The Eighth Year Universe
Love Wins
Nothing Could Keep Us Apart
The chapter title comes from the song:
Rewrite the Stars - Zac Efron, Zendaya (From 'The Greatest Showman').
Hogwarts Castle
Lilly used to hate being called into Hogwarts. On the one hand, she still did because it usually meant that a student had done something idiotic. But on the other hand, she could also drop in and see Harry, Neville or Daphne after dealing with said stupid student, which made the call a little more bearable.
She stepped into the hospital wing, where Hannah greeted her with, "Sorry for the call out, Lilly. I've been trying everything for the last six hours, but nothing has worked."
"Okay," Lilly said. She shrugged her thick winter cloak off and asked, "What do we have?"
"Two stupid teenagers," Hannah replied, "I hate this job sometimes, I swear."
"I have a vacancy in Paediatrics," Lilly said. She shot Hannah an amused look, "One-year Maternity Cover."
"Don't tempt me," Hannah retorted.
Lilly chuckled and asked, "What have the stupid teenagers done?"
"Stuck themselves together with a permanent sticking charm so that their parents can't tear them apart," Hannah replied.
"That sounds romantic," Lilly muttered sarcastically.
"More like moronic," Hannah muttered, "I have no idea how to get them apart without taking off half their skin."
"Since you're not an idiot, I assume you've tried finite incantatem?" Lilly asked calmly.
Hannah nodded, "It was the first thing I tried, but it didn't work. It seems the spell has bonded their skin together in the same way it would bond a portrait to a wall."
Lilly sighed, "And the only way to remove a portrait that has been permanently stuck to a wall is to remove that portion of the wall."
Hannah nodded, "And like I said, I don't want to cut away their skin then regrow it, but I think that may be the point we're at."
"I presume the reckless idiots are in Gryffindor?" Lilly asked as she pulled a reference book from her bag and flicked through it.
"No," Hannah said with a long-suffering sigh, "One of them is in Ravenclaw, and I get the impression that this was her idea."
Lilly looked at Hannah in disbelief, "You have got to be kidding me."
"No," Neville said. He stepped out from behind the curtain and gave Lilly a dubious look, "It's our idiotic son."
"And my stupid daughter," Hannah said. She crossed her arms over her chest and gave Lilly an apologetic look.
Lilly snapped her book shut, then yanked the curtain back and stepped into the area where her moronic son had attached himself to Bonnie MacDougall. It wasn't as bad as Lilly had imagined; they had only glued their hands together.
Neville always said that Lilly was the strict parent, and she supposed he was right. She did tend to be the one who lost her temper, but when she was really angry, it was worse, and Neville knew that as well as all three of their children.
When she was really angry, she channelled Daphne because she was cold and sarcastic.
"I remember being 15 and stupid," Lilly remarked, "But I don't remember being this stupid."
She lifted their conjoined hands and gave her son a sceptical look, "Clearly Laurel got all of the brains James, because if you had any of my intellect, you would have attached your left hand to your girlfriends."
She pulled open a drawer and lifted out a rather wicked looking device that seemed like it could be used for torture.
James's eyes widened, and Bonnie shrieked.
"Because now, I'm going to have to amputate your wand hand," Lilly finished.
"Mum, no," James said quickly, "It's not real, we lied!"
Lilly smirked, "Talk, James."
"We pretended it was a permanent sticking charm, but it isn't," James said quickly, "We just needed our parents to stop being stupid and talk."
Hannah stepped into view beside Lilly, "I have been trying to remove it for hours, so you had better tell me exactly what spell it is, Bonnie Angela MacDougall."
Bonnie sighed and looked down to avoid her mother's gaze, "It's a sticking charm, but it has a timer on it, Mum. Nothing can remove it until then, so it looks like a permanent sticking charm."
Hannah breathed a sigh of relief, but Lilly was still pissed off.
"That's very smart, so I assume it wasn't your idea, James."
James sighed, "No, it was Bonnie's, but she was right to do it."
Hannah tutted and drew daggers at Bonnie, "When your father hears about this - "
"He won't say anything," Bonnie cut in, "Because he doesn't care about anything I do, just like he doesn't care about anything you do."
Hannah's cheeks flushed, "Bonnie - "
"He doesn't!" Bonnie snapped, "All he cares about is his stupid political career, and you're still hung up on your high school boyfriend, which is why you won't let me be in love with his son!"
