Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters were used without permission. They are the copyright of J.R. Rowling and Warner Bros. They are used with consideration and with no intent to make money. My thanks to Ms. Rowling for the many hours of entertainment her writing has afforded me. And out of respect for her, will withdraw this story if anyone finds it offensive.
(Natasha's Note: This is the fourth story in the series. However, it was actually the first story I ever wrote. To explain it all I wrote the first three in the series afterward. Confusing, I know. This is the story of Yanel (Daniel) meeting Harry for the first time in many years. I hope you enjoy it. If you wish to find out where Harry was all of those years, then I will post the story Harry's Tale after Gypsy Witch which tells of that tale. Good reading!)
Chapter 1 Old Friends
"I'm tired of fighting rumors. I've had enough of being an Auror, Hermione," Harry shrugged, "I've paid my dues. Voldemort's war is over and I want peace and quiet in my life. Hogwart's has always been my home since I really haven't had another. Daniel will be safe there and I can look out after him. It was very decent of Dumbledore to recommend me for the position." He stopped and sighed. "I only hope I can do a good job as headmaster."
"Hurry up Ron, little Harry is hungry," Hermione cradled a baby at her hip. She spoke to the man with red hair and glasses that was bustling around the kitchen. "We'll be late for work and your mum will be waiting for us." She rocked the baby. It's hair, just now coming in, was turning out to be a reflection of his father's. The eyes, however, were the same penetrating brown as his mother's. "Harry," she began, "who else but you to fill Dumbledore's shoes. You'll be wonderful as headmaster."
"Shush now, little Harry." The baby fussed and then quieted as if listening to the conversation. "But I am concerned about you. I don't think you've ever regained your strength since you were in the caves of Basgareth. And then, all of that nonsense at the Quidditch World tournament flying about and getting knocked about! Honestly." She went on again, always worrying at him. "Your not very good at taking care of yourself. The years are taking their toll." She shook her head, "Hard to believe its been eleven years."
"No use in worrying about me, Hermione," Harry smiled wanly. He did not want to remember Basgareth. "Whatever happens is beyond our control right now; if it happens at all. All we can do is wait and watch." He didn't know how many times he had said those words to any number of friends.
Handing over her son to Ron, she shook her head and sipped at her tea. "The tides of conflict are coming in again, I think. I hope I'm wrong. Sometimes I get very weary. It feels like this evil and conflict will never end. Malfoy is almost as bad as Voldemort was, perhaps worse in some ways. But you're right of course. We just have to wait." She looked at the tiredness in his face and the sadness that lurked forever in his eyes. She reached across the table and placed a hand in his. He accepted it and gave it a squeeze before letting go. "Don't even think about these ridiculous rumors. If the Daily Prophet prints that garbage I will personally go queue up and curse the lot of them myself!"
Harry changed the subject, "It'll be wonderful having Daniel at Hogwarts with me. I haven't seen them for almost four years if you can believe it!." He shook his head guiltily remembering his own years growing up feeling disconnected and without family other than the Dursleys.
No one who knew them would ever describe the Dursleys as family. The years Harry spent under their roof left terrible memories even though he knew that being with them had provided him vital protection. Then he had discovered a horrific secret; his aunt had been a squid spy. Harry forced the memories away. He lingered on his guilty feelings. He had never wanted his own son to feel the way he had with the Dursleys. In the end, he had been away from his own son for too long. A lump formed in his throat at the thought of it.
"It's not your fault, Harry," Ron began, taking the baby from Hermione. Both were trying to be comforting for their old friend and not succeeding. He had struggled for so long, he constantly had an air of melancholy.
Hermione changed the subject, "It's such a shame the Romani travel so much." Hermione spoke of Nadya, Harry's wife. Like her people, Nadya was a gypsy wanderer, who lived with her caravan and traveled the roads. "I'd love to learn more about Gypsy witches. Their ways are so powerful and mysterious. It's said they are the ancient source of all witchcraft. And now…," she gestured around her, "I never have time to read anything." Hermione shook her head. "It would be great to include the gypsies… . Sorry," She nodded toward Harry, "the Romani in the new revision." She was of course talking about the revised edition of Hogwarts: A History that she was writing.
Harry smiled. The small house had shelves of books from ceiling to floor in every room, including the kitchen. Books were piled on every available surface to the point of almost taking up all the living space. Some piles had to bend around corners at odd angles to fit. He glanced at several of the titles near at hand. "Killing Spells and Their Counter-curses", "Index Librum Prohibitorum" and "Listening to the Dead" by Felix Montegue.
Harry pondered the titles. Would they have been different if times had been different and none of them had ever had to fight the most evil and dark wizard of their age and all of his many followers? His thoughts drifted away from the Hermione's conversation for a moment as he was once again caught up in the past.
Hermione continued and he caught the end of what she was saying. "And don't you even think about the other problem. I will put my best people on it. There's a particularly keen man at The Ministry in the Department of Mysteries. His work is on The Lines of Descent of Infamous Peoples and Genealogical and Historical Relevance in Ancient Texts. He's contributing to Hogwarts a History, Revisited, you know," she explained.
She kept up the running dialogue, "If there is anyone who can find out about all of this nonsense, it would be Thomas McKlellan. Old Tom has spent his entire life in the basement of the Ministry. He positively looks like a vampire for lack of sun. I found him quite unexpectedly one day when I was looking for a book in the ministry library. I thought he was a ghost. It was obvious that he wasn't used to talking to other people." Hermione rose and was packing a rather formidable satchel. "Why the man practically collapsed with anxiety. He didn't like me being there at all." She was mumbling to herself as if the room were empty. Harry had rarely seen her, in all of the years he had known her, without a bag of books trailing over her arm as she did now.
