Chapter 28

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or NCIS or any of their characters. I do however own this story, I wrote it and I do NOT give permission for anyone to post it anywhere else. If you want to share it post a link.

-o0o-

Hadrian looked up in concern when Tim arrived home and threw the invitations on the coffee table in front of him before sinking onto the couch and burying his head in his hands.

"What happened Tim?" Hadrian asked hurrying over to hug the older man.

"I told Tony and Ziva I was getting married and they laughed. And Abby was there and she went off about that wretched concert again and tried to get me in trouble with Gibbs. None of them believed me" Tim said. "Tony spent the rest of the day calling me McVirgin, McSingle and McLiar."

Hadrian squeezed him slightly. "At least they can't come back later and be upset that you didn't tell them. How did Gibbs react?" he asked practically. It was Gibbs he was most concerned about.

"Gibbs said he'd be honoured to be there" Tim said. "He wasn't too thrilled, with three ex-wives harassing him he's not too big on marriage but if I was sure that's what I wanted he'd support me."

"Did he mention 'don't ask, don't tell'?" Hadrian asked.

"No it only officially applies to Navy officers. He did suggest I keep one of the team as my second emergency medical proxy in case you can't be reached" Tim said.

"So I'd still be listed first if they can contact me?" Hadrian asked.

"Yeah you'd be listed as next of kin and primary medical contact, so if something happens you would be allowed in even if visiting's limited to family only" Tim confirmed.

"Don't talk like that Tim. I don't want to see you hurt" Hadrian said.

"You and Teddy would also be listed as a dependent on my employment record so that NCIS would know they have to give me more time to relocate if they transfer me. And provide married accommodation until we can organise our own" Tim said.

"How likely is it that you'll be transferred?" Hadrian asked.

"I don't know" Tim said thoughtfully. "The current director seems to want to give Gibbs his own way with the team but if we got a new director then things might change. My seasickness prevents them from sending me out as an agent afloat and the next move I make should be a promotion which I could have the right to turn down if I wanted to."

"Don't turn down a promotion for me or the kids' sake. We can always keep this house to come back to and buy a new one elsewhere" Hadrian said kissing his fiancé. "I never want to hold you back Tim. That's not what marriage is about. With magical transportation I could live just about anywhere and commute, I'll transfer back to working out of London if we move somewhere that's closer to England than DC."

"Okay, I promise I'll discuss any offers with you" Tim compromised.

"Tim, what about Ducky, he wasn't there laughing at you?" Hadrian asked.

"After what happened in the bullpen I didn't have the heart to try to ask him" Tim said.

"From everything you've told me I doubt he'd laugh at you, it always sounded like he sees all of you as his family. You should ask him tomorrow" Hadrian said gently.

"He seemed worried about our relationship when he checked out my shoulder this morning" Tim said thoughtfully.

"Worried how? Does he suspect I'm a wizard?" Hadrian asked unconcerned. "He'd be concerned if he thinks I haven't told you."

"I don't know. Just more curious than he usually is. I think he picked up the awkwardness that I didn't really know Teddy very well or how to look after him, as if you'd been keeping us apart for some reason" Tim said considering.

"If he realised Teddy lives with me and you didn't know him he may have thought our relationship is quite new" Hadrian suggested. "I think you should explain when you invite him."

-o0o-

The next morning Tim text Gibbs to explain where he was and went down to Autopsy on his way to the bullpen.

"Timothy good to see you but I don't have a guest of yours, do I?" Ducky greeted him. "Is your shoulder paining you?"

"No it feels great. I'm ready to get back in the field. I even requalified with my firearm with it yesterday" Tim reported.

"But you're left handed" Jimmie said.

"Gibbs likes us to qualify with both hands, you never know when you're going to need it" Tim explained.

"So what can I do for you?" Ducky asked.

"Ducky I just wanted to talk to you and Jimmy" Tim said nervously.

"Are you feeling alright" Ducky said reaching to take his temperature and pulse rate.

