Barking up the wrong tree (Teddy/open)

[Remus John Lupin]

Barking and yelling, screaming and fussing...That was all that could be heard right now in St Mungo’s, no matter where in the hospital you were located. The Order was in disarray currently, each of its members had some kind of trouble that they placed on another member, thus starting a fight that grew in volume until those with sensitive ears had to vacate the area. This was the situation with one each Remus J. Lupin, who had been enjoying a nice cup of tea before a fight broke out between his best mate Sirius, and John Sarison, who were normally on the same page. Remus made no attempt to learn what the fight was about, having no interest in becoming part of it somehow. The yelling had gotten so out of hand at one point, that Molly actually came into the room and shouted over the heads of the other Order members present for Sirius and John to take it elsewhere. But it was Remus who left the area, patting Molly on the shoulder as he walked out into the hall. His destination was the peace and, hopefully quiet ward, for Creature Induced Injuries. As he traveled to the other side of headquarters, he could still hear Padfoot’s loud shouts, some of them being just loud enough for Remus to make out what they had been fighting about; but he didn’t linger to hear the other party’s retaliation. Sighing, the Werewolf opened the door to the ward and slipped in silently. There were chairs scattered around the room, some with torn out seat cushions and mauled legs, while others were ripped apart as if in a tantrum of rage.

Remus pulled up a chair that looked the best out of all of the others and took a seat in it. He ran one of his fingers across the top of his tea cup, thinking about his time in this room as Moony; all caged up with no way to get rid of up pent up energy aside from tearing the place to shreds. He smiled at the memory of when Padfoot had joined him here, chasing him around the room. God he had felt like a puppy then, trying to catch Padfoot, who was so limber and quick, that Moony didn’t stand a chance at winning the game. But those days were few in numbers now, Sirius rarely came due to whatever it was that made him so different now. A squeak of a floorboard behind Remus snapped him from his thoughts and made him place his tea cup down on the floor near his feet. He didn’t go for his wand, no, he just turned around to look over at the doorway behind him. A smile crossed his features. “I didn’t expect anyone to follow me...”

[Teddy Lupin]

The weather outside promised to be pleasant, with the sun's rays warming every room. But inside, a thunderstorm raged. Teddy groaned, massaging his temples at Sirius' and Sarison's raised voices. He was three floors up, and he could still hear their heated shouting about who knows what. He wanted to traipse down those three floors and hex them until their mouths fell off. His hand was on the door knob of his room when a third raised voice silenced the first two. Molly, always the peace maker. He shook his head and walked out of his room, flicking his wand to lock the door. No need for anyone to be plundering where they didn't belong. He looked at his reflection in the mirror on the opposite wall, and, concentrating furiously, morphed his hair from a strawberry blond to a fiery raspberry. It went well with his current iced eye color and dark complexion. He smiled and continued walking, doting on his ever-changing, ever gorgeous looks. The one trait he had inherited for his deceased mother almost made it manageable to cope without her.

He descended the first flight of stairs without passing anyone, unless you counted the few pictures who hadn't collapsed, who sat in their frames looking forlorn and exhausted. On the second flight, he encountered Rose and Hugo, who pointed at his hair and giggled quietly. Just as Teddy descended the next flight of stairs, the voices started again, with Sirius using quite a few choice words. The young man thought back to the two children he had just passed. It was awful for them to grow up around such profanity.

Teddy made his way across the hall of the ward, eyes catching a shabby figure as it rounded the corner of a ward. Teddy sped up to catch the figure, his shoes groaning treacherously on the squeaky floor. He lounged in the threshold and finally recognized his quarry. "Oh, uh, hey, Dad," he said uncertainly, running his finger nervously through his shaggy hair. Recent times had taken their tole on his father. More lined and aged than ever, his father looked frail and wan.

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus smiled at the current color scheme of his son. Raspberry colored hair and ice blue eyes were an interesting combination to say the least. It pained him when Teddy chose pinks or light reds, which were always the number one choice of color that Dora would wear. Remus smirked as his tan colored jacket suddenly changed to a raspberry color, making him look like a chameleon trying to blend into the chair, which had cushions of the same color. “That is an interesting combination you’ve got there, what brought you to that decision?” he asked with a chuckle, his eyes now showing the first sign of humor in many days. Remus bent over again to pick up his cup, which now held cold tea, and brought it up to his mouth to take a sip; even cold the tea was tolerable. Remus stood up at last and took in the whole sight that was his son, he looked a little tired, possibly from all the fighting that went on in headquarters as of late. Remus himself was getting tired of the fighting, and the closer it got to the full moon, the worse the fighting effected him. Just a few more days of this and the full moon would be a welcomed edition, as he could get out his frustrations on some furniture while others fought in the rooms around him; making him feel like he was fighting them himself.

