HP Life after Hogwarts
Chapter 3
Sing for Dessert
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Just like what it says, the guests at Harry's party must sing if they want any dessert...why is that you ask. Well read on and find out. Oh and Harry finally gets to enjoy his party for a while at least.
--
The Granger twins were keeping watch over Crooks and Pepper's newborn kittens. They'd missed the ceremony, as had Hagrid and Paddy to keep an eye on Pepper. She'd gone to a quite part of the backyard and given birth to six healthy kittens, three girls and three boys, on a blanket under the shade of the Willow tree.
"Are they all right here or do we need to move them inside?" Bree stared worriedly down at the newborn kittens nursing on their very proud and content Mummy.
"They'll be fine for now; besides ole Crooks wouldn't let us touch em or her if we wanted to right now." Hagrid pointed to Crookshanks very much in proud papa mode.
"Everyone's returning to the party. I'll go tell sissy and Harry." Bree zoomed off.
Crooks washed a miniature version of himself with his tongue.
The tiny bundle of ginger colored fur mewed in protest, but his father oblivious to his pleas continued to bathe him.
"That one is gonna be into everything just like his Da." Paddy chuckled.
"This was so cool. I wanna take care of animals when I'm older, just like Charlie, Uncle Hagrid, and you Uncle Paddy." Bastion entranced by what he'd just seen decided on what he wished to do with his life.
"You would make a fine Wizarding vet, my lad." Paddy ruffled his hair affectionately.
"He's the brightest lad in his class and a natural around the animals. I agree with Paddy, you'd make a fine caretaker for the animals." Hagrid chuckled when Bastion beamed with pride.
"Slow down Bree! What is it that you wish to show us?" Hermione caught sight of Crooks, Pepper and their babies. "Harry! She had them and I wasn't there for her or Crooks!" She burst into tears.
"Uncle Paddy, Hagrid, and the twins were watching over them for us." Harry prayed for patience, her lack of a longer afternoon nap was making her tired, grouchy, and highly emotional.
"That's not the same! She's my responsibility and I forgot to watch over her! What if I do that with the girls?" She sobbed against his chest.
"The babies make her nutters." Bastion rolled his eyes at his sister.
"Sebastian Alexander!" Hagrid, Paddy, and Harry glared at him.
"Well, he's right they do." Bree stood up for her brother, "Pepper is fine, so are her babies, and neither is holding a grudge because she missed the blessed event."
"Sabrina Alexis!"
Crooks set his second fully bathed kitten down beside Pepper, before patiently walking over to slink and purr against his mistress's leg.
"See angel, Crooks isn't angry with you." Harry crooned softly into her hair.
"He's not?" Hermione sniffled.
"No, he's not." Bastion picked him up and set him in her arms.
Crooks purred and rubbed his cheek against her own, as he shot his master an exasperated look.
"Yes, I agree completely, but we love them to distraction." Harry chuckled in amusement and scratched his ears. "You have a beautiful family, my friend."
"Three girls and three boys," Hagrid smiled.
"All healthy, as is Pepper, there's no need for tears, lass, unless those are tears of happiness and joy." Paddy smiled at her.
Hermione fought off a wave of dizziness and light-headedness, "I'm just emotional..." She dropped Crooks, so she could cling to Harry for support.
:Mama go night...night.: A tiny voice echoed in both hers and Harry's heads.
:Mama sleep.: Voice number two chimed in.
:No wake, sleep now mama.: The third, stronger, and final voice echoed her sisters.
Harry swept her up into his arms, before she lost the battle to remain awake. "I've got you baby. Let's get you settled on that patio."
"Sissy?" Bree and Bastion eyed their sister worriedly.
"Everything okay there, Harry?" Hagrid frowned.
"The girls put her to sleep. They tend to do this when they feel that she's getting stressed or upset. This time they made their feelings loud and clear." He carried her over to the patio and settled her onto the LuvSac. "Now before anyone here starts to panic you need to know the triplets made their mummy go to sleep. She's fine as are the girls. The triplets, as I explained to Hagrid, Uncle Paddy, and the twins, if she gets upset or stressed tend to make her go to sleep." Harry covered her with a blanket and set a cool clothe that Lucy had handed him on her forehead.
"She doesn't know when to slow down." Katherine sat beside her daughter.
