To say that Harry Potter was exhausted was certainly an understatement. It had been a long sixteen hours but he knew he couldn't show it as he opened the front door of his modest two story home and stepped inside. His wife would understand. His godson would understand. His son, however, wouldn't. Evan John was only fifteen months old and empathic. It was common for Evan to change moods at the flip of a switch because of what someone else was feeling. It had been difficult but Harry believed that he was finally making some progress in training his son how to communicate when it was happening.
Then again, it was often embarrassing when they were out in public and Evan started giggling loudly for no apparent reason at all. Keeping Evan's ability a secret was certainly a full time job. Harry's wife, Anna, had to resort to working around Harry's hectic schedule ever since it became too difficult for Jocelyn Black to look after him. It was completely understandable. Her latest pregnancy had been a difficult one and she had been restricted to bed rest for the past two months.
Thinking of his godfather's wife, Harry couldn't help laughing. She could laugh and joke with the best of them but she was also a force to be reckoned with when the time was right. Deep down, he was glad. Jocelyn was exactly what Sirius Black needed. She kept him in line and kept him from dwelling on the past. It had been years since they had left the life centered around Voldemort behind but there were always reminders of what that life had taken away from both Sirius and Harry.
Closing the door, Harry listened closely for any sign of where his wife, son and godson could be and heard a faint humming from the kitchen. He was impressed. Normally Anna was chasing R.J. around while Evan watched on, laughing. R.J. was certainly Sirius' son. His main goal whenever he came over was to cause as much mischief as possible. Harry had a feeling that Sirius was already training R.J. on the ways of the Marauders.
As quietly as possible, Harry walked into the kitchen as smiled at the sight of Anna putting the finishing touches on a gift basket. He had to admit that she looked as radiant as she did on the day they met. He often wondered how he had ever managed to be so lucky to have her in his life. She had been the first friend in the States he had opened up to about his abilities and had stuck by him through thick and thin, never asking or demanding for anything other than what Harry was willing to tell. It was because of her that Harry had actually learned how to live his life the way he had always wanted without fear of his abilities.
A grin spread on his face as he tiptoed closer and wrapped his arms around Anna's midsection, causing her let out a shocked cry. She immediately turned around and slapped Harry on the chest before kissing him soundly on the lips. Harry pulled her closer and held her tightly. He knew he would have to make it up to her for having to deal with R.J. and Evan alone for the past few days.
Breaking the kiss, Harry rested his forehead against hers and smiled. "Are the boys already in bed?" he asked.
Anna laughed. "You wish," she said. "They're playing upstairs. I have a few monitoring charms on them. I'll have you know that your son has been acting weird all day."
Harry winced. The only times Evan was called 'his' son was when his empathy was out of control.
"He's been giggling all day whenever I'm around him," Anna continued. "I asked him what's wrong but he only says 'Mama funny'."
Harry quickly stepped back, eyes wide. He didn't like the sound of that. "Have you been feeling alright lately?" he asked quickly. "There may be something wrong—"
"—Harry, I feel fine," Anna interrupted patiently. "You would be the first to know if something was wrong." She looked at him for a moment before continuing. "So, tell me. Are Sirius and Jocelyn new parents?"
Harry smiled. "Well, I think you may have to rethink your gift basket," he said vaguely. "Remember how they wanted this one to be a surprise?" Anna nodded. "Well, they were certainly surprised. We are the proud godparents of Leonis Harold Black…and Lillian Joy Black."
Anna's blue eyes widened in shock. "Twins? How's that possible?"
Harry shrugged. "I don't know how they could have missed detecting a second baby but they did. Sirius is ecstatic though. I think he knew that this would be Jocelyn's last pregnancy and he had always wanted more than two children. There's also the fact that he finally has a daughter that he can be overprotective with."
Anna laughed. "Oh, I can only imagine. When will Jocelyn be up for visitors?"
"I took tomorrow off so we can go whenever we're ready," Harry answered with a grin. "That way you can talk to Jocelyn while Sirius and I take the boys to see the twins in the nursery." He ran his hands down her arms in a soothing manner. "So, should I see what's up with our boy?"
They walked up the stairs together, Harry wrapping an arm around Anna. Deep down, he knew that if something was wrong, Evan wouldn't giggle. Hopefully Evan would be able to clarify what he was able to pick up on. It was times like this that made Harry wonder if his parents had ever gone through this. Had they noticed that he had been different?
