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"How many of you are there? Wizards I mean, how many in the world?" Tim asked. "And how can a whole wizarding population be hidden like that?"
"In America I don't know how many there are? In England there are somewhere between forty and one hundred witches or wizards born each year" Hadrian said.
"So about 4900 people or so! About one in 6,500" Tim said.
Hadrian thought for a moment "Probably about twice that because we live much longer than non-magical people"
"How much longer? Is that why you look so much younger than you are?" Tim asked.
Hadrian blushed "Yeah probably but I'm twenty-one, I was only nineteen when we met he admitted. "I didn't mean to mislead you about my age at the time. I talked about coming of age a few years before we met, which happens in our world at seventeen. I didn't realise until later you thought I meant I was twenty-three or four. And when I did realise it I didn't know how to tell you. I realised I was actually underage in your culture and I was worried you would have trouble taking me seriously."
"Oh god I'm a paedophile" Tim exclaimed in horror.
"No Tim you had no reason to know I was still a teenager. I was a war veteran at seventeen and a fully trained agent at eighteen. It's not your fault that you thought I was older than I was. I've been dealing with adult issues since I was a child, if I ever was. I had to fight for my life at eleven, and nearly every year since. I sometimes think my childhood ended when my parents were killed. I was nothing like an ordinary teenager. You weren't attracted to me because I was only nineteen, we connected because of common experience not because you're attracted to teenage boys."
Tim sighed, "You're right, I've never been the slightest bit interested in any other teenager in my life. Not since I was one myself anyway. And you certainly don't behave anything like a normal teenager. Do other wizards grow up faster than people without magic? Mentally and Emotionally?"
"Not here in America from what I've seen of the cadets" Hadrian said amused. "It was different in England for my generation and my parents' generation because the war affected us all. But wands can be used for curses, harmful spells as well as benign spells. So we are in effect an armed society from the age of eleven."
"Which brings us back to the question how you can hide a whole society let alone magic from the rest of the world?" Tim said disbelievingly.
"Here the wizarding world is very mixed in with the rest of the world. Children are taught from a very young age not to talk about magic, and who'd listen to a kid anyway. People would think they imagined it. Think of it as a secret religion, like the underground Christians and Jews in the Soviet Union. In Britain the worlds are completely separate. Our government building, our hospital, our school and our shopping centre all have wards on them to prevent non magical people from being able to notice them or enter the area. Many wizards put wards like that up on their homes as well. Other than the muggleborn (witches and wizards with muggle parents) most of our citizens simply don't exist outside the wizarding world. They have no birth records, health records or school records. They don't drive, vote or pay taxes. Some people go their whole lives without leaving the wizarding enclaves" Hadrian tried to explain.
"So why are you telling me this now? Is there some reason I'm suddenly allowed to know or are you breaking rules to tell me?"
Hadrian looked frightened for a second before trying to smile. "Family and significant others are allowed to know. Normally I would've been allowed to tell you when our relationship reached the stage that we decided to move in together permanently but ..."
"We kind of went about things a bit backwards" Tim agreed. "So what made you think you were ready to tell me?"
Hadrian took a deep breath and gathered his courage. "I'm pregnant" he said bluntly.
"What!?" Tim said feeling faint.
"I'm going to have a baby" Hadrian said. "We're going to have a baby."
Tim sunk down to the couch. "How?" He asked shakily. "Can all wizards get pregnant? Why didn't you tell me? You were the one that didn't care when the condoms kept breaking. Did you want to get pregnant? Why didn't you talk to me about it?"
"It's not like that. I didn't think you could get me pregnant" Hadrian said.
"Then how did it happen?" Tim asked.
"There's a spell that makes it possible for two gay wizards to have a baby" Hadrian started to explain.
"And you decided to cast a spell like that without asking me?" Tim asked incredulously, reddening with anger.
"No it wasn't like that. I didn't..."
Tim got up abruptly and grabbed his coat. "I'm going for a walk" he said slamming the door behind him.
