The next day Jade woke up late as she had been up almost all night long thinking about her predicament with leo. She went down still in her pyjamas, not caring a single bit about it. Luna, who had dressed already, but looked just as sleepy as Jade, sat next to her and asked for her help to tell Ron, Jade nodded.
Right after eating breakfast and drinking two cups of coffee, Jade went outside where she saw Ron. He was just walking by the shore. Harry was out too but he was further away. Granger had been out of bed that morning but had gone back after breakfast. She was still recovering.
"Ron, can you come with me?" Jade asked him. He stopped and looked at her, puzzled. "Luna wants to talk to you."
Confused, Ron nodded and followed Jade inside the house. They cleaned their feet quickly and then Jade opened the door to the little study and let Ron in first, she went in after and closed the door. There they saw Luna looking out the window and they also saw the crib, where the baby slept peacefully.
"Has that baby been in here all this time?" Ron asked as he curiously took a step forward and looked down at the crib. Jade nodded. "How come I've never heard anything?"
"It's enchanted, to not bother anyone," Jade explained. "Ron? Remember back at Malfoy Manor... I left you for a bit. I said I'd go for my stuff and get someone?" Ron nodded. "Well, went for him, for the baby."
"Okay, uhm, is the baby yours?" Ron asked, confused. "Please don't tell me it's yours and Malfoy's and the prophecy will become true!"
"Uh no, he's not mine." Jade said, awkwardly. "I last saw you less than two months ago, it can't be mine and Draco's."
"Whose, then?"
"Uh, Ron?" Luna said, talking for the first time. She looked nervous as never before, her hands were even shaking and she wouldn't look up at Ron. For a moment, Jade thought her legs would give out, as they were shaking too. "Do you remember back at Bill and Fleur's wedding?"
"Uh yeah?"
"Us... do you remember us that night?"
Ron's face went scarlet in just a moment. Jade took a step back to give them more privacy. Luna looked even further down. Unnoticed by Luna, Ron nodded but it seemed like he hadn't made the connection yet.
"What about that?" Ron asked. Luna looked at him for a split second before she looked down again. A long silence followed.
"Ron... how long ago was that?" Jade asked after none of them talked for a while, Ron counted with his fingers.
"About seven, eight months ago... why?"
Once again Luna said nothing. She seemed terrified. Jade took a deep breath, she was starting to lose her patience. She walked to the crib and took the sleeping baby in her arms. She then walked to Ron so he could see the baby up close.
"What?" Ron asked. "Do you… do you want me to hold him?" Jade now understood why Granger lost her temper with him so often. She felt like slapping the top of his head like Granger would do so many times, so he would at least guess what was going on.
"He's Luna's, Ron," Jade exclaimed, not being able to keep it in for longer. How couldn't he even suspect that?
"Oh," Ron said, shocked. "When did that... I mean... Congratulations? Who's the… the dad...?"
"You idiot!" Jade exclaimed. "Can't you even guess?" Ron looked down at the baby and then looked behind Jade at Luna then back at the baby. Jade could tell he didn't have the slightest idea. "Let me give you a clue then... he is in this room."
Even then, it took Ron a few seconds to react. When he did, his eyes got big and his pupils got bigger. He shook his head in disbelief. He got paler than Luna then, who had started sobbing, Jade could hear her from behind her.
"No! No way! Jade, I'm only seven... I mean eighteen!"
"And Luna's sixteen!"
"Seventeen," she whispered. "My birthday is in February."
"Seventeen now but she was sixteen, Ron!" Jade exclaimed and for a moment she felt like a mother scolding her child. "He's yours, Ron!"
"You got to be wrong!" Ron exclaimed. "I know we did things but come on! I can't be a dad! I can barely keep myself alive! Besides, it was only one time, I swear, Jade."
The sobbing behind Jade got slightly louder and Ron went from pale back to a deep scarlet. If Jade hadn't been holding the baby, she would have punched him or slapped him. Not only her patience had run out, but what he was saying was ridiculous, he needed to get some sense into him.
"I don't care how many times it happened, he is yours, Ron! Look at him! He's just like you. If you could just take a closer look at him you would see it."
"But... was he born early then?" Ron asked. He cautiously stepped closer to Jade, looking at the sleeping boy in Jade's arm, it was obvious Ron was scared to look at him. This time Jade turned to look at Luna, as she didn't know the answer.
"I was very sick. The stress was giving me all kinds of complications. I was close to losing him. Narcissa Malfoy did a spell on me... Sped it up. He was born after about six months but thanks to her spell he was basically full term. We could have both died if it hadn't been for her. Then, they took him away, just let me see him once or twice a day."
