Professor Potter, Chapter 10
In the weeks that followed Harry's return from Beauxbaton he was busier than the most hectic times at the Ministry. His students were of course his main concern and he was spending a great deal of time both in and out of class getting them ready for their year-end exams. As Professor McGonagall had indicated, a small committee was formed to begin the process of determining how the exchange program would function and what the qualifications for successful candidates would be. And as promised, Harry was the committee chair. The Tome Study Group was starting to pick up momentum with someone at the Potter home every weekend, sequestered in the now equipped basement, pouring over pages or huddled in twos and threes trying to unraveling this or that puzzle.
One area that wasn't taking much of Harry's time was the public Quidditch park. The folks at QUABBLE had taken hold of the project with an almost religious zeal and while they kept Harry informed with regular message traffic, there was very little asked of him other than his opinion on this or that idea and around the beginning of April, his signature on a formal letter of agreement for the use of the land for the stated purpose of erecting and maintaining four pitches and a 'general purpose' building.
The role of father came heavily in to play in April as well. The first matter was the joyous event of James' first birthday on the fourth. Since the actual day fell midweek the day was recognized with a quiet dinner with the immediate family plus grandparents. The true party was scheduled for the following Saturday at Meadow Crest with all family and friends invited. Harry was looking forward to it with great enthusiasm.
However, the second issue intervened the day after James' actual birthday and it threatened to cast a heavy pall over the celebration. At least for Harry. It was his usual Thursday night to stay up at Hogwarts, and as was his habit, he was sitting at the junior end of the Gryffindor table reading through some student essays when he sensed more than saw someone approaching from his left side.
"Hello, little one, how are you doing this evening?" he asked without looking up.
Had he been looking he would have seen Abagail's small smile on an otherwise somber face.
"Um, Harry," she said in her quiet voice, "could I talk to you, in private?"
Harry looked up, the tone of her voice and the use of his first name putting him on alert.
"Of course, there's a problem?" he asked, although it was really more of a statement than a question.
She simply nodded and Harry could feel the anxiety radiating from her. He had noticed she was not herself since his return to school the previous Monday but he tried to respect her privacy and not intrude on her while she was at school.
He gathered up his papers and stood up, gesturing that she should come along. They left via the side entrance and made their way to Harry's new office that formerly belonged to the Headmistress. Harry closed the door behind him and indicated that she should sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk. He put his briefcase down and took the other vacant chair, preferring not to have the desk between them.
He looked at her for a moment and saw the sad eyes, the set of her mouth and the thin lips as if she was trying to cap off her emotions. Her hands were clasp together as they rested in her lap.
"What's troubling you, little one?" he asked quietly.
She tried to start speaking but had to stop to gather herself before finally whispering.
"Tom came up this weekend. He said he needed to talk to me."
Harry's stomach tightened.
"He said that he thought it would be best if we didn't…" she stopped, her lips tightening and her chin starting to quiver a bit, and then taking a deep breath she continued. "If we didn't see each other anymore. Apparently he's been having trouble with, well, the idea of us as 'us'. You know what I mean?"
Harry nodded, watching as her big bottomless eyes began to fill. He reached across the space between them and took both her small hands in one of his. That contact and the concern that it communicated broke the last of Abagail's control and she began to cry in earnest. Harry slid his chair next to hers so that he could wrap his free arm around her shoulders and pull her closer, her head resting on his shoulder. He gave her what time she needed, knowing that the situation with his former assistant had been bothering her for some time now. He could feel the sadness and disappointment welling up from deep inside her. When he felt the tears subsiding he eased his hold on her and leaned back a little to look at her.
"Did that help any?"
"Not much, but a bit," she replied with a sniff. "At least it's easier than trying to hold it in."
"Shall we talk about it?"
"I think so," she said, sitting up a bit straighter, reaching up to take Harry's other hand in hers. "I'm not sure why I'm so upset. It wasn't like it was this wildly romantic relationship. The most he ever did was kiss me on the cheek or hold my hand. Which I'm sure is a great relief to you," she said.
Harry tried hard to hide it but he had to admit he was relieved in a way.
"But he was someone that I did feel close to. I looked forward to his visits and his messages and even if he was quiet and reserved we could still talk and it didn't feel like all my issues were, well, issues. I guess I was wrong," she said, her head hanging down again.
