Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.
Hi, everyone! Apologies for the delay, life has been hectic. Who knew moving to the UK involved so much paperwork? I've been staying up later than I should have all week to have this finished so, on this Friday afternoon, please enjoy it =)
Hermione and Harry stayed with the girls a bit longer and Harry actually fell asleep with Lily curled up in his arms.
"Nox," Hermione whispered, getting up carefully. After making sure Rose didn't wake, she went downstairs.
"Are they alright?" Ginny asked when Hermione joined them the sitting room. An impressive fort was taking shape, undoubtedly helped along by magic.
"As well as can be expected," Hermione said with a sigh. "Rose's temperature went up."
Ron's voice echoed from the tent.
"She's actually ill now?"
"I'm afraid so. It was bound to happen," Hermione said. "She and Lily are sharing a bed."
"Where's Harry?" Ginny asked and Hermione couldn't hide her smile.
"He fell asleep while cuddling with Lily. I left him there."
Ginny's smile mirrored Hermione's as Hugo crawled out of the fort's entrance tunnel and beamed at his mother.
"What do you think?"
"It looks fantastic." Hermione answered. "Are you almost done?"
"Almost," Hugo said. "Me and Daddy,"
"Daddy and I," Hermione interrupted.
"Daddy and I," Hugo repeated. "Are going to bewitch the ceiling!"
"As what?"
"I don't know yet." Hugo said with a shrug.
"How about the stars?"
"Or the snow," Ginny suggested. "Just like outside."
"Or stars and snow!" Hugo exclaimed, turning around and crawling back into the tent to find Ron. Hermione chuckled.
"What shall we make for supper? It's getting late."
"I don't know," Ginny admitted. "I suppose we could roast sausages over the fire. That would be fun."
"And messy," Hermione said, wrinkling her nose. "But it's probably the best we can do besides cold sandwiches. Sausages it is."
"Do we have to take a bath tonight?" Albus had come into the kitchen where Hermione and Ginny were loading large trays with food, plates, and silverware. Ginny wondered if her son had found her for the sole purpose of asking this question and she shook her head.
"No, it's alright. It's a few minutes until supper's ready so why don't you run upstairs and get your and Hugo's pillows and blankets?"
Albus ran upstairs.
"What about me?" James asked from his chair. He'd opted to stay in the centre of the hall so he could see most of the main floor without moving. Ginny hesitated.
"You should probably sleep in your bed, James. It will be best for your leg."
"But Mum," James protested. "Why can't I sleep on the sofa and just keep it up?"
Again, Ginny hesitated but in the end was firm.
"You need to sleep in your bed, love."
James glared at her and reached for his crutches.
"Fine," he snapped, adding "I don't need help!" when Ginny tried to help him to his feet. She watched as he struggled across the hallway and up the stairs, sighing as his door slammed.
Harry jerked awake when the door across the hallway gave a loud bang and it was enough to wake Rose and Lily.
"What was that?" Rose mumbled, rubbing her eyes. Harry sat up, moving Lily from his lap.
"I'm not sure. I'll find out."
He stretched as he stood, his neck sore from the awkward angle, and went into the hall. He saw James' closed door and sighed.
"James?" he asked, knocking.
"Go away." James' angry voice replied.
"James, it's me. I just want to talk to you."
"Go away."
Harry heard the distinct weakness of this reply and opened the door.
"Lumos," he said, entering the room that was, ironically, decorated with a skiing theme. James was on his bed, lying on his side, and tears were streaming down his face.
"James," Harry said, kneeling by the bed so he was at eye level with his son. "What's wrong?"
"It's not," hiccup. "It's not fair!"
"What's not fair?"
"All of this." James complained loudly. "Everyone gets to have fun while I have this stupid broken ankle that the stupid Muggle doctor couldn't even fix."
Harry ignored James' use of the word stupid (it was also on the forbidden list in the Potter household) and handed James a tissue.
"I know it seems unfair," he said. "But you still got to have fun with us this afternoon. You did a brilliant job at refereeing our pillow fort battle."
"But I can't sleep in the fort tonight. Mum said I need to keep my leg up."
"Mum is right," Harry said. "But just remember that it could be worse."
"I don't see how." James retorted.
"Your sister and cousin are stuck in bed with flu," Harry answered. "They didn't even get to watch the pillow fight because their tummies are too upset."
James considered this but the frown returned to his face.
"But they'll get better in a few days and then I'll still be stuck in this thing!"
"Hopefully not," Harry said. "Once the storm is over, we'll go to London as soon as possible and have the healers at St. Mungo's fix your ankle. I promise."
James sighed.
"Are you hungry?" Harry asked, noting his own stomach growling. James shook his head.
"Not really."
