A/N: Hey guys! Sorry for not updating for like two months, no excuses as usual. Hopefully you still love me though :D This chapter was going to be longer but I decided you'd waited long enough, so Voila and I hope you enjoy it.
Disclaimer: I only own Ethan and the Katte family.
Chapter Nine
At ten at night Harry was shaken awake by Linda, he sat up groggily and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes.
"What?" He whined tiredly.
"There are some people here for you"
"Right I'll be down in a minute" He told her, Linda nodded and left the room. Harry stretched and stood up off the airbed; he grabbed a shirt and pulled it on then looked over at Ethan's carrier. Ethan was still sleeping soundly, as he had been for the past two hours, Harry didn't really see the need to wake him. The teen walked over to all the luggage he'd packed earlier knowing the wizards would be on their way. With Linda's organisation skills, he'd managed to get all the new toys and clothes, both his and Ethan's, into the trunk and rucksack. Ethan's pram was folded up and secured to the top of the trunk. He made up his bed, pulled on his rucksack then grabbed the handles of his trunk and started pulling it out of the room, careful not to make too much noise.
When he got onto the landing, he heard the voices of those who had come to pick him up; as he dragged he heard snippets of slightly awkward conversation between them and Linda.
"...Nice house..."
"...How does this work..."
"... How's harry?"
Rolling his eyes, the Gryffindor pushed the trunk down the stairs as carefully as he could; keeping a tight hold so it wouldn't go tumbling down. With a lot of effort he managed to successfully reach the hallway and as he did the group of wizards turned to look at him, Harry surveyed them. Standing at the front of the group was Alastor Moody, a furious scowl on his face, to be honest after last year Harry found it slightly disconcerting. Behind him was a young woman with bright pink hair, she had a grin on her face, stood next to her was a tall black man with an earring. Clustered behind them were various other witches and wizards, grinning at him enthusiastically. Bringing up the rear was Remus Lupin, looking older and more tired than the last time they'd seen each other, who stared at him in relief.
"Hey" Harry greeted, looking at each of them.
"Harry we're so glad you're safe" Said Remus, walking towards him, before he could reach him, Moody stuck his arm out to stop him. He stared at Harry suspiciously.
"How do we know it's the real him? Could be an imposter" He muttered to the ex-professor "But how do we check..."
"Harry, what form does your Patronus take?" Remus asked.
"A stag" He stated in slight confusion, Remus nodded in confirmation, once again smiling.
"That's him Alastor" Moody nodded at Remus then rounded on Harry.
"Where the hell do you think you've been? Two weeks we've been looking for you boy!" He demanded moving forward in anger, Harry took a step back.
"I've been here since I left the Dursleys" The teen replied.
"Why would leave them in the first place? Especially without informing someone" Remus asked now, a disapproving frown in place of the smile. Harry was about to answer when Linda cut in.
"Now hold on a minute, Harry had a good reason to leave" She stated, staring at the two wizards scolding Harry. Both stared at the woman, seemingly haven forgotten about her.
"Who are you?" Remus asked politely.
"Hello, I'm Linda, I'm who Harry's been staying with" She answered, offering her hand, which he shook.
"And how exactly does Harry know you?"
"Oh, I'm an old friend, Known him since he was this big" She put her hand at the height of her hips. Harry sighed, cutting her off before she could go into a description of how cute he was.
"Linda, do you mind getting Ethan? He's asleep, so can you try not to wake him?"
"Sure thing honey, be back in a minute" She said, she patted him on the shoulder as she passed.
"Thanks" Most of the group, the majority of which Harry still had no idea who they were, were looking at him and the retreating Linda in confusion. Remus asked the question they were all wondering.
"Harry, who is Ethan?"
"Well, he's the reason I left my relatives first of all" The teen told him "But I can explain that later when we get to wherever we're going, because I don't want to repeat it a million times"
They all looked unhappy with this explanation, but Harry wouldn't say anything else, so they grudgingly accepted to waiting. To change the subject Remus finally introduced everyone.
"Harry, this is Alastor Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt" He pointed at each person as he introduced them "Nymphadora Tonks-"
"Don't call me that!" The woman he had just named demanded in irritation, Remus sighed and continued.
"Tonks, Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance, Sturgis Podmore and Hestia Jones"
Harry nodded at each person as they were introduced, trying to ignore the excited stares some were giving him. "That's rather a lot of people" He said to his old teacher, the man heard the question in his statement and answered.
