To Be A Parent
Title: To Be A Parent
Rating: PG 13
Word Count: 4,000
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, Teddy/Victoire
Author's notes: I penned this down over a weekend of no internet. How I survived is beyond me, but at least I was productive.
Summary: Teddy has a parenting crisis and calls in the troops.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. This was written for fun, not profit.
Teddy was ashamed to admit it, but he was terrified of his son.
Which was not to say he didn’t adore Caleb, because of course he did. He was the most beautiful, amazing, perfect little boy in the world. He had just come into Teddy’s life one day and changed it forever. And Teddy knew he wouldn’t trade a minute of it, not a single one.
But that didn’t change the fact that a tiny, miniscule, hardly even there part of him was deathly afraid of doing- or not doing- something that would hurt this small, vulnerable child that he was responsible for.
When Vicky was due, he had read book after book after book. The sheer deluge of information was frightening. A baby was so fragile, so small and so very demanding. Accidentally waking Caleb could overturn his whole sleep schedule. Feeding him the wrong kind of formula could upset his stomach. Holding him wrong could hurt him, for Merlin’s sake.
There was just so much he could do wrong without even knowing it. Good grief, what if he screwed up and ruined Caleb’s life forever? Teddy had nightmares- vivid nightmares of Caleb all grown up and sitting in some Mind Healer’s office, recounting the fateful day his careless, inconsiderate father had fed him mashed peas instead of strained carrots and traumatised him for life.
Nevertheless, he swallowed his fears and kept a brave front for Victoire. She was a natural and had embraced motherhood with the tenacity and resourcefulness of a true blue Ravenclaw. In the three months that they’d had Caleb, Teddy had been more than happy to just…fly under the radar and let her guide him through it. With Vicky taking the lead, he didn’t have to worry so much. At least Caleb had one parent who knew what the hell they were doing. And so, Teddy convinced himself, that things would be just fine.
Then Vicky decided to take a trip to France.
****
“You’re sure you’re okay? Teddy, if you need me to come home, just tell me. Mama will understand.”
Victoire’s elegant features flickered in the flames, and she twirled a strand of blonde hair in her fingers. Crouched in front of the fireplace, Teddy hastened to reassure his wife.
“Sweetheart, we’re fine. Caleb’s doing great. I’m doing great. We’re both okay so please don’t worry.”
He couldn’t ask her to cut her trip short and come home. After her parents relocated to Paris, she hardly ever got to see them. It just wouldn’t be fair to her.
Victoire’s anxious expression softened. “If you’re sure,” she said. “It’s just…I’ve never left you alone with him before. I worry a bit, that’s all.”
“Well, don’t,” Teddy replied gently. “I’ll hold the fort down until you come home. Now relax and enjoy your trip. And tell Bill and Fleur I said hi.”
“I love you, Ted. Give Caleb a kiss from me, okay?”
Teddy blew her a kiss and ended the Floo Call. His confident grin faded and he ran a hand through his cropped, green hair.
“You can do this,” he told himself firmly.
Of course he could. No big deal, right?
With that thought, he got up to check on his son.
He’d been a good baby so far, only fussing a bit when Teddy fed and burped him. He napped most of the time and the few times that he’d cried, Teddy had been able to distract him- usually by turning his hair blue or his tongue green.
So far, so good.
Still, it felt like the calm before the storm and Teddy remained wary.
He crept into the nursery and peered into the crib. Not for the first time, his heart leapt at the sight of his baby sleeping peacefully. He smiled softly when he spotted Caleb’s shock of dark hair. There was a running joke in the family about how Caleb had inherited his mop from Grandpa Harry. Of course, that was pretty much impossible but Teddy still liked to believe it. After all, Harry was basically like a dad to him and Draco-while technically his cousin- was just as much of a father figure.
He watched for a few minutes, but Caleb just slumbered on. Reassured that everything was in order, Teddy withdrew from the crib, walking on tip toes as he tried to leave the peaceful scene just as he’d found it.
Of course, that was when he missed his footing, tripped on the rug, squawked in alarm, flailed about and hit a shelf which fell to the floor just a second after him. The crash was deafening in the silence and in that one split second, Teddy knew that things had gone horribly, horribly wrong.
He was right.
Caleb’s eyes flew open and his little face scrunched up. Teddy groaned and thunked his head against the floor as the baby started wailing.
****
Forty five minutes later, Caleb was still crying and Teddy was well on his way to a panic attack.
“Come on, kid,” he begged, alternating between bouncing his son on his hip and rocking him in his arms. “Work with your Dad, huh?”
Caleb clung to him and shrieked like a freshly pulled Mandrake root. Teddy stared at him with mounting helplessness. Nothing was working. Feeding him, rocking him, singing him to sleep…everything he’d tried had fallen flat.
When his ears started ringing and Caleb still showed no signs of relenting, Teddy resigned himself to asking for help.
His first thought was calling Victoire, but he stopped himself. He couldn’t bear to spoil her trip just because he couldn’t take care of his own kid.
No, he would have to figure this out.
