The airport smelled different.
Teddy noticed it the moment they stepped outside—cooler air, sharper somehow, carrying traces of rain and old stone instead of salt and heat. Britain felt older than America. Not in a bad way. Just… heavier. Like the ground remembered more things.
Jake adjusted his jacket, glancing around.
"Alright. Everyone stick close. Airports are monster magnets."
Clarisse snorted.
"In Britain? What, are we going to get attacked by an angry teapot?"
Chris almost smiled.
Teddy was too busy scanning the crowd.
People rushed past them speaking in accents he found fascinating. Signs flashed in unfamiliar formats. Everything felt exciting and strange—and then Teddy froze.
Right near the exit.
A man stood holding a large white board.
Written in bold, unmistakable letters:
TEDDY
Teddy's eyes widened.
"…That's me."
Before anyone could stop him, Teddy bolted.
"TEDDY—!" Jake started.
But it was too late.
Teddy sprinted straight toward the man, his backpack bouncing, pendant warm against his chest.
"UNCLE NEVILLE!"
The man barely had time to react before a small blue-haired blur collided with him at full speed.
"Oof—!"
The sign clattered to the floor as Neville Longbottom staggered back a step, then laughed in pure delight and wrapped his arms around Teddy.
"There you are!" Neville said warmly, hugging him tight. "Merlin, you've gotten taller!"
Teddy buried his face into Neville's coat.
"I missed you!"
Neville chuckled.
"I figured you would."
Jake, Clarisse, and Chris slowed to a stop a few feet away, staring.
"…Uncle?" Clarisse repeated.
Neville looked up, still smiling, and waved cheerfully.
"You must be the quest group. I'm Neville Longbottom."
Teddy finally pulled back, beaming.
"Daddy didn't told me you'd come!"
"He didn't?," Neville said, ruffling Teddy's hair. "He sent me the details the moment you left."
Jake's eyebrows rose.
"So… your dad arranged pickup, lodging, and transport?"
Neville nodded again.
"Food too. And rest. You'll need it."
Chris exchanged a look with Clarisse.
"…This quest is starting to feel suspiciously well-funded."
Neville smiled knowingly.
"Harry tends to do that."
The ride from the airport took them through winding roads and rolling countryside. Teddy pressed his face to the window the entire time, pointing excitedly at sheep, hedgerows, and old stone bridges.
"It looks like a storybook," he whispered.
Neville smiled from the driver's seat.
"That's because half the stories were written here."
They arrived just as the sun dipped low, bathing the manor in soft golden light. The manor stood proud but welcoming, surrounded by gardens that felt alive—plants shifting subtly as if greeting their caretaker.
Jake whistled softly.
"Okay. I'm impressed."
Clarisse cracked her neck.
"I could get used to this."
Inside, the manor was warm, filled with the smell of fresh bread and herbs. Teddy barely had time to take it all in before Neville ushered them toward the dining room.
"You'll rest here for a couple of days," Neville said. "No monsters nearby. Wards are solid. Then you can leave for Italy."
Teddy perked up.
"Italy?"
"Yes," Neville replied. "I've already arranged a portkey. Two days from now."
Jake frowned thoughtfully.
"That saves us a lot of trouble."
"And drachmas," Chris added quietly.
Clarisse smirked.
"Your dad's making this way too easy, kid."
Teddy shrugged innocently.
"Daddy is like that."
Neville laughed.
"He also likes when people don't die unnecessarily."
That earned a quiet, respectful silence.
Dinner passed easily—warm food, full plates, and laughter easing the tension of travel. For the first time since the quest was announced, no one felt rushed.
Jake leaned back in his chair afterward.
"So… we rest, then Italy."
Neville nodded.
"You'll leave refreshed. And prepared."
Teddy yawned, exhaustion finally catching up to him.
Neville placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
"Your room's ready. Pick any room you want."
Teddy's eyes lit up.
"I get the plant window again?"
Neville smiled.
"Of course."
As Teddy was guided upstairs, Jake watched thoughtfully.
"…Your dad really trusts you," he said quietly.
Neville glanced up the stairs where Teddy disappeared.
"Yes," he replied softly. "And that makes all the difference."
Outside, unseen, the night settled over Britain—quiet, watchful.
The morning after their arrival at Longbottom Manor dawned bright and cool, sunlight spilling gently across the gardens and setting dew to sparkle on the leaves. Teddy was awake long before anyone else, perched on the windowsill of his room, staring out at the rolling countryside with barely contained excitement.