"Oh, for the love of Merlin, Bonnie," Hannah said irritably, "You aren't in love; you're fifteen! You have no idea what you want!"
"Your mother is right, Bonnie," Neville said calmly, "I know what it feels like to be fifteen. You think you're an adult, you think you can take on the world, and you think you know who you are and what you want from life."
Bonnie looked up at Neville a little tearfully.
He knelt in front of her and shook his head, "But in a few years, you will look back at who you are now, realising that you didn't know anything. Some people stay in love with the person they loved at fifteen, and some people don't."
Bonnie sniffed tearfully but nodded.
Neville smiled at her and said, "When I was fifteen, I swore I would marry your mum someday. But a few years later, we both realised that wasn't what we wanted."
Lilly sighed and sat down next to the bed, "When I was fifteen, all I wanted was to be wanted. I looked for that in the wrong places and with the wrong people. I thought I had it all figured out, but I didn't."
Hannah bowed her head and looked at the two children.
"When you grow up, you look back and wish you could tell your teenage self what the adult you became knows," She said quietly, "You can love a boy at fifteen, and he can change his mind."
Neville looked over and caught Hannah's eye briefly.
"So look before you fall," Hannah said with a small smile, "That was what your grandfather told me after my first broken heart, Bonnie."
Lilly nodded; she looked between Neville and Hannah, "And don't let how you think we feel get in your way. You might think that we all hate each other or that there are old grudges at play here, but the truth is that time heals almost everything."
The spell cancelled, and Bonnie could pull her hand away from James's. They both looked at each other, and although it was puppy love, Lilly did think it looked real.
"I still think I love you, James," Bonnie said quietly.
James smiled and grabbed her hand again, "Yeah, me too."
"Just don't stick yourselves together again," Lilly said. She gave them a sceptical look and got to her feet.
"And don't think you've gotten away with this either," Hannah said, eyeing Bonnie carefully, "We will talk later, young lady."
Bonnie sighed and muttered an apology. James looked at his parents apologetically too, and Neville shook his head at his son.
"You spent too much time with Uncle Harry growing up. I would never have been so stupidly impulsive at your age."
Hannah and Lilly laughed aloud, and Neville looked at them in disbelief, "What?"
"Nothing," Lilly said. She laughed and looked over at Hannah, "That's just…."
Hannah laughed too, "That's hilarious, Neville."
Lilly grinned, "Let's think back to Neville Longbottom at fifteen…joined a secret army because his best friend told him it was a good idea."
A smile played on Hannah's lips too, "Ran away to fight Death Eaters at the ministry because his best friend needed his help."
"No questions asked," Lilly added, "Just – yes, Harry, sure, I'll come with you."
Neville raised his hands in defeat, "I didn't stick myself to my girlfriend like a dumbass though, did I?"
James looked so offended it was almost comical, "Hey!"
Neville gave his son a knowing look, "I'm sorry, James, but that was the stupidest thing I have ever seen a student do, and I've been working at this school for a long time, so once you've been cleared to leave the hospital wing, go to the Headmasters office."
James looked up, "But…Uncle Harry won't really punish me, will he?"
"Oh, Uncle Harry will punish you alright," Lilly said curtly, "Just be grateful that Aunt Daphne isn't your head of house."
Hannah crossed her arms over her chest once more, "As there is nothing actually wrong with you, you are clear to leave, so you can go to the Headmaster's office right now. And make sure you tell him that you used a seventh-year level spell without authorisation. I'm sure that will be of interest to him."
James groaned, and Bonnie looked at her mother, "Are you going to tell Father?"
"No," Hannah replied dryly, "Because, as you pointed out, he doesn't care about anything that you or I do."
Bonnie grimaced, "I didn't…I'm sorry, Mum."
Hannah's calm expression flickered, but she nudged her head towards the door, "Go, both of you."
The two kids did so, and when the hospital wing door shut behind them, Hannah shook her head and cursed under her breath.
Lilly took a step forward and touched Hannah's arm, "I'm sorry, Hannah. I didn't realise that your husband was so absent."
Hannah smiled tightly, "He is a good man, so I have to be thankful for that. But our marriage was arranged, and there is a difference between passionate love and the respectful love between a husband and a wife who have brought up two children together. Those of us who get to experience it all are very lucky."
Neville bowed his head, "I'm sorry if any of that was my fault."
