ii.
They bring it up the very next day, at dinner. Dinner's a chaotic event, the way it always ends up being at the Potter household. It's just Harry and Ginny and their kids. Well, them and Scorpius, who's been spending every summer with them since Al first went to school, and Teddy, who's part of the family anyway. Harry doesn't know when he stopped thinking of Teddy as his godson and started thinking of him as his kid, but when Teddy was at Hogwarts and McGonagall told him you'd never believe what your child has done now, it never felt wrong.
"How's the Ministry going, Teddy?" Scorpius asks Teddy cheerfully, helping himself to some more food.
"Terribly, if you could believe it," Teddy says. He looks completely exhausted, and Harry makes a note to speak to check up on him later, when it's just the two of them.
"I can believe it. You don't look very well," Scorpius says.
"No, mate, that's just his face," Jamie says.
Teddy flips Jamie off and then concentrates, his brow furrowing up with the force of it. After a few seconds, his hair goes bright purple. "And now?"
"Much better," Scorpius says. "I like the blue better, though."
"Thanks, Scorp," Teddy says, and then sighs. "The entire Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures is full of bigots. No offence," he adds to Harry.
"None taken. It's not my department," Harry says mildly. "Besides, I agree with you. The things they say about werewolves…"
"It's awful!" Teddy says. "That's what I've been trying to work on. And every time I point out how archaic and terrible their werewolf laws are, they say I'm letting my personal biases get in the way. My personal biases. I hate them all."
"They really shouldn't be doing that, Teddy," Harry says, frowning. "Want me to have a word?"
"Nah," Teddy says. "Don't think it'll make my case much stronger if I have to get the Chosen One to argue with them for me."
"They sound terrible, though," Jamie says, sounding more serious now. "Why do you put up with it?"
"They're not all bad," Teddy says reluctantly. "Besides, someone's got to change everything, right? And werewolf legislation… s'important. I want to make things better."
"What I don't understand," Albus puts in, "is why werewolves are even counted as Magical Creatures. Surely they're just wizards with… with illnesses?"
"Exactly!" Teddy says, pointing his fork at Albus.
"Wouldn't it be better to just get them all access to Wolfsbane Potion?" Al says. "Get their illness under control so they can lead a normal life? And then surely the Ministry can focus on creatures who actually need regulation. Like dragons."
"That's what I think," Teddy says. "Honestly, you're smarter than the entire Ministry, Al."
Al beams, and then catches Scorpius's eye and looks at his lap, the barest hint of flush on his cheeks.
"Course he is," Jamie agrees, and then tells Albus, in an aside, "Swot."
Albus flicks some potatoes off his fork towards Jamie.
"Al, Jamie, no food fights," Ginny says without turning to look at them, just as Jamie's preparing to throw a retaliatory forkful of food towards Al.
"How does she always know what's going on?" Lily wonders.
"Oh, she's always been like that," Teddy tells Lily. "Ginny, remember when I was four—"
"And you stole my broom to practice? Of course I do," Ginny says.
"She caught you in the garden before you even finished taking it out of the shed, didn't she?" Harry says, grinning.
"Because it's impossible to hide anything from Ginny," Teddy says.
"I don't think I've ever been as proud of you as I was that day," Ginny says with a little smile. "Teaching yourself to fly and being sneaky. I've taught you well, clearly."
"Very well," Harry says, thinking about the number of places he's caught Teddy and Victoire over the years. It's why both him and Andromeda are grateful that they've finally got their own flat, he knows. No more having to worry about whatever Teddy's up to. They still worry, of course, but Harry doesn't think that'll ever stop. Part of the job, as Molly likes to say.
"Ted's right, though, Mum. With you as our mum and the Head bloody Auror as our dad, it's impossible to hide anything at all," Jamie grumbles.
Harry looks up, meets Ginny's gaze, and then says, "Well, you kids might have to get a bit more used to it."
"Why's that?" Lily asks immediately.
"Because Harry's been offered a job. As the Defence teacher at Hogwarts for the year. Oh, and I've been offered one, too. Flying Instructor," Ginny says breezily. "So you'll have to get used to us being around you lot a lot more than usual, potentially. Should we have some dessert?"
There's a second, and then all hell breaks loose.
"Seriously?!" Jamie says.
"That'd be so cool, Mr. and Mrs. Potter!" Scorpius says.
"Is this a prank?" Al says, eyes wide.
"So you'd have to be on the train with me in September?" Lily asks.
"So you're leaving the Ministry?" Teddy demands at the same time.
"Seriously?" Jamie repeats.
Harry meets Ginny's eyes amidst the cacophony of noise. "About the best we could hope for, I think," he mutters.
They discuss it properly over dessert, once the noise has subsided as much as it can.
"You know, if you did this, there'd have to be rules, Dad," Jamie says, stabbing his treacle tart with his fork with far more force than necessary.
"Oh?" Harry says, amused.
"And when have you ever listened to any rules in your life, James Sirius Potter?" Ginny says.
"That's different," Jamie says. "These would be important, necessary rules."
"As opposed to our rules, of course, which are completely unimportant and ridiculous," Ginny mutters.
"Exactly. I'm glad you understand," Jamie says.
"Go on, then," Teddy says, sounding more amused than he has all day. "What sort of rules, Jamie?"
"You can't give us special treatment for one, Dad," Jamie says. "Or you, Mum."
