Spoilers: Dunno. If you haven't read the books, then why are you here? Although, it should be from books one through... five, I guess. Perhaps six. Even seven. Haha, jk.
Warnings: This story is labelled Alternate Universe.Horrible spelling/grammar, OoC-ness, violence, language, sexual encounters (though they will be mild), fluff, etc. The usual, basically. Oh, and a horrible attempt at the British vocabulary/language. Oh, you know what I mean!
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. Not even this laptop, my dad is stuck paying those bills. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. (It's like a mantra, no?)
Summary: After Dumbledore's death, Harry and his family leave Hogwarts. With Sirius still a convicted murderer, Voldemort still feeble, searching for Harry's blood, the unexpected friendship of Draco and Luna, and the Ministry asking for questions, where is this young family to go? Alternate Universe.
Author's Notes: Hopefully I'll be able to tone the fluff down to a level so I can't be arrested. I'll try to keep the characters in character, but I can't promise anything. (They are, after all, only fourteen and have two children.)
I hope you enjoy the next instalment of Forever.
0—0—0—0
"And now, we leave."
Hermione's eyes were empty. So many emotions were running through her mind, and she seemed to be fighting off the dizziness that suddenly consumed her. When she had asked (stated, she corrected herself) if he had killed Dumbledore, and he had said no, she thought that perhaps the whole ordeal could just blow off. That perhaps they could simply ignore Dumbledore's plotting and go on with their daily lives.
She snorted. What daily lives?
She rested on the bed, putting an arm around her children and exhaled slowly.
"Not right now," she said quietly. "We have to wait for Missus Dursley to reply. Until then, we've no choice but to stay here."
He nodded, his mind slowly numbing. "Alright, I… I can do that…" He took out his wand and pointed it at a shrunken trunk. Since he was still in his Hogwarts uniform, and he was going to leave, he decided that it wouldn't be too bad if he changed his attire. Muttering a spell, the trunk came back to original size.
He took out a pair of dark, slightly ripped jeans, a simple green long sleeve shirt, and his black hooded sweatshirt and left to change.
James started whimpering, saliva slowly making a trail down the side of his face. His hands were fisted, occasionally moving around as his small legs kicked wildly. He started shaking his head, his emerald eyes closing and his hair being fisted by his hands.
Hermione, having noticed this, quickly picked her son up, rocking him slowly. Seeing as he wasn't calming down, she raised her shirt up and nursed him. He didn't suck, so Hermione thought something else might be wrong. Not bothering with her shirt, she took his sweats off and checked his nappy. It was dirty and Hermione took her bag (the one with all of the children's things—nappies, bottles, formulas, etc.) and took a clean nappy out along with a few wipes.
Once she finished she delicately put his sweats back on, rocking him back to sleep. She gave him a soft kiss on the forehead and gently put him back on the bed.
Harry came out with his old clothes bunched up in his arms, and gave Hermione a small smile, silently asking if she would fold them. Giving the clothes to Hermione, he gave her a soft kiss in thanks. He lay on the bed, pulling a sleeping Lily on his chest, tenderly running his thumb up and down her covered back.
"We shouldn't be like this," Hermione murmured a few minutes later. She was on her side, James in between Harry and her, her hand on James' small chest.
He nodded his head, slowly falling asleep. "I know," he whispered, turning his head so he could see his girlfriend and son. He brought his right hand out and ran his hand through James' soft black hair, wondering if he looked like that when he was an infant. I'll never really know, will I? he pondered, knowing that there were probably photographs of him when he was a child in Godric's Hollow. But it wasn't there anymore, merely a crater in the middle of nowhere.
He sighed, why was he thinking of this so suddenly?
"Where are we going to go?" Hermione asked quietly, her eyes closed.
He helplessly shrugged, still holding Lily, still drifting off to sleep. "Dursleys, Sirius—hopefully, and then we'll just… go with the flow."
