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A New Normal
By CharmHazel

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Category: Post-DH/AB
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: General, Romance
Warnings: Mild Language, Mild Sexual Situations
Story is Complete
Rating: PG-13
Reviews: 129
Summary: Harry has spent much of his life being hunted by Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Now the Dark Lord is dead, it is time for Harry to live the life he has always wanted. It it time for Harry to create for himself a new normal.
Hitcount: Story Total: 70765; Chapter Total: 2351





Author's Notes:
Sorry for such a long delay in posting and for it being a completely different chapter to what I had originally planned. My brain seemed to freeze and in the end, this chapter was the better option. However, it also means the end of this story, after two years of writing it!




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Life continued for the ever expanding Weasley/Potter Family.

The horrors of the war and the losses they had suffered still haunted them, but the good days now outweighed the bad regularly.

For Harry, especially, life could only continue to become better. The birth of James had brought him the one thing he had always longed for, a family of his own and one he wanted to expand.

A year and a half after the birth of James, Albus Severus was born. The choice of name had shocked their family and friends, especially when they had discovered it was Ginny who had suggested the middle name. However, as Harry explained, they had named their sons for two great men who, despite their mistakes and flaws, had done everything in their power to help Harry win and survive the war. The couple did laugh, though, when Neville froze at the idea of his godson being named after the man that had long been his boggart.

Two years later, their one and only daughter, Lily Luna had been born, completing the family Harry had always wanted. Much to Harry’s delight, Lily looked as though she would be the spitting image of her mother. However, Luna, Lily’s godmother, had pointed out that it would mean Lily would have Harry wrapped around her little finger if she was anything like her mother, something Harry already knew to be true.

The years continued to pass with happiness, now something that was in abundance within the family.

Harry had been promoted to Head Auror just a few months following Lily’s birth. Ginny began working for the Daily Prophet as a Quidditch Correspondent, which allowed her to remain at home with the children when she was not covering a match.

Ron had left the Auror Office not long after the birth of James and had begun working at Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes. Once Rose was born, with Hugo following two years later, he was happy to be their main carer while Hermione quickly progressed through the Ministry and up to the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Most of the family agreed that it wouldn’t be long before she would become the Minister for Magic, due to the hard work she had put in to bring about fair laws and equality for the magical community.

Molly and Arthur doted on their grandchildren, though they were not surprised that none of their children wished to have the number children they had chosen to. Bill and Fleur had settled at three, Victoire, Dominique and Louis. Percy and Audrey were the only couple not to have a son, having two daughters, Molly and Lucy. George and Angelina were happy with their two children, Fred II and Roxanne.

Before the family knew it, Teddy, an honorary Weasley grandchild, had begun Hogwarts, with the first Weasley, Victoire, beginning just two years later.

HP&GW

Harry couldn’t help but chuckle as he closed the drawer of his desk and reset the wards. He should have known nothing would have stopped his eldest son from getting his hands on the Marauders Map, not even specially placed wards on the drawer in which it had been hidden.

Taking a seat at his desk, Harry sighed as he thought about how James would be taking the train to Hogwarts the following morning to begin his first year. He found it hard to believe that his eldest son was now about to begin his education and it left him wondering where all the years had gone. It seemed time had passed quickly since the day he had finally completed his destiny and he knew that his life had changed dramatically in that time.

If he really thought about it, his life changed the day he stepped back into the wizarding world, twenty-four years ago, when Hagrid had told him he was a wizard. However, he knew September First would always hold a special place in his heart as it was the day he had met his best friends, Ron and Hermione, and the day he first laid eyes on his beautiful wife, Ginny. He had known he was heading for something better that day when the train had left Kings Cross, but he hadn’t known these three people would give him the one thing he had longed for all his life, a family.

Harry found himself so lost in his thoughts that he did not notice his wife had come into his study until she gently placed a hand on his shoulder. The sudden touch startled him out of his thoughts as he looked up to see Ginny looking at him in concern.

“Are you okay?” she gently asked him. “I’ve been calling for you for the past few minutes.”

Harry smiled at the love of his life before gently tugging her into his lap.

“I’m fine,” he replied as he wrapped his arms around her waist. “I was just thinking about how much my life has changed since the day I first stepped onto the Hogwarts Express.”

Ginny gently ran her hand through her husband’s messy locks, knowing he was reminiscing about their school days, thanks to their eldest son’s upcoming departure to the school. She wasn’t surprised by his actions as he had done the same thing the night before Teddy was due to begin.

“I remember when the train pulled away, taking me to Hogwarts for the first time,” Harry continued. “I didn’t know what I was heading to, not like you did, or how all the kids will. I just remember thinking, wherever it was I was heading to, it had to be better than what I was leaving behind.”

“Was it?” Ginny asked, wondering if the seven years of hell Harry had been through as he fought against a rising darkness was better than the ten years of abuse he had been through living with his relatives.

Harry smiled as his eyes became distant, thinking about back to his Hogwarts days.

“Yeah, it was,” he finally answered. “I finally found somewhere I belonged and people who cared for and loved me, including the little red-head who chased after the train the day I started.”

Ginny blushed as she leaned in and kissed her husband, grateful he was choosing to remember the good times, rather than allowing the bad times to overwhelm him.

“James found the map,” Harry stated as the couple pulled apart.

Ginny pulled back and raised an eyebrow in suspicion at her husband.

“I swear I put the wards on the drawer,” he said, defending his actions.

“So, you are telling me, our eleven-year-old son, untrained in magic, somehow managed to by-pass your wards, ones we both know to be strong enough to keep out anyone other than those who know the counter-charms or someone who is a Curse-Breaker.”

