Author's Note: This note may be lengthy, but I want to give fair warning. This is going to be an angsty, heavy story, and there may be many topics that upset H/G shippers. However, it is a canon-compliant tale. It's an idea I've had tucked away for awhile, and was originally going to be tacked onto my first story, Together, but I decided that it was too grand in scope to complete. This story was born of me thinking about Harry and Al's relationship in Cursed Child, but has been greatly influenced by so many works, particularly the first H/G fic I ever read, CassandraCross' Great Expectations. It's also largely inspired by the first season of True Detective. The story follows the post-war universe I established in Together, and begins in early-summer, 2005. I hope you enjoy this story, and I will be trying to post updates weekly on Sunday evenings, but please forgive me if I cannot. I also wanted to give a couple of content warnings. This story deals with the three hurricanes that swept across the Southern United States in the summer of 2005 and also will have descriptions of child abuse. Please be gentle on yourself when deciding to proceed. Otherwise, I hope that you enjoy :)
"I thought you were meant to be on a train to Grasmere," Padma Patil said, glancing up from a report as Harry Potter flew into his cubicle and began rifling through the mess of papers scattered on his desk.
"There aren't trains from London to Grasmere," Harry answered, opening a manila file and shaking its contents out onto the surface. "I'm meant to be on a train to Windermere in an hour, but I forgot to file the bloody warrant for that potions shack we noticed in Knockturn Alley last week."
Padma groaned, hopping up from her desk and rushing over to Harry's, grabbing at the various papers and leaflets that covered the wooden surface.
"You do realize that we're absolutely fucked if we don't get that in today?" she said. "Why didn't you send a Patronus? I could've been searching all morning!" She unearthed the warrant from underneath an old wanted poster displaying the deadened stare of Rodolphus Lestrange and handed it to Harry, who breathed out a sigh of relief.
Unfortunately, Padma wasn't finished reprimanding him. "I mean, you could've had Hermione send me a memo or-"
As if on cue, a purple memo shot into the cubicle and hit Padma on the side of the head before falling to the ground with a small thunk. Padma looked down at the piece of parchment, and then back up to Harry with a scowl.
"Don't even think about it," she said. Harry tried not to smile.
"Thanks for this," he replied, holding up the warrant and beginning to turn as Padma bent down to grab the parchment. "I'm taking it right to Robards, don't worry."
"Whatever," Padma said from behind him. "Enjoy your holiday, bring me back something good… hang on."
"What?" Harry said, turning back to face Padma, who was standing now. She glanced up to him quickly before looking back down at the leaf of paper.
"'Forwarded from the Magical Congress of the United States of America - Department of Aurors,'" she read aloud from the memo. "What's the MACUSA doing, sending us memos?"
Harry's brow furrowed. "Kingsley and their President exchange intelligence," he answered. "But Kingsley usually deals with it himself. What does it say?"
"'Southern Louisiana: Three children, ranging from five to eleven years of age, have been reported missing by their families since the start of the summer vacation on June, 1st, 2005,'" Padma read, glancing up at Harry. He inclined his head to indicate that she should keep reading.
"'The MACUSA investigation has produced few leads,'" Padma continued. "'The Department of Aurors formally requests that their counterparts in the Ministry of Magic of Great Britain forward any and all missing person files, from the last five years, dealing with children under the age of thirteen.'"
Harry said nothing, processing this information. It was certainly an unusual request, but not necessarily suspicious.
"You'll handle it?" he asked Padma. "I don't even think we've had any missing children cases since the war ended, but it can't hurt to check."
"Yeah, I'll deal with it," Padma answered. "Leave that warrant, too. I'll file it."
"You're brilliant," Harry said, handing the parchment to his partner.
"Yeah, yeah," Padma said, setting the papers on her desk. "Really, go, before you miss your train and I'm forced to bring Ginny in on murder charges."
Harry grinned and dashed out of the cubicle, making his way through the Auror Office and to the lifts. Several people waved to him in greeting, and Harry nodded back, but he checked his battered watch at least three times as the grated door clanged shut behind him and sent him up towards the streets of London.
He'd borrowed one of the Ministry's cars for their trip from the house in Hampstead to Euston Station. As he slid into the driver's seat, Harry thought wistfully about the simpler days before the birth of his son.