Fortunately, there were a few other people he could think of. If there was ever a time to call on family, this was it. Teddy nodded to himself and fished his mobile phone out of the drawer, manhandling it to his ear as he bounced a sobbing Caleb.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he murmured, kissing the top of his son’s head. “I’m so sorry. I’ll fix it, okay? I swear I’ll fix it. Just hang on.”
The phone rang and a second later, James picked up.
“Whassamatter?” his brother mumbled groggily.
“Caleb’s crying,” Teddy babbled frantically. “He’s crying and I can’t make him stop. I don’t know what to do. Jamie, I need help now.”
There was silence on the other end, followed by the faint rustle of fabric.
“James, you there?”
“Gettin' dressed,” James replied between yawns. “Be there as soon as I find my other shoe.”
****
The good news was that James had the foresight to bring reinforcements.
The bad news was they were all bloody useless.
Teddy sighed and held his head in his hands as his brothers tried and failed to soothe the distressed child. James had given up after twenty minutes of pulling faces at Caleb. He was leaning against the couch now, fighting to stay awake. How he could sleep through Caleb’s bawling was beyond Teddy. Scorpius was still trying to help, bouncing Caleb on his hip. He was wide awake and inexplicably dressed in a fashionable shirt and slacks at two in the morning. Albus just sighed and rubbed his temples. His mesh shirt was riding up on one side, exposing a tattooed phoenix that certainly hadn’t been there the last time Teddy had seen him.
Sleeping, working and partying, Teddy thought dryly. Yes, those were his brothers alright.
“Did anyone call Lily?” Albus asked suddenly. He had to raise his voice to be heard over Caleb’s crying.
“I left a text on her phone,” Scorpius answered, patting Caleb’s back as he spoke. “She’s on a date with Nick so she probably won’t see it but I figured she’d want to know.” He turned back to the bawling baby and his frown deepened. “Merlin, he’s really upset.”
“Try feeding him,” James suggested.
Teddy scowled at him. “Oh, feeding him!” he snarked. “I wouldn’t have thought of that in a million years! That’s some real quick thinking, James. Ten points to Gryffin-fucking-door!”
“Hey, you leave my House out of this!” James protested hotly.
“Both of you shut up,” Scorpius ordered firmly. “This isn’t working. We need ideas.”
“Try feeding him,” James grumbled sullenly.
“Let me try something,” Albus broke in, his green eyes lighting up with sudden enthusiasm. “Everyone likes music, yeah?”
Teddy saw where this was going. Before he could stop him, Al waved his wand. The music started playing, loud and jarring.
“No,” Teddy moaned. “No, no, no!”
Flashing lights joined the escalating beat, making things ten times worse. Teddy clapped his hands over his ears and scrunched his eyes shut. It didn’t help. He could still feel the beat in his teeth and see the lights flashing against his eyelids. Caleb was screeching so loudly, he was surprised the kid’s lungs hadn’t given out. Teddy’s headache returned with a vengeance and suddenly, he felt worse than ever.
A second later, it stopped. Scorpius put his wand away and smacked his brother upside the head. “Trance?” he snapped. “Really? Albus, we’re trying to soothe Caleb, not throw him a dance party!”
“Trance is soothing to me,” Albus complained. “It’s not like you have any ideas!”
“Try feeding him!” James yelled.
“Shut up!” Teddy yelled, exhausted and beyond exasperated. He took his son back from Scorpius and cradled him, glaring at his brothers. “Why did I call you lot over? You’re absolutely useless!”
Silence fell. The only sound was Caleb’s pitiful sobs, accompanied by the occasional hiccup.
“Wow,” Al commented. “That hurt.”
“We really are trying, Teddy,” Scorpius agreed with a frown. “It’s not our fault we don’t know much about babies.”
Teddy’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry,” he relented miserably. “That was uncalled for. I know you’re trying to help. I just hate this. I’m literally the worst father in the world! I can’t even make my own baby stop crying.”
Albus reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out,” he promised. He clapped his hands purposefully and turned back to the group. “Come on, people! Let’s regroup and bounce some ideas around. Now think, what do you do when a baby cries?”
“Call an adult,” James suggested.
Scorpius gave him a flat look. “James,” he intoned slowly. “We are the adults.”
“Oh.” James sighed and subsided. “Crap.”
The Floo sparked to life all of a sudden. Teddy jumped, almost upsetting Caleb. He stared as Lily tumbled out of the fireplace in a flurry of ash and red hair, her green eyes wide and worried.
“I just got the text,” she was babbling. “Got here as soon as I could. What the hell hap...”
She trailed off as she took in the scene. Her eyes flew from person to person- from poor, miserable little Caleb to an exhausted Teddy and her confused brothers. When Caleb’s cries grew louder and shriller, she sighed and rubbed her temples.
“We…” Teddy started to explain.
Lily held up a hand to silence him. Without a word, she turned on her heel, grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it in the flames.
A moment later, Harry’s concerned face appeared in the fire.
“Lily?” he exclaimed in surprise. “It’s three in the morning, where are you? Is that Caleb?”