Ron seemed that he was slowly getting back his normal face colour, he wasn't pale as a ghost or red as his hair anymore. However, Luna was still sobbing. Jade made signs with her eyes and face so he could comfort her but Ron was slow. So, it took him a while.
When he finally got it, he walked to Luna and awkwardly embraced her. Luna cried harder and Ron panicked, not knowing what to do. The baby started waking up. But Jade quickly got a pacifier and the baby didn't cry.
"So... when was he born?" Ron asked.
"January thirty-first," Luna whispered. "About a month after the Death Eaters took me."
"What... what is his name?" Ron asked, it seemed he had finally gotten over the shock and was acting like he should. Took him long enough.
Luna's cries which have seized, started again. Ron didn't know what he had done wrong and Jade just shrugged at him when he looked at her, puzzled.
"I don't know. I haven't named him yet."
"Well, why don't you hold him for a bit? Wouldn't you like that?" Jade asked Ron. "And you can stay here, maybe you can come up with a name together."
"I've never held a baby before," Ron whispered, panicking.
Ron went pale once again. Jade assured him everything was going to be fine as she ordered him to sit down. She handed the baby to Ron before he could even protest, he seemed terrified of holding something so fragile. Jade stood in front of them for a bit and offered them a reassuring smile. Luna mouthed a 'thank you' to Jade but she seemed to still be shaken up. Jade nodded at her, told them she was going to be outside if they needed anything else and then exited the room.
Jade waited twenty minutes in case they needed her but after that she went outside and joined Harry, who asked about Ron but Jade didn't tell him. Instead she pretended she had no idea and sat next to him in front of the sea, just like the very first night they spent there.
"Why did you come? I thought you would want to stay with your husband..." Harry said, playing with the sand. It was the first time Harry was bringing that topic up.
"Don't be like that," Jade warned him. Ron had warned her that Harry had found out about her marriage by looking at the Marauders Map and he had no choice but to tell him the truth. "I went to his house because I thought it would be easier to leave from there than Hogwarts. He knew I wasn't going to go back to Hogwarts. I had sent Ron a message, saying that I'd join you after Easter."
"He didn't say."
"Well, I did. You can ask him, I have no reason to lie," Jade told him. "I couldn't find anything at Hogwarts, and I did search everywhere, even the Chamber of Secrets. It's scary going down there, alone."
"How's everyone back at Hogwarts?"
"As good as you can expect. The Carrows run the place as I told you, usually cursing you just because they can and want to make you suffer. You never see Snape. The other teachers want to help but they can't. Hagrid is not teaching anymore, he barely made it out."
"What about you? Are you okay?" Jade nodded. "You never said how bad you were after that ridiculous punishment."
"I survived," Jade whispered. "I honestly didn't study when I went back to school. I skipped every class. I don't even know how I got away with it. Slughorn tried to talk to me once but I told him I had more important stuff to do and he left me alone. Are you okay, Harry?"
"Yes, I guess." Harry shrugged. "I missed you."
That made Jade look at Harry and for the first time, their eyes met. Jade wished it could be night and dark so Harry wouldn't be able to see all the worry that could be reflected in her eyes, and Harry was wishing the same, except that in his eyes, pain was what it could be seen.
"I told you I was coming back to you, didn't I?" Jade said very softly as she turned to look away at the sea, which almost made her voice inaudible.
"I thought you were lying, can you forgive me?" Harry asked and Jade nodded. "And can you also forgive me for wanting you here even when I know how dangerous it is to be with me? I apologise for asking this much of you."
"You never asked me to be here, did you?" Jade asked, taking a quick glance at Harry. "I kind of got myself into this and didn't accept a no."
"You can still get yourself out of this madness," Harry told her. "Go back to your husband's arms."
Harry regretted it right after he said it, but he didn't show it. That little comment really angered Jade, he knew he was saying that out of a broken heart but it wasn't fair. She stood up quickly and turned to leave and then stopped. She looked back at Harry, who was already looking at her.
"I don't even know if that's still possible because as far as I know, he could be dead right now," Jade told him on the verge of tears, but not from sadness but from frustration and anger. "And I told you to drop it! I don't want to talk about this!"
Jade once again turned around and started to walk, not towards the house, but opposite of it. She wanted to get farther from everyone. Lately, she had been worse at controlling her emotions and she didn't even know why and that made her even more upset. Harry stood up at once as well and went after her.
"He's probably taking advantage of the situation, he liked you and he knew you were desperate so he took the chance," Harry commented as he was walking behind her, struggling to keep the pace.
