You Can Always Come Home
by Tatt Skywalker
Chapter Seven:
Finally Home
Paul cheered. "We're here! The Castle!"
Ginny and Harry both looked uneasy. What if they weren't allowed to stay. It would be a big disappointment for Paul and they wanted Lilith to grow up in a better enviroment than Paul had. They didn't want to raise all their kids on the road.
Ginny hoisted Lilith into a more comfortable position and the Potters walked down the hill towards Hogwarts.
They got more apprehensive as they got closer to Hogwarts. How were things going to go?
They came to the main door and Harry took a deep breath. Then he knocked.
***
Sirius and Severus pulled the doors open to see Harry, Ginny (Lilith too) and Paul standing there. Everyone was frozen in place for a moment.
Hermione broke the stand still. She ran over and hugged Harry. "Oh, Harry!" he exclaimed. Then she hugged Ginny. "It is so good to see you two again!"
Ron too ran over and hugged his sister. Then he looked down at Lilith. "Looks like you've got your own little family started here, huh, sis?"
Ginny smiled and hugged Ron tight. "I missed you so much, Ron."
Reneé just stood staring at Harry Potter. //He's here. Oh MY GOD! Harry Potter is here! He's here, he's here, he's here!//
//Shut up!// Rylee thought back at her sister. //Honestly, I don't need a head ache right now.//
Sirius walked over and hugged Harry. "Thank god, you two made it."
Harry smiled unsurely. "Yeah... Sirius, I'm sorry."
"For what Harry?" Sirius said, dismissing whatever Harry was going to say. "Your back and that is all that matters." Sirius took notice of Paul. "And who are you?"
Paul walked up from behind Harry. "I'm Paul. Are you Professor Snape?"
Lyria started laughing hysterically.
Sirius grinned. "Why would you say that?"
"You have long, black hair," Paul answered. "Only... it isn't greasy. And your nose isnt big."
Sirius lauged and Harry and Ginny looked somewhat embarrassed.
Salazar looked at his father. How could he allow himself to be ridiculed like that? But Snape stood over by Ariana not saying anything. Salazar immediately disliked Paul Potter.
***
Everyone greeted each other out by the door. The women all crowded around Ginny and Lilth, saying how cute the baby was. Harry greeted everyone and noticed tension coming from Neville. To say the least, he was a bit shocked that his old friend wasn't happy about seeing him. But he took no more notice of it as Ron led him and the rest into the Great Hall.
Paul stopped at the door and stared. All that food. He'd never been anywhere with this much food. The most food he'd ever seen was at a soup kitchen in London and that was for three hundred people. All of this was only for a relatively small group.
Everyone sat down. Paul sat down beside his father at a large table with a lion banner over top of it. It had to be the Gryffindor table.
"I'm Reneé, Reneé Black," a black haired girl said from across the table. She pointed at her friend. "This here is Frank. Frank Longbottom."
Paul nodded to each of them. "I'm Paul," he told them.
"You're father is famous, you know," Reneé whispered.
"Yeah," Paul replied. He'd been told the stories of how his father was a famous wizard and had defeated the dark lord.
"Yeah?!" Reneé gaped. "That is all you have to say?"
Paul nodded. "He's told me all about what happened. Dad's famous. Big deal. It really doesn't matter anymore. There is a war going on and no one cares who *was* a hero."
Reneé watched Paul start to eat. It was incredible. The kid's father was a hero, *her* hero, and he could care less.
Frank smirked. "Told you it wouldn't be such a big deal."
"Bugger off," an upset Reneé told her friend. She ate silently for the rest of the dinner time.
***
"You can have the top dormatories," Hermione told Harry and Ginny as they walked up the stairs. "No one's comes up here that much so it'll be quiet a mess."
Hermione entered first with the lantern and set in on a table by one of the beds. The room really didn't look too bad considering it had been neglected for ten years. Cobwebs were strung from bed post to bed post all throughout the room. Hermione brushed some of them away.
Harry beat away some dust and cobwebs and layed the sleeping Paul on to one of the empty beds. Then walked over to Hermione. "Thank you," he said to her.
She just smiled. "I'm so glad you've come home," she told Harry and Ginny. "I hope you'll stay." Hemmione smiled once again and left the Potters to get settled in.
