SURPRISE!
I'm finally delivering on that 'special' extra chapter I promised, yay!
A/N: For the sake of the story-telling, I have altered the real-life dates to fit the story. For all intents and purposes, August 31st 2015 was a Sunday and September 1st a Monday.
A year later (part 1)
Tenby, Wales
Saturday, August 30th, 2015
Hermione Granger awoke with a start, sitting straight up on the bed as her instincts detected the scent of mischief in the air. Three hours of sleep had seemed far too good to be true when Harry had proposed the older kids watch baby Iris while she rested that morning. After a long week of their daughter's nearly incessant colicky cries, Hermione had been walking around admittedly like an angry zombie, her hair all over the place and snapping at anyone who directed a word towards her.
She honestly didn't remember it being this stressful when she'd given birth to both Rose and Hugo. Then again, she hadn't been the mummy to a total of five children, a feisty dachshund her parents had insisted on giving the kids and an overconfident cat fittingly named Pharaoh.
Harry had been busy managing the bookshop lately as she stayed at home on what he called 'compulsory maternal leave' because she simply wasn't the sort to easily stay put. Sales were doing incredibly well as it was high season and Tenby was packed with tourists for the summer.
During her pregnancy, Hermione, her father Laurence, and her friend Susan had had the brilliant idea of expanding their literary business into a wizarding publishing company. So far things were advancing quite nicely for them, although Happy Gryff Books certainly added more to Hermione's already overflowing plate of things to do. While Susan worked her magic in marketing and sales, Laurence and Hermione worked as editors for the most part, which meant loads and loads of manuscripts to read and proofread. Sometimes she longed for that time-turner she used in her third year!
Hermione heard a clattering of things coming from the corridor and then along with it the high-pitched cry of her youngest daughter who seemed to have inherited every bit of Harry's fiery temper. She heard the thumping of Rosie's familiar steps coming down from the attic bedroom she shared with Lily and the familiar squeaking sound of the flip flops Jamie insisted on wearing this summer, coming out of his room. Without a hurry in the world, as she wasn't at all eager to deal with the crying and screaming ball of fire that was the creature she'd given birth to, Hermione slipped on her favorite silk robe and found herself something to tie her messy curls with. She got up from her fluffy, soft, heavenly bed and dragged herself out of the bedroom.
The house wasn't as messy and destroyed as she'd anticipated, as her scolding of the older children the previous day seemed to have worked. No shoes, towels, dirty articles of clothing or lego pieces were scattered on the floors from what she could tell.
What Hermione saw as she looked through the doorway into Iris's nursery was eleven-year-old James cradling his crying baby sister while Rose tried her best to distract her with a small pygmy puff toy while Hugo and Lily hopelessly failed to fix the wall shelf that had crashed onto the floor, the very source of all the racket.
"What happened?" She finally asked, furrowing her brows.
"Those two brilliantly climbed up the rocking chair that rocks to try and get the key to the cupboard!" Rose explained, her voice full of exasperation.
Hermione sighed deeply, barely containing her desire to roll her eyes. Lately Lily and Hugo had been obsessed with stealing the old key to gain access to the quidditch brooms Harry had given them on their birthdays. What Hermione didn't expect was that Harry would be naive enough to leave the key in the nursery or that their angelic children wouldn't try to get their hands on it.
Why couldn't they be a regular, reasonably sane group of individuals?
"It was an accident, mummy…" Lily tried to explain, slipping the key in the pocket of her shorts thinking Hermione wouldn't notice.
"Yes, well I really don't think you know the definition of the word accident, Lily Luna." She outstretched her palm for the mischievous little redhead to hand her the key. "Come on you, I know you have it." Lily huffed and pulled the key out of her pocket. "Why do you both insist on flying without supervision?"
"It's fun," Hugo told her, with that faraway expression on his face that reminded his mother very much of his granddad Arthur Weasley.
