Chapter 3: The Last Enemy To Be Defeated

When Harry and Teddy arrived from London for Halloween dinner, having spent the day out and about with Andromeda, he could already see something was different at the Burrow.

George and Percy were involved in a dispute of some kind – not at all unusual these days. Molly was laughing excitedly and close to tears. And Harry soon saw why.

Bill and Fleur were back, being constantly strangle-hugged by Molly.

"You're back!" Harry said in surprise.

"Yeah, we decided it was time to come back," Bill admitted with a grin. "Extenuating circumstances and all..." He paused for a second, before Fleur burst out happily,

"We are pregnant!"

Molly fairly squealed and hugged Bill and Fleur again. "I don't believe it! You're home! I get another grandchild!"

Bill laughed. "Glad to see you're so happy, Mum."

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Molly breathed. "Percy, George, enough already!"

There was a hurt expression in Percy's eyes as the two brothers joined the group, George still shooting daggers at him with his eyes. Harry looked at him questioningly, but George shook his head and headed into the kitchen behind the rest of his family.

"How long will I be paying for my mistakes?" Percy murmured.

"I dunno, Percy, you did hurt them pretty bad," Harry replied quietly, tightening his grip on Teddy as the baby tried to wriggle out of his arms. "What's going on?"

"I'm not quite sure. My fiancée wants to go visit her family in Canada for a few months. I just mentioned as an aside, and –"

Harry frowned at him. "When did you get engaged?"

"Probably six or seven months ago. It's been put on hold for a bit."

"That's probably what did it," Harry said. "Been engaged that long, never told anybody, they don't even know who she is, do they?"

"You're probably right," Percy murmured. "So I guess that means I should probably bring her around soon?"

"That would be a good thing, I'm thinking," Harry nodded.

"Boys, come sit down and have dinner!" Molly exclaimed, beckoning to them from the door.

"So do you know what you're having yet?" George asked Bill and Fleur with a grin. "This is exciting, I get to be the irritating uncle who spoils them rotten and sends them home all sugared up."

Bill laughed, Fleur's hand tightly enveloped in his own. "We're having a girl. Somewhere in May."

"Oh, another girl, this is wonderful!" Molly laughed.

"Eet eez a leetle sooner than we thought," Fleur admitted with a radiant smile.

"Yeah, not the best timing in the world," Bill agreed.

Molly waved him off. "If we'd waited for better timing, none of you would be around. There's no such thing as best timing for a baby."

Harry laughed. "I'll second that," he said, supporting Teddy securely on his unsteady feet as the little boy looked around the table and then giggled pointlessly.

"And we'll all get to practice on Teddy!" George said with a mischievous grin. "We'll spoil him senseless and then once the new baby comes, we can spoil her even more senseless."

"What, he's not already spoiled senseless?" Harry asked dryly.

St. Mungo's released Andromeda shortly before Christmas, though she was cautioned not to stay on her own. That was how she came to be occupying the spare room in the Lupin-Potter cottage on one cold, blustry winter's evening, laughing as she played with Teddy on the floor.

"My goodness, child, but you've got a set of muscles on you," she laughed, catching Teddy before he wriggled his way out of her thin, pale arms. "Come back here and snuggle with Grandmum. She doesn't see you nearly often enough for her liking."

"He doesn't like to snuggle lately," Harry said from nearby, where he was folding laundry (the Muggle way of course – it was still second nature to him to do all of the more household-y things that way). "I think Molly and Fleur and Audrey have snuggled him to death."

Teddy giggled happily and reached for another toy to offer his grandmother, a stray blue lock of hair falling into his face.

She smiled and mussed his hair, a slight glimmer of unshed tears in her eyes as she said, "You are most definitely Nymphadora's child."

There was a tapping at the window, and Harry got up to let Pig in. Clutched in his teeny-tiny talons was a roll of parchment addressed to him, in Ginny's handwriting.

We're heading back for Christmas tomorrow morning. I was hoping you and Teddy might come meet us at Platform 9 ¾, it would be such a lovely welcome-home. You are still coming to Christmas dinner, right? I've missed you a lot this term, it just doesn't seem right that you're not here with the rest of us...

Just as Harry had finished reading the letter, the front door opened and Ginny came in without announcement, as she was prone to doing ever since she'd turned 17. "Letter just arrived now," he said reproachfully, though he wrapped her into an indulgent hug and tender kiss when she threw herself at him.

"Aw, dear little Pig. He really isn't the most efficient owl, but he was so eager for the job," Ginny laughed, kissing him again. "Happy Christmas, Andromeda," she greeted as she noticed the older woman watching them in amusement. "Happy Christmas, Teddy!" she added, crouching down to kiss him. She scooped him up when he laughed and reached for her.

Harry woke up Christmas morning to the sound of tears. Rolling over, he saw Ginny burying her face into her pillow, shaking with sobs. Closing his eyes briefly, Harry pulled her into his arms and cradled her securely against him. "Shhh, I'm here, I'm here, I'm not going anywhere..."