Ginny found an old trunk and filled it with sheets off one of the other beds to make a little bed for Lilith. She nestled the little baby into the sheets. Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny. She smiled. "I think we just might be able to stay," Ginny told her husband.
"I don't know, Gin," Harry sighed letting go of her. "Did you notice? How hostile Neville was?"
Ginny shook her head. "Don't be silly, Harry. He named his son after you, he's glad you're back, I'm sure."
"I'm not," Harry said. "He barely spoke to me at all during dinner."
"He was sitting at the other end of the table," Ginny reminded him.
Harry looked at her. "You really want to stay here, don't you?"
Ginny nodded. "Harry... I'm near Ron again, one of my only surviving brothers and my nieces and nephew, and Paul seems to love it."
"Yeah, I missed it too," Harry told her. "And I don't want Paul out there anymore. It is too dangerous. Those Muggles, constantly blowing each other up... what's the point?"
"Don't try and understand it, dear," Ginny said. "Now, come one. Let's go to bed."
***
Sirius helped Lyria get up the stairs. She was seven months along, almost eight, and Sirius thought, didn't look like she was pregnant with triplets.
"When these three are born, *you're* taking care of them," Lyria told him when they got to their room. "*I'm* go to sleep for the next nine months after that."
"Yeah," Sirius said, agreeing too quickly. "Three. And I'll take care of all *three* of them."
Lyria grinned. He *still* didn't believe her. This might be fun... "Now, we don't have names for all three of them yet... any ideas?"
"I'm the one who wanted to name Bryatt, Chester," Sirius reminded her.
"Ick. You're right," Lyria said. "Best not ask you.... hmmmm.... how about.... Kyleigh, McKenna and.... Cadence?"
"Uh....."
"Girl, girl, boy, Sirius," Lyria told him. "Honestly, I worry about you sometimes."
***
"I don't like him," Salazar said, sitting on his little sister's bed.
"Harry Potter?" Mara asked.
"Any of them," Salazar answered after a moment of silence. "Especially their kid. Paul." He spat out the name in distaste. "Stupid name."
Mara hit him. "And your name isn't?"
"No. My name is very honorable," Salazar told her with a glare. "I hope they leave and never come back," Salazar said to his sister. "They never should have come back you know. They're cowards. They don't deserve to stay here.
***
"We never should have named Harry after him," Neville told his wife. "The little weasel comes home and no one says anything about it. Just lets him come back with no question."
Frank listened in. His father *really* hated Harry Potter.
"They're his friends, Nevie," Debbie Longbottom tried to calm her husband. "And you were once, too. They care about him and are glad he is home. You should be too."
"Why? Huh? Why should I care that he is back?"
"He is your friend, Neville," Debbie told him. "And you're behaving like a child. He is home now. Let him be. He is different now. Give him a chance to be your friend again."
Neville was quiet for a minute. Then he spoke. "Maybe. But I don't think he'll ever be my friend again. Not after he abandoned us."
"Give him the chance."
***
"So?" Rylee asked her twin. "Why aren't you jumping up and down saying how wonderful Harry Potter is? What? Now that you've really seen him do you hate him now? Salazar does, and I think I agree with him."
"Leave me alone, Rylee," Reneé growled at her sister. "Shut up and leave me alone."
Rylee got quiet. "Geeze, Renny. Lighten up."
"I told you to shut up," Reneé shouted.
"Was he that big a disappointment?" Rylee was amazed. Her sister didn't like Harry Potter anymore? Unthinkable.
Reneé looked at her sister. "Did you see him? He's no hero."
"Dad is a hero," Rylee said. "Does he look it? Or Neville? Does *he* look like a hero? No. But he is one. Neville fought agains Voldemort too. But Harry Potter took him down. No matter what he looks like, he did that, Renny. He's still a hero even if he looks like - even is - a drifter."
Reneé didn't say anything.
Rylee sighed. "Whatever. I try and cheer you up and what do you do? You kill *my* good mood. I'm going to bed."
Reneé watched her sister turn out the lights. She thought about what Rylee had said. He still *was* a hero. He just didn't look like one. But that wasn't it. Harry Potter's own son didn't care about what heroic things his father had done. And if his own son didn't care, why did she?
