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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: 123103; Chapter Total: 4339 Author's Notes: More thanks to FriendofMolly, my Beta, who helps me keep descriptions clear. |
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It was the summer of 2006, and Ginny was very pregnant. Anyone who says that you can’t be a little pregnant doesn’t know how much more pregnant you feel when you have a huge round hump sticking out in front, pushing against your lungs and making it hard to breathe. James was a year and a half old, and very busy. James was always busy. He seemed not to have any halfway in him. “I don’t think he can walk anymore,” said Ginny. “He wants to run everywhere. No fear. I’m not always sure it’s a good idea to heal all his hurts. It’s just like giving him permission to get hurt again.” Harry looked at Ginny and James in amusement and said, “He’ll make a good Seeker, then.” Ginny groaned, remembering all the time Harry spent in the infirmary at Hogwarts. The Harpy's Seekers were always getting hurt as well. Ginny wasn’t sure how she felt about James being a fearless Seeker. The end of June school let out, and Saturday June 24 was the first Saturday that all the children, including the older children, were available to meet at the pond. This year was very different than the previous year. James was not a baby anymore but a toddler, speaking some and into everything. Harry took James over to Hufflepuff, the area where small children would play. James gladly went into the play area and ran around the area, up and down all the stairs, flew down the slides. Abraham Stanford was not quite one, having been born the previous August, but he confidently went into the play area as well. Harry ended up spending a couple of hours playing with the small children, occasionally thinking that this was what he had always been fighting for and working for, these moments when family and friends, happily playing small children, were the focus of life. About noon a picnic lunch appeared, with dishes coming from all of the surrounding houses. About this time Tom and Cinnamon Appleleaf showed up with an invitation. George and Rosemary Appleleaf invite you to the wedding of their children, Tom the son of George and the late Grace Appledorn and Cinnamon the daughter of Rosemary and the late Bill Bayleaf on July 22, 2006, at 5:00 PM, the pond at the New Burrow area. Dinner and dancing will follow the ceremony. Tom and Cinnamon stopped to talk to Harry and Ginny. Harry asked what they were going to be doing next year. Tom said “We are both going to be going to college in Switzerland next year. We would like to teach Charms or Transfiguration somewhere. It would be fantastic if we could teach at Hogwarts!” Ginny was pretty uncomfortable for the wedding, feeling very large and pregnant. She still wanted to make love that evening, something that required more gymnastics for Harry the larger Ginny got. When they were done, in their bedclothes in case, James suddenly needed them. Ginny said, “Cinnamon is a virgin. Rosemary told me yesterday, when I was at the New Burrow. Cinnamon is worried.” Ginny looked at Harry, shook her head, and said, “I was so nave.” Harry said, “I doubt she is still a virgin, unless they decided to wait, for some reason.” Ginny said, “I guess not. She had her period a couple of weeks ago, and is on birth control potions. I wonder how George and Rosemary are handling it. I wonder how we will feel when our children get married.” Harry said, “That’s years and years in the future.” Ginny was a week overdue on Tuesday morning, August 8th. Her labor had started, but it was very mild. There had not been one hard contraction; Al had not dropped. “Go to work, Harry,” Ginny said. “I will tell you if my contractions get harder or closer together. I’m going to the New Burrow.” “I’m going with you,” Harry said. “After I talk to Molly I will go to work.” Ginny sulked, but did not protest, as she went through the Floo with Mitzi, Harry and James following. Harry has a few clothes for James with him. When they got to the New Burrow Harry told Molly, “Ginny’s labor has started. She says it will be a while, and wants me to go to work.” Molly said, “I will let you know if you need to come back in a hurry.” Then she said to James, “James, you are going to stay overnight with Grandmum and Grandfather.” “And Teddy?” James exclaimed. ‘Teddy’ had been one of James first words. Molly replied, “Yes, you will stay here at the New Burrow with Teddy as well as with Grandfather and me.” Harry arrived back at the New Burrow about 3:00 PM, much concerned, but although Ginny’s contractions were more regular they still were not hard. Mitzi said to