Before they even entered Evan's play room, giggles filled the air. Harry and Anna shared a look before stepping into the room. R.J. was sitting in front of a television watching a cartoon of a bunch of puppet monsters that were singing the alphabet while Evan sat beside him. The funny thing was that Evan's back was facing the television. He had been staring at the doorway, waiting for them.
"DADDY!" Evan yelled scrambling to his feet and running unsteadily towards Harry.
R.J. turned from the television and beamed. "Harry!" he shouted before jumping to his feet and joining Evan in the rush to get in Harry's arms first.
Harry dropped to one knee and scooped his son up in his left arm while allowing R.J. to wrap his arms around Harry's neck making it easier to hold R.J. in his right arm. The more days passed, the more Evan looked like his father except for his intense blue eyes that he had inherited from his mother and the more R.J. looked exactly like Sirius.
"Were you good for mummy, Evan?" Harry asked as he stared into Evan's eyes.
Evan nodded fiercely with a wide smile showing the few teeth that had come in. "Mama 'unny, Daddy!" Evan exclaimed excitedly.
Harry turned to face Anna. "Evan, can you point where Mummy's 'funny'?" he asked seriously. Without hesitation, Evan shifted in Harry's arms in order to point at Anna's stomach. Inhaling deeply, Harry lowered the shields he had magically cast to block his empathy and instantly picked up on what Evan was sensing. Something was different about Anna's stomach. There was a presence similar to what Harry had felt nearly two years ago.
"What is it?" Anna asked nervously. "Harry, what's wrong with me?"
Harry smiled. "Nothing's wrong, Anna," he said reassuringly. "Evan just felt that he's going to have a brother or sister."
Anna's eyes widened as her hands instinctively rested against her stomach. "A baby?" she asked as waves of nervousness and fear surrounded her. "But Evan's only a year old and—and the twins—"
Harry's smile faltered. "Anna—"
"—don't start, Harry," Anna interrupted quickly before leaning forward and kissing Harry on the lips causing Evan to giggle and R.J. to let out a loud 'yuck'. "I'm happy but it's just so unexpected." Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "There's only one, right?"
Harry laughed. "From what I can tell, yes, there's only one," he assured.
"Harry?" R.J. asked hopefully. "Where Daddy?"
Harry knelt down and set both boys on the floor. "R.J., do you remember where your Mummy and Daddy are?" he asked patiently.
R.J. scrunched his face up in thought before replying, "Daddy and mommy need baby out," he said with a nod. "Is baby out?"
"Yes, R.J.," Harry answered patiently. "There are no more babies in your mum's tummy. Your daddy wants you to behave tonight so you can visit him, your mum and the babies tomorrow, all right?"
R.J. let out a cheer and rushed out of the room leaving Evan giggling before following at a more cautious pace. Harry couldn't help smiling as he rose to his feet and wrapped an arm around Anna's waist. Both boys were changing so much that it seemed like every day was a new experience. R.J. had finally passed out of the 'terrible two's' even though he still had his moments, it was nothing like it had been when R.J. would throw himself on the floor, kicking and screaming. There had been quite a few instances during that time that Sirius had begged Harry for help, not understanding what he had done or how to make R.J. stop.
Sure, Harry had cheated by using his empathy more than once but sometimes it was the only way to calm R.J. down as quickly as possible and lessen the stress on Jocelyn's high risk pregnancy. The more Harry thought about it the more he should have realized the signs of twins but he ignored everything because Sirius insisted they wanted it to be a surprise.
Following Evan into Evan's room, Harry could only laugh at the sight of R.J. fiercely trying to undress and failing. Anna took pity on the nearly-three-year-old and hurried over to help leaving Harry to take care of Evan. Personally, Harry thought he got the better end of the deal. R.J. was in the middle of toilet training which was a lot easier with the aid of magic but still a challenge. R.J. still had to learn everything on his own. The spells just helped prevent some nasty accidents.
In a matter of no time, Harry had Evan changed and dressed in his favorite pajamas. As always, Evan seemed to understand it was time for bed and calmed down the moment Harry put him in his crib. Then again, it could be because Evan knew he would be told a story since it had become a pattern ever since Evan had been a few months old.