"You can't single us out in class, either," Al puts in. "Or put us in detention."
"I would mind being singled out. I think it'd be cool," Scorpius says. "Is there more tart, Mr. Potter? It's delicious."
Harry waves his wand, sending another slice of tart over to Scorpius's plate. "I'm not going to be singling anyone out. Or giving any of you special treatment."
"Besides," Ginny says, "if we were giving special treatment to our relatives and friends, the entire school would get special treatment, probably, with the amount of Weasleys out there," she snorts. "Not to mention Lily's kids, and Lee Jordan's… anyway, no special treatment."
"You can't come on the train with us," Lily puts in.
Harry turns to look at Ginny, who nods at him. "We, er. We do have to come on the train, actually," he says. It's more than twenty years ago, but he remembers what happened with the Dementors on the train in his third year. He remembers it as clearly as if it happened yesterday. There's a reason that, even after all these years, his Boggart is a Dementor. He doesn't think that'll ever change. And if there was a Dementor at Hogsmeade, then there's a chance – a tiny, infinitesimal chance – that one might get onto the train. And he's not taking that kind of risk.
"Fine," Jamie says, "but you can't share our compartment. And you can't talk to Leah."
"Would that be Leah Wood?" Ginny asks innocently. "Oliver's daughter? Who happened to be made Prefect this year, and who you happen to have been writing to all summer?"
Jamie blushes.
"I still can't believe you weren't made Prefect," Lily tells Jamie loyally.
"I can," Harry says dryly, and sits back in his chair. "Alright. No special treatment. We'll leave you alone on the train. But I'm afraid we will have to talk to Leah, if we're her professors."
"We won't embarrass you in front of her, though," Ginny says.
"I don't know, mate. You should rethink your strategy. If you get embarrassed in front of her, at least that means she's noticing you," Teddy says.
"Did that work with Victoire?" Al says.
It's Teddy's turn to blush a little.
"We're getting off topic here," Lily says, getting them all back on focus in the way only little Lily's ever been able to. Since the day she's been born, she's been able to command all of their attention. "Dad. Mum. Why are you coming to Hogwarts?"
"To, er. Teach?" Harry says.
"And you're sure about it?" Lily says. "No other reason?"
"Yes?" Harry says. "I mean, no? Yes, I'm sure, no, there's no other reason. Blimey, Lils, I should take you into the Auror interrogation room with me sometime. You'd crack all our suspects."
Lily beams.
"Yes, speaking of which. Why would you leave the Ministry?" Teddy asks, frowning.
"I'm not—Teddy, I'm not leaving the Ministry. I'd just take a year off, get someone else to run the Auror department while I'm gone. And then I'd come back," Harry says.
"So you'd be… you'd be teaching me. In my fifth year. In my OWL year," Jamie says slowly, and considers. "On a completely unrelated note, Dad, what did you get in Defence? In your Defence OWL?"
"He got an Outstanding," Ginny answers for him. "But, you know, he also killed the Dark Lord, which is more of a credential, really."
"I didn't kill him," Harry says. "Technically—"
"—he killed himself," Teddy, Jamie, Al, and Lily say in unison, while Scorpius watches them, bemused.
"He says that a lot," Al tells Scorpius.
"A lot," Lily agrees.
"It'd probably be the title of his memoir," Jamie says. "Technically: Voldemort Killed Himself. You get used to it."
"Alright, alright," Harry says, shaking his head. "If any of you felt really uncomfortable with us coming to teach, then you can tell us."
"Course you can. In fact, we won't do it unless it's okay with you," Ginny says. "All of you," she adds, looking at Teddy.
There's silence for a moment.
"I suppose… it's fine," Jamie says. "I mean… you have gotten through a lot of Dark stuff, Dad. And you did play for the Harpies, Mum. So you're both, you know. Qualified to teach. And you're both, you know, nice. Not awful, the way some parents are. So it could be worse." He slumps back in his chair, the admission seemingly having taken up all of his energy. Harry does feel oddly touched, though.
"It's fine for me, too," Lily says. "I mean… If anyone bothers me, I can just ask you take points off their Houses, right?"
"I mean, you can ask, sure," Ginny says.
"Alright, then. It's fine with me," Lily says.
"We probably won't take points away just because someone annoys you, though, Lils," Ginny says.
"Yes," Lily says, as though it's obvious, "but they don't have to know that, do they?"
"I think it'd be good for you to get out of the Ministry for a bit," Teddy says after a moment's thought. "But you'll come back, right?"
"Right," Harry says, leaning over to ruffle Teddy's violet hair.
"Then… fine," Teddy says.
"I mean, I'm fine with it, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," Scorpius says easily. "I can't wait to see what you'll teach us in Defence! And I'm hoping to make Chaser of the Ravenclaw team this year, so it's actually really good timing for me.'
Harry smiles at that, and then looks at Albus. Albus's eyes, precisely the same shade of green as Harry's, are deep in thought, which is a familiar expression on him.
"Al?" he asks, tentative. He's never quite been able to tell what Albus is thinking, the way he can with his other children. Luckily for him, Al's never been shy about airing his thoughts.
"It's fine with me, too," Al finally says.
Harry relaxes in his chair, and then turns to look at Ginny, who grins at him.
"It's settled, then," she says. "We're going back to Hogwarts."
