A/N: In the immortal words of Sam Seaborn: "Good writers borrow from other writers. Great writers steal from them outright." The park scene in this fic is inspired by a similar one from The Augurey by La-Matrona. It's super good. Seriously, go read it. Right now. Close your tab and go read it.
...Okay, are you back now? Great. Enjoy this chapter, and please review!
Saturday, 1/30/1999
Hermione awoke to the heavenly warmth of Harry's arms wrapped firmly around her. The house was quiet at the cusp of morning. Only the steady whisper of Harry's breath and the quiet tick of the grandfather clock downstairs interrupted the heavenly silence of the moment. Hermione was usually quick to tackle the day, but right now she wanted nothing more than to burrow deeper into the crook of Harry's shoulder and bask in the simple beauty of it all. So she did. She consciously nudged away that part of her mind which was already busy planning today, and tomorrow, and next week, and next year. Hermione simply let go of it for a moment, watching it all drift away like so much flotsam in the steady stream of her comfortable bliss.
Some time passed before she felt Harry stir beneath her. He shifted a bit, running his hands along her sides before moving to play with strands of her hair. Every time his fingers made contact with her scalp, Hermione felt a tingling rush of warmth at the point of contact.
Harry broke the silence by shifting to drop a kiss onto her forehead. "Good morning, beautiful."
Hermione mmm-ed in appreciation. Still half-asleep, she mumbled into his chest. "Always the...mrmmmm...always the corny lines with you."
She felt his chest rumble with a throaty chuckle. "Women," he muttered under his breath. No doubt he was sharing a private joke with himself.
Hermione smacked the part of his chest not obscured by her hair. "Why the plural noun? Is there some other woman I should know about?"
He chuckled again, and wrapped both arms around her.
"Well, there's this one witch, you see. Drop-dead gorgeous, and a firecracker too. But she won't give me the time of day. Always going on about 'NEWT exams' or 'Head Girl duties' or some other business."
Hermione wanted to smack him again, but the delicious feeling of being wrapped up in his arms was simply too good to disrupt. She settled for burrowing further into him and looking up to give him a mock-glare of disapproval. Harry took this as an invitation to capture her lips in a deep kiss, morning breath and all. The room fell silent again for another long stretch.
Eventually, Teddy's loud gurgles from the other room broke them apart. Harry moved to get up, but Hermione shoved him back down. "My turn."
She eased off the bed, wincing at the loss of warmth, before gathering her bathrobe and padding over to the nursery across the hall. She spotted Teddy on all fours in his crib, engaged in some play with his stuffed Hipogriff. He had somehow tossed off his plush blanket several feet away from his crib, and the pillow was looking to be next.
The moment he spotted Hermione in the door, he quickly abandoned his game and stuck out both arms to her. "Up! Up!"
Hermione rushed to comply, scooping Teddy up into her arms and nuzzling noses with him.
"Yes baby, up you go! Good morning Teddy bear!"
"Up! Up!"
Hermione tilted her head at the baby in confusion. "But you're already up, aren't you?"
Harry's raucous laughter from the other room interrupted their exchange. Teddy swiveled left at the sound of his favorite playmate, as if to confirm that Dada was awake. Having confirmed this, he promptly began wiggling and squirming in Hermione's arms, perhaps to continue his game of 'Up.'
"Okay, okay baby. Let's go find Dada."
She re-entered their bedroom to find Harry propped up against the headboard, sporting a massive shit-eating grin. Hermione shot him her best glare, but the effect was ruined by Teddy's lunge towards his father. Once handed off, the baby looked up at Harry and repeated his earlier request. "Up!"
And then he grinned and tossed Teddy up, clear into the air.
"HARRY!" Hermione shrieked in abject horror as Teddy came dangerously close to the ceiling. She lunged forward to catch him, but only succeeded in tangling herself in the bedsheets and falling face first onto the bed. Harry shot her another shit-eating grin as he deftly plucked Teddy out of the air. Both baby and father were laughing boisterously, as Hermione fumed at them from under a tangled pile of sheets and pillows.
