The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
Learning How to Write My Story
The chapter title is from the song:
Road Between by Lucy Hale.
Blacknot Castle
The 1st of November
It was a standard, but quiet, evening in the castle. Sadie wasn't on patrol at Hogwarts, so she was home with Theo, Draco and Hermione, but with three of their children being back at school now and the other three having moved out, the castle felt incredibly empty in the evenings.
Hermione noticed the Patronus first, but Theo recognised the Jack Russell terrier and knew immediately who it belonged to before Jackson Sheppard's voice filled the room.
"Lacey had the baby! Sorry, I'm still running on adrenaline. I can't believe I'm a dad."
Draco chuckled and glanced at Theo, who wasn't smiling yet.
"Everyone is fine. Lacey was amazing. She did it all at home like she wanted and didn't have to go to the hospital. She's tired now, but she's okay. It helped having Marcie here to deliver the baby, and he's great. He's healthy and a good size. Marcie says he's perfect."
Theo let out a breath and only then allowed himself to smile.
"She's asleep right now, but before she passed out, she told me I better tell her dad that he's got two grandsons to keep in check now. Sally's in there with Lacey just now, so come on by whenever you want."
The Patronus turned to silver smoke, and Hermione smiled at Theo, "Congratulations."
Theo smiled back, "Yeah, thanks. Are we going to check how she's doing then?"
"I don't think we should all go," Draco said diplomatically, "It was different when Phoenix was born…the circumstances were different. Lacey already has Sally there, and you don't want to overwhelm her."
"She has just given birth," Hermione agreed, "You and Sadie ought to go."
"Are you sure?" Theo asked.
Hermione nodded and smiled at Theo, "We'll meet the little guy soon. Lacey isn't going to stop coming over for dinner now that she has a baby, is she?"
"And we'll be on babysitting duty before long," Draco agreed, "So don't worry about us, Theo, just go and tell Lacey that we're sending her our love and congratulations."
Theo nodded. He got to his feet and smiled, "Yeah, of course I will."
London
Salvadora was in the kitchen when Theo and Sadie stepped through the fireplace. Theo smiled and hugged her, "Congratulations, Grandma."
Salvadora laughed, "Thank you, I still feel too young to be a grandmother."
Theo laughed too, "How do you think I feel?"
Sadie smiled and hugged Salvadora. The older woman kissed Sadie on both cheeks in greeting as she always did.
"How is Lacey doing?"
"She's okay," Salvadora replied honestly, "She's in a little pain, but that's expected. The delivery went fine, and there were no complications for Lacey or her little boy."
"So he's okay too?" Theo asked.
Salvadora smiled and nodded, "He is just fine, don't worry."
Theo breathed a sigh of relief. He supposed Salvadora knew why that meant so much to him. It was no secret that complications in childbirth ran in the Nott family – it wasn't just what had happened to Sadie and Hermione. The same thing had happened to Salvadora after Lacey was born.
He was aware of Salvadora and Sadie talking while they headed upstairs, but he didn't hear what they were saying. His mind was running wild, trying to figure out why some had suffered, but not all of them had. He knew it was something he would have to do more research on in the future.
Salvadora knocked on Lacey and Jack's bedroom door, drawing Theo out of his thoughts.
Jack's voice called, "Come in!"
The three of them stepped inside together, and Theo smiled tearfully when he saw Lacey. She was lying in bed, looking pale but otherwise healthy, with a baby boy wrapped up in a blue blanket in her arms.
"Hey, Dad."
Theo crossed the room and perched on the edge of her bed, "Hey Lace, how are you doing?"
"Good," Lacey replied, "We're both fine."
Theo nodded and looked into the blanket, "Does the little guy have a name yet?"
Lacey's smile widened, "He does. He has two, actually."
Theo looked up at her, and Lacey looked down at the baby in her arms.
"You made me swear to break the tradition and not call him Theodore, so I didn't," Lacey said.
Theo laughed, "Thank Merlin for that. We don't need a tenth Theodore in the family."
