"Welcome to your Life Skills class. This class will last all year and don't try to get out of it" Madam Pomfrey said. All the 7th years were gathered in the Hospital wing for the new class that they were required to take.
"You will have a year long project. You must pick a partner of the opposite sex and raise a baby" she said holding up a plastic doll.
"That's just a doll" Malfoy said.
"I am aware of the Mr. Malfoy. As I hand these dolls to you they will become real babies" she said. Hermione's hand shot into the air next to Harry.
"If at any time these babies are neglected they will turn back into dolls with no way for you to turn them back into humans" Madam Pomfrey said answering Hermione's unvoiced question and Hermione relaxed a little.
"Now, pair up" she said. Ron went over to Lavender as Harry was surrounded with girls asking him to be their partner. Harry spotted Hermione a little off to the side looking uncomfortable about having to ask someone to be her partner. Harry pushed through the girls and walked over to her.
"Will you be my wife Hermione" Harry asked.
"Sure" Hermione said laughing a little. The girls were all disappointed but quickly paired up. Luckily there was an equal amount of girls and boys.
"Now, when I call you up here you will receive your baby. Then you will go back to your seats and think of a name. When I call on you, you will then tell me the baby's name and you will receive a diaper bag that is filled with shrunken things you'll need" she said. She called up pairs writing down their names and handing them a baby doll which turned into a baby and told them whether it was a boy or girl.
"Ron Weasley" Madam Pomfrey called. Ron and Lavender went up to her as they wrote down their names. The rest of the class already had their baby's except for Harry and Hermione.
"Congratulations you have a boy" she said and handed Lavender a doll which turned into a baby. Ron and Lavender went back to their seats.
"Harry Potter" Madam Pomfrey called. Harry and Hermione walked up to the front as she wrote down their names.
"Congratulations. You have twin girls" she said and Hermione a baby doll and then handed Harry a baby doll. They turned into real babies. No one else had gotten twins. They went back to their seats, Harry was slightly nervous about holding the baby. Madam Pomfrey proceeded to call up the pairs asking for the baby's name and giving them a diaper bag and an envelope. Harry and Hermione quietly discussed names.
"I like Genevieve and Eliza" Harry said.
"And I like Sarah and Rose" Hermione replied.
"What about Sarah Genevieve, and Eliza Rose" Harry asked.
"Works for me" Hermione replied.
"Mr. Weasley, and Miss. Brown" Pomfrey called. Ron and Lavender walked up to her.
"Cooper John" Ron told her. He was handed a diaper bag as Lavender was holding Cooper and an envelope.
"Mr. Potter and Miss. Granger" she called. They were last again.
"Sarah Genevieve, and Eliza Rose" Harry told her.
"Very pretty" she said as she wrote them down. She handed Harry a diaper bag and Hermione a diaper bag before handed them an envelope. They went back to their seats.
"Now, in the envelopes is your 1st pay check. You will receive 100 fake galleons a week with which to buy the things you will need. Keep in mind that you must also feed yourselves. If you wish to eat in the Great Hall you will have to pay to get in. You can come here to buy medicine for your baby's if they get sick, you can buy food from the kitchens and you can buy anything else you might need from Madame Pince who has kindly set up a shop in the library that her assistant is running.
"With the permission of Professor Dumbledore you each have your own dorm now. Also inside the envelope you will find the password and location of your dorm. You will share a room as you are "married". We trust that whatever you choose to do you are responsible. There is a bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a nursery in each one. You are to act as a family. At the end of every month you are to deliver a report on how much money you have spent, where you ate your meals, the Great Hall or in your dorm.
"Also inside the envelope are the details you'll need for the report and a basic list of things that the baby will need and a list of what is inside the diaper bag. You will take your baby's to class and with you everywhere. Welcome to the world of parenting" Madam Pomfrey said and the bell rang. The class scrambled around trying to leave as quickly as possible before she made them do anything else. Harry carefully put his backpack on and held Sarah gently as he slung the diaper bag over his shoulder. He watched Hermione do the same. They headed out slowly not as rushed as everyone else.
