* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
PART FOUR
Brave New World
Chapter 94: The End of the Beginning
* ~ February 2003 – Three Years Later ~ *
Potter Manor
"Teddy! Come downstairs and try on your robes for Uncle Nev's wedding!"
Harry snorted in amusement as a thundering sound above alerted them that Teddy was on his way.
Daphne shook her head in amusement and handed Harry a bottle of milk, "I should have added quietly to that sentence."
"It wouldn't have made a difference," Harry said with a smile as he popped the bottle into the mouth of the four-month-old baby in his lap.
"Where are my robes, Mum?" Teddy asked as he bounded into the kitchen.
"Hanging up," Daphne said, motioning to the back of the pantry door, "What do you think?"
Teddy, who was about to turn five and had grown up far too quickly for Harry and Daphne's liking, grinned, "I love the colour!"
Harry chuckled, "Auntie Lilly picked the colour scheme."
"Far better than the colour scheme of Auntie Hermione's wedding," Daphne said, ruffling her son's hair, "But you were too young to remember that hideous gold spattered affair."
"Don't taint him," Harry joked, "What if he wants to be a Gryffindor?"
"Then I have to educate him," Daphne said, shooting Harry a grin.
The robes were deep blue with bronze cuffs, the colours were very Ravenclaw-esque, but they also went together rather well.
"Try them on then," Daphne said, "I need to make any adjustments needed tonight, so chop, chop."
Teddy grabbed the robes and disappeared to try them on. Daphne glanced over at Harry and shook her head in disbelief, "Has he just drained that whole bottle for you?"
"Yeah," Harry said, shooting her a grin, "I don't know why you act like he's such a pain to feed. He always demolishes his food for me."
"That's because you're his favourite," Daphne said, smiling fondly at her husband and the half-asleep baby in his arms. He had a head full of messy black hair and brown eyes.
"Course I am," Harry said as he looked down at the sleeping boy, "I found him."
* ~ 4 MONTHS EARLIER ~ *
"Still weird having a building, isn't it?"
"Weird?" Rob scoffed, "Harry, it's bloody awesome!"
Harry chuckled and sipped his coffee, sensing that Rob was going to go into a long monologue.
"I went from being one bloke on my own in the corner of the bloody bullpen to having a whole team full of baby Aurors," Rob began.
"Juniors," Harry cut in.
"Same thing," Rob said with a wave of his hand, "And now look at me. I'm running CPS-"
"In conjunction with Elizabeth," Harry cut in.
Rob glared at him, "Would ya quit taking the glory away from me?"
Harry smirked and sipped his coffee, "Just saying. But anyway, carry on."
Rob shot him an irritated look, "Now I run CPS, in conjunction with Elizabeth, out of our own building right here on Diagon Alley. I never thought that would be what it took to make me happy, but I'm pretty damn happy."
"The new wife and baby probably help with that too," Harry pointed out with an amused smile.
"Well yeah, that's also a factor," Rob said with a grin.
Harry laughed and said, "You better drink your coffee. It's going to be a long night."
"Yeah," Rob agreed with a sigh, "You sure you don't mind working tonight?"
"What, you think I can't hack the night shift on Halloween?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at his boss and friend, "What would I be doing if I wasn't here?"
"Crying over a photo album?" Rob joked.
Harry snorted, "Nah, haven't done that in years. I'm fine to work tonight. It takes my mind off of the date, if I'm honest."
"Closes are going to be fucking chaotic tonight," Rob said, glancing at the clock on the wall of the office. The building that Child Protective Services had moved into was relatively small but conveniently located. The vulnerable people who lived in the Closes could easily visit them, which made the location vital. The CPS building was always open so that it could be a refuge to those in need, regardless of the time of day or night.
An alarm on the wall behind them rang, and Rob drained the last of his coffee, "First call of the night. It's Halloween, and the moon is full. People are gonna be acting crazy tonight, mate."
"Great," Harry muttered sarcastically as he followed Rob out of the building.
"So Wolfie," Harry grinned as they walked along a deserted Diagon Alley, "When you said things were going to be wild, did you expect an actual werewolf?"
"Of all the things I expected tonight, that was definitely not one of them," Rob admitted.
"Reckon he'll get off on the charges?"
"He bit someone's arm off, so without an excellent lawyer, I doubt it," Rob remarked sarcastically.
"I'll give Hermione a call in the morning."
Rob snorted, about to tell Harry that he couldn't rely on Hermione to save every lost soul in the world. But before he could, a sharp cry had them both on edge. It was the middle of the night. There was no way that anybody should have been out here with a baby.
"Did you hear that?" Harry asked.
Rob nodded, his ears pricking up as he looked down the close, "Harry, look."
Harry followed his line of sight to the CPS building.
"Oh my God," Harry breathed when he saw the bundle on the steps.
In unison, they ran to the steps of the building, where they saw the baby wrapped up in a warm, fur blanket.
Harry picked the bundle up and took it inside, knowing that Rob was on his heels. They got to the office, and Harry peeled the blanket back. His anxiety kicked in when he saw that the baby had no clothes on beneath the blanket.
"He must be freezing," Harry said, turning to look at Rob, "And we have no idea how long he was out there for."
"Floo Neville's Healer missus, now," Rob said, checking the babies vitals with a basic healing charm.
Harry nodded and rushed to the fireplace. The moment he told Lilly that there was a baby in the building who could be sick, she stepped through the fireplace in her pyjamas.
"Oh my God," Lilly said in horror when she looked at the baby, "He's tiny, and…look at the cord, Harry."
Harry looked down. It was relatively long and looked like someone with a shaky hand had cut it. The slice from the severing charm was most definitely not in a straight line.
"He was born tonight," Harry realised.
Lilly nodded and gently pressed her hand against the babies chest. She shut her eyes and listened for a moment; then she performed a few diagnostic charms. While they were running, she cast a warming charm on the baby and asked, "Do you have any baby clothes here?"
"No," Harry replied, "They are all at Lupin House."
"We'll just transfigure something then," Lilly said. She glanced around the room and saw a blanket lying on the back of a chair. Without asking whose it was, she transfigured it into a babygro and began to dress the little boy.
Once the suit was on, he began to settle down.
"He must be hungry, but we don't have any baby milk here," Lilly said. She looked up at Harry and Rob, "He's healthy, he was a little on the cold side, but I've sorted that out with a couple of warming charms. But…he's so young, he's hours old."
"Whoever left him there must have been desperate," Harry said, looking at the baby boy as his eyes drifted shut.
Rob nodded his agreement, "Young probably, under-age, I suspect. She probably gave birth alone, and she was probably terrified."
Lilly nodded tearfully, "So she left him here because this is advertised as a safe place, a refuge for any child in need."
"Like a fire station," Harry and Rob said in unison.
Lilly reached down and touched the tiny baby boys cheek, "What are you going to do with him?"
"We'll have to take him to Lupin House," Rob said, looking sadly at the baby, "And unless someone adopts him, that will be all he ever knows until he goes to Hogwarts, assuming he's not a squib that is."