“Hi Daddy,” Lily chirped. “If it’s not too much trouble, would you and Father mind coming over to Teddy’s before these idiots hurt themselves?”
For a moment or two, Harry just stared at her.
“We’ll be right over,” he said finally.
Lily smiled brightly and blew her father a kiss.
****
It took them exactly three minutes to arrive. Harry stumbled a bit as he emerged from the fireplace. He braced himself against a shelf and ran a hand through his messy, salt and pepper flecked hair. Draco was right behind him, stepping out of the fire without missing a step and brushing some soot off his shirt. The only evidence that he’d come straight from bed was the slightest ruffle to his hair.
Teddy decided not to bring it up.
Caleb subsided for a moment on spotting his favourite grandparents. Then he thunked his head against Teddy’s collarbone and resumed wailing. Teddy hunched his shoulders as his adoptive parents exchanged a look.
“What did you do to this child?” Draco demanded, approaching the small group with newfound purpose. Teddy remained silent, too overcome to do anything but wallow in misery.
“He won’t stop crying,” Al mumbled.
“We tried everything,” Scorpius added, looking just as put out.
“Please help,” James whined plaintively.
Lily just rolled her eyes.
“Alright, alright,” Harry said, taking charge at once. “Let’s settle this so we can all get some sleep, yeah? Draco?”
Draco smirked and took Caleb from Teddy, resting the baby on his hip with practiced ease. “I take the little kid, you take the big kids. Just like old times,” he said, giving Harry a playful nudge.
Harry smiled. He ghosted a hand over Caleb’s downy curls and wiped away a stray tear. “Fine with me,” he agreed. “Be careful, though. Mind his head.”
Draco raised an eyebrow. “Are you instructing me on how to hold a baby?” he asked, sounding rather offended.
“I wouldn’t dare,” Harry chuckled, pressing a placating kiss to his cheek.
Draco leaned into his touch for a moment before pulling away. His grey eyes were soft when he looked down at Caleb. For a moment, Teddy thought he saw the faint lines around Draco’s eyes disappear. “Come, little one,” Draco murmured, bouncing Caleb gently. “Let’s go somewhere quiet, hm?”
He disappeared into the nursery with the baby, leaving Harry to reorganise their little group. Caleb’s cries became softer and finally faded to small whimpers. Teddy heaved a sigh of relief in the silence. He felt like he’d been run over by a herd of Hippogriffs.
Merlin, what a night.
“Okay, party’s over,” Harry announced firmly. “It’s late and we’re all going to bed. I assume you’re all spending the night here?”
“Fine,” Al yawned.
Lily shrugged. Scorpius nodded. James snored.
Harry rolled his eyes and shook him awake. James cracked an eye open to scowl at him. Harry just grinned fondly and ruffled his hair.
“Up on the couch, son,” he ordered gently. “You can’t sleep like that, it’s bad for your back.”
James grumbled a little, but allowed his father to settle him. Harry patted his head and left him to it.
“Can you two Transfigure some cushions into cots and mattresses?” he asked Lily and Scorpius. “Pull some blankets out of the closet. I want you in bed in ten minutes, by the clock.”
Lily and Scorpius went to retrieve the blankets, giving him a hug each before they left. With them gone, Harry turned to Albus. He frowned as he took in his son’s clubbing outfit.
“I’m not going to ask why you’re dressed like that,” he said sternly, “but if you’re smart, you’ll change before Father sees you.”
“But, Dad!” Al whined.
“Change. Now.”
Al huffed and went to root about in Teddy’s closet.
Now it was just him and Harry.
“What do you want me to do?” Teddy asked quietly.
He started when Harry gripped his arm and pulled him towards the kitchen. “You,” he said firmly, “are going to sit down and have a cup of tea with me.”
****
It was the easiest thing in the world to let Harry take care of him. Teddy sipped his tea, cradling the warm cup in his hands as he finally allowed himself to relax.
The house was quiet now. Caleb had stopped crying. Teddy closed his eyes for a moment. Merlin, he was tired. He had never been this tired.
Harry bustled about the kitchen, stowing things away quietly. When he sat down beside Teddy, his smile was warm and affectionate. It reminded Teddy of all the other times they’d had these late night chats- the night before he left for Hogwarts, his first crush, his first heartbreak, the night before he proposed to Victoire…
No matter what the crisis, Harry had always been there for him. Having him here now was comforting in ways he couldn’t understand, but he was grateful.
“You’ve had a rough night, haven’t you, kiddo?” Harry prodded gently.
Teddy nodded miserably and curled into his shoulder. His godfather wrapped a comforting arm around him, carding gentle fingers through his hair.
“There there, Teddy Bear,” he murmured. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be just fine, yeah?”
“I should go check on Caleb,” Teddy mumbled.
Harry stopped him before he could get up. “Draco’s got him,” he said firmly. “He’s fine. I’m more worried about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Teddy, come on. Why don’t we just talk? Tell me what’s going through your head.”