Ginny, “Mistress should go to St. Mungo’s.” “I haven’t had one HARD contraction yet,” Ginny said. “I agree with Mitzi,” Molly said. “We will keep James, but you ought to seriously consider going to St. Mungo’s.” “It took FOREVER last time,” Ginny said. “I’m not going until my water breaks, or Albus drops, or I start having HARD contractions.” About six o’clock, after a light dinner at the New Burrow, Harry took Ginny home. James went over and held Teddy’s hand as he watched his mother, father, and Mitzi leave through the floo. Everyone went up to the drawing room, where Ginny paced back and forth. Mitzi was walking besides Ginny, but not saying anything. Harry could tell Mitzi was not happy, but Mitzi would not contradict Ginny when she was in one of her moods, not unless it was life threatening. Mabel had appeared, and she was very agitated. “Mrs. really ought to go to St. Mungo’s,” she said. “Albus has not dropped, Mabel,” said Ginny. “I’m not going!” “How far apart are your contractions?” said Harry. “They’re not hard,” said Ginny. “It’s not the force of the ones last time. They are easy. Al has not dropped. When he drops into position then we can go.” Meanwhile she kept pacing. Harry and Ginny, Mitzi and Mabel were in the drawing room, and Harry was trying to time Ginny’s contractions. He finally said, “Ginny, the contractions are three minutes apart! You have to go to St. Mungo’s.” “Harry James Potter,” said Ginny, “Albus…” this was the hardest contraction yet. 'I hate to admit he’s right,' she thought. 'Oh Oh.' “Albus has not dropped yet, and until …” Ginny was thinking ‘Oh … Ahhh … he’s dropping … Al has slammed into my pelvis … my water is breaking … Oh … how long can one of these last …’ Harry could see something was happening. The baby had obviously dropped, Ginny’s water had spectacularly broken, and she was standing there surprised if not stunned. Actually she was a lot more than stunned. She was obviously having one massive contraction. It seemed to go on forever. “Get my knickers off, Harry,” said Ginny. “Right now!” She pulled up her skirt up and Harry tried to pull off the wet knickers. He finally ripped them apart to get them off. Ginny was squatting down and her legs were not in their usual position. After by far the longest and hardest and most productive contraction she had ever experienced Ginny just had a few seconds break, just time to ask Harry get her knickers off. She could feel the baby’s head moving down. She couldn’t have this baby right here in the drawing room, could she? Then there was another very hard very long contraction, and she could feel the baby move through her. Ginny was concentrating as hard as she could, knowing that she had to push, had to get the baby out. Ginny was still, somehow, holding up her skirt. Mitzi was helping hold up both Ginny and the skirt, a look of panic on her face. Mabel said, “Catch baby, Harry. Mabel is going St. Mungo’s get help.” She disappeared with a crack. Harry did what he had to do; as Albus appeared he got hold of him, kept him from dropping on the floor. Ginny could feel the baby move through her. She looked down. Harry was catching the baby. For the first time in her life Ginny was totally at lost for words. She held onto Harry with one hand, Mitzi with the other, trying to stay standing, trying to not do anything but wait for help. Harry could see Albus moving through the birth canal, his black head of hair coming out, and as Albus came out of the birth canal Harry gently grabbed hold of his head and tried to hold him as he came out, one hand on his head, then another hand on his shoulders and then moving up to his back. Harry was thinking he could not drop Albus, but did not want to hold on to him too tightly. Albus was bloody and rather messy and not the easiest thing to hold on to, although he was not wiggling at the moment. Harry heard a, “WAAAAAA pause WAAA pause WAAA pause.” “WA WA, like one two?” asked Harry as he squeezed Albus two times. Albus looked startled. “WAA pause WAA,” he went again. “One two,” Harry went again, with two squeezes. “WAA,” Albus went. “One,” Harry went with one squeeze, then “One, two, three” with three squeezes. Albus went, “WAA WAA WAA,” and looked around, then went, “WAAAAAAAA.” “A lot of work for one just born, Albus?” asked Harry. “You’re a bright one.” “Wa WAAA Wa Wa long pause,” then lots of arm and leg wiggling and turning of the head. Not hard wiggling, just trying to see where he was. Within a couple of minutes a witch midwife was running up the stairs, following Mabel. Harry was sitting on the floor holding Albus. Ginny was still standing up, holding on to Harry and Mitzi, breathing deeply and trying to catch her breath. She was looking at Albus with total