All travel with James had to be done the Muggle way, for the magical means of transportation resulted in certain catastrophe whenever the toddler was involved.
Side-along Apparition was out of the question, for the few moments of total compression were so tormenting for the overly-independent James that each time his beleaguered parents attempted the method, it provoked an hours-long tantrum.
Similarly, James had an uncanny, almost magical, knack for slipping from his mother's arms at the worst possible moments, and on two separate Floo trips had dislodged himself from Ginny's grip and been hurled into the sitting rooms of total strangers. The ensuing stress had caused Ginny to swear off Flooing with the boy for good, and she refused to even attempt to use a Portkey, convinced that it would result in her child plummeting into the sea as they whirled above Britain.
So cars and trains it was, and Harry found himself eternally grateful for the existence of magic as he deftly navigated the midday London traffic between the Ministry and his home.
He was both relieved and slightly apprehensive to see that Ginny had already moved all their luggage to the front step. She raised her eyebrows as he pulled up alongside her, James clutched firmly to her hip and Teddy Lupin bouncing around happily around the pavement beside her.
"Forty-five minutes," she warned as Harry jumped from the car and began throwing suitcases and rucksacks into the boot. "We've got forty-five minutes to get this lot on the train, Harry."
"I know," Harry said, slamming the boot shut and holding the backseat door open for Teddy. "I've said I'm sorry, I honestly forgot-"
"Harry, guess what!" Teddy said, clambering onto the seat. "Gran said she might let me go to Muggle primary in the fall! She said she has to talk to you about it first, though. You'll tell her I should, right, Harry?"
"Er- I'm sure your gran and I will make the best decision once we've spoken, Ted," said Harry, who had a sudden vision of his Year Four teacher's wig turning bright blue before his eyes. He turned to Ginny and James, who was reaching out to him.
"Hi, Daddy," James chirped. Harry smiled. The boy had just begun stringing together short sentences amongst his constant gibberish, and his favourite exclamations were enthusiastic greetings to his parents. It nearly broke Harry each time he heard the tiny voice call out "Mummy" or "Daddy".
"Hello, James," Harry said, leaning forward and plucking the boy from his mother's arms. He kissed his son quickly before placing him in the backseat alongside Teddy, who helped the younger boy do his seatbelt. Harry turned back to his wife.
"Are you cross?" he asked her, attempting to arrange his face into as innocent as an expression as possible.
"Ask me when we're on the train," she replied, glancing uneasily into the back of the car. "Doesn't he need a carseat or something, Harry?"
"A carseat?" Harry repeated, running a hand through his hair. "There are at least eight Cushioning Charms on the thing. He'll be fine. What's got your knickers in a twist?"
"My knickers aren't in a twist," Ginny snapped, though Harry half-expected her to stamp her foot. She pushed her hair behind her ear, and once it was off of her face, Harry could see that her eyes were bloodshot.
"Hang on, have you been crying?" he asked her. "Really, Ginny, you're worrying me. What's going on?"
"Nothing," she said, walking around the back of the car to the passenger's side and opening the door. "Let's just get going!"
Harry let out a huff of air. He knew that forgetting to file the warrant had rendered the ample time they'd given themselves to get to the station void, but he was still confident they'd make their train, and couldn't help but feel that she was overreacting.
"You know, I'm starting to think this whole train thing is more trouble than it's worth," Harry began, as he pulled out of the drive. "We could use a Body-Bind on the sprog, and then we'd be able to Floo."
Ginny turned sharply, her eyes narrowed.
"I am not putting a curse on my baby," she spat. "We're just lucky that he ended up with decent people those times he fell out at the wrong grates. What if he'd landed in someone awful's sitting room?"
"Someone awful?" Harry pushed, the corners of his mouth turning upwards as he swerved between two lorries. "Like who?"
"I don't know," Ginny said, turning around to check on Teddy and James in the back. "Draco Malfoy or someone. What if they refused to give him back?"
"Shit, Ginny, you're right," Harry said in mock-terror. "I had heard that Draco Malfoy's become a notorious child-snatcher. He's probably plotting to nab James at this very moment."