Harry opened the envelope being careful with Sarah and they located their new dorm. Harry told the portrait the password and it opened. They went in and saw that their things had already been moved to it. They set their backpacks but keeping the diaper bags before locating their new room, the bathroom, the kitchen , and finally the nursery. Harry knelt down and opened the diaper bag. He pulled out a small crib and set it down. He waved his wand and it sprang back to normal size. He set Sarah down carefully before taking Eliza from Hermione who proceeded to do the same. Harry set Eliza down and the slid the cribs into 2 corners across from each other.
"Do you need any help setting up" Harry asked.
"No I got it" Hermione said.
"I'm going to go to the kitchens and buy some food. I'll be back soon" Harry said and took the money out of the envelope. He left the dorm and hurried to the kitchens. People were still going into the Great Hall. He saw a few of his fellow 7th years paying to get in before going to the kitchens.
"How can I help you" an elf asked. Harry rattled off the things he wanted to buy and elves appeared from everywhere filling his order and putting it into bags. In the end 3 paper bags were filled to the brim.
"20 galleons" the elf said. Harry handed the elf 20 of the 100 galleons and picked the bags up after pocketing the rest of the money. He shrunk the bags and carried them carefully before hurrying away and up to the library. He entered and then found his way into the shop.
"How can I help you" Madame Pince's assistant asked. Harry looked down a list of the things they sold and told her what he needed. Dishes, cups, towels, napkins, pots and pans, and silverware were just a few things. These things were skrunken and placed into a bag. Harry paid the 20 galleons and left holding the bag. He hurried back to the dorm. Hermione was setting things up in the nursery still so Harry unpacked everything and put them away. He put the towels away in the bathroom and then went back to start cooking dinner.
"What's on" Hermione asked joining him in the kitchen.
"Fetuccini alfredo, and peas" Harry said.
"Sounds good" Hermione replied "Smells good too" she added.
"How are the kids" Harry asked.
"Asleep" Hermione replied.
"This is going to be an interesting project. Do you regret becoming my partner" Harry asked.
"Not at all. I think you'll be a great father and this will be great practice" Hermione said.
"I have Quidettch Try outs next week" Harry said.
"That's fine. I can watch them for the day. Or maybe we'll come down to the Stadium to watch" Hermione said.
"From what I've read it's not good to expose them to too much sunlight" Harry said.
"You've read about baby's before" Hermione asked.
"Well, yeah. I never really had a mother and father to explain things to me and hell will freeze over before my aunt and uncle even consider giving me the talk and telling me about babies" Harry said.
"I agree" Hermione replied laughing a little.
"I also baby-sat a few times for the few family's that didn't think I was dangerous" Harry said.
"They thought you were dangerous" Hermione asked.
"When I got my Hogwarts letter Uncle Vernon started telling the neighbors that I was going to St. Brutises school for criminal boys to explain my absence" Harry said.
"That explains a lot" Hermione said jumping up to sit on the counter next to Harry who was cooking.
"Like what" Harry asked stifling a laugh.
"Like why you never really had any friends and acted like Ron and I were gods gift" Hermione said laughing.
"You were gods gift" Harry said laughing along. A short time later they sat at the table eating dinner.
"Do you ever think we could do this for real" Harry asked as they washed the dishes together.
"Do what" Hermione asked.
"This. Being a couple" Harry said.
"I don't know" Hermione replied.
"You don't think of me like a brother do you" Harry asked.
"No. I guess not. Ron always filled the void of my brother" Hermione said.
"What was I" Harry asked.
"I don't know. You were just Harry" Hermione said.
"Ever think of me as just Harry the man you could possibly date" Harry asked taking another dish from her and drying it.
"I don't know. I guess it might have occurred to me once or twice that we could date but you were always busy fawning over Cho or Ginny" Hermione said.
"Same here only with you it was Viktor and Ron" Harry said.
"Neither of us has had much success in relationships have we" Hermione asked.
"Nope" Harry replied.
"You know there's only one way to find out if we could date" Hermione said.
"What's that" Harry asked as she dried her hands and he put away the last dish.
"You have to kiss me. With Viktor it felt gross. With Ron it was just like a fake make out. We only kissed to make ourselves feel better" Hermione said.
"What's a kiss supposed to feel like" Harry asked.