"A lot of people volunteered" Before they could continue the conversation, Linda descended the stairs, holding the child carrier by its handle. Ethan was slowly waking, disturbed by the sudden movement. The infant stretched his tiny arms and rubbed at his face, he yawned and blinked open his blue eyes. Harry looked at the boy in adoration, smiling at his cute actions. Ethan looked around at the figures crowding the hallway, not able to see his father, he grew distressed confused and scared by all the strangers. The child began to whimper, eyes filling with tears.
Harry rushed forward and took the carrier from Linda; he unclipped the child and scooped him up, cuddling him against his chest and making soothing noises.
"Sorry, movement must have woke him" Linda apologised while stroking the boys soft locks.
"Its fine" Harry replied, rocking his son "He's probably upset because he's still tired though"
"D-Daddy" The little boy muttered, Harry kissed his head.
"I'm right here baby, Daddy's got you" He reassured calmly. The group stared in shock, eyes wide and mouths dropped. Harry ignored them as he rocked his son back to sleep. Slowly the infant's eyes drooped and his head lolled against Harry's shoulder, tiny snores coming from him every so often. Once the boy was asleep once more, Harry turned back to the wizards. They stared speechless at the child resting comfortably in the Gryffindor's arms. Tonks was the first to break the silence.
"You've got a kid?!" She burst out, Ethan grumbled, shifting in the arms that held him. Harry frowned at her.
"Please be quiet he's sleeping and I don't really want him to wake up again" He instructed to all of them. Tonks looked sheepishly at the child who had settled once more, then back at Harry.
"How did you get a kid? You're fifteen!" She stated, in a whisper. The others nodded in agreement with her. Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Obviously I'm not his biological father, he's almost two so I would have been thirteen when he was born and I haven't been hiding a child for two years" He explained, frowning at the relief in most of the faces "I've been raising him for almost two months, he thinks of me as his dad and I think of him as my son, I love him as if he was my own"
"Harry" Remus started a worried expression on his face "You're only fifteen, how do you expect to raise a child"
"I've been doing alright so far" The teen argued defensively.
"And with You-Know-Who back it's way too dangerous"
"I'll protect him"
The werewolf sighed "Harry, this is a bad idea; you should give him to social services"
He held the child tighter and glared at the friend of his parents. "No I'm not giving him away; he's better off with me"
"Lad, don't be stupid! Give the child back to the muggles and come with us" Mad-eye growled, impatient and annoyed by the turn of events.
"Look it's not any of your businesses anyway" Harry said firmly "I'm his father, he stays with me"
The group of wizards looked at each other, displeasure clear on their faces, finally Remus spoke.
"Okay Harry, I don't know what the others will say, but we'll stay out of it" He said in defeat, Harry smiled in relief.
"Thanks professor" He said gratefully.
"I just hope you know what you're doing"
"Don't worry, I do" The man watched him for a moment and then nodded in acceptance.
"So are we going to the Burrow then?" Harry asked, changing the subject.
"No, not safe enough" Remus answered "We're going to the new Headquarters, its undetectable"
"Oh, that's good, so how are we getting there?"
"Since you're not old enough to apparate, we decided to go by broom" The older man told him "You have your broom right?" He asked.
"We've been told you're an excellent flier" The man he'd been told was Kingsley praised. Harry smiled at the man.
"Yeah it's in my trunk..." Harry trailed off as a thought occurred to him "What about Ethan? Obviously he's too young to get on a broom and I don't know how I'd hold him and it's the middle of the night, he'd freeze up there" He said with a troubled look and the others stared at the child realising he was right.
"Well someone had better come up with a solution soon, we need to go" Alastor huffed. The wizards looked at each other, racking their brains but coming up with nothing. Harry looked down in worry at the infant.
"I'm not leaving him" He repeated his earlier statement and they continued thinking. To their surprise it was Linda he came up with an answer.
"You could give me the address and I'd drive him down while you fly there" She offered "I mean if there's anyone tracking you there's no reason for them to follow a random car, and you don't have to give me the actual address just the street or something and you can meet me, just an idea" The librarian shrugged, Remus looked at the group.
"Any objections? Harry?" He asked looking at the brunette. Harry looked between his son and Linda; he thought for a few moments and then slowly nodded his head.
"I guess that's okay" He consented "If you're sure he'll be safe"
"He'll be absolutely fine" Linda assured him.
