The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
Remember This Moment
The chapter title comes from the song:
Long Live by Taylor Swift.
When Daphne stepped into her and Harry's bedroom, he could tell that something was wrong. She was ready to go out, but she wearing one of her best cloaks, and although her hair and glamour charms were perfect, her eyes looked sad.
"Where are you going?"
"Narcissa just floo-ed," Daphne said. She gave Harry a half-smile, "She doesn't think that Dad has long, so I – have to go."
Harry nodded and pushed himself up, "Alright. Just give me a minute to transfigure myself into some clothes, then we'll go."
"Harry," She sighed, "You can't. You've only been home a few days - "
"And he's my father-in-law," Harry said firmly, "I'm coming, Daphne. You need me there. Like hell am I going to lie here while you go through that alone."
"I won't be alone," Daphne promised, "The kids all want to come and say goodbye."
"Fine," Harry said simply, "But answer this one question honestly."
Daphne raised a questioning eyebrow.
"Do you need me there?" Harry asked.
"Yes," Daphne answered instantly.
Harry nodded, "Then I'm coming," he said.
He had already grabbed his wand and transfigured his pyjamas into robes. He slung his legs out the side of the bed and got up shakily.
Daphne gave him an exasperated look, "Don't be a hero, just get in the chair."
The door behind Daphne clicked open, and Lilly said, "Let him try, Daph. There was no damage to his brain during the coma. There's no reason he can't do anything that he couldn't do before."
Harry gave Daphne a pointed look, "See? I'm just weak. I'm not a cripple."
Daphne sighed and took a step back, "Fine, but a cane at least, please?"
Lilly transfigured a wooden coat stand into a cane and handed it to Harry. He smiled gratefully and made his way towards the door, using the cane to distribute his weight a little better.
"I'll start sending the kids through the floo," Daphne said.
She turned on her heel and headed down the stairs.
Lilly hooked her arm through Harry's and murmured, "Stubborn prat."
"I'm fine, Lil," Harry promised her, "Just tired."
"I know," Lilly promised, "Just…make sure she says something that counts, okay?"
Harry kissed her on the cheek and nodded, "I will," he promised.
Greengrass House
Surrey
Everyone was gathered around Cygnus's bed as he faded in and out of consciousness. Narcissa was sitting in a chair close to her husband, her hand in his. Draco stood behind his mother, a supportive hand on her shoulder. Delphi stood by his side, her eyes hovering between Cygnus and Narcissa in concern.
Harry was sitting on the other side of the bed with Daphne on one side of him and Astoria on the other. Charlie and Amber were both standing behind Astoria.
Teddy, Alastor, Andrea, Thea and William were all standing at the foot of the bed. Teddy had his arm around Alastor, and Andrea was holding Thea's hand.
At this point, they didn't even know if he would say anything before he passed away.
William sniffed and wiped his eyes. Amber noticed; she squeezed Astoria's shoulder and walked over to the boy she considered as a son. When she wrapped her arms around him, he let out a stifled sob.
Daphne took in a deep breath, and Cygnus mumbled in his sleep.
"I'm sorry….Lareina."
She frowned and reached over, "You have nothing to apologise to Mother for," she murmured.
Cygnus's eyes fluttered for a moment, then they opened. They were glassy, but she could tell that he was still aware enough of his surroundings to know what was happening.
"No," He whispered, "I'm sorry for lying about her."
Daphne's frown deepened, "Lying…what…?"
"She didn't die in France," Cygnus whispered, "I told her never to contact you. I thought it would be better….this was…she couldn't…hurt you anymore."
Daphne's eyes widened, and she looked over at Astoria, who swallowed hard.
"She's alive?"
Cygnus nodded, "I…I'm sorry."
"Don't be sorry, Dad," Astoria said softly, "It doesn't matter. She doesn't matter."
Daphne nodded, but her eyes flitted from her father to Narcissa, who didn't look shocked by the revelation. There was no need to ask the older woman if she had known; it was plain to see.
Daphne reached out and took her father's hand.
"It's okay, Dad."
Narcissa squeezed his hand, "It's okay to leave."
"You've put up one hell of a fight," Daphne said tearfully, "And I think it's time you find peace now."
Cygnus smiled weakly and shut his eyes, "Hm, peace…sounds like a nice…fantasy."
"It's not a fantasy," Harry said. He leant over to whisper, "I've seen it, Cygnus. It is real, and it is beautiful. The Land of Eternal Summer, where the souls of those who lived good lives go when they die. It's where you're heading, and it's what you deserve."
Cygnus let out a shaky breath.
