AN: Hello! As always the Potter universe belongs to queen Rowling.
Potterphile: The Potter household prior to these many elves had six house elves. Four females and 2 males. Since the elves do not follow wizarding or muggle marriage laws, they only get together to produce a future generation of workers. The older house elves had been in the household since the birth of James' grandfather. When the older elves detected that they would soon be too old to work, they got together to bring a new generation of elves. Thus seven were born, due to some stroke of luck around the same time.
The older house elves were alive enough to teach the new ones their chores, responsibilities and histories but died more out of heartbreak than age in the years following James and Lily's murders. I hope that answers your questions.
Harry woke up at the crack of dawn next day and dressed at top speed. He ran down to the kitchen without incident. Ginny was the only one up, she was sitting at the kitchen table, reading a book, with a mug of coffee in her hand. She looked up and smiled at him before going back to her book. Harry poured some coffee for himself before settling down next to her, pecking her forehead softly.
"Why are you up so early, Gin?" She smiled at him guiltily.
"Nightmare." She said looking into her cup. "I was back with Tom, then the Carrows were torturing me and then I saw your dead body in Hagrid's arms and I can't sleep. The dreams don't go away. I woke up screaming. It's a good thing I put a silencing charm on my door." She covered her face with her hands, exhausted of the nightmares and the pain.
Harry put his arm around her shoulder and held her, she leaned in to rest her head on his shoulders. They sat in peace, till Harry felt her soft, rhythmic breath, Ginny had fallen asleep in his arms. Harry scooped her up gently and took her to her bedroom. Harry laid her gently on her bed and tried to free himself without jostling her much, but she held on to his T-shirt, so Harry moved Ginny so that she was resting on his chest and slid on her bed, falling asleep moments later. He was later woken up by Ginny who was hissing frantically for Harry to wake up.
"What? What happened?" He asked groggily.
"Well, I heard mum go up to your room, obviously you are not there, she is going to come in here to check on me and ask me if I know where you are. You have to go."
Harry jumped out of bed and turned on the spot, disappearing from Ginny's room to the Burrow's kitchen. Thankfully the kitchen was empty, he checked the time; it was a little over 7:00. He had just poured himself a cup of tea when Mrs. Weasley entered the kitchen with Ginny in tow.
"Oh! There you are, Harry. Where were you? I was worried."
"I woke up a little early, just thought I would go for a walk. Would you like some tea?"
"Yes well tha-aachoo!" Mrs. Weasley sneezed and rubbed her nose sniffing slightly before sneezing again. Harry and Ginny looked at the Weasley matriarch in alarm as she started showing signs of a cold. Ginny ran to the kitchen cabinet to get a vial of Pepper Up potion as Harry handed the hot tea to Mrs. Weasley. Even when it was just common cold that the pepper up potion had cured instantly Harry felt that Mrs. Weasley should take a break and all but forced her to sit down while he made breakfast.
"Are you sure Harry dear?" She asked fretting a little "I know you have had to cook for yourselves while you were on the run but-"
"I have been cooking breakfast, lunch and dinner for a family of four, which included Dudley, since the age of five, Mrs. Weasley. I can cook decent food and these past two months I learnt how to cook magically. I will be fine." Harry said without turning back to look at Molly and Ginny Weasley who were exchanging horrified looks with each other. Harry had always been tight lipped about his life with his muggle relatives. Molly knew that the Dursleys starved Harry and didn't treat him right all over, but to force a five year old to cook food, risking burns and cuts was too much.
"Did you ever burn yourself, Harry?" she asked in a shaky voice. Harry's back was ramrod straight. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his voice calm. He had let slip a lot, he didn't want to talk about it anymore. "Once or twice. But I was fine. Don't worry about it." He said nonchalantly, shrugging slightly. He really was fine, his past was over, and he wanted to start all over now. Before he knew it, Mrs. Weasley had pulled him in a bone crushing hug, as she cried a little on his shoulder. Harry looked at Ginny over Mrs. Weasley's head; Ginny looked ready to murder someone. She gave him a furious look before stomping out of the kitchen to the backyard. Harry sighed; he would have to talk to her before he left. Mrs. Weasley had released him and was now brushing his shoulders. "It's alright dear, I feel fine. I can make breakfast now." She said smiling at him.
"No; you certainly won't make breakfast. You work yourself too hard. Just sit back. Breakfast is almost ready."