shock. The afterbirth had not come out, and the umbilical cord was still intact and pulsing. Neither Harry not Ginny was saying anything. Ginny was standing there, shaking, one hand on Harry’s shoulder, another holding on to Mitzi the house elf, who went almost everywhere with Ginny helping her with her balance. The witch waved her wand over Al quickly, took a little more time with Ginny, then she touched the umbilical cord. It sealed and parted. She waved her wand and Ginny’s skirt flew up over her head and off. She then got out a sheet of some substance and had Ginny lie down on it, and got a blanket to put over her. She checked over Albus more carefully, cleaned him with her wand. She summoned a nappy. “Do you want to nurse, Albus?” Harry asked as he saw the ‘I want to eat’ mouth motions. Ginny unbuttoned her blouse and took off the two pieces of cloth that were a witch’s bra. Harry put Albus on Ginny’s breast and he eagerly nursed, a little too eagerly. Something startled him, and he let go of Ginny, letting all the milk in his mouth spill out all over Ginny’s breast. Al then grabbed back on to Ginny’s breast and started to nurse again, a little more tentatively this time. Ginny finally said, “Is Albus healthy?” The witch midwife said, “The baby is perfectly healthy. A little battered from coming out so fast, and he’ll probably be black and blue tomorrow, but he’s fine. How are you?” When he heard his mother’s voice Al let go of the breast again, trying to figure out what that was. He lost less milk, but this first nursing was turning into an awful messy occasion. Ginny could feel milk running down her side and drip on the floor. “It was a lot easier than the last time,” said Ginny, “but not at all what I expected.” Looking at Al she said, “Nursing is a lot different, at least this first time. James seemed to know just what to do.” “They are all different,” said the midwife. “He has your hair, Harry,” said Ginny. “Black and messy.” Al looked up at his mother. “I think he has your eyes too,” said Ginny. Harry looked at Albus smiling and said, “How many times will you hear ‘you have your father’s eyes,’ Albus. I don’t know how many times I heard ‘you have your mother’s eyes. I just hope they are kind eyes.” When he heard his father’s voice Albus stopped nursing, looked over at his father, and then went back to the breast. After some more fitful reasonably productive nursing, punctuated by letting go and looking around, Albus fell asleep with his mouth still on his mother breast, and it was not easy getting him off without waking him up. Harry had to hold Albus close to him with some pressure to keep him asleep. Harry lay down on the drawing room floor with his newborn son on top of him. Ginny, Mitzi and the witch midwife went up to the shower and got her cleaned up. Mabel cleaned up the drawing room floor. Harry sort of dozed off until the midwife said Ginny was ready, and then he went upstairs to their bedroom carrying Albus. Harry put Albus in the small cot that they kept by the side of the bed the first couple of months. Ginny had on a white pajama top, low cut and buttoning down the front. She could almost nurse without opening it, and it was easy to unbutton the two buttons on the front and expose both breasts. It and the short knickers had small flowers on them, printed or on by magic Harry did not know, and it reminded Harry of the Burrow and the flowers of spring. Ginny came into the bedroom with the top open, and after sitting down on the bed started to button the top. Harry said, “No need to button. You’ll just have to open them when Albus wants to feed again.” “You want to look at my boobs, Harry?” asked Ginny with a smile. “Of course! I want to look at my beautiful wife and mother of our two wonderful sons,” said Harry taking off his clothes. Yes he wanted to look at Ginny. She was just beautiful, and he always enjoyed looking at her. Ginny really did not mind. She didn’t mind her shape on top. The boobs were too big, and she thought she looked way more matronly than cute and curvy, but Harry didn’t mind the abundance on top at all. She enjoyed having Harry look at her. The extra weight was less a problem for a witch with levitation spells. She sure didn’t have the stomach she had when she was playing for the Harpies. Ginny thought she was really beginning to get fat, and even Harry had to admit that she had gotten a little ‘chunky’ at and below her waist. Harry stripped down to his boxers and sat next to Ginny. “I suppose we should let your mother know she has another grandson,” he said, giving Ginny her mobile. Even Molly had succumbed to using a Wizarding mobile. She had to have one when Harry and Ginny were attacked the first Christmas after they were