"We'll watch over her, son. You go enjoy your party. It will give us a chance to pamper her." Alex placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Sure. Just come and get me if she wakes up growling at the two of you. The girls voiced their opinions loud and clear to both of us this time, so I know she's gonna be ratty about it." He kissed her on the forehead and let the two of them watch over her for a while.
--
:Sing Dada.: The now familiar voice of one of his daughters chimed once again in his head.
:I'm starving, princess. Can Daddy eat first?: Harry had skipped lunch and needed food.
:Then sing: Came the reply.
:Yes, I promise then I will sing to you.: Harry sighed in defeat. It was clear that this one was the stronger out of her sisters and he took a guess that this little one was Danielle.
:We nap then.: She settled back to sleep. :Love Dada.:
:I love all of you too.: Harry ignored all the questions about Hermione and fixed himself a plate of food.
James could tell that he'd been chatting with someone and sat down next to him at the patio table. "Once they realize that you can hear them its instant chatterbox." He grinned.
Harry bit into his double cheeseburger, savoring the bite of food, before answering his father. "I don't mind. In fact, I find it relieving knowing that they can tell me if something is wrong. They made Hermione sleep and now wish for me to sing to them." He took another bite of his burger before continuing, "The plus is that they're allowing me to eat first, which is what I'm doing." He munched on the chips on his plate. "Pepper had her kittens under the willow tree. She had three girls and three boys. This all happened during the wedding, so Hermione missed it, which upset her, so the girls made her sleep."
"The girls are linked with you?" Wills and Henry paused from eating their own burgers.
"Yes, now pay attention; because I'm not gonna repeat this. I'm a master at Legilimency, in fact it comes as natural to me as breathing, so its not surprising that my daughters at 8 ½ months into their creation can communicate with me, and now Hermione as well. This isn't the Muggle World, these aren't nonmagical babies, and magic has been a part of them from their creation." Harry finished off his dinner.
"Now here's where it gets interesting...they've requested that I sing to them, but I've something even better in mind." He shot everyone around him a wicked grin and his eyes danced with mischief.
"Oh, bugger, here we go again," Ron groaned. "He's got that look in his eyes."
"Looks like it mate and that means that he's gonna make everyone sing." Draco poured himself some more iced tea.
"Very good assumption, little brother, that's exactly what I intend to do." Harry got up and walked over to the table where the jar containing SC was sitting and picked it up.
"In this jar is a transfigured man, who in the Muggle World goes by the initials SC. He's the music world's harshest critic and cannot stand karaoke. Now in this world he was known as Simon Craven. Former Ravenclaw sixth year Hogwarts student, who nearly got my parents and Uncle Sirius, killed on Valentines Day of their sixth year. His inability to not take no for an answer cost them a three-week stay in St. Mungo's." He glared into the jar. "This man, who fled Hogwarts, and our world as a coward, still to this very day can't take no for an answer."
"Is that the one that James vowed to kill if he ever laid eyes on him again?" Anna frowned at Stephen.
"That he is Grams; but Uncle Sirius transfigured him into a bug instead. Dad was on the verge of killing him, just minutes before that." Harry nodded. "So this is what we're gonna do. If you wish any cake or dessert of any kind you will have to sing a song for it."
"That's the ultimate form of torture. He hates karaoke." Clay grinned.
"That's easy for you to grin about. You happen to be a brilliant singing idol." Ron grumbled.
"Now Ron, it's all in good fun, besides not everyone here can sing."
"I know I can't, but that's double chocolate marble with a different filling in each section and I'm not missing that." Henry grinned. "That and I'm not missing feeding a piece of wedding cake to Dromi."
"Fine, all right. I'll sing for my treat, but no laughing or anything like that." Ron grumbled.
"No laughing it's all in good fun. Anyone who laughs or heckles gets no dessert." Harry set the ground rules and set the jar back on the table.
:Sing Dada!: The three of them chimed in unison in his head.
:I'm going to sing to you and so is everyone else, so settle down.: Harry winced in pain, three at once gave him an instant headache. "I'll go first, before they give me a migraine." Harry headed to the stage.
:We like sing.: The three of them were happy.
:Your wishes are my command.: Harry, very familiar with the Muggle singing machine, called up the song list on a screen.
"Shall we sing one together or will the girls mind?" Hermione was awake and ready to have fun.
