Preparations and Arrivals
A/N: Well, I go back to school tomorrow so I'm trying to get as many updates in as possible. I hope you enjoy meeting the twins for the first time and Harry's exploits in shopping with Hermione. Also let me clarify something about the Goblins. When Harry entered the bank, every goblin there was able to tell the enchantments placed on him. Griphook called in the back-up to make sure he was correct before attempting such a dangerous thing.
Harry and Hermione Potter-Black left Gringotts, their heads down and hands intertwined. Their first stop was, of course, Madam Malkins for new robes. While knowing that most of their free time would be spent, not in robes, but in muggle clothing, both knew that new robes were a necessity. The robes that both teenagers already had would never do. They needed robes that actually fit them.
Upon entering the shop, the two had a quiet word with the Madam about their purchases being kept under the radar. She nodded her consent and began to measure Hermione while Harry dictated what they needed.
"We will need five sets of Hogwarts school robes. Both of us are in Gryffindor but I ask that you also add the Potter and Black crests above the house crest. This is one way to ensure that the purebloods and professors at our school know Hermione's new status. The ring on her finger will ensure the rest know. We also need professional dress robes on the off chance that we are needed in the Wizengamout. One set of these will do I think. I require a set of dress robes. Hermione says that emerald green suites my eyes so that color is the one I choose. Three sets of day robes are also in order, with darker colors for myself and lighter for my wife. All should have the Potter and Black Crests. Please," Harry added as Hermione's rebuke ran through his mind. Madam Griselda Malkins nodded as she wrote down the order and the measurements.
"Where shall these be delivered, Lord Potter-Black? Oh, and the total is 200 galleons and 15 sickles," she asked, intent on getting this order correct. This would be a major influx of income for the store. Hermione and Harry shared a look.
"Dobby will be the better option. Winky will be needed to continue setting the house up," Hermione said. Harry nodded and took his wife's hand.
"Our house elf Dobby will be by to gather them once they are finished. He will bring you the correct amount of money for the purchases," he told her, smiling slightly and then awkwardly rubbing his neck at her blush. He felt Hermione prickle beside him and sent waves of his love through the bond. The two exited the shop and walked down the street of Diagon Alley.
"Where to my love?" Harry asked Hermione, smiling as she pressed herself closer to him.
"We need to visit that wand shop that Gnok told us about and we need baby things and normal clothing. I suggest visiting the wand shop first and then going to get the other things from London," Hermione said, ever the one to keep everything organized. Harry nodded his agreement before straightening up. The two took a left turn and then two rights, ending up in an alley adjacent to a strange looking building. There was no sign out front and the lights were off inside. The two shared a look and walked inside.
The inside was a site better than the outside. A wizened old woman sat in front of the counter and smiled at them. She beckoned them closer and the two obliged her. They felt no danger from this woman and indeed could feel power charging them up from the inside out.
"Lord and Lady Potter, welcome to my shop. We must hurry. You are in need of new wands and I shall be the one to make them for you. Reach into this box and feel with your magic for that which feels right to you," the old woman said, lifting the lid off a metal box and inviting the two to reach in. Harry and Hermione reached into their core and let their magic run down their hands. They rummaged through the box for several moments. Both felt an inexplicable draw to a certain type of wood. They drew the 'blanks' out of the box and handed them over. Harry's wand was made of black walnut with ancient runes carved around it. Hermione's was of a dark cherry wood with similar runes etched on it.
The married couple was instructed to reach into a box of wand cores. Again, the magic ran down their arms and into their hands. This took more time than with the wands and both teens were beginning to feel the faintest slithering of doubt in their minds when an electric charge seemed to shock them. They brought their hands out of the box and smiled. The old woman opened the cubes that contained their cores. Harry pulled out basilisk venom soaked griffin feather and Hermione had a chimaera feather soaked in blood willingly given from a unicorn. Both wands of strength and purity, good for those who are to be leaders. The two shared a secret smile.
