Beltane: Buried Dreams.
Harry slumped back against the door to Grimmauld Place, heaving a sigh as he worked up the courage to enter his home. He'd just finished a back-to-back at the Ministry and all he wanted to do was sleep for 12 hours, but he knew that wouldn't be possible, especially when his Godson Teddy was due to stay with him and his girlfriend for the next two days. Harry loved spending time with his godson, but when he originally arranged to look after the young boy, he hadn't planned on being awake on being awake for nearly 36 straight hours before having to keep up with the energetic 5-year-old.
Suddenly the door opened up startling him slightly and he was only just able to catch himself before he fell onto his girlfriend of two years. "What are you doing hanging around outside?" Daphne asked with an amused smile.
"Just gearing myself up for two days with Teddy," Harry admitted to his girlfriend as he entered their home. "When I told Andromeda that we'd take him for a couple of days I hadn't expected to be a work for quite so long," he told him, smiling at Daphne as she took his robes from him and hung them up for him. "You know how much energy Teddy has," he told her, pulling his lovely girlfriend into a hug and kissing her in welcome, happy to be home with his love despite his tiredness.
"Well, Teddy isn't here yet, so why don't you go grab a shower and have a little lie down until dinner," Daphne told him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him into another gentle kiss. "And when Teddy arrives, I'll look after him and tell him what we'll be doing while he's staying with us. How does that sound?" she asked, looking up him with a soft, warm smile.
"That sounds perfect," Harry told her as he pulled her tighter against him, "It'd be heaven if you joined me upstairs though," he added with a grin, making Daphne blush.
"As temping as it is, if we did that you'd be even more tired than you are now," She told him, pulling him down for another kiss, before pushing him away for he could take it any further. "Now go upstairs and shower, I love you, but I'm not overly found of sweaty you," she told him with a grin before leaving him to go get started on their first family meal for nearly three days.
Knowing that he wouldn't be able to convince his gorgeous girlfriend to join him, Harry trudged upstairs, actually eager for a relaxing shower and nap even if he would be on his own, but he knew that Daphne was correct, if she had joined him, he wouldn't be nearly as rested as he had to be to keep up with Teddy for the next couple of days. It wasn't until he laid down that he realised he had no idea what Daphne had planned for their little family for the next couple of days.
When Harry finally dragged himself out of bed later that evening he was immediately greeted by his five-year-old godson as he threw himself at his godfather, clearly happy that he was finally awake and able to spend time with him. Picking him up, Harry made his way into the sitting room where he heard Daphne pottering around and was greeted by his girlfriend setting up whatever she had planned for them, but when he all he saw was a box and letter paper he couldn't figure out what she had planned for them.
"You're finally awake, we've been waiting for," Daphne told him as she stood and greeted him with a kiss, ruffling Teddy's hair as he changed it between black and blonde to match his godfather and herself. "We're just about to write our letters for our wish boxes so you've got perfect timing," she told him, taking Teddy into her arms and leading them all to the coffee table where they all sat to write their letters.
"So, what are we doing?" Harry asked in confusion. He knew from his experience with Samhain and Astoria while at Hogwarts that the Greengrass family still followed the old traditions and celebrations of the past and he was incredibly honoured that they included him in their families' ways of celebrating them, but he'd never had the chance to introduce his godson to any of them yet.
"We're making a Beltane wish box each," Daphne told him, motioning to the small pile of boxes that were stacked next to the coffee table. "Teddy decorated all the boxes after dinner while we waited for you to wake up, so all that's left to do is write letters with our hopes and dreams before we bury our boxes out in the garden," Daphne explained to her boyfriend as she set Teddy up with some parchments and pencils. "You know what you want to write, sweetie?" she asked, watching as Teddy stared to write his hope letter.
"Yeah, but I want it to be a secret, so I'm not telling you," Teddy told him, sticking his tongue out cheekily, giggling when a smiling Daphne tickled him in retribution, while Harry watched his two greatest loves interact with each other. If he didn't know already that this was all he wanted for his family, that image confirmed it for him. "What are you going to write, Harry?" Teddy asked, looking over at his godfather, happiness clearly shining from his eyes at being surrounded by his family.
"I don't know yet," Harry admitted, pulling some parchment closer to him. "I'm sure inspiration will strike once I start to write," he told him with a smile, throwing a flirty wink over at Daphne before looking down at his blank parchment, silently hoping that inspiration would strike him and he'd be able to join in on the Beltane fun. Little did he know that wish boxes were just the start of the fun Daphne had planned for the two of them.