"No," Hannah sighed, "It's not your fault, but I was so hard on Bonnie just now about her maturity because if I had been more mature rather than spending so long being hung up on you, I could have chosen who I married. I wouldn't have had that choice made for me by my father."
Neville sat down on the edge of one of the hospital beds, "I still think about how things ended between us sometimes. Lilly knows that, it's not a secret between us."
"And it's why I felt threatened by you for so long," Lilly admitted as she leaned against the windowsill.
Hannah looked up in surprise, "You felt threatened by me?"
Lilly nodded, "Of course I felt threatened by you. Whatever went down between Susan and Neville, it wasn't love. What happened between Neville and Ginny during the war wasn't love either."
Hannah frowned.
"But what he felt for you," Lilly said quietly, "That was love. I was in love with him, and he was in love with you. I hope you don't think that was easy for me Hannah, because it wasn't. I could see it from fourth year, and that's when we started to drift apart as friends."
Neville nodded, a guilty look in his eyes.
"And I'm sorry that we haven't been mature enough to have this conversation until now," Lilly admitted, "But you told Bonnie about what your dad said to you after your first broken heart, and I suppose you meant after you and Neville broke up?"
Hannah nodded.
"Well, I still remember what my mum said to me after my first broken heart," Lilly said honestly, "After the Yule Ball, and it had nothing to do with seeing Neville bringing Ginny. I knew he'd asked her as a friend so she could come to the ball and avoid missing out. But when I saw him dancing with you at the end of the night, looking at you the way I looked at him, that broke my heart."
Neville didn't know this, and he looked up at Lilly with guilt shining in his eyes.
"I went home for Christmas, and I cried like teenage girls do when boys hurt them," Lilly said calmly, "And my mum made me hot chocolate and put a Christmas movie on the telly, then she braided my hair and said if a boy is stupid enough to walk away from you, be smart enough to let him."
Hannah nodded and looked down, "So you did."
"I did," Lilly agreed, "I moved on, and when you two got together, it was no surprise. I had accepted it, but when you two broke up…I didn't wade in to be a homewrecker. I saw that Neville needed a friend, and that's all I was to him for a long time, even if you didn't see it that way."
Hannah swallowed and nodded, guilt flashing through her eyes.
"And when life gave me a chance, I took it," Lilly finished, "I'm not sorry for that, Hannah. I can talk to you about this openly now, but I won't lie. I'm not sorry that I got that chance. But I am sorry that your life didn't work out the way you wanted."
Hannah let out a shaky breath and sat down on a chair by the bed Neville was perching on.
"My life did not turn out the way I wanted it to," She agreed, "But I have two wonderful children, and I would not trade them for anything. I had a loving, supportive father, and in Hamish's family, I have the huge family that I never got to have as a child."
She smiled sadly, "I suppose I learned the most crucial lesson I could learn – that I don't need to be in love with someone to be happy."
Neville smiled too, "That is a vital lesson."
"And I'm not naïve," Hannah admitted, "I know you keep things quiet, but…I broke up with you because I was jealous that you chose Harry over me."
Neville nodded and looked Hannah in the eye.
"And that didn't change," Hannah said with a slight smile, "Did it?"
Lilly shook her head and nudged her head in Neville's direction, "Show her."
Neville pulled his shirt down enough for Hannah to see the black mark on his skin. As a Healer and a pureblood, she recognised it as a ritual mark.
"They're blood brothers," Lilly explained, "And as you saw when the Lucia Cross attacks happened, and with the pictures released from the Diagon Alley attack, they're as inseparable as ever."
"You understand that," Hannah said, shifting her gaze from Neville to Lilly, "And I never could, so while I have some regrets, I believe that everything happened for a reason. You and Neville were always bound to be together, and my path…well, maybe that was the lesson I was always supposed to learn, that there are more important things in life than getting married and being the perfect trophy wife."
Lilly let out a sigh and said, "Okay….so now we've all aired our feelings about the past. What do we think about those two idiots?"
"I think it's a good thing we did air those feelings," Neville said. He looked between the two women, "Because if they do stay together, we'll be in-laws."
"Fate really is a bitch, isn't she?" Hannah asked.
Lilly snorted in amusement and pushed herself up, "Yes, she is. Now, where the hell do you keep the tea in here, Hannah? I need a strong cup before I go up to Harry's office."
"Me too," Neville said, "He's going to find this hilarious, isn't he?"
"We're never going to hear the end of it."
