Happy Birthday, Kiddo.
"Harry, for Merlin's sake, NO." Andromeda exclaimed as she took one look at the multi-tier chocolate birthday cake that looked exactly like a Quidditch pitch complete with little moving quidditch players tossing a chocolate quaffle. The players were edible. That's what the baker told him at least.
"It's his first birthday."
"Any cake that stands taller than the birthday boy is too big, Harry James." She was wavering though. They both knew it. Especially when the delighted laugh of his godson filled the room as his eyes were drawn to the action going on on top of the cake.
"We can't take it away from him now. He's already seen it."
"Next time, I choose the cake," she warned him, but she was already conceding this battle. Then she spotted the rather large present sitting in the corner of the room. "H..Harry what did you buy him for his birthday?"
"The same thing Sirius bought me for my first birthday." A beat. "I didn't charm it to go faster than it should." Yet.
"I will beat you to death with that broom if he hurts himself, Harry James Potter."
Battle won. Harry: 1 Andromeda 0
........................................................................................................
"You can't be serious," she exclaimed as Harry merely grinned at her. "Absolutely not. He's not ready for a bigger broom. Especially not one that fast."
"I've checked it over. It's perfectly safe. I'll take you on a spin with it."
"If that broom can fit me and you then it is too big for Teddy." Andromeda pointed to the door. "Exchange it. You have time. The party doesn't begin for another two hours."
"Andi..."
"No, Harry, exchange the broom."
Harry sighed and turned to walk away. Just as he was about to leave he turned and looked at her. She arched an eyebrow and kept her finger pointed toward the door. Every year it was the same. He won some and lost some. This was year five.
Battle lost. Harry: 3 Andromeda: 2
.............................................................................................................
"IT FLIES." Eight year old Teddy Lupin cried out with glee. The toy motorbike his godfather bought him did indeed fly. Very high. Very fast. Harry had meant to test it to see if the alterations he made were not too intense.
"Look at me go, Harry. Grandma, it flies!"
"HARRY," Hermione's scolding tone made him wince. No matter how old they got she could still stop him cold with just the way she said his name. "Honestly what were you thinking? He's just a boy."
"That's bloody brilliant, Mate." Luckily Ron had the good sense to move away from his wife when he said this.
Harry was laughing. Laughing so hard that he could barely see. Teddy was a natural in the air. Just like his mum.
"Remus would skin you alive if he saw that bike," Andromeda attempted to scold, but he could see through her. She was smiling. In that moment, Teddy looked so very much like his mother and his cousin Sirius.
"I won't let him fall." Harry promised them all, just before he mounted his broom to join the boy in the air.
He didn't hear Andromeda whisper, "Yes, I know you won't."
.............................................................................................................................
"International standard racing broom?" Andromeda guessed as she looked down at the long package propped up in the doorway.
"Yes." Harry couldn't believe how emotional he felt. Had it been like this for all parents when their children turned seventeen? "I figured you would give him his watch."
"One of his grandfather's, I think. Ted would have liked that." She sounded as emotional as he felt.
Instinctively, he reached over and took her hand in his, she squeezed it in gratitude. "I can't believe he is a man now. It seems like just yesterday..."
"We were fighting about that ridiculous chocolate cake that you bought for his first birthday. Yes, I remember." Of course she did. "Remus and Nymphadora would be so proud of the father you've been to him, Harry."
"I miss them so."
"As do I."
"Right, so, he's an adult. I should work on treating him as such, yes?" He looked up at her and grinned.
"Oh I don't know, Harry. Sirius has yet to truly manage to treat you as one. I think you have a few more years. You didn't, perchance, do any adjustments to the broom so it would go faster did you?"
The sheepish look on Harry's face made Andromeda shoot him an exasperated look. "Harry James Potter, it's already an International standard broom."
"Now it's better."
He quickly moved toward his daughter knowing that if he had a shield, Andromeda wouldn't attempt to hex him.
Battle won. Harry: 9 Andromeda 8
.............................................................................................................................
His godson was turning twenty. Merlin, twenty years old. How the time flew past at such an alarming rate. His first born was no longer a teenager. He was training to be an auror like his mother was, and his godfather had been. So much had happened between celebrating his nineteenth birthday and turning twenty. His parents had come back. Bellatrix had tortured him. So much loss, so much gain, and the boy was no longer a teenager.
Harry could barely wrap his mind around it.
For nearly every birthday that Teddy had celebrated, Harry bought him something that would put him into the air. A broom, a flying toy motorbike, a flying regular motorbike at age eighteen. Oh, he was lucky that Andromeda hadn't flayed him alive for that.
Now Teddy was a man, and he had a broom collection that rivaled Harry's. No, he would get him something different this time. Something that he had considered as various points of Teddy's youth, but didn't go through with it because he would have been separated from it while he was in school.
As soon as he saw it Harry knew this was the puppy that was meant for his godson. He paid for him and then promptly took him home so Lily Dora could pretty him up with Hufflepuff Yellow and Black ribbons.