"You both realize how all of this is utter madness, don't you? It is dangerous to go flying alone as young as you are. You could fall, break your necks, and die! Merlin, muggles could see you!" Lily crossed her little arms over her chest wearing a scowl.
"Would that be worse than getting expelled?" Hugo innocently asked, prompting his mother to deadpan for an entire minute, her cheeks going warm with recognition. She tried to hold her own as the temptation to laugh while she should be playing responsible parent was too great. Rose and James' giggles were no help either.
To Hermione's vexation, someone else joined into the laughter, leaning against the doorframe with his hands in his pockets, green eyes shining with mirth behind his round-framed glasses. Hermione huffed at him and all he did was shrug, that sexy-yet-infuriating smirk etched on his face.
"Lunch is served downstairs," he let the two older kids know, making sure to ruffle James' raven hair as he and Rose passed him by.
Harry relieved Hermione of her Iris-soothing duties and held the red-faced baby against his chest, expertly rubbing soothing circles against her back until her fit of temper was reduced to an almost gentle purr.
"And all she does is cry…" Lily grumbled, stomping her foot on the ground and pouting, tears filling her eyes. Sensing perhaps one of her famous tantrums would start, Hughie rushed to Harry's side, wrapping his arms around him and looking on his step-sister with a mix of expectation and fear. Harry softly squeezed the boy's shoulder.
"Come on, Tigerlily, we know having a new baby hasn't been easy…" Harry started, his eyes meeting with Hermione's, worry stamped across her face. Iris started to grow restless again, making noises of complaint that would only lead to more hysterical crying. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and sighed, before pulling Lily and Hugo each by the arm into her embrace, whether they wanted it or not. She urged Harry to leave with Iris, mouthing to him that she'd handle it. As soon as he passed the door Iris scream-cried and he scrambled into his and Hermione's room.
"We need to make a few things clear, darlings…" Hermione slid down onto the floor, crossing her legs and clumsily pulling the duo onto her lap. Lily tried to scramble away but Hermione's grip was just that bit stronger, forcing her into place. "You both know Harry and I love you very much, don't you?" She felt Hugo nod against her shoulder, "don't you, Lily?"
"Yes…" the girl grumbled out wearing a scowl, her cheek pressed against Hermione's chest, hot angry tears beginning to streak down them.
"You know, growing up I didn't have brothers or sisters. I had my mum and dad all to myself... I knew and felt every single day that I was loved, even on the days that they were angry or disappointed in me for whatever reason, it was something I never doubted. But because I was their only child and I hadn't many friends or even cousins to compare with, I thought that family and love were just that and it was all that could fit in people's hearts. And then I met Harry and he came from a family where he had a single cousin who was loved and he wasn't loved at all. In school, the only friends I had and the only ones I truly loved were Harry and Ron, two people. In a way it confirmed my theory, that we could only fit just a little bit of people in our hearts. Little did I know that actually the amount of love we can fit in our hearts has no limits…" Hermione felt Lily relax into her arms and automatically softened her hold. "After Rosie was born I was scared I wouldn't be able to love Hugo as much but the minute I saw you, son, I-I loved you so, so much… It was amazing." Hugo nodded in understanding. "I learned that day that we can love more than two people at a time. "With time, I began to open my heart more and love more and more. I loved Ron and Luna, Harry, and even Ginny… I loved James and then I loved Albie, I loved Lily and Teddy, I loved Pharaoh and a dog named Maggie and then before I knew it I also loved this baby named Iris, even though she cries a lot and drives me a little bit crazy…"
"All of us fit in your heart?" Hugo asked her, gazing into his mummy's eyes.