"Just wait until Daphne finds outs," Neville muttered.
Hannah chuckled and summoned the tea-making supplies. She hadn't realised how much the past had been weighing her down, and it didn't seem like she was the only one who had needed to air that dirty laundry.
Potter Manor
When Lilly walked into the drawing-room of her best friend's house, the blonde woman raised an eyebrow at her and started her usual dramatics.
"Oh, you're here to see me, are you?"
Lilly rolled her eyes.
"Aren't you hanging out with Hannah MacDougall?" Daphne continued, "You know, your new BFF after all of that deep 'feeling' talk you did earlier today.
Lilly gave Daphne an exasperated look, "Shut up and give me wine."
Daphne grinned and poured Lilly a glass. When Lilly dropped onto the sofa next to her, she glanced at Daphne, "So Harry told you then?"
"Of course, Harry told me," Daphne replied, "He also told Sadie at dinner. You know Harry."
"He's such a bitch," Lilly muttered, "I swear to god, he's a worse gossip than you."
Daphne chuckled and said, "In all seriousness, how do you feel having aired all your dirty laundry with Hannah?"
"Fine, because I didn't harbour any guilt over it," Lilly said honestly, "Neville did, and he feels better."
"Well, Neville did sleep with Susan right after Hannah broke up with him," Daphne pointed out, "He had a reason to feel guilty, and so did Susan. Hannah had a reason to feel stupid because she broke up with him for a stupid reason."
"She broke up with him because she thought he was too close to his best friend," Lilly corrected, "And granted, he's not about to do a magical bonding ceremony with him, but he did do a dark ritual and became his blood brother."
"Okay, fair enough," Daphne conceded.
"I never thought I'd sympathise with Hannah," Lilly said. She made a face and took a large gulp of wine, "It makes me feel unclean."
Daphne snorted and said, "I'm about to go and perform a magical ritual to bond the Blacknots for life. How do you think I feel?"
Blacknot Castle
Performing a magical bonding ceremony was remarkably easy. It wasn't difficult once you knew how to use the spell, even if there were more than two participants.
There had to be two of them there by law – Harry as a witness to the event because it carried the same weight as a wedding certificate in the wizarding world.
"Are you sure you want to do this?"
The moment that the question had left Daphne's lips, the four Blacknots nodded. She had to marvel at their strength – they knew this was what they wanted, not one of them had cold feet.
"No cold feet?" Harry joked as if he were reading his wife's mind.
Theo chuckled and shook his head, "No. We've basically been married since we moved into this castle."
Sadie smiled in agreement and grabbed Theo's hand, "After all the things we've survived, I'm pretty convinced that nothing will break us now."
Hermione smiled and held out a hand to Draco. He smiled back and took Theo's other hand. Sadie and Hermione linked hands to complete the circle.
"We're ready," Draco promised, looking up at Daphne.
Daphne nodded, "Okay, then here we go…."
She spoke the incantation, and the ritual began. The spell drew on their magic, so magical tendrils started to emerge from their chests and tangle together – it was a mix of purple, silver, bronze, and blue.
The tendrils wove together and then changed colour, forming what was often called the marriage bond. This was a signal of the strength of the bond; each colour meant something different. Sadie and Theo's had been silver for gracefulness and sophistication, and Draco and Hermione's had been purple for dignity, pride and success.
Truthfully, Daphne had no idea what colour their joint bond would be, but she was surprised when the magic surrounding them glimmered and became golden. She glanced at Harry, but he seemed entirely unsurprised.
The magic faded away, and when it had done, the Blacknots blinked the bright light away and looked at each other in surprise.
"Was that…."
"Golden," Daphne finished.
"Which makes sense," Harry said. He smiled fondly at the family, "Gold for love, courage, passion and wisdom. One trait for each of you, coming together to create a golden bond."
Daphne smiled slightly, following where Harry was going with that, "Love for family and humanity, that's you, Theo."
Theo smiled warmly, "Daphne that might be the nicest thing you have ever said to me."
Daphne chuckled, and Harry spoke from her side, "The passion is Hermione."
"And the wisdom is Sadie," Daphne added.
"Which means, ironic as it is," Harry said, his smile widened, and he met Draco's eye, "That the courage comes from you, Draco."
"The Minister Who Would Not Be Moved," Hermione said softly, "That's what the papers called you."
"And the Man Who Lived," Daphne said, nudging Harry in the ribs, "You two make quite the pair, don't you?"
