After he left the headmistress' office all Harry wanted to do was sleep, and maybe eat. He had only made it a few steps when he heard Professor McGonagall's voice. "Yes you are right Kingsley we must tell the families of those who died, but let me tell Andy Tonks. She has lost so much. It's just her and that wee baby now."
Teddy how could he have forgotten about Teddy Lupin. Harry ran toward the voices. "Professor, Minister please I have to tell Mrs. Tonks. You see I'm little Teddy's god-father and I know she and he will need a lot of help. I just have to tell her and help." Uncharacteristically Harry burst in to tears. It was just too much. Too many had died. A few minutes later found Harry again in the headmistress' office. Minerva was handing him a hankie and a block of chocolate. Kingsley was speaking.
"Harry I admire your wanting to be the one to tell Mrs. Tonks, but you are worn out. You need to eat and sleep and let Poppy take a look at you."
"Minister I'll not sleep if I don't do this. Remus and Tonks made me his god-father for a reason. I have to be there and see for myself that Mrs. Tonks and Teddy will be all right." It was clear that Harry would not be dissuaded. Minerva agreed to go with him to see Andy.
It was now near to noon and Teddy was sleeping in his arms in the common room of Gryffindor. Ginny entered the room rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
"Harry have you slept?"
Harry ducked his head like a little boy who had been caught nicking candy. "No, I went with Professor McGonagall to tell Mrs. Tonks…." His voice broke and for the second time that day he burst in to tears.
Ginny operating on pure instinct. She sat down on the sofa and wrapped her arms around Harry and Teddy. Harry buried his head in her mane of red hair and sobbed himself dry.
After he had stopped, Ginny dried his face and cast a cooling charm. "May I hold Teddy?" Harry nodded yes.
Soon Ginny sat at the end of the sofa with teddy sleeping in her arms. Harry was laying beside her just watching his godson sleep.
"Ginny we need to talk. I was a prat breaking up with you like that. I'd understand if you never want to talk to me again but you need to know why. I broke up with you because I love you so much. I was afraid that Voldemort would get in to my mind and figure that out. If he had used you I would have sacrificed everyone and everything else to save you. Being away from you was the hardest thing I had to do. I used to take out the map just to look at your dot."
"Well at least you didn't say it was because I was too young!" Ginny smiled through tears. " I was mad at first. Then I figured out why you had done it. There were times this past year I could feel you as close as this. I worked against the evil here and worried about you. I searched for every bit of news or rumor about you I could get. Harry I realized you are the love of my life."
"Ginny I love you so! Will you be my girlfriend?"
Their kiss was only interrupted by Teddy flailing his arms and searching for a nipple. Handing the wee babe to Harry Ginny searched the diaper bag Mrs. Tonks had grabbed by instinct but found no milk in the bottle. Harry called out "Kreacher" The old elf appeared instantly, bloodied and covered in what looked like small burns and cuts. All thoughts of asking Kreacher's help to fill Teddy's bottle flew from Harry's mind. "Kreacher you are hurt!" The elf lowered his head as if Harry had slapped him, "I is sorry master, I not fit to appear before the great Harry Potter." The elf then rushed toward the fireplace and picked up the poker. Thrusting Teddy back in to Ginny's arms Harry grabbed the poker from the elf, threw it across the battered room and pinned him, with his arms to his sides in what can only be described as a bear hug. Looking deeply in to the elf's eyes Harry said "Kreacher I am going to give you an order that you must never ever disobey, do you understand?" The old elf stopped struggling to free himself and looked trembling in to his master's eyes. "You will never harm yourself again, no matter what, no matter if you think you have made me unhappy or feel you have failed in any way! Do I make myself clear?" Tears poured from Kreacher's eyes as he slowly nodded. Harry loosened his hold but did not put the elf down, instead it became a hug filled with the love he felt for this brave, mistreated being. "Kreacher you are a hero and I care deeply for you and your welfare. I want the best for you and all of your kind. You and the other elves at Hogwarts helped defeat Voldemort and I am and will be eternally grateful. Now are the elves that were injured being looked after?" The old elf nodded. "By healers or just other elves?"
"Elves master."
"Do they need help from healers and do not want to ask?"
Kreacher's head lowered and he nodded ever so faintly.
A grim look came over Harry's face, "I have two orders for you, first I want you arraigned for all the elves injured to be transported to the great hall where there are healers at work on the wounded, then I want you to allow Fleur Weasley to look after your injuries." with Kreacher's "Yes master Harry." he gently sat the old elf back on his feet and the elf popped out of sight.
The two teens still had the problem of what to do about the empty bottle and hungry baby, then Ginny had a thought, why not it could not hurt to try..."Accio baby care book" Anyone near the partly destroyed Library at Hogwarts would have seen a small well worn volume leave its shelf and fly through the battle scared corridors toward the Gryffindor tower.
After a neat bit of handy spell work on Ginny's part they had a happy baby nursing a warmed bottle in Harry's arms. Hermione and Ron came through the portrait hole in time to see Harry burping Teddy over his shoulder as Ginny read from the little book "After he burps we offer him the rest of the bottle, and burp him again."
A pungent smell permeated the air. Ron held out his arms "Hear mate let me change him before you feed him the last bit. Mum had me changing Ginny's nappies and I think I remember how." Quickly and deftly, using no magic, Ron had Teddy clean and dry and hand him back to his godfather who smiled tiredly as Ted hungrily attacked the nipple. Ron sat back satisfied and glanced at his love, Hermione had a look of pure surprise on her face with a slight grin he asked "What?"
Shaking her head as if to clear it she said "You are bloody amazing!"
Shrugging his shoulders Ron said "Always that note of surprise" Hermione swatted him playfully on the arm and then rewarded him with a sweet kiss. After savoring the moment for a bit he turned to his best mate and his sister "Mum will be up in a bit to check on you, she is with Mrs. Tonks, we will tell her where you are.
Harry smiled his thanks then turned to his sister, in all but blood, 'Kreacher was just here and in rough shape I ordered him to gather all the hurt elves in the great hall and to have Fleur to see to his wounds, could you please make sure they are taken care of?
A smile lit Hermione's face and she closed the small distance between Harry and herself, engulfing both Harry and Teddy in a huge hug. "Right away! Come on Ron I can do that and you can check in with your mum, then I think we need to get the family to bed, it's been a long tiring night and day."
Molly entered the common room, flowed closely by Neville about a half hour later. "There he is!" She cooed at Teddy "Your grandmum is asking for you!"
Harry transferred The now sleeping Teddy to Molly's arms and then silently started crying, 'Mrs. Wesley I am so s-sorry ab-bout Fred, if only I had figured it all out sooner so many people would not have had to die!"
Molly practically shoved Teddy in to Ginny's arms and engulfed Harry and pulled him close to her heart. Pulling back she held his head in her hands, looking deeply in to his deep green eyes she aid "Listen to me my young man! F-Fred knew the danger, as did we all. No way would he, or any of us, let you fight that bastard alone! Yes our hearts are shattered but it is a disservice to Fred and the others to blame ourselves. No second guessing, what has happened is and what they and you, my brave boy, and all those who fought have done is make a world where that wee babe can grow in to a happy healthy man. That's why Fred fought, that's why we all fought!"