"Like your whole body is on fire. You're supposed to see fireworks and hear a rocket shoot off" Hermione said. Harry moved his hand up to caress her cheek and then tangled in her hair as he brought their faces closer. Finally his lips caught her's in a searing kiss. His body filled with the heat of knowing she was his match. Fireworks blazed before his eye's and there was a slight roaring in his ears just as she described it. They broke apart.
"Did you see the fireworks" Harry asked his eyes still closed. He felt her nod and he kissed her again. They broke apart for air once more.
"Wow. I think that's good for now" Hermione said.
"Hmm-hmmm, I need more proof" Harry said and enveloped her in a deep kiss. Pulling her closer to him and wrapping his arms around her. The kisses he shared with Ginny were nothing like this. He felt her arms wrap around his neck as they kissed madly trying to get more of each other. His tongue licked her bottom lip and her mouth opened instantly. Their tongues danced together as they tasted every inch of the others mouth. They only broke apart when the need for air arose once again.
"I think this is going to be the only successful relationship I'm ever going to be in" Harry said.
"You said it all" Hermione said before they kissed again. They were interrupted by a crying baby which then turned into 2 crying babies. They broke apart and hurried to the nursery.
"Oh Sarah" Harry said and picked her up as Hermione picked Eliza up.
"I think they're hungry" Harry said as they rocked them gently trying to subside their cries.
"I'll go make their bottles" Hermione said and handed Eliza to Harry as well. He held them carefully rocking them gently and smiling down at each one.
"You are so beautiful" Harry told them. Some how the babies looked slightly like he and Hermione. Eliza had a small amount of brown hair and green eye's. Sarah also had brown hair but there were a few streaks of black as well. Her eye's were a beautiful green, and hazel mix. If you looked closely at Eliza's hair she too had some black. Hermione came back took Eliza handing Harry a bottle. They went into the living room and sat on the couch feeding them.
"Have you noticed that they look like us" Harry asked. Hermione looked at them.
"They do don't they" Hermione said.
"I think that if we ever get married and have kids they will look just like these 2" Harry said and Hermione nodded in agreement. Harry put a white burp cloth over his shoulder as he gently maneuvered Sarah so that she was up right with her face over his shoulder before her began to pat her back gently.
"What's the cloth for" Hermione asked.
"In case she spits up" Harry said.
"Good idea" Hermione replied and took the cloth Harry offered her. She did the same and began to burp Eliza. Soon they fell asleep and they put them back to bed.
"We should probably pack up the diaper bags for tomorrow" Harry said and they moved around quietly packing up the diaper bags with diapers, a blanket each, 2 bottles with water in them, 2 little containers of just the right amount of powdered formula and a few toys. They also put some wipes in the bags and some pieces of cloth for burping.
"They need more clothes" Harry said as they put a change of outfit into the bags as well just in case they spit up on themselves.
"We should get some tomorrow" Hermione replied.
"We have 60 galleons left for this week and I've already bought enough food to last half way into next week" Harry said.
"Smart shopper obviously" Hermione replied.
"I had to be when I went shopping for the Dursleys. If I spent too much, well, you get the idea" Harry said.
"I'm beginning to yeah" Hermione said. When they were finished Harry looked at the clock.
"We should do our homework and then get to bed" Harry said.
"All we have to do is write down how today went" Hermione said.
"Lets go to it" Harry said. They left the room and went into the kitchen.
"I think we should have a calendar that we can write down what we eat at each meal, how much money we spent that day and any activities we have to do" Harry said. They sat down at the table with paper and quills. Hermione made up the calendar as Harry made a list of things they needed to buy, and a list of things they should do.
"Finished with the calendar. We'll write in what we eat and how mush money we spent each day and anything that comes up" Hermione said showing him.
"Great now, this is a list of things that we still need" Harry said and showed her the list.
"We can cross things out as we get them. Not everything is priority one, but still" Harry said and taped it up to the fridge.
"This is the list of things we should or still need to do" Harry said showing her. I think tomorrow after class we should schedule a monthly check-up for Sarah and Eliza. I also think that we should set aside a small amount of galleons for each of them as like a saving's account thing just to show Madam Pomfrey that we are planning for the future, and we should also set aside a small amount each week in case of emergency or for eating in the Great Hall" Harry said.
"Wow Harry, you've really thought this through" Hermione said.