"Of course you do, Hugh. I know it's hard to share and to live in such a crowded house sometimes, I know it gets loud and messy, I know it's hard when Harry and I are busy with other things and can't be with you or help you that second. I know it's hard because it's hard for me too. I wish every day that time could be like our hearts, without limits, but that's not possible so we have to do the best we can to try to make things work, to try and do a good job as a mummy and a daddy, to make everyone comfortable and happy. Sometimes, actually, most of the time, it feels like we're failing, like we're not that good at it and I'm sorry to both of you, Lily and Hugo if we haven't been doing a good job showing you two just how much we love you, how much I love you."
"I love you too…" Lily whispered, as she wrapped her arms around Hermione's neck, trying to hide her face in the crook of her mummy's neck. Hermione embraced her two little ones, burying her fingers into their soft red hairs.
"I think, Lily and Hugo, that just like you love me and Harry, just like you love our cat, our dog, Teddy, and the others you can certainly find space in your heart to love Iris too. You know, she's quite cute when she is sleeping and Lily, she reminds me quite a lot of you…"
"She doesn't have my pretty Ariel the little mermaid hair, though…" Lily bragged and Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes because indeed Iris had been cursed with the same bushy light-brown hair she herself had, the very curse of hair that all her other children had been lucky to escape.
Her two little troublemakers were now six years old and it amazed Hermione how much they'd changed and grown in just a year since their two families had become one, although the fits of jealousy because of baby Iris had been quite getting on her nerves lately. Hopefully, after today, things would begin to improve.
…
Downstairs Harry had successfully coaxed baby Iris back to sleep in her downstairs bassinet and been able to assemble his godson, his older children as well as his in-laws who'd just arrived upon his earlier invitation around the table for what he considered a meeting of utmost importance and urgency. A meeting that required a well-done silencing charm and keeping Hermione and the ever indiscreet Lily and Hugo blissfully unaware.
"Come on then, lad, tell us what all this is about!" Laurence Granger urged on, pouring himself a cup of tea while his wife nudged him with her elbow.
"As you all know, James leaves in two days to start his first term at Hogwarts and though we won't miss him that much," Harry jested, "I feel like his leaving represents a new chapter in all of our lives."
"Aww, I can't believe you've grown so fast, Jameso!" Teddy teasingly cooed, ruffling the boy's already naturally messy hair. James brushed his hand away and muttered not-so-lovely words directed at him under his breath.
"I know!" Albus exclaimed with a smile, "I'll have a room just for myself!" Harry shook his head at his rambunctious boys.
"Now boys! Your father has something very serious he wants to tell us and I hope to God it's not another baby announcement!" Helena cried out dramatically, though her eyes were shining with her wicked brand of humor as she eyed her son-in-law. In reality, they both knew how much she adored and doted on every one of the six kids and Teddy.
"Thank Merlin it's not another baby," Harry guaranteed not being able to hide a grin, "but rather Hermione and I are getting married." With that, the entire table went wild between cries of joy and Helena asking when he'd popped the question.
"Quiet, everyone, please!" Laurence urged, rising from his chair. Despite his age Laurence was a handsome and imposing man, his graying brown hair combed back elegantly, his beard perfectly trimmed. "I don't recall you asking my permission to wed my daughter now, Harry."
"I figured you wouldn't mind considering she's done it before and we have more kids than should be permitted, sir..." Laurence waved Harry's comment off with a flourish and smiled genuinely.
"Ah, well, permission granted naturally."
"How dare Hermione not tell me of this!" Helena exclaimed crossing her arms over her chest looking very much like an older version of her daughter.
"Uh, well, that's easy to explain, Nell…" Harry fumbled a bit with the collar of his jumper, avoiding hers and Laurie's gaze in that nervous way of his. "You see, Hermione doesn't know it."
"What do you mean she doesn't know it?" Rose, ever inquisitorial, piped in.
"She doesn't know we're getting married because I didn't pop the question traditionally… And also because I think she might appreciate the surprise."
"My mum hates surprises!" Rose replied, looking every bit shocked just like everyone else around the table, after Harry's baffling explanation.
