Chapter 6: This is going to be different

I don't own 'Harry Potter'

Harry woke up to aching pain in his lower half, the sensation not quite as bad as it had been the last time around. He didn't feel as panicked as before, instead taking his time to fully wake up and take stock of his body.

He sent a weary smile towards Orion, the tall man gently rocking a tiny form in his arms. The relaxed expression on his husband's face was immensely relieving for Harry. If there was one thing he could count on Orion for, it was that he'd always be frank with Harry. As such, Orion clearly enjoying new fatherhood once more was a welcome sight to the time traveller.

"Do you want me to help you sit up?"

Harry nodded tiredly and Orion deposited their newest child in the cot next to the bed, gently adjusting their warm hat as he did so. The taller man then stepped closer to the bed, wrapping his strong arms around Harry's waist in order to manoeuvre him to a sitting position with all his pillows supporting him.

Glancing over at the sleeping infant quickly, he looked back at Orion. "Are they definitely okay? They're nearly a month early."

Orion sat on the edge of the bed and pressed his lips to Harry's gently, holding the kiss for a few seconds. He pulled back and took Harry's smaller hand in his, squeezing to no doubt reassure him. Which was working, because Harry trusted his husband like no other.

"They're perfectly fine, but Healer Collins said it couldn't hurt to monitor them for another month to make doubly sure. She said that you'd know what spells to use, so there's not much for her to do unless you want any extra help."

The Black turned to the cot briefly then smirked back at Harry. "So, our child's perfectly fine, Harry. Do you want to know about them now? Hold them, perhaps?"

Harry shook his head, grinning slightly. "You're a sarcastic bastard, aren't you?"

"I can neither confirm nor deny that first part, but I'll have you know that my parents were married long before my birth, thank you very much."

He huffed at even more sarcasm, but fell silent as his husband stood to pick up their fifth and final child. Merlin, they're small. Even with Orion's assurances, Harry was still nervous at how tiny his baby was. He himself was only short because of his childhood malnutrition, and he knew that he likely would have gotten to around 5'11" had things been different. However, his mother had been a petite 5'4", and Melania was an inch shorter; hopefully, this newest child was taking after their grandmothers in stature rather than being small because of the early birth.

"Meet our daughter, Harry."

Harry felt his breath catch as the girl was placed in his arms, her small body radiating a comforting warmth as she wiggled against his chest. She was beautiful. Her little face was relaxed in sleep, her tiny mouth in an adorable pout. His daughter was also his miniature in terms of facial structure, he noticed with a racing heart. She was the only one to have inherited his looks so far, and Harry felt somewhat that she'd completed their family.

A tiny hand grasped his finger in her sleep, and Harry beamed down at the infant with tears at the corners of his eyes. He could admit that he'd always wanted a daughter. Not because he was disappointed with any of his sons – a spectacularly stupid idea, if there ever was one – but because he'd wanted to have the experience of both, at least once. Harry had raised four sons, and now he had a chance to raise a daughter for the first time.

She was completely precious.

He glanced up at Orion and melted at the affection present in those silver eyes he loved so much. His husband seemed to constantly switch focus between Harry and the baby, yet he looked equally as blessed each time his gaze shifted. A husband that loved them both was something he was enormously grateful for.

Harry knew full well that a great many traditionalists despised the idea of having daughters, seeing them as entirely useless for the future continuation of their family lines. Typically, unless a House was matriarchal, only a son gave his name to any children had, so daughters were often viewed only in terms of politically advantageous marriages. The number of people who immediately became disappointed by a girl being born was disgusting to Harry; that many of those particular idiots went on to ignore or mistreat their daughters was abhorrent.

Fortunately, Harry was aware that Orion didn't have a gender preference for their children. He was happy to sire both daughters and sons, only being concerned with the familial traditions of individual Houses. Both the Black and Peverell families had strict male-only inheritances because of how the Family magics could adversely affect women, not because of any inherent biases. Harry would quite happily adhere to a patriarchal system somewhat if it protected his children.

Nothing would hurt them if he could help it.

He tore his gaze from his daughter once more – he could easily stare at her adorable face for hours on end – and met Orion's eyes, trying not to smirk at his expression. His husband was totally going to spoil this little girl, he just knew it. Harry could envision her as a total daddy's girl with Orion. Not that he'd be much better. He could admit to himself that he'd easily become wrapped around her little finger. He was much the same with their sons. Sons who would likely also trip over themselves to dote on their sister as she grew.

Orion smirked back at him before nodding at their daughter. "Before we start talking about names, which I know you want to get to, you might want to check underneath her hat. I do believe Siri is going to make a killing from his little gambling ring."

Harry blinked in surprise before peering down at his daughter. He shifted so he could free one arm and reached for the thick, yellow hat covering the girl's small head. Pulling it aside, he paused and started chuckling, shaking his head at the sight of his little girl's curly hair.