"Okay, but be careful alright?" He leaned down and strapped the sleeping toddler into the carrier "This is a suitable car-seat right? He'll be safe in this?"
"Yes Harry, that's fine" She agreed, taking hold of the handle. Harry shrugged off his rucksack, unzipped it and began rooting around. He pulled out the colourful nappy bag and Ethan's little backpack. He plucked out a cassette tape from the front pocket of it, he handed the lot to Linda.
"In case he needs changing, there's a few things in his back pack, toys, some juice, a book, you know that sort of stuff" He pointed to each item as he explained their purpose, Linda rolled her eyes at him, Harry ignored her and continued. "And if he does wake up and won't settle again, stick this tape in, it usually sends him to sleep" Linda nodded, chuckling at him softly.
"Harry love, stop fretting, I know what I'm doing, he'll be fine. You'll have him back in your arms in a jiffy"
Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Right, sorry Linda"
"It's fine" She laughed. Harry leaned down and kissed Ethan's head and stroked his hair.
"You be a good boy, Daddy will be back very soon, love you baby" He muttered to the still sleeping boy. Remus watched the interaction with surprise and interest; he did seem to love the child.
When Harry was stood up straight again, he pulled the woman into a hug. "Thank you so much for doing this, for letting me stay here and just generally helping me out, I don't know what I'd have done without you, you're amazing" He thanked her profusely, she blushed slightly while returning the hug.
"It was nothing dear and you're welcome here anytime, it's been great having you" Harry stepped back and retrieved his broom from his trunk and then watched as both the trunk and his rucksack were shrunk down to miniature by Tonks. The witch handed them to him and he slipped then into his pocket, he then turned back to Linda and Ethan.
"Tell Frank I said thanks, and tell Phillip and Rebecca I said bye and that they've been great, I'll even send Becky some pictures of Ethan if she wants" He instructed Linda, she nodded.
"She'd like that, Becky loves this kid, now don't forget to write and if it ever gets to dangerous at that crazy school of yours, you send Ethan here and we'll look after him until you get back, okay?" Linda told him fondly, he was about to answer when Moody cut in.
"Right you've said goodbye, we'll get the signal soon, time to go, come one Harry" He ordered, and then walked out the front door, Kingsley handed and piece of paper to Linda with an address on it.
"When you get to that street, park and flash your lights, someone will be watching and will come on collect the child" He instructed and then followed the others out of the door. Harry grabbed Linda in a swift second hug, kissed Ethan once more and then rushed to follow.
"Be careful, I love you both" He called out behind him. When he got outside, Moody scowled at him impatiently.
"'Bout time too" The man muttered. Once he was disillusioned, they mounted their brooms at the first signal and waited, at the second signal the rose into the air and began to fly to their destination in formation. With a quick glance behind him, Harry could see Linda, tiny from his height, getting into her red car. He smiled and followed the others.
When they touched down at the destination, Harry dismounted and looked around. Wherever they were it wasn't very nice. The large townhouses were grimy and uncared for and there were piles of rubbish outside a few that were giving off a foul stench. Mad-eye used a device to extinguish all the street lights and the he was hurried forward across the street to stand in front of number eleven. The one-legged man shoved a slip of paper into his hands. "Read that and memorise it" The man ordered.
The Order of the Phoenix is located at 12 Grimmauld Place
Harry looked up in confusion at the houses and counted the numbers: 9, 10, 11, 13, doesn't make sense?
Once he'd read it, Moody grabbed the paper back and set it on fire, the blackened remains drifting to the dirty pavement below.
"But where's-" He began to ask, but was cut off by Remus.
"Think of what you just read" He said helpfully. Harry nodded and followed his instructions and very soon a whole house had popped into existence, he stared at it in bewilderment. He was then pushed up the steps as Remus tapped onto the front door. It opened into a dark hallway and he was ushered inside and instructed not to touch anything. Once everyone was inside, the door was shut firmly and they were given a bit of light, Harry inspected the area. Even with the old fashioned gas lamps, the house was still very gloomy; it smelt of damp and the dust was visible in the air and on various surfaces, the floor was wooden and worn and the wall paper was ripped and peeling with patches of mold in some places. All in all not a very nice place, Harry decided, he was glad he and Ethan would only be here for a few days, it wasn't a good place for small children. Harry walked further into the hall, looking up and down, he turned to Remus.