"Then why don't you go to sleep," Harry said, standing. "It's been a long day and you're probably overtired from all the excitement. I'll bring you up some supper in a little while."
He tucked James under the covers, pleased when his son didn't protest, and left the room.
After a supper of sausages and crisps, it was time to get ready for bed.
"Are we actually going to sleep in here?" Albus asked enthusiastically. They had eaten supper picnic style, much to Hermione's chagrin, and the idea of also sleeping in their tent was enough to make Albus look jubilant.
"If you want to," Ron answered.
"Yeah!" Hugo exclaimed and he and Albus dashed upstairs and returned in their pyjamas.
"Teeth brushed?" Harry asked and Hugo groaned.
"You got away with no bath," Hermione said with a raised eyebrow. "Don't push your luck."
The boys went upstairs – much slower this time – and Ron laughed.
"You can't blame them for trying." He turned to Teddy. "Are you joining us for a slumber party?"
"Of course," Teddy said and he trailed after the boys.
"What about you?" Ron asked Hermione and Ginny. Hermione nodded but Ginny said she'd stay upstairs in case James or the girls needed her.
"James!" Harry exclaimed. "I said I'd bring him up some supper."
"How can you just forget to feed your son?" Hermione asked incredulously.
"In my defense," Harry said, going to the kitchen. "He wasn't hungry when I asked him so I said I'd bring him some later. Technically, it's still later."
"And technically you forgot to feed your child." Hermione couldn't help but tease. Harry fixed another sausage and some crisps on a plate and took it upstairs.
"James?"
James mumbled something and Harry frowned.
"James?"
He set the plate of food down.
"James, wake up."
He shook James' shoulder and his son's eyes opened lazily.
"What?" he asked grumpily. "I just fell asleep."
"Sorry," Harry apologized. "I brought you some supper."
"I'm not hungry."
"You have to have something, even if it's just the crisps."
James shook his head.
"I don't feel well. I want to go home."
"Does your ankle hurt?"
"Yes," James replied. "But I hurt everywhere."
"You're probably not used to the extra weight of the cast and being in bed all day," Harry said.
"I want to go home." James repeated.
Harry sat on the floor, leaning against the bedside table.
"I know this hasn't been the best holiday," he began and James snorted. Harry chose to ignore it and continued. "But you're being very brave about his. I know you're in pain and the skiing accident scared you but Mummy and I are proud of how well you've handled it."
James sighed.
"I don't want to be brave."
"The thing I've noticed about bravery," Harry said, almost contemplatively. "Is that it shows itself when you least expect it to."
"But it sounds dumb saying I was brave because I broke my ankle on a skiing holiday!"
Harry laughed and James looked hurt.
"Dad," he complained.
"Sorry," Harry apologized, still smiling. "But don't count yourself short. In our first year at Hogwarts, Uncle Neville won ten points because Hermione had to use a full body bind curse on him. They were the last ten points we needed to beat Slytherin for the House Cup."
"What?"
Harry retold the story, ending with,
"So don't forget that sometimes small acts of bravery are just as important as the big ones."
James sighed.
"I guess. I still feel dumb about my ankle, though."
"Don't," Harry said. "We all do dumb things sometimes and it was an accident. You didn't do it on purpose."
He reached behind him and put the plate on the edge of James' bed.
"Here, have a few crisps."
James nibbled at the snack but left the sausage untouched.
"Sorry for waking you," Harry said, standing after a few minutes. "Mummy's going to be upstairs tonight if you need her and I'll be downstairs."
James nodded and Harry kissed his forehead before taking the uneaten sausage downstairs again.
By the time everyone was ready for bed, it was almost ten o'clock though it didn't matter too much. They had no plans for the next day and the storm was still raging outside. A quiet morning would probably do them all good. Regardless, such a late hour meant tempers were rather short as they settled in for the night.
"You're on my blanket," Hugo complained to Albus, tugging at the corner of his blanket that was pinned under Al's foot.
"Your blanket's in my area." Albus retorted.
"Will you guys quiet down?" Teddy snapped. "I'm trying to sleep."
Harry was slightly surprised; Teddy was one of the most easy-going kids he knew but it had been a long day for everyone and Teddy was probably the most tired of all. He had, after all, entertained two little boys practically the entire time.
"It's not me," Albus mumbled. "He started it."
"Albus," Ginny said with a tired sigh. "Just go to sleep."
"I'm trying, I'm trying."
"Don't use that tone with your mother." Harry said, not bothering to open his eyes.
"Sorry." Albus muttered under his breath, not sounding sorry at all. He rolled over and ran into Ron.