Her curly, platinum blonde hair.

"Well, that's certainly unexpected," he murmured with a smile.

Orion moved so he could sit fully on the bed next to Harry, an arm around his waist. His husband peered down at their daughter and smirked slightly. Unflappable bastard.

"Unexpected, but not entirely impossible," he replied. "My mother's blonde, as is my paternal grandmother, Hesper Gamp. You said that your maternal grandfather was blonde, right?"

Harry nodded. "Yes, Harry Evans, who I was named after. His hair wasn't this light, but it was close. This looks like Malfoy blonde."

"Grandmother Hesper's mother was a Malfoy," Orion explained quietly, one hand gently stroking their daughter's cheek. "So was Druella's mother. It's how Narcissa inherited that shade of blonde."

"Wait." Harry frowned at Orion. "Does that mean that Bellatrix – and her sisters – are related to Lucius?"

"Yes. They're … third cousins through Lucius' paternal heritage, his Malfoy blood." His husband paused and tilted his head slightly, clearly thinking something through. "They're also third cousins through Lucius' mother. Lucius is the great-grandson of my great-aunt Belvina."

"Jesus Christ, you pure-bloods really need to stop marrying each other," Harry muttered.

Orion snorted. "Why do you think I was horrified when the idea of marrying Walburga came up? Anyway, do you have any ideas for names? I was hoping to give her an original name instead of honouring someone else."

Harry hummed quietly, carefully pulling the baby closer to his chest so he could lean into Orion. "Well, she clearly has the Black magic. A star name would be appropriate, I think. I had a few in mind, though there's one I quite like more than the others. I'm not sure if it's too unusual, though," Harry said while biting his bottom lip. He didn't want to bestow an awful name on his own child.

"I'm not sure if you've noticed, but naming all of our children after celestial objects or ancient figures isn't that strange in this family," Orion teased. His husband kissed the side of Harry's head. "I don't think there's much of a chance of you choosing a terrible name, Harry. What did you want to use?"

"… I liked the look of 'Ascella'."

"That's a lovely name, Harry. Not to mention, I can't think of a single dead relative with that name."

Harry rolled his eyes at his husband's blasé tone, trying not to laugh and wake up the sleeping child. He turned to the taller man and caught his eye. "Is that okay then? Ascella Black."

Orion grinned wickedly. "Well, she is lacking a middle name." The Black sobered and gazed into Harry's eyes, smiling gently, the expression so at odds with his previous air of mischief. What's he up to now?

"When we had the twins, I chose your names as their middle names as tradition dictated. I know that giving Al your father's name was an especially moving occasion for you. Your past is still close to you, as are your memories of your parents. However, using 'James' for one of your sons and then 'Lily' for a daughter would be pretty suspicious, especially given that they're currently Siri's friends. I've come up with an alternative, though, seeing as there are some constellations that have been discarded.

"Such as one that denotes a lily."

Harry felt his breath catch as Orion leaned his forehead against Harry's, that smile doing nothing good for his blood pressure. He could feel his heart pounding, the blood rushing through his ears at the sight of his husband's loving expression.

"So, how about Ascella Lilium Black?"

He leaned forward and buried his face into Orion's shoulder, trying to blink away the few tears he could feel building at the corners of his eyes. He didn't care if he was considered to be overly emotional. He didn't care that he was a grown man with a successful career. He didn't care that he'd arguably been in far more emotional situations than this.

He didn't care.

Harry loved his husband more than he could fully communicate right now. Giving Harry a chance to honour the woman who'd given him life, who'd sacrificed her life for his, was beyond his expectations. He'd originally considered asking Orion if they could at least give their daughter a flower-derived middle name, but this was far better.

'Lilium' meant 'lily'. It was a direct reference while also celebrating her Black heritage. It was perfect, and nobody would know it was because Harry was a time traveller who still cherished the few memories of his dearly-departed mother.

Orion really is a genius.

"Thank you. Thank you. It's perfect."

His husband enveloped Harry and Ascella in his strong arms, holding them close to his chest while Harry came to terms with his heightened emotions. For his part, Harry gently rocked Ascella carefully and composed himself while watching her angelic face. His daughter scrunched up her face and waved a tiny fist above her head, sleeping but clearly still annoyed with something. God, she's amazing.

Harry finally settled his breathing and pulled back, smiling up at Orion. He leaned in to kiss Orion's cheek briefly. "I don't know about you, but I have a feeling that the boys are going to riot soon if they don't meet their newest sibling."

Orion snorted in response but carefully settled Harry against the pillows again before getting off the bed. He stood up and stretched, grimacing at the cracking sound from his back, before making his way towards the door and removing the various wards and spells keeping everyone else out. He opened the door slightly and muttered brief instructions – likely to be quiet and behaved – before swinging the door wide and inviting their sons in.