She nodded, nearly asleep. Harry's breathing was evening out, slow, deep breaths while he clutched onto his daughter.
She gave a ghost of a smile, and she, too, fell asleep in the cold winter night.
0—0—0—0
"Miss," Dobby said softly, shaking Hermione's shoulder. "Miss, Harry Potter's owl is here…"
She mumbled in her sleep, shivering as she forgot to put a blanket on. (She had taken her jacket off sometime during the night and put it over James.) She slowly got up, her eyes fogged with sleep. After a few moments, she finally realised that it was Dobby who had awoken her, not Harry.
"Yes?" she asked, wondering why Dobby would want her at six thirty in the morning. "Is there anything wrong?" she wondered. "Did we forget to give you your pay?" Quickly, she made a move to get out of the bed, but Dobby stopped her, holding a frail hand up.
"No, Harry Potter's Miss, nothing is wrong. Mister Harry Potter's owl is here… and she looked sleepy just standing there with a letter on her leg," the house-elf explained.
She nodded, making sure that James was secure (and Lily, for that matter) and then followed Dobby to Hedwig. At first, she wondered how Hedwig got in there, but then she let it go, reasoning that the castle of Hogwarts was just too mysterious for her tastes this early in the morning. Seeing the letter attached to her leg, she quickly untied it and went to get some owl treats. Once she gave a few to her, she gave her an affectionate stroke, and Hedwig left through the portrait.
"Thanks, Dobby, for telling me," she said, looking around for a spare galleon or knut. Finding one under a clean nappy, she kneeled down and handed it to Dobby.
He shook his head fervently saying, "No, no! I will not accept Miss's extra money! No!"
"Please, Dobby? You've been doing a wonderful job of taking care of the children, and I just thought you ought to have a bonus." She offered him a genuine smile, and he still shook his head.
"No money, Harry Potter's Miss." Before Hermione could retort, someone else spoke up.
"How about socks, then?" asked Harry, holding both Lily and James in his arms. He walked over to Hermione and handed her Lily, and then looked back at Dobby. "So, what do you say? Socks, all right, then? If you refuse that, too, then you'll have to take the galleon."
Dobby nodded, softly saying, "Dobby accepts socks, then." He looked up into Harry's eyes, "If Harry Potter or his Miss doesn't need anything, then Dobby will be going."
They nodded, each giving him a small pat on the shoulder, and Dobby disappeared.
"Why did you get up so early?" Harry asked, stifling a yawn, placing James on his lap, resting his head on the chair behind him.
"There's a letter," Hermione answered, sleep quickly leaving her system. "I suspect it's from your Aunt."
He nodded and asked, "Where's the letter?"
"Right here." She pulled it out and handed it to Harry.
He read it aloud.
Harry and Hermione,
Well, I certainly hadn't expected for you to write me at this time, let alone ask for shelter. I… You two—four, I'm sorry, I keep on forgetting you two have children—can stay here; however, it will be a bit… crowded.
I've talked to Vernon, and after I explained things to him (I had to tell quiet a few lies so you two could stay), he said that you could stay for two weeks.
We will be there at King's Cross, tomorrow (December seventeenth), at ten A.M.
Petunia Dursley
PS: Don't reply. I don't want the neighbours to suspect anything.
Harry snorted, running a hand through his hair. "Wonderful, we have, what, four hours?"
"Not even," Hermione murmured.
He checked his watch (he'd forgotten to take it off the night before), and saw that it was nearly seven o' clock. Making a move to get up, he cradled James and stood up to go to their room. He took the shrunken trunks, cots, and everything else they'd need, and shoved them into his jean pocket. He took his wand and put it in his back pocket, and then put James on the bed, putting two pillows on either side of him. He then went to brush his teeth, skipping the shower as he took one the day before.