Hadrian stood in the middle of the lounge for a moment wondering what to do. Tim hadn't asked him to go but Hadrian believed it might only be a matter of time before he came back and demanded he leave the apartment. He sighed and slowly started gathering his stuff shrinking it and putting it in his pockets to make it less awkward to leave if Tim asked him to.
-o0o-
Tim strode towards the park too upset to trust himself behind the wheel. He didn't really know what he should be feeling. On one hand he was incredibly angry that Hades had done this without talking to him. 'It wasn't as if he was with a girl and the birth control had failed, Hadrian had cast a spell to fall pregnant which had to be on the same level as poking holes in condoms or deliberately taking fertility hormones instead of birth control. He'd manipulated the situation to trap him' Tim thought becoming more and more furious every time he thought about it. On the other hand, if this hadn't happened Tim would have been delighted to know Hades was taking the relationship as seriously as he was and planning on a long term future with him. After about an hour of angrily stomping around Tim began to calm down and think more rationally. Looking back on the conversation Tim recognised how stressed Hadrian was right from the start, how important Tim's acceptance was to him but was still too angry to go back and talk to him, yet.
Unfortunately, before he had time to work things out further he received a call from Tony to meet them at a crime scene in Rock Creek Park. Sighing he fished his keys out of his coat and walked back to his car. He considered calling Hades to let him know but decided to let the issue rest for a bit resolving to call when he knew more about the situation at the crime scene and hopefully when he was likely to be home. Hopefully by then he would be feeling ready to talk to Hadrian without yelling at him. And to listen to his lover's explanation. Because even as angry as he was he had to admit he still loved the younger man.
He tried to put all thoughts of Hades out of his mind as he drove carefully to the crime scene easily locating the truck and met up with the others ready to work.
"We weren't on call" he said questioningly.
"Multiple homicides. The other teams are already out on other cases. It's been a bad weekend to be a marine" Tony said.
Thwack, Gibbs slapped Tony and Tim across the back of their heads.
"Thanks Boss" Tony said.
"Get to work. Tim ID on the victims. Tony photos and sketches. Ziva who found the bodies?"
"The family are over that way with the local LEOs. Mother father and two young boys" Ziva reported.
"Secure the perimeter and search the area" Gibbs ordered before heading over to talk to the family.
"Can I approach the bodies to get an ID, Ducky?" Tim asked waiting for Tony to finish photographing them in place before moving closer.
"Yes I can't do anymore until I get them back to autopsy" Ducky said straightening up. "Mr Palmer we're ready for the stretchers" he called.
"Coming Doctor" Jimmy called back.
Tim checked the ID of each of the three victims noticing that they all shared a last name. Digging further into their files he found that they also listed the same next of kin, one of the bigwigs in the department of defence. He took fingerprints with his scanner and confirmed the identities.
Deciding that Gibbs needed this information as soon as possible he started walking over towards where the Boss was still interviewing the family who found the bodies. Waiting at a respectful distance to be acknowledged he noticed facial similarities between the victims and the young father. He carefully surveyed the surroundings, calling Ziva to appraise her of his suspicions. He then started to send a text to Gibbs hoping the man would understand the urgency of the information if he was correct and forgive him for interrupting an interview. Gibbs gut must also be pinging for him to spend so much time on this interview. These witnesses were either suspects or potential targets for the killer, or perhaps both. Tim still had his phone out when it and his arm were hit by a bullet. He quickly turned and returned fire winging his attacker who then tried to flee. Gibbs chased after him like he was thirty years younger than he was. Nobody was allowed to hurt those he thought of as his own. The attacker stopped and fired at Gibbs at an angle that gave Tim another clear shot which he took, Tony and Gibbs also fired at the attacker as he reached a motorbike not wanting him to get away, or risk him doubling back towards the team and the witnesses and shooting again if one of them was the actual target.
Gibbs covered Tony as he closed the distance and checked on the assailant. "He's dead boss" he called.