"So... Where are we?"
"This is the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix"
"And what is-" Harry began to ask but was cut off by the bone-crushing hug he was pulled into.
"Harry! You made it fine" Exclaimed Mrs Weasley as she squeezed him. He patted her shoulder and then struggled out of her arms and got his breath back.
"It's nice to see you again Mrs Weasley, though we only saw each other a few hours ago, as you can see I'm still fine" he greeted.
"Well you just never know these days" She replied "So where's that child of yours?" The red-headed mother asked in a curious and concerned tone, she looked around him to see if she could spot the toddler, Harry sighed.
"Ethan obviously couldn't fly on a broom so Linda is driving him up" He answered and then addressed Remus "When will they get here?"
Remus looked down at his watch then back up at Harry "Not for another forty-five minutes at least, it's quite a drive" He informed the teen. Harry frowned; Ethan didn't take well to being away from him for very long and Harry didn't particularly like it either.
"And where are they being met?"
"At a park around the corner"
"Who's meeting them?"
"Kingsley is, he'll wait for a signal and then collect the child and bring him back here"
Harry nodded "Right, well he better be careful"
"Harry, Kingsley is a trained Auror, Ethan will be perfectly safe" Remus reassured the worried boy.
"Yeah, course he will" Harry agreed reluctantly "Sorry Remus, I just worry you know? Just a bit paranoid, Linda's forever telling me off about it"
"It's okay Harry; it's good to worry sometimes" The older man advised, harry smiled at him slightly.
"So, you were telling me about the Order of the Phoenix?" Harry reminded, abruptly changing the subject in an effort to take his mind off the whereabouts of his son.
"Oh, yes! The order of the Phoenix is an organisation set up in the last war by Dumbledore, their aim was to fight You-Know-Who" Remus explained, unbothered by the rapid change of subject "Now that You-Know-who has returned the group was reformed and this is our Headquarters"
Harry was about to ask more questions when he was cut off by a cry off his name
"HARRY!" His Godfather bounded down the stairs and dragged him into a tight hug. "So good to see you"
"Hey Sirius, great to see you too" The teen said with a bright smile as he hugged the older man just as tightly. "How have you been?"
"Well as good as I can be stuck in this bloody place" The ex-convict replied shrugging "But it'll be better now you're here"
Harry drew back and inspected the man. Sirius was better dressed than when he'd last seen the man, he'd put some weight on and didn't look so gaunt and ill, he'd shave and cut his hair. Despite his massively improved appearance harry could tell his godfather wasn't better. There were shadows in his eyes and his smile seemed strange, as if he didn't do it often. Harry sighed sadly and pulled the man into another hug. It upset him to see Sirius in such a state, but there wasn't much he could do other than write to him as much as possible, though Harry did feel guilty for causing him worry these past two weeks.
"So where is this place? It seems a bit..." harry trailed off but the others understood what he was trying to say
"this house belongs to me" Sirius announced "it was just here rotting so I decided to put it to good use, wouldn't touch anything though" he advised, harry stared at him, worry visible on his face.
"Why? What's wrong? Will Ethan be safe here?"
"As long as he doesn't wander off Harry, he should be fine" Remus answered, Harry's frown remained, knowing how much Ethan liked to do just that he was not reassured.
"I'll just have to keep him occupied then, he likes to explore" Harry thought out loud
"Erm... Who's Ethan and why is he coming here?" Sirius asked looking between Harry and Remus in confusion. Harry coughed awkwardly knowing it would be hard to explain.
"Well... Ethan's my son" he admitted
"WHAT?" The animagus shouted and Harry cringed. Sirius' approval of Ethan was the only one that really mattered to him.
"Don't freak out I'm not his real father" Harry assured and Sirius slumped in relief then his confusion returned.
"Then why...?" He trailed off with a bewildered expression obsession
"Look Sirius please don't be mad at me, I'll explain later with everyone" The Gryffindor told him "Right, I'm gonna go set up a room for us" He grabbed his bags and ran up the stairs before anybody could question him further ignoring Sirius' confused calls. When he reached the landing of the first floor he stopped and looked at the different doors. Sirius had said that he shouldn't touch a lot of things, so he wasn't sure which rooms would be safe to go into, especially for a small child to sleep in. After a few moments, Harry decided that the best way would be to just check each one.