Harry looked down at her and smiled. :Now do you believe me?: He helped her up onto the stage. "Sure, angel mine, I love singing with you. We'll sing one that our newlyweds can dance to." He chose a song and handed her a microphone.
:Oh, I heard them loud and clear.: Hermione glanced down at the song he had chosen and smiled. "Nice choice, Wolfe."
"I'll share it with them just this once for their first dance." Harry kissed her.
"Wills, Rory, Dromi, and Henry here is our song, please feel free to dance to it if you like." Hermione threaded her fingers through Harry's and the music began playing the song Destiny.
The two couples danced, as Harry and Hermione serenaded them.
"Now that's what I call first-class all the way." Clay was very impressed by the two of them.
"Those two could make it big in the music world. They have that special talent to enchant the audience they're singing too." Josh agreed.
The bug in the jar was enjoying the show as well.
:More sing!: They demanded.
"They're gonna be little handfuls... I just know it." Harry groaned with exasperation, "It seems that your turns will have to wait, our girls wish another song." Harry shot them all a forced smile.
:Come what May might do the trick. They settle down when I listen to it on my Discman.: Hermione chose a song from the movie Mulan Rouge.
:It's worth a shot.: Harry was ready to try anything, so the two of them once again began to sing.
The beetle had dollars signs on the brain, a duet couple that could sing in perfect harmony, it was a gold mine in the making.
"Sorry Simon, but those two aren't for sale." Clay looked down into the jar.
"Damn straight they aren't." Sirius growled at the jar.
"You're up, Ron." Harry had never seen him this put out in months. "It's all in good fun. Take a listen to the song first before you sing it." He instructed him.
Ron listened to the song and shook his head. "Not a chance in hell."
"Then sing this one." Hermione had chosen Rainbow Connectionfor him to sing.
"Yeah, I know that one. It's the song from Luna's locket." Ron focused on the screen in front of him. "So, I just follow along with the words?"
"That's all there is to it." Harry nodded.
"I'm ready," The two of them left him alone on the stage. "This is for, my Luna. She loves this song." He sang pitifully off-key to his love, but never once missed a word of the song.
SC was not a happy beetle and tried like mad to escape from the jar.
Everyone applauded Ron for his effort.
"Good job, mate. So who's next?" Harry eyed his family and friends.
Luna was next to go. "I've listened to Hermione's CD collection, so she can pick one out for me." She smiled.
"How about this one, Luna," Hermione picked out Dream Worth Keeping for her to sing.
"I love that one." She smiled. "You did wonderful, Ronnie." She kissed his cheek.
"Thanks, moonflower." Ron pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "It was really fun, not nearly as bad as I thought it'd be."
Luna waited for the music to play and sang the song with a voice like an angel.
"My moonflower can really sing." Ron smiled proudly.
The jar tipped over, causing the lid to fly off it, and in seconds SC was back to normal. He sat down next to Clay and intently listened to the song.
"One word out of line and you will pay dearly for it." James snarled out a warning.
"Who is she?" Simon, his gaze never leaving the stage, ignored James.
"My second youngest daughter, Luna, as for what you're obviously plotting in that thick skull of yours not a chance in hell." James read his line of thought.
"That explains Draco being here, you adopted the two with no parents. Langley Lovegood must have died; Draco's parents were Deatheaters, which means that Harry must have dispatched Lord V." Simon surmised.
"Be quiet! My daughter is singing!" Lily threw a pitcher full of ice water in his face.
James and Clay just barely got out-of-the-way.
"Way to go, Mum!" Harry waited until Luna had finished her song to speak. "Smashing job, baby sister, you sang beautifully."
"Luna, baby, sing another one these two growled at each other the whole time." Lily requested.
Hermione walked over and whispered something in Luna's ear. "Oh, I really love that one. This one is for, my Ronnie." Luna began singing I Never Lived.
:Aunt Luna sing pretty...: The Dani strongest of the three yawned.
:Like Mama and Dada...: Allysia agreed.
:We go night, night...: Amelia yawned sleepily.
:Night Daddy's little miracles, I love you.: Harry knew that they were out at least for the next few hours. "Mission accomplished." He whispered into Hermione's ear.
:Night Mummy's little darlings, I love you.: Hermione was happy that at least for a few hours she would be able to be comfortable. "I know." She sighed, as she snuggled against him.
