Tracking spells had proved useless. But of course that just meant that their baby was guarded well. Harry sighed as he kept moving the mother of pearl pendulum over the map of England hoping that at some point the crystal would drop to the area where his baby was. He'd been doing this in any free moment he had for the past month. His baby was almost nine months along. He should be born any day now… if he actually was still alive. This method was a desperate attempt to find their baby as looking with a crystal was unpredictable, never wrong, but it didn't often work.
Hermione had immediately backtracked on her idea not wanting to raise Harry's hopes. Everyone else agreed that Harry should move on.
Harry turned to look at the door when he heard it open and saw Severus coming inside. "Welcome back." Harry smiled gently. Severus came to the couch to kiss him gently.
"Have you had dinner?" he asked. Harry shook his head gently.
"Not yet…" he sighed looking down at the map. Severus came to sit beside him soon after placing some sandwiches and tea on the smaller coffee table he dragged over from beside the couch.
"Here, eat, I'll search for a little while." Severus said taking the pendulum and searching as well. Harry smiled faintly. Severus was the only one that still believed him. Taking a bite of the sandwiches and a sip of tea, he already felt much better. "How are you feeling?" Severus asked moving his hand steadily over all the islands of Scotland.
"I'm ok… It still really hurts… But I get the feeling that the baby's at least in a warm place…" Harry whispered rubbing his sore stomach.
"We'll find him." Severus whispered. Harry smiled leaning against Severu's left arm.
"I told you, it's a girl." Severus simply chuckled. After scouring the British isles with the pendulum he sighed and shook his head.
"We need to start trying other countries." He said and stood to get a scroll from the corner. Harry rolled up the map of the United Kingdom and put it to the side, helping Severus unroll the map of Europe.
"I'll get the cup." Harry said going to bring a silver goblet engraved with magical runes that was sitting over the fireplace. He brought it over in front of Severus and the other took out a small athame. A quick slice to each of their thumbs was enough for their blood to mix into the goblet.
"Go on Harry." Severus encouraged him and Harry nodded taking a deep breath and placing his hands over the goblet.
He concentrated, focusing all his magic to finding his baby. He pictured his baby, pictured its warmth. He tried to picture where his little one could be, tried to stretch their connection, tried to locate it. Severus brought the pendulum into the cup as Harry muttered the spell under his breath. A burst of power caused the cup to tip over in a faint explosion making both Harry and Severus pull back. Their blood fell as a small spray of droplets and the crystal landed on the map.
"What happened?" Harry asked gently.
"I'm not certain." Severus said. Both reached for the pendulum at the same time. As they both gripped the chain they were both harshly pulled forward with unbelievable force as the crystal streaked through the map. Harry couldn't even let go of the pendulum at this time feeling as if his hand was spelled to remain holding onto the pendulum. The blood coated crystal passed past the Mediterranean, past Italy and stopped at the south west of Germany.
"Severus…" Harry whispered as he felt the magic release them and the mother of pearl remained turning on its spot. Severus stared at the map, in as much shock as Harry.
"My hero." Severus teased Harry turning to kiss him deeply and instantly bolted up from the couch to find a bigger map of Germany.
"This means that the certificate is false…" Harry said summoning the certificate sent by Madame Meriwether toward him for inspection. "Redbridge says she doesn't have any old deatheater ties… who would want our baby if there are no more deatheaters at large?" Harry asked.
"What made you think that?" Severus asked cursing that he didn't have any current maps of Germany. "There are family members who might be eager for revenge."
"There are? Who? Wouldn't family members of any deatheaters be closely monitored?" Harry asked.
"Perhaps… but we must also consider families with a strong obsession for you." Severus said coming to sit beside him once more.
"Someone willing to pay anything to raise our child as their own?" Harry whispered. The thought made both of them furious.
"We have to tell the others. We might get ambushed when we get there… we don't know what we'll find." Severus said. Harry agreed standing with him when a sharp excruciating pain shot through his abdomen.
"Aghk!" Harry cried out holding his abdomen, doubling over, throwing up blood. In shock at what he was seeing Harry covered his mouth but the blood still passed through his fingers.
"Harry!" Severus held him stable as his legs shook and Harry took deep breaths when it stopped trying to calm down.
Severus watched helpless as his husband's body became more and more injured by the extraction of their child. Their child was all the way in Germany, somehow Harry's body had maintained the connection even at that distance but even Harry's powers weren't enough to protect him from the physical toll on his body.