"And when are you planning for this wedding to happen?" Helena asked him, "I mean, you could've saved this for later as we're awfully busy with Iris's christening tomorrow, the floral arrangements should be arriving any time now, and we've the chapel to finish decorating..."
"That's just it, I can't save it for later… the wedding I mean. It must be tomorrow before James and Teddy leave."
"Oh." Was Helena's only response as she and her husband of forty years shared a look. "So it won't be a christening anymore, but rather a wedding?" Harry balanced his head from side to side, making an expression that indicated it was nor here nor there.
"It'll be both, actually… I thought 'why not'? All our family and friends are already coming together for the christening, why not just do it all in one go?"
"Well, that's quite peculiar… Does the Reverend know?" Laurence asked him.
"Yes actually, just spoke to him this morning. Took a bit of convincing as he'll have to adapt the script for the ceremony but he's all for it…"
Harry didn't know much about religion and to be honest it had never mattered much to him, not even much to Hermione from what they'd discussed throughout the years. Church weddings and christenings in her family, however, were more a matter of tradition than a matter of profound beliefs. Harry for the most part thought that churches could be quite pretty and peaceful places and the choir music much reminded him of Christmas, so it was all good… Plus, their particular church would be the tiny stone chapel of St. Julian's right on Castle Beach and he couldn't think of a nicer place than by the ocean, especially with the lovely and sunny summer days they'd been getting.
"In that case we have flowers, we already have all our guests coming in and we even have the catering dealt with…" Helena listed.
"What about a wedding cake, will we have a wedding cake?" James chimed in.
"And mum will need a wedding dress!" Rose added.
"Have you got rings, dad?" Albus asked.
"I must also add, have you got your arse ready? Because she's bound to hex you when she finds out!" Teddy told his godfather impishly, though he couldn't be more thrilled.
Harry was pleased to see all of them excited for helping with the ultimate surprise for Hermione, even his in-laws. He knew that though it likely wouldn't be a big, luxurious, magazine-worthy wedding, it would be their wedding and he hoped with all his heart that she'd like it and ultimately say 'yes'.
…
"I swear on my magic, Susan, they're up to something!" Hermione exclaimed later that day while she paced the floors of the large office at the back of the bookshop which they'd converted into the headquarters of their new publishing company. Hermione wore Iris on a blue cloth sling. The three-month-old baby, although wide awake with her big green eyes staring up at her mummy, looked every bit a good sport as she suckled on her pacifier.
Susan shrugged at her friend and business partner as she pretended to keep busy by shuffling papers and stacks of manuscripts on her desk.
"I think you're just going mental because your children can do without you for a day. Typical." Susan trailed off sporting a wicked grin, her perfectly coiffed blue hair falling over her face. "How's Iris doing with the colics?" Hermione sighed, looking down at her adorable, chubby daughter, smoothing the growing brown curls on her head. She blew Iris kisses, tickling the spot below her ear endearingly.
"Under control, for the most part, I'm beginning to think it's actually personality… I mean, she's an Aries, she's bound to be bossy, right?" Susan chuckled and rolled her eyes.
"It's very unlike you to pay Astrology any mind. Maybe she just took after both her parents, have you thought about that? Your temper is world-famous and you know it."
"You know, I never thought a child named Iris would be so feisty…"
"Come on Hermione, if you wanted a sweet-tempered child you would have named her shrinking Violet." Hermione kissed the top of her baby's head and shook her head.
"We really liked the name Violet but it didn't seem like her..."
"How are the preparations for the christening going along?"
"All I know is that they're going along. My parents won't let me do anything. All I did was choose the flowers I wanted, and the date of course. I might go by the chapel later to meet with Reverend, nobody tells me anything anymore, it's driving me mad!"
Susan's eyes widened at the prospect of Harry's surprise wedding going to bust with Hermione's sudden arrival, so she had to think of something very fast to keep Hermione as far away as possible from St. Julian's chapel and Castle Beach.