Ginny didn't say anything, and when Harry chanced a glance in her direction, he saw that her lips had gone rather thin.
"You're going to feel really bloody terrible if he is," she said.
"Ginny," Harry said calmly, entering a roundabout. "No one is going to steal him. We planned this whole holiday so you could unwind a bit, and we're definitely going to make our train. We're nearly there, look."
Ginny said nothing as they passed around Regent's Park, choosing instead to stare out the window in icy silence.
Happily for Harry, they did make their train. Once they'd settled James with a biscuit, and Teddy was happily occupied with some colouring pages, Ginny leaned back in her seat and let out a deep sigh.
"Sorry for earlier," she said, giving her husband a bashful smirk from across the table. Harry winked and ruffled Teddy's hair.
They spent the beginning of the trip in relative silence, and soon James leaned onto his mother's lap and fell asleep. Harry watched as Ginny combed her fingers through their sons messy black hair. James' mouth turned upwards into a contented little smile.
"Hey, Harry?" Teddy asked. "Where are we going again?"
"Grasmere," Harry answered. "It's a village near a little lake."
"Hopes may rise on the Grasmere," Ginny muttered in a sing-song tone, her eyes closed.
"Can we swim when we arrive?" Teddy asked.
Harry threw a weary glance at Ginny, who seemed close to falling asleep herself.
"We'll see how we feel then, Ted."
Teddy didn't push the subject, and a few short moments later discarded his crayons and curled up against Harry, closing his own eyes and giving a small snore. He looked so small in sleep, Harry thought, brushing some turquoise hair off of the boy's forehead. He looked across the table to see Ginny's eyes were open, and she was gazing at Teddy fondly.
"Hi," she said. Harry laughed.
"Hello," he answered, stretching out and tapping her foot lightly with his own. "I'm sorry, too, by the way. For making this morning so unnecessarily stressful."
"You don't have to say it again," Ginny said. "I know you've got a lot on your plate at the Ministry." She looked momentarily uneasy.
"You don't think-," she shook her head abruptly before beginning again. "You don't think I'm becoming like my mum, do you?"
"Your mum?" Harry asked. "Not particularly, why?"
Ginny let out a little sigh. "I've just been so high-strung lately, that's all. I feel so overwhelmed, and then I look at Fleur, and Audrey, and Ange, and they all seem completely fine." She bit her lip and turned to look out the window.
"Yeah, well, Audrey's always been a bit of a freak," Harry answered. "But Fleur and Angelina have their moments. I mean, remember what Fleur did to your brother's hair?"
Ginny smiled at the memory. A few weeks after Bill and Fleur's second daughter, Dominique, had been born, Bill had made the mistake of fussing over his ponytail in front of Fleur as she attempted to feed both of their daughters breakfast at once.
She'd replied that she could solve his problem and, before he could respond, had promptly used a Severing charm to take several inches of his red mane clean off. Bill'd worn a hat for several months, and it was incredibly difficult for the other members of the family to hide their grins in his presence.
"James is a tough baby, Ginny," Harry said. "It'll be easier when he's older."
"Will it, though?" Ginny wondered quietly. "He's got so much magic already, and he's not even two for another three months. I can't imagine trying to stay on top of it. And if we're going to send him to Muggle school…."
Harry nodded. If James continued at the rate he was going, they would be seriously in over their heads trying to cover up underage magic when he was in school. Ginny had been adamant that she wanted her children to grow up in Muggle and Wizarding environments, and Harry wholeheartedly supported her, but there would be certain difficulties, to be sure.
"Hey," Harry said softly. "We'll figure it out. We always do."
Ginny smiled and nudged his foot back from under the table.
The train to Windermere was a long one, and the quartet had to catch a bus to their hotel after that. The two boys had managed relatively well throughout the journey, but by the time they reached the hotel, both had become rather antsy.
"I think we're going to have to take them right down to the water," Harry muttered to Ginny as he hoisted a rucksack over his shoulder. "They've got too much energy to sit and eat now."
Ginny grimaced but nodded, clutching James firmly on her hip.