"I doubt it," Lilly said honestly, "I did a blood test when I checked him over and…he's a pureblood."
"A pureblood?" Harry asked in surprise.
Rob frowned, "That rules out the Closes."
"I hate to think about the circumstances of this poor little boys birth," Harry said, swallowing a lump in his throat. He had been unable to take his eyes off of the boy, "We can't take him to Lupin House. They are already operating at full capacity…and a baby this young requires full-time care."
Rob looked at Harry in disbelief, "Well, I can't take him home. I've already got Nick, and Natasha isn't even a year old yet."
"I know, I wasn't asking you to take him home, Rob," Harry said quietly.
Rob's eyes widened, "What? You? You're just going to take this baby home?"
"Wouldn't be the first time, would it?" Harry asked.
"Yeah, you've taken kids home temporarily until we could find room at Lupin House or track down family for them," Rob agreed, "But you've never taken a baby in Harry, a newborn baby."
Lilly looked her friend in the eye, "If Daphne doesn't kill you for it, maybe it would do you both some good."
Rob frowned between the two of them as Harry held Lilly's gaze for a second.
"Yeah," Harry said, looking back at the little boy, "Maybe it would."
"I'll head home and change," Lilly said, grabbing Harry's arm, "Then I'll go via Potter Manor and grab Daphne. Okay?"
Harry nodded, "I'll floo you if anything changes."
Lilly stepped back into the fireplace, and Rob, in a completely uncharacteristic moment, hugged Harry.
Harry drew back in surprise, "Uh Rob…are you feeling alright?"
"Yeah, mate, I'm just sorry," Rob said, sympathy shining in his eyes, "I'm sorry that I didn't realise sooner. I guess with everything going on in my life, I've not been the best friend in the world."
Harry swallowed and forced himself to look at his boss, "What are you talking about?"
"You don't have to play the tough guy with me, Harry," Rob said, his tone softer than usual, "You and Daphne can't have kids, can you?"
Harry sighed and looked away from Rob, "Two years on, it's not looking likely," he admitted.
Rob put his hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "Maybe you two could give this one a home, then."
"Yeah, maybe," Harry said, smiling at the sleeping infant.
"You're thinking about the night you found Al again, aren't you?" Daphne asked her husband.
Harry drew himself out of his thoughts, "Yeah, I think about it all the time."
"I know you do," Daphne said, sitting down across from him at the table, "But you need to stop dragging yourself through it. You did the right thing by bringing him home, and we did the right thing by adopting him."
Harry caught her gaze, "I just think about who his real parents are all the time. It's not like with Teddy when we knew his whole backstory. This is different, and we just don't know if someone will come back and fight for him one day."
"If they do, we will face that together, and we will fight just as hard to keep him," Daphne promised Harry, "Regardless of how he came into our life, he is our son, as much as Teddy is."
"And you think he's going to be okay?" Harry asked, meeting his wife's eyes.
"Of course I do," Daphne said softly, "Why do you think I suggested the name Alastor? He survived being left out on that doorstep when he was a few hours old. He's a tough little guy Harry. He can survive anything."
"Just like Moody," Harry said with a smile.
"Exactly," Daphne said, reaching out and grabbing his hand.
"Thanks, love," Harry sighed, "I needed that tonight."
"I know you did," Daphne said, reaching across the sleeping baby to kiss him on the cheek.
"Draco! Draco! Draco!"
"What? Are you dying?"
Hermione looked up in disbelief, "Am I dying?"
"Well, you just shouted my name three times from the top of the house," Draco pointed out as he buttoned up his flashy red Auror robes.
"Yes, because I need to talk to you before you go to work," Hermione said, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Well, I just jogged up the stairs thinking someone was strangling you, so spit it out," Draco said, smiling at her fondly.
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Working in Organised Crime is making you paranoid."
"Oh, come off it, working in Organised Crime makes you want me, right?" Draco teased.
Hermione shot him an exasperated look, "You're unbelievable, do you know that?"
Draco chuckled, "What's up? It sounded pretty important."
"It is," Hermione said, "But if I tell you, you can't tell anyone else, okay? That means Theo, as well."
"I can't tell Theo?" Draco asked in surprise.
"You can't tell Theo," Hermione confirmed.
"But you always let me tell Theo," Draco objected.
"Well, this time, you can't," Hermione said with a wave of her hand, "It's way too early."
"Too earl-" Draco's eyes widened, "Oh, sweet Salazar! Too early? You're pregnant!"
Hermione beamed at him, "Yes!"
Draco's face broke out into a grin, "Yes! Oh, Hermione, this is great news!"
"I know," Hermione said brightly, "But you can't tell Theo, not until we've been through all of the checks, okay?"
"Okay," Draco said, kissing her excitedly, "I won't tell him, I promise."
Hermione laughed and nudged him towards the stairs, "On you go then. I don't want to think about what Sumner would do to you if you're late in your first week at Organised Crime."
"I'm going," Draco said, shooting her a grin as he jogged down the stairs backwards, "A baby!"
"A baby," Hermione agreed, chuckling at his response.
She shook her head in amusement as she heard the front door slam. At that point, she took a step across the hall to her bedroom and felt her stomach churn, "Oh baby, you can't keep this up all day. I have a big court case this afternoon."
Another wave of nausea hit her, and she ran into the bathroom. Apparently, unborn babies didn't give a shit about big court cases. Hermione had a feeling that the next few weeks would be fun.
"Theo," Draco hissed as he hovered by the supply closet.
Theo stuck his head out of the Organised Crime office, "What?" he whispered.
"Come here," Draco said, stepping into the closet and shutting the door.
Theo frowned but slipped out of the office and into the supply closet.
"Lumos – what the fuck is going on?"
Draco beamed at his best friend, "If I tell you something, you can't tell anyone because it's a big secret, okay? If it gets out, I'm dead, like so literally dead-"
"Are you going to tell me you're gay?" Theo whispered in disbelief, "Because I know we muck around for banter, but-"
"I'm not gay, you idiot," Draco sniggered, "I'm just over the moon right now."
"Why?" Theo asked suspiciously.
"Hermione's pregnant!" Draco said in an excited whisper.
"Pregnant!" Theo said in the same tone, "Really? Oh man, that's bloody brilliant! After you guys spent the last year trying, that's …oh, I'm so bloody happy for you guys."
Theo launched himself at his best friend and wrapped his arms around him, "I'm so happy I could cry. I'm gonna be godfather, right?"
"Of course you are, you bloody idiot," Draco laughed, hugging his friend back.
At which point, the supply closet door opened.
"Oh dear Godric," Sumner said in disbelief, "Really, lads? It's like Sheppard and Wolfe all over again."
"No, no sir, it's not what you think-"
"Yeah, yeah, Nott. That's what they all say," Sumner said, looking between the two Aurors, "Quit snogging in the closet. It's your first week in a big department. Start pulling your weight."
"We really weren't snogging, sir-"
"I don't want to hear it, Black. What you do in your spare time is up to you, but don't do it in my department," Sumner said sternly.
Theo shot Draco a glare as he left the closet, "I hate you," he mouthed.