Lacey chuckled and looked up at Theo, "No, I would never have called him that because Theodore is a Nott name, it represents….things I would rather not remember."
Theo nodded and patted her hand, "I know, me too."
"But the name we did choose," Lacey said quietly, "It represents love, kindness and devotion to family, above all else."
Theo looked Lacey in the eye, and she smiled a little tearfully.
"He's called Theo."
Theo's voice caught in his throat, "Wh – what?"
Lacey squeezed Theo's hand, "Theo John Sheppard, specifically."
Salvadora smiled slightly and lowered her voice so that only Sadie could hear her, "She was worried about telling him."
Sadie smiled fondly at her husband, "Why? Because his tears might flood the house?"
Salvadora chuckled and replied, "She knows he puts a lot of pressure on himself to be a good father to her after…after the first example she had. She worried that naming the baby after him might be too much."
Sadie shook her head and kept her eyes on Theo, whose head was now resting on the edge of Lacey's bed.
"No, he's just shocked and honoured."
She took a step forward and pulled Theo into a hug. He took a breath, and Sadie felt his breath hitch by her ear; then he pulled himself together and leaned across the bed to hug Lacey.
"Thank you."
Jack smiled and patted Theo on the back, "It's been a long time coming. She's been telling me since we first talked about having kids that her first son would be named after her dad."
Theo wasn't bothering to hide his tears, and he shed a few more then.
Lacey smiled through her tears, "You didn't have to be my dad, you chose to be, and you're always going to be my hero."
Theo rubbed his eyes and laughed tearfully, "Merlin, Lacey, I'm all cried out. Just insult me or something."
Lacey didn't, though. Instead, she held out baby Theo and asked, "Do you want to hold him?"
Theo nodded and took the little bundle in his arms. Sadie leant over his shoulders, kissing his cheek then reaching down to stroke the baby's cheek.
"Welcome to the family, Theo."
Hogwarts Castle
Cas was halfway through his breakfast when the owls swooped down into the great hall. He knew something was up because his mother had been late for breakfast that morning which wasn't like her.
She knew how much he hated her talking to him when he was in school because it 'cramped' his style, so she dropped a note next to him that read, "Exciting news with the owls this morning. Pay attention."
Thea threw herself down next to Cas and nudged him playfully, "You were up early."
Cas nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah, Ada couldn't sleep, so I sat in the common room with her."
Thea smiled warmly, "You're a good brother, you know that, right?"
An owl dropped a letter in front of Cas. He grabbed it, then smiled at Thea, "You think so?"
Thea nodded and poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice, "Not many people would stay up with their little sister because she couldn't sleep."
Cas began to open his letter. He shrugged, "She's always like this for a while after the holidays. It's fine when she's got Dora in the bed across from her, but she struggles at Hogwarts."
"I know she does," Thea said with a nod, "Whose the letter from?"
Cas smiled and held out a small card for Thea to read, "My big sister."
Thea grinned, "Oh, your Pops is gonna be so happy."
"My Pops is gonna be crying like a bloody baby," Cas said with a chuckle. He looked past Thea, down the table to try and spot Ada.
It was harder to find people now that the tables were communal.
"She's a table over with Dora," Thea said, nudging her head in that direction. "Oh, and Laurel, that's a surprise."
Cas chuckled and called, "Ada, Dora!"
His twin sisters turned around, and he waved them over. They had different reactions when they reached the table and saw the birth announcement.
"Aww!" Dora squealed, "I can't wait to meet him!"
Ada said, "I don't like babies, and everyone is having them. I don't get it."
"Some people do like babies, Ada," Thea replied sarcastically, "That's why everyone is having them."
Dora nudged her sister in the ribs and said, "Do you think Pops cried?"
"Probably," Ada muttered.
"Definitely," Cas agreed.
Thea smiled and reached across Cas to grab a slice of toast, "He's a cute baby."
"Still," Dora joked, "Are we all expected to name our babies after Pops?"