Teddy scoffed. “What’s to talk about?” he asked bitterly. “I’m a lousy father. I can’t even take care of my own kid. Everything went wrong tonight and…and I didn’t know what to do. I just…suck at this.”
Harry was silent for a while. “Can I ask you something?” he said after a bit. “Why did Lily have to call us tonight? You know we’re there for you. If you were feeling overwhelmed, why didn’t you come to us?”
Teddy scrubbed at his eyes, feeling even worse. “I…I wanted to,” he admitted. “I just thought…”
“You thought you should do this on your own,” Harry finished. “You figured it was your responsibility so you shouldn’t ask us for help, is that right?”
Teddy shrugged and Harry sighed heavily.
“Teddy, nobody knows exactly what to do from day one,” he scolded lightly. “Merlin, that’s not the way it works at all. Every parent in the world feels the way you do at some point. I guarantee Victoire doubts herself some days. I know I did. Draco too.”
“You and Draco?” Teddy echoed disbelievingly. “But you…”
“…have had years and years of practice,” Harry finished, nudging his shoulder. “But we were just like you once.”
He chuckled suddenly and Teddy gave him an enquiring look.
“Okay, you are never allowed to tell Draco I told you this,” Harry went on, “but when you were a year old, your magic started acting up. You somehow managed to Apparate Draco to the roof and lock every door and window in the house. He was stuck up there for hours.”
Teddy gaped at him. “You’re making that up,” he accused.
“Not even a little,” Harry promised. “That’s not even the worst one. I once lost you at the zoo.”
“You lost me?” Teddy echoed incredulously.
“In my defence, you turned yourself bright pink and snuck into the flamingo exhibit.” Harry winced at the memory. “It was fun explaining that one to the Aurors.”
“Oh, Merlin.” Teddy buried his face in his hands, succumbing to helpless laughter. “How did you manage to keep five kids alive?”
Harry gave him a good natured shove. “As you can see, we did just fine,” he retorted with a grin. “And so will you. Just remember, you can always ask for help. That’s what family is for.”
“I know,” Teddy murmured, giving his godfather a hug. He still had a lot to learn, he knew that. But at least he had someone to count on while he figured it out. “Thanks, Harry.”
Harry clapped his back. “Come on,” he said, pulling Teddy up and leading him back to the living room. “Time for bed.”
Draco was already there when they arrived. Lily and Scorpius were fast asleep, curled up on a Transfigured mattress. Draco threw a blanket over them, and tucked a spare pillow in Albus’s side. He grabbed it at once, strangling the pillow contentedly as he snored. Draco chuckled and stroked his hair gently, then turned to them.
“Caleb’s asleep,” he told Teddy. “I think he’s out for the night, so make sure you get your rest while you can.”
“Thank you,” Teddy replied gratefully. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“You’ll figure things out for yourself soon enough,” Draco promised. His eyes shifted to Harry and he smiled. “We all do.”
Teddy smiled back. All of a sudden, he felt a lot better.
You could always count on family.
“Okay, time for bed,” Harry said, pushing him towards his room. “Get some sleep, Ted. And don’t worry so much, okay? You’ve got this.”
Teddy yawned and allowed them to lead him to his room. He didn’t protest when Harry put a pillow under his head or when Draco threw a blanket over him. By the time they turned out the lights and left with hushed goodnights, he was fast asleep.
****
Harry shut the door with a soft click. Draco pulled him close as soon as he was in reach.
“Want to crash here?” he asked.
“On a lumpy mattress on the floor?” Harry teased. “Sure. What’s a little backache between family, right?”
Draco gave him a kiss and led him to one of the mattresses. Harry lay down with a grateful sigh, pulling Draco to rest against him.
“We did okay,” he murmured into his husband’s hair.
Draco’s eyes drifted over the living room, watching their sleeping children sprawled every which way. “Yeah, we did,” he said softly.
Harry hummed thoughtfully. “It’s a little sad though, isn’t it?”
“How so?”
“Well, we’re done, aren’t we? They have their own lives and their own families now. I just…I wonder if they’ll ever need us like they used to.”
Draco pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “You’re never done being a parent,” he told Harry firmly. “They might not need us as often as they used to, but they still do. They always will. And we’ll be there for them, just like tonight.”
“I know. I just miss the excitement, I guess.”
Draco snorted. “Well, that’s good to hear. By the way, Al has a tattoo.”
Harry’s eyes flew open. “He has a what?!”
“Shush, you’ll wake them,” Draco replied, pushing him down firmly. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.”
Never done being a parent indeed, Harry thought wryly. With a muted chuckle, he relented and wrapped an arm around his husband. As his eyes closed and he finally relaxed, he reflected on how things had turned out.
They had been so unprepared, so clueless, so sure that they would mess things up…and now, here they were, with five wonderful children who had turned out just fine.
Teddy would be just fine too. And if he needed help, he knew where to find it.
In the end, everything works out.
Harry fell asleep to the sound of Draco’s peaceful breathing and the warm comfort of his family around him.