Harry had just set the sausages on the table, when George, Charlie (who would be returning to the Irish reserve he had transferred to after the war), Percy and Mr. Weasley walked in.
"Smells delicious Molly, I have to say I do love Sausages, eggs and toast."
"Well Arthur, you would have to thank Harry for the breakfast; he made it to give me a break." She said with a glare towards her sons who never cooked despite being decent cooks themselves. As everyone settled down for breakfast Harry walked out to the backyard to call Ginny for breakfast. Ginny was sitting by the pond, throwing tiny pebbles in it. She said nothing as Harry took a seat beside her and looked at her guiltily.
"I am not mad at you Harry." She sighed finally, "Maybe a little. I am just mad because life has been so unfair to you. You are a wonderful, caring person who would happily give away all his happiness, even his life for the ones he loved. Why must life be so cruel to you? It's a miracle that you don't hate the world for being cruel to you."
Harry smiled, before leaning in and nudging her side with his side. "I can't hate everyone Ginny for what happened to me. It wasn't their fault. Yes, a lot of people have been unfair to me but in the end I have amazing friends like Ron and Hermione who risked their lives to be with me. I have your family that has accepted me as their own. I have Neville and Luna who believed in me and stood by me, and didn't give up on me when I wasn't there. I have Teddy, who loves me, I think he does. I have Andromeda who treats me as her own child. Most of all I have you, the most amazing woman in this world. Did I ever tell you that I thought about you when I was facing my death? You are my anchor to life Ginny. You held on to me, without knowing when or if I would ever return. And here is a secret; at the Potter Manor, there are portraits of every single Potter, including my grandparents and parents and I added Sirius' portrait there too. I am finally getting a chance to know my family. I would rather have this than the fake love and concern evil dark Lords have."
Harry smiled to himself, and then glanced at Ginny who was staring at him with a blazing expression. She launched herself at Harry, knocking him down, on his back, as she kissed him fiercely. Harry grinned as he kissed her back. They resurfaced after a while for air, he laughed and she grinned at him. "If I knew I would be treated like this, I would have asked the world to be a bit more unfair to me" he teased. Ginny rolled her eyes, before smacking his arm; she got off him and stood up. Harry followed suit, hand in hand they walked back to the Burrow. As soon as Harry entered the kitchen, he heard a happy shriek, Andromeda and Molly were watching George throw Teddy in the air and catch him, Mr. Weasley, Charlie and Percy had already left for work. Teddy, whose hair was a vivid magenta, was laughing. Ginny grinned at Harry before slipping in next to her mother and pulling a plate of sausages to her; Harry sat next to Andromeda, who gave him an excited smile, as he helped himself to some eggs and sausages.
"So how did it go?" Andromeda asked, barely keeping her excitement at bay "I have been dying to ask you this since last night's party, but I figured you wouldn't want to discuss it with everyone. Anyway, did you meet them?"
Harry rolled his eyes, George was now bouncing Teddy in his arms and Molly was giving him her undivided attention, only Ginny was busy eating her breakfast. "Way to kill my surprise, Andromeda. I was waiting for Ron and Hermione and a Weasley dinner to break out the news."
"And how were you planning to explain your constant disappearance to Molly and the others?"
"I didn't think about that! Anyway, George, Mrs. Weasley; I went to the Potter Manor yesterday. Actually I went to Gringotts first, I met my dad's and granddad's and several ancestors' portraits there. They asked me to visit the Manor, to meet the portraits of my mum and grandma and other Potter matriarchs. I also met Sirius' portrait and moved it to Potter Manor and I would probably be going back a lot to meet them."
Mrs. Weasley smiled at him; George gave him an odd expression. "Can we make portraits of dead people now?" he asked with a hopeful gleam in his eyes.
"Well you can, but Fred will not remember you or his true nature. He would only look like Fred. Portraits which preserve the essence of a subject require the blood of the subject as well. It is the blood which helps the subject remember its life and identity. Families like the Blacks and Potters, get baby portraits made which grows with the baby, in case of marriage, the spouse's blood is added to the portrait, with a change in the background of the portrait and instruction. If a partner dies, the portrait stops aging, so that when the other dies, the couple in the portrait would be of the same age, though the portrait of the one that dies later, will remember everything."
