19 September 2004
Hermione landed in the grass with a thud and paused, closing her eyes and inhaling the salty air that had become synonymous with home to her.
A soft smile flitted across her face as she imagined what was waiting inside for her. The love of her life — with his messy raven locks and permanently askew glasses — and the constantly sticky metamorphmagus she considered her own at this point. Her chest grew tight just thinking about the love she held for the two of them; her family.
The moment was broken when she wobbled where she stood, her heels sinking into the soft ground beneath her. Hermione grumbled under her breath and kicked off the shoes she was obligated to wear to her job at St. Mungo's, padding barefoot across the lawn.
As she pushed open the weathered wooden door, the smell of vanilla overwhelmed her at the threshold. Her lips quirked — vanilla was her favourite.
"Boys?" she called out into the cottage, walking towards the kitchen. "I'm home!"
A clatter met her announcement, followed by the quiet sound of Harry cursing. Hermione snickered and crouched down, bracing herself for an armful of Teddy. Covered nearly head-to-toe in flour, he came hurtling around the corner and threw himself at her.
Hermione caught him with a laugh, wrapping her arms around him and returning to her full height. She breathed in his familiar scent, which was interwoven with the sweet aroma of whatever the two had been baking. Teddy buried his face against her neck and she cuddled him close, pressing a kiss against his head.
"Hi, baby," she whispered. "I missed you today."
Teddy squealed and pulled back, laying a wet kiss to her cheek. A solemn expression crossed his face and he placed a chubby hand on either side of her face.
"I missed you too," the six-year-old whispered; as if it were a very important secret he deigned to share with her.
A grin spread across her face in response and she tipped her head forward, brushing her nose against his.
"Mia," Teddy said very seriously. "Today's your birthday."
"It is," Hermione agreed.
Eyes wide, he asked, "How old are you?"
She bit back a smile at his expression. "I'm twenty-five this year."
His jaw dropped. "Woah," Teddy breathed. "That's so old."
Hermione laughed loudly. "Oh, my little love, you have no idea."
Her hand fell to his ribs, poking him where she knew he was ticklish and he giggled. Hermione swore the sound warmed her insides better than any charm possibly could. Settling him on her hip, Teddy's head rested against her shoulder as she stepped further into their home.
Hermione followed the noises coming from the kitchen, as the comforting sound of the Wizarding Wireless trailed out into the rest of the house. Turning the corner, she caught sight of Harry and stifled a laugh. He was standing with his back to her and his hips were swaying vigorously in tune with the music. Flour was caked in his hair — somehow even messier than normal — and despite the fact that he was wearing an apron, he was still covered in various stains. As she stood there, he lifted the wooden spoon he'd been using to mix ingredients out of the bowl and sang into it.
"Blackbird singing in the dead of night—" he sang, butchering one of her favourite Beatles songs. "Take these broken wings and learn to fly."
A snort escaped her and Harry froze, the spoon still held to his face like a microphone. Slowly, he turned to look at her, his face glowing crimson.
Hermione grinned. "Hi, darling."
He held his breath for a moment before releasing it, shoulders slumping in defeat even as he smiled at her in greeting. "Hello, love. Happy birthday."
Harry returned the spoon to the bowl and stepped towards her, pressing a kiss to her cheek. As he went to step back, Teddy's little arms stretched out and Harry took him from her arms. Gently tapping the pad of his finger against Teddy's nose, Harry chuckled, "And hello to you too, Mini Moons. You are positively covered in flour right now. How did that happen, I wonder?"
Teddy giggled and Harry beamed.
Hermione drank in the two of them, still unsure of how she got just this lucky. Their lives were still chaotic and messy, full of the unpredictability that came from being two war heroes in a rather public relationship raising a young child. They fought and made up; had good days and bad. But, looking at the loves of her life, she knew she wouldn't change it for the world. Teddy stared up at her boyfriend, enamoured by the sight of him. His hair flickered dark for just a moment before returning to the mousey brown colour he inherited from his father. Her heart stuttered at the thought of tiny babies with the famous Potter hair for just a moment before her boys dragged her from her thoughts.
"Do you think we should ask Mia?" Harry stage-whispered to the boy in his arms.
Teddy nodded emphatically and they both turned their attention to her.
She raised a brow at the pair of them. "Ask me what?"
A bashful expression crossed Teddy's face and Hermione's heart squeezed.
"Go on," Harry encouraged him.
Big hazel eyes looked up at her with such adoration that she was positive she would give him anything he asked.
"Can we have cake for dinner?" he asked hesitantly.
Except that.
Cake for dinner? Her parents were dentists, for fuck's sake. Hermione blinked at him before her gaze slid to meet her boyfriend's. Harry grinned crookedly at her — the expression he knew she loved — and her wand hand twitched. Arsehole.