It would hurt on the first everything: it would hurt the first Christmas, the first New Year's, the first birthday, the first anniversary. He still remembered the pain at the first Christmas without Sirius, the twinge that still tore at his heart even now, three years later.

Once Ginny had cried herself to sleep again, he heard Teddy beginning to wake up in the next room. Sighing, he gently laid Ginny back down and got up, getting to the nursery only to find Andromeda rocking him. She had dark, sunken eyes and she didn't look well.

"I think I'm going to be heading back to St. Mungo's today," she murmured softly, "while I can still get there on my own strength." She passed Teddy's sleepy weight to Harry, saying to him, "You're doing a good job, Harry. I know it's hard, but you're doing good."

Harry smiled gratefully at her. "Thanks, Andromeda. I'll bring him by tomorrow to visit."

"That'd be lovely," Andromeda replied, giving him a light kiss on the cheek and then making her way out to Disapparate.

Teddy whined and batted at Harry's arm.

The Burrow seemed to be a mixture of grief and happiness. There were no presents, no real Christmas dinner as they'd known it in past years, but it was a gathering of family, a celebration of life.

Teddy, meanwhile, was thoroughly enjoying his first Christmas, crawling around the sitting room at an astounding speed, pulling himself up into a standing position in various locations just to hear the coos and praise that were directed at him for it. He chattered away in baby-speak to anyone who would listen, and made a point of cuddling up to each and every person in his vicinity at least once. Finally, when the sun was beginning to set, he dropped of exhaustion into Harry's lap.

"I think there ought to be some sort of law that says everybody has to have a baby for at least one day of the year," Ginny sighed, nestling into Harry's side. "They're such great mood-boosters."

April 3, 1999:

"Oh, there's the birthday boy!" Molly exclaimed, kneeling down to kiss her 'grandson', who was stumbling along with Andromeda holding onto his hands tightly. "Hello, Andromeda," she greeted, standing back up.

"Hello, Molly," she returned, smiling as Teddy shrieked excitedly and jumped up and down. "Teddy, darling, you're going to fall," she said, tightening her hold on her grandson when he tried to lean forward. "Have you lost your balance?" she laughed as he threw all of his weight forward.

"No, Andromeda, it's a game," Harry said with a smile as he joined them. "You let him lean forward until he's almost touched his nose to the ground and then you pull him back."

Molly and Andromeda both looked at each other. "Clearly a boys' game," they said in unison.

Teddy laughed and pulled himself along the coffee table's edge, looking back to make sure his grandmother and godfather were watching him.

"Yes, Teddy, you are still the centre of attention," Andromeda called with a laugh and a smile.

"Do it without the table, and I'll really be impressed," Harry added with a grin.

"You just have such high standards for the kid, Harry," George said, rolling his eyes. Harry shrugged and laughed when Teddy sat himself down on the ground. "See? You've gone and destroyed his self-confidence."

Bill burst out laughing as Teddy turned himself around on his hands and knees and then got back on his feet. "Well, that's one way to turn around, Teddy."

Teddy paused at the end of the coffee table, looking at Harry expectantly.

"What? I'm not helping you the rest of the way. Do it yourself, you little pampered prince," Harry replied, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed behind his head.

Teddy looked at him a moment longer, then turned to Andromeda with the same expectant look.

"I'm too far, Teddy dear, I can't help you," Andromeda said.

He looked at Molly.

"You're a big boy, Teddy, you don't need my help," Molly laughed.

Finally, Teddy let go of the table and wobbled precariously for a moment.

"Are you actually going to do it this time?" Harry asked, sitting forward again. "'Cause last time, you – " He stopped when Teddy fell to the ground face-first. "Last time, you face-planted right into the floor."

The adults were all still roaring with laughter when Teddy managed to hoist himself off the ground slightly, screaming in upset.

"That was slightly embarrassing, wasn't it?" Harry said with a shake of his head, scooping up his godson from the floor and cuddling him into his arms. "Come on, nothing's broken. It's only a bang," he said comfortingly.

"I dunno, Harry, his pride might be damaged beyond repair," George laughed.

"Note to self, never let daughter learn to walk on hardwood flooring," Bill muttered.

May 2, 1999:

"All right, Teddy, you might be able to escape me if you knew how to walk," Harry laughed, catching his godson as he tried to crawl away from him. "Come on, then, dress clothes on."

Teddy giggled and shrieked and fought against Harry's grip as he wrangled him into his trousers and jacket. "No!"

"Yeah, you would learn that word first," Harry muttered under his breath. "You're such a Lupin."

It hardly seemed as though a year had passed – in fact, it hardly seemed as though it had ever happened. Anybody looking at the Hogwarts grounds would have never guessed that a bloody, fatal battle had taken place on that very same field one year ago today. The grass was green, the trees were in full blossom, the castle was still as magnificent as ever... Only the white marble tomb marred the serene landscape, and the centaurs standing at attention at the edges of the Forest gave the indication as to the horrors that had befallen so many.

