"Are you Harry Potter?"

Harry exhaled loudly as he turned; it was the same every time he left the sanctuary of his home. Since the defeat of Voldemort everyone wanted to stop and thank him. It was getting annoying. "Yes, I am."

"Thank goodness, I have been searching for you everywhere, Mr. Potter. You are a very hard man to find."

"I try my best." Harry responded, trying his hardest to be polite to the strange man.

"Would you mind joining me for a cuppa?" The man gestured towards the muggle coffee shop down the street, "There are some things we need to discuss and you may need to be seated."

"And you are?"

"I apologize, Mr. Potter. My name is Jason Peterson; I am the family lawyer for the Johnson family. I need to discuss with you the details of Heather's will and work out custody details of Eleanor."

"The custody details of who? Are you sure you were looking for me? Harry James Potter?"

The man shook his head, he knew this was going to be a bad day, from the moment he was put on this case he knew that this was not going to be as easy as he had once hoped. Heather had been a sweet girl, at seven she had stolen his heart and at eighteen she had broken it, his father knew and still put him in charge of facilitating her will. And now, now he had been sent searching through London for this man who seemed as if he didn't even know that Heather Johnson had ever existed.

"Mr. Potter, this is why I suggested that we sit down before having this conversation. Three days ago Heather Johnson died before that she gave birth to a daughter, she named you as the father on the birth certificate."

Harry faltered and reached behind him, finding support against the wall of the building. "Excuse me? I must have heard you wrong, Mr. Peterson."

"I assure you, Mr. Potter, you did not. You need to come with me to the hospital to retrieve your daughter."

Harry followed the man, racking his brain for any memory of Heather, sitting in the cab next to the man he allowed his thoughts to wander. It must have been the night he and Hermione had taken Ron out to his first muggle night club. They had been too drunk to apparate home and none of them had gone home alone. Harry grinned to himself at the memory of Hermione's walk of shame the next morning.

"Here we are Mr. Potter."

The sound of the lawyer's voice broke Harry from his memories and again followed the man into the hospital. He stared through the window at the babies lined up in rows in the nursery, his eyes searching. He wasn't sure why he believed what the man was telling him. He was sure he had cast the charm to prevent against pregnancy, it should have worked, and yet he trusted his gut that somehow this man was telling him the truth.

His eyes stopped on the cart labeled Eleanor Jane Potter. There she was, his baby girl. He was a father.

Rebecca smiled as she watched the man outside lean closer and closer to the window. He was a new addition to the people who had come to see the newborn babies. He was watching Eleanor closely; this must be the mysterious absent father. Normally babies were in and out so fast that Rebecca didn't have much time to bond but then poor baby girl Potter, her mother had died not long after her birth and there was no family left to take the baby. She had heard through the rumor mill that was the nursing staff that while the baby's grandparents were to distraught to even look at the child that the family lawyer was searching for the father. It was turning into a regular soap opera. Rebecca had been taking special care of the girl, Eleanor.

It was important that babies had personal contact with another human as they were developing and for the first time in a long while she was glad that her social life was basically non-existent so she could spend time with the beautiful little girl.

Rebecca watched as the man stared at the baby in awe. He must not have known at all. Carefully she picked up Eleanor and held her up to the window.

"Hey Becca, they finally found the elusive Potter." Anna said as she opened the door to the nursery. "We've orders to get the babe ready to head home."

Rebecca nodded and moved away from the window with the baby. "Do you mind if I take her out there? I'd like a chance to say goodbye."

"Mr. Potter?"

Harry jumped from his chair at the sound of his name. "That's me."

He watched as the nurse brought the bundle in his arms over to him. "Mr. Potter my name is Rebecca and I'd liked you to meet your daughter. Eleanor, this is your Daddy."

Harry stared down at the bundle in the nurse's arms. She had his jet black hair and his nose. She was gorgeous. He shied back as Rebecca tried to hand him the baby, "I…I've never really held a baby before."

He had held Teddy of course but never for long periods of time and he had always been seated and Eleanor was so small.

"I might hurt her."