"Teddy, love, I don't—" his expression fell and something in her chest cracked. Oh, Gods. She was going to kill Harry. "—I don't know why I didn't think of that myself. What a great birthday idea! Will you help Harry get everything ready while I change out of my work clothes?"
The look of sheer joy on his face was worth every cavity she would inevitably have nightmares about. Teddy nodded emphatically before kicking out of Harry's hold and running towards her, wrapping himself around her leg. Hermione brushed a tender hand through his sandy hair before leaning down to press a kiss to his forehead.
"I love you," she whispered against his hair.
He beamed at her. "Love you too!" he exclaimed, before running off in the opposite direction.
Hermione snorted. That boy was such a little charmer with his combined Black and Marauder blood; a tiny Sirius Black indeed.
Glancing at her boyfriend, she was pleased to see he at least had the common sense to look concerned. Stepping towards him, she grabbed a dishtowel off the counter and began smacking him with it.
"Harry James Potter! If my son has so much as one cavity when I take him to the dentist, it's your bollocks I'm hexing!"
The threat didn't have the intended effect. Instead, Harry simply smiled softly at her.
She did not stomp her foot in frustration. "What?"
Harry avoided the half-hearted attempt she made to smack him with the towel and stepped closer regardless. He pulled her into his chest, tucking her beneath his chin even as she huffed.
"Your son?" he murmured.
Hermione's face flushed and she stammered, "Yes, well—"
He exhaled heavily. "Gods, I love you so much, witch."
She growled under her breath. "Oh, no you don't, Harry James. You do not get to tell our baby that he can have bloody cake for dinner and then sweet-talk your way out of it!"
"Is that what I'm doing? Sweet-talking you?" he asked, amused.
Hermione huffed and he laughed, the sound rumbling through his chest.
"Mia, love. It's a special occasion. He's been out of his mind excited all day, helping me make your cake from scratch." Harry pulled back to look down at her. "I think it'll be okay. Besides, we could make it a special Granger-Potter-Lupin family tradition. Cake for dinner on your birthday."
Hermione peered up at him. "What if, one day, it was just a Potter-Lupin family tradition? Would that be okay?"
Harry ran a hand through his messy hair, grimacing as his fingers got caught on a clump of flour. "I mean, of course, I'm not going to force you to eat cake for dinner on your birthday. It's your birthday, we can do whatever you want. But love, I really don't think we can tell Teddy that he isn't getting cake for dinner tonight without breaking his h—"
Standing on her tiptoes, she cut off his ramblings with a kiss.
"That isn't what I meant, you daft man," she giggled. "What if I wasn't a Granger?"
"Oh," he breathed, his eyes wide. "Like, if there were two Potters and one Potter-Lupin?"
Hermione nodded and he crushed her against his chest, pressing frantic kisses to the crown of her hair.
"Fuck, I love you," his voice broke and she pretended not to notice. "I'm going to marry you, Hermione Jean Granger."
The corners of her eyes burned with tears. "Well, I haven't said yes, yet. You've still got to get down on one knee, Potter."
He laughed and pulled back again, cupping her cheek with one hand. "So, only on birthdays?"
"Only on birthdays," Hermione agreed with a petulant sigh, the noise belied by the smile she couldn't wipe off her face.
Harry met her at the door after she exchanged her pencil skirt and blouse for her favourite denims and a cosy jumper. He offered her his arm, leading them into the garden with his hand affectionately tucked against hers. Teddy was seated at their outdoor dining table; an ear-to-ear grin on his face as she approached. On the table in front of him, sat a birthday cake with a positively absurd amount of candles on it.
Tears pooled in the corners of her eyes as she took in the scene. The garden was one of her favourite places in their entire cottage. Once they'd gotten settled and included more of their friends in the secret of their Fidelus Charmed home, she had requested Neville's help in filling the space with plants that she actually had a chance of keeping alive. He had enthusiastically obliged, and now her little garden was everything she could have possibly dreamed of. When Harry saw how much she adored the space, he suggested they add outdoor seating. If it made her happy, he reasoned, then they should spend as much time there as possible.
And so they did. There was a stone path that led from the back door to the dining area, a handmade wooden table Hermione had fallen in love with in Muggle London and a handful of mismatched chairs. It had a lovely view of the ocean beyond the edge of the cliffs, which had been heavily warded as Teddy grew older and more adventurous. It still amazed her sometimes, that this cottage she had purchased as a terrified nineteen-year-old — desperate to fulfil a promise to her best friend — had become more of a home than anywhere else in her twenty-five years of life ever had.