Hermione went into their room and put Lily on the bed, and she went to change. Since Harry was inside washing his teeth, Hermione was tempted to change in there, and perhaps get a little more out of it. (The potion hadn't worn off fully, but it was slowly ebbing away. She still had the sudden urges to snog—or shag, if she wasn't in her period—senseless.) But she decided against it, knowing that it'd delay them even further. They had to get to King's Cross in three and a half hours, and the train ride itself was three hours, so they had to hurry.
Taking off her shirt, she grabbed a simple pair of jeans before she got pregnant, and tried to slip them on. They would barely go up her thighs. She sighed, forgetting that she'd gained roughly twenty kilograms (forty pounds) during her pregnancy. Even after the two were born, she'd only lost about seven kilograms (fifteen pounds)—and that was only because the twins weighed that much together. She roughly pulled them off, throwing them at the empty wardrobe. She groaned and walked into the bathroom, not caring if she didn't have any pants on, or if her boyfriend was using the toilet.
He jumped in freight, slipping in the process. He moaned in pain, rubbing the back of his head, not caring if Hermione saw him exposed. He stood up slowly and looked at Hermione. "Do you need something?" he asked, putting himself back into his boxer shorts.
She smiled as she saw his member, but quickly recovered remembering why she was here. "Err… sort of," she replied. "How much do you weigh?" she asked, blushing slightly.
He seemed to think for a minute before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't know. The last time I've been to a doctor was when I was ten years old." His eyebrows knit in confusion. "Why?"
She blushed even brighter, "Because I need pants that fit me," she mumbled. "And I thought I might be able to fit into your clothes."
He shrugged, and pulled his pants back up. "Alright," he pulled out one of the trunks, "let's get a pair of my jeans for you, then."
Before he could un-shrink it, however, Hermione quickly put her hand up. "How about I just try the ones you're wearing right now? And if they fit, then we can take the trunk out."
He nodded, putting the trunk inside. He took them off, handing them to Hermione. "But what if they don't fit? And where are your jeans?" he wondered, not realizing what he just said.
"Are you calling me fat?" she questioned, her gaze intense.
His eyes widened, his question suddenly hitting impact. "No!" he replied immediately.
She nodded. "That's what I thought." She put one leg through, and then the other, getting angry as she found she wasn't able to even get them up her thighs. She screamed in frustration. "I can't fit into my clothes, and now I can't fit into yours?!" She irritably sat on the edge of the bath, silently fuming.
"Err… if- if they – err, don't fit then why don't you – err, enlarge your pants?" he stammered, hoping her reaction would be more peaceful.
Her ear perked up; why hadn't she thought of that? I hate being in my period, she thought. I'm always too moody to think straight. She stood up and put her arms around Harry, frightening him in the process. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you," she said as she planted her lips on his. She smiled as he instantly responded, opening her lips with his tongue.
As they stood there, without pants, Harry thought, If only she wasn't in her period. If only… He brought his hands to the hem of her periwinkle sweater, and Hermione suddenly pulled away.
"We don't have long before we have to leave," she whispered. She gave him another heated (yet quick) kiss, and then left the bathroom.
He groaned, pulling his pants back on. Once he finished brushing his teeth, he went back outside, seeing Hermione (with pants on, thankfully) feed Lily.
She was stroking her soft brown hair, muttering, "Ten kilograms wouldn't be too bad. No, that'd bring be to about fifty-eight…"
Harry sighed. Why was she suddenly caught up with her weight? He thought women were supposed gain weight when they were pregnant. But she wasn't, not anymore at least.
"Hermione," he quietly said as he sat down next to her, picking up James in the process.
She didn't answer, just kept on muttering.
"Hermione, look, I don't care about your weight." She turned, giving him a sceptical look. "Really, I don't! I mean, yeah, you gained some weight, but that's because you were… you know. Aren't women supposed to gain some when they're… err… you know?"
Quietly, she murmured, "Yes."
"Then what's the big deal, Hermione? The twins aren't even three months old and you're suddenly worried about your weight?" He took her free hand into his. "What happened to the confident, I-don't-care-what-you-think-of-me Hermione?"