Alastor sniffed, and Teddy tightened his grip on his little brother.
"I love you," Narcissa whispered in Cygnus's ear, "I have always loved you."
Cygnus smiled weakly and opened his eyes, "I loved you from the minute I saw you, even if you were looking at that Malfoy prat."
Narcissa laughed tearfully and nodded, placing a light kiss against his forehead.
Cygnus turned his head to look at his daughters. He managed a small smile, "You remember the first lesson I taught you, girls?"
Daphne smiled and swiped the tears away from her eyes, "Greengrass's stay strong, and they always put family first."
Cygnus nodded, "No tears for me, okay? When our time comes, we don't fight it. We let the people we've lost call us home – family first."
Astoria swallowed and reached out to place her hand on top of Daphne's over Cygnus's.
"I know I was never perfect," Cygnus said, his eyes falling on Astoria, "But you two girls…you're the best thing I ever did."
He looked to the end of the bed and smiled, "Five grandkids…By Merlin, I didn't deserve this life, and I never took it for granted, not once since you found me, Daphne."
Daphne nodded, trying her best to maintain her composure.
"I had a good run," Cygnus said, his strength failing fast, "And….you're all going to be okay…."
"We will be fine," Narcissa said tearfully.
Draco nodded and squeezed her shoulder, "We'll look after each other."
"Like we always have," Astoria agreed.
"Family first," Daphne finished.
Cygnus's smile didn't fade, but his eyes fluttered shut, and a slow exhale left his lips.
Narcissa breathed in sharply and moved her hand from Cygnus's to his wrist. She pressed her fingers against it to feel for a pulse, then she shook her head.
"He's gone."
"He's at peace," Harry corrected softly.
Daphne leant into his embrace and asked, "Do you think he did enough to make it there?"
Harry pressed a kiss against her hair and murmured, "He was a good man in the end. He found peace, Daphne."
Daphne let out a shaky breath and pulled away from Harry to hug Astoria. He looked from the two sisters to his four children, and he felt a strange surge of pride.
Teddy had his arms around Thea, who was openly crying. Andrea and Alastor were hugging too, Andrea was relatively calm, but Alastor was upset. It was funny how these things went. Teddy was the perfect mixture of his two biological parents, with a bit of Harry's 'Auror mentality' thrown in there. Andrea was Daphne through and through – calm, cool, collected, sarcastic, beautiful, and she didn't suffer fools gladly. Thea was him through and through. She was hot-headed, she could be naïve sometimes, and sassiness was in her blood.
But Alastor was the perfect mix of them both. He was emotional like Harry but intelligent like Daphne. He was sarcastic like both of them, but he knew how to carry himself in polite company like Daphne did.
What made Harry so proud, though, was how they supported each other through the hard times. It gave him faith that if the worst happened, and he and Daphne were both injured or worse - those four kids would get through because they were their kids.
They were strong, they were survivors, and while they carried the family name 'Potter', they were Greengrass's at heart.
And they put family first.
Two Hours Later…
Harry had covered Cygnus's body with a sheet, and they had all left the room. Draco had just managed to get his mother to take a sleeping draught and go to bed.
"The funeral…" Daphne began.
"Don't worry about that," Draco cut in, "You have enough going on right now, Daphne. I can sort the funeral out."
"No, you can't," Astoria said firmly, "You and your wife run the country right now, and we're in the middle of a war. I'll deal with the funeral arrangements."
"Astoria, you don't have to do that," Daphne began to say, "Harry is recovering faster than we thought - "
"And you have four children, one of whom is moving out, and two of whom have just left school and are trying to figure it all out," Astoria said quietly. "Don't even get me started on whatever phase Thea is going through right now."
Daphne just sighed in response to that.
"I've only got Will and…." Astoria looked over at her son, who was being comforted by Amber. "I'm more like his aunt than his mother anyway. I can leave my executives running the business and sort this out."
Draco nodded, "If you need help with anything though, you will let us know?"
"Of course I will," Astoria promised.
Daphne swallowed and said, "But just…give him the funeral he wanted, please. He didn't want a big affair, just his family."
"I know exactly what he wanted," Astoria said softly, "No big funeral, no burial. Just his family saying goodbye to him in his favourite place."
"He didn't want a burial?" Draco asked in surprise.
"Of course he didn't," Harry said as he made his way over to them. He was tired now, and he leant heavily on his cane.
"The last time he got put in the family crypt, he was alive. I'd want to be cremated the second time around too," Harry said.
They were used to his dark humour, and they knew it was a coping mechanism, so nobody blinked an eye.
"What did you make of his big revelation?" Daphne asked, glancing between the others, "About Mother being alive?"