Once the entirely too delicious homemade vanilla cake was devoured — with much excitement on Teddy's end — Hermione relaxed in her seat with a glass of wine. She knew Harry had probably prepared dinner, seeing as how cake was decidedly not a respectable meal. But she was content to just sit and admire the view as the sun began its descent; basking in the warm glow of a perfect birthday.
The quiet was enjoyable, yet fleeting.
A not-so-quiet exclamation from Teddy shattered the peaceful silence. "But you said presents were next!" the six-year-old whinged in what was truly a piss-poor imitation of a whisper.
Hermione bit back a smile and turned her head to watch as Harry stifled a chuckle. "I know, Mini Moons. But it's Mia's birthday — do you remember how, on your birthday, we did all the things you wanted to do?" He nodded and Harry continued, "Well, now we're going to do that for Mia. And whenever she's ready to open presents, we'll open them."
His face fell into an adorable pout and her heart melted. "What if she's ready now?" she spoke, interrupting their conversation.
Teddy threw himself off Harry's lap with a shout. "Really?!" he yelled, hurrying to her side. Hermione smoothed a hand through his hair, her fingers catching on the tangles at the base of his neck. He might not have been Harry's biological son but Merlin, their constantly messy hair could have convinced her otherwise. As Teddy stared up at her, his hazel eyes wide with excitement, she nodded.
He took off at a sprint, running halfway to the backdoor before grinding to a halt and turning on his heel to run back over to where she sat. Breathing heavily, Teddy stopped in front of her.
Hermione watched him with an amused smile. "Did you forget something?"
"Don't open any other presents until I get back," he stated. Pleadingly, he continued, "I want you to open my presents first, please, mum?"
Harry made a noise of surprise but her focus was entirely on the boy in front of her. Her son. Hermione nodded absently, biting her lip to keep any sound from escaping as her hand shakily rose to cover her mouth. Her eyes filled with tears and she watched blurrily as Teddy dashed off in search of the gift he'd picked out for her. Once he was far enough away, she let out a choking sob and Harry's arms were around her instantly.
"Are you okay?" he asked, worried.
She could only nod. For months now — ever since Andromeda passed and they first brought him to Cariad Lane, really — Hermione had thought of Teddy as her own. They'd done their best to instil memories of Remus and Tonks in the young metamorphmagus, wanting him to know the people who created him. They told him story after story of his mum and dad and despite the fact that he didn't remember his birth parents, they were the only parents he'd ever known. However, it hadn't stopped her from falling so deeply in love with him that regardless of blood, she knew he was her son in the very fibre of her being.
She hadn't anticipated Teddy feeling the same. Especially not at only six years old.
Maybe in her wildest dreams, she'd considered that one day Teddy would see her as his mother. But she'd assumed that would only be after a long conversation, where she explained that she never wanted to replace Tonks and that just because he called her mum didn't mean it would change anything. That no matter what, Tonks would always be his mother.
Apparently, Teddy had decided that wasn't necessary.
A fresh wave of tears crashed over her and a strangled noise escaped her throat.
"Oh, my cariad," Harry murmured into her hair, his voice thick with emotion. "I love you so much."
"What's wrong?" Teddy's worried voice broke through their reverie and they both looked up to see him standing in front of them — a haphazardly wrapped box in hand — and a concerned expression on his face.
Harry stepped forward, placing his hand on Teddy's shoulder.
"It's okay Teddy, your m—" Harry stumbled over the word. "Your mum is just feeling a little emotional right now. You know how sometimes we feel really big feelings, and it can be hard to describe them?"
Teddy nodded diligently and Hermione cried harder. Her perfect, brilliant son.
Without another word, he pushed past Harry — dropping the box at her feet — and crawled into her lap. Teddy kneeled on her thighs and twined his arms around her neck, holding her close in a mirrored image of how she comforted him when he was upset.
"It's okay, mummy," he soothed. "Big feelings scare me sometimes too."
Hermione looked at Harry over his shoulder, beseeching him with her eyes to make her son stop being so fucking precious. But the Chosen One was no bloody help, his emerald green eyes watery with tears as well. Teddy pulled back, turning over his shoulder to gesture to Harry.
"Aren't you going to tell her it's okay, daddy?" he questioned innocently.
Harry choked.
He moved forward without hesitation, as if yanked towards them by some invisible string. Falling unceremoniously to his knees by her chair, Harry was tall enough that he was nearly eye-level with her even as he knelt and he pulled the both of them into a crushing embrace. Hermione tried to meet his gaze but he buried his face against Teddy's shoulder. The only noticeable sign he was upset was that she could feel him shaking in her arms.
Hermione wiggled her arm out from beneath Teddy and reached for Harry, smoothing what she hoped was a reassuring touch over his messy black hair.
She wasn't sure how long they had been like that when Teddy's quiet voice broke the silence.
