When Harry walked into the kitchen on Friday morning and saw Mrs Weasley bustling around with the sort of manic energy he associated with days spent cleaning out Grimmauld Place, he couldn't help the burst of relief he felt bloom in his chest. After the first few weeks, with Mrs Weasley spending most of her time up in her room, a ghost of her former self, the sight of her downstairs, greeting him with a warm smile, was an encouraging one.
It was more than just being glad she was feeling better, though. Harry was glad the kitchen wasn't empty. He'd spent the night tossing and turning, having awful nightmares of little Teddy being harmed in some way because of his negligence, of Remus looking at him with disappointment and telling him what a terrible godfather he was, of Tonks telling him you're no better than the Dursleys.
"Morning," he mumbled and sat down at the table.
Molly turned to look at him and waved her wand. A teapot and a cup of tea landed in front of him, and he watched silently as a cup of tea poured itself out.
"Thanks," he said. He was surprised to see that his hands were shaking when he lifted the cup up and took a long sip of it. The tea burnt the roof of his mouth, but he swallowed it anyway.
"Are you alright, dear?" Molly asked him. She came to the table with her own cup of tea and sat down next to him.
Harry shrugged. "Yeah, I'm fine," he said, automatically.
"You should never believe him when he says that, Mum," said someone else. Harry looked up. Ginny had just walked into the kitchen and was giving him an amused smile.
"Hi," Harry said. He put his cup down very carefully. Molly patted his shoulder; Harry didn't want to admit it, but that did serve to comfort him.
"Hi, yourself," Ginny said. "You nervous about seeing Teddy today?"
Harry shrugged again, but he knew there was no point trying to hide anything from Ginny. The way she was looking at him now, brown eyes narrowed somewhat, reminded him uncomfortably of the way Dumbledore had of looking at him as if knowing every thought in his mind.
"Oh, you're going to see Teddy?" Molly's face lit up at the mention of Teddy. "You should bring him and Andromeda over. I'd love to have her over for tea, and it's been so long since we've had a little one in the house."
"I don't know if she's up to that yet, Mum," Ginny pointed out. She sat down at the table and leaned over, grabbing Harry's cup and sipping his tea.
"Ginny," Molly scolded.
"Anyways," Ginny continued, ignoring Molly's reprimand, "I'll invite her over when we go later."
Molly's frown faded to a more thoughtful expression, and she looked from Ginny to Harry. "So you're going as well, are you?"
"Yeah," Ginny said. She seemed unaffected, but Harry saw her shoulders stiffen slightly. This was, he supposed, her way of hinting to Molly at their relationship. He hoped she wouldn't react too badly to it – but then again, he mused to himself, nothing could be as bad as Ron's reaction.
"I see," Molly said. She looked for a moment as though she wanted to say something else, but then looked at Harry and seemed to reconsider. "And you're sure it's safe?" she asked Ginny. "You are underage after all."
Ginny snorted with laughter. "Mum, I'm going with the saviour of the wizarding world to see a baby. There couldn't be a safer activity."
"Oh, alright then, but you can't blame me for worrying," Molly said, but she was smiling a little. "Arthur's been saying there are still some Death Eaters they haven't apprehended yet."
Harry had been content to sit back and listen to Ginny and Molly speak, but he sat up at that. "There are? Kingsley didn't mention—"
"Well, he probably thinks you've done enough. You've dealt with Riddle, they can handle a couple Death Eaters," Ginny told Harry, and took his hand.
"She's right, dear. If anyone deserves some time off, it's you," Molly said.
Harry nodded, but he couldn't help but feel guilty. It wasn't just the guilt; restlessness was beginning to awaken in him, and the idea of Death Eaters being loose made him want to stand up, grab his wand and go out looking for them. It wasn't that he had forgotten about it the last few weeks, but grief had taken over him and had brought with him a kind of numbness to everything going on around him.
"I don't know," he finally said.
