One Moment of a Million

Summary: In your dreams, you remember just how close Death came to taking you. One of those AU Denial fics, in which Remus and Tonks live, and Teddy isn't an orphan. Extremely fluffy oneshot.

A/N: Yeah, so I don't normally write AU, but besides the fact that I have Remus and Tonks alive here, everything else is canon. And I just felt the need for some seriously sweet fluff (consider yourself warned). ;)

In your dreams, in your nightmares, you relive the Battle of Hogwarts. You remember escaping death, once, twice, three times. The green light almost took you, almost got the better of you, and you know it had been close. Antonin Dolohov had backed you into a corner, and Bellatrix was going for Dora, and Death was so dangerously near...

Ever since your friends died, death hadn't seemed so scary.

Until you married Dora.

Until you had Teddy.

Then it became terrifying. The thought of leaving them was unbearable, and so that fear persists in your nightmares. Even though it's been years since that night...

You wake up cold and sweaty, flashes of green and red spells burned behind your eyelids, but you realize the truth that presents itself in the warmth of your blankets.

You're alive.

You shake your head and come back to your senses. You look to your right and see that Dora has already gone downstairs. She's probably making Teddy breakfast.

When you finally make your way down to the kitchen, Dora is cooking at the stove. Pancakes. Brilliant.

Teddy is standing on a chair, reaching into a cabinet for plates. He doesn't see you, but Dora does. She winks as a way of greeting.

You smile and wonder how you got so lucky. You go over to Teddy and sneak up behind him. You grab him by the waist.

He squeals. "Wotcher, Ted." you say happily. "How's my baby boy today?"

The seven year old squirms in your arms and his nose crinkles up. "Dad, I'm not a baby!" Teddy exclaims, but you can see the slight smile on his face and you know he hasn't outgrown you just yet.

"You'll always be my baby boy, Teddy Remus Lupin." you say sternly, still holding him close to you. You kiss his head. He smells clean and his hair is soft. You keep your arms around him, and he feels warm and real and wonderful.

Your son.

You still aren't used to it, and it never gets old. It's just as amazing every time.

You release Teddy and make your way over to your wife. And now you grab her waist, and you kiss her cheek, and she grins. "And how's my beautiful wife today?" you whisper into her ear.

She turns her head towards you and smiles. Her eyes sparkle and she kisses your cheek, catching the corner of your lips, and you love her.

You love her for being stubborn and persistent and irrational. You love her for loving you.

And you love her for giving you a son.

You grab her hand and give it a small squeeze, and she squeezes back, and even though it doesn't seem possible, you love her even more. Teddy comes over, having gotten the plates on the table, and he tugs at your shirt. You look down at him and smile.

"Dad, you have to see what Mum showed me how to do!" The boy squints in concentration, and a moment later, his nose is pointy and sharp like a beak. You laugh and Dora laughs and Teddy grins proudly.

Then Dora turns back to the pancakes. She scowls slightly. "Damn, I let one of them burn..." she says, then she grins back at you. "I blame you for distracting me, Remus."

You nod and pull away. "I take full responsibility." you say with a small chuckle.

You sit down at the kitchen table and Teddy takes his place across from you. He squints his eyes and his nose shrinks back to normal. He grins at you, looking so much like his mother, and you love him.

You know the moment won't last forever. You and Dora will fight eventually, Teddy will get annoyed about something eventually and maybe have a tantrum, and there will be days when you're just too tired to move. But you will always remember this morning of peace and quiet, of love and warmth and contentment.

You will always remember this moment with your family.

A/N: Yeah, I love always, reviews are amazing.