Draco grinned, "But she's pregnant!" he mouthed back, leaving the closet with a skip in his step.
"Hey! How is my favourite editor?"
Sadie laughed, "I've edited one book Suse."
"And it was a huge success," Susan said with a grin as she stepped into the garden of 11 Grimmauld Place with a red-haired toddler in tow.
Sadie shook her head in amusement, "Charlie! Mina! Look who is here."
Charlus and Almina looked up from what they were doing, which seemed to be examining a red and green potted plant with interest.
"Addie!"
The little red-haired girl, Addison Molly Weasley, beamed and ran over to the twins, who would turn three the following month.
"It's a shame they won't be in the same year at Hogwarts," Sadie said as she sat down at the garden table and clicked her fingers, "They are so close."
An elf appeared at her side with a crack, "Yes, Missus Nott?"
Sadie smiled at the elf, "Would you please fetch us some tea, Yonda?"
"Yes, Missus Nott. Yonda is to be getting this right now."
With another crack, the elf disappeared. Susan sat down next to her friend, "I'm still jealous that you have such a lovely elf. I thought we were getting a good deal when we inherited one with the restoration of Bones Manor, but man…was I wrong or what?"
"Oh, Hamish is lovely in his own way," Sadie said, smiling in amusement at her friend.
Susan raised an eyebrow at her, "Really, Sadie? Hamish is old and so Scottish it's unbelievable. Not to mention completely insane."
"He's not insane," Sadie chuckled, "He's just misunderstood like that old elf Harry speaks of, Kreacher."
"No," Susan said with a shake of her head, "Kreacher had a cruel mistress and was lonely, which made him a little unhinged. But Hamish is completely bonkers. A couple of nights ago, I woke up to hear Addie crying, and when I found her in the kitchen, it was pretty obvious why."
"Oh sweet Salazar," Sadie said, biting her lip in amusement, "What did Hamish do?"
"What did Hamish do?" Susan scoffed, "Well, Hamish decided to strip completely naked and do a fucking highland jig, Sadie. And what did Perce do? Burst out laughing, then left me to calm Addie down while he bottled the memory and made copies to show his brothers."
Sadie tried to hide her smile, "I agree that what Percy did was wrong because I would have killed Theo if he had done that. But the situation is rather funny."
"It's not funny," Susan said with a shake of her head, "Do you know how long it took us to get that elf to wear anything?"
Sadie chuckled, "But because he's part of the house, you can't expel him."
"I can't, and I don't think I'd have the heart to," Susan admitted with a shrug, "He's a fucking lunatic, but he served my parents and grandparents."
"He witnessed their deaths then spent a long time locked in a ruined house by himself," Sadie said softly, "I think you can understand why he's a little unhinged."
"Oh, I get it," Susan said honestly, "Anyway, enough about me. I should be congratulating you. The new edit of "Hogwarts: A History" that you have been working on for the last couple of years went down a storm."
Sadie smiled, "Thank you. I got a book deal with the publisher after the initial success."
"Did you?" Susan asked excitedly.
Sadie nodded, "I'll be editing "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" next. It's going to be a collaboration with Neville."
"Oh, that sounds brilliant," Susan said with a smile, "Makes me feel insignificant."
"Susan," Sadie laughed, "You're a judge, a damn good judge. You and Hermione have put away most of the scumbags this side of the border."
Susan shrugged, "I know, but I'd love to have the talent to write like you do."
"We all want what we can't have, I suppose," Sadie said, looking over at the three children as they played together.
"Theo still trying to convince you to adopt?" Susan guessed.
"Yes," Sadie sighed, "But I'm sticking with my original stance right now. I don't think it would be fair to the twins or to the child we would adopt. They would always feel inferior to our biological children…."
"You should talk to your best friend about it. She's kind of an expert," Susan pointed out.
"It's not the same with Daphne and Harry," Sadie blurted out. It had come out before she had really thought about it.
Susan frowned, "What do you mean? Because they adopted first?"
Sadie sighed and looked at her friend, "No, I shouldn't be telling you this, so please keep it quiet, okay?"
Susan nodded.
"They can't have kids," Sadie said sadly, "They have been trying for two years, they have tried all sorts of treatments, and nothing is working."
"Oh," Susan said, her face fell, "That's such a shame."
Sadie nodded, "That was why they adopted Alastor."
"I get it," Susan said with a nod, "But I do think you should reconsider with the whole adoption idea. If you want another kid too, that is."
"I do," Sadie admitted, "But not right now with the way things are between Theo and me. He spends more of his evenings in number 12 than he does here."
"That's nothing new, though," Susan pointed out.
"Yes, but he doesn't usually spend them with Hermione," Sadie said with a shrug.
"Oh come on, he's not sleeping with Hermione," Susan snorted, "Don't you four do everything together?"
"We don't do everything together," Sadie rolled her eyes, "But when we do split off, it always tends to be Hermione and me, and Draco and Theo."
Susan watched her friend curiously as she talked. Sadie sighed, "But Draco and Theo work alternative back-shifts, so Draco tends to help me put the kids to bed one night, and Theo the next night, you know? And lately, Draco stays for a coffee or whatever after the twins are in bed, and then Theo spends his nights off with Hermione."
"Look," Susan said with a smile, "I shouldn't be telling you this, but I need to. For a start, Theo is completely devoted to you and Draco to Hermione despite the four-way aspect of your relationship. You're just feeling insecure because you can't give Theo the third baby he's after."
Sadie frowned, "Thanks for the truth bomb, Suse."
Susan bit her lip and smiled, "Sade, Theo is spending time with Hermione because he's teaching her glamour charms. That's all that's going on there, and I'm sure Draco is just enjoying some time away from the mood swings."
Sadie's eyes widened. "Mood swings? She's pregnant?"
"Yes, and I did not tell you that!" Susan grimaced, "I only found out because I bumped into her at the hospital after I had taken Addie in for her two-year check. Don't tell her that you know!"
"I won't," Sadie laughed, "But I'm thrilled for her. She and Draco really wanted a baby, and they had been trying for about a year."
Before Susan could say any more on the subject, Yonda arrived back with their tea, and a shout of, "I'VE FOUND A GLOWING FROG MUMMY!" drew their attention elsewhere.
"Are you nervous?"
"Nope, but if you keep asking me that question, then I'm going to get nervous," Lilly said, shooting Daphne an amused smile.
"Cul intelligent."
"Mere poule."
"You love it," Daphne said with a grin.
Lilly laughed and looked down at herself, "How do I look?"
Daphne cocked her head and pretended to look at Lilly hard for a moment, "I'd do you."
Lilly snorted, "You wanted to do me before I was wearing a wedding dress."
"Okay, how is this then? You look fucking amazing," Daphne said honestly.
Lilly was wearing a ballerina style wedding dress which meant it came to just above her ankle. It was relatively simple, just an ivory satin dress with a sweetheart neckline and a relatively large skirt. She wore sky-high heels with it and had used jewellery to add colour to her look. Her veil was held in place with a golden tiara, inset with sapphires.
"Thank you, Daphne," Lilly said with a warm smile.