"I won't be having babies, ever, so that's up to you guys," Ada remarked. She sat down on the other side of the table.
Dora shrugged, "I might have them when I'm like…30."
Thea laughed and said, "Good idea, Dora. What about you, Cas? You gonna name your babies after your Pops?"
Cas thought about it for a moment, then shook his head, "I think I'll name my first son for my dad, actually. But if I have a second son…yeah, I'd name him for Pops. What about you, Thea?"
"If I ever meet someone who actually wants to settle down with me, yeah," Thea said offhandedly, "I'd love to have kids one day. I think I'd like to name one for my mum, though."
Ada made a face, "Do we have to sit through you two naming your future kids?"
Cas nearly spat out his pumpkin juice, and Thea choked on her toast.
Dora patted her on the back dutifully.
"What?" Cas remarked, "We're not even….I mean, we're…."
"We're just friends," Thea said when she had recovered enough to do so.
Cas nodded, "Yeah, we're just friends."
Ada snorted and got to her feet, "And I'm the Queen of Sheba."
Dora grinned and did a mock bow, "Good morning, your majesty."
"Oh, bugger off!" Thea remarked, throwing a slice of toast at the Wonder Twins retreating backs.
Cas laughed nervously, "They're crazy, right?"
"Right?" Thea echoed, "As if you and me would ever work out."
"We'd kill each other," Cas said with a nod.
"And there's absolutely no tension here," Thea said as if trying to convince herself.
"Yeah," Cas smiled half-heartedly, "None at all."
At the head table, Sadie shook her head.
"How can two people be so smart but so clueless?"
"Well, one of them is my child," Harry pointed out; he sipped his coffee, "But still, I thought Cas was more perceptive than Thea."
"He is, but he also thinks he's being friend-zoned," Sadie pointed out.
Harry raised an eyebrow at her, "What?"
"He thinks that Thea is putting him in a friend-only zone," Sadie said calmly, "Which she might be doing to protect herself after….you know?"
"Zachary Smith," Harry said disdainfully, "Still, if she pushes him too far away, he might not come back."
He looked along the table at Daphne; she must have been aware that he was talking about her because she turned around and caught his eye.
Sadie smiled and said, "Well, maybe Thea is more like her mother than we give her credit for."
Harry tore his eyes away from Daphne to look at Sadie.
"After all, she came around eventually, and look at the two of you now," Sadie finished.
Harry smiled and glanced back at his wife.
"Maybe you're right."
St Mungos
Andrea was on a break when Freddie came into the hospital looking for her. She was at a nurse's station, talking to Nina about baby names while she drank coffee and Nina drank chamomile tea.
"Uh, Andrea?" A Medi-witch asked.
Andrea looked up, "Yeah?"
"A young man is asking to speak to you. I didn't let him inside the ward. He says his name is Frederick," The Medi-witch said.
Nina gave Andrea a knowing look, "So he worked out that you've been avoiding him."
"I've not been avoiding him. He's been avoiding me," Andrea objected.
"Well, he's here now," Nina said. She gave Andrea a pointed look, "And you only have five minutes left on your break, so go on, find out what he wants."
Andrea sighed, but she put her coffee mug down and stepped out of the warded doors into the corridor where Freddie was waiting for her. He had a thick leather jacket on, and his hands were shoved into the pockets of his ripped skinny jeans.
He smiled when he saw her, "Hey."
"Hey," Andrea said carefully, "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here for you," Freddie replied.
Andrea raised an eyebrow at him. If she had known he was coming, she would have made more effort not to look like shit. But she was 8 hours into a 12-hour shift, her black hair was pulled up in a bun, and she knew she looked tired.
"Okay, well, I think we both know where this is going, Freddie," Andrea said honestly. She leaned against the wall and sighed, "You've been avoiding me all week, and I know it's the season for contract renewals so just spit it out – when do you leave?"
"I don't," Freddie admitted.
Andrea looked up in surprise, "What?"
"I don't," Freddie said. He smiled sheepishly and looked just like his dad for a moment.