"Sorry," he repeated, rolling over the other way. The tent, while spacious during its construction, was crowded now that there were six people in it. Like sardines in a can, they were lined up without much elbow room. Teddy was on the far side next to Harry. Next to Harry was Ron and between he and Hermione were Albus and Hugo. It took a while for everyone to calm down enough to fall asleep but eventually, the room was filled with only the crackling of the fire and slow, deep breathing.
"Ow!"
Harry woke suddenly to his son's voice and he forced his eyes open.
"Albus?" he mumbled. "Are you okay?"
"No," Albus snapped, standing. "Hugo kicked me."
Harry glanced at his watch, the same one Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had given him on his seventeenth birthday. It was a quarter of one.
"He kicks in his sleep," Ron muttered. "I'll trade spots with you."
"No," Al said, pulling his blankets off the floor. "This isn't fun. I'm going to my bed."
Harry sighed and sat up.
"Lumos."
He helped Albus carry his pillow and blankets upstairs and tucked him in.
"Good night, Al."
"Night, Dad." Albus seemed much happier in his own bed and Harry closed the door. He peeked in on Lily and Rose and then James. They were all still fast asleep, much to his relief. Rather than go back to their fort, Harry wearily climbed the stairs and fell into bed next to Ginny.
Teddy woke up shivering sometime in the night. He pulled his blankets tighter only to realize he was drenched in sweat despite being so cold. Groaning quietly, the teenage buried his head into his pillow. There was no way he was going to catch the girls' stomach bug if he could help it.
Teddy decided he must not have slept very well on the floor and after a few hours in his bed, he'd be good as new. He noticed that Albus and Harry were no longer downstairs but was focused on getting to his own bed as quickly and as quietly as possible. The soft mattress of his bed was a little better than the floor but it didn't have the comfort he'd hoped. Still determined not to be ill, Teddy closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
Ginny had been awake when Harry joined her, though she didn't say anything. It was slightly frustrating not being able to sleep, as she knew she was exhausted but Ginny lay there, lost in time and staring at the ceiling. Her own watch read three twenty when she heard a quiet but distinct, "Mummy?"
Ginny sat up.
"Lumos," she whispered, knowing the light wouldn't wake her husband. He could sleep through anything – having infants had been a nightmare for her though Harry had willingly tended the crying baby when Ginny kicked him hard enough to wake him. Ginny squinted in the dim light and saw Lily's tear-stained face.
"I threw up in our bed."
Lily's nightdress was covered in sick and Ginny pulled on her dressing gown. She knelt in front of Lily, cleaning her nightdress and doing the same diagnostic spell Hermione had used on Rose.
"Come on, sweetheart," she said, picking Lily up. In the bedroom, Rose was still sleeping and Ginny gingerly moved her Hugo's bed while she changed the soiled sheets.
"A clean nightdress would be a good idea, I think," she said as Lily sat on the edge of the bed, watching listlessly. Ginny found a clean nightdress and fetched a basin of water and a cloth. After a quick sponge bath, Ginny dressed Lily, brushed her hair back into a plait, and tucked her in.
"How's your tummy now?"
"It hurts."
"Are you going to be sick again?"
Lily shrugged, yawning.
"Go back to sleep," Ginny murmured. "You'll feel better in the morning."
Ginny left a basin with Lily and moved Rose back to her side of the bed.
"Come and find me if you need to," she said, taking her wand with her. She checked on James and Albus and went upstairs again, sliding between the sheets next to Harry.
The night was determined to be eventful and the next time the house woke up was to a bloodcurdling scream at a quarter to five.
"What the bloody hell?" Ron exclaimed as he woke with a start. He instantly recognized it as Rose and was running up the stairs a second later, Hermione right behind him and both with their wands pulled out. They met Harry and Ginny in the hallway and Ron dashed into the room.
"What's wrong?!"
Rose flung herself into her father's arms.
"That man is back in our closet!" she exclaimed. "I saw him, Daddy!"
"Oh, for Pete's sake," Hermione muttered. "Rose, you need to stop this. There is no one in that closet."
Harry went to the doors and swung them open, revealing the empty space.
"See? There's no one there."
"Mummy?" Ginny turned to see Lily sitting up and rubbing her eyes.
"Yes?"
"My tummy feels funny."
Ginny seized Lily and took her to the bathroom.
"Rose, I promise you no one is there." Ron said gently, sitting down. He discreetly placed his hand on the back of her neck and raised his eyebrow. Rose's temperature had risen and the little girl was burning up. Ron glanced at Hermione, who felt the flushed cheek.
"Compress," she said decisively and Harry wordlessly left the room and went to the bathroom, arriving in time to see Lily vomit.
"Oh, Lil," he murmured, getting a clean face cloth from the small linen closet and wetting it under the tap.
"What's that for?" Ginny asked, rocking their daughter.
"Rose," Harry answered. "Her fever's spiked."