She turned her head and laid her head on her shoulder. "I don't know… my hormones are on overtime, with my period and after the pregnancy. And then the stress, with Dumbledore, my parents, Kelsey, the potions, leaving… everything," she whispered miserably.
"Your parents?" he asked in mild surprise. What involvement did her parents have in this?
She nodded, switching the babies so she could nurse him. "Yes… remember what you said. That you should give them even a small chance? That, perhaps, we should visit them over the holidays?" She paused for a moment, "I think we could—should, I mean."
He gulped, nodding. "Okay…"
As James finished eating, Hermione quickly stood up and made sure everything was ready. Harry sat there, looking around, wondering if they'd ever come back to Hogwarts.
Probably… Hopefully… Perhaps? He wasn't too sure, but he did hope they'd have the opportunity to.
"Alright, we're ready. Let's hurry, we only have fifteen minutes to board," Hermione informed him, grabbing his hand and pulling him out of the room.
They quickly left the room, glad that no one was in Gryffindor Common Room. They walked through the corridors, ignoring the greetings they were receiving. They saw Draco walking, and he gave them an odd look.
"What ridiculous type of clothing is that?" he questioned, pointing at their muggle attire.
He rolled his eyes, "Muggle. Look, we don't have time to have casual talk. We're leaving, and we don't know if we'll be back. We just wanted to tell you that." He said all of this in a rush.
Draco blinked. "You're leaving…" He nodded slowly. "Alright, I can handle that."
"We have to leave now, Harry," Hermione urged, pulling his sleeve while putting James' cap on.
"We'll send you owls and stuff, alright?" Without waiting for an answer, they left.
"Bye," Draco muttered quietly.
0—0—0—0
They weren't quiet sure how they got last minute tickets to King's Cross (although Harry's name could've been a big benefactor), but they did. They boarded the train quickly, seeing other's fill in the train, and they found an empty compartment. Sitting in it, Harry searched his pockets for James and Lily's muggle car seats.
He handed Lily over to Hermione, and said, "I need to get their car seats."
She nodded and readjusted the two in her arms. Being a mother of two isn't as easy as its cut out to be, Hermione thought, seeing Lily pull the small deer on her sweater. James was snoozing in her arms, his small nose tinted pink, his small arms in fists above his head. Lily's emerald eyes sought out her own brown ones, and she smiled. Hermione grinned seeing her daughter smile, but then James (who was still asleep) kicked Lily, making her frown.
"Found them!" he said joyfully, putting the extra things away back into his pockets. He took his wand out and muttered, "Engorgio." The seats grew until they were their original size, and then Harry tenderly took James from her arms. He placed him into the seat, strapped him in, and gave him a gentle kiss, holding the seat securely.
Hermione did the same to Lily, and the rest of the train ride was quiet.
"Hermione, what are we going to do?" Harry asked after a few minutes. "We can't just stay at the Dursleys until we feel like leaving, and after that, we have no where else to live."
"Sirius," Hermione said simply.
He nodded, remembering. "I'll send him a letter when we get there." His eyes widened, "Oh, God, what about Hedwig?"
"I wager she'll be at the Dursleys before us," she answered nonchalantly.
"Probably," he agreed finally. I wonder what will happen to the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Harry silently wondered. Will they continue? Probably, Harry shook his head, clearing his mind of those thoughts. But then, new thoughts came rushing into his mind. I wonder how they're going to take to the news that Dumbledore is dead, though. Most likely they'll be devastated. I just hope they won't realize Hermione and I have left…
He sighed, putting the car seat on the floor and he lay down. "I'm going to take a quick kip," he muttered. He took his glasses off and put his arm over his eyes, and then he fell asleep.
All Hermione could do was roll her eyes and fix her jacket.
0—0—0—0
Harry groaned and rolled to his side. He fell onto the cold floor, the air taken out of his lungs. "Oh bloody hell," he muttered, rubbing his forehead and chest.