"Harry James Potter, what the bloody HELL do you think you're doing?! Do you have any idea how high you just threw him? Do you WANT to give me a heart attack? Of all the stupid, reckless, IDIOT stunts-!"
"Hermione! Language!" Harry admonished her, covering both of Teddy's ears for effect.
Hermione caught herself in the beginnings of her tirade. Still silently fuming, she attempted to untangle herself from the bedsheets with as much dignity as possible, before drawing herself up and shooting them her best murderous glare. That worked - for about 10 seconds. Then Teddy giggled a bit. Then Harry giggled back. Then Teddy laughed, then Harry laughed, and suddenly the boys were rolling around on the bed, raucously laughing as Hermione ineffectually scowled at them.
Grumbling to herself about the incorrigible stupidity of boys, Hermione snatched Teddy from Harry's arms and ordered him to the shower. He complied, still chuckling and wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.
"Up?" Teddy asked from her hip.
"No baby," Hermione replied, her voice dangerously sweet. "If Dada plays 'Up' with you again, then I think I'm going to murder him!"
...
After a 'discussion' about the distinction between babies and sacks of flour, Harry and Hermione settled into an easy breakfast. Teddy was marvelously behaved, as he had somehow slept through the night with nary a peep. He happily ate his applesauce in Hermione's lap, showing off his limited vocabulary to her enthusiastic praise. He could now say 'Dada', 'Nana', 'car', 'play', 'up', and 'keep.'
The last one was a bit confusing for Hermione, until Harry explained that it was Teddy's new favorite game. The rules were simple: Teddy would hand something to a person, and say 'keep!', at which point they kept it. It was simple, yet apparently endlessly fascinating to the boy. By the end of their meal Hermione had collected four spoons, two napkins, and three hats which were not up to Teddy's fashion standards.
After breakfast they decided to head to the nearby park. Since Andromeda lived in a Muggle neighborhood, they had to ensure Teddy would not metamorphose in public. Hermione knew a modified glamour charm that would do the trick, but since the baby cycled through styles so often she felt it would only be fair if he got to pick his look for the day. She and Harry took turns shooting puffs of colored smoke from their wands, to offer him a wide palette of options. To Hermione's immense (and somewhat guilty) pleasure, he chose to stick with the same style as last night: a Harry-Hermione hybrid of emerald eyes and rich brunette curls.
The three of them set out into a chilly but bright winter day. The park was busy with young families, and Teddy seemed to feed off of the energy as he dragged the three of them from place to place. The swings in particular were a big hit, and after some guidance from Hermione he seemed to master a new word: 'push!'
After a lengthy session at the swings, Hermione set off to the benches while Harry and Teddy headed to the slides. She pulled out a heavy tome on number theory in hopes of revising for Arithmancy, but it was more for show than anything. She could not pull her eyes away from Harry and Teddy as they played together.
"Those are your boys on the slides?"
Hermione started at the sound of a soft, lilting voice from beside her. She turned to see a blonde, kind-faced woman smiling at her expectantly.
"Oh! Er, yes. The ones on the slides."
"They look absolutely darling. My girl is over there." She pointed to a girl of about 4 years, who was scrambling up the jungle gym.
"Oh, your daughter seems lovely. Does she have any siblings?"
The woman smiled and placed a hand on her stomach. "She will soon."
"Oh! That's wonderful! Congratulations!"
The woman smiled wider and nodded at her. "Thank you luv. And what about yourself? You and your husband planning for another one soon?"
Hermione's face flushed at the thought of their activities from last night. She really ought to have corrected the stranger on her marital status. For that matter, the woman seemed to think that Teddy was her biological son, not her godson, and Hermione ought to have corrected that assumption as well. She should have clarified these wonderful misconceptions about her personal life.
Instead, some strange feeling possessed Hermione to giggle in a manner eerily similar to Parvati Patil. She leaned over to whisper conspiratorially, "We'll see!"
The woman tittered back, before turning to appraise the boys again. Harry was clutching a shrieking Teddy to his chest as they slid down a plastic slide. Once they reached the bottom, the boy turned to Harry and waved his arms, demanding another go. Harry chuckled and tossed him over his shoulder before rushing back up the stairs.
