapped, coloring. “I just-I thought-”
“You just thought you’d kiss me?” Albus cried. “Oh my god, what is wrong with you?”
“I thought-”
“I have a boyfriend!” Albus shouted. “And you have to know it would kill-”He bit his lip and flushed, which Teddy thought was a bit bizarre. Then he shook his head as if to clear the madness out and glared again.
“Is this some kind of-oh my god. Oh my god, do you have feelings for me, oh he’s going to murder me, I think I’m going to be sick-”
Teddy stood up, trying to retain as much dignity as possible while receiving dirty looks from nearly the entire bar. “No,” he hissed, “I do not have feelings for you. Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Don’t be ridiculous?” Albus repeated, his voice getting higher and higher with rage. “YOU kissed ME and now I’m ridiculous? Really? You’re such a bastard, Teddy, I don’t even know where to fucking start.”
“Shit,” Teddy muttered. “Look, I-that was stupid. I promise I’m not secretly in love with you or anything, I just-fuck. I had a moment, I don’t want to talk about it.”
Albus eyed him suspiciously. “I can’t believe I didn’t think of ‘sexual favors’ when I was coming up with reasons you wanted to meet me,” he said, darkly, and Teddy sighed.
“I don’t want sexual favors. Christ, Al, can’t we just-finish our beers and forget that ever happened?”
Albus grabbed his drink and tossed it back in three large gulps. “My beer’s done.”
Teddy sighed. “Al, I’m sorry, okay? Why don’t you just-tell me about your boyfriend, I didn’t know about that, and then I’ll promise that we never have to do this again and we can both go home feeling less weird than we do now.”
Albus gave him a long look. “If I agree,” he said, finally, “no one ever hears about what just happened. Not your stupid boss, not Lily, not my parents, and especially not my brother. Okay?”
“Believe me, kid,” Teddy said, “I’m not going to be telling anyone.”
Albus let out a relieved little breath, slid into his chair, and signaled for the bartender. “Fine,” he said, as Teddy resumed his own seat, “but I’m going to need more alcohol.”
---
Wednesday, Teddy didn’t leave his office. He’d gotten an owl from Astoria on his way home from the bar, letting him know that Draco had been moved from the Manor to a secure holding facility in Glouster in response to another fire. It wasn’t Azkaban, but it was close, and Teddy had to figure it out. He’d gone to the site of the latest crime-the same as the rest-and then come straight in to work, figuring he could sleep when he sorted everything and cleared Draco’s name. He’d pulled all-nighters before; he could do it again.
But the whole case was bloody impossible, and he was older than he’d been the last time he’d skipped a night of sleep, and his boss was more or less in jail, and everything was going to explode around him if he didn’t get to the meat of it soon. He’d papered his walls with sketches and lists and documents, tracing the magical paths, the similarities between sites, the personal details of each victim. Aside from the fact that they’d met with Draco shortly before their deaths, he couldn’t figure out how they were similar.
It was a relief when James stuck his head in Teddy’s door, looked around, and whistled. “New wallpaper?”
“You could say that.” Teddy scrubbed at his face; he’d caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror hours ago, and he wondered if the circles under his eyes had gotten less prominent since then. He kind of doubted it, but a man could always hope. “Look, I can’t tell you how much I’d love to do lunch today, but I’m swamped-”
“Lunch?” James interrupted. He gave Teddy a concerned glance. “Mate, it’s 5:45. I came to make sure you’re still coming to dinner.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“I’m not.” James moved over to the side of Teddy’s chair; he clapped a hand to Teddy’s back, and Teddy leaned his head down to rest on the cool surface of his desk. “You look like shit,” James said quietly. “Has anyone mentioned that?”
“Just everyone I’ve seen today.” James made a sympathetic noise. “D’you know how long I’ve been here?”
“I can guess,” James muttered. “You’re going to drive yourself crazy like this, you know. Have you slept? Eaten anything?”
“There were some crackers in the drawer,” Teddy muttered. Then he thought about what James had said about dinner, and sat bolt upright. “Christ, is it Wednesday?”
“Yeah,” James said. “Family dinner.”
“I forgot to get the dessert,” Teddy moaned. James laughed.
“We’ll stop on the way,” he said, offering Teddy a hand. “More then one way to avoid Lily’s tripe, don’t worry. We can get you some headache potion, too. And you’re not coming back to this office until tomorrow morning.”
“But-” Teddy protested, letting James haul him up out of the chair.