Twenty minutes later, the two exited the shop, having paid 100 galleons each for the custom wands and enchanted holsters. Hermione drug Harry out of the Magical Alley upon seeing a mob of red hair. She just knew that she would haul off and hit several of them if allowed within any decent amount of room. Instead, she focused on her new children (she could not get over the fact that she was going to be a mother!) and the two entered downtown London.
Entering the nearest shop catering to infants, the two were greeted by an assistant with a name tag proclaiming her name to be Sally.
"Welcome to Baby Blues! What can I help you with?" she asked in a truly excited voice. Hermione and Harry shared a look, automatically allowing Harry to deal with the bubbly auburn-haired attendant as Hermione was in no state to deal with her.
"My aunt and uncle have recently passed and left us with their two newborn children. They are fraternal twins, one boy and one girl. Right now, we have nothing for them and we have approximately an hour and a half until we are to pick them up from the hospital. Money is no object. Can you help us get the basics?" he asked, using his innocent, wide green eyes on the older woman, making her insides melt as she took in the kind couple before her. She finally nodded and spun on her heel, beckoning them to follow her as she gave each a trolley before going through the store.
"Ok, you're going to need at least 5 or 6 outfits for each of them including socks, pajamas, onesies, and bottoms. We have a variety of colors that you can choose from. After that, we are going to need bottles, formulas, pacifiers, bibs, blankets, at least one crib, a bath, shampoo, wash rags, nappies, wipes, and powder," she said. Sally led them to the clothing section. Harry and Hermione shared a look and mentally decided to split up on the clothing; Harry for his son and Hermione for her daughter.
Ten minutes later, each child had a 10-pack with a variety of onesies, 5 pairs of socks, 4 pairs of pajamas and 6 complete outfits. Their favorite for their son consisted of a light blue onesie with a roaring lion on the front and soft black bottoms. For their daughter, a light green onesie with flowers and dark green bottoms. They silently agreed that this is what they would be dressed in when it came time to take them home. They moved on through the store grabbing colorful binkies, silken blankets, standard bottles, cut bibs, the best quality diapers, wipes, powder, and lotion along with formula and a black bathtub to wash the babies in. As they came upon the bigger things, both shared an excited smile and left Sally with the cart as they wandered around.
Thirty minutes later, the married Potters left the shop with their purchases in hand. In addition to the little things, they had two infant swings, two body carriers, two carseat carriers, a double stroller, a playpen, and two cribs. Both were infinitely glad that most of the boxes were flat as they left the shop. A quick stop in an alley and a call for Winky later saw that their purchases were taken to the cottage to be assembled and thouroughly cleaned before being used. Realizing they had half an hour left before meeting with Griphook again, they quickly entered a muggle clothing store.
Twenty-five minutes later, two tired Potters exited the store in brand new clothing. Harry was now wearing black jeans and a forest green button down shirt. Hermione was in dark blue jeans with a red shirt on. One more stop in the alley for Winky saw the two quickly making their way back to Gringotts. It was almost time to go to the hospital and nerves were quickly building as the two entered the bank. A teller immediately escorted Harry and Hermione to Griphook's office. He was waiting there with two bottles, sans caps, and an older looking gentleman. Harry and Hermione were surprised to discover that this was Strongtooth, the liaison from the goblins that would be handling the adoption. He was to escort them to the hospital.
"Now Harry and Hermione, when we go you will need to bring a carrier for each child as well clothing to put them in. The hospital does not provide these things and it is essential that you appear to be normal to them. They will teach you how to change a diaper and how to feed them from a bottle. Once you have been given the proper paperwork regarding the adoption, Strongtooth will escort you back here where we will initiate a blood adoption," Griphook explained. The two teens shared a look.
"What is a blood adoption and what does it entail?" Harry asked curiously. It sounded like something the ministry would classify as dark.