When the song ended, Ron kissed Luna while everyone else cheered and applauded.
"I could make her a megastar. I could make Harry and Hermione ones as well." Simon pouted.
"He's a media darling, as is Hermione. Lazy Meadows is overflowing with gifts from well-wishers for the babies. Luna is a princess and their Muggle Liaison. She does not need nor wish to have a Muggle spotlight on her." James gave Simon a hotfoot.
"Not even for charity?" Simon easily countered the spell. "It would raise record amounts of money..." Simon played the one card that usually made things go his way. "Maybe even half a billion or so pounds." In any world money was the key to any negotiation.
Wills arched a brow at him. "Harry doing a magic show can do that, but I do see your point." He kissed Rory before heading to the stage. "I guess it's my turn now."
"I see we have our next volunteer." Harry handed him the mic. "The stage is all yours big brother."
"This is for my very own angel, sent to me from the heavens, who is now my wife. Gods, I love the sound of that." Wills chose the song Heaven is missing an Angel.
Rory got up to stand in front of the stage, so he pulled her up into his arms, and sang to her.
"We could do this on Allhallows Eve; make it payperview, with all proceeds going to the Pendragon Foundation. The kiddies would benefit from it." SC plotted aloud. "Clay, Josh, and other headliners would also sing of course. Let's say fancy dress, make it an annual event, and safe for all ages to attend. We could call it Music is Magic."
"Do you never shut up? The answer is no." James narrowed his eyes at him.
"Send me the proposal and we'll see." Andrew was interested in SC's idea and told him so, before applauding William's singing performance. "Well done, son."
"Yes, do send us a proposal." Sarah agreed with Andrew.
"It sounds like a brilliant idea." Their two daughters agreed.
"They do have a point James, it is a brilliant idea." Lily set Bell in his arms.
"Simon is a genius at plotting events like this and it is a really great idea." Clay also agreed.
"It would make a very successful money raising event for the kids and that's all that matters in the end." Josh agreed.
"I'm not hearing this." James grumbled.
"Shush James, Rory is about to sing to Wills." Lily focused on the stage.
"Just one second, big sister, we have a problem over here." Harry tapped his wand to his palm, as he glared over at the table where his father was brooding next to his mother. "Well?"
"Simon came up with an annual charity event for the foundation and James is brooding about it." When James continued to silently brood, Lily answered her son.
"Is that so?" Harry arched a brow at Simon. "Does this event have a name?"
"Music is Magic. It would have vocal talent as well as magic sections in the show. I was thinking Fancy dress for all ages, make the date of it around or on Allhallows Eve, it would be on payperview with all proceeds going to the Pendragon Foundation." Simon laid out the basic outline of his latest brainstorm for the prince.
Hermione, Wills, and Rory listened intently to the plan, as did everyone else because Harry still had the mic in his hands.
"What do you get out of it?" Harry still didn't trust the man.
"Free publicity for my talent and music sells off the charts after a gig like this. Its win, win, anyway you spin it." Simon stared him eye to eye. It was clear that he would have to come clean with him about his attitude or lose the opportunity of a lifetime.
"Look, it's true that I act like an ass on the Telly. That's because it's my job to tell the contestants what for, but I'm also the bloke that has to deal with the winners for the long-haul. Sometimes they shine like Kelly, Clay, Carrie and Bo and sometimes they don't. It's my job to make it work somehow. That can and often does make me cranky, mean, and at times an ass. It doesn't mean that I don't have a heart or care about things like The Pendragon Foundation, which is exactly what it claims to be. I also love animals. I just don't flaunt my niceties." Simon growled. "I don't sugar coat things, it's just not who I am. I tell the public how I feel and pray that they listen to me. This year's American Idol and runner-up are the results of that opinion.
"Work up all the details, I mean every last one, send two copies of it one to me, one to the foundation, and we will go from there." Harry liked the idea.
"We could give the audience a first glimpse of GOF." Daniel suggested.
"Have a sneak preview of the movie at the concert that's brilliant, Danny." Em kissed him.
"Maybe Wills and I will get to watch it from Sandhurst." Henry hated missing everything during those long twelve months of hell away from Dromi and his family.
"We could do LIVE feed from Sandhurst; let them view it for free." Simon suggested.