They went to the tiny desk in the lobby of the hotel, and Harry dealt with the Muggle money as Ginny managed to keep the boys from wandering too far. Teddy had changed his hair to match his godfather's, and he and James were trying to get a view of the lake from the great glass window beside the rotating door. Ginny was pointing out to Teddy where they'd swim when an old woman approached her.
"Your boys are sweet," the woman said. "How old are they?"
"Thank you," Ginny answered. "Er, the little one will be two in September, and this one here just turned seven in A-aah!"
Harry turned sharply to see what had caused Ginny to falter. A display of Mars Bars had been set up behind the front desk, and one was now soaring slowly across the room towards James, who was gazing at the shelf excitedly. Harry angled his wand upwards in his pocket and silently sent the chocolate speeding back to the display. He shot his son an exasperated look, but the boy just laughed happily.
"April," Ginny finished, letting out a little sigh.
"Sometimes, I swear he can control it," Harry muttered to Ginny as he met her near the door.
They made their way up to the room in a hurry, and much to Teddy's delight, Harry quickly unearthed his and James' swimming costumes from one of the suitcases.
"Change quickly and we'll head down," he said, tossing the trunks to Teddy. "I'll pack some sand- oh."
"What?" Ginny asked self-consciously, looking down at her figure as she stepped from the bathroom. She was wearing a two-piece swimming costume, and the blue gingham make her already milky complexion look like true porcelain. Harry's gaze, however, was drawn to her chest.
"Your, er, I mean, you look amazing," answered Harry with a gulp.
Ginny rolled her eyes. "Pervert," she mumbled, but she smiled.
The walk from the inn to the lake was quiet, and there was a tiny footpath right down to the bank. Harry judged that they still had a few hours of sunlight to enjoy, and the spot was remarkably peaceful. Even a hush seemed to descend over the two boisterous children as they approached the edge of the pebbled beach.
Ginny spread a blanket down as the boys went splashing immediately into the water.
"It's coooold!" Teddy cried.
"Harry, watch him!" Ginny called from behind as Harry chased after James. The toddler let out a shriek of joy as his father scooped him up from behind and tossed him over his shoulder.
"Where do you think you're going?" Harry laughed, holding the boy high in the air before splashing him back down in the water. Teddy was already wading past his waist, so Harry propped James on his hip and followed after his godson.
Teddy began to swim, his hair flashing back to turquoise. Harry didn't mind; they seemed to be the only ones present, save for a tiny rowboat he could see in the distance. Harry, still able to stand, heard a splash from behind him and turned just in time to see Ginny's head reappear from below the surface of the water.
"Mummy!" James cried, reaching out to her. Ginny took a few steps towards them and then began to swim herself, reaching the pair quickly.
"Hello, you!" she exclaimed.
Harry cast silent Bubble-Head and Floating Charms on James before releasing him into the water. The toddler grabbed at his feet, rolling onto his back as he bobbed along in the motionless lake, Teddy swimming along beside him. Harry swam nearer to Teddy, raising his wand again to cast a second Floating Charm. One couldn't be too careful.
Ginny watched her son quietly for a few moments before taking a deep breath and taking several large strokes towards Harry.
Her arms reached to clutch at his shoulders and her legs wrapped around him. Harry allowed himself to sink into her embrace, the only place that he felt truly safe.
"Are you feeling better?" Harry asked her, running a hand down her back. "If we stay out here long enough, the boys will probably tire out and go to bed without a fight… and we can open a bottle of wine, and listen to music, and I can help you out of this bikini…."
He leaned down and pressed his lips to her neck, careful not to breathe in a mouthful of lake water. Ginny sighed throatily.
"That does sound nice," she breathed. "But I'm not really supposed to drink wine while I'm pregnant."
"Oh, right, sorry," Harry murmured, letting his head droop onto her shoulder until he suddenly processed what she'd said. "Wait, what?"
He raised his head to face her, and she was grinning cheekily.
"I found out this morning," she admitted.
Harry let out a wheezy breath. "Really?" he asked, but he could already feel the corners of his mouth begin to spread outwards.
Ginny laughed, and Harry took the opportunity to kiss her, their smiles pressing against one another as they paddled lazily in the water.
"I can't believe it," Harry said, breaking away. "I didn't think it would… I mean… it just hasn't been that long."
"I know," Ginny said with a giggle.