"He never let on that he had concerns about you?"
"Not in so many words. I knew the fact that the Aurors were watching him bothered him but he just kind of shrugged it off. And I never 'looked' at him to see what he was thinking," she said with a sigh. "It might have saved me a lot of trouble if I had."
"No, I don't think so, little one. At some point you have to learn to trust someone. And it's mutual. That would be hard to do if the other person knew you would get inside their heads like that. It's a risk we all have to take at some time or another," he finished.
He heard the deep sigh and felt her lean back into his shoulder. Without looking at anything in particular he said,
"I will say this. I'm not going to tell you 'stiff upper lip' or any of the rest of that. Your pain is real and it will need some time to heal. I know that from experience. But I will ask you not to lose hope. I'm willing to bet you're not destined to go through life alone," he said squeezing her shoulder.
"There is one thing I'm going to insist on, though."
"What's that?" she asked, sniffing.
"You were undecided about coming home for James' birthday party. You need to be with family and friends so you are coming home with me tomorrow."
She leaned back from him and looked up with bleary eyes and said,
"Maybe you're right. It's not like I'd get a lot done if I was here. I'll talk to Professor Flitwick."
"No, I'll take care of that. Besides he's likely to be at the house this weekend working on the Tome," Harry said.
She gave him a weary smile and started to wipe her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. Harry reached into the pocket of his robe and pulled out, what he was glad to see, a clean handkerchief and handed it to her. She took it and started to blot her eyes and clean her face a bit. She blew her nose and began to hand it back to Harry and then stopped.
"I'll get it cleaned first," she said with a bit of a smile. "Would you mind if we sat here and talked a bit?"
"Not at all, what would you like to talk about?"
"It doesn't matter. You haven't told me much about your trip to Beauxbaton. How about we start there and see where it takes us," she replied.
As so they did, well into the evening. He talked and she listened, asking the occasional question and never relinquishing her hold on his hand. Much as she had suggested to Harry that evening in the library that he wrap himself in the love of his family, she did so now. It was a powerful medicine and by the time Harry walked her back to her dormitory the healing had begun.
Before he went to his own bed, he wrote a quick note and sent it off to Ginny by owl so she wouldn't be caught by surprise when Abagail arrived home. As he sat in his new room, lit by only a small candle, he thought about his ward's situation. He knew it would be very easy to be angry with Tom Medford but considering the unique situation that Abagail presented he thought he understood how the quiet, serious young man may not have been able to deal with it. He just hoped the Aurors wouldn't react too badly if and when they found out.
The next day went rather slowly for Harry as his concern for Abagail kept intruding on his work with his students. He saw her at lunch and the one time they made eye contact she gave him a wan little smile. So it was with profound relief that he found himself waiting in the entrance hall for Abagail to join him. She had left her school robe behind and was wearing a jacket appropriate to the early spring weather of the Highlands.
Their walk to the small house in Hogsmeade was short and the trip home even shorter. As they approached the rear door of the house, it swung open with Kreacher, as always, there to greet them. They were barely into the kitchen when they were met in a rush by Ginny, holding on to James. The now one year old had already begun to pull himself up on the furniture in preparation for his first steps but he still got carried around a lot.
Harry received a perfunctory kiss on the cheek and his son was pushed into his arms so that Ginny could direct her full attention to Abagail. Since Ginny was only marginally taller than the diminutive witch, she didn't completely engulf the girl but she did give her all in the attempt. Harry could hear murmured words and looked at his son who was regarding him with serious eyes.
"Perhaps we should leave your mother and sister alone for a bit. What say we go to your room and play for a while?" he said.
Harry began to walk towards the kitchen doorway that led to the main corridor when he heard Ginny say,
"Harry, I'm going to take Abagail up to her room and we'll have a bit of a talk. We'll see you at dinner, alright?"
"That's fine, luv. James and I have plans of our own."
He got a quick smile and continued on his way. He had to admit that despite his concerns for Abagail he did enjoy the time he spent with James. The boy spent a lot of time clawing his way up any piece of furniture he was near and he would stand on unsteady legs looking to his father as if to say 'see what I'm doing'. Harry noticed with interest that if James decided to take a few steps while holding on to something, anything near his feet would slide out of the way, apparently of its own volition. He wondered if this was an early manifestation of his son's magical ability or something else. He had his suspicions.
