Hopeful Liars

The six year old Teddy Lupin stared at his reflection in front of the large mirror propped up against an old tree in his grandmothers’ back yard. The shining surface reflected the butterflies that swirled up and around the beautiful multicoloured flowers that were the envy of the non magic neighbours, and a rabbit that conspicuously nibbled the corners of a rapidly growing lettuce in the vegetable patch. Teddy however focused on his own reflection rather than the nature that surrounded him. His inquisitive blue eyes peered from beneath an almost unsightly mop of blonde hair. His baby teeth sparkled against a grubby face that told unspoken tales of a day immersed in an adventure involving the trees at the back of the garden.

Teddy began to screw up his face, and his eyes disappeared in a scrunched up look that to any passerby would look like a very dedicated effort on the toilet seat. But his grandmother who watched him from the kitchen smiled with the fond memory of her Nymphadora doing the exact same thing.

With what looked like no effort at all, Teddy’s blonde hair suddenly disappeared to replaced by what looked like the spine of a hedgehog and Teddy whooped with delight and began to run around the garden, shouting threats at invisible enemies, ‘get outta my way or I’ll spike ya!’.

Andromeda Tonks rolled her eyes at her lively grandson and called out to him, ‘Teddy Remus Lupin, you replace those god awful spikes with real hair this instant before a terrible accident happens!”

Teddy stopped what he was doing and recognising the steely look on his grandmother’s face, sighed with displeasure before switching his hair back to a soft mop of....bright green hair. Underneath his fringe, Teddy looked to his gran whose shoulders were shaking with laughter and she shook her head, too amused to argue with him.

She stopped what she was doing when a knock came to her door and she opened it to find a grinning Harry and Ginny Potter, their new baby James in Ginny’s arms and a little girl who peered curiously around Harry’s leg.

Andromeda ushered them all inside, cooing at baby James who slept soundly and she turned to the little girl, who gently placed her hand in Harry’s, suddenly shy.

“And who might this be?” Andromeda spoke softly to the girl, and gave her a smile that made the child blink her dark brown eyes slowly.
Ginny chuckled, “it seems like our Hope has gone all shy...this is Hope Weasley, Andromeda. She’s...she’s Fred’s child.”

Andromeda blinked, pulling back from the little girl but managed a small smile, “Well isn’t that lovely’, but Hope was no longer paying attention due to the fact she had spotted a boy her own age playing in the large back garden. She looked at Harry who nodded and pushed her toward the door, and with a happy skip and a jump, Hope trotted out to the garden to meet Teddy.

Andromeda watched the child go, a frown making her strong eyes seem dark and unfriendly. “So that’s Odette Silver’s daughter. She looks just like her...but the eyes.”

“She’s nothing like Odette,” Ginny spoke up, ignoring Harry’s frown, “she grew up differently, all she shares is her genes. We’ve made sure she knows nothing of the dark magic her mother was associated with.’

“Odette may have been a Death Eater but in the end, she chose the path of good magic and with that she chose to die,” Harry spoke quietly but the two women paused to listen. James cried softly but Ginny rocked him back to sleep as Harry continued, “people find it easier to remember Odette the way she was when she was surrounded by dark magic rather than the girl she became when she found Fred. She was not perfect, but she did not die a bad witch. We need to remember that, especially when we think of Hope. We’ll be lucky if she contains the same strength and bravery as her mother.”

Ginny smiled, “you sound just like George.” But she did not argue against the points that Harry brought up. She sighed inwardly looking out at the back of the child’s head as she bent down to examine a rock that Teddy was showing her. Sometimes she forgot to remember that there was half of Fred inside the child, as well as of her Death Eater mother.

~

Whilst Harry Potter argued for her mother, Hope Weasley slowly threaded a path across the garden toward the green haired boy. He looked up as she approached and to her shock, his hair melted to a grubby blonde. He frowned at her in an annoyed way that children do when someone invades their territory, “Who are you?” he asked rudely.

Hope frowned, her pluckiness returning as she was comforted with someone the same size as her.

“I’m Hope. Who are you?”

Teddy surveyed the girl, thinking she was rather short and her freckles were stupid but he liked the way the sunlight danced on her raven hair. “I’m Teddy and this is my house.”

“It’s not your house, it’s your mothers. Don’t lie unless your tongue will turn black.”

Teddy’s eyes cast downward and he picked up a rock, fingering the smooth surface. “My mother is dead. That’s my Grandmother.”

Hope stared at Teddy in a serious way that would look strange on most six year olds, but not on her. She sat down next to Teddy and looked at the coloured rock in his hands. “My mother is dead too. And my dad. I live with my grandparents too.”

Teddy and Hopes eyes met as they suddenly found each other in the company of someone who understood the strange loss they had held within them all their lives. It would be many years before they came to recognise and understand the loss for what is was but for that moment, in their six year old minds, they found a companionship that suited them. And it started what would become a very happy friendship.