"I was wondering if you're not busy, Corin and Mark invited me to their place today. They're playing at a wedding out of town and were given carte blanche to choose the musical repertoire… Would you like to come help? They're stuck between Mendelssohn's march, The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba or something more alternative to fit the couple. You've got a better ear for classical music than I…"
"Oh…" Susan looked at Hermione with expectation.
"I'd probably have to take the little ones though, wouldn't it be a bother?" Susan shook her head with a bright smile that rather disconcerted Hermione plastered on her face.
"Don't be daft, Herms, I'll help you with the little devils."
"Fine by me then, I'll just have to check with Harry." Susan nodded happily, quite pleased with herself.
...
Regina Butterfield, proud Hufflepuff, and Tenby Magical Association's chairwoman was going quite mad but in a good way as her large house by the beach was aflutter with people. While Helena Granger argued over the phone with the catering company, Andromeda Tonks inspected the table arrangements, Louisa received the large delivery of flower arrangements and Reverend Michael nearly pulled the few hairs on his head to try and piece together a service that would suit both a wedding and a baby's christening. It was all quite loud, rushed and crazy, they were running against time after all.
Regina opened the front door for the millionth time that day to this time usher in the beverage delivery, directing them straight to the kitchen. Laurence Granger was on the phone trying to arrange extra accommodation for friends and family coming from all over the country to attend the wedding, which was quite the challenge with it being Tenby's high-season. Options were awfully limited…
"Where is Harry?" Molly Weasley called from the firecall in the parlor.
"He's out shopping for the kids' clothes!" Was Andromeda's response, shouting from the opposite end of the room. "What is it now, Molly?"
"Do you think it's wise for Harry to be in charge of that?" Molly replied.
"Would you prefer it if Luna and Ronald were? The children would end up looking like a circus troupe!" Andromeda countered with a hearty laugh, her dark eyes bright with humor.
Molly clucked her tongue and avoided giving her Slytherin friend a proper response. "Do they prefer just vanilla with buttercream for the cake or something else?"
"Do vanilla, buttercream, and strawberries, Hermione loves strawberries!" Helena instructed. "A little bit of sweet and sour shall make it better."
"Brilliant! I'll have Arthur go out for strawberries immediately. Oh, Fleur says Hermione's dress is in the final stages, but are you lot sure about the color, not very traditional is it?"
"We're Positive!" Louisa and Helena responded in unison.
"And really no veil?"
"Why on earth would someone wear a veil on a windy beach? To get sand in everybody's eyes?" Andromeda questioned with a roll of her eyes.
"Oh, you're getting more and more unpleasant in your old age, Andie!" Molly countered back with a huff, her cheeks going a bright red. "I'm bloody off then!"
"Bye-bye, darling!" Helena waved with a chuckle. After that it was everyone back to the hustle and bustle of wedding preparations.
…
Harry felt every bit exhausted as they finally walked out of the children's clothing shop in Diagon Alley. The streets were crowded with last-minute school supplies shopping and because it was the second to last day before the summer holidays officially ended. With Lily riding on his shoulders and his other four children and godson also in tow, they all made a well-deserved bee-line for Fortescue's ice cream shop. Despite the party clothes not being exactly what Harry had in mind, he realized it wasn't very wise to bring Lily and Rose shopping for fancy dresses, he was quite satisfied, they all were really.
Rose would wear a pretty flowy light-blue dress with glitter that contrasted nicely with her deep red hair and Lily would wear perhaps the least discreet dress in the entire world, a bright lime-green tulle ballerina-type dress with sparkles, beads and even feathers. Lily claimed it was the prettiest princess dress she'd ever seen and once she had set her stubborn eyes on it there was no other dress that could compare. Lily's vanity could potentially be the end of them all. Harry was certain Hermione would have a laugh once she laid eyes on it.