"I'm fine Ducky. I'm well. I just wanted to tell you something" Tim replied. "I came down to invite you to my wedding" Tim said bracing himself for their reactions.

"I assume you're marrying the friend I met the other night. My dear boy isn't this a bit sudden? Are you sure you're not overreacting to being shot?" Ducky asked.

"Just because you hadn't met him before doesn't mean he's new in my life Ducky" Tim replied frowning.

"You mean you really are getting married?" Jimmie asked.

"Yes" Tim answered tersely.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it like that" Jimmie said apologetically. "Abby was complaining about you telling her you were getting married as an excuse for not going to a concert with her yesterday. It didn't sound like something you'd do but I didn't know you were seeing anyone."

"Yes Abby, Tony and Ziva refused to believe me" Tim replied. "Do you believe me?" Tim asked him.

"You would have admitted it if you were trying to trick them and it would be a pretty stupid prank given that you'd eventually have to produce a wife or admit you lied" Jimmy replied showing Tim the logical brain that they often overlooked.

"Did you invite them to the wedding?" Ducky asked.

"No. I was going to but after they all laughed and made jokes how impossible it would be for me to have a relationship I changed my mind" Tim replied.

"I can understand that" Jimmie said supportively.

"I hope you haven't been too hasty in dismissing them" Ducky said. "I'm sure neither Abigail, Anthony or Ziva meant to hurt your feelings like they did."

"We're getting married on New Year's Day and I'd really like you both to come" Tim said handing each of them an invitation. "It's in Boston Massachusetts but Hades is happy to pay for your flights and there's plenty of room at the house so you wouldn't need to pay accommodation. Gibbs is going."

"You invited Gibbs and not Tony and Ziva, do you have a death wish?" Jimmie blurted.

"Gibbs didn't laugh and call me a liar" Tim retorted. "It's going to be a very small wedding anyway."

"Are your family coming?" Ducky asked.

"No my father doesn't approve. It's fine, Hadrian doesn't have any family other than Teddy either" Tim said dismissively.

"You newlyweds won't want us staying at the house" Ducky protested.

"It's a great old plantation house designed for multiple generations to live together, you can have one wing and Hades and I will have the other. You won't be in our way at all" Tim replied reassuringly.

"So your girlfriend comes from serious money?" Jimmy asked.

"That's not why I'm marrying him but yes Hadrian has a lot of money. It comes from being the sole heir of what was once a large and successful extended family" Tim said solemnly.

"I'd love to come to your wedding. I look forward to it" Ducky said.

"Will it be a big formal fancy wedding?" Jimmy asked.

"No just the three of us, Gibbs and my grandmother if the letter reaches her in time, Hades and his godson Teddy and perhaps a few friends. Hades is kind of here in America in hiding after taking out the majority of a terrorist organization in Britain" Tim explained.

Ducky looked at his invitation then sent Jimmy off to do inventory. The young medical examiner's assistant rolled his eyes at his bosses back as he left them alone to talk. "I'd love to come" he called grinning at Tim.

"He's Harry Potter? THE Harry Potter?" Ducky asked quietly.

"You're a wizard?" Tim asked surprised.

"No my mother was a squib. She was treated better than most squibs by her family and they kept in touch with her brother after she left their world" Ducky explained. "We moved here when squib families began being targeted during the first war."

Tim nodded. He'd recently read quite a bit of history about both the Voldemort wars."

"You understand that the Potters and the Blacks are old pureblood families? They won't accept this easily" Ducky asked worriedly.

"Hades is the only Potter and his godson Teddy is the only living member of the Black family that Hades hasn't already pissed off beyond repair by trying to put them all in jail" Tim replied dismissively.

"That doesn't mean that some of the heirlooms won't still have curses on them. You did insist on a new wedding ring?" Ducky asked anxiously.

"No but Hades had a Gringotts curse breaker remove everything but the anti-theft and protection enchantments" Tim said reassuringly. "I've tried it on and it didn't restrict my behaviour in any way."