He returned to the bedroom to find Ron lying on the bed with Rose nestled in his arms, talking to her softly. Harry handed Hermione the compress and left the room again, running into a sleepy looking Hugo in the hallway.
"What's going on?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. His blue blanket – "Blankie" – was trailing behind him and Harry smiled.
"Your sister had a nightmare," he said. "Shall I tuck you in?"
Hugo nodded and was asleep before Harry had even left the bedroom. He returned to the bathroom.
"Is she alright?" he asked Ginny quietly and Ginny nodded.
"She'll be fine," she answered. "It's just a tummy bug, it will go away on its own."
"I want it gone now." Lily moaned into her mother's shoulder.
"I know, baby."
Ginny and Harry met eyes for a minute, concern and worry passing between them. In the end, however, there was nothing more they could do and eventually Lily's stomach calmed down and Harry found himself lying next to Ron with Lily snuggled next to him. Hermione and Ginny had gone upstairs to try and get a little more sleep in what was left of the night. For a while, the room was quiet and both girls dozed off.
"If only Professor McGonagall could see us now." Harry said softly. "Who would have thought that we'd ever be here?"
Ron chuckled.
"It's a bit different from sharing a dorm at Hogwarts, isn't it?"
Harry smiled.
"It is different but there's nowhere I'd rather be."
Ron smiled, glancing down at Rose and he knew that Harry was admiring a sleeping Lily as well. He remembered the night Rose was born and he and Harry stared at her, proclaiming she was the most gorgeous little girl they'd ever laid eyes on. Even ill, Ron still thought his daughter was an angel in human form. Harry was right; vomit or not, there was nowhere he'd rather be.
The dawn was cold and grey but the wind had calmed down slightly. The Muggle radio informed Hermione that power would be restored later that afternoon or by Christmas Eve at the latest. She switched the radio off, sipping her hot tea and enjoying the few moments' silence. Everyone else was still abed, which suited her just fine. She'd peeked into the pillow fort when she first came down and found it completely empty. Hermione realized everyone had, at some point, decided a bed was more comfortable than the floor.
Hermione yawned for the third time in fifteen minutes. She was exhausted and there was a dull ache behind her eyes that told her she needed more sleep. Taking her tea with her, Hermione went back upstairs and crawled under the still-warm duvet.
Harry's senses were on overdrive, it seemed, and he jumped when a door closed sharply.
It took him a minute to realize he was lying next to Ron, who was snoring, and Lily's head was resting in the crook of his arm. Moving as carefully as possible, Harry got up and went into the hall. Teddy's door was open and a glance at the bathroom confirmed that was what Harry had heard. Albus and Hugo were still sleeping and Harry tucked the blankets around each of them before gently shutting their door again just as Teddy left the bathroom.
"Morn - " Harry stopped short and the smile fell from his face. "Teddy? Are you alright?"
"Hey, Harry," Teddy said weakly, though still smiling.
Harry heard the angry growl Teddy's stomach gave and Teddy wrapped his arms tightly around his abdomen.
"Did you just throw up?" Harry asked bluntly. Teddy leaned against the wall, taking a few deep breaths, and finally nodded.
"Yes."
Harry sighed and followed Teddy into his room. He pulled the green blanket up around his godson, who curled up tightly still clutching his stomach.
"You weren't going to tell me, were you?"
"Tell you what?" Teddy asked as Harry brushed his forehead briefly.
"That you're ill."
"Oh, that." Teddy said as though being ill was a minor detail. "No, I wasn't."
Harry laughed at Teddy's nonchalant outlook. This was one of the things he loved most about Teddy. He had a fantastic sense of humour and virtually nothing fazed him.
"Secret's out, I'm afraid. Can I get you anything?"
Teddy shook his head.
"No, I'm fine. Go take care of Lily."
"Let us know if you need anything. We're here to help you and I promise I won't let Hermione coddle you."
A grin appeared on Teddy's face and he nodded.
"Deal."
"Alright," Harry said, smiling. He left the room but the smile disappeared once he was in the hallway. Things were not going as he'd planned. Lily and Rose were supposed to be better and they weren't. No one else was supposed to become ill and they had. The power was supposed to be back on so they could take James to St. Mungo's and it wasn't. He wanted to take the kids skiing and have snowball fights before cuddling in front of the fire with hot chocolate, not in front of the toilet with a compress. Harry wanted to be optimistic but it was proving difficult. What he had told James last night came floating back to him: bravery happened when it was least expected. It was a mental slap on the cheek and Harry squared his shoulders and went upstairs, crawling into bed with Ginny.
A lot has happened in this chapter and most of it is build-up for future events. Thanks, as always, for your ongoing support and encouragement. It is highly appreciated so please review =)