I want to thank my Beta FriendofMolly for the title for this chapter, and other much appreciated tweaks. We both appreciate reviews. Thank you for reading.
I have written a story about the last few chapters from Teddy’s point of view, and will start to post it next.
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Birth of the Potter Children | ||||||
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Category: Post-DH/AB Characters:Harry/Ginny, Hermione Granger, Minerva McGonagall, Neville Longbottom, Nymphadora Tonks, Ron Weasley Genres: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Drama, General, Romance Warnings: Death, Intimate Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 59 Summary: Third in the Almost Happily Ever After series, starting at the end of the hunt for the remaining supporters of Tom Riddle and the end of Ginny's Quidditch career. Hitcount: Story Total: 123093; Chapter Total: 4326 Author's Notes: |
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By Wednesday Ginny started to go to the New Burrow part of the day. Teddy came back home with Ginny Wednesday night and had dinner with Harry, Ginny and James. Thursday night Teddy was having dinner with Harry and Ginny and James, and Harry said “Ginny, I think I’d like to take James to Godric’s Hallow and introduce him to my parents. I know it’s a little stupid showing him their graves, but that’s the best I can do, since they are dead.” “My mummy and daddy dead too,” said Teddy. “Yes, Teddy, you are an orphan just like me. And your parents are buried close to mine. Would you like to come with us?” asked Harry. “Could I?” asked Teddy. Harry looked at Ginny. “Do you think we could take Teddy Saturday morning and go to Godric’s Hallow?” “Sure, Harry. This means a lot to you, doesn’t it” said Ginny. Harry nodded, and they made plans to go to Godric’s Hallow on Saturday. Saturday about 1:30 Harry and Ginny took the floo over to the New Burrow to pick up Teddy. There to meet them was Teddy, and also Bill Weasley with Victoire. Friday night Teddy had asked Victoire to come with him and meet his parents. Bill said, “He was so serious. He said ‘They are dead, that’s not the same thing as them being alive. I’ve never seen their graves, just photographs of them.’ Victoire wanted to go, so I decided I had better come along as well.” Ginny had arranged for everybody to take the floo to Bill and Donna Lionheart’s house; Donna had not had her baby yet. Once there they walked the short distance to the cemetery. They first went to the graves of Ted Tonks, Nymphadora Tonks Lupin and Remus Lupin. Harry showed Teddy Ted’s grave first. Harry said, “You are named for your grandfather Theodore Tonks, grandma Tonks husband, Teddy. He was killed a few months before you were born. This is his grave.” Harry showed Teddy grandfather Tonks grave, and Teddy looked at the gravestone, touched it. You could see Teddy trying to figure out what was going on. They then went down the row to the graves of Teddy’s parents, and Teddy looked at them. He looked back at Harry and then looked around. He shrugged his shoulders like he did not know quite what to make of what he was seeing. “Your mum and dad are not really here,” said Harry, “but their bodies are in boxes right here,” and Harry pointed to the area ahead of the headstone. “The bodies are about six foot underground. It’s the best we can do.” “Bodies?” asked Teddy. “Can they talk to me?” “No,” Harry said. “They are dead, just dead bodies. But Teddy, you can talk to them” “What are dead bodies?” Teddy asked. Harry said, “When you die they put your body, the physical part of you, in the ground. Eventually all that is left is bones. There may just be bones, or if there is anything else it is not alive. The person who loves you has moved on. I know they can hear you, but they are on the other side of life. We will meet them again when we die.” “If they can hear me why don’t they talk to me? They are right there,” Teddy said as he pointed at the gravestones. “They are not really there, just their bodies,” Harry said. “Not there?” asked Teddy. “Not really, just the bodies,” Harry said. Teddy thought about what Harry has said, and then tentatively started quietly talking. “Can you hear me, Mummy, Daddy? “MUMMY! DADDY! “I have good grandmas, and Daddy Harry and Mummy Ginny are the best, but sometimes I wish I had a REAL, LIVE Mummy and Daddy. I know you did the right thing, and are heroes and all that. I’m happy you are hero’s, I guess, but sometimes I would rather have a living Mummy and Daddy than dead hero’s.” Teddy turned to Victoire. “You’re mummy and daddy are so nice, and I wanted you to meet mine. I think it was a stupid idea. I’m sorry.” Victoire went up and hugged Teddy. “Not stupid!’ she said. “Sorry your mummy and daddy dead.” Teddy turned to Harry and Ginny. “Thank you for letting me come with you.” He looked at the graves again. “They’re dead. They’re not just gone, they’re dead. Dead.” He took a deep breath, held on to Victoire’s hand and Bill’s hand, and turned to go, sobbing, tears streaming down his face. Bill sat on the ground with his feet out in front of him, and drew Teddy into his arms. Teddy put his arms around Bill and buried his face in Bill’s shirt, sobbing so hard he was having a hard time catching his breath, the tears flowing out. Victoire came and joined in, and Bill put one arm around her. Victoire said again, “Not stupid, Teddy. Not stupid.” Harry said, “Remus, Tonks, I just want to say that Teddy is growing up to be a fine young man. He acts like the oldest of Arthur and Molly’s grandchildren, responsible for the other grandchildren like they are his cousins. He is smart, polite, a joy to all. He is surrounded by love. Thank you for the gift of Teddy.” Bill said, “Teddy has adopted us as another family, and we love him like another son. Thank you for Teddy, Remus and Tonks.” Harry was holding James, Ginny holding on to Harry for balance, and he walked over to his parents