Chapter 7: Catching Up

"…Hey Abby…"

"H-Harry?" she whispered, with an expression of clear shock. "Why…why are you here?"

"I...I needed to tell you something. Something that I realized today…although I think I knew all along…but…." he stammered, seeming to not be able to find the right words. Finally, he got to the point of just opening and closing his mouth, like a fish out of water.

Tired of waiting, Abby heaved a sigh and crossed the floor to sit on the couch. She noticed that Hermione and Ron seemed to have conveniently disappeared since she had gotten home, and she made a memo to confront Hermione when this was over.

"Abby…" she turned around to face him. Raising an eyebrow, she waited for him to continue.

"Abby…I, I think, I think that I still…"

"Come on Harry! Spit it out, I don't have all night!" Abby snipped, surprising herself. She didn't know why she was being so cruel to him…

"Abby…I think that I'm still in love with you…" Harry whispered, looking a little relieved that he had told he, but still nervous.

"Harry…I…I don't know-"

"Mummy?" shocked and a little relieved, Abigail turned to face her daughter that were watching her and Harry.

"What is it sweetie?" she cooed, relieved for the distraction from the conversation going on just moments before.

"Me and Mione are tired…"

"OK honey, I'll be in to tuck you in bed in a second" she watched as her daughter nodded, turned around and whet back to her bedroom. Then she turned back to Harry.

"Harry, I can't do this right now…" then she got up off the couch and headed towards her daughters room when she heard him say,

"Well Abigail, that's too bad, because I am not leaving here until we do discuss it."

He watched as she stiffened, and then turned around slowly.

"Fine, but you can wait; I have to go say goodnight to my daughters." before waiting for him to reply, she hurried off to the room that her little girl went into just moments before.

When he was sure she wasn't coming back out right away, he went and sat back down on the couch. He picked up the photo album he was looking at before she came home, and looked down at the picture of Abby and her daughters. They were smiling up at him, waving as they sat in front of a Christmas tree, surrounded by wrapping paper. He sighed as he looked at the picture, his thoughts racing. He had just told Abby that he loved her! And what had she done? She dismissed him! Just like that! He continued to think, while just staring at the same picture, when Abby came and sat down beside him.

Abby watched as Harry jumped when he noticed she had come back. Taking the photo album from him, she smiled down at the picture.

"This was taken just last year…" she told him in a whisper. She watched him nod, and then he looked at her,

"Abby…"

"Harry, I'm sorry, but I just don't know how I feel about you right now…I mean, hell! I was at your wedding earlier!"

"Yes, and if you remember clearly, I didn't get married!"

"I know Harry, but I still don't know how I feel. I mean, it's been so long…and I have two girls now! And-"

"Whose are they?" Harry cut her off, with a serious tone in his voice.

"Harry…"

"Don't 'Harry' me Abigail! I want to know!"

She looked at him slightly surprised, and then looked back down at the picture in front of her. Barely audible, she whispered, "Yours…"

"What?" he asked, not exactly hearing her. Looking at him, she said clearly,

"Yours."

---

"W-what? Mine, but, but how?" he was taken aback. How could they be his? He watched her heave another sign, which he noticed she seemed to do a lot.

Then she said, "Remember years ago now, just after you defeated Voldemort?" he nodded.

"That's how," she pointedly told him.

"Well…what are their names?" he asked, wanting to know as much as he could now that she was actually talking.

"Hermione, since she was always there for me and well…" she trailed off.

"And…" he prodded.

"Lily, I thought it would be the right thing to name her…" she whispered, with pink now colouring her cheeks.

"Which, which one is which?" he asked curiously.

"You know the one who came out here to tell me they were tired?" he nodded. "That's Lily," she told him with a smile.

He smiled back, thinking about how perfectly the name seemed to suit the little girl…his daughter. He still couldn't believe that he had kids! Then he remember something,

"Are they…I mean are they going to…" he stammered, not quite knowing how to say it. He didn't want to sound like he wouldn't like them if they weren't. He watched Abby smile at him then answered,

"Yes Harry, they're witches, and they'll be going to Hogwarts. Albus sent me a letter just after they were born wanting to know if they would be joining the other children there when they got older." She told him with a laugh. He laughed with her, and continued to ask her questions, all of which she answered. They talked the rest of the night, not realizing how late it was getting.

"They've been out there for hours Hermione! How do we know they haven't killed each other yet?" Ron whined to Hermione and they sat on her bed, playing wizards chess.

"Ronald quit complaining! Your just hungry!" she teased him. Meanwhile, she was also starting to get hungry. She looked at the clock on her bedside table noticing that it was now rounding on two in the morning. She yawned before looking at Ron.

"Well, why don't we just go out and if they're still fighting we'll just come back here?" she said. Hermione laughed as Ron jumped off the bed, anxious to get out of the room they had been stuck in for hours now.

So, slowly they walked down the hall towards the living room. Noticing it was really quiet; they looked at each other curiously, and started to walk quicker. Once they got to the living room, the noticed why it was so quiet and smiled to each other.

"Well, it looks like they settled their differences" Hermione said, smiling.

"Guess so" Ron agreed, reaching out and grabbing Hermione's hand. They went to turn and go back to her room when she turned around and quietly went to the kitchen. Curious, Ron went to follow but she appeared again, now holding a camera. They smiled to each other, and she quickly took a picture, then they went back to her room to get some sleep.

Meanwhile, Abigail and Harry were wrapped in each other's arms asleep in front of the fireplace, which now only held burning embers.