Rating: PG 13
Word Count: 4,000
Pairing(s): Harry/Draco, Teddy/Victoire
Author's notes: I penned this down over a weekend of no internet. How I survived is beyond me, but at least I was productive.
Summary: Teddy has a parenting crisis and calls in the troops.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. This was written for fun, not profit.
Teddy was ashamed to admit it, but he was terrified of his son.
Which was not to say he didn’t adore Caleb, because of course he did. He was the most beautiful, amazing, perfect little boy in the world. He had just come into Teddy’s life one day and changed it forever. And Teddy knew he wouldn’t trade a minute of it, not a single one.
But that didn’t change the fact that a tiny, miniscule, hardly even there part of him was deathly afraid of doing- or not doing- something that would hurt this small, vulnerable child that he was responsible for.
When Vicky was due, he had read book after book after book. The sheer deluge of information was frightening. A baby was so fragile, so small and so very demanding. Accidentally waking Caleb could overturn his whole sleep schedule. Feeding him the wrong kind of formula could upset his stomach. Holding him wrong could hurt him, for Merlin’s sake.
There was just so much he could do wrong without even knowing it. Good grief, what if he screwed up and ruined Caleb’s life forever? Teddy had nightmares- vivid nightmares of Caleb all grown up and sitting in some Mind Healer’s office, recounting the fateful day his careless, inconsiderate father had fed him mashed peas instead of strained carrots and traumatised him for life.
Nevertheless, he swallowed his fears and kept a brave front for Victoire. She was a natural and had embraced motherhood with the tenacity and resourcefulness of a true blue Ravenclaw. In the three months that they’d had Caleb, Teddy had been more than happy to just…fly under the radar and let her guide him through it. With Vicky taking the lead, he didn’t have to worry so much. At least Caleb had one parent who knew what the hell they were doing. And so, Teddy convinced himself, that things would be just fine.
Then Vicky decided to take a trip to France.
****
“You’re sure you’re okay? Teddy, if you need me to come home, just tell me. Mama will understand.”
Victoire’s elegant features flickered in the flames, and she twirled a strand of blonde hair in her fingers. Crouched in front of the fireplace, Teddy hastened to reassure his wife.
“Sweetheart, we’re fine. Caleb’s doing great. I’m doing great. We’re both okay so please don’t worry.”
He couldn’t ask her to cut her trip short and come home. After her parents relocated to Paris, she hardly ever got to see them. It just wouldn’t be fair to her.
Victoire’s anxious expression softened. “If you’re sure,” she said. “It’s just…I’ve never left you alone with him before. I worry a bit, that’s all.”
“Well, don’t,” Teddy replied gently. “I’ll hold the fort down until you come home. Now relax and enjoy your trip. And tell Bill and Fleur I said hi.”
“I love you, Ted. Give Caleb a kiss from me, okay?”
Teddy blew her a kiss and ended the Floo Call. His confident grin faded and he ran a hand through his cropped, green hair.
“You can do this,” he told himself firmly.
Of course he could. No big deal, right?
With that thought, he got up to check on his son.
He’d been a good baby so far, only fussing a bit when Teddy fed and burped him. He napped most of the time and the few times that he’d cried, Teddy had been able to distract him- usually by turning his hair blue or his tongue green.
So far, so good.
Still, it felt like the calm before the storm and Teddy remained wary.
He crept into the nursery and peered into the crib. Not for the first time, his heart leapt at the sight of his baby sleeping peacefully. He smiled softly when he spotted Caleb’s shock of dark hair. There was a running joke in the family about how Caleb had inherited his mop from Grandpa Harry. Of course, that was pretty much impossible but Teddy still liked to believe it. After all, Harry was basically like a dad to him and Draco-while technically his cousin- was just as much of a father figure.
He watched for a few minutes, but Caleb just slumbered on. Reassured that everything was in order, Teddy withdrew from the crib, walking on tip toes as he tried to leave the peaceful scene just as he’d found it.
Of course, that was when he missed his footing, tripped on the rug, squawked in alarm, flailed about and hit a shelf which fell to the floor just a second after him. The crash was deafening in the silence and in that one split second, Teddy knew that things had gone horribly, horribly wrong.
He was right.
Caleb’s eyes flew open and his little face scrunched up. Teddy groaned and thunked his head against the floor as the baby started wailing.
****
Forty five minutes later, Caleb was still crying and Teddy was well on his way to a panic attack.
“Come on, kid,” he begged, alternating between bouncing his son on his hip and rocking him in his arms. “Work with your Dad, huh?”
Caleb clung to him and shrieked like a freshly pulled Mandrake root. Teddy stared at him with mounting helplessness. Nothing was working. Feeding him, rocking him, singing him to sleep…everything he’d tried had fallen flat.
When his ears started ringing and Caleb still showed no signs of relenting, Teddy resigned himself to asking for help.
His first thought was calling Victoire, but he stopped himself. He couldn’t bear to spoil her trip just because he couldn’t take care of his own kid.
No, he would have to figure this out.