Draco immediately tensed up, and while neither of the women noticed, Harry did.
"I meant what I said," Astoria said coldly, "She doesn't matter. Father told us she was dead five years ago, and she hasn't tried to contact us once. Wherever she is, it's over."
Daphne nodded and rubbed her eyes, "Well, at least we're on the same page there…I suppose."
Harry fought a yawn, and Daphne noticed, "You need to get home. Lilly's sent me three Patronuses telling me that you need bed, potions and a check-up, not necessarily in that order."
With a smile, Harry said, "You gather the kids up then. I'll be there in a bit."
Daphne nodded and stepped away from the trio. Astoria followed suit, heading over to Amber and Will.
This left Draco and Harry alone together in a quiet corner of the drawing-room.
"You tensed up the second Lareina Greengrass was mentioned," Harry murmured to his old friend, "You know something, don't you?"
Draco lowered his voice and took a step closer to Harry, "She's tied up in this whole Lazarus business. I saw her this morning in Slovakia."
"Slovakia?" Harry muttered in disbelief, "What the hell were you doing in Slovakia?"
"Rescuing Natasha Wolfe," Draco said lowly, "One of the Saboteurs in the safe house started to get her memories back. She didn't kill Natasha. She erased her memories and put her in this camp in Slovakia."
Harry's eyes flitted from the fireplace where Daphne was waiting, back to Draco.
"What kind of camp?"
"A magic suppressing camp," Draco replied, "Which seemed to be run by Daphne's mother. We got Natasha out and re-united her with her parents. That's why they delayed the funeral. They're coming up with a way to break the news without implementing the Saboteurs, thereby getting them killed. Although, I think whoever leaked their photographs to the prophet may already have signed the Saboteurs death warrants."
"Harry," Daphne called across the room, "You better not be talking politics!"
"Just go home," Harry called back, "I'll be there in five minutes, I promise."
Daphne looked a little reluctant, but she stepped through the fireplace all the same.
Harry turned his attention to Draco, "So who leaked the news? An Auror?"
"Ben is adamant that it wasn't, but surely it had to be?" Draco muttered.
"Not necessarily," Harry said offhandedly, "But by Merlin, I'm glad to hear that Natasha's alive. Is she okay?"
"She's shaken up, and she might never get all of her memories back, but yeah," Draco said with a nod, "She seems okay."
Harry ran his free hand through his hair, "Lareina being tied up in all of this though…I mean, you'll forgive me if I don't mention that to Daphne until her father's been put to rest?"
"I wasn't going to mention it right now for the same reason," Draco promised.
Harry sighed, "Keep me updated, all the same."
"Aren't you on sick leave?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow at him.
"I may be weaker than normal, but I can't just forget that this is happening," Harry said, "So keep me in the loop."
"I will," Draco promised, "But Harry?"
"Yeah?" Harry said, turning back to look at his old Auror partner.
"Rest up," Draco advised, "I have a feeling you're going to need your strength when this all comes to a head."
"Yeah," Harry said grimly, "I think you might be right there."
The Grounds of Longbottom House
"Do you think I have what it takes to be a Healer?"
"I think you just saw your grandfather die," Lilly said from the swing seat she was sitting on high up in the 'secret' greenhouse. It hadn't been a secret for years, but it had still been the secret greenhouse Neville and Lilly discovered, so they would always know it as that.
"It's not a good time to make a big decision."
Andrea sighed.
"Levitate that bucket of dead mice up, please," Lilly asked.
Andrea did so with an absentminded sigh.
When it reached Lilly, she grabbed it and started throwing dead mice to the huge Venomous Tentacula that dominated the greenhouse.
"What's brought on this moment of self-doubt anyway?"
"Watching Grandpa die," Andrea admitted glumly, "I knew that death would be a part of Healing, but if it's always this hard….maybe I'm not cut out for it."
"It's always hard," Lilly agreed, "But feeling it? That's good, Andie. Good Healers brush it off and go home, but great Healers let themselves feel it. That heart-wrenching feeling is what makes you better. It drives you to find cures, to try new procedures, so you don't lose someone else the way you just lost a patient."
Andrea looked up at her and asked, "How did you know that Trauma was what you wanted to do?"
"I didn't," Lilly admitted, "I wanted to do General Healing, but the course was full and Trauma was my back-up. I fell into it, but I loved it, so I suppose trauma kind of chose me…."
"And Midwifery?" Andrea asked.
Lilly smiled down at her, "That was my real calling. I knew I wanted to help people, people like my mum. People who were having babies young and who didn't really have support or money."