"For telling you that you look awesome?" Daphne asked, raising an eyebrow at her as she put her earrings in.
Lilly shook her head, "I always thought I'd get married one day, but I didn't dream it all out in my head or anything, you know? I didn't have a female best friend I knew would be standing by my side when I said 'I do'. I figured if I got married, I'd ask a friend from school, like Susan."
Daphne smiled at Lilly as she took a step closer to her.
"I never thought that my Matron of Honour was going to be the snarky ice queen that everyone fancied in high school," Lilly said with a smile, "You're a proper best friend, not just an acquaintance. I genuinely can't imagine my life without you, you know?"
Daphne's smile was a little tearful, "Aw, Lil. You're going to ruin my make-up."
Lilly raised an eyebrow at her. Daphne was properly crying, and her voice had gotten choked in her throat, "Are you okay? You don't cry… I mean, you get teary, but you don't cry."
"It's my best friends wedding day," Daphne said, clearing her throat, "I'm allowed to cry."
Lilly hugged her and murmured, "Thanks for everything, Daph."
Daphne drew back and fixed her face with a glamour charm. She took a breath, "Okay, I'm composed again. Let's make sure you have everything that you need. Something old?"
Lilly nodded, "Yes, Neville gave me one of his mothers rings."
"Something new? Yeah, that's your dress," Daphne said, "Something borrowed?"
"Yep," Lilly said as she smoothed out her veil, "I borrowed the veil from Hermione."
"Something blue?"
Lilly frowned and shook her head, "No. Well, my engagement ring and tiara have sapphires in them, I suppose?"
"I knew you would forget something," Daphne said, handing her best friend a small box.
Lilly opened it and smiled, "Daph, you shouldn't have. This must have cost a fortune," she breathed.
"I'm a Marchioness. I can afford it," Daphne said with a natural smile.
"Still not tired of saying that?" Lilly asked her in amusement.
"You'll enjoy it when you become a Countess," Daphne assured her, "You have developed a taste for the finer things in life, lately."
"You're a bad influence on me, clearly," Lilly teased, "I mean, look at the size of the heels you've convinced me to wear."
"You're almost my height now," Daphne joked.
"I don't know how you keep convincing me to wear things that I nearly break my neck in," Lilly said with a shake of her head.
"You didn't break your neck the last time," Daphne pointed out.
"Only because you caught me!" Lilly reminded her.
Daphne just chuckled and said, "Do you want me to put it on for you?"
Lilly nodded, so Daphne took a step closer and took the 'something blue' out of its box. It was a rose gold necklace with a detailed pendant.
She reached around Lilly to fasten it and said, "The sapphire represents the moon, and the diamonds are the stars. There are three of them, and I had it custom made, so you can probably guess who they are."
Lilly smiled as Daphne kept her arms around her friend's neck, even though the necklace was on now, "I think that's the most romantic thing someone has done for me, and you're crying again."
"I know," Daphne said, kissing Lilly on the cheek, "But I love you, and you're getting married, so…."
Lilly shook her head and kissed Daphne on the nose, "You're an idiot. I've known for weeks."
Daphne's eyes widened, and Lilly made a motion over her lips, "But my lips are sealed."
Lilly turned around to look in the mirror and smiled at her reflection. She had kept her shoulder-length dark red hair down but curled. The way Daphne had pinned her hair back away from her face made her look very elegant.
Daphne hugged her from behind and said, "You look every inch the pureblood trophy wife."
"Are you trying to compliment me or offend me?"
"You'll never know," Daphne said with a grin, "Come on, it's nearly time, and your Dads are waiting for you."
Lilly took a breath and smiled at her friend, "Okay," she said, taking her hand, "I'm ready."
"You okay Neville?"
"Yeah," Neville said with a smile, "I'm not nervous."
"You're not nervous?" Theo asked in disbelief, "Nev, that's just not fair."
Neville chuckled, "We're already married Theo, we got married at the Ministry yesterday. This is just for show for her muggle family. It's not like she's going to stand her husband up. Is it?"
"That's a good point," Harry said with a grin as he bounced on the heels of his shoes.
"It's still not fair that Neville is the most composed out of all of us," Draco complained.
Harry grinned at his best friend, "So you going to tell them the colour of your bond yet?"
"Nope."
"It's cause it was a terrible colour like yellow, right?" Draco said.
"Yellow means joy and lightheartedness," Harry said, "It's not a terrible colour."
"Just because you associate it with Hufflepuff," Neville said with an amused smile.
"Sadie and I's was appropriate. Silver for two Slytherins," Theo smirked.
"And Daphne, the Slytherin Ice Queen, got a bond so golden I'm surprised a fucking Phoenix wasn't born out of it," Draco said with a grin.
Harry snorted, "Then there was Draco, with his regal purple glow."
Draco smirked, "Well, it was the wedding of the Slytherin Prince and the Gryffindor Princess, to be fair."
Theo snorted, "Why can't you just tell us Pothead? You and Daphne were there."
"Because it's up to Neville," Harry said simply.
"I don't get why you won't tell us, Neville," Draco said, "Unless it was black. I mean 21% of black marriage bonds end in the death of one partner and only 2% end in happy marriages."
Neville scoffed, "You and Hermione were actually made for each other. You love a good statistic, don't you?"
Draco snorted in amusement.
"Go on then, Harry," Neville said, smirking at his friend, "Tell them."
"It was bronze," Harry said to Draco and Theo.
Theo rolled his eyes, "Oh for the love of God-"
"Theo, you can't say that in a church!" Harry hissed. They were standing at the altar of the church as it filled up.
"Sorry," Theo said, lowering his voice, "I was going to say Godric, which is actually more disturbing, to be honest. But honestly, why am I even surprised that it was bronze? I mean nature, growth, strength and security? That's just you and Lil to a tee, isn't it?"
Harry smiled fondly at Neville, "Yeah, it really is."
Neville's smile was a proud one. He didn't look at all nervous, despite the fact that there were a lot of Lilly's family members here.
Before anyone could say anything more on the subject, the music began to play very loudly from the organ behind them.
"For the love of the founders," Theo hissed, "I nearly shit myself! Why is it so loud?"
"Theo, shut up, or I will silence you," Harry warned him.
Theo, sensibly, heeded his advice. The doors to the church opened, and the minister walked in. He took his place in the centre of the altar as the bridal march began to play, and the bridal party walked in.
Daphne, Hermione and Susan were all wearing the same dress. It was a knee-length deep blue dress with bronze embellishments. They all wore golden hairpins with a deep blue flower upon them in their hair as well. All of the bridesmaids had their hair curled and pulled into buns, with a few strands loose at the front.
Draco smiled as he looked at Hermione. He was still over the moon about their baby news, and keeping it a secret was killing him. But as he watched her walking down the aisle, he couldn't help but think she looked similar to the way she had at the Yule Ball all those years ago when things had been so very different.
As the music reached its crescendo, Lilly stepped into the church with her dads.
At that point, they heard a loud, "She's got two Dads?" from Rob, followed by a slapping sound and a groan.