Fortunately, there were a few other people he could think of. If there was ever a time to call on family, this was it. Teddy nodded to himself and fished his mobile phone out of the drawer, manhandling it to his ear as he bounced a sobbing Caleb.
“I’m sorry, baby,” he murmured, kissing the top of his son’s head. “I’m so sorry. I’ll fix it, okay? I swear I’ll fix it. Just hang on.”
The phone rang and a second later, James picked up.
“Whassamatter?” his brother mumbled groggily.
“Caleb’s crying,” Teddy babbled frantically. “He’s crying and I can’t make him stop. I don’t know what to do. Jamie, I need help now.”
There was silence on the other end, followed by the faint rustle of fabric.
“James, you there?”
“Gettin' dressed,” James replied between yawns. “Be there as soon as I find my other shoe.”
****
The good news was that James had the foresight to bring reinforcements.
The bad news was they were all bloody useless.
Teddy sighed and held his head in his hands as his brothers tried and failed to soothe the distressed child. James had given up after twenty minutes of pulling faces at Caleb. He was leaning against the couch now, fighting to stay awake. How he could sleep through Caleb’s bawling was beyond Teddy. Scorpius was still trying to help, bouncing Caleb on his hip. He was wide awake and inexplicably dressed in a fashionable shirt and slacks at two in the morning. Albus just sighed and rubbed his temples. His mesh shirt was riding up on one side, exposing a tattooed phoenix that certainly hadn’t been there the last time Teddy had seen him.
Sleeping, working and partying, Teddy thought dryly. Yes, those were his brothers alright.
“Did anyone call Lily?” Albus asked suddenly. He had to raise his voice to be heard over Caleb’s crying.
“I left a text on her phone,” Scorpius answered, patting Caleb’s back as he spoke. “She’s on a date with Nick so she probably won’t see it but I figured she’d want to know.” He turned back to the bawling baby and his frown deepened. “Merlin, he’s really upset.”
“Try feeding him,” James suggested.
Teddy scowled at him. “Oh, feeding him!” he snarked. “I wouldn’t have thought of that in a million years! That’s some real quick thinking, James. Ten points to Gryffin-fucking-door!”
“Hey, you leave my House out of this!” James protested hotly.
“Both of you shut up,” Scorpius ordered firmly. “This isn’t working. We need ideas.”
“Try feeding him,” James grumbled sullenly.
“Let me try something,” Albus broke in, his green eyes lighting up with sudden enthusiasm. “Everyone likes music, yeah?”
Teddy saw where this was going. Before he could stop him, Al waved his wand. The music started playing, loud and jarring.
“No,” Teddy moaned. “No, no, no!”
Flashing lights joined the escalating beat, making things ten times worse. Teddy clapped his hands over his ears and scrunched his eyes shut. It didn’t help. He could still feel the beat in his teeth and see the lights flashing against his eyelids. Caleb was screeching so loudly, he was surprised the kid’s lungs hadn’t given out. Teddy’s headache returned with a vengeance and suddenly, he felt worse than ever.
A second later, it stopped. Scorpius put his wand away and smacked his brother upside the head. “Trance?” he snapped. “Really? Albus, we’re trying to soothe Caleb, not throw him a dance party!”
“Trance is soothing to me,” Albus complained. “It’s not like you have any ideas!”
“Try feeding him!” James yelled.
“Shut up!” Teddy yelled, exhausted and beyond exasperated. He took his son back from Scorpius and cradled him, glaring at his brothers. “Why did I call you lot over? You’re absolutely useless!”
Silence fell. The only sound was Caleb’s pitiful sobs, accompanied by the occasional hiccup.
“Wow,” Al commented. “That hurt.”
“We really are trying, Teddy,” Scorpius agreed with a frown. “It’s not our fault we don’t know much about babies.”
Teddy’s shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry,” he relented miserably. “That was uncalled for. I know you’re trying to help. I just hate this. I’m literally the worst father in the world! I can’t even make my own baby stop crying.”
Albus reached over and squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out,” he promised. He clapped his hands purposefully and turned back to the group. “Come on, people! Let’s regroup and bounce some ideas around. Now think, what do you do when a baby cries?”
“Call an adult,” James suggested.
Scorpius gave him a flat look. “James,” he intoned slowly. “We are the adults.”
“Oh.” James sighed and subsided. “Crap.”
The Floo sparked to life all of a sudden. Teddy jumped, almost upsetting Caleb. He stared as Lily tumbled out of the fireplace in a flurry of ash and red hair, her green eyes wide and worried.
“I just got the text,” she was babbling. “Got here as soon as I could. What the hell hap...”
She trailed off as she took in the scene. Her eyes flew from person to person- from poor, miserable little Caleb to an exhausted Teddy and her confused brothers. When Caleb’s cries grew louder and shriller, she sighed and rubbed her temples.
“We…” Teddy started to explain.
Lily held up a hand to silence him. Without a word, she turned on her heel, grabbed a pinch of Floo Powder and threw it in the flames.
A moment later, Harry’s concerned face appeared in the fire.
“Lily?” he exclaimed in surprise. “It’s three in the morning, where are you? Is that Caleb?”