"He's very good with your son, isn't he?" The woman asked, shooting her a knowing smile.
"Oh yes, they're completely inseparable. Harry can spend all day playing with the baby. I don't know how he keeps it up."
The woman leaned over to whisper conspiratorially in Hermione's ear. "Makes you want to shag his brains out, doesn't it?"
Hermione blushed and stammered as the woman burst into giggles. "Oh, I'm just teasing luv! I'm just teasing!"
The woman stuck out her hand and gave her a winning smile. "I'm Eileen MacPhearson, by the way. Pleased to meet you, luv."
Hermione shook Eileen's hand, still flustered from the woman's quip. Before she could think better of it, the same strange feeling possessed her to blurt out another lie.
"I'm Hermione. Hermione Potter."
Eileen quirked her head to her left. "And there come the Potter men, right on time."
Hermione turned to see Harry and Teddy slowly approaching them. Harry was bent awkwardly as Teddy clutched his finger, taking slow, stumbling steps forward. When they were a few steps away, Harry released the boy for his last few steps into Hermione's waiting arms.
She scooped up Teddy and gave him a sloppy kiss on the forehead, before setting him onto her lap. He was holding something grassy-smelling in his right hand. "What have you got there, Teddy?"
The boy shot her a toothy smile and stuck out a purple wildflower.
"Mama, keep!"
Hermione's voice hitched in her throat. Her vision rapidly blurred with tears and she blinked furiously to clear it. She looked up to see Harry's eyes sparkling with unshed tears of his own. He caught her gaze and gave a slight, almost imperceptible nod.
Hermione turned down to face Teddy again, totally transfixed. He was sporting that lopsided grin, so similar to Harry's that it was hard not to believe they were not father and son. His forest-green beanie hat was slightly off-center from his play. Hermione unconsciously moved to adjust it, and suddenly the memory of the first hat she had ever knit for Teddy came to her.
He was so much bigger now. Already walking, and soon he wouldn't even need her to carry him. Her chest flooded with a sort of proud ache at the thought.
"Mama, keep! Keep!" Teddy shook the wildflower at her again.
"Oh!" She accepted the gift with a trembling hand, pulling him into a hug with her other arm.
"Yes baby, thank you. Thank you. It's lovely."
Eileen leaned over to pinch Teddy's cheek and coo at him. "Well aren't you just darling!"
The baby giggled at the older woman as she gently tickled his nose.
"Learned that trick from Daddy, didn't you sweetie?"
Hermione nodded vigorously as she shot a teary smile at Harry.
"You know, Mrs. Potter, he looks just like you," Eileen declared, still level with Teddy as she played with one of his brunette curls. "Except for the eyes. He has his father's eyes."
The woman gave Teddy one last peck on the cheek before leaving to attend to her daughter. Hermione was left gaping in her wake, still trying to process her feelings as she clutched Teddy to her.
"Mrs. Potter, eh?"
She jumped at Harry's husky whisper in her ear. He was so close that his breath tickled the hairs on her neck. Hermione desperately needed some explanation for the white lie, but her brain was too busy crowing in delight as her stomach performed somersaults.
His lips faintly brushed her earlobe, causing Hermione to shiver slightly. Harry's voice was low and throaty now, entering an even deeper register.
"I like the sound of that."
Hermione's lips parted into a silent "O". Her heart was pounding in triple time. She could not muster a single word for the life of her. At any moment she was sure she would wake up in her dorm at Hogwarts, away from this absurdly fantastical dreamscape.
Harry scooped Teddy from her lap and leaned down to pull her into a sound kiss. Her stomach switched from somersaults to full-on backflips and pirouettes. Too soon, he separated and pulled her up on shaky legs. Harry wrapped a firm arm around her waist and led her along the footpath out of the park.
"Come on, Mrs. Potter. Let's head home."
…
Later that night, Harry and Hermione flopped onto their mattress together, blissfully satisfied. This time had already been substantially better than yesterday. At this rate of improvement, Hermione had a hard time imagining any other activity she would want to spend time on. Not when her partner was so...skillful, and energetic.