"Well, I've sorta been planning my life for the last year" Harry said.
"I can tell. Those are great idea's. We'll start next week since we still need to get a lot of stuff this week" Hermione said. They did the rest of their homework before getting ready for bed.
"Want me to sleep on the couch" Harry asked.
"Not it's fine. If we're going to have a relationship will trying to take care of Sarah and Eliza I think we should act like a married couple. Just, without the usual activities of married couples" Hermione said.
"Agreed" Harry said. They got into bed and fell asleep. Surprisingly both Sarah and Eliza slept through the entire night but woke them up at 6 the next morning. It was really nothing new since they normally woke up at 6 anyway. They changed their diapers and dressed them in mint green t-shirts and jeans which Hermione cooed over how small thy were. They strapped them into their carry seats and as Harry made breakfast Hermione fed them their bottles at the same time. Harry smiled over at her as he watched the faces she made at them as they drank. He laughed a little every now and then until they ate breakfast too. They packed up their backpacks and slung the diaper bags over their shoulders.
"I'll take Eliza until lunch and you take Sarah and then we can switch" Harry said.
"It's not like it really matters since we have all the same classes" Hermione said as they picked up the seats by the handles and left the dorm. They headed to their 1st class and met Ron and Lavender on the way.
"So, how was your night" Harry asked.
"Cooper woke us up 3 times. Lavender knows like everything about babies but I'm clueless" Ron said.
"Give it time" Harry said.
"What about you two" Lavender asked.
"Sarah and Eliza didn't wake up at all and have been great so far" Hermione said as they headed to class.
"Lucky you" Lavender replied and they entered their class. There were a few students inside already as they took their seats at the front of the Transfiguration room. McGonagall sat at her desk.
"Congratulations Mr. Potter, Miss. Granger. Madam Pomfrey obviously trusts that you will be able to take care of 2 children or else she wouldn't have given them to you" McGonagall said.
"Thanks I guess" Hermione said. "
Lets see them" she said standing up. Harry took Eliza out of her carrier after he set his stuff down and showed her to the professor.
"She's beautiful, what's her name" she asked.
"Eliza Rose" Harry said.
"Well, I imagine that if you two decided to have children they would look much like these 2" she said as Hermione showed Sarah took her and told her what her name was. They sat back down as the bell rang bouncing them in their laps lightly. They did their work with little difficulty as Sarah and Eliza were very cooperative before going to their next class of Defense Against the Dark arts. Remus was back as a teacher.
"So Harry, Hermione, what are their names" Remus asked.
"Sarah Genevieve and Eliza Rose" Harry said. A shocked expression took it's place on Remus's face.
"What" Hermione asked.
"Harry, your mum and dad thought you were going to be twin girls and those are the exact names they picked out for you" Remus said.
"Are you serious" Harry asked and Remus nodded.
"That is really weird" Hermione said.
"No kidding" Harry said as they sat down. Once again their work was easy as Sarah and Eliza didn't fuss or need anything like a lot of the other babies. Before they went to potions they changed their diapers and then hurried to the class with everyone else. For the 3rd time that day Harry and Hermione got their work done without a problem until they went back to the dorm for lunch. They changed their diapers, fed them a bottle, and put them to sleep in their carriers so that they could take them to class instead of waking them up. Harry made them sandwiches for lunch and they had some chips before going to Herbology. They made their way down the grounds and into the green houses.
"Since you all have babies to take care of now today we will learn about some of the healing properties of different plants" Professor Sprout said and began to tell them about the healing properties of muggle and wizarding plants. They had 2 free periods next. They spent an hour on the ground sitting under a tree watching the Giant Squid and playing with the twins before going back into the castle and hanging out with Ron and Lavender. Cooper started crying as soon as Ron picked him up so Lavender took him.
"Why does he always cry around me" Ron asked.
"Are you nervous about holding him" Harry asked.
"Well duh. It's a baby" Ron said.
"He knows that your nervous. He scared that because you're nervous that you'll drop him. It's a defensive thing" Harry said.
"Here hold Eliza" Hermione said and set Eliza into his hands. Eliza was calm and collected as Ron held her. Cooper looked over at them and then started crying again.