He had checked a few rooms (All of which were filled with dusty furniture and seemed like they hadn't been entered in a very long time) when he found a room that was inhabited. He opened the door, stepped inside and before he could look around, was dragged into another set of arms.
"Harry! We didn't know you were coming today!"
"Hey Hermione it's great to see you" He replied as he squeezed her back slightly then slipped out of her hold.
"Harry, you're finally here" Ron greeted, walking to stand next to Hermione.
"Hey Ron"
"Where have you been Harry? They wouldn't tell us much but, they said you'd gone missing, we were so worried"
"Hermione calm down, I'm fine and I was completely safe" He reassured the frantic girl "I've been staying with a friend for the past two weeks because I left the Dursleys, I wasn't kidnapped or being held prisoner or anything like that"
The bushy-haired girl sagged with relief, then straightened up again as a new question came to mind.
"So why did you leave them? I know you don't get on but it's better than Voldemort"
Harry paused for a while wondering how to explain.
"Well... I have a son now" He admitted. His best friends' mouths dropped open in shock, Ron's eyes widened comically and for possibly the first time, Hermione was speechless.
For a moment at least.
"What?! Tell me you're joking?" She demanded, Harry shook his head and waited for the imminent explosion, he wasn't disappointed. "ARE YOU CRAZY?! HOW ON EARTH DO YOU HAVE A SON? WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU HAVE ONE? ARE YOU COMPLETELY IRRESPONSIBLE? HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO LOOK AFTER HIM...?" She carried on like this until she finally ran out of steam at which point she crossed her arms and glared at harry, an expectant look on her face.
"Can I explain now?" Harry asked hesitantly, she nodded curtly at him to carry on "Thanks, right so his name's Ethan, he's about fifteen months old and I've been raising him for the past two months" Hermione opened her mouth to interrupt but harry just glared at her lightly and she closed it again, so he went on "I taught him to walk properly, I taught him his first word and then got him to carry on speaking, I've changed his nappies, rocked him to sleep, told him stories, fed him, bathed him, everything that a child needs I have been doing for the past two months. Hermione he calls me daddy and he cries when I'm not there and I really do love him as my son, I've always wanted a family and now I've got one" He finished his speech and stared at his two friends, waiting for their response. Ron was still without words but he seemed slightly impressed by his friend's actions. Hermione sighed and walked towards harry, pulling him into a hug.
"Harry we know that, but is this really the best way? You're only fifteen; can you cope with the responsibility of a child that age? And what about school? We have our O.W.L.S this year, how are you going to balance that? And we're so young and there's so much for us to still do, can you do that with a child to care for?"
"Not to mention You-Know-Who coming back, it's too dangerous mate" Ron chipped in, Harry sighed at the questions, most of them what he'd spent the majority of his time thinking about for the past few weeks.
"Look, I don't know about school, because I'll have to talk to the headmaster and Professor McGonagall, but I'm sure I'll manage and as I said I've been doing fine so far. Anything worth experiencing, I can with him. I love him and he loves me, we need each other, he's got no-one else" He justified and defended himself, desperate for them to understand. Finally, Hermione sighed in defeat.
"Fine, I'm not happy about this and I still think you're being crazy, but if Ethan's happy and healthy then who am I to judge, it's your life I guess" Harry grinned triumphantly, and grabbed both teens into his arms, chuckling they slipped away. Ron nodded his head in agreement to what Hermione decided and Harry smiled wider, knowing his two best friends supported him.
"But Harry, if it ever gets too hard, or you can't look after him anymore, go to someone okay?" Ron said "You don't let people help you 'cause you think you can do it yourself but, it's not about you this time, so promise me that and I'll leave you alone alright?" Harry grinned sheepishly at the comments but agreed all the same, knowing he couldn't let Ethan suffer because of his pride.
"So how did you even come to have him?" Hermione asked, curious now her shock had left, Ron nodded eagerly at the question.
"Well, you'll never believe it, but Dudley is his biological father" He admitted.
"Bloody hell! Who would sleep with him?" Ron wondered aloud, Harry laughed then continued.
"I open the door one day when the Dursleys were out and he's just lying there in a basket on the front step with a letter..."
The other two Gryffindors listened avidly and Harry explained how he became a father.
A/N: Hope you enjoyed that, sorry not much happened but i thought you deserved at least something. Please review, if you do you'll receive a virtual cuddle off moi :D xx
-Caggyxx