Harry admittedly had better luck with the boys' clothes, mainly because one could only get so creative with traditional trousers, button-up shirts, and jackets. Hugo had been delighted to wear a red butterfly tie that uncannily mirrored his maternal grandfather's style and Albus had insisted on no tie as he claimed it would suffocate him. Teddy chose to wear dark-blue rather than the traditional black and James preferred a plaid shirt rather than plain white. All in all Harry's boys looked quite smashing but he himself was worried sick among other things of what Fleur Delacour-Weasley would insist he put on. As he sat on a table, thanking Merlin for the opportunity to rest his feet, Teddy and James helped the others with their ice cream orders, already knowing that Harry's all-time favorite choice was chocolate with hazelnuts and coconut. Soon, one by one arrived back at their table, thankful for the cold sweet treat as the sun shined on.
"Are you nervous?" Teddy asked, his cheeks coloring just a smidge.
"Over getting married?" James nodded with a look that translated to 'of course, you idiot'. "I was more nervous when I married Ginny, to be honest. When we're younger I think the pressure for everything to be perfect is greater… It's kind of like a shot in the dark, you don't really know what comes after the 'I do'."
"So now it's different?" Harry nodded, a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
"Completely different… I know that Hermione snores for one, I can live with that." Laughter and giggles erupted around the table, "and I also know that no matter what happens she's my best friend, we've got each other's backs, and there's the very important fact that we love each other..."
"And you've already been playing house for over a year!" Teddy added with a smirk.
"Yeah… We did everything quite out of order, didn't we?" Albus nodded with a smile.
"I can't wait for the cake!" The boy exclaimed, licking his lips just imagining it, Lily and Hugo both sighed at his comment, all of them undeniable dessert-lovers.
"The lot of you are already eating your weight in ice cream and you still have time to think about cake?" Harry asked with a chuckle. Hugo and Lily giggled in response, looking adorable with their mouths full and cheeks covered in ice cream. "You're all the best things that ever happened to me, I'm one lucky bloke," he smiled tenderly, ruffling James' hair.
…
Later that afternoon Harry and the children flooed into the living room to find the house empty except for Perdita the owl who slept perched in her cage, Maggie the dachshund who greeted them happily, barking and jumping on the kids and Pharaoh the Russian Blue cat who lay lazily on top of Hermione's favorite armchair by the window.
"Where's mummy?" Rose asked. Albus dashed for the kitchen where he found a note on top of the table.
"She's across the street at Corin and Mark's… She's listening to music." Harry's eyes twinkled as he remembered the text message Susan sent him earlier. Hermione was unknowingly selecting the repertoire of her own wedding. He couldn't wait to see the look on her face when it all finally dawned on her.
"In that case, you all have the important mission to hide your new clothes and shoes from mum and afterward it's get in the line for bathtime while I cook dinner!" He instructed, their small quidditch team of kids all running up the stairs talking all at the same time, leaving him completely and blissfully alone for the first time today.
Just as Harry sighed with pleasure as he sunk into the soft sofa of their living room, in came a firecall from Ron and Luna.
"Hullo, mate! How are things holding up?"
"Hello, Harry! Be careful with the Welsh jillywaggers, don't want them sucking out all your energy!" Harry waved at them tiredly and smiled.
"Thanks for the heads-up, Lune. We just got home from shopping, kids are settling in. Everything okay with the rings, the Goblins didn't make a fuss, did they?"
"Nah, mate. Your rings are safe with us, very pretty by the way. Are you sure Bookworm doesn't suspect a thing?"
"Susan's been in charge of distracting her for the day, don't know how long she'll hold up though, Hermione probably thinks something's up… You know how nothing gets past her!"
"I'm sure that's not true, Harry," Luna said with that dreamy smile of hers, "she let a baby get passed her didn't she?"
They all shared a laugh over their completely unplanned pregnancy of Iris. It was a stark difference from Hermione's very well-planned and timed conception of Hugo and Rose years ago.