Sadie smiled, "It's like Dumbledore and Grindelwald if they had only been able to work together for good rather than evil."
Draco and Harry both looked at Sadie sceptically.
"Without the sex," Draco pointed out.
"Yeah, Dumbledore and Grindelwald were in love," Harry added, "Which we categorically never were."
Hermione rolled her eyes, "Honestly, that's what you took from that?"
Sadie tutted, "Compare two people to two of the most powerful wizards of all time, and they find a way to complain about it."
Theo grinned over at Daphne, "Why bother, right?"
Daphne chuckled and said, "It was a fair comment, Sadie, but more importantly, what are we opening to celebrate you four officially being bonded?"
Theo held up an old-looking bottle of port and said, "How about this?"
Daphne raised an eyebrow, "Is that the one I stole from Uncle Julian's house?"
Theo grinned, "Yes, it is. This bottle is as old as our mothers. And when you stole it, then gave it to me as a Christmas gift - "
" – which you said was a cheap move," Hermione cut in.
Theo hushed her, "Yes, but I also promised Daphne I'd wait until a special occasion to open it. I was saving it for when Nina had the baby, but I think tonight's the night."
"I think I'm going to have to drag Daphne home tonight," Harry said dryly.
Draco sat down next to Harry and patted him on the back, "I'll be your Neville and stay sober with you,"
Harry shot him an amused look, "Is that because I called you courageous?"
"No, it's because I don't want to drink a bottle of port that's as old as Daphne's mother," Draco retorted dryly.
Harry chuckled and looked over at the others, chatting away. They looked happy and like a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.
He couldn't remember the last time Hermione looked so carefree, but Harry thought it might have been on her wedding day. Draco looked at Hermione in much the same way, so Harry supposed that he felt the same.
She turned her head and beamed at them, and Harry and Draco both smiled back at her.
Hope Tower, Scotland
When the Potter-Wolfes brought Piper home, it had been surreal. Nobody had gotten much sleep in the first two days, but they had worked it in shifts and gotten through the settling in period.
Now, three days on, Piper was sleeping better and eating properly. All of their parents wanted to meet her, but the Potter-Wolfes insisted on letting Piper settle properly first, and their parents understood that well enough, so they didn't argue with them.
On day four, Almina decided to test the waters by taking Piper for a playdate with Phoenix. If that went well, they would take her to visit their parents.
When Almina stepped through the fireplace with Piper in her arms, her brother grinned at her.
"Copying me, Mina?"
Almina smiled and kissed him on the cheek, "I've missed you, Charlie."
Charlus chuckled, "Yeah, I kinda missed you too."
"Where's Vic?" Almina asked; she sat down on the sofa with Piper settled on her knee.
"Out Christmas shopping," Charlus replied, "She says it's the most normal she's felt for a couple of months, so it's good for her, you know?"
Almina smiled as Charlus picked Phoenix up from the playmat that he was kicking about on.
"You're a good dad, Charlie."
Charlie sat down next to his sister and smiled, "And you're a good mother, even if you thought it was something you never wanted."
Almina shook her head, "I always wanted it, but I never wanted to give birth."
"Because of the blood malediction," Charlus nodded, "Thanks for not telling me about it until Victoire had given birth."
Almina put Piper down on the mat, "I didn't see the point in panicking you, and I'm glad that everything went well with Vic. It only affects the heirs, which is us in Pop's case, so with you having a son, it ends for our generation."
"What if you get pregnant by mistake?" Charlus asked, glancing at his sister.
"I won't," Almina said quietly, "Please don't tell our parents about this, but I had an appointment just before we adopted Piper. I'm sterile."
Charlus's eyes widened, "Mina…you're so young. How did you get a healer to do that?"
Almina looked down at Piper, "Lilly Longbottom did it for me. Vic told her about the malediction. She had no idea that there was a chance of it affecting you, though. I told her it only affects the heir, and I was born first."
"But we're classed as two halves of the same person by pureblood law," Charlus said with a nod.
"Which I thought Victoire might have known," Almina admitted, "With her mother being a pureblood and all."
Charlus shrugged, "The laws are different in France."
"True," Almina mused. She lay down on the floor with Piper and looked up at her brother, "I don't regret it, Charlie. Piper is perfect, and Nina will be having her baby soon."
Charlus lay Phoenix down on the mat next to Piper and lay down next to his sister. They were both propped up on their elbows, and he looked sidelong at her.