married, and she had gradually gotten used to it, not without some grumbling at first. “As long as we are not using the mirrors this is fine,” said Ginny looking down at her exposed front. She then went to the menu and called up her mother’s number. “Hello Ginny,” said Molly. “Are you at St. Mungo’s yet?” “Albus came a little quicker than I expected, Mum,” said Ginny. “I think I had two very hard very long contractions and Albus was out.” “Oh, he’s born already? Do you want me to come to St. Mungo’s tonight?” asked Molly. “We never got to St. Mungo’s,” said Ginny. “Albus was born while I was standing up in the drawing room. Harry caught him as he came out. It was quite a shock.” “Oh my!” said Molly. “I never had one come that fast.” “He has Harry’s black hair and we think he will have Harry’s eyes as well,” said Ginny. “I hope he learns how to nurse better; the first time was the messiest ever.” “If you are still having problems tomorrow I will come over,” said Molly. “I have worked with a lot of new mothers with nursing problems.” “It’s not my problem, its Albus’s problem,” said Ginny. “He seems interested in everything! James took nursing seriously, but Albus seems to be interested in everything else!” “Do you want me to tell the rest of the family?” asked Molly. Ginny said, “Please, Mum. I’m still getting over the shock of … I can’t believe it … I had a baby in the middle of our drawing room, standing up, and Harry caught the baby! The nurse midwife came over after. Please, call before you come and tell everyone else not to call or come until one of us says it is OK to come. Thank you, Mum.” Molly was chuckling. “Albus will be fine. James is doing fine staying here for a couple of days.” “Good bye, Mum,” said Ginny. “Good bye, Ginny. Dad sends his love,” said Molly. Harry was smiling, looking at Ginny. “Your breasts are like two fawns, the fawns of a gazelle, like fruit, the fruit of a palm tree.” “Where did that come from?” asked Ginny. “The Bible,” said Harry. “Love poetry from the Song of Solomon.” “I did not know the Bible had that in it,” said Ginny. “Erotic love poetry?” “There’s a lot of stuff in the Bible,” said Harry. Ginny looked at her breasts. “Albus is the only one getting anything out of these for a little while,” said Ginny, and then with her trademark snarky smile “Oh, you’ll have your turn. Two fawns are a lot more poetic than baby bottles, or boobs, I guess.” “They are a lot prettier than baby bottles, Ginny. They, and you, are just beautiful,” said Harry. “Even with a flabby stomach?” asked Ginny. Of course the bump that held the baby had not gone away. Ginny always had a tummy after having her children. “That’s where the baby was,” said Harry. "That’s beautiful in its own way.” “You’re silly, Harry,” said Ginny, but she enjoyed the compliments. Harry and Ginny held on to each other, just enjoying each other’s bodies. There was a great comfort in knowing that you were not engaged in foreplay, but were just relishing the feeling of flesh against flesh. They both sort of dozed off, but it was really too early to fall asleep. Eventually they heard the little whimper that indicated that Albus was awake again. Harry got him up and changed his nappies, and then carefully gave him to Ginny. Ginny put Albus on the other breast and said, “Maybe the second time you will not spill so much of your mother’s milk.” “Sometimes I think James only has two speeds,” said Ginny, “frantic and asleep. Albus seems much more tentative.” Albus was nursing without spilling so much milk, but instead of working hard at it he was playing with the breast, nursing then just holding on and looking around before going back at it. He finally emptied the one breast and was getting a little concerned, so Ginny switched him to the other breast. He started in on that one, kind of looked back flailing his little hands, let go of the breast before latching back on. If a less than one day old baby could concentrate you would say he was concentrating. “I do have two of them,” said Ginny. “Usually when you empty one there is some more in the other one.” Harry was looking at Albus and Ginny. “Is he really that different than James?” he asked. “He was sure different inside,” said Ginny, “and I can already tell that he is a very different baby than James.” By the time Albus was done it was late enough to go to sleep, and Harry and Ginny quickly fell asleep. Albus woke up once during the night. Harry changed Albus and went back to sleep, but Ginny spent some time nursing a still tentative Albus. James you could almost nurse in your sleep, but at least this first day you had to pay attention to Albus. By the time she was done Ginny was tired, and she was very glad Harry could change Albus once again and