"I can easily have that arranged or even get the two of you leave for that weekend." Elizabeth smiled. "An event of this caliber would be a jewel in England's crown. By all means carry forth your plan with my blessing."
"Everyone who likes this idea say aye, those opposed nay." Hermione called out.
It was a unanimous Aye.
"Very well then, now that we've settled that, it's back to the fun." Harry handed Rory the mic. "Enough with this pomp, feel free to dress casually again, unless all of you like sweltering in a tux or gown."
No one had to be told that twice, the singing went on until dusk had fallen and the moon was shining bright.
--
Hour or so later
"Ron, don't you even think about it! The next item on the agenda is presents for Harry and Daniel, then the movie!" Draco growled at Ron, who had been dragged off the stage by his brothers after going up to sing his sixth song.
Simon had cast Silencio halfway into a horrid rendition of Danny Boy.
Luna retaliated by turning him into a Flobberworm.
"C'mon! Just one more song ain't gonna hurt any!" Ron glared at him. "That prat interrupted me at the best part!"
He shoved Draco hard, causing him to go stumbling backwards into one of the buffets ladened with pies and desserts.
Draco grabbed a cream custard pie and fired it at Ron's face, hitting him dead-on. "How's it feel to have dessert all over you, Weasley!"
He went flying back against the other table, causing sticky punch to pour all over him.
"Oh! It is so on, Black!" Ron launched himself at Draco and the two of them went flying into the second dessert table.
"Have some cake, Black!" He shoved a huge piece of birthday cake filled with cherry filling into Draco's face and then followed that by slamming another piece onto his hair.
Draco retaliated by grabbing him by his hair and slamming his face three times into the main cake. "By all means, Weasley, oink away!" He snarled.
"Ronald Bilius Arthur, you will stop this at once!" Molly was appalled by her son's actions.
"Draco Sirius Lancelot, cease what you are doing this instant!" Lily had just come back out after tucking the twins in for the night.
The two boys were completely ignoring their mothers, sending cake and desserts flying in all directions, while continuing their brawl.
"Do something!" Hermione glared at Harry.
"What and get in the middle of two frustrated and pissed off men? Let them wear themselves out. It's only dessert in their faces." Harry made no attempt to stop them.
"I thought they agreed too easily." Arthur frowned at James.
"Looks like." James nodded.
"James!" Lily snarled. "Get control of our son!"
"Arthur! Ron is out of line!" Molly was beside herself with fury.
"It's almost finished, the two of them are just growling at each other now." James took a swig of Butterbeer.
Lily grabbed the bottle from him and went to pour the remaining contents over his head. "That was not a request!"
"YOU AGREED TO IT!" Ron took a swing at Draco and missed.
"OH NO! IT WAS YOU WHO WAS ALL FOR IT FIRST!" Draco lost his balance in midswing and they crashed into the small wedding cake that was half-gone.
"I DID NOT!"
"ME NEITHER!"
"THEY TRICKED US INTO GETTING THEIR OWN WAY!" The two glared accusingly at the adults, especially their fathers.
"I say we pay them back." Ron grabbed a section of wedding cake.
"Yeah, I agree wholeheartedly on that, mate." Draco did the same and in seconds, James and Arthur were wearing cake. After that, the two of them passed out cold.
Nearly everyone, who had been near the brawl, had some sort of dessert on his or her person.
"Scourgify Maximus!" Albus, seeing the disagreement had run its course easily cleaned up the mess, with a simple point of his wand. "Now then, I believe that Daniel and Harry need to open their gifts." He put away his wand and sat back down next to Minerva.
--
Daniel received a Gryffindor team jacket, WWW goodies and jokes, a generous assortment of candy from Honeydukes, and his most prized gift was his new broom and practice snitch.
"Thanks everyone." He held the practice snitch in his palm. "Now it's your turn, Harry. Em, Rupert, Tom, Jo, and I all thought that these suited you, plus its all in good fun." Daniel pointed at the large trunk beside the gift table.
"I've already gotten more than a lifetimes worth of presents last and this year, but you five put your hearts into this, so let's have a look." He opened the trunk inside were various treasures.
"A Seeker ball cap, I like." He put the cap on his head.
"A Seeker t-shirt, Marauder, and two Hogwarts ones as well not bad," He draped them over the lid of the chest.