He had a feeling this would be one year that he and Andromeda didn't quarrel over Harry's choice for a birthday gift.
"It's his first birthday."
"Any cake that stands taller than the birthday boy is too big, Harry James." She was wavering though. They both knew it. Especially when the delighted laugh of his godson filled the room as his eyes were drawn to the action going on on top of the cake.
"We can't take it away from him now. He's already seen it."
"Next time, I choose the cake," she warned him, but she was already conceding this battle. Then she spotted the rather large present sitting in the corner of the room. "H..Harry what did you buy him for his birthday?"
"The same thing Sirius bought me for my first birthday." A beat. "I didn't charm it to go faster than it should." Yet.
"I will beat you to death with that broom if he hurts himself, Harry James Potter."
Battle won. Harry: 1 Andromeda 0
........................................................................................................
"You can't be serious," she exclaimed as Harry merely grinned at her. "Absolutely not. He's not ready for a bigger broom. Especially not one that fast."
"I've checked it over. It's perfectly safe. I'll take you on a spin with it."
"If that broom can fit me and you then it is too big for Teddy." Andromeda pointed to the door. "Exchange it. You have time. The party doesn't begin for another two hours."
"Andi..."
"No, Harry, exchange the broom."
Harry sighed and turned to walk away. Just as he was about to leave he turned and looked at her. She arched an eyebrow and kept her finger pointed toward the door. Every year it was the same. He won some and lost some. This was year five.
Battle lost. Harry: 3 Andromeda: 2
.............................................................................................................
"IT FLIES." Eight year old Teddy Lupin cried out with glee. The toy motorbike his godfather bought him did indeed fly. Very high. Very fast. Harry had meant to test it to see if the alterations he made were not too intense.
"Look at me go, Harry. Grandma, it flies!"
"HARRY," Hermione's scolding tone made him wince. No matter how old they got she could still stop him cold with just the way she said his name. "Honestly what were you thinking? He's just a boy."
"That's bloody brilliant, Mate." Luckily Ron had the good sense to move away from his wife when he said this.
Harry was laughing. Laughing so hard that he could barely see. Teddy was a natural in the air. Just like his mum.
"Remus would skin you alive if he saw that bike," Andromeda attempted to scold, but he could see through her. She was smiling. In that moment, Teddy looked so very much like his mother and his cousin Sirius.
"I won't let him fall." Harry promised them all, just before he mounted his broom to join the boy in the air.
He didn't hear Andromeda whisper, "Yes, I know you won't."
.............................................................................................................................
"International standard racing broom?" Andromeda guessed as she looked down at the long package propped up in the doorway.
"Yes." Harry couldn't believe how emotional he felt. Had it been like this for all parents when their children turned seventeen? "I figured you would give him his watch."
"One of his grandfather's, I think. Ted would have liked that." She sounded as emotional as he felt.
Instinctively, he reached over and took her hand in his, she squeezed it in gratitude. "I can't believe he is a man now. It seems like just yesterday..."
"We were fighting about that ridiculous chocolate cake that you bought for his first birthday. Yes, I remember." Of course she did. "Remus and Nymphadora would be so proud of the father you've been to him, Harry."
"I miss them so."
"As do I."
"Right, so, he's an adult. I should work on treating him as such, yes?" He looked up at her and grinned.
"Oh I don't know, Harry. Sirius has yet to truly manage to treat you as one. I think you have a few more years. You didn't, perchance, do any adjustments to the broom so it would go faster did you?"
The sheepish look on Harry's face made Andromeda shoot him an exasperated look. "Harry James Potter, it's already an International standard broom."
"Now it's better."
He quickly moved toward his daughter knowing that if he had a shield, Andromeda wouldn't attempt to hex him.
Battle won. Harry: 9 Andromeda 8
.............................................................................................................................
His godson was turning twenty. Merlin, twenty years old. How the time flew past at such an alarming rate. His first born was no longer a teenager. He was training to be an auror like his mother was, and his godfather had been. So much had happened between celebrating his nineteenth birthday and turning twenty. His parents had come back. Bellatrix had tortured him. So much loss, so much gain, and the boy was no longer a teenager.
Harry could barely wrap his mind around it.
For nearly every birthday that Teddy had celebrated, Harry bought him something that would put him into the air. A broom, a flying toy motorbike, a flying regular motorbike at age eighteen. Oh, he was lucky that Andromeda hadn't flayed him alive for that.
Now Teddy was a man, and he had a broom collection that rivaled Harry's. No, he would get him something different this time. Something that he had considered as various points of Teddy's youth, but didn't go through with it because he would have been separated from it while he was in school.
As soon as he saw it Harry knew this was the puppy that was meant for his godson. He paid for him and then promptly took him home so Lily Dora could pretty him up with Hufflepuff Yellow and Black ribbons.
He had a feeling this would be one year that he and Andromeda didn't quarrel over Harry's choice for a birthday gift.