"Are you really going to be okay with it if this baby is born and it's Teddy's?"
Almina didn't answer straight away. She reached out and let Phoenix grab her hand, and she smiled.
"He has your nose."
"And Vic's eyes," Charlus agreed, "But you didn't answer my question."
"Yes, I did," Almina said quietly, "It doesn't matter if the baby has Teddy's eyes or Nick's curls. I love them, and I'll love it."
Charlus smiled, "Pretty open of you."
Almina gave him an amused look, "When we were five, we started finding our fathers making out in the kitchen when we came home from school. Before we were five, we would flit between two houses and two sets of parents all of the time."
Charlus chuckled and bowed his head, "Fair enough. I mean, I've always thought I'm pretty open, you know? I don't really care about sexuality. I just love who I love. But you take it to a whole new level. You should have been a Hufflepuff."
"Shut up," Almina retorted.
Piper giggled, and Charlus grinned, "See, Piper's on Uncle Charlie's side, aren't you, Piper?"
Piper giggled and clapped her hands, and Almina smiled slightly, "She's a little traitor, but it's fine because Phoenix loves Aunt Almina."
Charlie chuckled as his sister picked Phoenix up.
"Are you spending Christmas with us at the castle?"
Almina nodded, "We have to split the day between the castle and Potter Manor, but we'll be around."
"When are our parents meeting this little ray of sunshine?" Charlus asked.
"Soon, I hope," Almina answered honestly, "When will they find out about you and Vic's engagement?"
"Soon," Charlus sighed, "Probably, Christmas."
Almina raised an eyebrow at him, "Why are you keeping it a secret?"
Charlus shrugged, "Because they'll make it into a massive thing when they find out, and I don't want that."
"And what about your fiancé?" Almina countered, "What does she want?"
"Honestly," Charlus began, then Piper began to cry, so he picked her up and said, "Woah, little one, you are so small."
"She was malnourished before she came to Lupin House," Almina said as they switched babies, and she sat Piper on her knee with a teething biscuit to chew on, "Her mother was a squib from the Closes. She did the best she could for her, and she died to give her a good life."
Charlus patted his sister on the knee, "You'll give her that, a good life."
"We'll do the best we can," Almina agreed, "We gave her the middle name Lily because of her mother's sacrifice."
"I know," Charlus said with a nod.
"You never did tell me what Victoire wants, by the way," Almina said. She nudged her twin brother.
"Honestly, she wants something small," Charlus answered, "She wants her family to be there, and she wants it to be out in the country."
Almina smiled and said, "Then tell our parents that. Yes, they'll get excited, but remember that it comes from a good place. If you tell them what you and Victoire want, they'll respect your wishes."
Charlus nodded, then smiled at his sister, "You make a great mum, Almina."
Almina looked from Charlus to Phoenix, who looked like he might fall asleep in his father's arms.
"This is growing up, isn't it?"
"Yeah," Charlus said with a nod, "And it's as brilliant as it is terrifying."
Almina smiled tearfully, her eyes drifting downward towards Piper, who was chewing her biscuit happily.
"Yeah, it is."
Devon
Over the next week, everyone met Piper. She charmed every person she met; Jennifer, a self-proclaimed 'not a baby person', loved her. Rob, who was absolutely a baby person, threw Piper up and down in the air until she threw up on him.
Almina didn't think she had ever seen Nick laugh so hard, and even Natasha had cackled at her father's expense. She hadn't held Piper because she claimed that babies cried the minute she touched them, but Addison played with Piper, and Nick saw the fond look in his sister's eyes.
"Sure you don't want it one day?" He whispered.
Natasha rolled her eyes and elbowed him in the ribs, "Shut up, Nicky."
Nick grinned triumphantly and winked at Jennifer, who chuckled in response.
The Blacknots met Piper next. They came over for supper, and Theo spent ages playing with Piper, barely giving anyone else a look, which wasn't surprising. Eventually, Sadie and Hermione got to hold her, and she burbled away quite happily for them. But surprisingly enough, she seemed to favour Draco.
When he eventually got a chance to hold her, she started to babble happily and bounce up and down on his knee. Almina would always have said that her dad was the most stoic of all of her parents, so seeing him sitting in an armchair with his granddaughter half-asleep in his lap was a sweet sight in its own right.
