You, the Secret-Keeper of Shell Cottage, told me the address and bade me come in anemergency!"
"Lupin," muttered Bill, and he ran to the door and wrenched it open.
Lupin fell over the threshold. He was white-faced, wrapped in a traveling cloak, his
Graying hair windswept. He straightened up, looked around the room, making sure of
who was there, then cried aloud, "It's a boy! We've named him Ted, after Dora's father!"
Hermione shrieked.
"Wha --? Tonks -- Tonks has had the baby?"
"Yes, yes, she's had the baby!" shouted Lupin. All around the table came cries of delight,
sighs of relief: Hermione and Fleur both squealed, "Congratulations!" and Ron said,
"Blimey, a baby!" as if he had never heard of such a thing before.
"Yes -- yes -- a boy," said Lupin again, who seemed dazed by his own happiness. He
Strode around the table and hugged Harry; the scene in the basement of Grimmauld Place
Might never have happened.
"You'll be godfather?" he said as he released Harry.
"M-me?" stammered Harry.
"You, yes, of course -- Dora quite agrees, no one better --"
"I -- yeah -- blimey --"
Harry felt overwhelmed, astonished, delighted; now Bill was hurrying to fetch wine, and
Fleur was persuading Lupin to join them for a drink.
"I can't stay long, I must get back," said Lupin, beaming around at them all: He looked
years younger than Harry had ever seen him. "Thank you, thank you, Bill"
Bill had soon filled all of their goblets, they stood and raised them high in a toast.
"To Teddy Remus Lupin," said Lupin, "a great wizard in the making!"
"'Oo does 'e look like?" Fleur inquired.
"I think he looks like Dora, but she thinks he is like me. Not much hair. It looked black
when he was born, but I swear it's turned ginger in the hour since. Probably blond by the
time I get back. Andromeda says Tonks's hair started changing color the day that she was
born." He drained his goblet. "Oh, go on then, just one more," he added, beaming, as Bill
Made to fill it again.
The wind buffeted the little cottage and the fire leapt and crackled, and Bill was soon
opening another bottle of wine. Lupin's news seemed to have taken them out of
themselves, removed them for a while from their state of siege: Tidings of new life were
Exhilarating. Only the goblin seemed untouched by the suddenly festive atmosphere, and
After a while he slunk back to the bedroom he now occupied alone. Harry thought he was
the only one who had noticed this, until he saw Bill's eyes following the goblin up the
Stairs.
"No... no... I really must get back," said Lupin at last, declining yet another goblet of
Wine. He got to his feet and pulled his traveling cloak back around himself.
"Good-bye, good-bye -- I'll try and bring some pictures in a few day's time -- they'll all be
so glad to know that I've seen you --"
He fastened his cloak and made his farewells, hugging the women and grasping hands
With the men, then, still beaming, returned into the wild night.
"Godfather, Harry!" said Bill as they walked into the kitchen together, helping clear the
table. "A real honor! Congratulations!"
Date: 2015-12-11; view: 626
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