Rebecca smiled up at the man, "Nonsense, Mr. Potter. You'll be fine." She arranged his arms and settled his daughter in them. "See, you're a natural." She stepped back and watched as Harry sat down and traced the little girl's face with his fingers. He was lost in a world of his own.

"I'm not really sure what to do with you. I've never been a Dad before." Harry traced his finger down her cheek and smiled as she turned her head towards him. "I promise you I'll do my best though."

Harry smiled as she moved and opened her eyes and they stared at each other. She had his eyes too. Gently Harry laid Eleanor on his lap and un-swaddled her so he could see more of her. Harry watched as her face turned red and scrunched up, her mouth opening in a scream.

"What did I do? Did I hurt her? What's happening?"

"She's just hungry. You'll learn soon the difference in hungry, I need my nappie changed, and I'm bored so hold me" She grinned as Harry struggled to rewrap Eleanor. Rebecca sat next to him on the waiting room couch and showed him what to do before arranging the baby and pulling the bottle out of the bag she had brought out with her and showing Harry what to do.

"I have no idea how to take care of a baby." He whispered as he watched Eleanor suck at the bottle. "I don't know what she needs; my house isn't even completely built all the way."

"I can make you a list. Recommend several books. Do you know someone who can help you?"

"I…maybe…" He shifted so he could watch as Rebecca took the baby to burp her. "Do you think…no…never mind."

Rebecca grinned. "Would you like me to help you? If you'd like I can go with you this afternoon to pick up some things for the baby." Rebecca shook herself mentally, "What are you doing, girl? You aren't supposed to become attached. Send them on their way and be done! She couldn't though she just couldn't.

Harry shouldered the bag and cradled Eleanor against his shoulder as he followed the nurse down the street. She seemed to know exactly where they were going and for the second time that day Harry found himself following a stranger through Muggle London.

Rebecca laughed to herself as she watched Harry walk into the baby store. She waved to the woman behind the counter and walked over to her. The store was quiet, only one other patron as far as she could tell but it was the middle of the day on a Wednesday, not exactly the busiest day of the week. "Hello Amelia."

"Finally found you a single father, have you?"

Rebecca laughed and shook her head, "Poor thing didn't even know he was a father until about two hours ago. He has absolutely nothing to take care of her with so I thought I'd bring him to my best friend. Lucky you own a baby boutique, now isn't it."

Amelia laughed and gestured to the overwhelmed looking man standing in the doorway of her shop. "Come on in, dear. We'll get you everything you need."

Harry smiled and joined the two women at the counter. "I appreciate this more than I can say. I need a little bit of everything, from clothes to furniture." He turned towards Rebecca, his eyes pleading. "What else?"

The two women laughed, "Becks stay here in case a customer comes in. I'm going to help your lovely friend here. Let's start with a carriage so you can put the poor dear down."

"Here this one should work."

Harry stared in horror at the pram she pulled out from the line. It was pink and covered in what he assumed were either clouds or really fluffy bunnies. Amelia doubled over in laughter as she looked at his face. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I have a nice sleek black one down here that will be perfect."

Harry smiled as she led him down the row, "I'm Harry, Harry Potter."

He watched as Amelia's eyes widened. "The Harry Potter?" She hissed pulling him around the corner and out of sight of Rebecca.

"You know me?"

"My brother's a wizard. He's told us all about you. Has a bit of a man crush on you."

Harry blushed. "Yes, well. That's flattering and all…"

Amelia grinned at his discomfort. "Don't worry, Mr. Potter, I won't tell anyone you were here. And to answer the question I know you are dying to ask, no Becks doesn't know anything about the wizarding world she thinks Jamie went off to some elite boarding school for musically advanced children."

Harry nodded, "So what else will I need?"

Harry spent the next hour following Amelia around the store, listening to input from Rebecca when they were close enough for her to see what they were looking at. By the time he left he had a whole nursery shrunk down into his bags and enough clothes to clothe three babies.

Rebecca smiled as she watched Harry push the cart around, Eleanor sleeping snuggly against his chest in a baby carrier. She didn't need to worry about her charge; Eleanor was going to be just fine.