"I'll call Fornell" Gibbs replied pulling out his phone to contact his friend. It was procedure that shootings were not investigated by the shooter's own agency and he wanted someone he could trust on the investigating team.
Having confirmed the assailant was deceased and photographed the scene, Tony looked around for his team-mates. Ziva was still working with Ducky bagging and tagging the original scene but Tim was lying on the ground. "Gibbs Tim's down" Tony yelled running across to his probie. "Tim can you hear me?"
"Yeah I hear you" Tim replied weakly, trying to keep pressure on his wound with his other hand.
Tony took over yelling for Ducky and dialling 911.
Ducky came over and stabilised McGee. "Hang in there, dear boy, it's a through and through, you're going to be fine" Ducky said keeping Tim talking and assessing his condition until the ambulance arrived.
Gibbs ordered DiNozzo to accompany Tim to the hospital where he was rushed to surgery.
-o0o-
Hours later, after he'd been moved from recovery to the ward and reunited with his belongings, Tim tried to use his phone to call Hadrian but the phone was completely dead, not surprising with the damage it took from the bullet. He borrowed Tony's phone and called the house phone but there was no answer and he didn't remember Hadrian's cell number. He thought about leaving a message but his pain medication and anaesthetic addled mind couldn't work out what he wanted to say so in the end said nothing.
-o0o-
Dinner time came and went. Hadrian had cooked some of Tim's favourite foods but when he didn't arrive home couldn't summon the motivation to eat and packaged the meal up into individual servings and leaving one in the fridge put them in the freezer. His stomach was too tied in knots to eat. The healers had warned him that as a result of his long term starvation as a child he would always have difficulty maintaining a healthy weight without potions but he hated the taste they left in his mouth. Knowing he had to eat for the sake of the baby he made himself a bowl of porridge. He smiled sadly at the bowl wishing Tim was home to laugh at him for eating it. Tim always teased him for liking the bland dish but it was a real comfort food to him. His relatives had never had porridge in the house so he associated it with Hogwarts breakfasts. He forced himself to eat then walked slowly up to his own apartment to take his potions.
Alone in the unloved in space he emptied his pockets onto the table but couldn't bring himself to unshrink his belongings and put them away. He hurried back down to the apartment he shared with Tim hoping he'd be there and willing to talk.
The apartment was still dark and empty and the message light on the answering machine wasn't flashing. Hadrian sighed, he roamed around unable to settle, he was no longer sure of his welcome here in what had been his home but couldn't stay away.
-o0o-
In spite of being from one of the purest of pure blood families Andromeda Tonks had embraced muggle technology. Hadrian kept in regular contact with her and his godson Teddy by phone as well as the weekly visits by international port key.
She rang Hadrian Sunday night and he was alarmed to hear Andromeda gasping for breath. "Andi what's wrong?" he exclaimed.
"It's my heart. I saw the healer last week but there's not much they can do. The potions aren't working anymore"
"Is someone there helping you?" Hadrian asked.
"No, Molly offered to take Teddy" Andromeda replied.
"Did you let her?" Hadrian asked anxiously.
"No I wanted to wait until I'd spoken to you. I'm worried if Molly takes him she'll decide I'm not well enough to have him back" Andromeda said.
"Do you both want to come and stay with me for a while? My healer says that the healers in Great Britain are really limited by the pure blood ideas of what's acceptable so the healers here might be able to help in ways your healer hasn't heard about" Hadrian offered.
"You're a godsend Harry" she said gratefully.
"Would you like me to come over and help you pack seeing it will be safer to get a portkey from here?" Hadrian asked. "It will take me about an hour to organise."
"I'll see you in an hour then" Andromeda said tiredly. "Thank you."
Hadrian scrawled a quick note for Tim that he'd been called away to a family emergency and would be back in the next day or so. It took him nearly two hours to convince the weekend manager of the department of magical travel that he needed an emergency return portkey to London but finally Hadrian managed to convey his urgency.