Becuase he makes life here not so dull, Reneé told herself and fell asleep.
by Tatt Skywalker
Chapter Seven:
Finally Home
Paul cheered. "We're here! The Castle!"
Ginny and Harry both looked uneasy. What if they weren't allowed to stay. It would be a big disappointment for Paul and they wanted Lilith to grow up in a better enviroment than Paul had. They didn't want to raise all their kids on the road.
Ginny hoisted Lilith into a more comfortable position and the Potters walked down the hill towards Hogwarts.
They got more apprehensive as they got closer to Hogwarts. How were things going to go?
They came to the main door and Harry took a deep breath. Then he knocked.
***
Sirius and Severus pulled the doors open to see Harry, Ginny (Lilith too) and Paul standing there. Everyone was frozen in place for a moment.
Hermione broke the stand still. She ran over and hugged Harry. "Oh, Harry!" he exclaimed. Then she hugged Ginny. "It is so good to see you two again!"
Ron too ran over and hugged his sister. Then he looked down at Lilith. "Looks like you've got your own little family started here, huh, sis?"
Ginny smiled and hugged Ron tight. "I missed you so much, Ron."
Reneé just stood staring at Harry Potter. //He's here. Oh MY GOD! Harry Potter is here! He's here, he's here, he's here!//
//Shut up!// Rylee thought back at her sister. //Honestly, I don't need a head ache right now.//
Sirius walked over and hugged Harry. "Thank god, you two made it."
Harry smiled unsurely. "Yeah... Sirius, I'm sorry."
"For what Harry?" Sirius said, dismissing whatever Harry was going to say. "Your back and that is all that matters." Sirius took notice of Paul. "And who are you?"
Paul walked up from behind Harry. "I'm Paul. Are you Professor Snape?"
Lyria started laughing hysterically.
Sirius grinned. "Why would you say that?"
"You have long, black hair," Paul answered. "Only... it isn't greasy. And your nose isnt big."
Sirius lauged and Harry and Ginny looked somewhat embarrassed.
Salazar looked at his father. How could he allow himself to be ridiculed like that? But Snape stood over by Ariana not saying anything. Salazar immediately disliked Paul Potter.
***
Everyone greeted each other out by the door. The women all crowded around Ginny and Lilth, saying how cute the baby was. Harry greeted everyone and noticed tension coming from Neville. To say the least, he was a bit shocked that his old friend wasn't happy about seeing him. But he took no more notice of it as Ron led him and the rest into the Great Hall.
Paul stopped at the door and stared. All that food. He'd never been anywhere with this much food. The most food he'd ever seen was at a soup kitchen in London and that was for three hundred people. All of this was only for a relatively small group.
Everyone sat down. Paul sat down beside his father at a large table with a lion banner over top of it. It had to be the Gryffindor table.
"I'm Reneé, Reneé Black," a black haired girl said from across the table. She pointed at her friend. "This here is Frank. Frank Longbottom."
Paul nodded to each of them. "I'm Paul," he told them.
"You're father is famous, you know," Reneé whispered.
"Yeah," Paul replied. He'd been told the stories of how his father was a famous wizard and had defeated the dark lord.
"Yeah?!" Reneé gaped. "That is all you have to say?"
Paul nodded. "He's told me all about what happened. Dad's famous. Big deal. It really doesn't matter anymore. There is a war going on and no one cares who *was* a hero."
Reneé watched Paul start to eat. It was incredible. The kid's father was a hero, *her* hero, and he could care less.
Frank smirked. "Told you it wouldn't be such a big deal."
"Bugger off," an upset Reneé told her friend. She ate silently for the rest of the dinner time.
***
"You can have the top dormatories," Hermione told Harry and Ginny as they walked up the stairs. "No one's comes up here that much so it'll be quiet a mess."
Hermione entered first with the lantern and set in on a table by one of the beds. The room really didn't look too bad considering it had been neglected for ten years. Cobwebs were strung from bed post to bed post all throughout the room. Hermione brushed some of them away.
Harry beat away some dust and cobwebs and layed the sleeping Paul on to one of the empty beds. Then walked over to Hermione. "Thank you," he said to her.
She just smiled. "I'm so glad you've come home," she told Harry and Ginny. "I hope you'll stay." Hemmione smiled once again and left the Potters to get settled in.