"I see someone knows who his father is and doesn't want him paying attention to anyone else" Harry said and took Eliza back from Ron as Lavender handed Cooper to Ron who promptly stopped crying.
"Smart kid" Hermione said.
"They are brilliant aren't they. Sarah and Eliza haven't cried yet" Lavender said.
"I'm kinda bummed that they'll turn back into dolls when the year is up. I'm already attached to them" Hermione said and picked Sarah up from the playpen.
"I know what you mean but maybe if this relationship works then we can get married for real" Harry said.
"What relationship" Ron asked.
"Harry and I decided to tryout the couple thing and see how it goes" Hermione said.
"Lets see the kiss" Lavender said.
"What" Harry asked.
"The kiss. Lets see the kiss. You can tell a lot about relationships by how a couple kisses. I'm an expert and telling" Lavender said.
"So I have to kiss her" Harry said.
"Yeah mate just suck it up and do it" Ron said.
"My pleasure" Harry said and strode over to Hermione who, before she knew what was happening, had Harry's lips on hers. They stayed separated by at least a foot since they each held a baby but when they broke apart they heard Lavender awing.
"What" Hermione asked.
"That was so cute. It's like you love each other" Lavender said.
"Thank's for your expert analyses Lavender. We didn't know that before" Harry said sarcastically.
"We should probably get going. Class is going to start soon" Hermione said. They picked up their things and went to class. They sat in their seats setting their things down next to them and Harry and Hermione cooed at the twins before class started.
"Well, it looks like Mr. Potter and Miss. Grangers twins recognize them" Madam Pomfrey said.
"How can you tell" Harry asked her.
"It's very simple" Madam Pomfrey said and took Eliza from him who, for only the 2nd time started to cry. As soon as Harry stood and looked at her in Madam Pomfrey's arms she quieted and reached for him slightly. Harry took her and held her.
"Can we ask you a question Madam Pomfrey" Hermione asked.
"Of course" she said.
"We'd like to set up a monthly check-up just to make sure they're healthy" Harry said.
"Of course. You're the first couple who has thought of that. See me after class and we'll set up a time and date" she said. They sat down again listened as Madam Pomfrey taught them more about babies. Harry and Hermione were able to answer all the questions she asked effectively earning points for Gryffindor and 10 more fake galleons. After class they went into her office and scheduled a check-up for each of the babies.
"You two will make great parents. Even though they really aren't real babies you show concern for their health and well being and they obviously trust you. I heard many of the babies crying in class today but all I heard from your two were content and happy sounds" Madam Pomfrey said as she ushered them out. Sarah let out a fussy sound.
"I think someone is getting hungry" Hermione said cooing over Sarah.
"Lets get back to the dorm and we can give them dinner and put them to bed before eating our own" Harry said. They walked back to the dorm and they changed their diapers and put them into pajamas. They put them to bed after a bottle and went into the kitchen to make their own. They added a few things to the calendar including the date for Quidettch try-outs before doing homework and going to bed. Again the twins slept through the night and woke them up at 6. The got them ready for the day and gave them their bottle for breakfast before making their own breakfast and heading to class. Their classes passed the same until they had their two hour break. They went to the library after changed the twins diapers again and went into the store.
"How can I help you" the woman asked. Hermione rattled off a list of things they needed with Harry adding a few things. They paid the 20 galleons they owed and left. Harry carried both of the babies in their carriers as Hermione carried the bags. They went back to the dorm and unpacked the things putting them away in their rightful places and getting some homework out of the way. Before they knew it a week had passed and as they had decided they set some galleons to the side for the twins and some aside for emergencies.
The Quidettch try-outs had gone well with Hermione and the twins coming down to the stadium to watch. The twins knew their "father" when they saw him and gurgled happily as they watched him. Lavender joined them as Ron was trying-out again and the 3 children had fun communicating in their own baby language. After try-outs Harry decided they could eat in the Great Hall for dinner as a celebration of it going so well. The twins seemed to like being around so many other babies and they gurgled happily. The next day was a Saturday and it was time for the twins check-up. They dressed them in one of their new outfits, picked up the diaper bags and were on their way. They entered the hospital wing a few minutes early to find Madam Pomfrey bandaging a small burn.
"I'll be right with you" she said to them before moving off to her office.
