Enjoy!
The next day, after Harry was well under the effects of the Polyjuice for another week, Professor Flitwick visited, much to their surprise.
"Professor Flitwick," Blaise said as the man entered the house, drawing Harry's attention to the front door and causing him to enter the kitchen. "What are you doing here?"
"Just stopping in for a visit," came a familiar voice. "I expect that you and your family is getting lonely with no one else to talk to."
"Weird family," Harry muttered, causing Blaise to glare at him. Professor Flitwick turned and eyed Rose's body in curiosity.
"Mr. Potter, is that really you?" he asked.
"The one and only," Harry remarked. "We confirmed my identity yesterday." Blaise snorted in amusement.
"I must say, you don't look like yourself," Professor Flitwick said. A grin forced its way onto Harry's lips.
"It's good to see you, Professor," he said.
Their old professor's visit did wonders for Harry and Blaise. They hadn't realized just how much they missed socializing with others, even for a few hours.
"Have you seen Ron or Hermione recently?" Harry asked, wondering how his friends reacted to his disappearance. Professor Flitwick nodded.
"They stopped in at Hogwarts the other day, to see if anyone had heard from you and to share the good news," he said.
Harry raised an eyebrow. "The good news?" he questioned.
"Ms. Granger—or Mrs. Weasley now, I suppose—informed us that she was expecting a child," came the answer. Harry blinked. And blinked. And blinked for a third time.
"What?" he asked, surprise coloring his voice. Blaise's question echoed his.
"Yes, isn't it wondrous news? In a few years, another Weasley will be attending Hogwarts, most likely carrying on their fine tradition of entering Gryffindor house."
"Dear Merlin," Blaise muttered, ignoring Harry's glare.
When Professor Flitwick left an hour later, Harry's curly head hit the kitchen table.
"Hermione's going to kill me," he muttered. "She said she had something to tell me but then I went and got myself into this situation before she could. Now I'm going to miss the birth of her first child."
"It's not that big of a deal," Blaise stated. "So you'll miss the birth and a handful of the early months. Infants don't do much for the first few months. You'll be around for all of the exciting things afterwards. Besides, it's not like you're the father, unless there's something you want to tell me."
Harry glared at his house partner.
"That's not amusing," he snapped. "And I would never do anything like that with Hermione. She's like my sister."
"So what's your type?" Blaise asked. "You obviously know mine." He gestured at Rose's body.
"What, bored socialites?" Harry asked with a snort. "I don't really have a type. Since Hogwarts, Ginny and I have been having an on-and-off thing."
"That's still a thing?" Blaise asked. "I thought she was too consumed by her Quidditch career for relationships."
"That's why it's nothing permanent," Harry replied. "We get together when she's in town with some time off and when she's out of town, I don't care what she does."
"And you've never considered trying things out with someone else?" Blaise asked. Harry shrugged.
"I haven't really been attracted to anyone," he said. "I like to get to know people first before I decide things like that. After all, how can I expect to share my life with someone if I don't know we can be friends first? A large part of marriage is enjoying your life with someone and that's a role friends have."
Blaise rolled his eyes. "Ridiculous," he muttered. "Absolutely ridiculous."
Harry grinned before he remembered Hermione and her condition. His grin turned into a panicked look.
"Hermione's going to kill me," he said. "Ron's probably freaking out by now and doesn't have me to calm him down. There's no telling what's going to happen if he doesn't have anyone to talk to."
"Weasley has five older brothers to talk to," Blaise remarked. "I'm sure he'll find someone."
"Four," Harry corrected. "He has only four now." Blaise looked stricken at his mistake. He attempted to apologize but Harry waved it off. He had had a few years to get used to the deaths of those who had died in the war. It still stung at times, but he was getting used to thinking about them without feeling guilty.
Before they knew it, a month had passed and it was time for Harry to take the series of potions that would return him to his male form for a few hours.
Blaise had been brewing the potions since late last night, making sure they were ready to be taken immediately after Leanne's blood feeding. Harry would spend the night and tomorrow morning in his actual body and right after lunch, he would take another batch of Polyjuice Potion to turn into Rose.
At least Harry only had to take the Polyjuice once a week, instead of every hour. He didn't think he would ever become accustomed to the taste, though essence of Rose tasted much better than the essence of Crabbe or Goyle.
Not by much, though.
Harry made sure Leanne was sleeping when he left her nursery after the blood feeding. He wish he knew her better but she didn't have much of a personality yet, seeing as all she did was sleep and eat and relieve herself. It had been a month and he had yet to see her awake for more than thirty minutes at a time.
In other circumstances, it would worry Harry but Blaise had assured him that it was completely normal.