"Uh, one of my uncles, he gave me some pretty good advice," Freddie said, his smile turned into a grin, "He told me that the dragons would always be there, but that the girl wouldn't be, and I…."
He shook his head as he tried to wrestle his thoughts into order.
"I don't want to look back in thirty years and wonder who you're married to," Freddie admitted, his ears burned red, "Cause I want it to be me. I don't want anybody but you, Andie, so I'm not going back to Romania, not this season, maybe not ever. I'm choosing you."
Andrea stared at him in disbelief for a long moment.
"Are you…" Freddie rubbed the back of his neck nervously, "I mean, is that okay with you?"
Andrea dropped the clipboard with a clatter and threw her arms around Freddie, kissing him in the middle of the corridor.
The door behind them opened, and Nina smiled fondly, "Uh, I hate to break this up, but we have a patient, Andrea."
Andrea broke the kiss, her cheeks flushed. She nodded, and Freddie grinned.
"Uh, yes, sorry, I can't believe I did that," Andrea breathed, "I'll uh, I'll see you tonight?"
"Yeah," Freddie said with a slightly stunned grin.
Andrea nodded, then stepped back into the Paediatric Ward, her cheeks flushing as she did so.
"Well, I'd say he was a keeper," Nina said.
"Can we just pretend that didn't happen and get back to work, please, Nina?" Andrea asked. Her embarrassment was threatening to crush her.
Nina chuckled, "Of course, we can. We have a six-year-old girl whose brother threw a garden gnome at her. He claims it was an accident."
"Did you hear about Andrea and Freddie?"
Lilly looked up at Michael and nodded, "Did I hear about my most promising young Healer, who also happens to be my niece, making out with her boyfriend in the middle of the corridor in my hospital? Yes, Michael, I did."
Michael chuckled and leaned against the railing next to her. They were standing in the glass bridge that connected Lilly's hospital to St Mungo's.
"It's not a drama, Lil. It's a feel-good story, the sort of thing that gives people hope," He said.
Lilly nodded thoughtfully.
"Kinda reminded me of what Neville did for you," Michael admitted.
"What, you mean after you tried to sleep with me while we were on a break?" Lilly quipped.
"I took you home then left with my dignity intact," Michael argued, "I'm not going to lie. I still had feelings for you at Neville and Harry's joint birthday party. It was the summer after our eighth year; things were still raw."
Lilly sighed and looked down.
"It took me a long time to get over you," Michael said quietly, "But I've never been stupid. I could see what there was between you and Neville. There was no way I was going to get between that."
"He chased me to France to tell me he loved me," Lilly said; she shot Michael a slight smile.
Michael smiled too.
"And I don't think I really accepted that I loved him until then," Lilly admitted.
"And look at you now," Michael said.
Lilly smiled too. She pushed herself off the wall and said, "Look at us now; we're practically friends. I can't say I ever saw that happening."
"No, but it's for the best," Michael said, "We're both far happier now than we were back then. Like my Grandpa always said, sometimes there's good in goodbye."
"Yeah, sometimes there is," Lilly agreed.
Lupin House
The moment Teddy, Nick and Nina met Piper Grey, they understood why Almina wanted to adopt her so badly.
They had taken over one of the private rooms in Lupin House. They were designed for settling in visits or private meetings, but this one was set up with a corner full of soft toys.
Addison was in the room with them as a supporter and the link between them and Lupin House. She was sitting next to Piper, who was gurgling away happily and trying to chew through a rubber toy.
Addison smiled at them, "Hey guys. To those of you who haven't had the pleasure – this is Piper."
Almina sat down on the floor with the little girl straight away, "Hey, Piper," she said softly.
Piper reached out and grabbed Almina's finger, then babbled some more.
Teddy wasn't prepared for his heart's weird little flip when he saw Almina with a baby. For a moment, he wasn't capable of speech, so he just sat down on the floor next to his wife and looked at the little girl sitting in front of them.