"It wouldn't if Hadrian was allowing the behaviour. That doesn't mean he wouldn't be able to control you if he wanted to" Ducky warned.

"Hades isn't like that Ducky. He was really careful when we looked in the vaults not to let me even touch anything that wasn't perfectly safe and he would gladly have bought a new ring if I'd wanted. It was my decision to wear the family ring. Besides the ring wasn't designed for a consort. Hades thinks it was designed to fool people into thinking a minor member of the family was Lord Potter so the real lord could be safely hidden away. The story's in one of the old journals. There's no record of it ever having been used as a wedding or betrothal ring before. It's safe Ducky."

"I'm glad my boy" Dr Mallard said genuinely relieved.

-o0o-

Hadrian made a trip to London and met with his bosses at MI7 to update them on his various consults, and then with Head Auror Robbards and Minister Shacklebolt who were interested in the Auror training Hadrian had done in America and various procedures they used. He got caught up in a discussion of the roles of the obliviators.

"They blend in with the mundanes and very rarely have to obliviate anybody as a result of an Auror's actions. In fact, all obliviations are reviewed by their ethics committee and an Auror would be severely reprimanded if their actions led to an avoidable incident where muggles needed to be obliviated. Even most of the criminals try to avoid magic in public due to the severity of the punishments handed down for it" Hadrian said.

"Yes their figures for muggle obliviations are unbelievably low. This extra training and severe punishment system can't account for all of the difference though" Robbards said thoughtfully.

"The children are allowed supervised access to their wand from the age of eight which seems to reduce instances of accidental magic" Hadrian said. "Of course it helps that the muggleborn children aren't in mainstream schooling for that extra three years too."

"That would be a help" Kingsley agreed remembering how many times he had to send multiple obliviations teams to a school after an incident in the playground.

"So you're enjoying your time over there?" Kingsley asked.

"I really love it. I feel so free in America and I enjoyed working for Auror Clancy and his teams" Hadrian replied.

"Past tense? I thought you said you weren't coming home?" Robbards asked.

Hadrian blushed in embarrassment "I'm not" he said. "I'm getting married."

"That wouldn't stop you from working as an auror" Robbards argued.

"I'm on twelve months' compulsory leave from regular duties, though I'll still be called in for anything that seems to have a British influence behind it. Did you ever hear the details of the curse I was hit with a couple of months before I left England?" Hadrian asked with his hand on his international portkey and the activation phrase on the tip of his tongue.

"Yes" Kingsley replied. "Oh… I suppose congratulations are in order" he added doubtfully.

Hadrian smiled. "Yes" he told his old friend and current British Minister for Magic. Of course, I suppose I could be arrested for it if I decided to stay here."

"You've already been officially cleared of aby involvement in casting that curse" Kingsley reassured him. "But there would be people who call for your arrest when they find out."

"With Molly Bloody Weasley leading them no doubt" Hadrian said cynically.

"It would however put an end to the problem of Ginevra trying to force you into marriage" Robbards said grinning as he caught onto what the other two were talking about.

"Well best of luck Harry. We'll visit you next time we need to meet" Kingsley said.

"Thank you sir" Hadrian replied.

-o0o-

Casting a glamour before leaving the minister's office he made his way to Hermione's.

"Hey Hermione. Can I take you out for lunch?" he asked.

Hermione looked up to see a stranger smiling at her fondly. "Harry?" she whispered uncertainly.

"Yeah I had a meeting with Kingsley and Robbards" Hadrian explained.

"Let me call Ron and…" she trailed off seeing Harry wince. "What's wrong?"

"I was hoping to catch up with you on your own" Harry said bluntly.

"Okay" Hermione said frowning. She got up and moved awkwardly to the door.

"May I transfigure your clothes into mundane attire?" Harry asked. "I have a craving for a good English curry."