"Daddy? Are you feeling the big feelings too?" he whispered.
Whatever restraint Harry had clung to shattered, and he sobbed loudly.
Teddy looked up at her worriedly.
"It's okay, little love. You're right, your daddy," she sniffled, "is feeling some big feelings. But that's perfectly normal."
His brows knitted together in confusion. "How can we make it better?"
She could not resist pulling him closer to her and kissing him softly on the temple. "Oh, my sweet baby. Sometimes you just have to let yourself feel things. All we can do for daddy is let him know that we're here for him, and we love him so much. Do you think you can do that?"
Nodding intently, Teddy scooted closer to Harry. Placing a chubby hand on his head, Teddy whispered, "It's okay, daddy. Mummy and I love you." He then leaned forward, placing a big smacking kiss against Harry's hair.
Hermione swallowed thickly, willing herself not to cry. At least one of them had to hold it together at this point, lest they traumatize the poor child.
Their poor child.
Harry looked up at Teddy, his eyes red and watery but with a smile on his face.
"I love you too," his voice grew quiet, "so so much."
He beamed. "Do you feel better, daddy?"
"Much better," Harry chuckled, pulling the six-year-old into a hug. "Thanks, Mini Moons."
Teddy's hair flickered blue for the briefest of moments, unnoticeable if they hadn't both been watching him, and a curious expression crossed his face. Making light of the moment in a way only a child could, he asked innocently, "Does this mean it's time for presents?"
Hermione wrapped her arms around herself, watching the sun sink below the horizon as Harry tucked Teddy into bed. The wind whipped at her hair chaotically, tangling it beyond repair. Despite the tangled mess of her curls, as another birthday came to an end, she felt more at peace than she had in a long time.
Strong arms engulfed her in an embrace and she smiled. Harry leaned down, his breath tickling her neck as he whispered in her ear, "Hello, birthday girl."
Hermione pressed herself against his back, taking comfort in the way his body nearly overwhelmed her own. She tilted her head back to lay against his shoulder and glanced at him out of the corner of her eye.
"Are you okay?" she asked hesitantly; unsure if she would even be capable of answering if he reciprocated the gesture.
The simple question was inherently difficult for both of them. It was impossible not to feel overwhelming, indescribable joy at the fact that Teddy had rather shockingly decided to embrace them as his parents. And Hermione knew that however shocked she might have felt at the endearment, it was nothing compared to the shock Harry felt for a similar endearment to be directed towards himself. Yet, the night was tinged with the bittersweet knowledge that they were only his parents because his biological parents died. That as much as they couldn't imagine their lives without him, if it weren't for Remus and Tonks' sacrifice then Teddy wouldn't be theirs.
Harry sighed, and even without words, she understood. He continued, "I'm so happy, and then I feel bad for feeling happy. I thank the Gods for that little boy every single day, and then I curse them in the same breath for taking Remus and Tonks away from their son too soon. But at the end of the day, if Teddy is okay, then so am I." Harry pressed a kiss to her hair. "Thank you for checking on me, cariad ." Hermione hummed in acknowledgement, content to stand in his arms as the sky grew darker. Only a few more of their stolen moments together had passed before Harry turned her to face him and spoke again.
Our son—" he paused, choked up over the words, "— has requested that we read him a bedtime story."
"Oh?" she raised a single brow, amused. "I didn't realize he needed both of us for that."
Glassy emerald eyes met brown. "He asked for his parents," Harry stated softly.
Hermione released a shaky breath. As she stared out at the pinks and oranges of the setting sun, tears ran down her face unnoticed until Harry cupped her cheeks, brushing away the salty tracks with his thumbs. He pulled her closer and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head before tucking her against his chest.
"Pretty good birthday present," Hermione mumbled against his shirt and the resounding laughter rumbled through his chest.
"I can't say that I've had better," he agreed.
Hermione tilted her head up and without needing instruction, Harry kissed her. It started as a chaste brush of his lips against hers, but Hermione deepened the kiss and it quickly grew heated. As he opened his mouth, twining his tongue with hers, she smiled against his mouth.
He tasted like vanilla.
Tugging him closer, Hermione could feel him grow hard against her belly. Harry pulled back and a whimper slipped between her lips at the loss of him. Chest heaving and glasses askew, Harry stared at her with a hungry but conflicted look in his eyes.
"We can't," he groaned, his voice hoarse. "Teddy is waiting for a bedtime story."
Hermione moved back into his space, stepping towards him like a predator approaching their prey. When she was close enough, she stood on her tiptoes, until her mouth brushed the shell of his ear and he shivered.
"Last one to Teddy's room is a rotten egg," she whispered, before taking off in a full-blown sprint towards the cottage.
The sound of his laughter followed her all the way to their son's bedroom.