"There are other things you can do instead of going and putting yourself in danger all over again," Molly said. Harry felt darkly amused; it seemed that despite being of age and having saved the wizarding world, Molly still viewed him as a child. "Visiting your godson, for one."
Harry supposed she had a point.
"Come on," Ginny said, getting to her feet, "there's time for an early morning fly before breakfast." Still holding on to his hand, she stood up and tugged him to his feet with surprising strength. Harry just had time to grab his wand before he was being pulled outside to the orchard.
After spending an hour outside with Ginny – most of which was spent playing Quidditch – Harry had to admit that everything felt less daunting. He was starting to understand why she did this almost every day.
"Managed to cheer you up, didn't it?" Ginny grinned at him as they walked back.
"Yeah," Harry admitted. "You did."
"I knew it. Quidditch always helps."
Harry was tempted to say it was less about Quidditch and more about Ginny herself but luckily, before he could, they were intercepted by Ron, who was waiting by the back door of the house.
Harry moved his arm from where it'd been wrapped around Ginny's waist, but Ginny merely rolled her eyes. "I'm going inside. You both have five minutes to kiss and make up, or I'm sending Hermione out," she warned and walked inside, closing the door firmly behind her.
"Er," Ron said, and then, "Hi."
"Hi," Harry echoed, a little confused.
"I wanted to have a word," Ron said. He looked more uncomfortable the more he spoke.
"Yeah?" Harry said, and couldn't resist adding, "did you want to yell at me about Ginny again?"
"No," Ron said, and the tips of his ears went red. "I mean—no, I didn't—"
Harry could recognise the signs of an apologetic Ron when he saw them and he sat down on the grass, waiting. After a moment, Ron joined him.
"You were right," he said after a moment. Harry turned to look at Ron, raising his eyebrows. That had been the last thing he expected Ron to say. "About Hermione. We were planning something."
"Oh." Harry remembered the way he'd snapped at Ron about it. "Right."
"She wants to go to Australia," Ron said suddenly. "To track down her parents. She already wrote to Kingsley about it, she thought he could help with the Portkeys and – something about a passed-port or something if she wants to travel the Muggle way. He doesn't want us to go yet, not until the trials are over. He's sent some Aurors there, Proudfoot and someone else, they're looking for them now."
Harry didn't know why Ron was telling him all this. "Us?" he repeated.
"Yeah. I offered to go with her. I thought – well, I mean, they say it's safe now, but there are still some Death Eaters around, aren't they?" Ron said defensively, even though Harry hadn't attacked him.
"Yeah," Harry said. "I heard your mum mention—do you think Kingsley'll catch them soon?"
"I don't know," Ron admitted. "I mean, he's probably busy with the Ministry and whatnot, and—… I've gotten used to not trusting those lot. I know things are different now, but…"
"I know," Harry said, because he understood exactly what Ron was trying to say. "It's weird that we're not doing anything about it, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Ron nodded. "Exactly. Anyway, I didn't just offer to go with Hermione for safety… I mean, she's probably far better at keeping herself safe than either of us," he pointed out with a sudden, proud smile, "but… the two of us… we're both… I mean…"
"Are you trying to tell me you're together?" Harry asked, befuddled. "I know. I was there when you got together, remember? It was the middle of the war, in the Room of Requirement… got that image burnt into my brains now, I reckon."
Ron laughed, but the tips of his ears went red. "Right, yeah. Well, I meant… I wouldn't have liked it if you said those things to me about me and Hermione. About not being in the right state of mind, or… I reckon I owe you an apology," he mumbled, focusing his attention on the grass beneath them.
"Yeah, I reckon you do," Harry agreed. "Look. I'm not messing her around. I don't think anyone's capable of messing her around at all," he couldn't resist adding.
"Yeah," Ron mumbled. "Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be a prat about it. If you want to be with her and she… and she wants to be with you, then it's fine. It's your decision. Not mine. When she said she—I mean. I didn't know how serious it was, the way she feels about you…"
Harry smiled suddenly. He hadn't exactly been waiting for Ron's approval, but it was nice having it, all the same. "Thanks, mate," he said.