she could go back to sleep. Albus nursed better the next morning, but he continued to be a much more tentative baby than James. When James cried, he would start out at full volume, and when he stopped he usually stopped. Albus would cry, wait, and then, try out his voice a little more, like he was trying to figure out this making noise stuff. James as a baby would lie quietly occasionally, but when he wanted to move he was in full wiggle mode. Albus was much more tentative in moving as well, and when he was quiet he usually was still looking around. The first morning Albus's face was black and blue. A midwife came over and said that although he did look rather ugly he was fine. The midwife was just leaving as Molly arrived, a good thing because Molly was horrified at how black and blue Albus’s face was. Wednesday Harry was still home, recovering from a rather short couple of nights of sleep and just enjoying being with Ginny and Albus, when Mabel asked with the scowl she reserved for unexpected visitors, “Will you see Mrs. Valerie Bushman of the Prophets office in Switzerland?” “Send her up here,” said Harry, curious why Valerie would be trying to see him. He and Ginny were sitting in the Drawing Room, and there was a cot next to them. “The Prophets are going crazy, Harry,” Valerie said without any introduction. “Your family seems to be involved as usual. WHAT is going on?” “Nothing unusual,” Harry said. “WHAT?” Ginny said. “Maybe giving birth is not a big deal for you, but I can tell you carrying a baby for nine months, getting huge, and then pushing a Quaffle out your bottom is a HUGE deal for me!” “You weren’t over here when James was born,” Harry said to Valerie, keeping a wary eye on Ginny in the process. “Is Albus that much different?” “What is his name?” asked Valerie. “Albus Severus Potter,” Harry said. About that time you heard a small “Wa Wa Wa … pause … Wa Wa Wa” from a cot next to the sofa the Potters were sitting on. “I’m coming, Albus,” Harry said. “Wa,” Albus responded. Harry picked Albus up and checked his nappy; it was dry! He showed Albus to Valerie, and she waved her wand over him. “Oh my,” Valerie responded. “I’ve never felt this much magic from a baby!” “Wa Wa,” Albus responded, beginning to look concerned. “You want Mummy and some milk?” Ginny asked. Albus tried to turn in the direction of his mother, and when Ginny exposed her breast he eagerly latched on, sucked down a little milk, and then tried to nurse and look around at the same time. He lost hold of Ginny a couple of times and kind of panicked, but at the same time it looked like he wanted to see the visitor. Ginny held Albus close and tried to focus him on nursing, which eventually worked until Ginny’s one breast was emptied. She gave Albus to Harry who put Albus on his shoulders to get a burp out of him. This would have been easier if Albus had not been eagerly looking around. Harry said, “Calm down, Albus. Calm down. You will get your chance to see our visitor. She’s a mother too and she’ll hold you, after nursing. Calm down, calm down.” Albus did sort of calm down, gave up a little “burp-p-p” and a little milk, and went back to the other breast. Harry eventually changed him and gave him to Valerie, who held him and looked at him. “Are you responsible for all the Prophets going crazy, little Albus?” Valerie asked the baby in one hand and her wand in another. About this time her wand flew out of her hand towards Albus, fell on him which startled him, and then the wand fell on the floor. “Don’t tell anyone else,” Valerie said to Ginny, “but you just might be the mother of our next king, sort of like Mary the mother of Jesus.” “Bollox and Boggart, what nonsense. I’m no virgin, and I’m not going to be!” Ginny fiercely replied. “I’m not going to raise someone sweet and vapid like Audrey either.” “You’ve seen that horrible picture of Jesus too,” Valerie said, laughing. “Jesus looking like a bearded vapid baby faced momma’s boy, not the man who drove the money changers out of the temple with a whip.” Harry gave Ginny a hard look, with that unspoken communication that frequently goes between spouses, and Ginny said, “Maybe I’m being a little hard on Audrey, but …” Thursday afternoon Harry went to the New Burrow to pick up James and bring him home. “Ready to come home, James?” asked Harry. James nodded yes. “Did you enjoy staying with Grandma and Grandpa?” he asked. “And Teddy,” said James, nodding to indicate that his stay was good. Then James said “Teddy big boy! Teddy come dinner?” Harry looked at Teddy and said, “You may still come to dinner with us if you would like.” Eight year old Teddy Lupin said, “I would like that. I was hoping that I could still come to dinner at your house.” Harry said, “As