(A/N:: My Own Eyes starts in the dream team's final year. This is at the Graduation Ball at the end of that year
(For 7th years only). The baby is almost 4 months old, and everyone is just finding out now, as Madam Pomfrey took care of him during
the day.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~My Own Eyes (Cont.)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Great Hall was astounding. I could not believe my eyes. The decorations far surpassed anything this
school had ever seen with my graduating class. The walls had shimmering vines growing, with iridescent
leaves and flowers everywhere. The floor had been bewitched to look like the sky, the ceiling was covered
in fairies (who shed a gentle, white light down on the Hall). The Hall held more peace and happiness than I
would have thought possible.
I led Hermione in, gaping just as much as her at all the beauty surrounding us. The fairies giggled
and, when all of the 7th years had filed in, showered us with silver glitter. The result was that everyone
shimmered and sparkled like the walls. But none of us really grasped what had happened until Mione spoke up.
"The charm on the ceiling was permanent. Nobody, not even Professor Dumbledore could have changed it." She
spoke with a quiet confidence born of being a mother.
"Then why is the floor all starry?" Ron wondered.
Mione smiled, a treat we had not seen since midway through sixth year. "They literally turned
the Hall upside down for us."
Not even Draco Malfoy was insulting or picking on people in here. He just couldn't seem to find
anything rude to say to anyone. For once.
Music floated in from nowhere, a slow song. It sounded like a river, flowing just the right way.
Mione noticed it too, and mentioned it. "That's almost better than the decorations."
I led her out on the dance floor (ceiling, whatever), and we danced for what seemed to be about
five seconds before the song ended.
"We should bring out our little surprise now," She whispered to me.
"Yeah we should," I replied. Hmmm, oh yeah, let's just introduce Mini-Me now. I laughed
inwardly at the idea, and imagining the looks on everyone's faces (even Ron and Parvati, our best friends,
didn't know) when they saw him.
We named him Brendan. It means "strong". I know that he will live up to his name, and with Potter
as a surname, I'm sure he'll be able to deal with notoriety.
Hermione squeezed my hand and disappeared, leaving me quite alone. I wanted to go with her...
I looked around, and realized that I was just standing on the dance floor, surrounded by couples, and was not
bothered a bit. I walked off the dance floor/ceiling, feeling around in my pocket to make sure the ring was
still there.
After about two songs, I decided that it didn't take that long to get to the hospital wing. I slipped
out as quickly as I could, and pushed through the small crowd of 5th and 6th years listening to the music outside of the
Hall. At the edge of the crowd I spotted Mione, with an impossibly tiny bundle in her arms, surrounded by
Ginny Weasley and co. Smiling, I leaned against the nearest wall and watched.
Mione held the bundle with such care, I wondered if maybe that was from picking me up off of
the quidditch pitch so many times. But the way she smiled down at little Brendan, the way she flaunted him, and
especially the way she so tactfully avoided the questions as to whose he was and why she had him.
I grinned my best "heartbreaker" grin and walked over, careful to take Brendan as smoothly as
I could from Mione and to meet all of the girls' gazes. We made our way back into the Hall, and found Professor
Dumbledore waiting for us just inside the entrance. He smiled down at Brendan much as Mione had done, and then
asked us, "Are you going to make an announcement or just let them gossip?"
Mione and I looked at each other, turned to Professor Dumbledore, and said in unison, "Let them
gossip."
He smiled, and waved us in. We were almost bowled over by Ron and Parvati, who had apparently
been looking for us "for ages!". Ron was about to drag me off somewhere when he noticed I wasn't alone with
Hermione. He looked curiously at the bundle in the crook of my arm, looked at me, and back at Brendan. "Uuuh,
Harry, umm, is that what I think it is?" He obviously thought he was cracking up.
I laughed. "Ron, meet Brendan. My son." Ron's and Parvati's jaws about hit the floor. "And
Hermione's son too." Their eyes just about popped out of their heads. I reached forward and gently closed
Ron's and Parvati's mouths.
"Uummm, I'll be right back!" Parvati exclaimed, and literally dashed off into a crowd of girls, screeching
about how they were "never going to believe it!!!"
"Harry! How come you didn't say anything?" Ron demanded. "You two have a kid! Wait until
Mum hears about this, the look on her face will be worth waiting to show her!"
All of a sudden, a cloud of pastel-colored dresses and giggling girls surrounded us. "Where's
the baby?" One of them asked, and the rest all followed suit. I uncovered his face, and he waved a hand at
the crowd. "Aawww, look at him! He looks just like you, Harry!" They all cooed at Brendan. He sneezed, and
they all backed off about three inches before saying, "Harry! You let him get sick!" They all cried.
I grabbed Hermione, and made a mad dash for the edge of the crowd. I found a way out, and pushed
through. When we finally had a moment of non-pastel-crowd peace, Brendan let out a rather piercing wail.