graves. “Hi mum, dad. If you can see me you can probably see me anywhere, but I just wanted to come here and show you your first grandchild. James Sirius was born last Sunday, so he’s not even a week old. ” Harry took a deep breath. Ginny looked at Harry, then back at Teddy. Ginny was pretty broken up after hearing Teddy, and she did not know how Harry was holding up. This was already more than she had bargained for. Harry said, “You know, mum and dad, it was all worth it. I’m sorry, just like Teddy, that you cannot be here for me, but you are going to have grandchildren and great grandchildren. You’re the real winners, and Tom Riddle is dead and gone. “James Sirius, Grandma and Grandpa Potter may not be here for you, but you are here because of them, and I will never let you forget that they gave their lives for me, and you. Thank you again.” Harry turned to the rest of the people and said, “Let’s go back to the Burrow.” They walked silently to the Lionheart house and took the floo back to the New Burrow. And not so very far away James and Lilly, Remus and Tonks, and their parents and grandparents, watched the scene in the graveyard, and listened, and gave thanks. When they returned to the New Burrow Teddy found Grandmother Tonks and said, “Mummy and Daddy DEAD!” Andromeda Tonks looked at Teddy, and all the sorrow of losing her husband and daughter came back to her. “They’re dead, they’re dead. Yes, all of them. Teddy’s an orphan. We’re so sorry.” She pulled Teddy into a big hug, sobbing, the tears streaming down. “We’re so sorry. We’re so sorry. Oh Teddy. Everybody is so sorry, but they are still DEAD.” Teddy burst into tears again, and cried with his grandmother for some time. Victoire turned to her father, tears in her eyes, and said, “Teddy sad.” Bill said, “Yes, Toire, Teddy is very sad. We should let Teddy and his grandmother cry. I will take you home.” Victoire said to Teddy, “I sorry, Teddy.” She grabbed onto her father’s hand. Bill said, “We’ll be here tomorrow, Teddy.” Bill took Victoire’s hand and they took the floo home. Teddy finally pulled himself away from his Grandmother Tonks. He said to Harry, “Daddy Harry, I’ll be … I think … just, can I cry?” “Yes, Teddy. You may cry,” Harry said. “He gave Teddy a big hug, before going home with Ginny and James. Teddy then went up to his bedroom. Molly came into the room. Teddy climbed into Molly’s lap, not bawling but gently crying. After dinner Molly came over to Grimmauld Place and said, “Teddy, Andromeda and I talked a lot about living and dead relatives. Teddy came down for dinner. He was subdued, but not crying. I don’t think he ever cried for his parents before. He’ll be all right, I think.” Ginny looked at her mother and said, “Will we ever get over the tears?” “No,” said Molly, “but the tears only come once in a while, and I think tears heal.” “She is waiting for us in the private dining room, Andromeda,” Molly said as she opened the door. Molly walked into the room, holding the door open for Andromeda. “Hello Andy,” Narcissa Malfoy said. “Hello Cissy,” Andromeda said. Neither sister said anything for what seemed like a long time. Finally Narcissa said, “I am so sorry, Andy. I am so sorry for all your losses, for Ted and Nymphadora and Remus.” “Were you going to kill Teddy?” Andromeda asked. “At the funeral.” “Merlin no,” replied Narcissa. “By that time I was so tired of the anger and hate and killing. We were wrong. We were terribly and deadly wrong, and I am so so very very sorry.” “Just you, Cissy?” Andromeda asked. “I am afraid so, Andy. Daddy was beginning to doubt if it was right kicking you out of the family, and he really missed you. Mum is still living, at the Malfoy Manor, and she is still a Pure Blood Fanatic. I don’t dare let her know I am meeting Molly.” Andromeda said, “If I tell Teddy anything about you he will tell anybody he knows. He cannot keep a secret.” “Is Teddy why you are here?” Narcissa asked. Andromeda said, “Harry took Teddy to see his parents’ graves. Teddy did not know what Dead was, and wanted to meet his parents. When he was at the graveyard he began to understand how permanent Death is. We have had a few rough days, and a lot of talk about biological family. Praise Merlin for Molly. I don’t think I could have done it all by myself. “Talking about family, about you, that’s what made me think that I really ought to start meeting you again. I don’t want to have a living sister that I don’t know.” “As far as I am concerned you are my sister, Andy, and have always been my sister. I’m not going to put up with our parents prejudices anymore,” Narcissa said. Andromeda said, “We were each going to have three children. One of us would have two girls and a boy, and the other two boys and a girl. We were going to live in big houses with rich loving husbands and our children would grow up together.” Narcissa said, “I had a rich husband. I guess I still have a rich husband, not that it does me much good. I think any love he had for me is gone. I don’t ever expect him out of prison, and I’m ashamed to say that I am almost relieved that he will never be coming out.” Andromeda said, “I had a loving husband, until he was killed. We were not rich, but we were happy, until the troubles started again.” Narcissa said, “At least I have a sister again.” The two sisters held hands, and cried together over all the lost years. The two sisters, and Molly, agreed that they would try and meet again in another month, and they did meet monthly for years. Very far away the third sister watched the meeting, and raged, her anger disappearing into that much larger love that is the afterlife of the good. It was lonely and powerless in the afterlife, just pain, and viewing all the people who you hated. There was nothing you could do to hurt any of them, the living or the dead. All that her rage did was turn the hate and hurt inward. What was left of her raged and raged, and got smaller and smaller. |
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