far as I am concerned nothing has changed. You are still my godson and you are still welcome at dinner.” So after thanking Molly and Arthur, Harry took the Floo back to 12 Grimmauld Place with the two boys. Ginny was upstairs in the drawing room. You did a lot of stair climbing in Harry Potter’s house, from the sub-basement where the Potions room was (and Harry’s very private office and some storage) up to the kitchen and pantry, where the main Floo was, up to the formal living and dining room, where you entered the house from the outside, and up again via a large staircase to a large room that was always being rearranged, the drawing room. From there you went up to three floors of bedrooms, the lowest with Harry and Ginny’s bedroom and what was now a nursery, then up a floor to James’s bedroom and Teddy’s bedroom, and another one that was going to become Albus’s bedroom eventually, and finally up again to a guest bedroom and a room that had started out as a bedroom but had become a sort of study/play area, with a desk for Ginny and a tiny work table for James. Above that was an entrance to the attic, where the house elves had taken over more and more space. Harry and the two boys climbed the two flights of stairs to the drawing room. Albus was in a little crib next to Ginny. James said, “Mummy, Mummy, is at Albus?” Teddy and James looked into the crib. James poked at Albus, who woke up with a start and let out a little wail. Ginny said, “James, don’t touch Al. He was asleep.” “Not bed time,” said James. “Babies sleep most of the time,” said Ginny. “What’s he do?” asked James. “Not a lot right now,” said Ginny, as she picked up Albus. Al looked at Ginny and made the mouthing motions that indicated that he was hungry, and Ginny put Al on her breast. James looked at his mother and little brother. “I fed you like this your first year, James,” said Ginny. “Aunt Hermione is feeding your cousin Rose like this.” “I big boy,” said James, with some doubt in his voice and appearance. Harry decided he needed to take the boys away to play until dinner. At the dinner table Teddy asked Harry, “Daddy Harry, are you going to show Albus to your dead parents on Saturday?” Harry looked at Ginny, who looked back at him. Harry could tell she was waiting for him to say something, with that silent communication that married people have, saying it was up to him to decide. “I think I will,” said Harry. “Do you want to go with us again?” Teddy took a brief moment to decide, and then said, “I would like that. I’m older now, and I need to tell my mummy and daddy that I am all right.” He was very serious. “I think I will see if Victoire wants to go with me again,” Teddy said. “She is also much older.” Ginny made the arrangements to take the Floo to the New Burrow, pick up Teddy and Victoire and Bill, and go to Donna and Bill Lionheart’s house, and then walk to the cemetery. So Saturday for the second time about 1:30 Harry and Ginny took the floo over to the New Burrow to pick up Teddy. This time they were expecting Victoire and Bill. Harry took James and Teddy, Ginny and Mitzi took Albus and Bill took Victoire over to the Lionheart House. Ginny worked with Donna on the column, but just during the Quidditch season. Since it was not Quidditch season they had not seen much of each other that summer. Between trying to keep writing for the Daily Prophet and taking care of James she was busy, and there was a growing group of families around Godric’s Hallow that kept Donna busy. Donna was pregnant again, something that Ginny knew. “I’m due in October,” said Donna. “This one is a boy. We are going to name him William Jr. after his father. We both hope he is not going to be another Wild Bill and get injured playing Quidditch!” The small group walked over to the graveyard. Teddy remembered where the graves of his grandfather and parents were, and walked right up to Ted Tonks grave. “Hi, Grandpa, I hope you can hear me,” said Teddy. “I’m proud to be named after you. Thank you for marrying grandmother Tonks and taking care of her.” Teddy then went over to his parents graves. “Hi, Mum and Dad. Daddy Harry and Mummy Ginny Potter had another boy, and they want to show Albus to his grandma and grandpa Potter. Daddy Harry and I are both orphans. I cried because you were dead the last time I was here and I may cry a little more. I love you and miss you. You did just the best thing by making Daddy Harry my godfather. Thank you.” This time you could see tears just below the surface, but Teddy did not bawl like the last time he was at the graves. Teddy looked over at Victoire, who was at 6 a lot more aware of what was going on than she had been at 4. He said, “This is Victoire Weasley. She is sort of a cousin, and her