When Nibs came and called him to dinner, he had to admit he was surprised how fast the time had gone. Dinner was set out in the dining room, at one end of the long table. Abagail was sitting there, offering Harry a bit of a smile as he came in with James. She stood and walked up to him with her arms out. Harry held out his son and she took him and cuddled him close, her long hair enveloping him. Harry could hear the giggles from James. When she looked up her smile was larger and there was a hint of a twinkle in her eye. She walked over to the highchair that was next to Ginny and got James settled.
When they were all seated Nibs and Kreacher floated in the various platters and bowls and they began to eat. The conversation centered primarily on the upcoming birthday party. Nibs and Kreacher had been hard at it all week preparing various dishes and Angelina insisted on taking care of the birthday cake and desserts. This resulted in a three way dust up between her, Kreacher and Mrs. Weasley. It wasn't resolved until Mr. Weasley weighed in with the strong suggestion that Angelina be responsible for the cake itself with Kreacher and Mrs. Weasley contributing special items for the party at large. His observation that there would be more than enough people to eat whatever the three of them could create seemed to settle the matter.
Then the conversation moved to the Tome. Abagail was very interested in the way the book seemed to encompass so many phases of civilization and they speculated on what sorts of knowledge were hidden, waiting to be rediscovered. They talked about the impending release of the magical creatures book to be available in time for the new school year. Abagail had also mentioned that she had received a commission from the publisher to illustrate a new children's book over the summer. Willikins and Burbarry wanted to release it in time for Christmas.
"Looks like you have the start of a promising career, little one," Harry said.
"Could be, Harry," she replied. "I got a message from the people who built the house. They want to talk to me after I graduate."
"That's great. If you don't mind my saying so, I think these are the kinds of things you need to do. New situations, new people, new experiences."
"You might be right. I don't think hiding in my room, wallowing in artistic misery has much appeal," she replied. "Do you think I could get a look at the Tome?"
"Sure, although it has been taken apart but it's all there. We'll do it right after dinner."
And they did. As soon as Harry was finished cleaning up his second dessert they all made their way to the library. Ginny carried James over to the desk and set him on the floor where a small pile of toys had accumulated. She sat down and began to make some entries in her journal. Harry and Abagail moved to where the Tome sat of various shelves.
"Well, this is what we've been up to. Charlie was able it figure it out like I told you last night and now we can get down to business trying to sort it all out," he said.
Abagail let her eyes roam over the front and rear covers that occupied space originally set aside for the once intact book. She looked at the boxes that contained the various sections and looked at the labels. She looked at Harry and asked,
"Could I…?"
"Sure," he said.
He took down the largest box that held the most recent section, done in old English and some in more modern English and set it on a lower shelf. He lifted the cover and set it aside.
"We think this should yield more immediate results since we don't have to interpret it."
"Wow, this is amazing, Harry. And to think that this was written by Merlin himself," she said.
She reached out and let her hand come to rest on the first page and when she made contact her whole body stiffened. Harry noticed immediately.
"Abagail!"
He grabbed her arm and lifted it off the pile of parchment sheets. The little witch's body relaxed and she leaned into Harry for a moment. Ginny spun around in her chair.
"Harry, what it is it?"
Before he could answer Abagail said,
"Bloody hell," she said softly, the first time either Harry or Ginny had ever heard her swear. "That was amazing."
Harry walked her over to sit on the couch and he sat next to her, looking into the girl's stunned face.
"What was amazing? What happened?"
"It was like seeing a movie, but really, really fast. All those images, the history. I don't think he intended it that way, but I think with all his power he couldn't help but leave those kinds of traces behind. Right there in the parchment. I think the problem was it was all stacked together. Could I try just holding one sheet?"
Ginny was looking over from her place at the desk.
"Are you sure you're alright, sweetheart?"
"I think it will be ok. If Harry holds the sheet and I just put my hand on it, he can pull it away if it gets too bad."