"How dare you?" Jade said, outraged.
"I'm sorry," Harry said, as both came to a halt. "I don't know why I said that. It's just been a shock. It was hard to take it in."
"Imagine for me," Jade whispered, as she once again turned around and restarted walking.
"You could have told me," Harry said softly.
Jade stopped abruptly once again, she didn't face him. The silence was filled by the wound of the waves that were to their left. The wind was blowing her hair, making it go in every direction.
"You are right… I could have told you," Jade whispered, Harry barely heard. "But I didn't have to."
"Jade…"
No. Listen!" Jade exclaimed, finally turning around to look at him. "This is my problem. My life. I'm not obliged to inform you of anything that happened. You found out and I understand you are upset but it's not really fair you are taking it out on me, specially because you just don't get it, not fully. I don't want to talk about this, so don't bring it up again."
"I know what I said was wrong and the way I did it was completely uncalled for. I don't think well when I'm angry, and I have all this pressure and burdens on me. But I apologise, Jade," Harry said. "I just… lost it because…"
"Because you like me," Jade finished for him.
"Yeah," Harry said and sighed deeply, nodding at her. "I do."
"But like I said, I don't want to talk about it. We should focus on what's really important."
This time, Harry let Jade walk away without chasing her. He didn't even know where he wanted to get to with that conversation, he was frustrated and wanted to get that out of him, he knew it wasn't fair on Jade, but she was the only person to whom he could let that out.
Later that day, Ron had walked out of the room with the boy in his hands and announced to everyone that he had a son. Everybody with the exception of the Goblin and Mr. Ollivander was in the living room, chatting. Bill didn't look so shocked at the news and Jade already knew, but everyone else couldn't believe it.
"Daryl Arthur Weasley," Ron said proudly when Fleur asked his name.
"Can I hold him?" Fleur asked and Ron smiled and handed her the baby.
Later that night, Ron, Jade, Harry and Granger had gathered in Granger's room, half to talk about a plan and half about little Daryl.
Granger was sat on her bed, Jade was on a chair by the window, Ron was sitting on the edge of the bed, very close to Jade and Harry was standing up, resting his body against the door. Things were still quite tense between Harry and Jade and the other two could feel it. Harry had apologised again and Jade had forgiven him but the tension between them was still there.
"When did it even happen? I didn't even know you and Luna..." Harry said, trailing off.
"It just happened," Ron admitted. "One moment we were dancing and the other... well, you know. Things got out of control."
"Are you happy?" Jade asked him.
"Strangely, yes... but I'm worried."
"You should send him to your mum or leave him and Luna here with Bill."
"What?"
"Ron, her father is in Azkaban. Death Eaters captured Luna to punish Xenophilius... Do you think they won't do it again? Do you think they will spare your son because he's just a baby? She can't go back to her house."
"Shit... I hadn't thought about that. I'll go talk to Bill," Ron said as he stood up and left the room, making Harry move to the side so he could open the door. Harry rested his body again, but against the wall, not the door, in case Ron could come back and just open the door without warning.
"It's weird..." Harry said suddenly. "By now, if Dumbledore hadn't changed things, it would be us the ones who had a baby, not Ron. He'd be like what? Seven months?"
"Around that," Jade said, trying not to think too much about Leo and she still didn't want to talk much to Harry after what happened earlier.
The next day Griphook told them that he would help them if they gave him the sword. Harry agreed but he thought he could use the sword to destroy the Horcruxes and then give it to him but the others weren't convinced. Goblins were cunning.
"I have visited the Lestranges' vault only once," Griphook told them. "The time when I placed the fake sword inside. It is one of the most ancient chambers. The oldest Wizarding families store their treasures at the deepest level. The vaults are largest and best protected."
"It's at the very, very bottom," Jade told them. Mine is at the left, the Lestrange's at the right. My mother had some control over it when they were in Azkaban as she is a Lestrange too. I know which one is the vault."
"Isn't your family Greek? How come they have one vault there?" Ron asked.
"Do I really have to explain everything?" Jade asked. "My aunt's vault belonged to her family, the Blacks. The Lias Vault belonged to my grandparents, my mother's parents, the Lestranges. When my mum married my dad, at some point, it became my dad's too. Happy?"
"Yeah," Ron said awkwardly.
They spent days planning and they also had to wait for Griphook and Granger to get better, which seemed to be way too slow. They had already agreed that only one was going to take Polyjuice Potion to get into Gringotts, but hadn't agreed who.