"Ready?" Blaise asked as Harry entered the kitchen. The former Gryffindor smiled.
"Like you wouldn't believe," he replied.
With some alterations, Blaise had managed to make it so that it wouldn't take a full day for Harry to revert back into his normal body. Instead, it would take only three hours, which ended up being a potion an hour.
"How disgusting do these taste?" Harry asked as Blaise set the first flask in front of him. The other wizard shrugged.
"I couldn't tell you as I've never had to take them. I just make them for people in unfortunate situations."
"Lovely," Harry muttered before gulping down the contents of the flask. It took all of his self-control and willpower to not immediately spit it out. Once Harry managed to swallow the disgusting and slimy liquid, he gagged and shuddered. "Bloody hell, that's nasty."
"Did you expect it to taste like butterbeer when there's ground flobberworm intestines and harpy frog urine in it?" Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow. Harry shuddered again and desperately tried not to throw up.
"Do me a favor?" he asked. Blaise crossed his arms but nodded. "Never tell me what's in a potion ever again. I'd really like to believe that I didn't just drink something that had urine in it."
As Harry spoke, his skin began to feel like it was bubbling. As he glanced at himself in the mirror, he began to notice minute changes.
"One every hour, you said?" he asked. Blaise nodded.
"That's the most it could be sped up without having nasty side effects. Though, I'm sure with your face any of those nasty side effects would be an improvement," he drawled.
"Careful there," Harry cautioned. "You're beginning to sound a bit like Malfoy."
Blaise shrugged off his comment. "We lived together for six years. Something was bound to rub off."
"Or someone," Harry chuckled. Blaise glared at him, offended by his crassness.
"And I see Weasley's personality rubbed off on you," he snapped.
"Yes, but there's a difference there," Harry said easily. "Ron is one of my best friends. However, it seemed like you and Malfoy were barely friends during school."
Blaise made a sound of agreement, drawing Harry's curiosity.
"So what kept you away from Malfoy's gang?" he asked. "Was he just as awful in his younger years in the Slytherin common room as he was to the rest of the school?"
The dark-skinned wizard shook his head. "No, nothing like that. I stayed away for two reasons, the first being that I didn't want to associate myself with those deplorable looking creatures he called friends."
"Crabbe and Goyle?" Harry asked knowingly.
"And Parkinson," Blaise confirmed. "Even Malfoy's good looks couldn't make up for the three of them combined. It might just be the Kyth blood in me but I've been resistant to having friends that are considered less than attractive. Kyths like to surround themselves with beauty, after all. The creature forms may not be considered beautiful but most of our human forms tend to be on the attractive side."
Harry snorted at that. "And the second reason?"
Blaise shrugged. "Probably because he knew inwardly that if something ever happened to his mother, his father would most likely end up marrying mine. She would be attracted to the Malfoy fortune and he would want to try and get his hands on a few of the businesses she inherited. After a few years, one of the two would probably be dead."
"So you would have been step-siblings," Harry realized. "Though I really can't see Lucius Malfoy marrying someone with creature blood."
Blaise stiffened at his comment. "The Malfoys don't know about my family," he said. "It's a very closely guarded secret, for good reason."
Despite Hermione constantly telling Harry that he could be a bit dim at times, the wizard could tell when he had crossed the line. "My apologies for any offense," he murmured.
At his apology, Blaise relaxed and waved his words off. The pair sat in the kitchen for the next two hours, talking as they normally did in the afternoons. On the hour mark, Harry would take another potion until before carrying on the conversation. Unlike the times when the effects of the Polyjuice faded from his body naturally, Harry could feel himself changing back into his original body.
"How are you handling it?" Harry asked once the reversal process was complete.
"Handling what?" Blaise asked, as he got up to make dinner. He and Harry had been alternating days to cook once they had learned that both of them were decent in the kitchen.
"Seeing the body of your wife every day while knowing that she's dead," Harry replied in a quiet tone. "It can't be easy."
It took a few minutes for Blaise to respond.
"It still hasn't quite hit me yet, I believe," he finally said. "After all, how can I accept her death and move on when you're constantly there, pretending to be her? I know I should try but sometimes it's easier to believe that she never died and this situation never happened. Instead, I find myself thinking that she just changed and we're finally the family we were meant to be."
"I know I'm the last one to talk, but that doesn't sound healthy," Harry pointed out. Blaise glared at him.
"I know it's not," he answered. "Doesn't stop me from thinking that way at times."
It was clear that Blaise would have said more but Leanne chose that moment to wake up and let out a cry.
"I've got it," Harry said before the other wizard could move. "She just wants a diaper change, right?"
Blaise nodded before turning back to his cooking.
Reviews are always greatly appreciated so let me know what you think!