Harry nodded and went and retrieved the top sheet of the old English portion of the Tome and carried it back to the couch. He sat down and held the paper in front of Abagail. She reached out and gently laid her right hand down on the sheet. Her eyes went soft as they did when she was 'reading' someone and after a moment she let out a gasp and pulled her hand away.
"What was it?" Harry asked, his voice full of concern.
"I saw a very elderly man sitting at a table, I think in a stone tower. He was writing on a sheet of parchment, this sheet, and after a bit he looked up, right at me, and smiled and nodded. I'd swear he knew it was me watching him," she said, looking at Harry with wide eyes. "How could he do that, across all those years?"
"I don't know, little one. But maybe we'll find out, in time. But no more 'exploring' for you tonight. You look like you need a good night's rest."
"I think you might be right. It's been a difficult week and tomorrow is going to be pretty hectic."
With parting hugs, Abagail left the library with Ginny and James alongside. Harry sat on the couch still holding the single sheet of parchment. He bought his hand to rest palm down on the page, but he felt nothing. He shook his head, then stood up and replaced the sheet in its box. He looked at the others arrayed on the shelves and thought to himself,
"What other surprises do you have in store for us, ancient one?"
Fortunately there turned out to be none for the remainder of the weekend. The entire household was up early to prepare for the big day. Guests were expected to begin arriving at one o'clock but Mr. and Mrs. Weasley arrived almost as soon as the sun had separated from the horizon. The first item on the agenda was a complete breakfast. Afterwards Mr. Weasley left to collect Fleur, Bill and Victoire. Fleur was getting very close but insisted on being at the party.
There were no plans for lunch, just a constant grazing from platters and bowls that would be located in the kitchen, living room and dining room. It was also expected that there would be a fair amount of outdoor activity as the day promised to be a fair one.
Harry did his best to make himself useful but by mid morning it was clear his inputs weren't exactly required so he decided to pull all the Quidditch gear out of the closet under the stairs and move it outside. Shortly afterwards, Abagail drifted outside and lent Harry a hand running a polishing cloth over the broom handles and checking for any bent or broken bristles. They worked in silence for a while until Harry asked,
"How are you feeling this morning, little one?"
"Oh, not too terrible, Harry," she said with a faint smile. "I'll get over it in time, I'm sure. The timing could have been better though. I hope I don't put a damper on the day."
"I wouldn't think so, at least not too much. My guess is though you'll get a lot of attention from some of the ladies," Harry said with a smirk. "Plus lots of advice."
"Especially from a certain blue-eyed blonde?"
"Especially," Harry answered with a laugh. "Oh, by the way, I forgot to mention that Gabrielle is going to be staying with Fleur and Bill this summer, helping out with the new baby. I think you can expect to see her here a fair amount."
"Oh, that will be great. We can do girl stuff together."
It was around noon and the two were still puttering about with the brooms and such when two pops announced the arrival of George and Angelina. George had little Fred in a pack on his back and Angelina had her arms full of bakery boxes. Abagail gave out a little squeal and ran down the walkway to meet them, giving hugs as best she could and then relieving Angelina of most of her burden. Harry followed along more slowly, smiling.
"Welcome," he said, shaking hands with George and getting a one armed but still very tight hug from his 'sister'.
He relieved her of her last box, but with a warning not to touch what was inside. Angelina then released her son from the snug confines of the back pack. Harry led them up to the door and they were met by Ginny, who had been alerted when Abagail carried the boxes in ahead of the rest. Harry elected to remain outside and away from the growing commotion.
As the one o'clock hour approached, he was lounging on the steps of the portico, enjoying the early spring sun on his face. So it was that he didn't hear the approach of soft, small footsteps and he was unprepared for the rush of the near three year old who wound up with her arms around his neck.
"H'llo, Uncle 'arry," Victoire said loudly in his ear.
"Hey there, you. How did you get here?" already knowing the answer
"Granddads cah, Uncle 'arry."
Harry heard laughter in a deeper voice.
"When she saw you out here by yourself, she wanted to surprise you." Bill said.
"That she did. She hit pretty hard, too, she might grow up to be a rugger," Harry said with a laugh as he pulled his niece around for a proper hug.
"I know what you mean. She's turning it into a game. I get ambushed on a fairly regular basis these days."
Harry looked past Bill expectantly but his brother shook his head.
