A/N: Hi, everyone! This chapter's a bit of a shorter one. It was going to have a Valerie explanation, but I've decided to leave that for chapter three. I think you'll really come to like her, and I'm sure you'll like Ginny's story as well. Thanks! And please review! I love reading the reviews! - B
Harry woke up early New Year's Eve morning with the distinct feeling that something wasn't right. After a few seconds of wondering what could have woken him up so early, he noticed desperate-sounding moans from Jamie's bed.
Harry grabbed his glasses, shot out of bed, and practically leaped over to Jamie to see what was wrong.
"Jamie," Harry sighed sadly, his heart breaking at the pained expression on Jamie's face. "What's wrong, darling? Are you hurt?"
Harry then noticed that Kate was laying on top of Jamie's arm.
"There we go, dear," Harry said, gently lifting Kate and maneuvering Jamie's arm out from underneath her. "That feels better doesn't it." Harry watched as Jamie's moans quieted and his grimace faded back into the neutral expression that Harry had gotten quite familiar with over the past several weeks. "I'm sorry you were hurt, but I'm so happy you let me know something was wrong. That's such a huge improvement. I'm so proud of you, darling."
After placing Jamie's arm in a more comfortable position so that Kate wouldn't be able to roll on top of it again, Harry went back to bed, noting that it was still quite early and assuming that it must have been Jamie's moaning that woke him up.
Just as Harry laid his head down for a few more hours of sleep, he heard a faint knock at the door.
"Hello," Harry sleepily answered the door after a few seconds of working up the energy to get out of bed for a second time.
"Hello, Mr. Potter," greeted the head of Jamie's team of healers, Meredith Thompson. "Sorry to disturb you, but we've received word from Minerva McGonagall that you're needed urgently at Hogwarts."
"Alright," Harry said, hoping Healer Thompson didn't hear the reluctance in his voice. "Did she say why?"
Healer Thompson began looking a bit uncomfortable, very much like someone who had more information than they were allowed to disclose. "Well, no, no, she did not."
Harry nodded. "Tell her I'll be there in a few minutes."
Just as Harry finished getting ready to go to Hogwarts, Valerie stirred.
"What's going on?" Valerie asked sleepily. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's fine, love. McGonagall just needs me at Hogwarts."
Valerie yawned. "What for?"
"I'm not sure yet," Harry admitted, walking over to Valerie. "But I'll let you know when I get back."
"Alright, dear," Valerie said, beginning to doze off again. "Love you."
"Love you, too" Harry chuckled, kissing Valerie before leaving the room.
After a few minutes, Harry was stepping out of the fireplace in Professor McGonagall's office.
"Good morning, Professor," Harry greeted. "You said you needed me here?"
Professor McGonagall looked up from her desk, and Harry was shocked to see, not the face of the older woman that had become almost like a stern parent to him, but rather a fairly young woman who looked to be in her early-to-mid forties. "Oh, yes, Mr. Potter. Please, have a seat."
Just as Harry sat down and was about to ask what was going on, frantic knocking came from Professor McGonagall's office door.
"Professor Dumbledore!" said a frantic-sounding male voice. "Professor Dumbledore! We can't find Harry anywhere! Please, help!"
Harry found this very odd as Albus Dumbledore, who had been Hogwarts headmaster when Harry and his friends were at Hogwarts, had died over twenty years ago, near the end of Harry's sixth year. Harry also thought he might have heard the person at the door say they couldn't find 'Harry', but surely they didn't mean him. There were plenty of other people called "Harry" especially since the war ended.
"Professor?" Harry started hesitantly.
"Just a moment, Mr. Potter," Professor McGonagall said, standing up to answer the door.
"Oh, hello, Professor McGonagall," said the voice at the door. "Is Professor Dumbledore here? I-we really need to see him."
"Why don't you both come inside?"
Harry turned around and was shocked to see two oddly familiar faces, a man with messy black hair and hazel eyes and a woman with long wavy red hair and bright green eyes.
"Oh, hello, there" the man greeted Harry with a smile.
As Professor McGonagall and the couple walked closer, Harry realized why the two faces seemed familiar.
Just as Harry was about to ask Professor McGonagall to explain, the woman who was now looking closely at Harry spoke.
"Professor, what's going on?"
"Please, have a seat," Professor McGonagall said, transfiguring two chairs from random objects on her desk before sitting down herself.
"What is the last thing you remember?" Professor McGonagall asked the couple once they were seated.