Ginny found an old trunk and filled it with sheets off one of the other beds to make a little bed for Lilith. She nestled the little baby into the sheets. Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny. She smiled. "I think we just might be able to stay," Ginny told her husband.
"I don't know, Gin," Harry sighed letting go of her. "Did you notice? How hostile Neville was?"
Ginny shook her head. "Don't be silly, Harry. He named his son after you, he's glad you're back, I'm sure."
"I'm not," Harry said. "He barely spoke to me at all during dinner."
"He was sitting at the other end of the table," Ginny reminded him.
Harry looked at her. "You really want to stay here, don't you?"
Ginny nodded. "Harry... I'm near Ron again, one of my only surviving brothers and my nieces and nephew, and Paul seems to love it."
"Yeah, I missed it too," Harry told her. "And I don't want Paul out there anymore. It is too dangerous. Those Muggles, constantly blowing each other up... what's the point?"
"Don't try and understand it, dear," Ginny said. "Now, come one. Let's go to bed."
***
Sirius helped Lyria get up the stairs. She was seven months along, almost eight, and Sirius thought, didn't look like she was pregnant with triplets.
"When these three are born, *you're* taking care of them," Lyria told him when they got to their room. "*I'm* go to sleep for the next nine months after that."
"Yeah," Sirius said, agreeing too quickly. "Three. And I'll take care of all *three* of them."
Lyria grinned. He *still* didn't believe her. This might be fun... "Now, we don't have names for all three of them yet... any ideas?"
"I'm the one who wanted to name Bryatt, Chester," Sirius reminded her.
"Ick. You're right," Lyria said. "Best not ask you.... hmmmm.... how about.... Kyleigh, McKenna and.... Cadence?"
"Uh....."
"Girl, girl, boy, Sirius," Lyria told him. "Honestly, I worry about you sometimes."
***
"I don't like him," Salazar said, sitting on his little sister's bed.
"Harry Potter?" Mara asked.
"Any of them," Salazar answered after a moment of silence. "Especially their kid. Paul." He spat out the name in distaste. "Stupid name."
Mara hit him. "And your name isn't?"
"No. My name is very honorable," Salazar told her with a glare. "I hope they leave and never come back," Salazar said to his sister. "They never should have come back you know. They're cowards. They don't deserve to stay here.
***
"We never should have named Harry after him," Neville told his wife. "The little weasel comes home and no one says anything about it. Just lets him come back with no question."
Frank listened in. His father *really* hated Harry Potter.
"They're his friends, Nevie," Debbie Longbottom tried to calm her husband. "And you were once, too. They care about him and are glad he is home. You should be too."
"Why? Huh? Why should I care that he is back?"
"He is your friend, Neville," Debbie told him. "And you're behaving like a child. He is home now. Let him be. He is different now. Give him a chance to be your friend again."
Neville was quiet for a minute. Then he spoke. "Maybe. But I don't think he'll ever be my friend again. Not after he abandoned us."
"Give him the chance."
***
"So?" Rylee asked her twin. "Why aren't you jumping up and down saying how wonderful Harry Potter is? What? Now that you've really seen him do you hate him now? Salazar does, and I think I agree with him."
"Leave me alone, Rylee," Reneé growled at her sister. "Shut up and leave me alone."
Rylee got quiet. "Geeze, Renny. Lighten up."
"I told you to shut up," Reneé shouted.
"Was he that big a disappointment?" Rylee was amazed. Her sister didn't like Harry Potter anymore? Unthinkable.
Reneé looked at her sister. "Did you see him? He's no hero."
"Dad is a hero," Rylee said. "Does he look it? Or Neville? Does *he* look like a hero? No. But he is one. Neville fought agains Voldemort too. But Harry Potter took him down. No matter what he looks like, he did that, Renny. He's still a hero even if he looks like - even is - a drifter."
Reneé didn't say anything.
Rylee sighed. "Whatever. I try and cheer you up and what do you do? You kill *my* good mood. I'm going to bed."
Reneé watched her sister turn out the lights. She thought about what Rylee had said. He still *was* a hero. He just didn't look like one. But that wasn't it. Harry Potter's own son didn't care about what heroic things his father had done. And if his own son didn't care, why did she?
Becuase he makes life here not so dull, Reneé told herself and fell asleep.