"Afraid you'll have to wait. She's moving slowly these days. Dad's coming along with her."
A few minutes later, the very pregnant Fleur appeared from the path coming out of the woods from the small car park. Mr. Weasley held her by the arm. As they reached Harry and Bill she placed a perfunctory kiss on Harry's cheek and with a sheepish grin said,
"That weell 'ave to do for the moment, mon frere. After that long ride I 'ave a presseeng need to attend to."
Harry realized what she meant and said,
"Down the corridor to the left of the main doors, second door on the right."
She laughed that silvery little laugh of hers and kept walking, the door swinging open as Kreacher bowed them in. Bill looked at Harry and laughed a bit.
"I tried to convince her it would be alright if she didn't make this party, but she wouldn't hear of it. She's due any day now. I hope you have a guest room handy."
"If it's that close you know you're all welcome to stay right here," Harry said earnestly.
Bill smiled and clapped Harry on the shoulder and reclaimed his daughter, after promises that she could come back out to be with her uncle once she said hello to everyone in the house. More people began to arrive and it wasn't long before the house was full of conversation. As predicted once word got around about Abagail's predicament she was the focus of much attention from the other women of the family. For the most part the men chose to stay out of it, the lone exception being Mr. Weasley, who as patriarch, and being more than a little partial to his fellow tinkerer and 'adoptive' granddaughter, offered a simple observation.
"You're young, you're brilliant and you're an absolute stunner. Life has many wonderful things in store for you, just be patient."
Her face went absolutely red to the roots of her dark hair but her smile could have lit up the vault caverns under Gringotts. It also wasn't long before the clear blue sky and the open space above the meadow proved too much of an allure and the brooms from Harry's stockpile were soon zipping above the new green grass. Since there were more flyers than brooms there was a significant amount of changing up going on. Ted arrived with his grandmother not too long after the flying had begun and since Abagail wasn't much in the mood he got to spend a great deal of time on her cut down speedster. He was showing a great deal of potential.
To Harry's surprise it was well past mid afternoon, as he was standing watching Charlie put his Firebolt through its paces that he picked up on that telltale fragrance.
"Hello, Fleur. I was beginning to think you forgot about me," he said without turning.
"Ah, never, mon frère. Theese time someone else needed my attention first, yes?" she said as she hooked Harry's arm with hers.
"Yes, indeed. And I'm glad you're here for her. It's been a rough week."
"But now eet ees time for you to do your duty," she said as she pulled him gently around to face her.
Harry smiled as he saw those brilliant blue eyes regarding him with motherly concern, as usual. He could tell there was no detail about him that would go unnoticed. He stepped forward and they wrapped each other in a tight embrace. Then he received his three kisses, to the cheeks and forehead and she stepped back, holding on to both his hands with hers.
"And 'ow are you, mon frere?" she asked. "You 'ave been through a great deal these past weeks, and now with Abagail."
"I'm doing alright, Fleur. Although I have to admit I'm looking forward to the summer," and having said it he was reminded of the situation with Gabrielle. "I'm hoping we'll be able to help your sister."
Fleur looked at him with a sad smile. She took hold of one arm with both her hands.
"You take so much upon yourself, chere. You need do notheeng more than be 'oo you are and that weell be of great 'elp. Now, you can 'elp me back to the 'ouse."
Harry laughed a bit and took her by the arm and helped Fleur back up the path to the house. Once inside, Harry could see that indeed Abagail was engaged in conversation with Hermione, El and Audrey. She looked up at him and gave him a shy smile and a small nod. Harry was confident that the healing power of this remarkable family was working its magic on the sensitive young witch. He knew from personal experience just how powerful a magic it was.
As one might expect, a birthday party for a one year old doesn't have much impact on the guest of honor. In fact, James spent a fair amount of time napping alongside his cousin Fred. Victoire started to fade later in the afternoon but refused to join her two younger cousins so Harry wound up with his niece curled up on the couch next to him, her head resting on his lap.
The presents for James consisted largely of clothes and soft toys. James had discovered the fun of tossing his toys about and no one wanted to put a hard projectile in his hands that might do damage to the house or its furnishings. Once all the presents had been offered and opened, smalls groups congregated in different sections of the house and grounds. The wizards chess board was getting a good workout, primarily from Ron and Audrey, but Eleanor and Mr. Granger took their turns as well.