This news wasn't a complete surprise. Harry, though taken with James' newfound mobility and verbal skills, had found himself yearning for the days when his son was small, when he would lay on his father's chest and sleep for hours at a time. The appeal of babies was insatiable, and already Harry found himself eager to grow his tiny family.
He had assumed Ginny would shoot down the idea soundly when he brought it up one quiet night, but was surprised to find that his wife agreed. They had decided to start trying then, but between Harry's busy schedule and Ginny's near-constant exhaustion, that hadn't found too many good times to actually perform the task at hand.
Harry had actually considered suggesting that they wait until James had outgrown this naughty phase that he'd recently entered, but now the stable door was open and the horse was galloping down the lane.
Harry kissed Ginny again. They were giggling uncontrollably, high on their own excitement, but they were quickly pulled out of their revery by a great splash from behind. Ginny glanced over Harry's shoulder and groaned.
"James!" she called, swimming past her husband.
Harry dared not look.
The boys were asleep in the next room, there was a fire roaring before the bed, and Harry and Ginny were entwined together beneath the sheets, their chests rising and falling in synchronicity. Ginny had tucked her head into the space between Harry's chin and his collarbone, and he could feel her heart beating rapidly against his own rib cage. There were times where he couldn't tell where his body ended and hers began, and the knowledge of the new life between them now only served to emphasize that.
He used the tips of his fingers to trace patterns on her back, feeling the blissful euphoria sweep over him for what felt like the thousandth time that evening. They were going to have another baby. Though he would never admit it to Ginny, for fear of a lecture on misogyny and her own physical agency, the fact that it was his child growing inside her now instilled a certain pride in him that was impossible to suppress.
Ginny gave a little yawn and stretched an arm across Harry's chest.
"I love you," she said softly, pressing her cold feet against his shins.
"I love you, too," Harry said. "Thank you."
"Thank you?" Ginny laughed. "For what?"
"For being you," Harry said. "For putting up with all of the 'Harry Potter' nonsense, for loving Teddy the way you do, for James…"
"I am pretty amazing," Ginny said, looking down to gaze at her midsection. "I'm going to have to write my midwives. I figure the baby'll probably come sometime in February."
"It could be a little girl," Harry imagined, running his fingers through Ginny's hair and pressing a kiss to her cheek. "With red hair and freckles."
"I don't know, I'm getting quite used to being outnumbered," Ginny said, reaching up and grabbing Harry's wrist. "I'm so glad you're happy."
"Why wouldn't I be?" Harry asked.
"I mean, I was quite overwhelmed this morning," Ginny replied. "With you working so much, and James being… James. Poor Teddy's already seriously lacking attention, and now we're throwing another person into the mix…"
Harry took a deep breath. He'd been having the same thoughts, even before Ginny had told him about the baby.
"Look…. I've been thinking," Harry said.
"Uh-oh," Ginny grinned.
"Shut it," Harry smiled. "Seriously, though, Proudfoot's looking for a new Deputy Head, and I know Robards wants the gig. He's been pissed for years that Kingsley passed him over after the war."
"And?" Ginny pressed.
"And… if Robards gets it, maybe I could ask Kingsley to make me head of the office," Harry finished.
Ginny's eyebrows shot up. "You'd do that?" she asked. "Take a job behind a desk?"
"Don't act so surprised," Harry said. "I could be home more, and I wouldn't be all over the country on cases. It would be a break, honestly."
"Harry…." Ginny said. "That's easy for you to say now, but… do you think you'd be able to delegate those missions and cases to other Aurors while you stayed in London?"
"Yes," Harry said. "Yeah, I would. What, you don't want me home?"
"I would love for you to be home more, Harry, but I know how you are."
"You make me sound like some prat who doesn't want anything to do with raising his kids."
"That's not what I mean at all!" Ginny cried, pulling back to look at him. "I just worry that you won't be alright with taking a backseat. But if you are ready for a change, go for the Head job." She leaned back onto his chest.
Harry raised his wand and extinguished the fire. "I will," he said.
"Alright, then," Ginny said, kissing his jaw. "I love you, Harry. Really, I'm so happy."
Harry grinned in spite of himself. "So am I."