"She's been trying to crawl this week," Addison said, "And she's trying more and more pureed foods. She hates peas, though."
"Oh, good girl," Nick said. He sat down on Almina's other side and patted the spot next to him, catching Nina's eye.
She smiled at him and sat down, and Nick looked at Piper, "Pureed peas, who would like them, eh Piper?"
The little girl babbled happily and beamed at Nick in response. He grinned right back at her, and Teddy smiled. Knowing Nina was having a baby was one thing, but seeing them all interacting with one melted his heart. After all, he was a sensitive soul, and they all knew that.
Piper held her arms up to Teddy, and Almina smiled, "I think she wants you to pick her up, Ted."
Teddy picked the little girl up carefully and sat her on his knee, "Hey, Piper," he said softly.
She babbled and reached up to grab a strand of his hair. It was bright blue at the moment, so he amused her by changing it to pink. Piper squealed, then clapped her hands, and Teddy grinned from ear to ear.
"So," Almina said, "What do you think?"
"I think Teddy decided when we walked into the room," Nick said, grinning at the other man.
Nina smiled too, "I think we all did," she promised Almina.
Addison chuckled and got to her feet, "Am I fetching the appropriate paperwork for you to take home then?"
Almina looked from Nina and Nick to Teddy. He put his hair back to its usual colour and nodded, "Yeah, Addison, please do."
Addison smiled warmly and nodded.
When she left the room, Nina reached over and took Piper's tiny hand, "The family we choose is just as important as the family we are born into," she reminded Teddy.
Teddy smiled warmly at her and nodded.
She was right; the family they had forged was already perfect. But somehow, Piper just completed it.
Blacknot Castle
On Sunday, Lacey and Jack came over for dinner with baby Theo. It had been almost a week since his birth, and Lacey was doing brilliantly. Sadie had gone out for a walk with her and baby Theo earlier in the week.
And Sally had been dropping in and out to check on Lacey too. Jack's week of paternity leave was coming to an end, so the Blacknots expected Lacey to need their support more in the coming weeks, but they would be here when she did.
When they stepped through the drawing-room doors with baby Theo in his pram, Hermione was straight over there to hug Lacey and Jack and peer in the pram.
Draco chuckled and followed his wife over.
"He's beautiful," Hermione said, "And so peaceful."
"He's great," Lacey admitted, "He only cries when he's tired or hungry."
"Exactly like his grandfather then," Draco said with a grin.
Lacey laughed, and Theo slapped his hand over his heart in mock offence.
Sadie chuckled and said, "The children loved the announcement cards you sent out."
"I can't believe I had to owl Cas his one," Lacey said with a chuckle, "Does he really not let you speak to him in the school?"
Sadie shook her head, "No, it ruins his image, apparently."
Theo grinned and said, "But, like his father, he's a big softy."
Draco just smiled, "Well, I can't argue with that. I think my bad guy image was foiled a long time ago."
"What bad guy image?" Hermione teased, "Even when we were in school, I knew you weren't a villain."
"Just a misguided antagonist," Theo said; he nudged Draco in the ribs, "Like Batman."
Sadie snorted and said, "He's nothing like Batman."
Lacey chuckled and lifted Theo out of the pram when he started gurning. The moment Lacey nestled him in her arms, he went straight back to sleep, and Hermione began to gush about how sweet he was again.
Draco grabbed Theo's hand and said, "You did it."
Theo looked over at him, "Did what?"
"Became the dad you always wanted to be, the one your father never was," Draco murmured.
Theo smiled tightly, "So did you."
Draco shrugged slightly, "I couldn't have done it without you."
"Yeah," Theo said; he sighed but contentedly, "I couldn't have done it without you either."
Potter Manor
The Potter-Wolfe's had gathered together Teddy's parents and Nick's parents to tell them about their adoption decision. There was no way they were telling all of their parents together; that would just be too much, so they decided to tell the Blacknot separately.
Teddy was the one who broke the news in the end. They were sitting in the drawing-room; everyone was drinking wine or whiskey, bar Harry and Rob.