Bill split his time between keeping an eye on his wife and taking turns on a broom over the meadow. Fleur had recaptured Abagail's attention and they sat on a couch in the living room, talking quietly. Harry was carrying in a plate from the buffet arrangement in the kitchen for Fleur when she suddenly looked up with wide eyes and said to no one in particular,
"Ooo."
"What is it, Fleur?" Harry said, suddenly very alert.
"Um, eet may just 'ave been a strong kick ees all," she replied.
"Are you sure? Should I go get, Bill?"
By this time the tenor of the conversation had attracted the attention of the others in the room.
"What is it?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Fleur felt something," Harry said.
"Are you alright, dear?"
"I theenk so, muum. Maybe we should be goeeng."
"Oh, no, you don't," Harry said sternly. "You stay right there until we know what's going on. And if it turns out to be…well, you know, they you are most definitely staying right here."
"'arry, eef the baby ees comeeng then we should be 'ome," she said.
"You are home. Where you are safe and I don't think Dad would be able to do much for you in the Popular if it happens fast," Harry replied, sounding much like he did when he was Chief.
Fleur looked at him intently. The others thought she was getting ready to argue with him but then she said,
"Alright, mon ami. Eef you say so. Per'aps someone should call Beell een."
Harry smiled and with a nod went to get his brother. If was a good thing Harry had been so insistent, for indeed Fleur was going into labor. And it unfolded quickly. Charlie made a quick trip to bring the midwife and it was just shortly after midnight that Fleur gave birth to a baby girl, Dominque. No one had left until they were sure that mother and child were well. James, Fred and Victoire were sharing James nursery, everyone else was either in the living room or the library. The house elves were kept busy keeping the buffet going. It was close to two in the morning when Bill found Harry sitting in the living room, idling nibbling on some cheese, staring off into space. He heard, or sensed Bill watching him from the entrance way. He looked up.
"You're presence has been requested," Bill said with a smile.
"Requested?" Harry replied.
"Alright, commanded," Bill corrected with a small laugh.
Harry got up and walked with Bill upstairs to the guest room that had done duty as a delivery room. Bill swung the door in quietly. Harry could see Fleur lying in bed, the baby cradled in her arms. It was obvious, despite the brevity of the delivery, that the mother was still tired. She looked at him and smiled,
"Come see your niece, 'arry."
Harry walked over to the side of the bed and looked down at the sleeping infant.
"She's beautiful, just like her mother," he said.
"You are such a charmer, mon frere. I 'ave a favor to ask of you, 'arry."
"Anything."
Bill had come over to sit in the only chair in the room that was drawn up next to the bed opposite from where Harry was standing.
"Beell and I 'ave been talkeeng. We would like for you and Geeny to be Dominque's godparents."
"I'd be honored and I'm sure that Ginny will be, too," Harry replied seriously.
"She said so earlier, but we know how seriously you take the subject of family so we didn't' want to take it for granted, Harry," Bill said. "And there's something else."
Harry regarded them with raised eyebrows.
"In the event that something should happen to the both of us, we'd like you and Gin to be the legal guardians of our children."
"What? What about your brothers?" he asked, amazed.
"Harry, you are my brother. And down the hall there is a young lady who is a living breathing example of just how well you can do it. Besides, can you imagine Victoire with anyone else?" Bill said with a small smile.
Harry stood silently for a moment and then nodded briefly. He gave Fleur a kiss on the cheek and reached across to shake hands with Bill. He left the room and walked downstairs. On a whim he made his way to James' nursery and quietly opened the door. The first thing he saw was the two boys sharing the crib and Victoire curled up on a small cot that had been brought in from somewhere. The other thing he saw was much more of a surprise, but then again it wasn't.
Sitting on the rocking chair that Ginny used to rock James to sleep when he was feeling fussy was the image of Lily Potter, watching over her grandchild and the others. She looked up at her son and motioned for him to enter. He carefully approached the ethereal image that was holding out her hand. He reached out and felt a tingle of sorts as the translucent fingers closed on his. Unlike when they met in that place between life and death there was no verbal communication. At this moment in time, there was no need.