Hadrian arrived to find Andromeda lying on her death bed. "Thank Merlin you're here" she gasped.
"Andromeda" Hadrian exclaimed. He wanted to call for a healer but Andromeda refused.
"There's nothing more they can do. The potions don't work anymore. They warned me today that it would only be a couple of days" she explained. "Even if your healers could do something, I'm not well enough to port key to America."
"Oh Andi" Hadrian said hugging the woman gently.
"Will you take full custody of Teddy?" She asked.
"Of course I will" Hadrian agreed immediately. "Who do you want me to call for you?" he asked.
"No-one. Teddy and I have become a bit isolated since my Ted passed. There's nobody I'd want here more than you lad. Please just sit here with me until I'm gone then you can owl St Mungo's" Andromeda said quietly. "Teddy is sleeping. He knows I'm unwell but I didn't know how to tell him I was dying" Andi said sadly. "He's not old enough to truly understand."
Hadrian took her hand. "I'm going to miss you Andi" he said.
"Take good care of our little boy. I know you love him as much as I do and he's reaching the age he'd be better off with you anyway" Andi replied.
"I live in a muggle apartment building. I'll have to buy a house" Hadrian said.
"Oh I don't want to upset your life" Andromeda said sadly. "Hermione's his godmother and she could take him" she suggested doubtfully.
"And I'd never get to see him" Hadrian groaned. "Would he be better off with her? Does he see Hermione more often than me? Does she love him? Does he love her?" Hadrian asked.
"No she's busy with her apprenticeship, Teddy hasn't seen her in months. She was supposed to come today but I got an owl making her excuses this morning" Andromeda said. "He much prefers your visits. Hermione would be likely to leave him with Molly during the day as well" she added knowing how little Harry trusted the redheaded mother of seven.
"Or Molly will convince her to let her have custody entirely" Hadrian said crossly. "I want him Andi. I would have had to find a more private place soon anyway I'm pregnant." He closed his eyes in horror, if she wasn't going to be around in three or four months' time then Andi hadn't needed to know. He hoped he hadn't ruined everything. Andi had grown up in a pureblood home, would she still even let him be around her grandson now she knew he was gay, let alone have custody.
"Oh Hadrian that's wonderful" Andromeda said, then saw his face.
"I thought you wouldn't want to leave Teddy with me if you knew I was in a relationship with another man" Hadrian said shocked.
"I know better than most people that you don't get to choose who you fall in love with. When I was disowned for loving my Ted I swore to myself I wouldn't ever judge someone for who they loved. We had a wonderful marriage. It was worth all the sacrifices we made to be together" Andi said smiling reminiscently.
Hadrian smiled sadly, hoping that one day he would be able to look back on his life and remember a love like that.
"It is wonderful, isn't it?" She asked perceiving there was something wrong. "It's what you've always wanted, a family of your own. Not to mention an heir for the Potter line. What's the matter?"
Hadrian sighed. "I love him Andi and you're right I want to have a family with him, but we didn't deliberately choose to have a baby. Neither of us knew it was even possible. I didn't know he was a wizard. Hell, even Tim didn't know. His parents refused to send him to a magical school so his magic was bound and all his memories of accidental magic obliviated. I told him yesterday that I was a wizard and he took that okay but when I told him I was pregnant he went out for a walk and hasn't come back" Hadrian said miserably.
"Maybe something else came up. He could have been called in to work. Have you tried to call him?" Andromeda asked.
"His phone's turned off. He wasn't on call this weekend" Hadrian replied.
-o0o-
They didn't talk much more, Hadrian could see how much it was tiring Andi to try to stay awake. He encouraged her to sleep and sat silently holding her hand. Andromeda passed peacefully about an hour later and Hadrian spent a few minutes grieving the older woman he'd come to like and respect before starting to shrink and pack up all Teddy's belongings. He cleared the downstairs area and moved up to the boy's room. He cast a mild sleeping charm suitable for children that Andromeda had taught him so Teddy wouldn't wake and cast stasis charms and shrinking charms on the rest of the furniture. Looking around he realised Teddy's room had recently been redecorated to suit his age and decided to check if his original things had been stored anywhere in case he wanted the familiarity of his older toys and things for a while in his new home.