It wasn't until Daphne gently nudged Harry a couple of minutes later that he realised he hadn't actually written anything down yet. "Are you okay?" Daphne asked with a concerned frown.
"I'm fine, just thinking about what to write is all," Harry reassured her with a smile, leaning across the table kiss her softly, making her smile in response before she looked back down at her letter. Seeing Daphne and Teddy write their letter's out with such confidence and assurance seemed to spark something in Harry and he was finally able to put pen to parchment and write down his own hopes and dreams, and though he wasn't sure exactly how he was meant to write them out, he decided to go with his gut and write it all as a letter to his parents.
Dear Mum and Dad.
I've got no idea if this is how a Beltane wish box is meant to be written like this, but it feels right so I'm just going to go with it.
Let's start with the obvious first, or at least something that I hope is obvious and that is that I love and miss you both, more every day. Especially on days like today when I'm surrounded by my little family and just basking in the love we have for each other. I know that you'd love Daphne if you met her, she's absolutely amazing and one of the kindest people I've ever had the good fortune to meet. I don't think there are enough words to describe how I feel for Daphne, hopefully my actions are enough and she knows just how much she means to me.
I know that you'd love Teddy, he reminds me so much of Remus, always asking questions and always trying to make people feel better. Remus and Tonks would be so proud of their little boy, hopefully their happy with how I'm looking after him for them, I couldn't bear to think I'm letting them down in anyway.
It's strange writing this letter. Only five years ago my biggest wish and dream was to survive the war and have some peace a quiet. Even a couple of years ago I would have wished for a quiet life away from the spotlight doing a job I thought would make a difference. But now, I'm so thankful to be in a career that I love and gives me such satisfaction. I couldn't have hoped for more growing up.
And of course, I've got my little family to come home to. Even when it's just Daphne and I, my home is exactly what it should be now, filled with happiness and love and it's all down to that amazing woman that I'm lucky enough to call my own.
Well, not completely my own.
But maybe that's my wish and my dream for the coming year. To make Daphne my own in every way that I can. Just between us, I have already sought out Daphne's father and asked him for his permission to ask her to marry me. I've even picked out a ring to give, something traditional and as beautiful as she is that I found in the Potter vaults. I know that it's not your ring mum, that's with you, but hopefully the goblins will be able to tell who's it was and hopefully Daphne can be added to the long list of brilliant Potter women who've worn it.
Maybe in a couple of years we can add our own child to the family. I know that Teddy would love it and be a brilliant big brother to our child, he's already brilliant with his Weasley cousins. But I'll focusing on making sure Daphne wants to say yes to a proposal first and maybe a child can go into next years wish box.
So, I suppose all that's left to say is that I'm sorry that you're not here to experience all these milestones with me, but I hope that I've made you proud and know that I love and miss you with all my heart.
Until we meet again one day.
Your loving son,
Harry.
Later that evening, just as the sun was beginning to set throwing reds and pinks across the London sky, Harry; Daphne and Teddy gathered outside and placed their Beltane wish boxes in the pre-dug holes at the bottom on the garden before gathering in a family hug, Teddy held lovingly between Harry and Daphne, the three of them chanted above the now buried boxes;
"Dream that lies within the Earth awaken now. Hope that sleeps awaken now. The stars await as do I. Grow true, grow strong, toward the sky." They chanted as all three of them scattered the last bits of soil over their buried wishes and dreams and when they were finally finished the gathered around a little bonfire and roasted marshmallows until Teddy eventually succumbed to sleep, surprisingly exhausted from his afternoon with Harry and Daphne leaning and celebrating Beltane together.
And it was later that night, once Teddy was safely tucked into bed, that Daphne introduced Harry to another Beltane tradition that he enjoyed immensely and that was definitely not suitable for Teddy's young eyes. For it was that passionate night outside, under the stars and moonlight that forced Harry to rearrange his wish and dream timeline as they welcomed their first child the following February. And as the healer placed their daughter into her mother's arms, the shining, brilliant sapphire engagement ring sparkling in the early morning light of a new day, that Harry sent up at little prayer and thank you to his parents for making his Beltane dreams come true.
So, that's my short Beltane story all done for you. It's taken me so long to write this story, there's about three beginnings saved or written out, for some reason this story just wouldn't write. But, I've persevered and here it is, posted on Beltane itself (only just, it's 2215 where I am so I've only just made it, yay!)
Until next time, lovely readers.
Lady Mimi.