“You’ll burn yourself out like this,” James said firmly. “I understand that you’re crazy and everything, and I know that this is stressful, but you’ve got at least a week before anyone gets up the cojones to throw Draco sodding Malfoy in Azkaban.”
“You’re not supposed to know that’s a possibility,” Teddy protested, as James dragged him toward the door. “Which-security leaks. Maybe…can I at least grab that file, I need to check-”
“No, you can’t,” James said. “We’re leaving. And I’m not a security leak, you twit, I’m Harry Potter’s son. I hear everything. Calm down.”
“Sometimes I hate you so much,” Teddy said. James grinned at him and slammed the office door behind them.
“No you don’t,” he said. “Come on, let’s find you that potion.”
--
James and Teddy actually showed up at Harry’s before anyone else; Teddy fell asleep on the couch while dinner was cooking. James shook him awake at seven, and he blinked his way blearily into consciousness.
“Plonker,” James said fondly. “I told you-burning yourself out. We’re eating now. Go say hi to Lily and Al.”
Teddy stood up and groaned. “You’re sure I can’t just, you know, die?”
“Not an option,” a light voice said. Teddy turned, and Lily smiled at him, blue eyes dancing. “You have to at least say hello first, it’s bad form to expire before you’ve greeted everyone.”
“Who could argue with that logic?” Teddy asked. He opened his arms and Lily hugged him. Her hair, red and wild, got in his mouth a little, and she was soft and yielding against his chest. Teddy thought about how easy everything would be if he could muster up even the smallest bit of interest in women, and sighed.
“Good to see you, Lil,” he murmured, breaking away. She grinned.
“Pleasure’s mine, really,” she returned. “I hear you got dessert; didn’t want to risk my attempt?”
“I, uh-” Teddy started, warily, but she laughed.
“You’re so predictable,” she told him. “I only ever threaten culinary disasters because I know you’ll bring éclairs.”
“Sneaky Slytherins,” Teddy said, a chuckle belying his tone. Albus, setting the table, preened.
“We pride ourselves on it,” he called over. “Not our fault some people were sorted to lesser houses.”
“Hey!” James, Teddy and Harry protested at once. Albus grinned.
“Envy,” he said, to Lily, rolling his eyes. “It’s sad, really.”
“What’s sad is that I’ve raised such traitorous children,” Harry threw in. “Let’s eat before it gets cold, yeah? You lot know I can only barely manage to toss together a decent meal, I’d hate to see how it tasted lukewarm.”
“Hear, hear!” James cried.
They sat; Teddy was next to James and across from Albus, who gave him a few nervous glances but otherwise acted entirely normal. Teddy was grateful-he’d been worried things would be awkward between them. He’d also been worried that Albus would want to spend yet another twenty minutes rambling on about Draco’s son’s glorious arse, but he’d apparently gotten that all out of his system the previous night.
The meal was delicious, even if James did have to elbow Teddy awake rather too hard every 10 minutes or so. “Git,” James muttered, every time, and Teddy smiled viciously at him and stole bites of chicken from his plate as punishment. Albus made a choked noise every time this happened, for reasons Teddy couldn’t fathom.
After the fourth time Teddy nearly dropped his face into his peas, Harry rolled his eyes and said “For Merlin’s sake, Teddy,” and grabbed him some Pepper-Up out of the cupboard. He protested that he wasn’t sick, and Harry gave him a stern look chock full of typical parental dismissal, and Teddy wanted to laugh hysterically at the idea that he’d ever considered Harry a marriage possibility. Then Lily mentioned that Harry only ever stocked Auror’s Pepper-Up, which was a strange combination of the original potion and a metric fuck-ton of caffeine, and Teddy downed it at once. It helped.
No one mentioned that Ginny, who came to family dinners every week and had since the divorce, was not in attendance. Teddy caught Harry glancing at the empty chair a few times, and felt bad; twice he felt James stiffen next to him, and knew he was noticing it too. That, Teddy supposed, was the trouble with having a host of trained investigators over to supper, but it couldn’t be helped.
Still, the whole affair was pleasant and relaxing, and Teddy was just starting to feel that third glass of wine when Harry yawned and said he was going to have to turn in.
“At 9:30?” Teddy asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re getting old, Harry,”
“Like you’re one to talk, Mr. Asleep At The Table,” James snapped, only half playful. Teddy gave him a baleful look, which James met with a stern gaze of his own.