She was so close to sleep because Draco had been signing an old wizarding lullaby to her, which just cemented the cuteness. He stifled a yawn, and Hermione smiled, "I remember how easy it was to fall asleep with a comfy, warm baby on my chest."
"Mm," Draco murmured, "It's easily done."
"And I think Piper has a favourite grandfather," Teddy said with a warm smile.
Draco opened an eye, "Oh, I doubt that. She hasn't met your dad yet, and he's the baby whisperer."
Theo chuckled and smiled fondly at Draco, "You're pretty good too."
Almina looked between them and perched on the edge of Theo's chair, "Pops, what's going on with you guys? Something seems different."
Theo looked over at the other three, and they all gave him a slight nod, so he turned back to Almina.
"We changed our surnames after we survived," Theo said calmly, "But earlier in the week, we also changed something else. We had Aunt Daphne do a magical bonding ceremony."
Almina's eyes widened, "Really?"
"What colour was it?" Nick asked curiously.
"Nick!" Nina objected.
Draco chuckled and replied, "It's fine, Nina. Everyone is always curious about the colour of a marriage bond, and it's the same concept."
"It was golden," Hermione admitted.
"No fucking way!" Nick exclaimed.
"Nick!" Nina said again, partly because Piper was almost asleep and because he had sworn in front of the baby.
"Golden, seriously?" Almina echoed.
"The only people I know who had a golden wedding bond are my parents," Teddy admitted.
"It is so rare," Nina agreed
Sadie smiled and looked from Hermione to Theo and Draco, "It's rare that a bond like this comes around."
Draco nodded and looked down at Piper, then he smiled at Almina, "You might start to understand now that you are a parent."
"I already understand," Almina promised, "I understood from the moment Teddy told me about Nick and Nina."
Teddy smiled at her, and Nick threw an arm around her shoulder, then planted a kiss on her cheek, "Oh, Mina, parenthood has made you sentimental."
The others laughed, and Draco hushed them all irritably because Piper began to stir.
Theo grinned and leant back, throwing his arm over Sadie's shoulder, "See, baby whisperer."
"Absolutely," Hermione said, a soft smile on her lips.
Draco looked up at them and smiled at Almina.
"Congratulations, you four, she's wonderful, and I have no doubt that she will be loved so much here."
Almina smiled tearfully and kissed her dad on the cheek.
"Thanks, Dad."
Potter Manor
When the Potters met Piper, the Longbottoms had to get in on it too. That didn't surprise Teddy in the slightest; his Aunt Lilly was a Midwifery Healer, after all, she loved babies, and Teddy knew there was no way that she would miss out on the chance to meet Piper.
So when they got to Potter Manor, Daphne and Lilly immediately swooped in and bounced Piper on their laps.
Harry chuckled and watched them with a smile on his face.
"Mum loves babies, doesn't she?"
Harry looked over at his son and nodded, "She does."
Teddy leant back against the sofa, "Dad….this isn't something we talk about, but…I remember some things that I don't think you realise."
Harry frowned, "Like what?"
Teddy kept his eyes on his mother as she picked Piper up, "I was four when you adopted Alastor, and I know you did it because you didn't think you could have kids."
Harry didn't like to think back on that time. The years between him and Daphne's wedding and their adoption of Alastor hadn't been easy ones. Daphne had wanted to be a mother, and all Harry had wanted was a family; coming to terms with the fact that it might not happen biologically hadn't been easy.
"I don't know everything," Teddy said quietly, "But I remember Mum being sad. She cried a lot. I remember that when I crawled onto her lap and hugged her, she stopped and smiled."
Harry sighed and wiped his eyes hastily, "I'm sorry, Teddy, we didn't think you were old enough to remember, but…before she fell pregnant with Andrea, she lost two pregnancies, and every time she tried to keep her spirits and keep going, for you."
Teddy swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded.
"But it was hard," Harry said quietly, "She wanted to be a mother more than anything else. That's why she clings to you all a little too tightly sometimes, and it's why she's been so eager to meet Piper."
Teddy nodded and hastily wiped his eyes, "She's gonna be a great grandmother. Piper's really lucky."
Harry smiled and patted his son on the knee, "We're all lucky to have her in our life. Your mother is…."
Daphne looked over at Harry and said to Piper, "There's your Grandpa-Harry!"
Piper clapped her hands and squealed, and Harry's smile widened.
" – your mother really is something else," Harry finished softly.
- TBC -
