Their second child was rambunctious and full of life, a certified wild-child. A mischievous little thing at the pert age of three, dashing behind her father's leg.

"Wo- Hey, what's this?" Harry asked. She only giggled.

Tom caught up to her, to think he would be outrun by a toddler. "I don't want to take a bath!"

"Harry," He said, "do something about your spawn."

" My spawn?" Harry asked, setting her on his hip. "If memory serves me correctly, I distinctly remember you being there when we made her."

"She's a menace, so rightfully, all yours." He replied monotonously.

Harry gives him a flat look then turns to their daughter, "Why don't you want to take a bath? Don't you want to be nice and clean?"

"But I don't wanna take 'em, daddy."

Harry smiled as she threw her head backward. "Give me a proper reason then."

She looked at him squarely, "Bath's is for babies!"

"But Mummy and I take them." Harry replied. She seems to contemplate this, pouting, as she goes into deep thought. "Everyone does."

"But not Nagi." She said, referring to their mother's pet. "Nagi doesn't take baths daddy!"

"Of course she does."

"Nuh-uh. She said she is above erm, 'bove human rich wall pracmiss-es." She hisses the response in Parseltongue as well for good measure too.

Harry shakes his head, amused, "No no, Nagini takes baths for sure, I'll prove it. Let's go right now."

"Harry…" Voldemort looked at him, concerned.

Harry turns back around, "It'll be fine." He said, waving his hand.

…

It was not fine.

Nagini thrashed and cursed in the bathtub as Harriet squealed in excitement and glee. Soap suds flew everywhere and water covered the floor. Voldemort finally gave in to take what would most certainly be a regrettable look into the bathroom.

"Good heavens." He says at the sight. "This is going fine, is it?"

Harry turns and has to slightly yell over Nagini and the thrashing. "Spectacular!"

A little head squeezed past Voldemort's leg and peeped into the room. Harriet, with two toys over her head like a war lord with trophies, turned at the sight of him and roared, "Phinny! Come play! Bath Time!"

Phinny looked up at Voldemort warily. Voldemort looked back, gave the boy a pet on the head. "Um. I already had a bath Harriet." He said. "Maybe next time." Harriet simply returned to her squealing and playing. She put her toys down and picked up a considerable amount of soap suds to add to her soap sud hat.

"Let's leave them to it, Phinehas." Voldemort says, taking his son's outstretched hand and leading him away from the crime scene.

Phinehas was six years old. Six years since Tom had thought he wouldn't have gotten a chance to bring him into the world. He had suffered a bit of trauma for the early years of the boy's life. Fearing that he would get taken away. Even placing the crib in their bedroom, leaving the nursery empty. Harry hadn't tried to curb any of his habits, or said anything of it. He'd let it happen and treated the situation as if it were no big deal, normal even. This seemed to help with his coping a great deal.

Tom's friend, Annabeth, had blasted a hole through the Greenfield building, right between them. And then it was two against one. Two turned to three as Harry returned shortly after witnessing the blast. Then Dumbledore, disarmed by Harry, had fled. They hadn't seen or heard of him since. Voldemort was adamant that he'd surely died from a curse. But his body was never found. So no one knew for sure.

Tom was very attached to Phinehas, to say the least. He was a mama's boy too though. As much as he could be with a temperament like his. He was a very quiet boy, didn't say much, and preferred to watch his mother work on spells than play with toys.

When Harry had finally asked who Annabeth was he was met with, "She was my pet snake at the orphanage."

Harry had paused. "Excuse me what?"

"I mean, I met her as a snake and kept her as a pet."

"Uh… that still doesn't…"

"She had an animagus form as a child."

Harry's eyes had widened comically. "But… how?"

Voldemort had shrugged. "She was one of the children at the orphanage. But to avoid… certain circumstances, she'd somehow gotten into her form and stayed in it as a defence mechanism. She had been living as a snake for a whole year after arriving there at the age of 8 by the time I found her." He'd explained. "I kept her as a pet for years without knowing she was human."

"Holy-"

"Yes, that was my reaction too when I found out."

"Weren't you upset?"

"No. Not really." He'd shrugged. "She was my dear friend- only friend, and confidant. Even if I had no idea. It didn't really change anything. Looking back I realise she was so clever and relatable because she'd been human. It was nice though, having company. It made life bearable."

"What happened when you left the orphanage?" He asked. "Did she attend Hogwarts as well?"

Voldemort had frowned. "No. Her mother came back for her."

"Oh."

"Not in the way that you'd think though." He'd said. "She'd possessed some muggle woman and collected her."

"Did you say possessed ?"

"Yes. Like what my diary did." He'd sighed, "Her experiments were… unethical and highly unorthodox. And during her development of horcruxes, one particular incident had left her in… quite a few bits and pieces unintentionally."

"Ann is still collecting all the pieces to this day."

"What happens when she collects them all?"

"Well when she gets most of the pieces at least, she can try to do what I did. And provide a vessel for it."

Harry had hummed. "She made that vase that you treasured."

"Yes."

"Well I'm glad that you had someone that loved you, in your life." He'd said. "And I'm glad I get to love you now, too." Voldemort had made a face. "Oh come on." Harry'd teased.

He'd simply been met with a "Bleh." before Voldemort had stalked off.

…

Ron had yet to come to terms with Harry and Voldemort being an item. Despite them having two children. Just because he tolerates it, doesn't mean he accepts it. That had been enough to get on Harry's good side again though.

Hermoine would drag him over to the manor to visit, even staying for weeks much to his dismay. She said that she would accept anyone who made Harry as happy as he was now. Even if it was you-know-who.

The babies he had with you-know-who were very cute though. Despite what Ron expected they would come out as. Hermoine had stumbled upon him once in his human form by accident while he was in a study. The second time both she, Ron, and some others got to see that form, when he'd gone into labour with the second baby. That had been a wild day overall.

Six years to the day that a great deal of witches and wizards lost their magic. Six years and those that were affected had still not recovered.

…

Harry pulled Tom close to his side, "They've only been gone a half hour and you're already depressed."

"I am not ."

"You're sulking, babe."

"I do not sulk ."

"I'll miss them too." He said. "Before you know it, it'll be summer and they'll be back and making havoc again."

When Phinehas had left for Hogwarts, Tom had been a little down, but he had Harriet for the time being. Now, she was of age and for the first time, both of their children were out of the house. She'd stuck her face to the window and waved until she was out of sight, and perhaps even longer.

Tom squinted, deep in thought, staring out into the garden. "Come." He said, tugging Harry by the sleeve and back towards the house.

"Wah-"

"We're writing you a Hogwarts application."

Harry almost tripped, "Eh!?"

"They still need a permanent transfiguration teacher don't they? DADA, Potions, Divination, whatever it is, you're going."

"Wait hold up-"

…

Fin…

for now.