He visibly shuddered at the idea, that he, Remus Lupin, would enjoy ripping his fellows to bits on the full moon just because they made his life here a lot harder over the past few months. “What’s it like out there? I mean, how is the world doing?” Remus really wanted to know. He hadn’t been out of the building for a long time, hiding in places that many didn’t know existed just to keep from being spotted. The only times he left were when he felt he needed a refresher, which he would go to the Shrieking shack. That had become a place to avoid now with the new people visiting it here and there, thus not very safe for him, an Order member. That last visit had told him a lot about the new people who made their home there. Bastion had stayed there a few times, even a strange smelling creature that Remus had never scented before. But all were just the tip of the many new faces there. Most were Death Eaters or students who were training to become Death Eaters.


“I hope you can stay a while, I’ve not been able to have a good, normal conversation around here for quite some time now.”

[Teddy Lupin]

A slow, dazzling smile that would put the nearest fan girl in a frenzy etched itself in Teddy's mouth at his father's color-changing attire. It was laughable, watching his father's tattered clothing morph from a gaudy brownish color to the same bright shade of Teddy's hair. The color seemed garish compared to the man's common earthy tones. But it was comical enough for an internal chuckle. Laughing aloud was a novelty and not one to be taken lightly, unless you were drunk, which happened to most of the Order members. It was pitiful that respected people were driven to drinking, wracked with so much fear.

Another internal laughed and he replied with, "Felt like the right colors. Raspberry because I'm furious at Padfoot and John, and the blue because it goes with the raspberry." He smirked. Color coordination was another trait he'd inherited from his mother. He ran his fingers through his hair again, which lengthened slightly when his nails brushed the tips until it rested just below his ears in a tousled surfer look. Insert crazy fan girl scream here.

Teddy's icy eyes caught the convulsion that passed through his father, wondering what tragedy or forethought his father could be thinking of. "It's fine, I guess, unless you count Death Eaters popping up by the hundreds, Dementors on every street, and Torii biting everyone' head off about that Were Cat John told her about. She becoming obsessive about it really, wandering off for days and coming back more drunk than Sirius after someone mocks Harry in the Prophet." The young man shook his head sadly. Torii was usually bright-spirited, the rallying point of hope for some of the younger members. But now she was in worse state than Teddy's father, if that was possible. And it was slowly becoming the same way for everyone, even the younger members. Teddy himself had long lines under his eyes that were masked only by his Metamorphmagus abilities.

He nodded at his father's request and, stepping farther into the room and sliding down against a table so that he was looking up at his father and his father's funky raspberry coat. "It's hard to find any conversation here that doesn't involve yelling, drinking, fighting, hexing, more yelling, or being interrupted by one of Padfoot and John's many, many fights," he replied, his eyes rolling upward in their sockets.

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus nodded at his son’s reasoning for the colors, smirking when Teddy made it seem like nothing when he spoke of Dementors and Death Eaters. His smirk disappeared, however, when Teddy spoke of a mysterious Werecat and the Harry bashing that the Prophet did. “Yes, I do believe it is Padfoot’s drinking that is driving John up the wall, the two were so much alike, until just recently.” he said grimly. “Who is this Werecat that Torii speaks of? Got a name on him or her yet?” Remus added as he watched his son take a seat against a table. He too returned to his seat and ran his fingers through his hair when Teddy brought up the hexing and fighting that continued to happen in the once peaceful headquarters of the Order. There wasn’t much he could do about it really, Padfoot refused to listen to him anymore unless it was a good joke, prank or was about old times as the Marauders. None of this talk was any fun to Remus anymore, it had been all good when Harry was around, even though they had very little time in the war to speak at all. But Remus remembered Harry’s time at Hogwarts, and the letters he would send to Remus about what he had done, or what the twins had done to piss someone off at the school. Sirius had been all aglow when he heard of this trouble making at the school, proud that Harry was taking after his father and himself. But Remus knew different about the situation, and normally held his tongue for fear of making Sirius angry about Lupin’s position on Harry’s pranking.

