Harry heard the sound of footsteps clearly in the corridor.
He'd been struggling to fall asleep himself, the image of Teddy's face over dinner burned in his mind's eye.
The usually cheerful and bright man had looked as if he'd seen a ghost. And as they were currently staying at Shell Cottage, Harry could only assume some fight had broken out between him and Victoire.
He always tried not to get involved in Teddy or any of his kids' love lives. But instinct told him this was more than a mere lover's quarrel.
With a sigh, Harry got up from the bed, careful not to disturb Abby.
After a couple minutes of fruitless search, he grabbed his coat and checked outside. Sure enough, he spotted a dark figure sitting on the snow-covered beach.
"Taking a midnight stroll in the moonlight?"
Teddy startled and whipped around. "Holy shit, Harry," he said, placing a hand on his heart. "You scared the bloody lights out of me."
Patting him on the shoulder, Harry cleared an area on the ground and sat next to him. "I heard you walking down the stairs."
"Of course you did," Teddy said. "Dunno how James always managed to sneak out."
"He's delusional if he thinks he ever did," Harry said.
Teddy let out a small chuckle that quickly died on his lips.
"Harry..." he said, staring out at the water, his jaw tight. "I screwed up."
Harry stared at him patiently.
"I screwed up big time," he said, brushing a quick hand against his eyes. "And I...I just don't know what to do."
Without wasting another second, Harry wrapped an arm around Teddy and held him close, the boy practically falling apart in his embrace.
"What is it?" Harry said quietly.
Wiping the back of his hand against his eyes, Teddy sat back up, his head down. In that moment, he looked so young. So scared.
"I got Vic pregnant," he said in a shaky voice. "And she wants to keep it."
Closing his eyes, Harry let out a long breath, misty in the cold air. "Oh, Teddy..."
He was twenty-one. She was nineteen.
Harry felt a lead weight drop in his gut.
"I've fucked up, haven't I?" Teddy said, tears in his eyes now. "I've ruined her life. Bill's gonna kill me. Grandmum is gonna kill me...I--I don't know what to do. I--"
Teddy very rapidly started hyperventilating, and Harry tried his best to calm him down.
"What are we gonna do?" he said, grabbing at his hair. "I'm not ready to be a fucking dad, Harry!"
A part of Harry--a rather large part--wanted to shake the boy and ask how he could have been so careless.
They were too young. Too naive. Too sheltered for a world of responsibility.
And though Harry was around Teddy's age when Ginny became pregnant with James, their circumstances couldn't have been more different.
For one, they were bloody married.
But more importantly than that, they were ready.
Or as ready as one could ever be for their first child.
Harry could remember being terrified, sure. It had been the most terrifying thing he'd ever faced. And that was definitely saying something.
But Teddy and Victoire? They were practically children themselves. And though it was clear as anything that they were soulmates, they weren't ready to start a family.
Despite the loud whirring of thoughts in his mind, Harry swallowed every doubt back and gripped Teddy's shoulder roughly in his hand.
"You will be ready," Harry said. "I'll make sure of it. You both made a mistake, but you love each other and you'll support each other. Do you understand? Because if you have even the tiniest thought in you're mind that you'll leave her--"
"What the hell?" Teddy said, looking offended. "I would never--"
"Good," Harry said. "I didn't think so, but I had to be sure."
Teddy placed his face in his hands and let out a loud breath. "What am I gonna do?" he said again, his voice weak.
"We'll take it day by day," Harry said, staring out at the water. "We'll make sure Bill's in a good mood before we tell him."
"And Grandmum," Teddy said. "Not sure who's gonna be worse to be honest."
With a sigh, Harry stood up and proffered his hand. "I can't believe you're making me a grandparent so soon."
Teddy cracked a small smile and hugged Harry for a moment before they both made their way across the snow and back to Shell Cottage.