mummy and daddy help take care of me as well. You know Mr. Bill Weasley. Victoire IS a girl, but she is still sort of my best friend.” Victoire did not know what to say or do. She looked at Teddy while all this was going on, and finally took his hand and said, “Thank you, Teddy.” “You are welcome, Victoire,” Teddy said very seriously. “I am sorry you can’t get to be friends with my mummy and daddy.” Teddy looked at Bill and said, “Thank you, Uncle Bill, for helping me. It’s sort of hard when you don’t have a daddy, and Daddy Harry does his best, but I’m very glad you are helping me too.” Teddy got a look on his face like he wanted to move on, so Harry took everybody over a couple of rows to where his parents were buried. Harry said, “I present to you Albus Severus Potter, your second grandson. Thank you again for giving me life, for saving my life in the forest, and for praying for me all these years. If you are up there with Nymphadora and Remus, tell them how proud we are of their son. He has found his own place in the family, eating dinner with Ginny and me four days a week, with Bill Weasley and his family once a week, and living at the New Burrow with Andromeda and Ginny’s parents. Andromeda helps take care of Teddy, but Teddy helps take care of Andromeda too. You could not ask for a better son.” Harry looked around him, and said, “Quite a family we have. I am so blessed.” The small group walked back to the Lionheart house, where they took the floo back to the New Burrow. Harry’s parents James and Lily Potter, Ted Tonks, Nymphadora and Remus Lupin, looked at Teddy. “He will need lots of protection when he grows up,” Remus reminded the group. A much larger group of people were looking at Albus. “The prophesies are heavy on Albus, “James Potter said. “We need to pray for his protection.” There were Alleluias in the background. Lily said, “Hear the rejoicing, James.” “There were Alleluias for Jesus, and he was crucified before he was thirty-five,” James reminded Lily. A rather large group of the saints joined James and Lily praying for the Potter and Weasley families, to give them strength for what they were fated to live through. Victoire went home with her father shortly after they got back to the New Burrow. Teddy was unusually quiet, and also unusually willing to let others comfort him. There were a lot of hugs that afternoon. By Sunday Teddy was back to normal. The following Monday Harriet Tubman and Dobedo came to see Ginny and Albus carrying the smallest baby Ginny had ever seen. “Is our son Martin,” said Dobedo proudly. “Is supposed to be friends with Albus.” Ginny said, “That would be nice.” They put both babies down next to each other, and they looked at each other. From then on both babies would spend a little time together most days, usually early in the morning when Harriet and Dobedo would eat breakfast with the Potters, or later in the evening. What Harriet and Dobedo did not tell anyone was that another elf baby was born about the same time, Rosa, daughter of Debbie and WJ at the Malfoy house. She was going to be the other house elf the elves in Britain were going to try and raise with a Magical child. They were going to try and teach Scorpius elfish and elfish morality as well. Over the next two weeks a parade of Prophets from all over the world came to see Albus. Finally, about three weeks after he was born, Valerie Bushman and Nausicaa Scheria came over to talk to Harry and Ginny after all the children were in bed. After some polite introductions and small talk Nausicaa said, “Albus is the subject of at least two prophesies. He will be, if he survives, and wins battles he must win, one of the next rulers of the Wizarding world. There is some disagreement over how many rulers and what the next governing of the Wizarding World will be like. I cannot help but think it will be more democratic, and not just have a dictator at the head. That’s sort of what the prophesies imply, but there is a huge amount we don’t know. “The one thing we do know is that you must not tell Albus he is going to be the next ruler. Also, he can violate the prophesies, by not being a good and courageous person. That would be bad for him and for our world.” “So what do we do?” asked Harry. “Raise Albus to be a good person,” Nausicaa said. “Why did you give him the initials of a snake?” “What?” asked Harry and Ginny together? “Albus Severus Potter, ASP, the snake,” Nausicaa said. “Is that in the prophesies?” Harry asked. “In some,” Valerie said. “That and the prophesies about the next king wielding the Elder Wand, the wand given to him by his father.” “NO! NO! No way,” Harry said. “I cannot imagine giving any child of mine the Elder Wand.” “You have to do it freely, to fulfill the