Andrea nodded and looked out at the night sky thoughtfully.
"It's okay not to know what you want to specialise in," Lilly promised, "But before you go into this, you do need to be sure that you want to be a Healer."
She lowered the swing seat down so that she was at Andrea's eye level.
"Because being a Healer teaches you how to be a 100% person. You have to be intelligent, of course, to get into the courses and to pass them. You have to be truly devoted, strong, confident, but humble and ready to work harder than you have ever worked in your life."
Andrea looked over at her aunt and nodded.
"And you have to strive for perfection every day," Lilly finished, "Because you can't afford to be 99% right when you diagnose a patient or make a hard call. You are either 100% right or 100% wrong."
Andrea nodded again, "I want to do it, Aunt Lil. I really do."
Lilly smiled warmly and nodded back.
"Then I'll do everything I can to help you get there."
Teddy walked into Nick and Nina's flat and dropped a brochure on the coffee table.
Everybody looked up at him. He sighed and put a paper bag full of Thai takeout next to the brochure. Almina got up and pulled him into a hug.
"Is he gone?"
"Yeah," Teddy rubbed his eyes, "He's gone, so…that's all the listings in Devon that I think look right. There are four wizarding houses up for sale that are big enough."
Nick frowned, "I thought you hated Devon?"
"I don't hate Devon, but you three all love it and…." Teddy sighed heavily, "I figured it out tonight, watching my Grandpa die. It's not the place that matters; it's the people."
Nick smiled slightly and grabbed the brochure, "So how out of budget are these houses?"
"A good 400,000 Galleons more than we had planned if we end up hitting the more expensive end of the scale," Teddy replied.
Nina made a slight squeaking noise, and Nick looked at the brochure, "No fucking wonder, Teddy! These are bloody country estates."
Almina looked over at him, "I know what you're thinking."
Teddy nodded and looked over at Nick and Nina, "I think that two of us come from old pureblood families. We have a stupidly large inheritance fund, made up of old family money. Charlus might have blown his on stupid stuff because he thought it was 'blood money' but Mina and I haven't touched ours."
Nick ran a hand through his hair, "We don't need this though, do we?"
"Not right now," Teddy admitted, "But there are four of us. If we end up with a brood like the Black-Notts, we're going to need the space."
Almina bit her lip, "Look, Teddy…while we're on that subject…."
Teddy looked up at her, "You don't want kids, do you?"
Almina shook her head, "Both of my mums nearly died having Charlus and me, then Ada and Dora. I just…I want children, but I don't ever want to carry them."
Teddy nodded slowly and kept his gaze on hers, "So we'll adopt then?"
Almina held his gaze and nodded, "There are always going to be children out there who need families – you, and you, Nina – you're proof of that."
Nina and Teddy both smiled slightly; it was a subject they'd bonded over when Nick first introduced them as friends.
"And we have more than enough love to give," Teddy agreed warmly. "Either way, we still need a huge house because everyone keeps telling me how like my dad I am, and he had a habit of bringing home strays."
"Still…" Nina said, "How much money is in those inheritance funds of yours? I mean…surely there can't be enough to make up the 400,000 shortfall?"
Teddy and Almina shared a look, "Shall we say it on three?"
Almina grimaced, "I have a feeling mine might be more than yours…."
"I wouldn't be quite so sure about that," Teddy confessed.
"Come on then, rich kids," Nick joked. He clapped his hands together.
"On three," Nina agreed.
"One…two…three…."
"400,000."
"400,000."
"What?" Nick echoed.
Teddy shrugged, "There's old money on both sides of my family."
"Yeah, well, same with three of my parents," Almina said sheepishly.
"800,000 Galleons," Nina said in disbelief, "That's what you two inherit, between you?"
"Yeah, there's a catch with mine, though," Teddy said, "I suppose yours is standard, Mina? You got access to it when you turned 21?"
Almina nodded, then frowned at Teddy, "What, you didn't?"
Teddy shook his head, "I need my parents to unlock it for me. They wanted to make sure it was used for something worthwhile. They didn't want me to just blow it."
"Like Charlus did."
"How did Charlus blow that much money in a year?" Nick asked in disbelief.
"He didn't blow all of it," Almina admitted. "He invested some of it, and I'm pretty sure my parents didn't give him all of it because of how irresponsible he is."
"Still," Nick muttered, "Fucking hell."
"Yeah," Teddy said. He scratched his head, "So I'm gonna have to tell Mum and Dad about the baby and ask them to let me into my inheritance, I guess."
"I'll come with you if you want?" Almina suggested.