"Basically, it will change the children down to their very DNA. They will become your children in blood, magic, and in the eyes of the law. All that needs to be done is three drops of each of your blood in these bottles. The potion will then be fed to them and the paper work will automatically be filled out and filed at the ministry. The adoption then becomes a matter of public knowledge," Ragnok told them, handing each a dagger. Each carefully pricked their finger and allowed blood to drop into each bottle. The potion changed from a murky brown to a swirling emerald green and ruby red. Harry and Hermione smiled nervously at each other and took hold of the portkey.
They reappeared in the alley next to London General Hospital. A quick call to Winky ensured that they had both carseats and an outfit. The excited elf popped off to the cottage to prepare for the return of the new family. Entering the building, they were guided to the maternity ward where a receptionist greeted them enthusiastically.
"Harry and Hermione Potter here for the Peterson twins adoption. Mr. Strong is our representative," Hermione told her. Several minutes later they were led to a waiting room. Harry's knee was bouncing nervously and Hermione was twirling a strand of her curly hair around a finger. Several moments passed before a nurse walked out.
"Mr. and Mrs. Potter? The children are ready for you now. If you'll follow me we will get through the necessary paperwork while you get a crash course on parenting two newborns," she said with an honest smile, guiding the trio back to a room. The walls were painted a cheery yellow color and the carpet was soft. Lying in a crib in the center of the room were two squirming babies. Harry and his wife were entranced by the bundles and reached down to pick them up.
The girl had light brown hair and dark brown eyes. Harry smiled and ran a hand down her cheek before looking at the little boy in Hermione's arms. He too had dark brown eyes but his hair was blond and sparser than his sisters. Tears came into his eyes as he made a ferocious promise to protect these two new lives from everyone that wanted to hurt them. The nurse smiled and began instructing them on how to feed and change the babies. They were then dressed and secured in their new carriers as the final paperwork was filled out.
"The only thing left to do is name them," the nurse said. Harry and Hermione mentally conferred before smiling at the nurse.
Twenty minutes later, they were back at Gringotts feeding the children the potion that would make it legally impossible to separate the small family. The little boy finished first with his sister finishing a few seconds later. Harry and Hermione held them as the change overtook their bodies. Their hair darkened several shades while their eyes lightened. Each child had more distinctive facial features and angular brows. The couple looked them over and smiled. Both children now equally resembled their new parents with Hermione's curly dark brown hair and Harry's beautiful emerald eyes.
"Shouldn't he have my eyes since eye color is passed from mother to son?" Hermione asked curiously as she cuddled him close to her chest. The goblins chuckled.
"Magic is a powerful thing. It has a will of its own," came the reply from all three. Harry and Hermione chuckled as they lovingly buckled their children into the carriers. The paperwork on both flashed gold and disappeared. Harry called for Winky to take them home.
Upon arriving and becoming aware of their surroundings, the teenagers gasped. Winky had transported them into the nursery attached to the master bedroom. A mural of a lovely forest with enchanted animals running through it decorated the walls and the carpet was soft and a lovely dark green color. Both cribs were set up against opposite walls, one in green and one in purple. A wardrobe had appeared and was stocked with everything that had been bought that day and a transfigured rocking chair sat in between each crib. The boy's crib had a soft plush dog while the girl's had a wolf. Harry smiled at this tribute to his Marauder heritage and thanked Winky. Dobby popped in and bounced excitedly.
"What be the names for the new Master and Mistress?" he asked, leaning over to peak into the carriers. Hermione chuckled and Harry soon joined in.
"After a long time of deliberation we believe that we have found the perfect names for both. The girl is the older and the Potter family heir. Her name is Jessica Lillian, honoring Hermione's grandmother and my mother. May they both rest in peace," he said smiling lovingly at his daughter.
"And our son's name is Lucas Matthew Potter, after two of Harry's uncles that were killed in the war," Hermione told the elves. Both nodded solemnly and snapped their fingers. The names of the infants appeared in neat script on the ends of their cribs.
The new family settled in to bond and reflect while in Scotland, an emergency meeting of the Order of the Phoenix was called once the puppets in the Ministry had discovered the news.
A/N: I thought on the names for a long time. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks to my lovely beta Keitaya