"Okay" Hermione said smiling. "I could go a good butter chicken myself but I'll transfigure my own clothes." They walked in silence until they were out in muggle London. "How have you been Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Great" Hadrian said enthusiastically. "I've just about finished muggle secondary school and am thinking about whether I want to take a couple of college courses. Work has been quiet, not a peep out of any death eater's or sympathisers in my area…"

"Does that mean you're coming home soon" Hermione interrupted him eagerly.

"I doubt I'll ever live or work permanently in magical England, Hermione" Harry said earnestly. "I just feel like I need to be constantly checking over my shoulder and the bloody paper reports every move I make. Your book didn't help with that either. Why'd you do it Hermione?"

Hermione flushed in shame. "I just got so angry about all the lies being told and people suggested that I should write a book telling people the truth, and it has helped. There aren't anywhere near as many lies printed these days."

"My friends said it was well written and from what they've asked it seems pretty accurate" Hadrian commented not admitting that he'd tried to read it himself and it had upset him too much to finish. "I wish you hadn't written it though. You had to have known I wouldn't want you to."

"I had my doubts but Ginny was spreading such horrible rumours and Ron heard about how much money they were offering me to write it. He said that we needed the truth out there to stop all the lies going around so you could come back. We're going to need the money. He won't let me work after the baby comes" Hermione said guiltily.

Hadrian bit his tongue and firmly reminded himself that this woman in front of him had saved his life on multiple occasions and had never let him down before. She'd always had his best interests in mind even when the outcome wasn't always to his liking. He couldn't begrudge her the pleasure of being a successful author, not when she looked so stressed and upset over giving up her career. "When's the baby due?" He asked. "Are you keeping well?"

"Early January" Hermione replied. "The heartburn's a killer and I'm awfully tired all the time now."

Hadrian felt guiltily relieved that Hermione wouldn't be able to portkey to America for his wedding even if he had been willing to invite them.

"You shouldn't still be working" Hadrian said surprised. Like most British witches Hermione was using glamour a to hide her pregnancy. "Keeping that glamour up for eight hours a day must really drain your magic." He pulled his wand and carefully cast a notice me not charm around their table before casting a magical core diagnosis charm. "You really need to stop using so much magic" he scolded.

"Can your charm tell if the baby is magical?" Hermione asked.

"Of course but hasn't your healer already told you that" Hadrian said confused. Hermione should have known months ago that her baby was a witch or wizard.

"I haven't seen a healer recently" Hermione confessed. "Molly said everything's going well and I didn't need to."

"Hermione I'd like to drag you straight to St Mungo's, or better yet off on a vacation so you can rest. Your baby is definitely magical but your core is starting to show the strain of overusing your magic" Hadrian said worriedly.

"I've got to get back to work" Hermione protested.

"Yes you need to go back and tell your boss you need to stop working as soon as possible" Hadrian said firmly. "I mean it Hermione you're putting both of you at risk."

"You're not a healer" Hermione argued.

"No but I know you. You must have read every book on pregnancy and childbirth you could lay your hands on so you know I'm right" Hadrian countered, "Any healer would agree you need to stay home without the glamours and rest."

Hermione sighed. "I'll request to finish at the end of the week" she compromised.

"Hermione it's Tuesday. You need to finish as soon as possible. I'll talk to your boss for you if it will help" Harry offered.

"No thanks Harry. She's a total gossip, if she sees you it will be all over the ministry that you were here" Hermione said tiredly.

"I didn't think you wanted children this soon" Harry commented, realising his friend was sad to be giving up her job.

Hermione shrugged. "Accidents happen."

"Accidents happen in the muggle world. The birth control potion is 100% effective when taken every month and there is a semi-permanent charm wizards can cast that prevents them from fathering a child until it is removed, you can even add a password to prevent someone else from removing it" Hadrian said bluntly.

"You think Ron wanted me to become pregnant?" Hermione asked.

"I know he did. He's always wanted a wife who'd stay home and look after him, the house and kids" Hadrian replied. "I told him that you wouldn't be happy with that but you know Ron. As much as he complains about his family, he can't see any other way of doing things being right. They would have been much better off financially if Molly had worked as well and there was no good reason for her not to once Ginny started Hogwarts even if she didn't want to send them to primary school."