"All right, R.J.," Anna said as she ushered him into the room from a quick trip to the bathroom, now dressed in a pair of dinosaur pajamas. "Time for bed. If you're really good, maybe Harry will tell you a story—"
"Story! Story!" R.J. chanted as he rushed to his toddler bed and dived under the covers only to quickly reposition himself so his head was resting on the pillow. "Tell Daddy story!"
Harry grinned as he sat down in the rocking chair while Anna went over to check on Evan before dimming the lights and leaving the room. "Daddy's story…hmmm," Harry said playfully. "All right. Once upon a time there was a boy who wanted to make everyone laugh. He didn't like his mummy and daddy because they didn't want him to be funny. They wanted him to be like them. So, when the boy went off to school, he decided that he would be as funny as he could be."
Both R.J. and Evan giggled.
"On the train to the school, the boy met a boy just like him who wanted to make people laugh so they made a promise," Harry continued. "No matter what happened, they would always find a way to make people laugh. They didn't understand that sometimes being funny isn't funny to everyone or that sometimes it can hurt other people. They didn't care what their other friends said because they believed that if people laughed, they were just having fun."
"Daddy fun," R.J. whispered.
Harry shot him a patient look before continuing. "Well, as the boy grew up, the world around him grew more and more dangerous. Bad men were hurting people so he believed that being funny was all the more important. He believed that laughter can make everyone feel better, even if it's just for a moment. Suddenly, things weren't so funny anymore. His best friend was gone so he went after the man who hurt his best friend. He didn't realize until it was too late that the bad man tricked him—forcing him to go to a place where it was very hard to be funny."
"Daddy sad?" R.J. asked quietly.
Harry's gaze turned sympathetic. "Yes, R.J., he was sad for a long time until he realized that the bad man was close to a boy he loved as his own son. That was what he needed to escape from the sad place and hurry to the boy's side only to see that the boy was being hurt. He rescued the boy and did everything in his power to protect him until the bad man was captured. When everyone realized that he was innocent, he was able to take the boy in and raise him as his own—and be funny again."
When R.J. didn't comment, Harry noticed that R.J.'s eyes were drooping. "Unfortunately, Sirius quickly realized that he couldn't be funny all the time like before. There were times he needed to be serious because he was now the adult of the family. It was when Sirius saw how everything affected his godson that he realized how words and actions really affected people. He learned how dangerous the world really was because bad men wanted his godson dead so Sirius did everything in his power to protect the person he had come to love as his own son."
There was a faint creek, signaling that Anna had just crossed the noisy floorboard by their bedroom. Harry hesitated for only a moment. Anna had obviously been listening in. "Sirius learned a lot when he became a father," Harry said softly. "He learned how to become an actual adult, a teacher and he even learned how to let go when his godson finally met a wonderful woman who would put up with him."
A snort from the hallway made Harry smile. Rising to his feet, Harry glance at Evan and R.J. only to find them both asleep. He quietly left the room, carefully closing the door halfway and followed the gentle waves of excitement and nervousness to the master bedroom. He could understand both emotions. They had talked about another child but had thought about waiting for another year, at least until Evan could talk clearly so he could express himself and what he was picking up. Then there was also a chance that the next child could also be empathic.
The chances were against the occurrence but they had to be prepared for anything.
Entering the room, Harry made his way to the bed and sat down beside Anna. The atmosphere was so reminiscent of when they found out about Evan. Wrapping an arm around Anna, Harry pulled her close and waited for her to rest her head on his shoulder.
"I'm happy Harry," Anna insisted. "I really am. It's just—three kids in less than a year. What are we going to do?"
Harry couldn't stop the grin the spread on his face. Of course that would be what Anna was worried about. "We'll make it work. If I need to take more time off, then that's what we'll do. I've never hidden where my priorities are. Everyone knows that I'm a husband and father first, Healer second. I do think we should wait to tell Sirius and Jocelyn, though. Their focus should be on Leo and Lily, not what may need to happen in seven months."
Anna let out a long breath. "You know that'll never happen," she countered tiredly. "They need you too much, especially in the maternity ward."
"They survived before I came here so they can survive if I take a few days off," Harry insisted. "Trust me, Anna. Everything will be fine. We'll work things out so Evan can attend the day care at the hospital a few days a week." Anna moved to protest. "We both knew it was going to happen eventually. This is just moving it up a little faster than what we had originally planned."
Anna sighed and relaxed against Harry. "I'm being silly, aren't I?" she asked.