Lilly looked beautiful, and being Lilly; she laughed the comment off. She had decided that she wanted her biological dad, Neal and her step-dad, Simon, to walk her down the aisle together, so she had one on each arm.
"I'm surprised the church allowed that," Draco whispered.
The Minister looked somewhat affronted.
"Draco, shut up," Harry said in exasperation.
Neville ignored them. He only had eyes for Lilly. She smiled through the veil when she reached him.
"Do you both give this woman to this man?" The Minister asked Lilly's dads.
"We do," They said in unison.
In the front row behind them, Lilly's mother, Linda, rolled her eyes. It was no secret that she did not get on well with Lilly's dad; he had run off to Japan with his male lover after all.
Together, they lifted her veil and took a seat in the front row, as far away from Linda as possible.
The Minister smiled and began the ceremony.
"Why was that so bloody long?" Theo complained as they left the church.
Harry shook his head in amusement.
"And who the bloody hell is this Jesus bloke? They spent forever banging on about him and their fake God."
"Theo, shut up," Harry said, "Or whisper. These people are Lilly's family, and they all believe in that fake God."
"Well, I don't, and I definitely didn't sign up for three paragraphs from a crappy book and a bunch of shit songs," Theo grumbled.
Draco looked at Theo in disbelief, "Theo, you took Muggle Studies. How can you not know who Jesus is? Or what the Bible is, for that matter?"
"Oh, come on, you all know that I slept through that class," Theo said with a wave of his hand.
Draco shook his head at his best friend, then turned to Harry, "He has a point though, muggle weddings are really long."
"And boring," Theo added, "I much prefer a wizarding wedding. It's just, do you take this man? Do you take this woman? Yep? Your magic is bonded. Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am."
"Yeah, Theo, we know that's how your kids were conceived," Harry said with a smirk as they walked up the main road together.
"Screw you, Harry," Theo said with a snort.
"I didn't think I was your type, but from what I hear about you and Draco in supply closets…." Harry said, grinning at his friend.
"Oh, fuck off! How did you find out about that in CPS? You're not even in the same building as us!" Theo objected.
"And it wasn't what it looked like," Draco added.
"Sure it wasn't," Harry sniggered, "And how did I find out? Sumner busted you, then told Shep. He then told Liz who told Wolfe, who told me. There are no secrets amongst Aurors boys."
"You're a prick, but you also should have been a Slytherin," Draco pointed out with a chuckle.
"What can I say? My wife is starting to rub off on me," Harry joked.
Theo snorted, "How much longer till we get to the place where they are having the reception?"
"Another five minutes," Harry replied, "But we could have gotten there faster if you had just gotten in the car."
"The car?" Theo asked in shock, "The car? Oh, you mean that muggle death trap?"
Draco shook his head and caught Harry's eye, "I give up."
"Me too," Harry said, shaking his head at their friend with fond amusement.
The reception was in a beautiful venue. They were in the heart of London, but they had a view of Regents Lake. The hall was beautiful, with bare stone walls, golden chandeliers and a classy charm.
"Time for speeches!"
Lilly smiled up at her dad as he rose to his feet, "Sorry about the unconventional nature of this everyone, but Si and I are going to be giving the father of the bride speech together.
"You have got to be kidding me," Linda muttered from her seat next to Neville.
"It will all be over soon, and they'll be back in Japan, Linda," Neville whispered reassuringly.
"We would like to thank you all for coming today," Neal continued with a smile, "It has been a beautiful day, and we have both been so proud to watch Lilly marry the man of her dreams."
Simon nodded and took over, "It seems like only yesterday that Lilly came into my life, back when Neal and I met on the stage for a production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. I never thought I'd fall in love with Frank-N-Furter and gain an adopted daughter, but I am very thankful that I did."
Linda ground her nails against the wooden table, and Neville grimaced. This was not going to end well…
Neal noticed this and took over, "We first met Neville a long time ago. Lilly told us that she had a friend at school who didn't have much in the way of family and didn't particularly enjoy his summers, so we invited him to spend some time with us while we were back in the UK. The minute we got the kid singing along at a Boyzone concert, we knew we'd be gutted if Lilly ended up with anyone apart from him."
Neville hid his head in shame as the muggle guests laughed at this comment. Harry cackled from his spot further along the table.
"I was 12!" Neville objected, mainly for his best friends sake.
"Excuses, excuses!" Harry called back.
Neal laughed and continued, "We saw a lot of Neville. Almost every time we came home to see Lilly, Neville was around, and that was great because we could see how much fun he and Lilly had together. When she started writing home about boys we hadn't heard of, who weren't Neville, we started to get worried."
"We never had to use the, she's got two protective Dads who will come after you line, but we got pretty close," Simon added.
Lilly shook her head in amusement.
"So we would like to congratulate Lilly and Neville," Neal said with a smile, "But we would also like to thank Lilly's Mother, Linda. Although we have had many disagreements over the years, one thing that we can agree on is that Lilly has grown into a beautiful, intelligent young woman who any parent could be proud of. And I spend more time out of this country than in it, so that is all thanks to you, Linda."
Neal raised his glass, and Linda looked at him in surprise.
The rest of the room raised their glasses too, and they all toasted the happy couple. When Neal sat down, Linda leaned across Neville and Lilly to say, "Thank you, Neal. That was the most genuine thing I have heard out of your mouth in a long time."
"It's the truth, Linda," Neal said with a soft smile.
"Thank you," Linda said again.
Lilly raised her hands and pushed them apart, "No. You two are not reconciling and having some weird sort of three-way on my wedding day. You do what you want in your own time, but not on my wedding day!"
Neville sniggered as he stood up to give his speech. He smiled nervously at the room of people. There were a lot of Lilly's family to a smattering of his friends and colleagues, "So, all of you who know me know that I don't like speaking in public. I normally leave that to my best friend Harry. He's a big fan of heroic speeches, so much so that I reckon he thinks he makes his own background music."
Anyone in the room who knew Harry laughed at this, Rob louder than most.
Neville chuckled nervously, "So I will do my best, but speeches are not my thing. Anyway, I have a lot of people to thank for making today happen. Chiefly, Daphne, Lilly's Matron of Honour. Thanks for getting her so drunk on the hen night that she didn't know what country she was in Daph, that one was pretty spectacular."
Daphne grinned, "Thank you very much!" she said theatrically. Under her breath to Harry, she added, "That was a good night."
Harry whispered back, "The night that you two decided the foursome wasn't a one-time thing but an every time we're all drunk enough thing?"
Daphne just winked at Harry in response, and he shook his head in amusement.
"And also for helping make today happen, obviously. Thanks to the wonderful bridesmaids, Hermione and Susan. Thank you to my groomsmen, Theo and Draco, although I don't know why I'm thanking you because you didn't do very much, to be honest."
"Oi!" Theo objected.
"We didn't do much," Draco admitted.
Neville chortled, "And thanks to my Best Man and my best friend, Harry. Thanks for being here with me today, we've been through a lot in our relatively short lives, and there's no one I'd rather have at my side on a day as important as today."
Harry smiled broadly at him, "Anytime, Nev."