Britain felt different.
Older.
Quieter.
Like the land itself was watching.
By the time Jake, Clarisse, and Chris came downstairs, Teddy was already bouncing on his heels in the hall, backpack slung over one shoulder.
"We have two whole days," Teddy announced proudly. "And we're not allowed to fight monsters."
Clarisse groaned.
"Then what's the point?"
Jake smirked.
"For once, we get to be tourists."
Chris looked thoughtful.
"I've never left America before."
"Same," Clarisse admitted, crossing her arms. "Closest I got was Canada. Doesn't count."
Teddy beamed.
"Then you have to see Britain."
Neville, who had been quietly pouring tea at the table, glanced up in surprise.
"Oh," he said mildly. "Well. That's… ambitious."
Jake raised an eyebrow.
"You don't sound confident."
Neville rubbed the back of his neck, sheepish.
"I'm not exactly an expert on what Muggles find exciting. Plants, yes. History… sort of. Touristy things? Not my strength."
Teddy thought hard for a moment, then snapped his fingers.
"Diagon Alley!" he declared. "And Hogsmeade!"
Clarisse blinked.
"Those sound fake."
"They're not," Neville said with a small smile. "And they're… good choices."
The brick wall shifted smoothly as Neville tapped it with his wand, the stones rearranging themselves into a bustling street filled with sound, color, and magic.
Jake stopped dead.
"…Okay," he said slowly. "That's cool."
Clarisse stared openly.
"Why doesn't America have places like this?"
"They do," Teddy replied. "They just don't look this old."
He darted forward, eyes wide, turning in circles as if trying to absorb everything at once—shop windows filled with enchanted objects, owls hooting from cages, witches and wizards bustling past as if this were the most normal thing in the world.
"This place is wicked," Chris murmured.
Neville nodded.
"It's been here a long time."
They wandered slowly. Teddy dragged them from shop to shop, pointing out things he recognized from previous visits—broomsticks, joke items, magical sweets. Clarisse sampled a Fanged Fudge and immediately regretted it.
"It bit me back," she complained.
"That's tradition," Neville said solemnly.
Jake lingered near Gringotts, staring up at the towering white structure.
"Those guards," he muttered. "They look like they'd eat thieves for breakfast."
"They would," Neville confirmed.
Teddy laughed.
For once, no one was watching him for danger. No one was measuring his strength or whispering about prophecy. He was just a kid showing his friends something wonderful.
They Apparated near the edge of Hogsmeade just after noon.
Snow-dusted rooftops, crooked buildings, and narrow streets greeted them, straight out of a storybook. The village buzzed softly with life, quieter than Diagon Alley but no less magical.
Clarisse inhaled deeply.
"It smells like… sugar and firewood."
"Butterbeer," Neville said. "Come on."
They sat outside the Three Broomsticks, mugs warming their hands. Teddy swung his legs from the bench, humming happily.
Jake glanced around.
"This place feels… magical."
Neville smiled.
"That's intentional."
Afterward, they walked toward the edge of the village, following a narrow path that curved gently upward.
Then Teddy stopped.
"There," he said softly.
The castle rose in the distance, perched atop its cliff like something carved from legend—towers and spires silhouetted against the sky.
Hogwarts.
Chris stared in silence.
"That's the magic school?"
"Yes," Neville replied quietly. "One of the safest places in the world. Most days."
Clarisse folded her arms, impressed despite herself.
"Okay. I get it now."
Teddy watched the castle with a strange mix of fondness and awe. He didn't speak, but Neville noticed the way his expression softened.
"You don't have to go there," Neville said gently.
Teddy shook his head.
"I know. But it's nice to see."
They stood together for a long moment, four young heroes and one quiet guardian, looking at a place that had shaped worlds.
As evening approached, they made their way back, tired but smiling.
Clarisse stretched.
"Alright. Britain's approved."
Jake laughed.
"Best pre-quest stop we've ever had."
Chris nodded.
"I won't forget this."
Teddy hugged his backpack close, heart light.
It began with a whisper.
A ripple through Diagon Alley the previous afternoon—two identical red-haired men stopping dead in their tracks, staring openly at a small boy whose hair shifted from bright blue to vivid green as he laughed at something a plant shop owner said.
Fred and George Weasley did not miss things like that.
Especially not when Neville Longbottom was standing right beside the child.
By morning, the whisper had become a current.
Harry Potter is back in Britain.