"Well, that's actually what we wanted to talk to Dumbledore about," said the man. "You see, last night, Voldemort broke in, and I tried holding him off. And I'm not really sure what happened, but I woke up on the floor of our living room, and Lily was screaming saying she couldn't find Harry."
Not only did these two people look eerily like his parents had, the man also seemed to have just recounted Harry's father's final moments and had just called the woman sitting next to him "Lily", Harry's mother's name.
If this surprised Professor McGonagall, she certainly hadn't shown it.
"What about you, Lily?" Professor McGonagall asked the woman, making a point to ont look at Harry.
"Well, I heard James say that I should take Harry and run, so I ran upstairs and before I could apparate Voldemort stormed in and tried to get me to give Harry to him," the woman began tearing up. "I begged him not to take Harry, but when I woke up on the floor of Harry's room, Voldemort was gone and Harry wasn't in his crib."
Harry was now certain that he was sitting next to his parents and that the baby they were speaking about was him.
"Can either of you tell me what year it is?" Professor McGonagall asked calmly, as though this was a question she often asked in typical conversation.
"Erm, 1981," James said, looking extremely confused. "Why?"
Professor McGonagall sighed, before turning to Harry. "Harry, would you care to inform us of today's date?"
This caught Harry very much off guard, and he tried his best not to look at the shocked and somewhat saddened faces of his parents. "December 31, 2022, Professor," Harry said, looking steadfastly at Professor McGonagall. "Although given the circumstances, I can't say that with much certainty."
Professor McGonagall gave Harry a small smile. "You are correct, Harry. And I believe I owe you an explanation."
"It appears that, in an attempt to ensure his immortality in the event that he did not defeat you, Voldemort has created a spell that would bring back everyone lost during the war," Professor McGonagall informed Harry.
"Wait," interrupted James. "So, you're saying that Harry ended up defeating Voldemort?"
"Yes, however, so as to not waste any time, we shall save that explanation for later," Professor McGonagall said before continuing to inform Harry of the events that occured over the last few hours.
Professor McGonagall went on to explain that everyone who had been of age when Harry had first defeated Voldemort on October 31, 1981 or at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts on May 2, 1998 was returned back to the age that they were at that time and that those who had died had been returned to their place of death.
"So, everyone that's been returned is here to stay?" Harry asked hesitantly after Professor McGonagall was done explaining.
"Yes," answered Professor McGonagall. "They will all be able to live out the rest of their lives."
"And Voldemort's still gone."
"Yes, seeing as all of the Horcruxes have been destroyed, there is no way for him to return."
"So, what do we do now?" Harry asked.
Professor McGonagall paused for a few seconds before answering. "Well, we'll have quite a task returning everyone who died both here and at the Ministry of Magic to their families."
"Where is everyone?" Harry asked now eager to see the loved ones he had lost throughout the war.
Professor McGonagall stood up. "We have those who died here at Hogwarts seated in the Great Hall. You're welcome to come and see them."
Harry eagerly stood up. "Of course."
Just as Professor McGonagall walked to the door with Harry following closely behind, James spoke.
"Wait," James said almost frantically, looking at Harry. "Erm, sorry, I-I just, erm, can I… can I give you a hug?"
Harry, who had been deprived of hugs from his parents for over forty years and certainly didn't think he'd ever have the chance to, was at a loss for words, and after a several seconds, opted for an awkward nod.
James practically ran over to Harry before holding him tightly.
"Oh, my little Harry," James sobbed. "You're so big now."
Lily smiled at the pair, before rushing over to join the hug.
"I suppose you have places to be," Lily said tearfully, once the small family reunion was over. "D-Dad and I'll just be waiting here."
Harry nodded, wiping his eyes on his sleeve, before leaving with Professor McGonagall.
Harry only had to be in the Great Hall for a few seconds before several people came rushing towards him.
"There you are, Harry," Remus Lupin, Teddy's father and one of James' best friends, said once the crowd around Harry had died down. "Dora and I have been looking for you. It seems that the battle's over now. We're thinking of going home to the little one."
It broke Harry's heart knowing that the "little one" that Remus was happily referring to was now a twenty-six-year-old man.
"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks said, bounding over to Harry. "We should be heading home now. It'd be good to take Teddy off my mum's hands. I know they said terrible twos would be hard, but Teddy's on a completely different level, and he's not even two yet."