"Gryffindor and Hogwarts polo shirts, I think I'm beginning to see a pattern here. Hey, now what do we have here." He reached into the trunk and brought out a box containing a levitating wand pen. "Now this is cool."
Next was a case containing a deluxe collector Muggle version of Wizarding chess, "Angel, now you can play chess with me." He grinned.
First there was a ring case containing a Gryffindor ring Muggle style. Second a Gryffindor wall plaque stating 'Entering Gryffindor House'. Hedwig coffee mug, a Quidditch cookie jar, a Harry/Hermione bookend set, a wall plague stating 'Caution witchcraft and wizarding practiced here.' Lastly, there were three tapestries one of Buckbeak and Sirius from POA, one of him playing Quidditch, and one of the flying Ford Anglia.
"These are all fantastic gifts." He hugged Em and then Daniel. "I think just to be on the safe side that I'll open the one from GL when Hermione is sleeping."
"Your present from Jenn and me is in the garage." Sirius grinned.
"So are your presents from Dad, Mum, your mother, and I." James also had a grin on his face.
Harry's eyes lit up in delight, "No way!" He vanished.
"Oh no, please tell me that you didn't." Hermione groaned.
"YES!" Harry shouted from out-front.
"He's twenty. He's earned his right to have some choice wheels of his own." Henry grinned.
"He's not a wild bachelor! He's going to be the father of three in about twenty-eight days! He does not need a hotrod sports car or some macked up SUV!" Hermione glared murderously at him.
"The man has slaved hand over foot over you, Hermione Anne. He deserves the gifts in the garage. Now smile and be happy for him." Wills walked over to stare down into her furious eyes.
"Oh, very well, he can have his toys." Hermione grumbled.
"Sweetie, they're all safe. Sirius and I made sure of it." James tried to reassure her, but that backfired on him.
"They fly as well!? Oh, this is bloody marvelous! It's hard enough to keep his feet on the ground, and you go and make his presents flying vehicles!" She burst into tears and stalked into the house.
Lily hit James with the heel of her hand. "Nice going idiot! She did not need to know the details of his new toys!"
"I never once mentioned flying! Just that they were safe. The Land Rover is baby ready for the girls, the Aston Martin is just for fun, and the Harley is just for boys-day-out outings." James pouted.
Harry reappeared beside his Dad. "The way I see it is whoever wishes to drive what can. I saw that Wills and Henry's favorites were in there as well... He frowned. "Hold on a minute where did Hermione go?"
"She's not happy about the flashy sports car or the Harley." Ron had ice against his face.
"Or that they may or may not be able to fly." Draco also had ice on his face.
"It's because of the almost accident last August. She hates sports cars, especially Aston Martin's, but damn it to hell I earned that beauty in my garage!" Harry sulked.
"No one is saying otherwise, son." James assured him.
:Dada calm Mama!: Allysia cried in his head.
:No wish to come out yet!: Amelia whimpered.
:Not ready yet, calm Mama!: Danielle growled.
Harry went ghostly white. "Lucy, First-Grams, something is wrong with Hermione!" He raced into the house.
"Hermione!? Where are you!?" His shouts echoed all through the quiet manor.
"I'm in the kitchen, Harry! Something is wrong with the girls! I really hurt!" Hermione cried out in pain.
Harry was there in an instant.
Hermione was sitting on the cool tile floor clutching her middle.
"Easy baby, I'm here. You need to calm down. Take deep calming breaths and I promise the pain will stop." Harry scooped her up into his arms and carried her out to the couch in the Common Room.
"I just don't want you to almost be killed...oh goddess it hurts!" She panted clutching her middle.
"Look at me Hermione Anne, that is not going to happen! Now focus on our girls and not your fears!" Harry's voice was sharp enough to get her attention. "Or don't you care about them!?"
"I care about my babies damn it!" She forced herself to calm down and breathe.
"That's it Harry, get her to focus on the girls." Lucy went about checking her over.
"Give her this in a minute." Mab produced a vial of potion.
Harry placed his hands on her middle and focused on the girls. :I'm here girls. Go back to sleep. It's okay, your Mama is calming down now.:
:Feels better: Allysia chimed.
:We tired Dada.: Amelia sighed.
:We sleep now.: Danielle yawned. :Love you Dada. You protect us and Mama.:
Harry sighed in relief. :Love you too, babies. I live for protecting you and your Mama.: He opened his eyes, everyone was staring at him. "They're all tucked in for the night. How's my angel?"