One late afternoon there was a long and loud bang. They all took out their wands. Ron instinctively got in front of Luna, who had Daryl in her arms. It seemed like he was learning quickly. But it was just Lupin, who properly identified himself before Bill let him in.
"It's a boy!" Lupin exclaimed, happily. "We've named him Ted, after Dora's father!"
Everyone congratulated him and then he looked strangely at the baby, at the moment he was in Fleur's arms, trying to figure out who the parents were. He knew it couldn't be Fleur's.
"Well, I had a boy too," Ron said, smiling awkwardly, noticing what he was wondering in his head, so he said it before Lupin would ask the question. "Guess our boys will be friends... school mates."
"Ron?" Lupin asked in disbelief. He looked from Ron to the baby. "But... you are only a kid!"
"Yeah... don't tell my mum yet, please. I just found out a few days ago, so she doesn't know anything."
Fleur walked to Ron and placed Daryl in his arms. It was still a bit weird for Ron to hold a baby and the thought of that baby being his still overwhelmed him but he was actually taking it better than Jade and Luna thought and he was getting the hang of it very quickly.
"Sure." Lupin then turned to Harry. "Will you be the godfather?"
"Me? I.. yeah, wow. Thanks!"
Bill went to get some wine and Fleur got some snacks to celebrate. They had never seen Lupin so happy.
"That reminds me..." Ron suddenly said. "Luna and I were talking... Harry, would you be Daryl's godfather too?" Harry blinked not believing him but he nodded with a smile.
It was then when Lupin put two and two together and found out the mother was Luna, which was even more shocking than Ron being a dad.
"Of course," Harry exclaimed and Ron smiled at him. "What an honour!"
"And Jade, would you accept too?" Luna asked.
"Me?" Jade asked, completely taken by surprise.
"You're my best friend... and it was you who got him out of there and helped Luna... so, what do you say?"
"Yes! Absolutely," Jade said nodding and then hugged Ron and Luna.
"I'm not scolding you both now," Lupin said to Ron and Luna sternly. "As we are celebrating and it's so good to see you all and knowing you are well and alive. So, we will postpone that for another time."
Lupin couldn't stay long, or so he claimed, but soon Bill was opening another bottle of wine and Lupin got his glass refilled. Jade filled her goblet once more and drank. Harry, as usual, told her not to drink much but Jade didn't listen, as usual.
"Not everyday I'm asked to be a Godmother! Let me celebrate!" Jade told him as she and Lupin clinked their glasses together and then both took a long sip. Harry rolled her eyes at her, knowing he couldn't do much more.
During that time, Lupin was telling them the boy's hair changed colours, like Tonks' hair and that he thought he was identical to her. He promised to bring pictures in a few days. Harry was unsure if he was still going to be around but he told Lupin that he'd love to see the photographs.
Close to 4:00 a.m., Harry, who was also drunk, helped Jade up the stairs. She hadn't felt so light, without stress in a long time. Both were laughing and stumbling. Maybe it would have been better if Ron had helped her, as he hadn't drunk more than half a cup and Luna hadn't drunk at all. But Harry insisted when Ron offered his help, so he took a step backwards and let them up the stairs.
Suddenly, they stopped outside the room Jade was sharing with Luna. They were facing each other.
"Thanks," Jade said to him.
But neither of them moved and then Jade remembered what had happened the last time she had gotten that drunk and Harry had walked her to her dormitory. She blushed just at the thought. Jade looked up at Harry and she couldn't deny she did have feelings for him. She liked him but he was forbidden.
The tension was growing and she could feel it. Harry could feel it. Why couldn't she just turn around and walk into the room? Why did she feel like she was paralyzed? Harry started to lean in and Jade panicked.
"Harry," she whispered and Harry stopped just two inches or so from her lips. But he didn't move back and he didn't dare to open his eyes and look at were so close that Jade could feel Harry's hot breath against her skin. "We shouldn't."
"I know..." Harry nodded but kissed her cheek in a quick movement so she wouldn't stop him, all she could do was blush. "I know I'm drunk... and I probably wouldn't say this if I wasn't but... I really like you, Jade. A part of me always wishes we could be in the other reality, that Dumbledore wouldn't have changed anything and we could be together. We could find a way to prevent our deaths and live happily… I mean, we know about it so we can do something about it, right?"
"Harry..."
"I think about it everyday, Jade. What I saw... Leo... us... I think I like you more every day. Sometimes I do hate that we are soulmates as I can't push these feelings away. I've really tried."
"Harry, stop."