Teddy shook his head, "No, don't worry about it. My dad's still recovering, and my mum is…well, she's my mum. I think it's probably better if I explain this one on my own after what just happened to Grandpa."
Nick snorted, "No way. Your mum might bloody kill you. I'll go with you."
Teddy raised an eyebrow, "You sure you want to volunteer for that?"
Almina chuckled and said, "Well, rather you than me. Thanks for taking one for the team, Nicky."
Nina laughed and got to her feet, "I actually have a day off today, so I was going to have a wander around some baby places - "
"Yes," Almina said before she could even finish, "I'll definitely come with you."
"Have fun," Teddy and Nick chorused.
"Good luck!" The two women returned – Nina sarcastically, and Almina with a smirk on her face.
Potter Manor
When Teddy and Nick walked into the manor, the first thing they heard was shouting. The argument appeared to be happening in the drawing-room, so they headed in that direction.
"This isn't a reaction to Grandpa's death!" Alastor was yelling, "I decided before he died, but you two didn't know about it because you were so hellbent on saving the world in bloody Hungary!"
Teddy stepped in to defend his younger brother.
"He did decide ages ago," Teddy said from the doorway, "It's not a knee-jerk thing because Grandpa died."
"Thank you, Teddy!" Alastor said irritably.
"But Brazil?" Daphne asked in disbelief.
Teddy hovered in the doorway with Nick by his side. Harry was sitting by the fire, and Daphne was standing with her hands on her hips, looking furious with Alastor. Neville and Lilly were here too, trying their best to keep out of the argument.
"It's a brilliant opportunity for me to become a Herbologist, and I'm not going to leave until after the funeral," Alastor promised his mother. "But this is what I want to do with my life, Mum."
"He's always been interested in Herbology, Daphne," Neville murmured, "We should have seen this coming."
Daphne sighed and nodded, "It's fine, Alastor. I'm happy for you, but I'll miss you and…."
"Your timing sucks," Harry finished.
Teddy stepped into the room, "Yeah…well, our timing is about to suck too."
Daphne turned her icy stare on Teddy, "Oh, here we go. What's going on with you then, Edward?"
"And hi Nick," Harry added, holding up his hand in a vague wave, "How are you doing?"
"Hey Harry," Nick chuckled, "I'm good."
"How's Nat doing?" Harry asked the younger man.
"Good," Nick replied honestly, "She's adapting. I mean, she spent the whole day in her room with Addison yesterday, so I don't know what her idea of 'adapting' is, but we're just happy she's back."
Harry smiled and nodded, "No wonder. I'll drop in on your dad once I'm deemed well enough to floo by myself."
He shot a long-suffering look at Daphne behind her back, and she said, "I saw that!"
"How?" Harry asked in disbelief, "Do you actually have eyes in the back of your freakin' head?!"
"No, Harry, there's a mirror on the other wall," Daphne said dryly, "It's been there for twenty years, and you still haven't worked it out!"
Harry looked at the mirror in question and cursed silently.
"I thought you'd come up with some sort of charm so you could see out of the back of your head…." Harry admitted.
Teddy snorted and decided that while, yes, his timing sucked. This also had to be done.
"Right, there's no easy way to ask this, so I'm gonna just put it out there," Teddy said, "You know how my inheritance can only be used for something worthwhile? Well, does a house count?"
Harry frowned, "Well…yes, but I thought you already had the money together?"
"Hm," Daphne agreed, "Wasn't there a big speech about wanting to do it on your own steam?"
"Yes," Teddy admitted sheepishly, "But things have changed. We were going to get a penthouse in London, but now we need a house in Devon. Somewhere with land, I mean it's definitely got to have a good garden."
Daphne twigged where this was going faster than Harry did.
She held up a hand and asked a straightforward question, "Why?"
Teddy bit his lip, "Cause we're having a baby."
Lilly choked on her tea, "Wait…what? You don't mean you're having a baby, Teddy? Cause that's possible, you remember that Metamorphmagus I treated last year - "
"Yes, I remember the super awkward talk you gave me afterwards," Teddy cut in as Nick snorted in amusement by his side. "So no, I don't mean me, I mean we as a family."
"Mina's pregnant?" Harry asked in surprise.
"No," Daphne snorted, "Almina is an Auror, and she's incredibly career-focused. There's no way she would get pregnant by accident. No, Nina is pregnant, isn't she?"
Teddy and Nick both nodded.
"Well, congratulations Nick," Harry said with a smile, "I bet you're pretty scared about the idea of being a Dad."
Teddy and Nick shared a look, and Lilly choked on her tea again.
"Seriously guys?" Lilly asked in disbelief.