Lucy smiled at him. "She's fine as are your girls. She needs to rest until the babies are ready to be born and no stress."
"Bed rest?" Hermione pouted.
"No stress and bed rest." Mab agreed.
"Say goodnight angel, then I'm gonna tuck you in." Harry had never been so scared in his life, seeing her in pain, hearing the girls panicked cries, had all but undone him.
"I want to watch the movie." Hermione yawned sleepily.
"You can see the movie tomorrow." Harry kissed her nose.
"I gave her a potion to relax her and make her sleep." Mab smiled.
"Everyone say goodnight to Hermione, before I get her settled in our rooms for the night, or should I say until the girls decide to be born." Harry glanced over at the family and friends hovering in the doorway leading outside.
They all filed in to check on her and tell her goodnight. When this was done, Harry picked her up and vanished from the room.
"So she's on bed rest now? Harry's gonna go insane as will Hermione." Draco frowned.
"Hermione hates being cooped up and this could be a month or more." Ron felt for his best mate.
"She almost went into premature labor, a little while ago; this is what is best for her and the babies. It's worth a little frustration for the sake of Hermione and her girls." Ginny growled at them. "Your little row didn't help matters either. What on earth was it about anyway?"
"Us not marrying them tonight," Luna chanced a guess.
"Is that so!" Ginny planted her hands on her hips, her eyes blazing. "Let me just say that actions like that don't make our fathers see you as able to be competent husbands! Do I need to remind you dimwits the two of us are still sixteen! I have other focuses like my Healer apprenticeship and watching over Hermione!" She was beyond peeved at Draco and her brother.
"I'm also focused on my apprenticeship as a Muggle Liaison. You need to grow up more before we even take the next step in our relationship. It's clear as day that neither of you are even close to being good father material nor stable minded husbands." Luna sided with Ginny.
"Had the two of you kept your cool during the night then seventeen would have been your lucky number, but now we'll just have to wait and see." Arthur frowned at the two boys.
"I vote for eighteen. They are clearly not ready for the lifetime responsibility." Molly was not pleased with either of them.
"I'm still undecided." James growled.
"Let's focus on one crisis at a time. Harry was much too calm and in control. He very well may lose it when he comes back out to join us." Lily was more concerned about her oldest son. "I had their suite all set up for this situation. I've been in premature labor before when I was carrying Harry and after it was over I was on bed rest for five weeks."
"Harry was a very special baby. He thrived on magic, which put his due date from September to late July. We had to keep him a secret. Uncle Albus and Dad insisted on that, but never told us the reason. Lily and I stayed out of the public eye in Godric's Castle. There were only a handful of trusted family and friends aware of his impending birth. It frustrated Lily that she couldn't share her joy with everyone." James recalled all too well that Summer Solstice when she had to stay behind castle walls. "She tried to get me to take her out, but I refused reminding her that Dad and Uncle Albus had to have good reason to keep Junior a secret."
"I let him have it. I screamed at him that having Harry was a joy and not something to hide. I cursed Voldemort and his Deatheaters for making everyone fear them. My Harry was special and I was very proud of that fact." Lily remembered that June twenty-first as if it were yesterday. "Then I found myself in such mind numbing pain that I was brought to my knees."
"Junior proceeded to snarl at me that if I was indeed a good Dada and not a bad one, too calm his Mama down, because he wasn't ready to see us yet. I kept my cool, calmed her and Junior down, and so prevented his early entry into the world. Now after that both our Mums ordered her to strict bed rest, where she was until after Junior was born a little over five weeks later." James hugged her closer to him.
"What he isn't telling you is later that evening, after Lily was all tucked in for the night. Prongs, here went on a hunt for Voldemort and very nearly killed him, Lucius, and MacNair. He was the reason for Malfoy's occasional need for a walking cane, and for the scars on MacNair. James had the vision of losing everything and very nearly went mad that night." Sirius hated to think about the dreary times.
"We told him that a nightmare wasn't enough reason to lose his sanity, especially, when it had taken so long to get his life back on track again. That focusing on Lily and the baby was better than focusing on a dream, induced by stress, and worry over something going wrong again with Lily or the baby." Remus conjured a glass of fire whiskey and down it in one shot. "Little did we know the nightmare was actually a real life glimpse of a dark day to come?"