"Goodness, Harry. Let me see him." Hermione commanded. I handed him over immediately. We were attracting
another crowd, this one of older girls and adults who obviously knew a thing or two about babies. Not another
crowd, I'm ready to skive off the ball and just sit outside. It's certainly warm enough. Hermione seemed
to be thinking the exact same thing. "Let's get out of here," She whispered.
We sidled out, bringing Ron and Parvati with us. The night air was just the right temperature, cool
but not cold. Parvati "borrowed" Brendan, and the five of us strolled along the edge of the lake, chatting about
the future and the past.
Ron elbowed me, and nodded at my pocket. I got the idea and took the ring out, hiding it in my hand.
But before I could say anything, Ron leaned over and whispered in Parvati's ear. She giggled, and looked at me
expectantly. Hermione watched all of this rather amusedly, and gave me a quizzical look.
We stopped just out of the reach of the Whomping Willow. This tree has so much history, and
the funny part is it's all related to Hermione and myself. This is a good place. I should have thought this out
beforehand. I smiled the best I could, causing Mione to giggle and ask what I was smirking about. I swear
I turned twenty shades of red. Ron snorted, and dragged Parvati and Brendan off.
"Hermione, I should have asked you a long time ago." Nice, Harry. *dumbass!!*
She just smiled at me. "Come on, Harry. Tell me what you're up to now." She teased.
"Just a marraige proposal, that's all." I winked. "So will you marry me?"
Her face gave her away. "Harry, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?"
I shook my head. She finished. "About four months now. Of course I will!"
Ron and Parvati (still with Brendan) burst out from under an Invisibility Cloak, laughing hysterically.
"Harry,that was probably the smartest thing you've ever done!" Ron managed, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Parvati beamed at us, and handed my son to me. "And you only have two days left to show him off." She
teased.
Hermione looked alarmed. "We can't bring him to classes! Professor Snape, for one, would have a
fit! What if he got hit with a stray charm? Or Neville accidentally transfigured him into some kind of monster?"
"Calm down! It's alright, no one will bring him to class. He won't get hit with any charm, don't worry."
Ron wasn't helping any by trying to hide his wand.
She relaxed by about two notches. "Alright then," She agreed, looking skeptically at me. "No Brendan
classes." I grinned, thinking about how funny Professor Binns' face would be to see a baby in his class.
"We don't have classes, remember? Some of us are studying to be teachers and are watching classes
for the next couple days." Parvati cut in. Ron was ecstatic.
"When did they tell us that? Who? Professor McGonagall? Hmmm no wonder I didn't hear..." He rambled on,
making the rest of us laugh.
(For 7th years only). The baby is almost 4 months old, and everyone is just finding out now, as Madam Pomfrey took care of him during
the day.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~My Own Eyes (Cont.)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Great Hall was astounding. I could not believe my eyes. The decorations far surpassed anything this
school had ever seen with my graduating class. The walls had shimmering vines growing, with iridescent
leaves and flowers everywhere. The floor had been bewitched to look like the sky, the ceiling was covered
in fairies (who shed a gentle, white light down on the Hall). The Hall held more peace and happiness than I
would have thought possible.
I led Hermione in, gaping just as much as her at all the beauty surrounding us. The fairies giggled
and, when all of the 7th years had filed in, showered us with silver glitter. The result was that everyone
shimmered and sparkled like the walls. But none of us really grasped what had happened until Mione spoke up.
"The charm on the ceiling was permanent. Nobody, not even Professor Dumbledore could have changed it." She
spoke with a quiet confidence born of being a mother.
"Then why is the floor all starry?" Ron wondered.
Mione smiled, a treat we had not seen since midway through sixth year. "They literally turned
the Hall upside down for us."
Not even Draco Malfoy was insulting or picking on people in here. He just couldn't seem to find
anything rude to say to anyone. For once.
Music floated in from nowhere, a slow song. It sounded like a river, flowing just the right way.
Mione noticed it too, and mentioned it. "That's almost better than the decorations."
I led her out on the dance floor (ceiling, whatever), and we danced for what seemed to be about
five seconds before the song ended.
"We should bring out our little surprise now," She whispered to me.
"Yeah we should," I replied. Hmmm, oh yeah, let's just introduce Mini-Me now. I laughed
inwardly at the idea, and imagining the looks on everyone's faces (even Ron and Parvati, our best friends,
didn't know) when they saw him.
We named him Brendan. It means "strong". I know that he will live up to his name, and with Potter
as a surname, I'm sure he'll be able to deal with notoriety.
Hermione squeezed my hand and disappeared, leaving me quite alone. I wanted to go with her...
I looked around, and realized that I was just standing on the dance floor, surrounded by couples, and was not
bothered a bit. I walked off the dance floor/ceiling, feeling around in my pocket to make sure the ring was
still there.
After about two songs, I decided that it didn't take that long to get to the hospital wing. I slipped
out as quickly as I could, and pushed through the small crowd of 5th and 6th years listening to the music outside of the
Hall. At the edge of the crowd I spotted Mione, with an impossibly tiny bundle in her arms, surrounded by
Ginny Weasley and co. Smiling, I leaned against the nearest wall and watched.