“I remember when this Order was full of proud men and women, all willing to give their lives to save the wizarding people. All ready to protect one boy, who would save us all from this nightmare we have been forced into.” Remus said, his voice shaking some. “But now it’s over, the war was lost because we lost him, so there really isn’t any reason to fight anymore...Is there?” A small, sad smile found its way onto his face; his eyes now welling with unshed tears. “Except we must go on fighting, for those who can’t, and for those who did and have passed on...Old friends, family....Everyone”.


Remus reached out and took his son’s shoulder in one hand, squeezing it lightly as he looked into his eyes. “I don’t want you going out on missions without me anymore, I can’t stand the thought of losing you...Like I lost your mother and Harry....I want you to promise me, that unless I would compromise your mission in some way, that you will always come to me and let me know when you are leaving so that I might be ready to go with you” His need to keep his son safe was obvious now in his speech, though he knew his boy was so much like his mother, stubborn, that he wouldn’t do anything of the sort, even if he agreed to tell his father of his missions.

[Teddy Lupin]

He shrugged. "No idea. I hear her ranting about it every time I walk past her room. And every time I look through the window, she's poring over papers and documents, looking like she hasn't slept or taken care of herself for days. Whatever she knows about it can't be good, if she's going so crazy over it. Doesn't surprise me, though. Everyone's going crazy. Fred and George are having withdrawals from not being able to play any pranks. Rose and Hugo can't talk to normal kids their age and it's not easy for them to be taught at home." He shrugged. He was at his wit's end, running around, having older Order members breathing down his neck whenever he went out, worried that he would die some tragic death, like he wasn't careful enough to protect his own life. Even among friends, there was no trust, only fear.

Teddy sighed as his father brought back the elder times of the Order's life and the people in the proud organization. Not because it was a boring "old person tale", but because it made the present Order members seem like little more than a group of cowards clinging to a lost hope. Of course there's reason to fight. If we don't fight, it's as if all Harry did is in vain. And that gives us no hope at all. Teddy couldn't voice this opinion as his father continued, the tears in his eyes, forming a lump in Teddy's throat. To watch someone cry, especially your dad, it's nothing short of heart-wrenching. He nodded at his father's words, as if the older man had been reading his, thoughts, he spoke exactly what Teddy felt.

Teddy eyes met his father's with a cold steadiness, and he flinched slightly under his Remus' grip when he made the request. Always worrying. Teddy couldn't stand the thought of being accompanied on every mission, like a small child on its first day of school. But the desperation in his father's dark gaze was enough to accept his wishes--begrudgingly. "Fine, I won't run off without you." Until you're off doing your little werewolf thing. I need you breathing over my neck like Molly.

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus’ mouth contracted to a thin line as he studied his son’s body language. He then smiled and released the boy’s shoulder with a painful slowness that conveyed his true feelings on letting him go. “No, you will, it is in your blood. Your mother had that same spirit Teddy, and I couldn’t stop her from going off and doing what she knew was right....” Remus stopped there, knowing full well that it was pointless to continue. Teddy would let him tag along only to keep his promise, but it wouldn’t be because he felt it was the right choice in his mind. Now Remus was worried about this Werecat, where was it and who’s side was it really on? Could it be swayed? Again Remus found himself wondering about the outside world and what Teddy wasn’t saying about it; Hogwarts in general, as the school had been slipping into supreme darkness the last time Remus had been near it. Perhaps he should leave the protective confines of this hospital for a quick trip around his old haunts, and do some scouting of his own. In all truth, Remus was tired of hiding, tired of other members out doing missions left and right, while he had to stay in doors. It reminded him of number twelve and how Sirius must have felt during his time as a captive in his own home.

An idea suddenly stuck the old Werewolf as he sat there staring at his son. The two of them could go out and find this Werecat for Torii, and either speak with it or depose of it. The end result would depend on the other party entirely. Normally, Remus wouldn’t dare suggest something that would involve his son going into a dangerous situation, but today he was feeling more than slightly reckless; perhaps more of Sirius was rubbing off on him than he admitted. ‘No, you’ve made a choice like this once before remember? When you went after Harry after the attack on the burrow by the Death Eaters during Bill and Fleur’s wedding. Now that was reckless. You left Dora alone to go off on a wild adventure with Harry, Ron and Hermione.....Just lucky Harry talked you out of it.’