"You have no idea," Harry mumbled under his breath, remembering the times he had to babysit two-year-old Teddy when his grandmother Andromeda was too sick to take care of him.
January 30, 1999
However Harry imagined spending his Saturday night, he certainly hadn't expected to be engaged in an intense face off with a naked toddler.
"Teddy, come here right now. You need to put on your pajamas," Harry said, trying his best to not lose his temper. "It is time for bed."
"NO!" an angry bright-red-haired Teddy shouted, crossing his arms as best a two-year-old could. "NO! NO! NO!"
Teddy, for what felt like the hundredth time that night, promptly ran out of the room and bolted downstairs.
Harry sighed, grabbing a diaper and Teddy's pajamas before following Teddy down the stairs.
Harry looked around the living room for his godson.
Harry couldn't quite understand why Teddy was being so fussy. The entire day had gone very well. Teddy had happily eaten all of his meals, had enjoyed an hour of playing in the park, and had allowed Harry to wash his hair during bath time. Teddy had even allowed Harry to dry him off and rub baby lotion on him. However, as soon as Harry had mentioned putting on pajamas, Teddy had lost it.
"Teddy, I've had enough of this," Harry said. "Please, just let me get you dressed. We can watch a movie until you fall asleep. Just please come here."
Just then Harry noticed the curtains move. Walking as quietly as he could, he moved the curtains before picking up the now-screaming toddler.
"NO! NO! NO!"
"We need to wear clothes, Teddy," Harry said, laying Teddy down to put his diaper on and being careful to avoid the tiny legs trying to kick him. "We can't just run around naked."
"NO!" Teddy kept screaming. "NO WANT!"
After several minutes of struggling, Harry had finally gotten Teddy dressed.
"There we go, Teddy," Harry said, feeling quite out of breath. "Was that really so bad?"
Teddy growled before throwing himself to the floor and screaming.
Harry sighed, feeling grateful that Hermione had baby-proofed his flat a few months ago, so that Teddy wouldn't be able to accidentally hurt himself. "I'm sorry you're upset, Teddy, but you need to wear pajamas. It's winter now, and I don't want you getting sick."
Harry's heart hurt seeing his orphaned godson cry, however, he knew he had to remember Mrs. Weasley's advice that the best way to deal with a toddler temper tantrum was to ignore it. As much as he wanted Teddy to grow up in a loving, nurturing environment, he also wanted Teddy to grow up into a good, unspoiled person. He certainly didn't want Teddy to think that kicking and screaming was the way to get what you want in life.
Harry kept the still-screaming Teddy in his line of sight, while sitting down on the couch and watching a children's movie, knowing that Teddy would eventually get tired and want to lie down.
Sure enough, after ten minutes of continuous screaming, Teddy toddled over to the couch with his wolf cuddly toy and his blanket in his tiny arms.
"Do you want to lie down, Teddy-bear?" Harry asked affectionately, reaching down to pick the toddler up.
Teddy nodded, his hair and eyes subconsciously changing to match Harry's.
"Okay, darling," Harry said, cuddling the little boy to his chest before laying down on the couch. "I love you."
"Lub oo," Teddy said, snuggling his head into Harry's chest.
"We'll just head upstairs and use one of the fireplaces to floo home," Tonks said, grabbing Remus hand and heading towards the door.
"No!" Harry blurted out. "Erm, I mean, erm, just… just wait a moment."
Both Remus and Tonks looked quite confused. "Alright," Remus said, looking concerned. "What's going on?"
Just as Harry began collecting his thoughts and figuring out how to explain the past twenty four years to Remus and Tonks, another person came running over.
"Hey, there, Harry!" Fred Weasley said. "You haven't seen George anywhere, have you? Or Ron? Or Percy? Or anyone really?"
As difficult as it was to see Remus and Tonks, it couldn't compare to how Harry felt seeing Fred. Ron's identical twin brothers, Fred and George, had been two of the first people to interact with him at Hogwarts, and despite them being two years older than him, they both welcomed him with open arms. While Harry had initially blamed himself for Fred's death, George, along with the rest of the Weasley family, had ensured him that it was not his fault and that Fred would not have blamed him.
May 7, 1998
"Hey, mate," George said, opening the front door to the Weasley family home, affectionately called the "Burrow". "Come on in."
Harry hesitantly walked through the door.
"It's been a while," George said, cheerfully. "I've been starting to think you've been avoiding us. Can I get you something to drink?"