Neville smiled, "Anyway, enough of the sappy stuff. The big thanks goes to Lilly for bringing me home, a bit like a stray dog that she felt sorry for, during those crappy summers when I was lonely."
He looked down at his wife and said, "Thank you for introducing me to irritating pop songs that I can't get out of my head, then teasing me when you hear me sing them in the shower. For saving me from a dark place in our last year at school and for becoming my wife, a dream I never thought would come true as an awkward 12-year-old kid who had a habit of falling down staircases and getting strung up by chandeliers."
The wizards in the room chuckled at this because they knew exactly what Neville meant by that.
"So thank you to my wife, Lilly," Neville said, raising his glass.
"To Lilly!" They toasted.
"Well," Lilly said, smiling at her husband, "That was pretty damn good for someone who apparently can't do speeches."
Neville smiled at her, "I love you," he said, kissing her lightly.
"I love you too," Lilly said, turning her attention to Harry as he rose to his feet.
"This, I'm dreading," Neville admitted.
"It can't be that bad," Lilly whispered, "He can't talk about magic. What's the worst he can do?"
"True," Neville agreed, his eyes falling on his best friend.
"As Neville just pointed out, I do love a good speech," Harry said with a grin, "So sit tight, relax, and we'll all be onto the drinks soon."
This got a small laugh.
"The day I met Neville seems so long ago. We were kids, on the train to school together, and Neville had lost his pet toad. First things first, I thought, who has a pet toad? This kid is weird," Harry began, and Neville shook his head. If that was a sign of things to come, then it wasn't going to be good.
"Then I actually got to know Neville a bit, and I realised that he was alright really," Harry continued, "He was never going to be a sports fan, though. The first sports lesson we had together, he managed to break his wrist, then I saved the day, which was sort of a sign of things to come, to be honest."
Neville shot him an exasperated look.
"Anyway, while we were in school together, I was a bit of an arsehole to Neville. If I'm honest, he was my back-up friend who I only really hung out with when my other two friends were either fighting or making out, that was a weird transition," Harry said with a wave of his hand, "I have apologised to Nev more times than you can imagine for that. Still, I will once again offer an apology. I'm sorry, Neville, you are way more awesome than I initially gave you credit for."
"Thanks," Neville chuckled.
"But onto the more serious aspect of this speech, it's very rare that you find a friend who you can truly rely on whatever the circumstances," Harry said seriously, "And to me, that friend is Neville. When I was getting married, he was there for me. He has been my partner on the force for a good few years now, and I couldn't imagine doing it without him – sorry Rob, you're my back up Neville," he added.
"You wound me, Potter!" Rob called from the crowd.
Neville snorted in amusement.
"But we go way back," Harry continued, "We bonded over both having suffered as kids. Our parents weren't exactly in the picture, and we took down the terrorist responsible for that together. A lot of people look at us on the job and say I'm the hero, and he's the sidekick, but I'd be his sidekick any day."
Lilly smiled as she remembered a conversation they'd had about this a long time ago.
"Because as corny as it is, he's a hero to me," Harry said honestly, "And I know that Neville will always have my back, and I also know that if he's wearing a cardigan and brandishing a sword, you really shouldn't mess with him."
"Harry!" Neville hissed.
"You'll break the statute of secrecy!" Lilly added.
"Here's to Neville and Lilly on their wedding day. May there never be a better snake beheader in the wizarding world."
There was a gasp around the room, the loudest from Neville and Lilly.
Harry grinned and said loudly, "And 3…2…1…" he then snapped his fingers.
At this point, every Auror in the room stood up and said, "Obliviate!"
Harry grinned at his best friend, "I love being an Auror."
Neville breathed sharply, "I hate you. I swear, you nearly gave me a heart attack."
"You are an arse," Lilly agreed, reaching across the table to smack him.
"Ouch!"
"You deserved that," Neville said, grinning at his best friend.
"Did you know he was going to do that?"
"No, I didn't, I swear!" Neville promised.
Lilly turned to Daphne, "Did you-"
"No, because if I had known, I would have hexed him!" Daphne said, punching her husband in the shoulder.
"Ow!"
Draco snorted in amusement, "What are they all going to remember? They can't just blank out your entire speech."
"Nah, they will remember how awesome Neville is and how I gave a really emotional speech," Harry smirked.
Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, "This is ethically wrong, and I disagree with it."
"Oh, sue me, Hermione," Harry grinned.
"It's a misuse of your power," Ginny agreed.
"Oh, come on, Sumner agreed to it, and he's the Head Auror."
"Really, Jack?" Hermione asked, crossing her arms and staring the man down.
Susan nodded her agreement, "I'm disappointed in you too, Jack," she agreed.
Sumner rolled his eyes, "Get off your high horses, you two. It's a prank. You would have done the same thing."
"Can I just state for the record that I also felt that it was morally wrong?" Elizabeth piped up.
"Course you did, Lizzie, you think everything is morally wrong," Rob snorted.
John sniggered and was immediately glared at, "John!"
"Sorry, Rob…that was wrong and mean of you. Elizabeth does not have a strong moral compass at all. What are you on about?" John asked with a grin.
Elizabeth shook her head in disbelief, "If I had a time-turner and could go back to the day that you two became friends again!" she muttered irritably.
At this point, all the muggles in the room began to applaud, which was mildly disturbing.
"Time to clear the room and have a party!" Harry said cheerfully in a bid to take the attention away from his slightly off-key prank.
Everyone had taken a moment to admire Neville and Lilly's wedding cake. It had three tiers, and each tier portrayed a scene from their lives. The bottom tier showed two young figures' silhouettes shaking hands that signified when they met at Hogwarts. The second tier showed them as adults, holding hands with the Eiffel tower in the background. Finally, the top tier showed them on their wedding day.
When Neville and Lilly took to the floor for their first dance, Harry wasn't ashamed to admit that he felt pretty emotional. This had been a long time coming for the two of them, and it had been a brilliant day.
They looked like such a strange couple with the height difference, but as they were dancing together, they were smiling broadly, and that was all that mattered.
"So, what now?" Lilly asked, looking up at Neville.
"Now we go on a bloody awesome honeymoon," Neville said, pulling her in as the songs lyrics began to play. It was a muggle song that Lilly had picked, but Neville hadn't disagreed with her choice at all.
Yeah, it's been a bumpy road,
Roller coasters high and low,
Fill the tank and drive the car,
Pedal fast, pedal hard,
You won't have to go that far.
"It has been a bit of a bumpy road," Lilly murmured into his chest, "Hasn't it."
"It has been," Neville agreed, "But I wouldn't change it for the world."
Lilly smiled, "No, I wouldn't either."
You want to give up cause it's dark,
We're really not that far apart,
So let your heart sweetheart be your compass when you're lost,
And you should follow it wherever it may go,
When it's all said and done you can walk instead of run,
Cause no matter what, you'll never be alone.
Never be alone,
Never be alone.
At that point, the others began to join them on the dance floor. Harry held out his hand to Daphne.
"That prank you played earlier was very clever but also mean," Daphne said, raising an eyebrow at him as they danced together.
