Chapter 10 The Train Ride
The day after they brought the babies home Harry resumed his training at Godric's Hollow. Hermione rarely saw him now since Harry had taken over the early morning feeding and changing of the twins, allowing her to sleep and to get quality time with the twins. When he returned at dinnertime and after eating, they would spend their hour together, putting the twins to bed. Harry would then go to bed and fall asleep telling her about the training that he was doing and stayed like this until the day before they returned to school, although Hermione had gone one day with Harry to show Narcissa Robbie, as they called Robert, and Raven. Spending the day there had been so much fun and much to Harry and Hermione's surprise, and Draco's disgust, that Narcissa insisted on being called Nana Cissa or Nana.
"No 'Grandma' for me. It makes me sound old, even if I am old enough to be one" she said, pointedly looking at Draco as she said this. "I thank you for allowing me to be a surrogate Grandmother to these two angels" she said as she played with Robbie.
"Great Potter, now I will never hear the end of nagging about how she want a grandchild from me." Harry just grinned in reply and went over to take his family home.
The Order meeting that was scheduled for the night before departure was explosive. Many of the members had a hard time believing about the Snape/Dumbledore thing and about how the Malfoy's were being controlled, especially since Draco attended the meeting, thanks to Harry and Neville. But all objections stopped when they watched the pensive memories of Harry and Hermione of the questioning. It was also agreed, even by Harry, that Mad-Eye, Moony, Bill, Fred, and George would escort Harry, Hermione, Draco, and the babies to King's Cross and Platform 9 3/4.
The morning of departure went rather smoothly and they made their way on to the platform before anyone else had arrived. Harry helped Hermione settle in the Head Boy and Girl compartment with Robbie and Raven before returning to Draco to help with the trunks. He asked Draco to stay with Hermione and the babies while he went to help the newer students. Harry said 'Hi' to several friends while helping several first years on board. He saw that Fred and George had stationed themselves at the platform entrance, while Mad-Eye and Bill patrolled the platform itself and Moony patrolled the train. As Harry saw them, He asked the prefects to join him and Hermione in the Heads' carriage at a quarter after eleven.
The train signaled that it was time to leave and Harry said goodbye to his 'family' and friends, Fred and George giving him a salute as the train left the station. Harry returned to the compartment to find Draco burping Robbie and Hermione changing Raven. Robbie promptly belched and spit up all over Draco. The look of disgust on Draco's face was priceless.
"Potter your son just puked on me."
"Well, Malfoy, that's what babies do. They eat, sleep, dirty their nappies, and puke" answered a grinning Harry as he watched his son wet through his nappy, all over Draco's pants. Robbie giggled as Draco handed over the offender of his robes to his father. Hermione, holding back her grin, waved her wand and Draco was clean and didn't smell.
"Thank you Granger" said Draco, who then started muttering how he never should have promised his mother to help with the babies because he knew that this was a ploy to get him to want to have a child of his own for her to spoil. Harry and Hermione grinned through the entire tirade.
"Draco, Harry and I have been talking and we would like you to be one of Raven's godparents."
"Did my mother put you up to this?"
"Not directly. I asked her to be one and she said that she would rather be a surrogate grandmother than a godmother, since both Harry's and my parents are dead."
Draco looked back and forth between Harry and Hermione. "Do you mean it? Do you trust me that much?"
"In a way, yes we do. We know that you and the other godparents will never let anything happen to the twins and it might help if someone is used to the dark arts in protecting them. You have proven to us that we can trust you and that family is the most important thing" answered Hermione.
"Well in that case, I accept. Who are the others?"
"Fred and George are going to be Robbie's, but we haven't found another for Raven yet."
Just then the door slid open and the prefects walked in. Most were surprised in seeing the babies and that Harry and Malfoy were in the same compartment without fighting each other.
"Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts. We need to patrol the train in pairs until reaching Hogsmeade. Hermione will be setting up patrol schedules for the term and you each will be informed in the morning. If you have a problem with your schedule please see Hermione or myself and we will try to make some changes. Any questions? No? Good." Harry assigned the patrol schedule for the rest of the ride, pairing Neville with Ginny, making them patrol far away from him and Hermione as possible. He asked Luna to stay with Hermione while he and Draco patrolled together. Many eyebrows raised upon hearing that. The others left as Harry and Draco got ready. Hermione gave Harry a brief kiss and told him that she would get their lunch from the trolley when it passed. As the boys stepped from the compartment, Luna came over and gave a surprised Draco a hug.
"I thought that you needed that" she said and closed the compartment door. Harry was trying to hold back his laughter, without much success. Draco's face was priceless.
"Did she just…?"
"Yes" came the answer between chuckles.
"Why would she do that?"
"You must have really needed a hug. Should I give you one too?" Draco just glared at him and Harry lost control and was laughing down the aisle.
"Come on Romeo; let's do our patrol so that we can return to our women."
"Watch it Potter or I'll tell your wife something that will have you sleeping on the couch for a week" said Draco sounding surly.
Harry just laughed. "Hermione doesn't like to sleep alone anymore."
They caused quite a stir patrolling the train, for who would have thought that the two enemies would act almost like friends. Neville stopped them to thank Harry for the gift, saying that even his grandmother was impressed by it. They returned to their compartment for lunch and small talk before doing another patrol before arriving at Hogsmeade.