"What happened Ernie" Hermione asked.
"I got to close to the common room fire" Ernie said.
"Ouch" Harry replied.
"You said it Mr. Head Boy" Ernie said laughing.
"Watch it. You may be a prefect but I can still take house points" Harry said.
"Oh hush Harry. Don't mind him Ernie. He doesn't feel like he earned the Head Boy badge" Hermione said.
"Didn't earn it my ass. You saved the wizarding world. I would think at the very least you would have been given an Order of Merlin 1st class and made Minister of Magic if not an Auror" Ernie said. Hermione glanced over at Harry.
"So you didn't hear then" Hermione asked Ernie.
"Hear what" he asked. "All 3 of us were given Order of Merlin 1st class and Harry was crowned prince of the wizarding world" Hermione said.
"Are you serious" Ernie asked.
"Of course she's not" Harry said.
"I'm kidding. We did get the Order of Merlin 1st class though and have been pretty much guaranteed a spot in the ministry as Aurors" Hermione said.
"That's pretty cool. Are you going to continue with the DA this year Harry" Ernie asked.
"I don't really see the point anymore" Harry told him.
"I do. You improved the grades of many of the DA members for DADA. Thanks to you most of us passed DADA with an Excellent. You improved the self confidence f Neville and all of us learned more from you than any other teacher we had" Ernie said.
"I'll have to talk to Dumbledore. Maybe we can make it an official club" Harry said.
"That's a good idea Harry. I wouldn't feel good about it unless we had Dumbledore's permission to continue with the DA" Hermione said.
"I'll see you 2 around" Ernie said as he got up a walked off. Madam Pomfrey came back.
"Now then. Time for the check-ups" Madam Pomfrey said. She weighed each of them and checked their physical as well as mental status before checking for any looming sicknesses.
"They are perfectly healthy and are growing at a good rate. Whatever you're doing to keep these babies healthy and happy keep doing it. They're muscles are also defining well so keep that up as well. If they were going to revert back to dolls at the end of the year I would say that you have a couple of quidettch players on your hands" Madam Pomfrey.
"Thank-you Madam Pomfrey" Hermione said as they picked the twins up off the bed. Harry held Sarah and patted her butt gently.
"Well Mr. Potter. It appears that you have a fatherly instinct. All the fathers I have seen usually took months to find out what helps keep their children happy" Madam Pomfrey said.
"It's something that helps her calm down when she tired" Harry said.
"I can tell as she's falling asleep in your arms.
"It also helps that I am holding fairly snugly against my body. I read that it reminds the child of the womb" Harry said.
"I'm impressed. Now if only you would do this well in your potions class, I do hear however that you are improving and have successfully made a few potions I've used here. Good work" she said and went into her office. Hermione was amazed.
"You made some potions for Madam Pomfrey. You have to be really good to do that" Hermione said.
"I was working on my potion making through the few months of auror training I went through and in the hunt for horcruxes I had to be good at making all kinds of healing potions since, as you know, we were all injured in the field" Harry said.
"I know very well" Hermione said. Harry took her hand, stopped patting Sarah's bottom as she was asleep, and they left the hospital wing. Eliza fell asleep as well seeing that Sarah was asleep and they went back to the dorm to make dinner. They put them in their cribs and made dinner laughing quietly and stealing small kisses.
"God I love you Hermione" Harry said as he settled his arm around her.
"We haven't even gone out yet" Hermione replied.
"That doesn't matter. I guess I've always known that I loved you and it just took my kissing you to admit it" Harry said before kissing her again.
"I love you too Harry" she said after they broke apart. They sat on the couch watching the fire having completed their homework. After a while the twins woke up wanting dinner and a diaper change. They changed their diaper, put them into their pajamas and gave them a bottle before putting them to bed.
"It's Friday right" Harry asked Hermione as they lay in bed.
"Yes Harry" she said "It's Friday".
"What should we do tomorrow. Do you want to go to Hogsmead" He asked.
"That would be nice" Hermione said. Harry rolled over and took her into his arms spooning her against him and they fell asleep. Harry woke up 1st and carefully got out of bed so as not to wake Hermione up before going to make breakfast. Hermione soon awoke to the aroma of bacon and eggs.