Ron matched his smile. "Come on, let's go inside. I can smell breakfast," he said.
Harry brushed the grass off his jeans and followed him inside. Hermione was sitting at the table, and she gave Harry a tentative look over her coffee. He nodded at her, and she grinned.
"Have you both made up?" Ginny asked around a mouthful of bacon.
"Yeah, they have," Hermione confirmed before either of them could say anything.
"Good. We can have a peaceful breakfast now without their pining looks ruining our appetite," Ginny said, and Harry laughed as he sat down next to her.
Harry's nervously, which had temporarily abated, grew stronger as the time to go meet his godson approached. "It's going to be fine, mate," Ron reassured him. "Just don't break anything. And don't break him, either."
Harry was less than comforted by this advice.
After lunch, Ginny and Harry walked out past the security enchantments at the Burrow, Ginny held on to Harry's arm as he Apparated them to the Tonks'.
"You've been here before, haven't you?" Ginny asked once they had reached. She looked a little nauseous and Harry understood the feeling; even after all this time, he didn't really care for the feeling of Apparation.
"Yeah, I have," Harry said. "But it's hard to really remember much when you've being chased by Voldemort."
"That's a very valid point," Ginny said.
Harry remembered then, that the last time he'd been here was the day Mad-Eye and Hedwig died, and frowned at the point.
"I bet it looks better by daylight, anyway," Ginny said.
"Well, Riddle does have a way of ruining the landscape view," Harry said dryly. They walked up to the front door, and Harry took a deep breath before he knocked.
When Andromeda opened the door, she was holding a small baby in her arms, a baby with turquoise hair and a curious expression.
"Hello, you two," Andromeda said. If she was surprised to see Ginny, she didn't show it, merely stepping aside to let the two in.
"Hi, Mrs Tonks—I mean, Andromeda," Harry said, a little self-conscious. "I hope it's okay that I brought Ginny, I thought—" Harry turned to Ginny, and noticed the expression on her face then. She had the widest smile Harry had ever seen on her, and her eyes had softened as she looked at Teddy.
"Oh, he's precious," she declared. "Is his hair always that bright?"
"It goes between turquoise and a darker blue at the moment, but he does seem to have chosen a colour palette that he likes," Andromeda said. She looked at Teddy with a smile, not as wide as Ginny but as soft. "It goes back to brown when he's asleep in the nights sometimes." She led them back to the living room and sat down on the sofa.
Ginny and Harry sat down as well, but Ginny couldn't seem to resist sliding closer to Teddy. "He's still so little," she whispered.
"Well, he isn't three months old yet," Andromeda told Ginny. "Would you like to hold him?"
"Oh, yes, please," Ginny said eagerly. Within what seemed like a few seconds, she had settled the baby in her arms.
Harry moved closer to Teddy and looked down at him. Even with how small he was, his resemblance to Lupin was unmistakeable.
He had to clear his throat to prevent from tearing up. "How have you been?" he asked her softly.
"Well, it's not easy to raise a baby at my age," Andromeda said. She was as dignified as ever, but the small tremble in her lower jaw gave her away. "But I daresay it does help to distract me from thinking about… the others." It seemed that she couldn't bring herself to mention her husband, or her daughter and son-in-law.
"We're always available for babysitting, or anything else you need," Ginny put in. "You know how large our family is, Mrs Tonks. You and Teddy are part of it now, since you're part of Harry's. Mum even wants to have you both over for tea, and I know we'd all to have you, too. You don't have to do any of it alone." Her voice was remarkably clear; Harry found herself, yet again, admiring her.
"Thank you, Ginny," Andromeda said, and dabbed at her eyes with an elegant handkerchief.
"Of course," Ginny said. "I'll go bring us some tea, shall I?" she said, and Harry thought of how Ron offered to make some tea whenever anyone was too upset. She turned to smile at Harry. "Here. Hold your godson."