Hermione sighed. "You're right but he only wants two children so I can return to work soon enough. I want my children to grow up knowing the muggle world as well and there's quite a good muggle primary with an early kinder program our area."

'How are you going to get Ron to agree to that' Hadrian thought to himself. He didn't say anything out loud but Hermione must have seen the scepticism in his face. "Ron will find that he misses having two wages more than he thinks he will. Especially with all the expenses of a baby" she said defensively.

"I don't doubt that, but you know how he is when he sets his mind to something" Hadrian argued. He knew that with no mortgage or rent to pay and the royalties from the book coming in they could afford to live on one wage. Hermione had actually shot her future career aspirations in the foot by writing it.

"Tell me what's going on with everyone else. How's Ron?" Hadrian asked.

"Ron's Ron" Hermione replied smiling. "He won tickets to see the cannons today so he'll be awfully disappointed tonight that they lost and full of silly ideas that could help them win next time."

Hadrian who'd been behind the mysterious 'winning' of the tickets so he could have time to talk to Hermione on her own just nodded.

"Ginny and Dean still have some weird on again off again thing going on. She hasn't been able to find work and has been out partying every night. Molly is at her wits end with her. George is busy with his shop, we haven't heard much of him lately, Percy's buzzing about the ministry like an angry bee. He was demoted when you left the country and has recently been overlooked for promotion when his old position became available, Charlie's in Romania of course, he wrote about a new girlfriend and Molly can't decide whether to be happy he's met someone or upset that she's not English. Bill and Fleur have moved to France to be near her family, apparently her father's not well" Hermione rambled filling him in on the Weasley family news, most of which he'd heard through her rare letters.

"And our other friends?" Hadrian asked.

"Hannah's expecting again" Hermione said.

"Again! Isn't little Franklin only six months old?" Hadrian asked.

"Yeah but Neville and Hannah are only children and they wanted their children close enough together to be company for each other" Hermione explained. "I think they secretly would be happy to rival the Weasleys. Luna's off on some expedition to Africa of all places. She wrote the other day to say she had a lead on the crumple horned snorcack" Hermione said amusedly.

Hadrian got tired of waiting to hear what she had to say about Andromeda's death and his running off with Teddy. "Teddy?" he asked.

"Oh, I haven't seen him in a while" Hermione said guiltily. "I meant to go a week or so but I was too tired to deal with a toddler. I must call Andi and reschedule once I've finished work."

'How could she not know Andi had died?' Hadrian thought in horror. 'What would have happened to Teddy if I had been off on assignment and out of contact?'

"I've got to go" he said abruptly getting up and almost fleeing the restaurant.

-o0o-

A/N: Thank you to Almonda, Theamazinggata, Merlenyn, Bella216, Maben00, Village-Mystic, Aire5, Selenity84, lgbtlovechick, Vladimir Mithrander, Locket1, serenityselena, Silvermane1, Kris (Guest), DS2010, julschristine975, Finnish and PROUD, CrazyPedantic, mother oracle, xDarklightx, icyquest4, lilly-flower15, charm13insomnia, acherongoddess, Dedicated4reading, buterflypuss, Guest, avidereader101, Rori Potter, annie (Guest), Je Jay Jay, Hermy-Potter-93, waterstorm03, CurranM89, Demons archers, Astyan Askar, MsRyomaPotter, rmw8855, Love life and Have fun, kazuki12akirah, whimsical-Pen, lightsoul34, Nena Snow, laraferreira, mizzmuzz, Serenity Yue, pepperpotsofdoom, Jondar, ShadowsMate, LogicalmindBigheart, galathae, Huginn et Muninn, gasacan90, bookwormrdd, kimonobabe32, thatoneguy21, xXxvampgirlxXx, FireAndPowder, aerojade22, JessaMay7, prophetess268, Gniffiz, ClosetKHHP, noelmurdock, Simple Sensation and write-my-escape for your support.