"Anyway, mate, we'll be in town tomorrow to help with the kids while you both prepare. Anything else that you'll need?"
"Yeah, back up for when she tries to hit me with an unforgivable curse when she finds out!" Ron snickered.
"You're alone on that one, Harry, Hermione is a formidable duelist and we have children to raise!" Luna mused. "She'll love it, I'm certain."
"Thanks, Luna, thank you, Ron." The friends exchanged their goodbyes and Harry groaned at the prospect of having to drag his arse off the couch to cook dinner. Could eating take-out pizza for two dinners in a row be considered bad parenting?
…
Hermione was about to cross the street home when she saw Harry sitting on the front step of their bright blue rowhouse, the door painted a glossy red. She immediately knew that he'd been there waiting for her and Iris to come back home, she hoped the evidence of the tears she'd spilled at Corin's wouldn't be so noticeable… It always caught her off guard how music had such a capacity to move her. She could close her eyes and lose herself to the melody and to the precise notes of her neighbors' violin and piano playing. It reminded her a bit of her girlhood, before Hogwarts and before everything that came after that fateful train ride to Scotland.
She remembered her grandparents, now deceased, picking her up in the evening, all three of them dressed in their best clothes to go see the orchestra at Royal Albert Hall or sometimes just at the various London parks. Hermione had loved these events, she loved these memories and she cherished them with all she had. Being a mother now and to not one or two children, but to six was an enormous responsibility and she could only hope to give them as many great memories as she had.
And then there was this tiny-yet-huge person in her life called Harry Potter and she never in her life had expected to love someone as much as she loved him. She loved her children and her parents, yes, but this was so, so different. As a little girl Hermione had often daydreamed (like many other girls did too) about one day finding true love and being perfectly happy like in the movies and romance novels she secretly devoured. As she grew into an adult, those daydreams and desires grew to feel silly and just about impossible as simply surviving seemed difficult enough.
How wonderfully magical, of course in a figurative sense, was it that she found herself hopelessly and madly in love with her best friend, a love great enough to rival those of the most iconic romance novels, to rival the perfect love her parents and her grandparents had before them… It was amazing because it was real. This man she loved with his tattered sweaters, nerdy glasses, outgrown beard, lopsided grin that melted her insides, this man with the greenest, warmest eyes… he was her man and she was his.
Harry waved at her and called her name and it was just like music to her ears, just like the beautiful 'Salut d'Amour' she's just listened to. It moved her, it made her happy, it made her want to shed tears.
Hermione looked both ways to make sure no cars were passing and then sat down beside him on the top step, their beautiful baby sleeping in her arms.
"What's with the red face?" He asked her, nudging her gently on the shoulder.
"I realized I have everything I ever wanted…" Harry raised an eyebrow and softly nodded his head, looking impressed. "I'm serious, Harry."
"I don't know, 'Mione, if I can absolutely say the same… I think I could do with like seven or eight hours of sleep every night, you know?" Hermione rolled her eyes and laughed at his stupid humor, hating how utterly handsome he looked with his eyes twinkling like that. "I can't believe we have six children between us plus Teddy Lupin, an owl, a dog, and an absolutely evil cat."
"Pharaoh is not evil, Harry, Pharaoh is royalty!" Hermione corrected him, prompting them both to laugh. "I know what you mean though… We're no longer a family, we're officially a small country. Can you imagine when our kids get married or whatever and have their own kids? That's like a million people!" Harry's cheeks turned red as he tried to do the math in his head.
"I never thought I'd say this, love, but we are officially the new Weasleys." He declared and Hermione couldn't help but laugh, her eyes squeezing shut and her neck falling backward because it was all so bonkers and still so utterly real. "We're the hipster version of the Weasley's, though, can you believe it?" The more she laughed the more he himself laughed.
Harry, Hermione, their baby, and their laughter were a sight to behold as the pizza deliverer arrived in front of their house.
Stay tuned for Part 2!
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