“Yes?” Harry responded weakly as he allowed his brain to process whether he had replaced the wards before he left for work that morning, having not considered that option beforehand.

Ginny glared at him, knowing he had forgotten, despite how diligent he was about keeping certain items locked away from the children.

“What about the cloak?” she asked as she remembered this was one of the items she knew James was desperate to get his hands on.

Harry grinned widely, knowing he couldn’t get into trouble now. “Hidden, safely away, where James could not get to it if he tried. I won’t be giving it to him until after he has completed his O.W.Ls as we agreed.”

Ginny continued to glare at him for a second before her face softened in response to his answer.

“He will probably get into less trouble with only the map,” she responded with a voice that betrayed her belief in her own words. “Probably.”

“Is he still up?”

Ginny nodded.

“I’ll have a word with him, then,” Harry told her, encouraging his wife to rise from his lap so he could stand up himself.

“When you are done talking to him, come to bed,” Ginny told her husband with a smouldering look in her eyes as they left Harry’s study.

Harry knew he had a stupid grin on his face as he watched her walk away from him. He promised himself, if possible, he would not take too long talking to James.

HP&GW

Harry chuckled quietly to himself as he watched his son attempt to pack his broom in his trunk. He couldn’t blame James for wanting to take his broom, even with the ban on First-Years taking their own to school.

“I hope you know your mother will check your trunk in the morning to make sure you haven’t tried to sneak anything in there that shouldn’t be,” Harry said as James went to close his trunk.

James looked up in shock at being caught.

“I haven’t packed anything else, other than what me and Mum put in there, together,” James protested. “I was just checking everything was in there.”

Harry shook his head in amusement as he walked over to the trunk and opened it.

“So, the fact your broom is in there, despite you knowing you cannot take it, was packed by your mum?” he asked, pointing directly at the broom.

“How did that get in there?” James replied, trying to act confused as he took the broom out and leant it against his bedroom wall before going to get into his bed. “It wasn’t in there when we packed.”

Harry raised an eyebrow at his son’s poor attempt to cover his misdeed.

“How about I ignore the fact I saw you trying to pack it and instead tell you about the Marauders Map in more detail?” Harry said as he moved to sit down on his son’s bed.

James’ eyes lit up in excitement at his father’s suggestion, knowing a year without his broom would be worth it for the knowledge he was about to receive in regards to the map.

Harry took his time, rather than rushing as he had originally planned, to explain the map in detail to his eldest son, explaining the story behind the making of it, how it came to be in his hands and all the little miraculous things the map could do that he had only discovered by using it.

“I just need you to promise something, James,” Harry said as he folded up the map and handed it back to his son to place into his trunk.

James nodded, knowing his dad was about to set some rules about how he could behave and his use of the map.

“I know I cannot stop you from pranking and causing mischief,” Harry continued. “However, whatever you decide to do must not be permanent and must not harm whoever it is you are pranking.”

James nodded again, easily agreeing to the same rules his parents had set long ago when it became obvious James would take after his namesakes, something they had continually reinforced.

“Also, while I doubt you will find yourself experiencing anything like what your mother and I did, I want you to promise me that you will not be reckless and run off into situations the teachers should handle,” Harry said firmly, desperate for his children to experience Hogwarts the way it was supposed to be experienced. “That means, therefore, no entering and exploring of the Forbidden Forest, unless you are accompanied by a teacher, no sneaking into other Houses’ common rooms, no exploring areas you are told to avoid and no sneaking out into Hogsmeade. If you are told not to do something…”

“…then, I am not to follow your example and disobey what the teacher,” James finished for his dad, having already heard the same speech from his mum.

Harry smiled, happy his eldest son understood what he was being asked.

“That’s not to say you cannot explore the castle or have fun, but please try not to push the rules too much, I am not sure how much more Professor McGonagall can take when it comes to Potters and their need to explore everything and anything.”

James couldn’t help but laugh at the comment in regards to the Headmistress, knowing how much it had driven her crazy when she had discovered his father at the centre at yet another troubling situation.

“I promise to behave myself, Dad,” James said with a twinkle in his eye.

Harry shook his head in amusement to his son’s words, knowing his son would cause as much mischief and mayhem as he could possibly get away with.

“Quite honestly, I am amazed Professor McGonagall hasn’t retired with you now starting Hogwarts,” Harry said to his son as he stood from the bed to leave the room. “Please, don’t be the one who drives her into retirement. I doubt I will hear the end of it from her and your mother if you do.”

“I promise, Dad,” James replied with a yawn.

“Goodnight, James.”

“Night, Dad.”

Harry extinguished the lights in his son’s room as he left, closing the door quietly behind him. He quickly checked on his other two children, Lily and Albus, both of whom were fast asleep, before heading towards his own bedroom, where he knew his wife would be waiting for him.

He smiled as he thought at how normal this all was in comparison to his own childhood years. He never imagined he would to get to do something so simple, such as checking his children were settled and asleep, having only ever known a life that was anything but normal. He knew most people took for granted the simple pleasures in life, but he never did. He was eternally grateful for the opportunity to be able to fall in love, get married and have children and for the chance to create the sort of life he had grown up yearning for.

Harry paused as he reached the door to his bedroom. The sight of his wife sat in bed, reading a book, filled him with a joy that he felt most people would not understand. It was yet another simple pleasure in his now normal life.

It was with a beautiful smile from his wife, with that hard, blazing look he loved so much, that Harry made his way towards the bed, closing the door behind him, grateful for the new normal he had created for his life.
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