Searching the house Hadrian found piles of neatly wrapped presents labelled for Teddy's birthday in a couple of months as well as some things for other people. He scooped up the things for Teddy and was touched to find presents for himself amongst the other pile. In the attic he found boxes of stuff labelled Teddy, Remus and, Nymphadora and shrunk them and the nursery furniture. He also collected all the books throughout the house and any Black family heirlooms.
He returned to the bedroom, reversed the sleeping charm and woke the little boy.
"Uncle Harry" Teddy said sleepily. "Nana said you were going to come. She said I'm gonna live with you now. Why am I gonna live with you? Is it coz Nana's sick?"
"Yes Teddy, your Nana was very sick. She's gone to heaven for your Mummy and Daddy to look after" Hadrian said gently.
"But she can't come and visit me from heaven" Teddy said starting to wail. "Why'd she go?"
Hadrian leant over and cuddled him. "Oh Teddy. She didn't have a choice. Her heart just wasn't working anymore. She stayed with you as long as she could. She didn't want to leave you but she knows I'll take good care of you" Hadrian said patiently knowing the little boy was tired and upset. "Come give me a hug while I pack your bed then we can go."
Teddy hugged his Uncle Harry sobbing and Hadrian gently rocked him until he calmed down and gave a sad little chuckle as Hadrian shrank the bed. "Now I know you've used a portkey before but this one is an international portkey it will last a long time so I'm going to give you a potion so you won't be sick and then strap you to me so you don't have to worry about not letting go" Hadrian explained.
"Okay Uncle Harry" Teddy said trustingly.
Harry activated the portkey and they spun across the world. Teddy looked green when they landed in spite of the potion, and being a metamorphmagus even his hair was bright lime green. Hadrian put him on his couch while he shrunk his own bedroom furniture and set up Teddy's, using magic to change the walls to match his room at Andromeda's. Once he had the room set up he carried the sleeping three-year-old in and tucked him into bed, transfiguring a book into an armchair to sleep in himself rather than leave Teddy alone. He cast a sleeping charm and notification ward in order to run down and check if Tim had returned. Finding the apartment still empty and his note undisturbed he retreated back upstairs sadly.
He cancelled the charms on Teddy and sat in the chair with rubber gloves and the laptop Tim had insisted he needed, checking out real estate agents. Given that he needed a house that was out of sight of the neighbours, and wanted something that wasn't too far to commute to the Navy Yard if Tim decided to move with them, his choices were limited. Fortunately though, his budget was not and with magic renovations would be quickly accomplished so the condition of the house wasn't an issue. He found a couple of places he'd like to look at and emailed a request for an inspection.
A/N: Thank you to Kourtney Uzu Yato, Locket1, Rori Potter, xDarklightx, charm13insomnia, buterflypuss, Village-Mystic, icyquest4, Bella216, Afrodity, Winged Dire Wolf7, Guest, julschristine975, Pikachu79, Jake Crepeau, Merlenyn, Firehedgehog, DS2010, bluestorm28, Guest, gabrieljuarezl, gaul1, Silvermane1, theShirker, Mcmllnchrstn91, MeraHunt, Minke, vickib78, Soul Tini, kathy stgqvk, TempesteSatanus, Slytherin Ice Princess of War, .1654, taintedxwings, guys-should-kiss-guys-more, Caci-Hime, sexyassassin666, NiCombust, Wojbie, Mirage92, darkangelkym, mykidmom, godcrusher123, 334, MrsMalik93, Cixon, EchoMGeier, DarkLoverofAnime, vilma, kimboik, ivetochka, ErisMalfoy1990 and Fandommember for your support.