He smirked involuntarily at the memory; Harry had made a good point, even though it could have been done in a more professional way, he still managed to make Remus go back to his wife in the end. But now Dora was gone and Teddy wasn’t this tiny being anymore. He was grown up, powerful and quite able to follow in both his parent’s shoes as an Order member. Remus leaned back in the chair and thought a harder on the idea that he had just come up with. There were many flaws in the plan, many things that could go wrong. He or Teddy could be killed while doing this mission, or badly injured. Remus wasn’t sure if the Werecat was able to infect others by biting them, but if so, there was also that possibility that Teddy or some innocent bystander could be infected in the process. But the more he thought about it, the more he knew it was safer to have Teddy with him on it, than going at it alone himself or finding out Teddy went on orders from another member.

Keeping his face as neutral as possible, Remus took a deep breath before speaking. “What would you say if I asked you to accompany on a mission of mine? One I’m giving myself and would love some help in?” he asked; his face still quite unreadable as he waited for his son to answer.

[Teddy Lupin]

Teddy stared back at his father with a passive, blank expression as the older man processed his feeble attempt at a lie. She rolled his shoulder, only then noticing how tightly Remus had gripped it. He shrugged. "You really shouldn't have made me promise then. You were setting yourself up for that one." He stared at his father, practically able to see the wheels whirling in his head. That and the slight flicker of irises common in one lost in thought. But what he was thinking of, Teddy was unsure. He was probably ashamed of his son's deceptive skulduggery. Oh well, he would deal. Harry did it all the time, when he was far younger than Teddy. Although that was truly comparing apples to oranges, seeing as Harry was orphaned Boy Who Lived, and Teddy was just the son of a werewolf and a dead Metamorphmagus. Nothing to really compare. Or maybe he was pondering the best way to keep Teddy restrained in the hospital, to keep him away from the danger he knew Teddy would want to jump into. The though made the back heat up in frustration. Was he doomed to a life of being watched by his father? He could picture himself, fifty years old, his father's ghost tailing after him, nagging him every time he rounded a corner. The though made him shudder internally. Now he knew had a caged bird must feel, never free to stretch its wings without someone breathing down its neck. Never free to soar to the heavens without someone stoning it back to the earth's surface.

Teddy continued to stare at his father for a few moments longer before conjuring a pocket mirror and experimenting with his irises. Violet, grey, red, aqua, rainbow, yellow with slitted pupils, milky white, before finally returning it to the crystalline blue from before. It suited him. Maybe it would become a trademark like bubble gum pink hair had been for his mother. That was a personal favorite for him as well, but that would forever remain unknown to anyone but him. stowed the mirror away in his pocket and stared at his father again, noticing a new gleam in his eye. Now what could he be thinking?

The young man watched the corners of his father's mouth twitch into a smirk. Was he using Legilimency to probe Teddy's mind and crossed the thought about his choice in hair color? No, the look in his eyes didn't match the complete and total concentration of one using such a spell.

Teddy was ready to jump to his feet almost before Remus stopped speaking. "Heck yeah!" He could tell by his dad's tone and expression that this wasn't simply going to Knockturn Alley to listen to a bunch of drunks ramble about how they were once best buds with the Dark Lord. This was something worthwhile.

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus smiled broadly and stood up as well; his eyes were slits from the power of his smile.

“It won’t be a walk in the park son, this mission will involve the two of us tracking down this beast that Torii is looking for..” he said with a sigh. Remus really wanted to stress what he and Teddy would be doing and the importance of Teddy following every bit of instruction that his father gave him...to the letter. Though he didn’t want to lecture his son about safety, survival or the likes, hell, the child had been around him for ages and had run into loads of trouble outside of the headquarters. He knew what was out there. But still, Remus felt he needed to remind Teddy of the dangers that the unknown posed.

With this new were-creature that they needed to find, danger seemed to be the main focus of its mission. Werewolves were one thing, that was something the both of them could handle quite easily. But large Werecats? Where to begin the hunt was also another thing that bothered Remus at the moment. Where could they start looking? Not a bar of course, too many people of the wrong sort there that might see and recognize either Remus or his son, though Teddy could change his appearence at will which could make him harder to spot. Remus, however, was a neon sign that blinked brighter than the sun.

“It will be dangerous and will require that you use all of your skills to survive...I only ask that you follow any and all instructions that I may give you, no matter what is happening around us. I don’t want to give you a lecture, and I don’t think you are one to get into trouble easily, but still...you need to keep your head on and eyes open..Don’t get cocky.”