Daphne gave Lilly a warning look, but it didn't stop Lilly from saying what was on her mind.
"How can the same shit happen to two generations?" Lilly muttered.
Nick frowned, but Teddy's eyes widened, "Whoa, which one of my siblings is Uncle Nev's kid?"
"Or which one of your Aunt Lilly's kids is actually your half-sibling?" Nick pointed out with a raised eyebrow.
"None of them," Harry said simply, "You all know who your parents are. Well, except Alastor, but that's another story."
Daphne shook her head, "Lilly is just being facetious."
"Lilly is being factually correct," Lilly said dryly. "And none of us are judging you. Because we know how easy it is to have an accidental pregnancy and then be a little unsure of the parentage for, you know…six months or so."
Teddy nodded slowly, "Well…there are some things I just didn't ever want to know about my parents and you guys, and that was one of them. But thank you for being….supportive?"
"You're welcome," Lilly said matter of factly, then she went back to the hat she was knitting.
Daphne rolled her eyes, "So you don't know which one of you is the biological father, but I don't suppose it matters much to you anyway, does it?"
Nick shook his head, "It'll be our kid, whatever happens. It might just have multicoloured hair if it gets his genetics," he said, nudging Teddy in the ribs.
"For your sake, I hope not," Daphne said with an amused smile. "Parenting is hard enough when you have a normal child. But when your child can morph himself into a teddy bear and give you a panic attack because you think you've lost him, it's even harder."
Teddy grinned, "To be fair, the baby who gave you the biggest heart attack was Thea, and that was cause she stole Dad's invisibility cloak."
"No, it was because you gave her the invisibility cloak to play with," Neville corrected from his spot by the fire.
"Then blamed it on your dad," Lilly added with a grin, "It's a wonder you weren't in Slytherin, to be honest."
Daphne laughed too, "Anyway, congratulations on the baby. I know it's not something you planned, but I often find that those are the best gifts."
She smiled at Teddy, who smiled warmly back at her, "Thanks, Mum."
"Is Nina keeping well?" Lilly asked, looking up at the two boys.
"Yeah, she's great," Nick said with a smile, "Everything was good at her 12-week scan, and the baby is due in January."
Harry smiled too, "And obviously we'll unlock your inheritance, Ted. That goes without question."
"Thanks, Dad," Teddy said gratefully.
"Yeah, fucking hell, congrats, Ted," Alastor said with a nod.
Teddy laughed and nodded at his brother, "Thanks, Al."
"Congratulations," Neville agreed.
Lilly smiled and got up to kiss Teddy on the cheek, "Congratulations. I'll do my best to act surprised when Nina tells me the news because I'm her boss, so she will need to soon."
Nick grimaced and nodded, "I'll make sure that message gets across," he promised.
"Does your dad know?" Harry asked Nick.
Nick snorted and nodded, "Yeah, he took it alright, you know?"
"Ah, I guess he must be mellowing in his old age," Harry said with a grin.
Teddy laughed, "Nick proposed to Nina before she told us about the baby, so with everything that's happened…well, we're getting married."
"All four of you?" Harry asked.
Nick nodded, "Yeah, all four of us. We know it's gonna be a scandal, and we don't care."
"We don't really want to wait around and have a huge gap between now and the wedding either," Teddy added, "Especially with Nina being pregnant."
Daphne nodded slowly, "So…when is this wedding, then?"
"Mabon," Teddy and Nick replied in unison.
"Mabon?" Four voices echoed.
"I know it's only a month away, but we don't want a big wedding anyway," Teddy said offhandedly, "So it will be fine."
Daphne frowned, "Yeah…but Mabon…."
"Are you sure you couldn't pick another night?" Harry asked, "Like in October, maybe?"
Teddy looked at him with a frown, "Something you're not telling us, Dad?"
"No, nothing, Ted," Harry said quickly, "It's just…."
"It's a holiday," Daphne cut in, "People will have plans with their families. They might not be able to make it."
"Especially with it being such short notice," Lilly added.
"Mina's got her heart set on Mabon," Teddy said, looking between his parents and his Aunt and Uncle, "You know the Black-Notts are more traditional than the rest of us. She celebrates it every year, and she's always wanted to get married then."
"And it doesn't matter if some people can't make it," Nick added, "The ones we care about will come."
They all nodded, and Teddy and Nick said they needed to head off. Alastor disappeared upstairs too, and Harry and Daphne's eyes met the moment their children had left.
"Mabon," Daphne said quietly.
"When Draco's prophecy is supposed to happen," Harry agreed.
