It had always bothered Robert that he had not been around for Teddy when Remus was murdered. Unavoidable as it had been, It bothered him when it had happened, and it bothered him still. So far as Robert knew, no one but he and Kate knew the full facts of why Teddy had gone to the Potters and not with his blood family. It was the darkest chapter in Robert's life, and for Kate and Khaat as well, a story not fit for Teddy to know when he was a child and not that happier for him to know now. However, Teddy wasn't a child anymore. Far from it, the baby had grown to be a proper professor, and Robert hadn't a single doubt that Remus and Tonks surely would have been proud of who Teddy had become. He was equally sure how important Teddy's parents felt it was for Teddy to know them. They had both known the risks when they had gone to the battle of Hogwarts and entrusted their friends and family to try to surround Teddy with what they themselves had held most dear.
Teddy was also entitled to some of his father's things--things that had come to Robert, what limited things there were, and there were things that Remus had always had at Robert's. Khaat had some of Remus's things, but Robert had some too--things that were doing no one any good in storage. Amongst the furniture and the knickknacks that had decorated the home that Remus and Tonks had shared, were some precious treasures. Robert presumed that, most likely, Teddy had no real use for now outdated looking furniture, but he was welcome to whatever he wanted. He hoped to help Teddy understand that the things that Remus held dear were very few because Remus hadn't had any particular attachment to material things. Werewolves couldn't afford it. Material things came and went with every full moon, it seemed. And with the danger to him and to Tonks at the end of the Second War, what things they held irreplaceable, they'd stored with Robert. Moreover, there were three wizarding portraits of Remus in existence that Robert was aware of. A copy resided at Hogwarts and always had, as with all the Hogwarts professors. Khaat had one of two remaining originals, unable to be parted from it, and Robert had the other. He had had Michael find him the best wizarding portrait maker he could find and had had a copy made of the portrait he had, and he was fully prepared, if Teddy wanted it, to give one to Teddy, whichever Teddy wanted--Robert's original, or the copy. They were almost impossible to tell them apart. Michael could do it, but Robert himself sometimes got them buggared because they were so identical.
He also had Remus's gramophone and his jazz albums. Remus had loved music, particularly jazz. Khaat had one of Remus's albums, but Robert had all the rest, as well as what remained of his clothes. Khaat had his wand. Robert had managed to find out that Ollivander had made Remus a duplicate because Remus feared breaking it in one of his full moon ravings. It had been found in Remus's things. If Teddy wanted it, he would give it to him . There were also some wizarding photographs that he'd had duplicates made of, and was ready to give Teddy the originals--things he hadn't likely seen, images of Teddy as a baby with his parents, and Remus's last Christmas--when Tonks was early into her pregnancy with Teddy. They were images and memories that were precious to Robert and Kate and Khaat all three. It was overdue to share them with Remus's son, and the parts of his father that Robert was sure Teddy knew nothing of.
And as he was looking through a box in his attic, he found a little cedar box that he had forgotten all about. It hadn't been opened since the day of the funerals. It had been entirely too painful to even think about. He'd nearly wiped this little chest out of his memory. He still had the little key on his keychain, and he turned it now in the lock for the first time since 1998. Inside were what few pieces of jewelry Robert had come across, and right on the top were three rings. Remus's plain gold wedding band, Tonks' simple little diamond ring and her equally simple gold band. It made Robert feel something catch in his breath, a pause in the beating of his own heart. He had fully intended to send the rings with Remus and Tonks, but Narcissa, in her anguish at losing both of her sisters in the battle, ripped the rings from Remus and Tonks, initially intending to take them,and when Robert had objected, Narcissa had hurled them as far as she could into some long grass and weeds. Robert had allowed the funerals to proceed without the rings to keep the peace but he went back and recovered them and locked them away, for safekeeping, for Teddy. Even after all these years, it tore at his heart to relive the memories of the loss of his little brother.
He had spent some sleepless nights, debating the wording, but at last he had worded a letter to Teddy, a letter years overdue, knowing that no words on a page could capture it all. Teddy knew of Robert's existence or so Arthur had told Robert, but Robert presumed that the knowledge had never been more than a bit of a mention in the family tree, so far as Robert knew, unless the Weasley's had done more than that for the boy. Weasleys surely understood the importance of family. And it was in some of Robert's most desperate moments of his life that he had had an urgent late night conversation with Arthur and Molly, and from that fateful conversation, it had been decided to let Teddy remain with the Weasley's, to shelter the boy as much as they could from the facts that being a Lupin was not an easy business. the baby that Remus had always wanted and never believed he was worthy of having would now grow up away from the Lupins and all the pain and turmoil the name had come to represent, but for very deep and painful personal reasons that Robert and Kate hadn't shared with anyone but Arthur and Molly at the time. It was heartbreaking for Robert to have to walk away from Teddy then as it continued to be over the years to stay away and allow him to have, hopefully, a normal childhood. He had had some assurances from Arthur and Molly that someday Teddy would know the truth, but he did not know if it had actually happened, and they had been kind enough to send Robert photos of Teddy over the years. Robert had no idea of Teddy had been aware of that or not. Nor of the fact that he and Kate had put away money in Gringotts for Teddy, and that the account was now not all that small anymore. It was the least they could do for Remus's only child.
Now he had sent a letter. It had been rather simple but he'd done his best to open a door for Teddy to choose, if he wanted, to be part of his blood family. He had, in the end, decided that simple was perhaps best.
"Dear Teddy," it had said. "Your Aunt Kate and I hope this finds you well and happy. We came across some of your father's things the other day, things we've held for you, and felt it was certainly time that you had the opportunity to see if there is anything of your dad's that you'd like to have, as well as knowing some of the parts of his life that you most likely have not had a chance to know. We would love to see you, so I am enclosing a portkey to the family farm. We'd like to invite you to come on Saturday if you can. We have much to tell you and show you. Dress comfortably as it is truly a working farm. You're welcome to join us for a hearty farm breakfast Saturday morning and to stay as long as you like, for the day or, we'd be thrilled if you could spend the weekend. Bring a friend or a family member if you like. Oh, I do need to tell you there is a trick to the portkey. Twist the bow clockwise to go forward. Twist it anticlockwise to go back where you came from. Love, Robert." He'd enclosed the antique brass key in the envelope, had sealed it, and had sent it with Khaat's eagle, Arrow, to Hogwarts to Teddy, deciding to not get his hopes up.