“Some of us didn’t sleep last night,” Teddy said, a challenge.
“Then some of us are idiots.” James’ tone was light, but his eyes were more worried than joking. Albus made that choking sound again, and Teddy could hear Lily snorting around a badly held-in laugh.
He looked away from James; Harry was smiling at him, strangely. Teddy would worry about it later-if they all left at once, there was the chance James would forget to tail him home, and he could go back to the office.
“Better let Old Man Potter get his beauty sleep,” he said.
“Yeah,” Albus said. “I, uh. I’ve got to meet someone.” His mouth tightened, and it occurred to Teddy that dating someone whose father was more or less under arrest couldn’t be easy. He wanted to say something, but Albus had made him swear up and down not to mention anything to the family. He settled for a kind smile instead; Albus twitched and looked away, clearly thinking he meant something else by it.
“Thanks for dinner, Dad,” Lily offered, as Teddy was contemplating exactly how fucked up this whole situation was. “It was delicious.”
“Anytime, Lilybilly,” Harry said. She winced at the name, but stood and kissed him on the cheek; Albus and James both hugged him, and Teddy clapped him lightly on the shoulder. Harry rolled his eyes and put an arm around Teddy’s back, pulling him in for a hug.
“Don’t drive yourself crazy over this case,” Harry said in his ear. “Everyone who matters knows Malfoy didn’t do this. It’ll work itself out.”
“Let’s hope so,” Teddy said, smiling grimly and pulling away. “Without him, I’m not sure I have a job.”
“There’s always a spot for you on my team, Ted,” Harry said, firmly. “Don’t forget it.”
“Thanks,” Teddy said. Harry showed them out, and Teddy offered a quick goodbye to Lily and Albus; he was just contemplating the best way to sneak off when James grabbed his arm.
“We’re going to my place,” he announced.
“Oh,” Teddy said, feigning a yawn, “well, uh, I’m really tired-”
“There’s enough caffeine in one of those Pepper-Ups to keep an Erumpet awake for a week,” James said. “You want to go back to beating your head against that desk, and I’m not having it. We’re having a drink. Come on.”
--
Four beers later, Teddy was feeling a little tipsy.
It wasn’t, he protested to himself (or, possibly, to James-he was having a little trouble deciding if he was thinking out loud or not), that he was a lightweight. He was a heavyweight and older than James by a fair margin besides and James shouldn’t be laughing at him. He was an experienced drinker, he’d just not slept and had that Pepper-Up and the headache potion and three glasses of wine at dinner besides and there’d been that whole thing with Albus-
“What thing with Albus?” James asked, amused. That answered the thinking-out-loud-or-not question, Teddy supposed.
“Oh,” he said, absently, “kissed ‘im. Bloody awkward, innit?”
James spat out a mouthful of beer, and Teddy laughed so hard his stomach hurt, even as he slapped James on the back to keep him from choking.
“You what?” James gasped, when he could breathe again. Teddy shrugged, still snorting, and leaned back against James’ ratty couch.
“I kissed ‘im,” Teddy repeated. He took a contemplative swig of his beer. “Bad idea. Draco’s fault. And m’grandmother. Meddly-like. In my business. You know.”
James pulled the beer out of Teddy’s hand. Well-really he ripped the beer out of Teddy’s hand, spilling some of it on the floor. “I don’t know, actually,” he snapped, his voice clipped. “Explain.”
Teddy waved a hand; then he reached for his beer, which James held out of his reach. “You know,” he said, annoyed, “meddling! Said I had to get married an‘ stuff. Pick a good family and-contracts. Stuff.” He stopped and peered at the beer bottle James was still holding. “How many ‘f those have I had?”
“More than enough,” James said. He looked-angry. Really angry. As angry as he’d been that time when he was 16 and Teddy’d needed to borrow his broom for a case and had ended up flying it into a tree. Angrier, maybe.
“I wouldn’t’a!” Teddy protested, realizing why James was upset. “I didn’t know ‘bout his-Scorpius-thing.”
“Wait, Al’s mystery man is Scorpius Malfoy?” James said, momentarily distracted. Then he seemed to come back to himself and said “Fucking hell, Teddy.” He looked angry again, and he got up, slamming his way into the back of the flat.
He’d left Teddy’s beer. Teddy downed the rest of it and yelled “’M sorry!” but James didn’t answer him. He was vaguely worried about that, and he was digging around for his wand to cast a sobering spell when James came back out. His eyes were flashing and he was wearing his leather jacket, the one that had been Harry’s godfather’s.