Lilly groaned and threw her head back against the cushioned chair she was sitting in.
"Why is nothing in our life ever simple?"
"Because we're in love with Harry Potter?" Daphne quipped.
Lilly snorted in amusement, and Neville made a face, "Well, I'm not in love with him. I mean, I love you man, but not like that."
Harry shook his head and shot Neville an amused look, "Yeah, I get it, Nev. But seriously, could their timing be any worse with this bloody wedding?"
Neville shrugged, "Honestly, just try not to worry about it too much. We can't let a prophecy rule our life. For all Draco knows, it might have already happened without him realising, or it might not happen for thirty years yet. Let's just help them plan the wedding and be happy for them."
Daphne sighed and sat down, "Easier said than done," she muttered.
Harry looked at her in surprise, "I thought you were fine with it?"
"I am!" Daphne exclaimed, "But two brides – one of whom has four parents. Two grooms? How the fuck are we going to fit everyone around the head table?"
The room erupted in laughter.
"The head table?" Lilly cackled, "That's what you're worried about?"
Harry and Neville could barely breathe from laughing, and that only worsened when Daphne stomped her foot and went into a full-blown temper tantrum over the whole thing.
All Harry could think was that she was still the girl he had fallen in love with back in their eighth year, and he hoped that never changed.
Belgravia
London
Rob grinned when Harry stepped through the floo, "Gandalf! How you doin?"
"Shut it," Harry said, laughing despite himself.
Rob hugged him and said, "Oh go on, do it, just once."
Harry shook his head in amusement but stamped the staff in his hand against the ground. Blue magic sparked out of it, and he said, "You shall not pass!"
Rob guffawed with laughter and said, "I fucking love the staff."
"It was irritating me, having to hold myself up and do magic with my wand in the other hand," Harry shrugged. "It's a temporary measure, but I kind of like it….maybe I should keep it."
"If you do, I'm calling you Gandalf for the rest of my days," Rob threatened.
Harry chuckled, then another voice said, "Looking cool, Uncle Harry."
With a grin, Harry held out his arms and said, "Hey Nat."
She walked over and hugged him, and Harry squeezed her tightly, "How are you doing, kiddo?"
Natasha pulled back and smiled, "I'm okay, really. I just feel awful that I couldn't tell the Aurors anything about that magic suppressing camp."
"Don't worry about that," Harry promised, "We'll catch those guys. You being back safe, that's all that matters."
Rob smiled at his daughter, "Damn right," he agreed.
"Addison and I are going to head out today," Natasha said, kissing her dad on the cheek, "I'll send constant Patronus updates, I promise."
"Alright, have fun," Rob said.
Natasha left the room, and Harry looked pointedly at Rob, "I hear you need a sponsor."
Rob laughed and said, "You think you can manage coming down to the kitchen? I'm dying for a decent cup of joe."
"Yeah," Harry returned, "I'm fine, really. I just get tired pretty quickly at the moment. Lil reckons it's muscle atrophy or something."
"Sounds about right," Rob said. The two of them headed downstairs, and Harry sank into a seat at the kitchen table.
Rob put the kettle on to boil and turned to look at Harry, "You really gonna be my sponsor then?"
"Yep, I really am," Harry said with a smile, "If anyone knows what it's like to accidentally nearly kill yourself, then realise you have a problem, it's me."
"Yeah…well, I can't argue with that," Rob said honestly, "I've done step one, anyway. Thrown away all the booze in the house. I gifted the good stuff to Shep."
"Good," Harry said with a nod, "The rest comes slowly, you can't expect results overnight, but if you want a drink, you don't go to a bar; you come to me. No matter what hour of the day or night it is, that's rule one."
"You got it, kid," Rob promised.
He set two steaming mugs of coffee down on the table and sat opposite Harry.
"You gonna see Caroline?"
"Jen's making me, yeah," Rob said. he ran a hand through his grey hair, "I'd do anything to make sure I didn't lose her though."
"Yeah, well, you feel like that when you're married to the love of your life," Harry said with a smile.
"She's not the first love of my life, though," Rob confessed, "She's the second cause I…I never loved Liz, not like this, but I did love Gaia."
"Nick's mum," Harry mused.
"Yeah," Rob said. He rubbed his eyes, "Look, this all came out when you were having your big nap, so…Nick's my kid, by blood."
Harry snorted, "Yeah, I know. Come on, Rob, I worked that out years ago when you refused to tell him he was adopted. I knew it was because he wasn't, but I understood why you didn't feel you could tell him the truth."
"Yeah, shagging a prostitute while you work for Domestics," Rob said with a shake of his head, "Kinda frowned upon. Getting her knocked up? Even more frowned upon."