The light went out from George's eyes, but before he could mope anymore, Teddy wiggled his finger in George's ear, making George laugh. Harry looked away as Mrs. Weasley dabbed her eyes and Ginny pushed her food around. Andromeda however, smacked her forehead hard; Harry looked at her in alarm. "Remus and Dora left me a vial each of their blood. It should be enough for two portraits, Dora planned on having one portrait at my home and the other at yours, so that they could look over Teddy, should something happen to them during the war. Oh! How could I forget this? She left the vials with me the night she-, the night she-"Andromeda choked, unable to finish her sentence.
"So, will Remus and Dora remember Teddy?" Ginny asked.
Andromeda nodded, "I don't know when they extracted their blood, but they would remember everything till the day they took out their blood. Since the portraits were not made in time, they won't grow with the portraits or remember things after the day their blood parted from their bodies but they will remember enough. If you will excuse me, I will go and get the portraits made right now, it won't take more than a week to finish it off completely." Andromeda walked up to George and kissed Teddy's forehead who was now sporting Turquoise hair and extending his arms towards his grandmother. She walked to the fireplace, before turning guiltily towards Harry. "I know it's a lot to ask but can you please look after Teddy for today? I will come collect him tonight or tomorrow morning, I don't think I will be able to look after him and arrange for the portraits."
"I would love to have Teddy for the day. I guess I can take him with me to the Potter Manor, if you don't mind that is. Is he old enough to be taken out with side along apparition?"
"That would be lovely Harry, I think he would enjoy Potter Manor, and yes, he is old enough for side along apparition, I have taken him with me a few times, but he gets really fussy when you do that, it would be better if you take him through floo."
"I would have flooed there, but sadly, the Manor is not connected to the Burrow, I filled in an application yesterday, but since everyone at the ministry is overworked, they told me that it would take at least a week for the Manor to be connected with the Burrow."
"Oh well! You can take him along. Just make sure you have adequate distraction for him when he starts acting difficult."
"I will take care of that. You go ahead and get the portraits made. Don't worry about Teddy."
"Harry I can take care of Teddy here. Ginny and George would help me out too." Mrs. Weasley said as soon as Andromeda disappeared in the emerald flames.
"No, Mrs. Weasley. You need rest. You work way too hard. And I don't want to burden George right now, he has just started with his plans of re-opening the shop and Lee would be visiting sometime later, he told me that much last night. Ginny has to go out for lunch with Luna, as well as shop for her school supplies. No. Don't cancel your plans." He said as soon as he detected protests from George and Ginny. Mrs. Weasley looked trouble. "You know what Mrs. Weasley; take the day off. Just go relax. Sleep a little more. I will send lunch with the house elves who would also help you with other chores. Just keep a list of chores ready and they will take care of it."
"That is really sweet of you Harry. Thank you."
"It's nothing, Mrs. Weasley really." Harry got placing his plate in the sink and giving Mrs. Weasley a quick side hug, before walking over to George who was busy showing Teddy a fake wand which turned into a parrot with a squack. Teddy would close his eyes at the loud squack but laugh amusedly at the parrot. George grinned at Harry, "Hey Harry, Moonspawn here has the makings of a great trouble maker."
"George, did you just call my Godson; Moonspawn?"
"I think I did." George said, with the ghost of his evil grin.
"Why? Why would you call him Moonspawn?"
"Because he is Moony's son! Get it?"
Harry, Ginny and Mrs. Weasley burst out laughing. "George; you could have called him Moonbeam." Ginny said sticking her tongue out to her elder brother. "Or little Moony" Harry added. George rolled his eyes. "That kid would face a lot of ridicule if we call him Moonbeam."
"He would be picked at a lot if you call him Moonspawn, Georgie." Ginny reminded him.
"Well I like little Moony. He could be a neo Marauder- Little Moony. Thanks Harry"
Harry grinned as he high fived George, before taking Teddy in his arms. Teddy gurgled at Harry, sucking his fist, as his hair turned black and eyes bright green. Harry shook his head, as he walked over to give Ginny a quick hug and kiss on the forehead. He hugged Mrs. Weasley reminding her to keep her list of chores ready as he would be sending a house elf soon. Picked up Teddy's bag from the kitchen counter and walked out of the kitchen towards the field, beyond the protective enchantments of the Burrow.
AN: As always, Happy reading. Please do read and review. I have decided on continuing with the fic. I would appreciate it greatly if you could put in your views and opinions. Should Remus and Dora be placed at Potter Manor for instance? If yes, then where? In Teddy's nursery/ future room or in the study with the others?