"Or that we had a rat traitor among us." Sirius also downed a shot of fire whiskey.
Harry stood in the open doorway, to him this trip for his parents trip down memory lane was an enlightening one. It had allowed his mind to focus on that and not on his charged emotions about what had just occurred with Hermione and their girls.
"No one can thwart destiny. If anyone knows that it's me. The only way to destroy him was to make it so nothing was left to resurrect, by the hands of a boy... No a man who never grew up in a Magical World. Who learned at the age of three or was that two..." He laughed bitterly.
"That life wasn't fair or all roses, but tediously long endless days of hell. No matter how well you did in school, it didn't matter. Not unless the ones raising you, loved you, and gave a tinker's damn that you were even alive. I didn't live, not really, until I got my letter. I came back home where I belonged to face my destiny, it was the only way for me to truly be able to live again." Harry made himself know. "It took me fifteen long arduous years of hell, trials, and tribulations, but I won everything back by defeating 'He who took it all away from me' and his minions. I had to endure all of that to truly live again."
Lily and James went over to hug him fiercely. "We love you so much and are so proud of you."
Harry hugged them back. "I love you too."
"Maybe watching GOF isn't such a good idea tonight." James looked into his sons tired wary eyes.
"Dad makes a good point. It's getting late and we all have or most of us have to work in the morning." Draco could tell that Harry needed to call it a day.
Everyone was in complete agreement and said their goodnights. Ginny gave Draco a polite peck on the cheek goodnight, as did Luna to Ron. Then Gin and Ron left with their parents. Wills, Rory, Dromi, Henry, Luna, Draco, Clay, Josh, Daniel, and Emma all turned in for the night. Simon had long since gone and all was quiet on the patio and backyard.
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Harry lay on a lounge staring up at the sky.
"Want to talk about what's eating you up inside?" James, who was also laying on a lounge across from him, finally broke the silence.
"Am I ready for this, Dad?" Harry answered in a scared voice.
"Son, no one is ever truly ready to become a father, until the very second when you hold your child in your arms. It's like a natural instinct kicks into high gear. Nothing short of death itself will keep you from protecting, nurturing, and loving this miracle that you and your other-half created, out of a love that spans countless lifetimes." James was completely honest with him.
"There is nothing like that feeling and it never fades, even after you die and are helpless to do nothing but watch..." He growled hoarsely his voice breaking. "…That miracle have to endure more pain, suffering, trials, and heartache than anyone should ever have in an entire lifetime."
"Dad it wasn't anyone's fault, but if you need to hear the words to realize that then I'll say them. I don't blame anyone; there is nothing to forgive because it was fated to be. What do you say we try to round up Pepper, Crooks, the kittens, and the kids then call it a night?" Harry got up and headed off the patio towards the willow tree.
"I'd say that we might need medical attention for even trying to attempt to touch Pepper or the kittens." James was right behind him.
"It's cool tonight and I promised Hermione that I would have them all tucked in their warm safe bed, before I turned in." Crooks growled and hissed at Harry. "Easy boy it's just us."
"He doesn't wish them to be moved." James just missed being sliced by his razor sharp claws.
"I see that and it looks like Lady and Rad are gonna sleep out here as well." Harry winced when Crooks got him in the hand for trying to pick up a kitten.
"It's safer and warmer for them inside the house on your bed. Now either let me move them there or I will have to stun you." He warned his cat before picking him up in his arms.
James conjured a wicker pet bed and set it down beside Pepper. "In you go Pepper...that's it bring them one at a time."
"Good thinking, Dad. We can just carry them into the house." Harry was trying to calm Crooks down. "See there cat, no harm no foul and you can keep an eye on Hermione and Pepper."
Crooks calmed down and licked at the scrape on Harry's hand as if to say I'm sorry.
"All set here." James picked up the wicker pet bed containing Pepper and her kittens.
"Good, let's call it a night. Let's go kids." They headed into the house.
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Chapter 4
Patience
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I do not claim any of JKR's characters only that I love being able to create my own kind of mischief with her beloved characters. I do not claim any other things that are owned by other companies that I may mention once and a while in the stories...Although the original characters and ideas are mine and I loved creating them. So please review if you wish but try not to flame me too badly.
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Cindra 2004-2008