“Hi Daddy,” Lily chirped. “If it’s not too much trouble, would you and Father mind coming over to Teddy’s before these idiots hurt themselves?”
For a moment or two, Harry just stared at her.
“We’ll be right over,” he said finally.
Lily smiled brightly and blew her father a kiss.
****
It took them exactly three minutes to arrive. Harry stumbled a bit as he emerged from the fireplace. He braced himself against a shelf and ran a hand through his messy, salt and pepper flecked hair. Draco was right behind him, stepping out of the fire without missing a step and brushing some soot off his shirt. The only evidence that he’d come straight from bed was the slightest ruffle to his hair.
Teddy decided not to bring it up.
Caleb subsided for a moment on spotting his favourite grandparents. Then he thunked his head against Teddy’s collarbone and resumed wailing. Teddy hunched his shoulders as his adoptive parents exchanged a look.
“What did you do to this child?” Draco demanded, approaching the small group with newfound purpose. Teddy remained silent, too overcome to do anything but wallow in misery.
“He won’t stop crying,” Al mumbled.
“We tried everything,” Scorpius added, looking just as put out.
“Please help,” James whined plaintively.
Lily just rolled her eyes.
“Alright, alright,” Harry said, taking charge at once. “Let’s settle this so we can all get some sleep, yeah? Draco?”
Draco smirked and took Caleb from Teddy, resting the baby on his hip with practiced ease. “I take the little kid, you take the big kids. Just like old times,” he said, giving Harry a playful nudge.
Harry smiled. He ghosted a hand over Caleb’s downy curls and wiped away a stray tear. “Fine with me,” he agreed. “Be careful, though. Mind his head.”
Draco raised an eyebrow. “Are you instructing me on how to hold a baby?” he asked, sounding rather offended.
“I wouldn’t dare,” Harry chuckled, pressing a placating kiss to his cheek.
Draco leaned into his touch for a moment before pulling away. His grey eyes were soft when he looked down at Caleb. For a moment, Teddy thought he saw the faint lines around Draco’s eyes disappear. “Come, little one,” Draco murmured, bouncing Caleb gently. “Let’s go somewhere quiet, hm?”
He disappeared into the nursery with the baby, leaving Harry to reorganise their little group. Caleb’s cries became softer and finally faded to small whimpers. Teddy heaved a sigh of relief in the silence. He felt like he’d been run over by a herd of Hippogriffs.
Merlin, what a night.
“Okay, party’s over,” Harry announced firmly. “It’s late and we’re all going to bed. I assume you’re all spending the night here?”
“Fine,” Al yawned.
Lily shrugged. Scorpius nodded. James snored.
Harry rolled his eyes and shook him awake. James cracked an eye open to scowl at him. Harry just grinned fondly and ruffled his hair.
“Up on the couch, son,” he ordered gently. “You can’t sleep like that, it’s bad for your back.”
James grumbled a little, but allowed his father to settle him. Harry patted his head and left him to it.
“Can you two Transfigure some cushions into cots and mattresses?” he asked Lily and Scorpius. “Pull some blankets out of the closet. I want you in bed in ten minutes, by the clock.”
Lily and Scorpius went to retrieve the blankets, giving him a hug each before they left. With them gone, Harry turned to Albus. He frowned as he took in his son’s clubbing outfit.
“I’m not going to ask why you’re dressed like that,” he said sternly, “but if you’re smart, you’ll change before Father sees you.”
“But, Dad!” Al whined.
“Change. Now.”
Al huffed and went to root about in Teddy’s closet.
Now it was just him and Harry.
“What do you want me to do?” Teddy asked quietly.
He started when Harry gripped his arm and pulled him towards the kitchen. “You,” he said firmly, “are going to sit down and have a cup of tea with me.”
****
It was the easiest thing in the world to let Harry take care of him. Teddy sipped his tea, cradling the warm cup in his hands as he finally allowed himself to relax.
The house was quiet now. Caleb had stopped crying. Teddy closed his eyes for a moment. Merlin, he was tired. He had never been this tired.
Harry bustled about the kitchen, stowing things away quietly. When he sat down beside Teddy, his smile was warm and affectionate. It reminded Teddy of all the other times they’d had these late night chats- the night before he left for Hogwarts, his first crush, his first heartbreak, the night before he proposed to Victoire…
No matter what the crisis, Harry had always been there for him. Having him here now was comforting in ways he couldn’t understand, but he was grateful.
“You’ve had a rough night, haven’t you, kiddo?” Harry prodded gently.
Teddy nodded miserably and curled into his shoulder. His godfather wrapped a comforting arm around him, carding gentle fingers through his hair.
“There there, Teddy Bear,” he murmured. “It’s okay. Everything’s going to be just fine, yeah?”
“I should go check on Caleb,” Teddy mumbled.
Harry stopped him before he could get up. “Draco’s got him,” he said firmly. “He’s fine. I’m more worried about you.”
“I’m fine.”
“Teddy, come on. Why don’t we just talk? Tell me what’s going through your head.”