"You couldn't lose your job, so you lied to Nick," Harry said with a nod, "I get it, and I bet Nick does too."
"He does," Rob admitted.
"And nobody is gonna punish you for being lonely, Rob," Harry said carefully. "Nick was born in the middle of the war, same time as a lot of prostitutes in the Closes had children with Death Eaters who abused them. You loved Nick's mum, and you're a good dad. Don't let it get you down too much."
Rob smiled slightly, "You're kinda good at this sponsor bullshit, you know?"
Harry grinned, "Yeah, I've been told that."
He sipped his coffee, and Rob did too. They fell silent for a moment, then Harry changed the subject.
"So…our kids are getting married."
Rob snorted, "Yeah, all four of them?"
"Yeah," Harry agreed.
"Don't suppose you know what 'we're all getting married' means?" Rob asked calmly.
"I think it means they're going to be like the Black-Notts, but, officially," Harry replied. "Nina's going to marry Nick, Almina's going to marry Teddy and Nick and Teddy are also going to be married, I guess?"
"So it's like a triple-header?" Rob joked.
Harry snorted, "I think that's what got them in this situation in the first place."
"What do you – ugh, mate, that's too fucking far!" Rob exclaimed, "I'm okay with this whole thing, but I did not need that image."
Harry chortled, "You're really this calm about the whole thing?"
"Yeah," Rob said offhandedly, "Fucking idiots fell for my BLT rights speech though."
Harry grinned, "Fuck off! They didn't?"
"They fucking did," Rob chortled, "Bet you didn't think I'd do it?"
"Nah, I didn't," Harry admitted.
A few years ago now, Harry had dared Rob to call LGBT rights BLT rights if Nick and Teddy ever got together because it seemed likely that they would.
Harry was still chuckling as he picked up his coffee mug, "Daphne's freaking out about how to fit everyone around the head table."
Rob laughed loudly, "Course she is. Why don't we just have a barbeque? No head table, problem solved."
"She'll lose her shit if I say 'let's just have a barbeque," Harry said with a shake of his head, "I mean you've met my wife, haven't you?"
"Oh, yeah," Rob snorted, "She'll go full Greengrass on you – a barbeque! A barbeque at the wedding of our firstborn?"
"That's a scarily accurate impression," Harry chortled.
Rob shook his head in amusement, "They'll do what they wanna do, and we've gotta roll with that. It's their life, you know?"
Harry nodded, "Their future. You hear about the house in Devon and the baby?"
"The baby, yes," Rob nodded, "The house in Devon? No. I thought Ted hated Devon."
"Nah, he doesn't mind the cottages by the beach," Harry said. his smile was a little far away when he finished, "We used to take him there all the time when he was a kid."
Rob sipped his coffee, "A baby though, huh? You reckon it's gonna call you grandpops?"
"Fuck no," Harry replied, "You're old enough to be my dad. I'll be the cool, young Grandpa."
"What? You with your staff, Gandalf?"
Harry flicked the staff in Rob's direction, and he jumped, "Ouch!"
"Don't talk shit about Gandalf. He was the best character in those books," Harry said with a smirk.
"Uh no, Gandalf does not trump Aragorn," Rob argued.
Harry laughed, "Nah, Sam. He's the unsung hero. He reminds me of Neville, actually."
"That make you Frodo?" Rob joked, "I mean, you're short enough, and you do love a good whinge."
"Who the fuck does that make you, Gimli?" Harry sniggered, "You're grumpy enough."
Rob choked on his coffee and held up a hand, "Look, let's just say that Theo and Draco are Bard and Thranduil, and leave it there."
Harry laughed so hard then, he needed a minute to recover.
"How's this wedding going to work, anyway? Four of them, Mina with her two dads? Suppose they'll both walk her down the aisle?"
"Maybe," Harry mused, "Or Theo might. He's her biological dad, after all."
"Nina's not got anyone to walk her down the aisle," Rob pointed out.
"Unless she asks Howie."
Rob snorted, "Fuck off, she's not gonna ask Howie."
Harry shrugged, "They'll do what they want, and we'll roll with it like you said."
"It's gonna be tough without whiskey though," Rob pointed out.
"Tell me about it," Harry grinned, "And I've been sober for over a decade now."
Rob laughed, and they fell silent as they drank their coffee.
Harry tried his best to be thankful, for being alive, for Natasha being alive – for their wonderful kids and the upcoming wedding.
But he couldn't because every time he let his mind go blank, he heard it. Teddy and Nick's voices echoed in his head.
Mabon.
- TBC -