"No, thanks," Harry answered quietly.
"Okay," George said, plopping down on the couch. "What can I do for you?"
Harry sat down before awkwardly ringing his hands. "Well, I, erm, I just…" Harry paused, trying to work up the courage to speak to George. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry, you know, for… for everything."
George's happy facade began to fade.
"Oh," George said, after a few seconds. "Well, you really haven't got anything to be sorry for."
Harry sighed. "Fred shouldn't be dead. He should be here. And he would have been here, if… if I had just gone to Voldemort sooner. But I didn't and now he's dead. And… I'm sorry."
As much as Harry tried to keep himself together, he couldn't stop himself from sobbing. He barely noticed, George wrapping his arms around him.
"Shhh," George whispered soothingly. "It's going to be alright."
After a few minutes, Harry's sobbing began to subside.
"Sorry," Harry chuckled.
"It's alright," George said. "Honestly, you shouldn't bottle up your emotions like that. You'll explode."
Harry and George sat in silence for a few minutes before Harry spoke again.
"How are you handling this so well?" Harry asked, realizing that he had rarely seen George cry over Fred's death and even when he had, it had only been a few tears rather than a sobbing fit. Also, on top of having to lose his identical twin and best friend, George also had to lose his closest unrelated friend, Ava Brennan, who was also Fred's girlfriend.
George sighed. "I suppose I've had to, you know, for Tessa."
Harry nodded sadly.
Theresa Maeve "Tessa" Brennan-Weasley was Fred and Ava's daughter who was born only one day before the Battle of Hogwarts which had killed both of her parents. Since the Battle of Hogwarts, George, along with the other members of the Weasley family had been taking care of Tessa.
"How has Tessa been?"
"She's been good. I've just given her a bottle and put her down for a nap," George answered, looking quite sad. "It hurts that she probably doesn't even remember them anymore, though. "
"I just wish they could see her," George said after a few moments of silence.
"Oh, hi, Tonks. Hi, Remus. Have either of you seen George?" Fred asked.
"No, actually," said Remus. "I saw him earlier with Bill, but I haven't seen him since."
"Actually, that's part of what I wanted to talk to you about," Harry said, finally working up the courage to explain what happened, not only during the Battle of Hogwarts, but also over the past two decades.
After several minutes, Harry had managed to reiterate everything Professor McGonagall had informed him of, along with other details he thought might be helpful.
"Wow," Fred said, after several seconds.
"So, I guess our little one's not so little anymore," Tonks said with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Nope," Harry confirmed. "If it helps, he's grown into a wonderful man and a very good person."
Remus nodded. "That's good to hear."
"How about Tessa?" Fred asked eagerly. "How is she?"
"What's this about Tessa?" Ava Brennan asked, entering the conversation.
"Oh, there you are, dear," Fred said, smirking mischievously. "How are your forties treating you?"
"What the fuck are you on about this time, Weasley?" Ava asked, with a hint of annoyance. "Anyway, Harry, did you hear something about Tessa? Is she alright?"
Harry quickly reexplained everything that had been going on to Ava.
"Oh, wow," said Ava. "That was certainly unexpected."
"Yep," Tonks and Fred said simultaneously.
"So, that would make Tessa twenty-four years old, now?" Ava asked Harry.
"Yes," Harry confirmed.
"What's she like?" Fred asked, seemingly eager to hear more about his daughter.
"Well, she's really a lovely person," Harry answered honestly. "Just as mischievous as should be expected, though."
"Oh, yes," said Professor McGonagall, who seemed to overhear some of the conversation. "But certainly a bright girl."
"Well, that's good news," said Ava.
Harry nodded. "George has done quite a good job raising her. I don't want to reveal too much, though. You should get to meet her first."
Fred and Ava nodded excitedly.
"I think we should start getting everyone back home," Professor McGonagall told Harry.
"Alright, then," Harry said, standing up.
"You can take Remus, Tonks, Fred, Ava, and your parents wherever you feel is best," Professor McGonagall. "I can handle the rest."
"Are you sure, Professor?" Harry asked, noting that there must have been at least a few dozen people wandering the Great Hall.
"I'm quite sure, Harry," Professor McGonagall said, smiling. "You've certainly helped enough, and I wouldn't have bothered you had this not so clearly involved you."
"Alright, Professor," Harry said leading his small group out of the Great Hall and into Professor McGonagall's office, so that they could floo back to his home. "Good luck."