Ginny, Ron and Hermione had met the rest of the Weasleys and Harry at the entrance to the castle.

"Kingsley's to perform the memorial service today," Bill said quietly, his arm tight around Fleur's swollen waist. "We'd best go find seats."

Teddy shrieked again, fighting to get down from Harry's arms. Harry sighed in resignation. "I'll be around. He's not going to sit quietly at all today." Setting Teddy down on the ground, he let him grab hold of his hands.

"I'll come with you," Ginny said.

"You can go to the service if you want," Harry said quietly, as Teddy kept pulling at his hands. "Where are you going, any way?"

"I think he's heading for the Quidditch pitch," Ginny laughed. "Oh, maybe not," she amended when Teddy made a turn towards...

"Figures. Go for the shiny things," Harry muttered, looking at the Gryffindor Quidditch trophies display. Hoisting Teddy up to get a better glimpse of them, he pointed to one near the front. "See that one, Teddy? Harry and Uncle George won that one."

"And they strutted about like peacocks for a week," Ginny laughed, joining them. "And see that one, Teddy?" She pointed to one not that far behind.

Quidditch House Cup 1976, 1977, 1978: GRYFFINDOR.

Captain: James Potter

Keeper: Matthew Redwing

Chasers: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin

Beaters: Gideon Prewett, Fabian Prewett

Seeker: Quinn Ashton

"Daddy won those. More than Harry ever won."

Teddy giggled and banged at the display glass momentarily, then kicked his way down to the ground again, seizing Harry's trouser leg before he lost his balance.

Teddy was happily pushing one of the school's Quaffles around on the grassy pitch, giggling insanely as he would stop to swat at a few butterflies in the air.

"Oh, so the scouts came to the last game," Ginny said suddenly, catching the Quaffle and Teddy as he lurched forward into her lap. "Careful, there, Teddy, you're going to knock a tooth out."

"Quidditch scouts?" Harry asked carefully, taking the Quaffle from her and rolling it a little ways away for Teddy to chase.

Ginny nodded. "The Harpies are looking for a Chaser, and offered me the position, if I want it."

"The Harp – the Holyhead Harpies?" Harry asked in astonishment. "Ginny, I hope you told them yes, that's the chance of a lifetime!"

Ginny smiled slightly. "Do you really think so?" she asked quietly. "It would be sort of fun, I think..."

"Tell me you told them yes!"

"I did, I was sort of hoping you'd say that," Ginny said with a slight laugh. "I didn't want to have to owl them back and withdraw my acceptance."

Harry looked at her. "You would've..."

"If you didn't think it was such a great idea, yeah," Ginny said. "I would've." She sighed and laid her head in his lap. Looking up at him, she said softly, "I love you, Harry. I'd do anything for you."

Harry smiled slightly and replied, "I love you too, Ginny."

Sitting up, Ginny pulled him into a long, lingering kiss. "Marry me?" she asked softly. "Soon?"

"Take the bull by the horns, why don't you?" Harry laughed, pulling away for a moment.

"I know you, it'd take you years to get up the gumption," Ginny replied. "I don't want to wait years. So?" she asked expectantly.

"Yeah, all right, you got a point. But you can't complain when we don't have any money at all because you wanted to marry before we'd actually gotten any," Harry laughed, kissing her again.

"Promise," Ginny said with a delighted smile, then squealed excitedly. "Look, Harry, Teddy!"

Harry looked over, only to see his godson cautiously picking his way over the pitch on his wobbly feet. "Hey, there you go, kid!" He laughed as Teddy tripped over a hidden mound of dirt and went careening forward into his arms. "See? Told you you could do it by yourself."

Teddy grinned at him gleefully and got back to his feet, stumbling back over to the Quaffle to push it back to them.

Ron, Hermione, George, Percy and Audrey all arrived on the pitch just then, panting. "Fleur's in labour," Ron gasped out. "Gone to St. Mungo's. Come on."

"Oh, Bill, she's perfectly darling!" Ginny exclaimed as her eldest brother emerged from the hospital room with a tiny little pink bundle held carefully in his arms. Passing Teddy to Harry quickly, she immediately joined the rest of the family around him. "What'd you name her? What'd you name her?"

"Victoire Elise," Bill replied quietly, his eyes slightly watery. "Fleur insisted we name her Victoire in honour of the date."

"'Victory'," Arthur said in approval. "An appropriate name."

Harry hung back slightly, as Teddy looked at him in shock: why had he suddenly been abandoned for this thing?

"Me?" Teddy questioned pleadingly, patting Harry's cheek. "Me?"

"Aw, don't get all worked up over it, Teddy," Harry replied quietly, kissing his cheek. "She's new."

As he watched the newest family member get welcomed in, he could hear the voice in his mind as though it had only been yesterday:

The last enemy that shall be defeated is death.

And he smiled. "Take that, death," he murmured, coming over to join Ginny with a not-so-subtle arm around her waist.