Chapter Text
Teddy Lupin: Aged 12 Years and 2 Months
The June sun streamed through the cottage windows, warm and golden, the garden outside alive with birdsong and the lazy hum of bees. Inside, everything was hushed, as though the world itself knew to be reverent for the miracle sleeping in Hermione’s arms.
Dora Andromeda Lupin. Four hours old. Tiny fists curled, soft tufts of sandy curls, the perfect blend of Remus and Hermione.
Teddy had been given special leave from Hogwarts for the weekend, the Ministry bending the rules for once. He came bursting through the door, trunk abandoned in the hall, his hair shifting in frantic shades of blue and gold as she skidded to Hermione’s side.
“Mum – Dad – where is she?!” His voice cracked with excitement.
Remus chuckled softly from his chair by the bed, looking exhausted but happier than he had in years. He gestured toward Hermione, who was propped against pillows, glowing with tired joy as she cradled the tiny bundle.
“Right here, cub,” he said, his voice thick. “Come and meet your sister.”
Teddy edged closer, suddenly hesitant. Hermione smiled, gently tilting the blanket so he could see. Dora’s little face scrunched, and Teddy’s breath caught.
“She’s so small,” he whispered, awe-struck. “Smaller than Charlie ever was.”
“She’ll grow,” Hermione said softly, brushing a fingertip over Dora’s cheek. “But she’ll always need her big brother.”
Teddy lowered himself carefully onto the bed, holding out a trembling finger. Dora’s tiny hand closed around it at once. Teddy gasped, his hair exploded into bright rainbow streaks.
“She likes me!” he crowed. “She really likes me!”
“Of course she does,” Remus said warmly, his eyes misty. “You’ve been talking to her for months.”
Narcissa stood nearby, elegant as ever, but her eyes shone as she leaned down to kiss Hermione’s temple. “She’s perfect,” she whispered. “And Dora would be so proud.”
Harry, perched awkwardly in the corner with a grin so wide it threatened to split his face, raised a glass of pumpkin juice. “Well then, as godparents, I think Narcissa and I ought to make it official – cheers to Dora Andromeda Lupin.”
Teddy puffed his chest with pride, still clutching his sister’s hand. “Best. Family. Ever.”
Hermione laughed, tears sliding down her cheeks, and Remus reached for her hand, their fingers entwining over Dora’s tiny body.
Together, at last, they were complete.
When the house finally quieted – Narcissa seeing herself out, Harry slipping away with a promise to visit again tomorrow – Hermione and Remus were left alone. Teddy had dozed off in the armchair, stubbornly refusing to go to bed, his little sister nestled in his lap as though she already knew he was her protector.
Hermione leaned back against the pillows, exhaustion pulling at her but joy flooding every corner of her heart. Remus settled beside her, his arm sliding around her shoulders, his gaze fixed on their children.
“Two Dora’s,” he murmured softly, voice rough with emotion. “The one who gave me Teddy… and the one who’s given us all this.”
Hermione laid her head against him, tears pricking her eyes. “We would never have made it here without her. Without the love she left behind.”
He kissed her hair, his chest rising in a shaky breath. “And yet, it’s you who carried us through. You who held me together, raised our son, gave him – and now her – the kind of life I never thought possible.”
She turned her face to him, brushing her lips against his cheek. “We did it, Remus. Together. From one Dora to another, we found our way.”
Remus tightened his hold on her, eyes glistening as he looked at their little family – the boy who had saved him, the girl who had completed them, and the woman who had made it all possible.
For the first time in years, there was no grief pressing the edges, no weight dragging him down. Only joy.
Only love.
And the promise of a future bright enough for both Dora’s to be proud of.