“I’m going out,” he snapped. Teddy raised both eyebrows in confusion but stood; he wobbled, and James said “Oh, for fuck’s sake.” He whipped out his wand and said “Sobrietus,” viciously.
Teddy felt the force of the spell wash over him; it was too strong by half, and he could feel it eating away at the potions he’d taken too. “Hey!” he cried, hideously, abruptly sober, following James as he stalked out the door, “what the hell are you playing at? That nearly knocked me over!”
“Fuck off,” James growled. “You were making an arse of yourself. Something had to be done.”
Teddy found he had to jog to keep up; this was unusual, because he had the longer legs, and James wasn’t exactly running. He was just…moving at the speed of rage, Teddy supposed, which would make sense if Teddy could figure out what, exactly, he was so bloody angry about.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked, panting. “I’m sorry I kissed your brother, all right? I wasn’t planning on fucking him or anything, I just wanted to see-”
James ignored him, and turned left abruptly; Teddy realized they were at The Wizard’s Staff. “Hey,” he said, holding up his hands, “after that thing with the Prophet, I’m not sure I want to-”
“Then don’t,” James snapped, and vanished through the doors.
“Fuck,” Teddy groaned. He idled on the sidewalk for a moment, then cursed again and followed. He could feel exhaustion nipping at his heels, and the burning hangover of an over-eager Sobrietus behind it, but he couldn’t just leave, not with James this upset. It-aside from the time with the broom, and the time last winter when Teddy’d had to spend a week in the hospital because he’d gotten pneumonia and used suppressing charms to hide it until he’d nearly died, James had never been really angry with him. Annoyed, sure, even pissed, but never furious like this. Teddy was surprised to find that the experience left his stomach in hard, aching knots.
The lights were dim inside the club; somewhere a strobe was going, and Teddy glanced around desperately. He’d never been in here sober, and he decided at once that he liked it better drunk. In the brief flashes of light he could see men writhing against each other, and he searched almost frantically for any sign of James-the flashes of red that sometimes shone out from his dark brown hair, that olive skin, those hands that were too big for his body.
His clothes, you idiot, Teddy thought, suddenly, you’re more likely to identify that jacket than his fucking hands in the dark. He swore and, feeling like an imbecile, cast his eyes around for-
There. James was up against a wall, having a spirited discussion with a man nearly twice his size. He saw Teddy looking and scowled. Then he said something that Teddy couldn’t make out to the man, who grabbed James by both shoulder and kissed him roughly.
Teddy felt something twist, violent and furious, in his chest. As he stalked over to them, he was nearly knocked down by the sudden cacophony of thoughts clamoring for first ranking in his mind. Sharpest among them was Fuck, I am an idiot; most persistent was Seriously, I am a fucking idiot. There were innumerable others-shades of panic, the fact that he’d never actually seen James touch anyone at a club before, ways he could commit murder without being traced-but one drowned out all the rest.
It said, quite simply, Mine.
Teddy tapped the strange man on the shoulder when he reached them; the guy broke from James and turned to Teddy with a lazy, arrogant grin on his face. “Little busy here, mate,” he said.
“I am not your fucking mate,” Teddy snapped, and punched him.
It was, admittedly, not his best punch ever. Teddy had been a Ravenclaw, and they weren’t much for physical violence; he’d gone through hand to hand combat training with the Aurors, of course, but that had been nearly a decade ago. Still, he put all of his weight into it, and he felt pretty good about himself as the guy reeled backward, clutching his face.
He felt less good about himself when James yelled “What the fuck is wrong with you,” like he’d stomped on a kitten, and less good in general when the guy straightened up and sighed heavily. Teddy, in his rage, had not taken into account exactly how massive he was.
“A jealous boyfriend,” he said, cracking his jaw against his hand. “Right shame, but I get that. I’ve been there. We could have discussed it; I would have been reasonable. But now,” he said, a little mournfully, “now you’ve gone and hit me.”
“I’m not sorry,” Teddy said, valiantly. He was sorry, a little, because he could see where this was going, but the bastard had deserved it.
“Of course you’re not. I told you, I’ve been there. But man, I am sorry-because nobody hits me and gets away clean. Bad for the reputation.” He cracked his knuckles and glanced at them, a little regretfully. “You seem like a nice enough guy,” he said, “but a man’s got to do what he’s got to do, you know?”