prophesies,” Nausicaa said. “The great-granddaughter has to fight and kill her great-grandmother, but she will fight alongside her soulmate.” “You said he was the subject of two prophesies,” Harry said. “What is the other one?” Valerie said, “Over the last two thousand years we have about twenty-two cases of soulmates, a boy and girl who, when they meet, are a very strong couple from the start If they are forcibly separated you could have a tragedy. If they are allowed to continue to be a couple there have been some fantastic marriages and partnerships. “There are prophesies that suggest that Albus and the great-granddaughter of the Pirate Witch Queen of the Caribbean MAY be soulmates. IF that is the case, and IF they meet, and IF they are immediately a couple, then they should not be forcibly separated.” “How would the great-granddaughter of that Queen get here?” asked Ginny. “It does seem unlikely,” Valerie said. “It is hard to imagine her sending her great-granddaughter to Hogwarts.” “So Albus is going to have to fight battles, just like I did?” Harry asked. Nausicaa said, “Your job is to equip him to fight the battles. It is much riskier to try and prevent him from facing the dangers, as real and deadly as the dangers will be.” “I thought it was hard being Harry Potter when I was going to Hogwarts,” Harry said. “In some ways this is worst.” “Albus was terrified that you were going to be killed, Harry,” Valerie said. “He was worried that the Weasley family would be killed. He was worried that if Harry was killed it would be hard on Ginny and Molly, and if either of them were killed it would be horrible for Harry. I don’t have any easy words if comfort for you, Harry.” “Do the right thing, not the easy thing,” said Harry. Ginny looked at the little child in her arms. He was wide awake, and if you did not know better you would almost think he had been listening to the conversation. Albus started making his mobile move by magic when he was two months old, and like everything else he did Albus seemed to concentrate and work at it. By three months Albus had figured out that the same magic that made the mobile move could also pull at his mother’s nursing bra, and he started doing that as well as fussing when he wanted to nurse. Early in December Ginny was awakened one night by what felt like someone pawing at her breasts. “Harry, stop it,” she said. Harry was not all that close to her, and he said something like “humptff?” and relaxed, still obviously asleep. The feeling happened again, and she realized that it was probably a hungry Albus. She pushed Harry again and said, “Get Albus, he is hungry.” Harry got Albus and changed him, and he eagerly nursed. Ginny asked all the mothers she knew if any of their children could use magic to indicate that they wanted to nurse; none had and no one had heard of a child doing that. Mid-December Dudley and Belinda came over for dinner. Ron and Hermione were also there. During dinner Dudley said, “Belinda and I want to get married, but we have a problem. Both of us want a magical wedding, but for it to be a proper magical wedding both my parents have to be there. My mother is upset. She knows Belinda is a witch, although she has not told Vernon. I think my mother would reluctantly accept Belinda, but she and I know that if Vernon knew I was marrying into a magical family he would not accept it. As it is, he is not nice to Belinda. He’s even more not nice to her than he is to most people.” “Your dad’s a real case,” said Harry. “One of the great joys of my life is not having to see him. I haven’t seen him since we took James over to see your father.” “You are lucky,” said Dudley. “I see him more days than not.” “What are you going to do?” asked Harry. “We are going to get married in a civil ceremony without any guests present, not even my parents, and then decide what to do next,” said Dudley. “I have talked to Bill and the house at the end of the block, 15 Grimmauld Place, is owned by you and will be available in a few weeks. We would like to move in there, if you agree.” Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione all agreed that it would be acceptable to have Dudley and Belinda as neighbors. Harry said, “14 Grimmauld Place has just become available, and Bill has indicated that they are going to buy it and fix it up for house elves. Dudley and Belinda were married before Christmas, and they spent the Christmas holidays in California with Belinda’s family. When they got back they went over the changes they wanted to 15 Grimmauld Place. Grainger and Grunt were going to be working at 14 and 15 starting right after the first of the year, with both finished by spring. |
| Reviews 59 |
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