That was probably the best way to approach what needed to be said on the protection bit; now to figure out where to start their search. “Bars and Inns may not be the best of places to look for a beast like this, mainly because there are too many Death Eaters there and if it is trying to avoid them, it won’t show up where they gather...So...Where should we start first? I vote for the forest around Hogwarts...What do you think?”

Remus studied the air around them for a moment, taking in the dust that filled the room and danced in the filtered light. It reminded him of number 12 alright, same dust, same irritating atmosphere...it only lacked Sirius’ mum screaming her head off every time someone opened the door.

[Teddy Lupin]

Teddy grinned back. Already, he was dripping with adrenaline, even though the mission hadn't started. He nodded at his father's warning, but was he listening? Of course not. He was nineteen years old, he had been cooped up and hovered over most of his life, and he was about to go on a life-threatening mission with his father. This was to him like the prospect of a new puppy to a kid or a new wand to an eleven-year-old. He wanted it. He wanted the thrill of danger, of running into battle blindly, just to see if he could make it out alive. And he would of course. He'd survived the war long enough. A chance encounter with a little kitty was nothing compared to having an overprotective werewolf for a father. It would be a piece of cake.

He stared off into space, picturing a battle to the death against a frameless shadowy figure, his father standing beside him and not being contradictory for once. That in itself was a dream come true. He wanted nothing more than to make his father proud, but with the older man breathing down his neck or running off to do his little werewolf thing, there was little room left to do so. But now he had his chance. He would track down the Werecat with his father, and not only make him proud but put Torii's scrambled mind to rest. The look on Remus' face told Teddy that he was about to receive a lecture. Again. When would people learn that nineteen-year-olds don't listen?

He nodded slowly, as if he was actually listening, but after a few seconds, his selective hearing kicked in, only catching a few things like " dangerous...skills"--I am good, aren't I, he thought smugly-- and "you...are one to get into trouble easily. True. Very true.

He tuned in when his father started mentioning places to begin their search. Nowhere overcrowded, someone who worked on a bribe wouldn't want to be surrounded by too many people. Bars and inns...definitely not popular location but they would provide decent business. Plenty of dark wizards who wanted who knows what done for them. But Teddy held his tongue until his father finished speculating. Teddy thought about his father's werewolf habits. He tended to go to secluded areas, areas no one and nothing went near unless they needed to.

"I doubt it. Too many other creatures. If this thing is dangerous, even the giant spiders would try and chase him out." The space between his eyebrows creased in thought. "What about the hills and craggy areas behind Hogsmeade?"

[Remus John Lupin]

Remus had to agree with his son’s logic. It was true that the other creatures would see this Were-creature a threat to them and would take every step to keep themselves safe from it. The mountains were a far better place to look for a monster that is like Werewolves. Though the question to ask was did they transform during the full moon? Or some other reason? Would they even be able to tell it a part from normal wild cats like panthers and jaguars? Or would it be a hunt and poke until daylight?

“Then to the mountains we shall go...You should gather some supplies, basic needs...A Tent, some food and water...Anything else we need we can get out there in the wild...No, scratch the food, we don’t want to be a trackable target. I’ll get myself together right quick, let Torii know we are leaving so that at least one Order member knows we are missing.”

Remus took his now empty tea cup in hand and started out the doorway. The halls were silent again with only the occasional laugh from the lower floors that were probably Arthur’s fault. Molly’s voice could be heard here and there, which were immediately followed by more laughter and or shouts that sounded like someone was cheering on a fight. Remus tilted his head a little, trying to figure out what could be going on that would involve such a ruckus. But he quickly shook off the curiosity, deciding that finding Torii was more important at the moment than finding out what Molly had started up.

“Ok, not a word of what we are going to do to anyone. We are not going out anywhere on a mission, if anyone asks, we are going to find a place to be father and son for a while...But don’t say even that unless someone asks”.

He pointed his finger at his son with warning in his voice; their mission must not be compromised.

[Teddy Lupin]

Teddy jumped up. Catching his reflection in his father's tea cup, his hair shortened reasonably and turned a vibrant shade of violet highlighted with fiery orange, his eyes fading to a depressing grey. It was a convenient look, the bright colors of his hair greatly resembling his enthusiasm.

His expression turned sarcastic at his father's final warning. "No, Dad, I was thinking of running downstairs and telling Molly that I'm going on a perilous journey for an unknown Werecat, just to see how long it would take her to have a heart attack, get in an argument with Sirius about it, or some odd combination of the two." Rolling his eyes playfully, he pushed past his father and out the door, eager for this newfound adventure.