“Fair enough,” Teddy said faintly, and the guy cracked him hard across the jaw. Teddy stumbled back but didn’t fall-Auror training, even a decade old, apparently had its advantages-but fuck if that didn’t hurt. He spat blood onto the ground while the stranger shook his hand out.
“And you,” the guy said, wheeling on James. A little quicker on the uptake about this kind of thing than Teddy, he had his hand on his wand, and he glanced between the two of them warily.
“Going to hit me too?” James asked-always the false bravado. The man sighed again.
“No,” he said, “you’re too pretty to hit. But you need to sort your shit out, because that-” he jerked a thumb at Teddy without turning around, “is bad for business.”
Without any further explanation, he grabbed both James and Teddy by their collars and hauled them to the door. Teddy, who hadn’t been forcibly removed from a bar since he was 23, felt ridiculous-James, who hadn’t, to Teddy’s knowledge, ever been forcibly removed from a bar, was white with fury.
The door slammed heavily behind them. “I hope you’re happy,” James yelled; Teddy was torn between a pressing need to yell back and the new, strange desire to touch.
He settled for yelling, because the other option seemed infinitely more dangerous. “Happy? What, that I got thrown out of a bar by your new boyfriend? Yeah, I’m thrilled.”
“He was the bouncer, you prat! And what fucking right do you have to, to, to punch people in the fucking face-”
“I didn’t want him to touch you.” Teddy meant to yell it, but it came out quiet, a little ashamed. “I saw him, and I-I didn’t-”
James’ mouth twisted into a wry, feral smile. “Oh,” he said, “so I’m the best Potter for the job, am I? Picked me, did you? I’m flattered, Lupin, but I just don’t think I’m ready for that kind of commitment.”
“What are you on about?” Teddy snapped. “For fuck’s sake, Jamie, would you just-”
“Don’t,” James said, breathing heavily out of his nostrils, “don’t you fucking call me that. That’s a family name.”
That stung. Teddy took a reeling step back and James advanced, cornering him against a lamppost.
“Thought you’d just pick one of us,” James hissed, “and everything would work out, is that it?”
“What the fuck are you-”
“Wanted to marry into a good lot,” he spat, furious, and Teddy actually felt the blood drain from his face. “That’s what you said, right? And what better family than the famous Potters, especially for an up-and-coming Ministry man like yourself.”
“It wasn’t like-”
“So you tried Albus and that didn’t work, poor Lily’s got a vagina so she’s right out. I suppose I can only be thankful you didn’t go for my father-”
Teddy couldn’t stop the guilty, shamed expression that flitted across his face, impossibly hard though he tried. He covered it as fast as he could, but not fast enough-James saw, and his eyes went from furious to disgusted to hurt before Teddy could blink.
“Oh my god,” he said, stunned. Then he started laughing; it was a horrible, raw sound. It made the bruise on Teddy’s face throb. He reached out a hand, wanting to-to do something, and James shied away from him and went abruptly silent.
“James,” Teddy tried, “if you’re just-”
“Do you know,” James interrupted, his voice deadly calm now, “how hard it was? To be your friend, your brother all these years? Because that’s what you wanted, and I wanted to do what you wanted, never mind that I’ve been in love with you since I was fifteen.”
“James,” Teddy repeated, his voice cracking.
“I kept telling myself,” he said, and sighed heavily. He looked old: suddenly, terribly. “I kept telling myself that you’d come around eventually-because everyone else saw it, you know. People kept asking me, ‘How about you and Lupin,’ and I’d smile and tell them we were just friends and I kept waiting, I kept waiting for the fucking day you’d-”
He stopped and took a deep breath. Then he smiled; the expression left him looking nothing at all like himself. “And apparently,” he said, his voice bitter, “you have come around. I’m just the last resort. The last Potter standing. How fucking romantic; you should write a novel, Teddy.”
“It’s not like that,” Teddy said, desperately. James gave him a pained, knowing look and Teddy didn’t know what he could possibly say, because of course, of course it looked like that. What else could it look like? “I didn’t realize-”
James reached out and ran two fingers across the bruise on Teddy’s cheek. “Fuck you,” he said, softly.
“Let me explain,” Teddy whispered.
James leaned close, his lips just barely brushing Teddy’s. “Drop dead,” he hissed. Then he stepped back sharply, turned on his heel, and stormed away, leaving Teddy reeling and alone on the street corner.
Part Three