Regrets

Tonks? Remus tried to steady his breathing. It was so possible, in fact it was far fetched this boy- this Tonks- was not his boy. A son.

I have a son, Remus realized joyfully, And he's nearly sixteen years old...Remus' joy was overshadowed immediately by guilt. He must hate me...I'd hate me, if I were in his situation.
Headmistress McGonagall seemed to be able to tell what Remus was thinking and glanced at him with sympathy lingering in her gaze- or was that disappointment? Remus managed to force himself to look back to the blue haired boy, now being scolded along with his friends by the unfamiliar professor. The boy begrudgingly muttered an apology with his friends and the students began to eat their meals.

Remus dared to quietly stand up and shuffle over to where McGonagall sat and crouched down and managed to force out hoarsely,

"My boy?" The elderly Gryffindor sighed and she nodded,
"Yes, Mr. Lupin. Ted Tonks." He should be Ted Lupin! Remus internally protested, Not that I deserve it...

Remus tried to thank McGonagall, but it seemed his voice no longer was working and he just nodded in gratitude and walked out of the dining hall.

The moment he closed the doors behind him, he slid down against the wall, burying his face in his hands and tugging at his hair slightly.

"What have I done?" Remus rasped. He heard a voice to his right, and saw the boy- his boy, Teddy, walking beside George's oldest son, Fred Weasley.

Teddy and Fred were laughing. Ted seemed to be entertaining himself and Fred by mixing his hair color from blue, to purple, to green in a hypnotic tie-dye swirl dancing in his shaggy locks. Remus shot up from his perch on the ground, and stepped out in front of Teddy before he could walk away. His friend shot him a look and continued on, slightly nervous.

Remus fondly took notice of the red and gold tie Gryffindor loosely hanging around Ted's neck, and saw a suspicious...map looking thing stuffed in the pocket of his robes.

Marvelous. Remus thought grimly, as he realized his son possessed the Marauder's map. A wave of grief washed over him when he realized of all the Marauders- Remus was the last on alive, and he'd made a complete mess of his life.

"C'mon, Teddy!" Fred called, walking ahead further.

Teddy gave Remus a curious look and stepped away from him, continuing forward whilst whistling. Remus blinked,
"Teddy!" Teddy turned around, an eyebrow quirked.

"Ted." He corrected, his hair color settling to a solid shade of blue. Remus blinked,
"I'm sorry?"

"I'm Ted. Ted Tonks." Remus nodded,

"Oh, sorry, just that I heard your friend call you Teddy, so-"
"He's my friend. Not only that- he's a family friend. He's aloud to call me that." Teddy interrupted. Remus nodded briskly, and opened his mouth but was cut off by a call of,
"Teddy!" Remus turned around to see an absolutely beautiful freckled Gryffindor girl waving at Ted. Her strawberry blonde locks hung effortlessly to her back, with a pink Weasley sweater with a sewn 'V' in the center. Teddy smiled and waved back, blushing. His hair did as well, gradually flushing from blue to bright pink.

"One sec, Tori!" Ted called, then he turned back to Remus and his hair dulled and his smile fell off his face. Ted rudely rolled his eyes and Remus realized he was waiting for him to say something,

"So...do you know who I am?" Remus inquired, timidly. Ted sighed with exasperation lingering on his tongue,
"Yeah, you're the werewolf professor who ditched his wife an' kid, am I right?" Remus grimaced and felt a pain shoot through him as Ted's hair faded into an angry, vibrant red. It reminded him of Tonks. Remus sighed, rubbing his forehead with anxiety.

"Teddy-" He began,

"Ted." The metamorphagus corrected, irritably.

"Right, er, Ted. I am...I am so, so, sorry-" Again he was cut off by his son.
"Watcha' apologizing to me for? Go find your woman, Romulus." Teddy said, pointing behind him as if his mother were there.

"Remus." Remus corrected instinctively. Teddy blinked with surprise at the name, but it was too quick for Remus to decipher.

"Huh..." Ted murmured, but shook it off, "Oh, whatever. Quit bugging me, I already got chewed out enough by Professor Silvia. I'm sorry for goofing off with Tori and Franklin, 'kay? Can I go now, Professor Lupis?"
"Lupin." Remus corrected again, "And- wait. You think thats what I want to talk to you about?" He doesn't know I'm his father. Remus realized, How could Dora never even tell him that?

"Well, what else is there? I haven't done any other shenanigans lately. Perhaps you've confused me with Fred or Roxy Weasley, eh?" Teddy sarcastically asked, crossing his arms and shooting Remus a look. Ted looked far too much like his mother in that moment. Remus stuttered slightly, caught off guard.
"Uh, just...run along and stay out of trouble Mr. ...Tonks." Lupin! You should be Lupin! You should be my boy! I...never should have left. Remus realized, as Ted strode past him. Remus watched, with a pain in his chest as Teddy ran up to the strawberry blonde and planted a firm kiss on her cheek. She giggled and pushed him away. Teddy stumbled and tripped over his feet with a joking whine of,
"Victoire!" And got back up, immediately slinging his arm around her shoulders as they walked away towards Franklin and Fred.

He's a young man in love. Not a child- I'm too late for that. Remus smiled sadly as Teddy laughed, his hair turning his mother's favorite color- pink.

I never should have left.