"Sparkling water?" Harry had asked his old friend.
"Fuck that. If I can't have alcohol, at least give me something with fucking sugar in it," Rob had replied.
"So," Harry said, "You called a family meeting, Ted."
Teddy nodded. He set his whiskey glass down on the table and said, "We went to Lupin House this afternoon to meet this incredible little girl, she's called Piper Grey, and she's eight months old. Her mother threw her out of the window to a bystander when their flat in Diagon Alley went on fire, and because of that sacrifice, she survived."
Almina took Teddy's hand and nodded, "And today, we signed adoption papers. We…well, we didn't want to say anything, and we didn't know how to explain it, but Lupin House had already vetted us."
Harry, who knew more about this than anyone else, nodded.
Rob raised an eyebrow, "Hang on – you're adopting a baby a few months before you have a baby?"
"It's not uncommon, Rob," Daphne said, "We did it with Alastor and Andrea."
Teddy nodded, "We know it's going to be hard, but we also know it's what we want to do."
"And it's done," Nick said with a shrug, "We thought it would be better to ask for forgiveness, not permission."
"That is such a shrewd outlook, Nicholas," Jennifer pointed out, "Especially coming from a Hufflepuff."
"Ah, well, I guess Almina's been a bad influence on us," Nick said. He winked at Almina.
She smiled slightly and said, "We were told that we could change her surname in the adoption papers, so we did."
"But," Teddy added, "We also gave her a middle name."
He looked his dad in the eye and smiled, "She's only here because of her mother's sacrifice, so when she comes home to her new family, her new name will be Piper Lily Potter-Wolfe."
Harry tried to smile, but he couldn't. It came out as more of a grimace, and a strange sound left his throat. Daphne crossed the room and drew him into a hug.
She murmured, "It's okay, baby."
Harry nodded and shut his eyes tightly, well aware of the tears that fell when he did. He breathed in the familiar scent of her perfume to compose himself, then he pulled back and looked at Teddy.
"Thank you, Teddy."
Teddy smiled tearfully and stepped forward, pulling his dad into a hug. When he released him, he sat down on the edge of an armchair by Almina's side.
"When do bring her home?" Harry asked, his voice still shaking a little.
Rob leant over and patted Harry's leg, smiling at him and asking, "You alright, kid?"
Harry smiled back and nodded, "Yeah, thanks, Rob."
Almina grabbed Teddy's hand, "All being well, next week."
"Good," Harry said with a nod.
"That's great news," Daphne agreed; she squeezed Harry's shoulder.
"We can't wait to meet her," Jennifer agreed, "And I am sure she will be a wonderful big sister come February."
Nina smiled warmly and nodded, "I'm sure she will be too."
Daphne got to her feet and said, "I think I ought to find a bottle of champagne to celebrate!"
She headed down to the wine cellar, and Teddy patted Harry on the arm, "Can we talk outside?"
Harry nodded and stepped outside onto the veranda with his eldest son. It was cold, and they were only in jumpers, but Harry still felt flushed from his emotional breakdown.
"I wasn't sure about all of this, but then I met Piper and I just…." Teddy shook his head, "I can't even describe it, but I just knew."
Harry smiled slightly; he nodded, "I remember that feeling."
Teddy smiled too, "We signed those papers, Dad, and I didn't want to leave. When I gave Piper back to Addison, she started crying, and it was like….I felt…"
" – like a parent?" Harry guessed.
Teddy nodded, "It was like – one moment, and we were a family, exactly like it would have been if a baby had been born, you know?"
Harry nodded and smiled down at the ground, "Yeah, I do."
Teddy breathed, "When we left, I felt sad and scared, but….I just kept thinking about you."
Harry looked up in surprise, "Me?"
Teddy nodded, "It's going to sound cheesy, but….if I can be half the dad to Piper that you didn't have to be for me, I'll be happy."
Harry smiled tearfully and drew his son in for another hug.
- TBC -