The boy's a Metamorphmagus.
Longbottom is hiding Potter.
Neville woke up to the sound of his wards chiming softly—again and again.
He groaned, rubbing his eyes.
"Oh no," he muttered. "That's not good."
Downstairs, Teddy was already awake, sitting at the long dining table with Jake, Clarisse, and Chris, eating toast slathered with honey. His hair was a cheerful orange, shifting faintly as he laughed.
"What's wrong, Uncle Neville?" Teddy asked.
Neville peered through the window and sighed.
"…We have company."
They arrived in clusters.
Some by Apparition, some by Floo, some escorted politely by Ministry security who looked deeply uncomfortable standing in Neville Longbottom's front garden.
Aurors hovered near the gates, trying—and failing—to look casual.
Ministry officials arrived with carefully neutral smiles and questions they pretended were social.
And then there were the others.
The real guests.
"Teddy!"
Fred and George burst through the front doors as if they owned the place, identical grins splitting their faces.
"There he is!" George exclaimed.
"Mini-Harry!" Fred added.
"I'm not mini," Teddy protested seriously. "I'm just… Teddy."
George crouched in front of him.
"Hair color change on demand?"
Teddy nodded proudly.
"Fantastic," Fred said. "We approve."
Neville relaxed slightly.
Then Minerva McGonagall entered.
She paused just inside the doorway, posture straight, eyes sharp as ever—until they landed on Teddy.
Her expression softened.
"Well," she said briskly, "you must be the young man causing all this fuss."
Teddy stood up immediately.
"Hello, Professor," he said politely.
Her eyebrows rose.
"Harry taught you manners," she said. "That strange."
She rested a hand briefly on Teddy's shoulder—a rare gesture from her—and nodded once.
"It's good to see him remembered well."
Behind her came Professor Flitwick, beaming openly.
"A Metamorphmagus!" he said delightedly. "Oh, this is wonderful. Just like your mother."
Luna Lovegood drifted in shortly after, humming softly to herself. She knelt in front of Teddy and examined him with wide, thoughtful eyes.
"You glow," she said serenely.
Teddy blinked.
"Thank you?"
"It means you're important," Luna replied. "But not in a scary way."
Teddy smiled, deciding he liked her.
Not everyone was happy.
A pair of Ministry witches lingered near Neville, clearly disappointed.
"So… Harry Potter isn't here?" one asked.
Neville smiled politely.
"No."
"And you don't know when he'll arrive?"
"No."
"And you're sure the boy isn't—"
Neville's smile sharpened.
"I'm sure the boy is safe."
That ended the conversation.
The Manor settled into something like a celebration.
Food appeared in abundance—magical and mundane. Laughter filled the rooms. Teddy was passed from group to group, telling stories about Home.
Clarisse sat near the fireplace, watching the witches and wizards with narrowed eyes.
"This place is weird," she muttered to Chris.
Chris nodded.
"But… not hostile."
Jake leaned against the wall, observing quietly.
"They're protecting him," he said. "Even without Harry here."
Neville heard that and smiled faintly.
As afternoon stretched on, Teddy found himself sitting on the floor with Fred and George, surrounded by joke items.
"This one explodes," George explained.
"But this one explodes and apologizes."
Teddy laughed so hard his hair turned bright pink.
McGonagall watched from her chair, lips pressed thin—but her eyes held warmth.
"He's leaving soon, isn't he?" she asked Neville quietly.
Neville nodded.
"Tomorrow."
Luna looked up from where she was feeding Teddy a biscuit shaped like a Niffler.
"He'll come back," she said dreamily. "Children who are loved always do."
Neville believed her.
As the sun dipped low, guests began to depart. The Ministry officials left unsatisfied. The Aurors relaxed. The Manor slowly returned to something quieter.
Teddy yawned, exhaustion finally catching him.
"Uncle Neville?" he asked sleepily. "This was nice."
Neville knelt and hugged him.
"It was," he agreed. "Very nice."
As Teddy was led upstairs to rest, Neville stood at the doorway, watching the last of the guests vanish.
Harry Potter hadn't come.
But his presence had filled every room.
Author's Note:
Enjoying the story?
Consider joining my Patreon to get early access to more chapters and exclusive fanfictions! Even as a free member you will get one extra chapter and you'll receive early access to chapters before they're posted elsewhere and various other fanfictions.Your support helps me create more content for you to enjoy!
Join here: Patreon(dot)com(slash)Beuwulf