Harry smiled as he shifted so he could tilt her head up and meet his gaze. "No, Anna," he said gently. "You're looking out for our family. When it comes to us, overprotective comes with the territory. Both of us want to protect Evan from any difficulties he may face with his gift but we have to remember that he's also a little boy who will need to get out there and be around people more than once every two weeks. Let's focus on his communication skills and go from there. We'll let him set the pace."
Anna nodded with a relieved smile. Harry's smile grew before he lowered his head and gently kissed her. His eyes slowly closed as he buried his fingers in her long dark brown hair. Soothing waves washed over him like an intoxicating drug, pulling him along for the ride. He felt Anna urge him to lie back on the bed and complied only to break the kiss and open his eyes to meet her gaze.
"So, are you up for celebrating?" Anna asked coyly as she ran her hands down Harry's shirt.
Harry couldn't help himself and let out a snort. "Perhaps we should wait until we're alone in the house," he said seriously. "I really don't want to try to explain what's happening in here to a one-year-old."
Anna let out an aggravated sigh and collapsed on Harry, burying her face in his neck. "Empaths," she muttered with a hint of playfulness in her voice. "All right, I can wait. Let's just hope that baby number two isn't as demanding as baby number one was. I'm really not looking forward to visiting the porcelain god every time I smell food."
"Or the late night cravings?" Harry countered with a sigh. "Some of those combinations—"
"—oh don't remind me," Anna interrupted before raising her head and looking into Harry's eyes. "Harry, can you promise me something?"
Harry was caught a little off guard but immediately answered anyways. "Of course."
Anna smiled. "Promise me that you'll teach Evan how to do that thing you did when I was pregnant with him?" When Harry stared at her in confusion, she added, "When you connected with Evan through your empathy. You really bonded with Evan and even helped when he decided to use my body as his workout station. I think it would help if Evan could connect with the baby. At least he'd be prepared for what's coming."
Harry thought about it for a moment. It was something to consider once the baby was a little more developed. It wasn't until Anna was nearly four-and-a-half months pregnant with Evan that Harry actually managed to sense an actual awareness to what he was projecting. Then again, that could have been the first sign that Evan was empathic.
"We can try when the time's right," Harry said at last. "For now, let's just enjoy Leo and Lily. Sirius and Jocelyn are going to need help, especially with R.J. I don't think he's going to understand why his parents suddenly don't have all the time in the world for him."
Anna buried her face in Harry's neck once again. "Don't underestimate him, Harry. R.J.'s too much like his father. If anything, R.J. may try to start a prank war."
Harry couldn't help laughing. It would be Sirius' luck that everything he had taught his son would be turned against him. "That would be a sight," he said. "Of course we'd never hear about it."
"Unless Jocelyn wants to get back at Sirius for doing something stupid," Anna offered before sitting up and sliding off the bed. "We should get ready for bed and call it a night. I suspect R.J. will be up as soon as the sun rises."
Harry watched her disappear into the adjoining bathroom. Truthfully, Harry was surprised he hadn't sensed the presence of a baby even with his shields up. Perhaps that was the first sign that he was losing focus or maybe it was the first sign that the baby was normal.
No. I can't think like that. Evan's just as normal as everyone else.
Sitting up, Harry let out a tired sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair. A part of him knew that he was over-thinking everything. He hadn't sensed either of Jocelyn's pregnancies until she had actually revealed that she was with child and even then he had missed the second baby. Of course it didn't help that Sirius had Harry refrain from using any of his abilities to check on the children but that was beside the point.
Or was it?
"Harry," Anna warned from the bathroom, "stop over-thinking and get ready for bed. We're supposed to be focusing on Leo and Lily, right?"
Harry rolled his eyes and stood up. "Are you sure you're not the empath?" he asked as he walked over to the dresser and removed his watch before entering the bathroom where Anna had already changed into her nightgown. From the look that Anna gave him, Harry knew not to push it.
"I don't have to be empathic to know that you fear the worst when it comes to Evan," Anna said picking up the hair brush and running it through her hair. "Harry, we're learning more and more every day. It won't be like it was when you developed your abilities. Let's take it one day at a time. Perhaps we should worry about toilet training Evan first."
Harry winced. That was one task he wasn't looking forward to if R.J.'s training was anything to go by. However, he knew what Anna was trying to do. The future would come eventually—the baby would come eventually. It was time to focus on the now; cherish Evan's childhood while it's still here. After all, empaths had a history of growing up too fast.