Carefully, she handed Teddy to Harry who, despite how startled he was at the suddenness of it, took him. He was unbelievably small. As Harry held him, Teddy let out a few noises of discontentment but then settled down. Harry placed his finger in Teddy's tiny palm, and his fist closed around it with a surprising firmness. As Harry watched, Teddy's eyes fluttered open, and Harry noticed with a pang that they resembled the dark, twinkling eyes of Tonks. Teddy closed his eyes again, and his hair changed colours to a bright pink, achingly similar to Tonks' trademark bubblegum-pink shade.
He looked up at Andromeda, who still looked to be quite teary. "Has he… Has he done that before?" He asked softly.
"Only once or twice before," Andromeda said. "I imagine it's a coincidence, but… maybe it isn't."
Harry looked back down at Teddy, who had opened his eyes and was still clinging on to Harry's finger. The baby smiled at him, seemingly content, and Harry sniffed a little. He decided then and there that he would do absolutely everything in his power to keep Teddy safe and happy. It suddenly seemed like the most important thing in the world.
He didn't know how long he spent like that, looking down at the two-month-old baby in his arms, but a soft clearing of his throat told him that Ginny had returned with the tea. Something suddenly occurred to him then, and he looked up at Andromeda. "I have a house-elf," he said.
"I beg your pardon?" Andromeda said.
Ginny sat down next to Harry, leaning down to kiss Teddy's nose before she straightened up. "You do?" she asked.
"Yeah," Harry said. "Kreacher," he explained. "Sirius left the house and Kreacher to me after he died. The last year, we had to spend some time in Grimmauld Place, and it turns out he isn't a bad sort at all, actually. I quite like him, now," he admitted.
"Not the same Kreacher from Grimmauld Place?" Andromeda said. "I did always suspect he had a hidden soft side."
"Just thinking of the hallway with the elf heads gives me the shivers," Ginny muttered.
Harry felt that the both of them were rather missing the point. "No—you were saying that it isn't easy, raising Teddy all on your own. I don't really need a house-elf at all. Maybe Kreacher could help you?"
"I wouldn't want to take advantage—" Andromeda began, but she looked hopeful.
"No, you aren't," Harry insisted. "I'm his godfather. You're the one who said we're family. Kreacher," he called out.
With a soft pop, Kreacher materialised, Regulus's locket displayed proudly on his chest.
"Kreacher, would it be alright if you stayed here for a while and helped Mrs Tonks with Teddy?" Harry asked, indicating the baby, who was kicking out his legs happily.
Kreacher puffed out his chest. "Of course, Master," he said, and turned to look at Andromeda. "Kreacher will be happy to help the old Mistress Black," he added.
Andromeda laughed. "Haven't heard that in a while. Thank you, Kreacher."
"Were you at Hogwarts all this time?" Harry asked Kreacher, who nodded proudly. "Good job keeping yourself safe," he said. "Would you inform McGonagall before you get all your—er—things here?"
Kreacher nodded again, and Disapparated with a small pop.
"Thanks, Harry," Andromeda said. "And tell your mother that I will be happy to come to tea," she told Ginny.
Harry waved away Andromeda's gratitude. He heard Ginny and Andromeda begin talking again, but their voices seemed to fade to the background when he looked at Teddy who, in his opinion, was definitely one of the better babies in the world. He was glad Ginny had convinced him to write to Andromeda.
Looking at Teddy only intensified the feeling he'd been feeling earlier this morning. He was glad that Riddle was dead and they could all begin to live normal lives again, or their best approximation of it, but he didn't think he'd be able to relax at all, knowing there were still Death Eaters, still Dark Wizards, out there, who could hurt Teddy, his godson, this tiny innocent baby. It seemed more important now than ever to ensure Teddy grew up in a world where he wouldn't have to feel scared or nervous.
Harry wanted to sigh when he realised what all of this meant. He didn't know if Hogwarts would reopen or not – although it seemed likely that it would in September – but even if it did, he couldn't return to school. He needed to speak to Kingsley.