"I guess it's a good thing I moved James, then," Hermione's soft voice said. "Wouldn't want to smother your child," she smiled.
"Yeah, yeah, good thing," he muttered absently, blindly searching for his glasses. Hermione rolled her eyes and handed them to him. "Thanks," he said and put them on.
"What time is it?" Hermione asked, cleaning some saliva from James' mouth.
"Nine forty-five," Harry answered, stretching his back out. He ran a hand through his hair, making his hair even messier. "We should be there shortly," he told her, trying to stifle a yawn.
She nodded, watching the snow falling gently outside. She took out her gloves and jacket, putting them on her lap so she could put them on in a few minutes. Harry, seeing this, did the same.
Finally, after what seemed to be seconds, but was really ten minutes, the train slowed down. Hermione made sure that the blankets on the twins would be enough for them, and when she was satisfied, she picked up the baby bag and one of the car seats, holding the compartment door open for Harry and James. He put his winter jacket and gloves on, picked up James' seat, and left.
"I wonder if Aunt Petunia is going to be there, too," Harry wondered, stepping down and searching for their familiar faces.
"Perhaps," Hermione answered. "It depends on how much space there is in the car. We are four people as it is, and if it's a five-passenger car, it's highly unlikely that she'll come. But, if it's a van—or something of the like—she might."
Harry nodded in agreement, still searching. He held her arm, leading them towards the exit. After a few minutes of blindly searching, Harry heard the familiar, "Potter!" He turned around, seeing Vernon a few yards away from them, glaring at them.
"Well, here we are," Harry muttered, walking towards him. Hermione took his covered hand, giving him a squeeze of reassurance, and they strode towards the large man.
"I thought you'd still be pregnant," Vernon commented in mild surprise, seeing the two faces peeking from layers of blankets inside two car seats.
She shook her head. "It's complicated," she said simply.
"Can we hurry up? I don't want my children to catch a cold," Harry spoke up finally, getting Vernon's attention once more.
"Shut up, Potter!" Vernon spat, his face quickly turning puce. "Let's go," he said gruffly, leading them to the car.
Once Harry and Hermione strapped the car seats in, they left to go to Surrey. Harry sat next to Vernon, and Hermione sat in between the two babies, but it felt like she was sitting in between two teenagers. One minute, James would be whimpering and Lily giggling, the next, it'd be the exact opposite. She searched the bag for a bottle, and once she found one, neither would drink.
"I don't think they find the seats very comfortable," Harry commented turning around and taking the bag from her, looking for something else that would keep them occupied.
"They slept soundly on the train," Hermione retorted. "But now that they're in a car, they're being fussy." She sighed in frustration.
"If they vomit on my new leather seats--" Vernon started.
"I know, I know," Harry interrupted. "I'm going to pay for the damages. I know, I can easily pay, alright?"
"Boy, don't disrespect me." He wagged a sausage finger at Harry's face, "The only reason I brought you back was because I was being merciful. If it hadn't been for those two brats in the ca—" he was interrupted by Harry's deadly voice.
"Don't call them brats," Harry hissed, his anger growing. "Don't you dare call my children brats!"
"Harry, he's just trying to get on your nerves. Don't let him get to you. This is exactly what he wants," Hermione tried to placate. "Please, Harry, just try to calm down."
"And you, you little—" Vernon started again.
"Don't you dare," he growled. "Don't you dare call whatever it is you're going to say."
"Harry," Hermione tried again, "don't worry about it. It doesn't mean anything. Let him say what he wants to."
He growled and fisted his hair, tugging it.
Hermione sighed, resting her head on the back seat of the car. This was really getting to her. The excessive stress i.e. Dumbledore, his death, the babies, Harry's short temper, etc. She shut her eyes and forced herself to take calming breaths.
She didn't know how many breaths she took, but the next thing she heard was Harry's hand shaking her shoulder. "We're here, Hermione," he whispered, undoing the seatbelt from James' seat. After he was out, Harry held him close to his chest, putting a few blankets on top of his fragile body.