"Something's happening Severus. I'm… feeling a pull… here…" Harry whispered holding his navel.
"I'm getting Madame Pomfrey." Severus said turning to leave. Harry felt the pulling getting stronger and grabbed onto Severu's wrist.
This wasn't the connection… not entirely… he could feel the familiar force of apparition. He hugged Severus tightly when the other tried to break free to go get help and in seconds they were both pulled away from there.
Severus pulled away from Harry when they landed on the floor but Harry landed on his hands and knees throwing up again.
"You fool! You apparated us to the middle of nowhere! You need medical care!" Severus exclaimed looking around. There was nothing but a thick collection of trees in every direction, the bright greenery barely allowed any sunlight through to the ground. There was enough however for Severus to see a very narrow gravel path. The problem was that he had no idea which way would lead them out. He needed a landmark to know where they were, he couldn't just apparate them without knowing where they were originally.
Nonetheless there was a way to try and get help and with a wave of his wand he sent his doe patronus to Hogwarts, knowing the doe would find its way, though he had no way of knowing how long it would take.
He turned to look back at his husband only to see him crawling in one direction of the gravel already. "Harry…" he whispered coming to him and reached down to pick him up, giving him a quick clean up with his wand.
"This way Severus…" Harry whispered pointing down the path. There was definitely more light seen down that way so Severus figured there was no problem in heading toward it. It didn't take a minute before a small little german cottage appeared in a small clearing amongst the large tall trees.
"Are we in…?" Severus whispered.
"Wer bist du?" Severus turned to see an old woman dressed in what must be traditional clothes coming down what must have been another small gravel path to the side of the cottage.
"We don't speak german." Severus said and the woman looked surprised.
"I see… she said you would come when the child is born. I haven't even had time to tell her." The old woman said with a hint of a german accent. "Is your companion hurt?" She asked looking at Harry.
Harry shuddered and whimpered curling himself even more in the other's arm. "He is, allow us to stay in your home, I can pay." Severus said wondering just how the woman knew they would come. She sighed and nodded leading them into her cottage.
Severus expected it to be bigger on the inside but the cottage was as small as you could see from the outside. A small kitchen and dining table to the left and a small bedroom to the right with a small attic filled with hey to stop the heat from escaping.
"I'm alright Severus…" Harry mumbled standing once more but resting against Severus. Instantly both were already looking around trying to see where their child was.
The woman seemed to have no intent in keeping the child from them and brought over a basket that was near the oven, where it was warm. She placed it on the table and Harry gripped tightly onto Severus' hand as they saw their perfect peach coloured egg there, giving little shakes.
"Still won't be out for a few hours or a day. You may hold it if you wish." She said. Harry felt a painful knot forming at the back of his throat and sobbed as he reached for the baby. The egg had grown quite a bit. About twice its original size.
"My baby." Harry sobbed bringing the child close to his chest feeling the painful sting fade altogether and the worry they'd been feeling for so long flew out the window.
"How did… our child come under your… care?" Severus asked very slowly to avoid killing this woman right where he stood.
"Same as they all do, though they've never come in this form… That lady Meriwether has me take care of abandoned newborns every number of years until their new parents come for them. Since they're from that world she said my secluded home was ideal." She said simply going to put wood into the oven.
Harry sobbed looking at Severus. "Meriwether…" He whispered petting his baby gently. He didn't know how but he felt his baby's happiness at being reunited with them. Severus didn't hesitate either as he leaned down to kiss their child and held Harry close, petting the baby egg.
"May we take our child?" Severus asked carrying on with the farce.
"Oh, well no, I'd rather wait until the lady Meriwether comes." She said.
"Of course, we understand." Harry said and with his powers recovering, he raised his hand and knocked the woman right out. "Let's go home." Harry whispered.
"Let's go home." Severus agreed not giving the woman a second glance as they walked out. "I think I can apparate us back now." Severus said once outside. Harry nodded, he himself felt about to collapse.
Once in their home he did just that, his knees gave way and he slid to the ground holding the egg close against him and burst into tears. Severus found himself sliding down beside him wrapping his arms around Harry as Harry wrapped his around their child.
Severus vowed that he would never again let either one of them get hurt like this again. "I love you Harry…" Severus whispered gently and Harry smiled up at him through his tears. He kept crying despite and Severus smiled when he realised the other was crying from happiness.
"We did it." The broken words were enough to make Severus lose the composure he was trying to maintain when all the worry for his husband's health and child melted away. His eyes stung and he simply held Harry closer to him, burying his face against Harry's neck.