Mione held the bundle with such care, I wondered if maybe that was from picking me up off of
the quidditch pitch so many times. But the way she smiled down at little Brendan, the way she flaunted him, and
especially the way she so tactfully avoided the questions as to whose he was and why she had him.
I grinned my best "heartbreaker" grin and walked over, careful to take Brendan as smoothly as
I could from Mione and to meet all of the girls' gazes. We made our way back into the Hall, and found Professor
Dumbledore waiting for us just inside the entrance. He smiled down at Brendan much as Mione had done, and then
asked us, "Are you going to make an announcement or just let them gossip?"
Mione and I looked at each other, turned to Professor Dumbledore, and said in unison, "Let them
gossip."
He smiled, and waved us in. We were almost bowled over by Ron and Parvati, who had apparently
been looking for us "for ages!". Ron was about to drag me off somewhere when he noticed I wasn't alone with
Hermione. He looked curiously at the bundle in the crook of my arm, looked at me, and back at Brendan. "Uuuh,
Harry, umm, is that what I think it is?" He obviously thought he was cracking up.
I laughed. "Ron, meet Brendan. My son." Ron's and Parvati's jaws about hit the floor. "And
Hermione's son too." Their eyes just about popped out of their heads. I reached forward and gently closed
Ron's and Parvati's mouths.
"Uummm, I'll be right back!" Parvati exclaimed, and literally dashed off into a crowd of girls, screeching
about how they were "never going to believe it!!!"
"Harry! How come you didn't say anything?" Ron demanded. "You two have a kid! Wait until
Mum hears about this, the look on her face will be worth waiting to show her!"
All of a sudden, a cloud of pastel-colored dresses and giggling girls surrounded us. "Where's
the baby?" One of them asked, and the rest all followed suit. I uncovered his face, and he waved a hand at
the crowd. "Aawww, look at him! He looks just like you, Harry!" They all cooed at Brendan. He sneezed, and
they all backed off about three inches before saying, "Harry! You let him get sick!" They all cried.
I grabbed Hermione, and made a mad dash for the edge of the crowd. I found a way out, and pushed
through. When we finally had a moment of non-pastel-crowd peace, Brendan let out a rather piercing wail.
"Goodness, Harry. Let me see him." Hermione commanded. I handed him over immediately. We were attracting
another crowd, this one of older girls and adults who obviously knew a thing or two about babies. Not another
crowd, I'm ready to skive off the ball and just sit outside. It's certainly warm enough. Hermione seemed
to be thinking the exact same thing. "Let's get out of here," She whispered.
We sidled out, bringing Ron and Parvati with us. The night air was just the right temperature, cool
but not cold. Parvati "borrowed" Brendan, and the five of us strolled along the edge of the lake, chatting about
the future and the past.
Ron elbowed me, and nodded at my pocket. I got the idea and took the ring out, hiding it in my hand.
But before I could say anything, Ron leaned over and whispered in Parvati's ear. She giggled, and looked at me
expectantly. Hermione watched all of this rather amusedly, and gave me a quizzical look.
We stopped just out of the reach of the Whomping Willow. This tree has so much history, and
the funny part is it's all related to Hermione and myself. This is a good place. I should have thought this out
beforehand. I smiled the best I could, causing Mione to giggle and ask what I was smirking about. I swear
I turned twenty shades of red. Ron snorted, and dragged Parvati and Brendan off.
"Hermione, I should have asked you a long time ago." Nice, Harry. *dumbass!!*
She just smiled at me. "Come on, Harry. Tell me what you're up to now." She teased.
"Just a marraige proposal, that's all." I winked. "So will you marry me?"
Her face gave her away. "Harry, do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for this?"
I shook my head. She finished. "About four months now. Of course I will!"
Ron and Parvati (still with Brendan) burst out from under an Invisibility Cloak, laughing hysterically.
"Harry,that was probably the smartest thing you've ever done!" Ron managed, tears streaming down his cheeks.
Parvati beamed at us, and handed my son to me. "And you only have two days left to show him off." She
teased.
Hermione looked alarmed. "We can't bring him to classes! Professor Snape, for one, would have a
fit! What if he got hit with a stray charm? Or Neville accidentally transfigured him into some kind of monster?"
"Calm down! It's alright, no one will bring him to class. He won't get hit with any charm, don't worry."
Ron wasn't helping any by trying to hide his wand.
She relaxed by about two notches. "Alright then," She agreed, looking skeptically at me. "No Brendan
classes." I grinned, thinking about how funny Professor Binns' face would be to see a baby in his class.
"We don't have classes, remember? Some of us are studying to be teachers and are watching classes
for the next couple days." Parvati cut in. Ron was ecstatic.
"When did they tell us that? Who? Professor McGonagall? Hmmm no wonder I didn't hear..." He rambled on,
making the rest of us laugh.