"No. Because tomorrow or the next day, I won't have the courage to tell you, Jade... that I love you. I don't know when I started to actually love you, but I know I do. I can feel it. This is not just a silly crush that will go away, I do love you Jade!"
"But you know we can't be together."
"We could defeat Voldemort and then be together," Harry said, looking desperately into her eyes. "There isn't another prophecy, is there? And we are meant to be, right? You said it! Dumbledore told you soulmates find each other anywhere, no matter what."
"And yes, we found each other but... things happen, you know? I can't just discard Draco because I've got a crush on you."
"This is bigger than us, though. These... forces. We can't control who we love," Harry told her, sounding more drunk than ever. "I want you, Jade. I want us. And if possible, I want us and Leo, all together. I want what I should have had."
"I think we are just drunk, Harry."
"No... this is me, telling you how I've felt for months," Harry told her. "Imagine... in some years we could have what we had over there. We could live in Grimmauld Place or get another house and start a life. Imagine, Leo with us. I know you do feel something for him even when you tried to act all cold when we saw him. I've heard you saying his name while you sleep sometimes. We are all connected, want it or not."
"Nothing guarantees me that if we do end up together, I'll get Leo. I think that can't happen anymore. And can you stop talking about Leo? I don't want to talk to him." Jade decided to not ask Harry why he listened to her while she dreamt. But it scared her to think that if Harry heard her, others could too, and what else could she be saying unconsciously?
"Seeing Ron's baby has sort of reminded me a lot about Leo. I have pushed him to the back of my mind as I need to think about the mission and all but since I saw Daryl, I can't stop thinking about Leo," Harry said.
"Me too," Jade whispered, realising too late that she had actually said that outloud and just thought about it.
"We felt something that day, when we pretended to be the real Harry and Jade over there and we played with him... well, I played with him, and I bathed him and changed him and fed him while you stood behind, just watching, guarding yourself from getting attached. But I saw your face," Harry said, suddenly getting closer to her again. "For just a couple of hours, the three of us were a family. And I felt it and I know you did too. We were happy. And in some way that fills you inside but scares you."
"I don't know what a normal family is like."
"Neither do I," Harry said. "And that's why I know we would try hard to create a happy one."
"This is… This is too much."
"Yeah, perhaps, but I need to talk about this. I love you and I'm telling you that I'm willing to wait until You-Know-Who is destroyed if that makes you feel safe. I'm also making it very clear what I want. I know it might be too much and overwhelming right now but like I said, tomorrow I might not have the courage to say it outloud."
"Harry... if we are talking about this, we must be sober," Jade told him. "I'm not talking about something so important while we are being influenced by alcohol."
Jade couldn't deny that she had been angry at Dumbledore for months and she could tell Harry was too. Yes, maybe she wasn't going to die, maybe, but he shouldn't have interfered, especially when it wasn't his life but someone else's.
Jade sometimes wondered about who she was. She was so different from the other Jade, and she didn't even know if she was real or just a result... a consequence. She felt like something was lacking in her life, she was so confused and she also had that big hole inside of her... she wouldn't like to be a teen mother but she somehow loved Leo and wanted him in her life, even when she was just seventeen.
"I can see it in your eyes, Jade," Harry said, interrupting her thoughts. "How much you are longing for that reality... You can't hide that. Not from me."
"It can't happen though," Jade said, deciding not to deny it or accept it.
"But it can," Harry said to her. He embraced her, which Jade didn't see coming and then Harry turned to go down the stairs again, and stumbled as he walked. Jade only stared at him, wanting to cry.
She walked inside the room and got into bed, only taking off her shoes. She hugged the pillow as millions thoughts crossed her mind. Yes, she did long for that happy life, Leo included, but here things were different.
She closed her eyes and tried to think of Leo, whom she wouldn't visit tonight, she was too drunk and overwhelmed. She tried to remember how he looked when he was a baby, Jade felt nostalgic as she remembered that toothless smile. She had been robbed of so many moments, not only her but Harry too and even them in the other realities as they had been killed. They couldn't even live past twenty-five.
Then out of nowhere as she was thinking of Leo as a baby and a toddler, she remembered the baby she had seen in her nightmares for the last few weeks, and realised the baby wasn't actually Leo. She thought it was him and nightmares were only a reflection of her fears concerning him but that wasn't it.
She sat up at once as she remembered stuff that had happened in the last few months. By then it seemed that all the drunkenness had just vanished after that realisation. She heard and relived conversations in her mind that she had had and she felt stupid for not seeing it before. And as she realised what she had missed and what the nightmares actually meant... she felt even angrier at Dumbledore as he hadn't prevented anything, just played with even more people's lives.