"Sorry," Harry said sheepishly, "I thought it would be funny."
"I'm sure it will be in five years," Daphne said, "But right now, nobody thinks it's funny."
"Rob does," Harry said, "And Theo."
"And what does that tell you about the maturity level of the prank?" She asked pointedly.
"Fair point," Harry admitted.
Daphne smiled slightly, "But anyway, I have something I need to talk to you about."
"Okay," Harry said, spinning her out and bringing her back to him, "What's up?"
"You know how we took Al in because we were pretty sure that kids were going to be a no go for us?" Daphne asked him, looking up into his emerald eyes.
"Uh-huh," Harry said, his gaze falling on hers.
"Well, it turned out that all we needed was a baby in the house," Daphne said with a smile.
Harry frowned, "What?"
Daphne chuckled, "You don't have to bring home another stray Harry. We're going to have a baby of our own."
Harry's eyes widened, "We're going to…you mean you're…?"
"Yes," Daphne laughed, "I've been keeping it quiet for so long in case something was wrong. I didn't want to tell you and have you be let down, but I had my first check-up a couple of days ago, and everything is fine."
Harry continued to stare at her, "You…so….wait what, the first checkup? How long have you been keeping this to yourself?"
"A couple of months," Daphne admitted.
"A couple of months?" Harry asked in disbelief, "Daphne! You should have just told me!"
"We had a lot going on," Daphne said with a smile, "We had a one-month-old baby in the house, and I found out that I was pregnant."
"Oh…Godric…"
"Your brain has just caught up to the fact we're going to have two under two, and Teddy, hasn't it?" Daphne asked, smiling at him in amusement.
"Yep," Harry said, his shock turning to happiness, "But that's brilliant news!"
Daphne smiled broadly, "I thought we could tell the others once Neville and Lilly get back from their honeymoon, although I think Lil rumbled me this morning because I couldn't stop crying and telling her that I love her."
Harry laughed, "Yeah, that is out of character for you. You normally just kiss her."
Daphne chuckled in response, and Harry frowned, "Wait, so…were you pregnant on Lilly's hen night?"
"Yeah," Daphne said with a grimace, "But I didn't know it yet. If I had, I wouldn't have been doing tequila shots. I feel kind of bad for that."
"I'm sure it'll be fine," Harry said with a chuckle, "Especially if you got the all-clear at your appointment. Does this mean I can't tell Nev till he gets back?"
"I don't think you should," Daphne said, "We don't want to steal their thunder."
"True," Harry agreed, "But can I-"
"Yes, you can tell Rob tomorrow," Daphne said, smiling at him, knowingly, "Because even if I told you not to, you would."
Harry grinned sheepishly, "You know me so well," he said, leaning in to kiss her as they swayed on the dance floor together.
Forgot directions on your way,
Don't close your eyes, don't be afraid,
We might be crazy late at night,
I can't wait til you arrive,
Follow stars, you'll be alright.
"It's not as good as our wedding was."
Charlie snorted as he danced with his young wife, "Tori, weddings aren't competitive."
"Of course they are, Char," Astoria said, "And ours was definitely better. We had peacocks."
"I don't think that made it better," Charlie admitted.
"They were beautiful!" Astoria argued.
"And they kept shitting everywhere," Charlie added, he broke into a grin, "Although when one attacked Draco then had explosive diarrhoea all over him…that was good."
Astoria rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Honestly, I don't know why I put up with you."
"Because you're into older men who wear leather and train dragons," Charlie said, waggling his eyebrows at her.
Astoria smiled and smacked him on the arm, playfully, "Shut up, or I won't let you import that dragon from Romania that you're after."
"Damn," Charlie muttered, "I hate it when you use dragons against me."
Astoria just smirked triumphantly.
You want to give up cause it's dark,
We're really not that far apart,
So let your heart sweetheart be your compass when you're lost,
And you should follow it wherever it may go.
"I'm sorry for thinking that you were sleeping with Hermione," Sadie said, resting her head on Theo's shoulder as they danced together.
Theo chuckled, "Did Suse tell you what I was doing?"
"Teaching her how to use glamour charms to cover up how ill she looked," Sadie said with a smile, "I gather the morning sickness is bad?"
"Oh yeah, it's like you all over again," Theo said with a roll of his eyes, "She looked like shit, and that doesn't go down well in court. Does she still think that you don't know?"
Sadie shook her head, "No, when we were getting ready this morning she couldn't stop throwing up, and I said, did you honestly expect Draco not to tell Theo and Theo then not to tell me?"
Theo laughed, "What did she say?"
"She cried and told me that she loved me, then nearly threw up on," Sadie said.
Theo barked out a laugh, and Sadie raised an eyebrow at him, "Is this what I was like?"
"You were worse," Theo said with a cheeky grin.
"Oi!" Sadie objected, whacking him on the arm as hard as she could.
Theo smiled as she rested her head on his shoulder, "I'm sorry that we can't have anymore."
"Don't be sorry for something that you can't control," Theo said, kissing her on the forehead, "I love you and the twins to pieces. You guys are my entire world. I don't mind if we can't have any more, honestly."
"Really?" Sadie asked, looking up to meet his eyes.
"Really, I'll quit bugging you about adoption," Theo promised, "You three are more than enough for me."
Sadie smiled and leant up to kiss him lightly, "Thank you," she said softly.
When it's all said and done you can walk instead of run,
Cause no matter what, you'll never be alone,
Never be alone,
Never be alone.
"Do you think we should have another kid?"
"Uh no," Susan said, raising an eyebrow at Percy, "Why would you suggest that?"
"Because I love Addie, and I figured we'd have more than one," Percy said with a shrug.
Susan snorted, "I love Addie too, but she's a little diva. I'm fine with just her right now, and I don't think we can have any more kids until we deal with Hamish."
"There's nothing wrong with Hamish; he's a great laugh," Percy grinned.
"He's traumatising our daughter, and if you carry on in that vein, you will lose your capability to make a second child," Susan said firmly.
Percy swallowed and nodded, "Deal. I'm fine with just Addie."
"Good," Susan said, smirking at her husband.
You want to give up cause it's dark,
We're really not that far apart,
So let your heart sweetheart be your compass when you're lost,
And you should follow it wherever it may go.
"I still can't believe that she married him," Draco said, shaking his head as he looked at his mother, who was dancing with Cygnus.
Hermione smiled in amusement, "Would you quit it? You're dancing with your wife at a wedding. Stop being grumpy."
"Sorry," Draco admitted sheepishly, "It just irks me. Especially when Harry calls me brother."
"You know he only does that to annoy you," Hermione chuckled.
"He's an arse," Draco muttered, drawing Hermione closer to him, "But you're right. We should be happy; we're at a wedding."
"The last one for a while now," Hermione mused, "We're all married now."
Draco hummed thoughtfully.
"What do you make of Ginny showing up with Blaise and Blanche tonight?" Hermione asked her husband,
"I think it's about time they stopped pretending," Draco said honestly, "We don't really hide it anymore, do we? It's pretty clear to everyone who knows us that there's a thing with Theo and Sadie."