Teddy scoffed. “What’s to talk about?” he asked bitterly. “I’m a lousy father. I can’t even take care of my own kid. Everything went wrong tonight and…and I didn’t know what to do. I just…suck at this.”
Harry was silent for a while. “Can I ask you something?” he said after a bit. “Why did Lily have to call us tonight? You know we’re there for you. If you were feeling overwhelmed, why didn’t you come to us?”
Teddy scrubbed at his eyes, feeling even worse. “I…I wanted to,” he admitted. “I just thought…”
“You thought you should do this on your own,” Harry finished. “You figured it was your responsibility so you shouldn’t ask us for help, is that right?”
Teddy shrugged and Harry sighed heavily.
“Teddy, nobody knows exactly what to do from day one,” he scolded lightly. “Merlin, that’s not the way it works at all. Every parent in the world feels the way you do at some point. I guarantee Victoire doubts herself some days. I know I did. Draco too.”
“You and Draco?” Teddy echoed disbelievingly. “But you…”
“…have had years and years of practice,” Harry finished, nudging his shoulder. “But we were just like you once.”
He chuckled suddenly and Teddy gave him an enquiring look.
“Okay, you are never allowed to tell Draco I told you this,” Harry went on, “but when you were a year old, your magic started acting up. You somehow managed to Apparate Draco to the roof and lock every door and window in the house. He was stuck up there for hours.”
Teddy gaped at him. “You’re making that up,” he accused.
“Not even a little,” Harry promised. “That’s not even the worst one. I once lost you at the zoo.”
“You lost me?” Teddy echoed incredulously.
“In my defence, you turned yourself bright pink and snuck into the flamingo exhibit.” Harry winced at the memory. “It was fun explaining that one to the Aurors.”
“Oh, Merlin.” Teddy buried his face in his hands, succumbing to helpless laughter. “How did you manage to keep five kids alive?”
Harry gave him a good natured shove. “As you can see, we did just fine,” he retorted with a grin. “And so will you. Just remember, you can always ask for help. That’s what family is for.”
“I know,” Teddy murmured, giving his godfather a hug. He still had a lot to learn, he knew that. But at least he had someone to count on while he figured it out. “Thanks, Harry.”
Harry clapped his back. “Come on,” he said, pulling Teddy up and leading him back to the living room. “Time for bed.”
Draco was already there when they arrived. Lily and Scorpius were fast asleep, curled up on a Transfigured mattress. Draco threw a blanket over them, and tucked a spare pillow in Albus’s side. He grabbed it at once, strangling the pillow contentedly as he snored. Draco chuckled and stroked his hair gently, then turned to them.
“Caleb’s asleep,” he told Teddy. “I think he’s out for the night, so make sure you get your rest while you can.”
“Thank you,” Teddy replied gratefully. “I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”
“You’ll figure things out for yourself soon enough,” Draco promised. His eyes shifted to Harry and he smiled. “We all do.”
Teddy smiled back. All of a sudden, he felt a lot better.
You could always count on family.
“Okay, time for bed,” Harry said, pushing him towards his room. “Get some sleep, Ted. And don’t worry so much, okay? You’ve got this.”
Teddy yawned and allowed them to lead him to his room. He didn’t protest when Harry put a pillow under his head or when Draco threw a blanket over him. By the time they turned out the lights and left with hushed goodnights, he was fast asleep.
****
Harry shut the door with a soft click. Draco pulled him close as soon as he was in reach.
“Want to crash here?” he asked.
“On a lumpy mattress on the floor?” Harry teased. “Sure. What’s a little backache between family, right?”
Draco gave him a kiss and led him to one of the mattresses. Harry lay down with a grateful sigh, pulling Draco to rest against him.
“We did okay,” he murmured into his husband’s hair.
Draco’s eyes drifted over the living room, watching their sleeping children sprawled every which way. “Yeah, we did,” he said softly.
Harry hummed thoughtfully. “It’s a little sad though, isn’t it?”
“How so?”
“Well, we’re done, aren’t we? They have their own lives and their own families now. I just…I wonder if they’ll ever need us like they used to.”
Draco pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “You’re never done being a parent,” he told Harry firmly. “They might not need us as often as they used to, but they still do. They always will. And we’ll be there for them, just like tonight.”
“I know. I just miss the excitement, I guess.”
Draco snorted. “Well, that’s good to hear. By the way, Al has a tattoo.”
Harry’s eyes flew open. “He has a what?!”
“Shush, you’ll wake them,” Draco replied, pushing him down firmly. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.”
Never done being a parent indeed, Harry thought wryly. With a muted chuckle, he relented and wrapped an arm around his husband. As his eyes closed and he finally relaxed, he reflected on how things had turned out.
They had been so unprepared, so clueless, so sure that they would mess things up…and now, here they were, with five wonderful children who had turned out just fine.
Teddy would be just fine too. And if he needed help, he knew where to find it.
In the end, everything works out.
Harry fell asleep to the sound of Draco’s peaceful breathing and the warm comfort of his family around him.