She moaned, wiping the sleep from her eyes, and saw that Harry already had James in his arms, and she had yet to get out of the car. Groaning, she did just as Harry did, holding Lily securely. The snow was still lightly falling, so Hermione put her hand over Lily's head, hoping that she wouldn't catch a cold. The sooner they got inside the better.
Harry was already at the front door, and he knocked. I wonder where Uncle Vernon went, Harry thought, absently rubbing the small of his son's back. Hermione joined him a few seconds later, teeth chattering, Lily in her arms.
Just a few seconds later, he was greeted by the face of Petunia Dursley. "Oh! Hurry, come in!" she exclaimed, opening the door farther so they could rush in.
He shook his head and stomped his feet to get rid of the excess snow while wiping off some snow from James' blanket. Hermione did the same, slipping her shoes off so she could get some feeling in them.
"Tea?" asked Petunia. "Coffee?"
"T-tea would be fine," Hermione replied, smiling softly.
"I'll have some too," Harry answered her, walking from the foyer and into the kitchen, "Thanks."
Petunia nodded and started the kettle.
Exiting the kitchen, Harry and Hermione made their way into the lounge. In there was someone Harry did not want to see.
His Aunt Marge.
"You," Harry said vehemently.
Marge turned around, her eyes nearly popping out of their sockets. "Potter," she greeted, glaring at him. It was the only thing she could say to him at the moment. She saw a girl—what was she holding?—standing next to Potter, and then she noticed, he was holding something nearly the same size. Then, she noticed the small pile of black hair popping out from the blankets Harry was holding.
Could it be a baby? she wondered, shuddering at the thought. Potter and procreation, it's not something I want to think about just after breakfast.
"So you've managed to get a bitch pregnant, have you now?" she asked standing up and walking towards Harry.
His response was simply holding his son tighter.
"Pity," she continued, "not even fifteen and you've managed to have one—no, I'm sorry, two—children. How pitiful." She smirked as she saw his eyes flair up.
"Shut up," he said quietly, deadly.
"Harry," Hermione reprimanded softly. "Don't say anything, please. She's just trying to egg you on. You're walking on eggshells as it is, please don't ruin it. We've nowhere else to go at the moment," she told him softly.
"Oh? Is that so?" She asked, her gaze turning to Hermione. "Nowhere else to go? What has Potter done this time? Murder someone else and you're running away from the authorities?" She shook her head at her. "I should've expected this from Potter and his whore."
Harry's anger was flaring, and he looked ready to shout, but Petunia swiftly interrupted.
"Marge! Have some tea!" she urged, escorting her to the kitchen.
"But I—"
"Oh, please Marge," Petunia interrupted again. "I tried a new recipe and I wanted to test it out. Raspberry with a hint of lemon and blueberry," she smiled, turning around for a brief moment. Catching Hermione's attention (Harry was still giving the television a death glare—a spot where Marge was previously standing), she gave her a wink.
"Blueberry?" asked Marge. "Why blueberry?"
Hermione went and walked over to Harry, preparing herself to scold him once more.
"I don't want to hear it right now," he muttered before stomping upstairs.
Even though it had been only ten minutes, he hated his holiday already.
Author's Note: I know horrible, right? Yep, I knew it. Absolutely dreadful!
Dudley and Vernon… I don't know where they are right now, so please don't ask. Err… Marge… haha, I hate her with a passion, so don't expect her to pull a Petunia on Harry and his family. (Wow, it still feels funny saying that. Harry and family in the same sentence. Sad, eh?)
Next chapter I'll put a quote up, and a new thing I'll add: what song I'm listening to while I type the last parts of the chapter. (There is no way in hell that I can type a chapter in one sitting, so I'll just use the one I'm currently listening to.)
What's happening next chapter? Hah, no idea.
Reviews are greatly appreciated.