"I suppose," Hermione mused, "Do you know that Sadie thought Theo and I are were sleeping together?"
Draco snorted, "No. Why did she think that?"
"Because Theo rumbled me when he caught me throwing up at work, and I had him teach me glamour charms, so I didn't look ill," Hermione said with an amused smile, "We spent a week of evenings in the library together."
"Well, those two are going through a bit of rough patch right now," Draco admitted, pulling his wife close to him, "That's why I've been spending some more time with Sadie when Theo's working the back shift. He really wants to adopt, and Sadie's not keen. It's a point of contention, I guess."
"They will work it out," Hermione said, smiling over at Theo and Sadie. She caught Sadie's eye and got a genuine smile in return, "It's just tough for them, having such young kids."
"We'll find out all about that soon enough," Draco said, kissing her forehead.
"We will," Hermione said with a smile, "And I can't wait for our next adventure."
"Neither can I," Draco promised.
When it's all said and done you can walk instead of run,
Cause no matter what, you'll never be alone,
Never be alone,
Never be alone.
"Do you think that we should get married?"
Lara made a face, "No. Why? Do you want to remarry?"
"Not really," Bill admitted, "I sort of fucked it up the first time, and it cost me a fortune, so I'm not that willing to do it again."
"So why did you ask?" Lara chuckled.
"In case I was doing you a disservice," Bill said honestly, "I didn't know if marriage was a thing you wanted."
"No, I've been there and done that too," Lara pointed out, "It's expensive and messy when it breaks down. If you and I break up, we just have to fight over custody of the oversized newt."
"It's a dragon, Lara."
"It's not a dragon Bill, it's a bearded dragon which is a newt," Lara said with a smile, "If you want to see a dragon, look in your brothers back garden."
"Charlie's garden is basically a dragon reserve," Bill said with a roll of his eyes, "Do you want a dragon? I'll get one if you want one."
Lara laughed and pulled him closer, "I don't want a dragon, and I don't want to get married. I'm just happy with you."
Bill smiled at her, "I'm pretty damn happy with you too."
When it's all said and done you can walk instead of run,
Cause no matter what, you'll never be alone.
"Come on, let's slip outside for a bit," Neville said once the dance ended.
Lilly wasn't sure why he wanted to escape, but she let him lead her out onto a balcony all the same.
Neville breathed in the crisp air gratefully and smiled at his wife, "I just wanted to talk to you somewhere a little more private."
"Why?" Lilly asked curiously.
"I got an offer yesterday," Neville admitted, "It's the Herbology professor apprenticeship at Hogwarts."
"Your dream job?" Lilly asked.
Neville nodded.
"So why do you look sad?" Lilly asked her husband.
"Because although it's the dream job, I'm not sure that it's the right time," Neville said honestly, "I wanted to be closer to 30 when I started teaching because then there's a good age gap between my students and me, you know? They'll respect me more that way."
"You beheaded a snake with the sword of Gryffindor. They would respect you anyway," Lilly said with a smile, "It's more than that. You don't want to leave Harry."
"I don't," Neville agreed, looking out at the lake thoughtfully.
Lilly scoffed, "Come on, Nev, he's got Rob, and those two are about as Brokeback Mountain as Draco and Theo."
Neville laughed out loud at that, "I know, but I love what we do. Me and Harry against the world in a duel…I didn't think it was my dream job, but maybe it is. I love it, Lil."
"I know you do," Lilly said honestly.
They fell silent for a moment.
"So what are you going to do?" Lilly asked, cocking her head at him, "Because I'll support you whatever you choose."
"I think I'd like to be an Auror for a bit longer," Neville said honestly, "I'm not quite ready to break up with Harry yet."
Lilly laughed, but so did someone else. They both spun around and saw Harry and Daphne behind them.
"Eavesdropping?"
"I might have followed you a little bit," Harry said, "But not into a bathroom. It's only Draco that I feel that way about."
Daphne snorted and leant against the railing next to Lilly, "So the golden duo stay together, huh?"
"For now," Neville agreed, smiling at Harry.
"Good, because as much as I love Rob, he's not you," Harry said with a genuine smile.
Lilly rolled her eyes and said, "Excuse me, who did he just marry?"
Neville laughed and put an arm around his wife.
Harry shot Daphne a questioning look. She smiled and nodded.
"We have a bit of news for you," Harry said, "But we don't want you to think that we're stealing your thunder. I just can't sit on this until you get back from your honeymoon Nev. You need to be the first person I tell."
Neville looked at him expectantly, "You've been promoted to Assistant Head Auror?"
"No," Harry grinned, "Better. We're going to have a baby, our own, biological, miracle baby!"
"I knew it!" Lilly squealed, hugging Daphne tightly, "I bloody knew it! The glamour charm on the dress, the crying, I knew it!"
"Yeah, you rumbled me," Daphne laughed, hugging Lilly back.
"Oh, Daph, that's the best news ever," Lilly said happily, "You really thought that you weren't going to be able to have one."
"I know," Daphne said, beaming from ear to ear, "We're thrilled."
Neville drew Harry in for a bear hug and patted him on the back, "That's brilliant, Harry. I'm so pleased for you."
"We want you to be godparents too, if that's okay?" Harry asked, drawing back from the hug.
Neville smiled a little tearfully, "Of course we will be, Harry. We're godparents to Teddy and Alastor. Why would we feel any different about this one?"
Harry smiled too, "Thanks, Neville; I love you, man."
Daphne shook her head in amusement and caught Lilly's eye, "To think at the beginning of all of this, those two used to insult Draco and Theo, right?"
"I guess everything goes full circle in the end," Lilly laughed, kissing Daphne on the cheek, "And we can hardly talk, can we? You know I love you to bits."
"I know," Daphne said with a warm smile, "I love you too, Lil."
Harry smiled too, "Everything definitely worked out in the end."
"Yeah," Neville agreed, putting his arm around Lilly's shoulder, "It did."
Harry put his arm around Daphne's shoulder, "I can't stop thinking about how far we've come, you know? From teenagers who had parties and got drunk in the common room at school."
Daphne smiled at that memory. She glanced at Lilly and grabbed her hand. Lilly smiled too and intertwined her fingers through Daphne's.
"And look at us now," Harry said, his eyes on the setting sun, "We've got proper jobs, we're all married, and we have some amazing kids running around. I just keep thinking about how lucky we are."
Neville nodded, "We got through some hard times together, that's for sure. I didn't expect to survive it, let alone to be here today."
"Neither did I," Harry agreed, "But honestly, the number of times I go back and thank my lucky stars that I went back to school after the war because…we went into that eighth year as broken kids, not knowing what to expect but definitely not expecting this wonderful life that we've built together."
"That was poetry," Lilly said, smiling at Harry.
Neville met Harry's eye, "And completely true."
Daphne nodded and let go of Lilly's hand to Accio a tray of champagne from the hall. She smiled around at the other three and said, "I'll drink to that."
"Cheers!"
* ~ And the story will continue in 'Blame it on Hate'…
A/N: I will start uploading the next part in the next couple of weeks. Thanks for following up to this point, everyone! :)
Holly
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