Ri and Al darted in with Siri and Reg hot on their heels, his four sons stopping a foot away from the bed. Four sets of eyes were standing at Harry and Ascella in wonder, the twins especially amazed at the sight. Seeing as they'd never seen a new-born before, Harry wasn't surprised.

Harry smiled at his children and beckoned them closer, encouraging the boys as they climbed onto the bed slower than he thought possible for his excitable children. Apparently, my sons can be careful. Siri was on his left, Reg to the right, with the twins on their older brothers' laps. It was an endearing sight, especially with how all four of them were craning their necks to see their newest sibling better.

"Boys, meet your sister. Her name's Ascella Lilium Black."

"It's a girl?"

Harry turned to his youngest son with an indulgent smile. "Yes, Al. She's a girl."

"Is she supposed to be so quiet?" asked Ri.

Harry chuckled quietly. "She's only quiet right now because she's sleeping, Ri. Trust me, that'll change when she wakes up. You were the same at that age," Harry teased, grinning at the resulting pout.

"So, we finally have a girl in the house."

Reg looked intrigued but happy at the prospect, so Harry was content to leave his second son be. Considering he could already see a loving and protective glint in Reg's eyes, Harry knew there would be no trouble from that corner. Siri on the other hand …

"Why are you grinning like that?" Harry asked flatly.

His oldest sent him a wicked smirk. "Papa, do you have any idea how much money I've just made because she's a girl?"

"You little demon," Harry muttered under his breath. The snort from Reg said that Harry hadn't been as quiet as he'd hoped. Oh, well. I'm not wrong though, am I?

"Before you start counting your winnings, you should be aware of something else you were betting about."

Sirius blinked at him. "What do you mean?"

Harry just grinned at him before removing Ascella's little hat, stifling his laughter as Siri gaped unattractively at his sister's blonde locks. It was an awful expression on the teenager. What Marlene McKinnon saw in him, Harry would never know.

"I think someone actually bet that she'd have blonde hair, too. I can't remember who, though," Siri trailed off with a frown on his aristocratic face.

"That would be me."

Harry just sighed at Reg's smug face, too tired to care how his son had predicted this bizarre situation. Oddities were part and parcel of their family, after all.

Siri started grumbling under his breath as Reg preened, and the twins were engrossed in softly stroking Ascella's delicate hands. Their green eyes were filled with awe at their sister's tiny form, and Harry smiled widely at the sight. He was beyond grateful that Ri and Al weren't at all resentful of Ascella taking their place as the youngest of the family. Harry knew that such occurrences happened often enough, and he really didn't want to deal with potential sibling jealousy and rivalry.

Orion strode over and smiled down at those on the bed, no doubt amused by the tableau they presented. Siri had his head buried into Harry's shoulder as he whined at the unfairness of being duped by his younger brother, Ri was leaning from Siri's lap to inspect his sister in an extremely uncomfortable position, Reg was smirking widely as he petted Al's hair, and Al was laying across Reg's lap and against Harry's side as he studied Ascella with a focus not often seen on a nine-year-old. Harry was trapped in the middle, his daughter held securely on his lap as she became the centre of attention.

This was his family.

They were all kind of mad, more than a little obsessed with maintaining that their own ideas were the best ones, and they all made him roll his eyes far more often than was probably healthy. Harry had four sons who would no doubt conspire against him to give him as many grey hairs as possible, as soon as they could, four imps who delighted in leaving mayhem in their wake wherever they went. His husband took too much enjoyment from teasing him as often as he could, and now he had a daughter who was going to give him terrible anxiety as soon as she was old enough to explore any semblance of romance. They were all his, as awful as they were.

He wouldn't give them up for anything.

Harry leaned up into Orion as he bent over the bed, pushing into the chaste kiss even as their sons all made various noises of disgust. Harry grinned into the kiss, thoroughly entertained at the animated responses from their children.

This was his life.

He pulled back and gazed down at Ascella, beaming as she yawned and blinked awake, unfocused baby blue eyes trailing around the room. Her little hands were gripping onto the twins' fingers and testing her strength, even as she kicked her tiny legs to no avail.

She was gorgeous.

Welcome to the family, Ascella.

Harry grinned as he watched all four of his sons crowd around the infant, waving their hands in front of her face as they smiled lovingly at her. Harry leaned backwards into Orion's arms and continued watching their daughter.

You're already loved beyond measure.

A/N: Family fluff for the win :)

Also (and I totally forgot to add this note because my memory is like a sieve) about Ascella's name, I'm well aware of the odd translation, but that's really the least worrying thing about the Blacks' names. I won't name all of the instances, but an example would be the mythology behind Orion. There's one story where he's said to rape his wife, which I find to be far more problematic than a Latin name for a body part. Another reason I didn't change it was because I was too lazy to, simple as.

Thanks to the people who've commented about the weird name so far, but it's a lot less worrying than some other names that pop up in the series.