Ron attempted to divert Hermione's monologue, afraid she would get caught up in one of her favorite subjects, "I'm surprised Nadya is letting Daniel go to Hogwarts, or any school for that matter." He cradled the baby and expertly handled the bottle of milk. He was becoming very good at Muggle (non-magical people) work. He was taking care of a baby and other household chores as well as having taken over his father's job at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts and being married to muggle-born, Hermione.
"It's not their kind of thing you know," Harry said nodding in agreement, " I was bowled over when Jolie arrived and told me what she wanted to do. I'm not complaining, mind you, and he has been on the list since he was born. It'll be wonderful to have him at Hogwarts with me. But, given his special talents, and his background, it might take a bit of adjustment." He stirred the dregs of cold tea still in the cup. "There are very few people who know that I even have a son and I dread the fact that he will be exposed to it… ." Harry stopped. He was thinking about the life he had lived himself, always being known; a celebrity not of his own doing. He'd hated it. And now he was introducing that world to his own son. His friends looked at him sympathetically.
Hermione shook her head. She'd seen her old friend in this kind of mood before. "Oh go on Harry. This is a wonderful thing and here you are being a gloom about it. He'll settle in just fine. There loads of people that'll help. There's Hagrid, McGonagall, Neville and even Berdache. The twins know what it's like to have parents like us, too. They'll help out, I'll write to them."
"I don't know, Hermione. Daniel's from a very different culture. It'll be strange to him. I remember what it was like for me. My guess is that no one in the camp has told him what the plan was, I know his mother didn't tell him. It's more likely they just put him on the Hogwart's Express without a word of explanation and he's headed to Hogwarts right now wondering what the devil's happening to him." Harry sipped the cold cup of tea, and then sat it aside. "He should be on the train even as we speak." Changing the tone of his voice he asked more heartily, "Did the twins get off ok?" He spoke of Ron and Hermione's first born children, 11 year old twins, Ronald and Veronica.
"Dad took them early this morning. He wanted to ride the muggle bus," Ron said and shook his head and rolled his eyes. His father, Arthur Weasley, loved muggles and their things. He had been the Head of the Department of the Misuse Muggle Artifacts Office until his son, Ron, took over. "Of course the twins loved the idea. There are some days that I think Veronica and Ronnie would rather be muggles than witches and wizards," Ron talked while he cradled his new born son gently. He went on, "I'm sure your relieved that Severus is back." Their old Potion's master was at the school in his old job as the 'Potions' master. He was referring to the fact that Harry and Snape had a very close relationship, but had been apart for sometime.
"Yes, he'll help me with Daniel, too." Harry said. He nodded and got up to leave.
"Good choice you made having Berdache," Hermione threw a cloak on, "No better for the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, I should say. The only one better at it than you, Harry."
"Speaking of which, will you say 'hello' to Lupin for me." Harry was referring to, Remus Lupin, who had taught Defense Against the Dark Arts when Harry, Hermione and Ron attended Hogwarts together. Lupin had resigned from Hogwarts after it had been discovered that he was a werewolf. He had been a friend of Harry's father, James and of his godfather, Sirius Black. Now, he had become close friends with Hermione and Ron and Harry as well when they fought in the war together. Hermione was on her way to see him at the Ministry of Magic.
"Ever since they discovered that he is one of the last of his kind because of the 'cure', he's been asked to teach all over the world. I hardly see him anymore," Hermione sighed. "He's a positively gorgeous looking man, too."
"Mione!" Ron protested.
"Well he is," Hermione said smiling. "I'm looking for just the right woman for him. I mean if he ever takes the cure." They all looked at each other and smiled.
"It was really cool of him to send a gift when little Harry was born," Ron grinned, "even though we aren't quite sure what it is yet."
"I see you're ready to leave and I must be on my way as well. I can't miss the feast and Sorting ceremony this evening now that I'm headmaster." Harry leaned down holding himself steady with the ever-present cane and allowed Hermione to give him a hug and peck on the cheek.
"Don't wait so long to see us," she chided, "you look so pale. Besides Ron's getting good at cooking," Hermione teased. " I certainly can't cook. And mind, Harry, there is no favoritism shown to the Ronnie and Veronica." She pecked her husband and baby on the cheek. " I'm off dear. See you at work," she said to Ron and disapparated.
"She looks tired, Ron," Harry said stepping to the door. "She goes on about me not taking care of myself, when she looks worse than I do."
"It's the new baby and then there's Malfoy causing trouble at Durmstrang," Ron said looking concerned. "Since she's become Minister of Magic she's hardly home." Ron cooed softly to the baby. "Draco was always such a spineless pig." He was referring to a lifelong enemy of theirs and a previous student at Hogwarts when they had attended. The boy, Draco Malfoy's father, Lucius Malfoy had also been a Death Eater and follower of the infamous Dark Lord, Voldemort. "She's not telling me much about what's going on. You know Hermione." He shook his head with exasperation. "I say we take a little trip and go visit ol' Malfoy sometime and take care of the problem. Just you'n me."
"It would be my pleasure, old friend. Will you come to Hogwart's and visit me, then?" Harry stepped out into the sun, avoiding further discussion of unpleasant memories and prepared to disaparate to Hogsmeade, the village near Hogwarts. He liked walking the road to the school and taking in the view as the castle came up over the horizon.
"Hagrid's expecting us all to dinner at Christmas," Ron grinned. "I say eat before you go." Harry managed a smile at his joke. They both remembered from old about Hagrid's terrible cooking. Harry disapparated. Still smiling to himself over his joke, Ron climbed aboard his broom and slowly, smoothly glided over the field to the Burrow, his own childhood home, to leave little Harry with his grandmother.