Harry unfurled his arm to pull Hermione close to him, and she instinctively burrowed her head into the crook of his shoulder.
"So, Mrs. Potter. Did you have a good day?"
Hermione giggled at his new pet name for her. He had not stopped calling her 'Mrs. Potter' all day, and she still felt a jolt of butterflies when she registered that the moniker was addressed to her.
"You keep calling me that, Mr. Potter, and I'm going to start to get ideas."
He pulled her closer and dropped a kiss onto her forehead. He had forgotten to shave that morning, and his light stubble tickled as he nuzzled his jaw to her.
"What if I want you to get ideas?"
Hermione felt her cheeks flush, and was thankful for the darkness of their bedroom.
"Oh? What kinds of ideas?"
"Well, Mrs. Potter, picture a cottage in the countryside. Maybe 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, and a dozen floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. It would have a big backyard full of flowers, and plenty of room for the kids to play…"
…
Sunday passed in much the same way as Saturday. Harry and Hermione rose early to an energized Teddy, who was excited at the rare treat of Dada and Mama for two days in a row. They resolved to make the most of it, visiting two separate parks, a duck pond, and the mall to pick up some new clothes for Teddy. Everywhere she went, Hermione blushed at the compliments to her beautiful baby boy. People consistently noted that her son was her spitting image, except for the piercing green eyes he had inherited from his father.
They arrived back at Andromeda's house in the early evening, utterly exhausted. Harry and Hermione collapsed onto the living room recliner together, holding an already sleeping Teddy in their laps. Thankfully they had already gotten a bite to eat on the way home, so there was nothing to do but wait for Andi's return.
Hermione tucked into Harry's side and lay her head on his shoulder. She felt bone-tired and completely content. It occurred to her that since leaving on Friday, she had not thought about her schoolwork even once. Somehow, despite all of the time for studying, there had really been no time at all. 48 hours had blown by and now she would have to return to Hogwarts all too soon.
Do I even want to go back?
No. The answer came easily, and it only mildly surprised her. No, she really didn't want to leave. Here in this little paradise, the rest of the world felt distant and abstract. Harry and Teddy were real. They were here. They were her entire present, and for the moment, Hermione simply didn't want or need anything more.
She should say something. But what would that be? This potent vortex of emotions was difficult to tamp down, let alone put to words. How could she explain this to Harry when she barely understood it herself?
"Did you have a good day, Mrs. Potter?" Harry whispered into her hair.
Even after hearing it dozens of times, the novelty of her pet name had not worn off. Hermione felt another twinge of sadness at the thought of returning to Hogwarts. Surely he wouldn't call her Mrs. Potter there, not with other people around to hear it.
"I told you, Mr. Potter. Don't give me ideas."
"I told you, Mrs. Potter. I want to give you ideas."
"Really, Harry, we have to stop joking like this."
"What makes you think I'm joking?"
Hermione turned to him in shock. His playful expression was gone, replaced by a look of staggering intensity. She shivered a bit at the sight of his piercing green eyes, seemingly darker and fuller in the dim ochre light.
"I wasn't joking, Hermione. I meant all of it. The flower gardens, the cottage, the kids...everything. It's all yours, if you want it. All of it."
Hermione's heart rate ratcheted up into that wildly dangerous frequency that only Harry could cause. Her murky vortex of introspection coalesced into a sharp, singular thought. YES, her body and mind and spirit screamed at her in unison. Yes, yes, yes, say yes, say yes….
She felt herself go totally limp in his arms. Harry steadied Hermione against his chest, and tilted her chin up to meet his gaze again.
"Do you?"
"Yes," she breathed, scarcely a whisper. "Yes, yes, of course yes. I want us...I want this…"
And that was all Hermione could muster before she slumped against him again. Hermione buried her face in his chest, inhaling that unmistakable scent of spearmint and grass that was just pure Harry. He held her tight against him, and the touch reassured more than any words could. This was real. This was Harry, telling her he wanted exactly what she did. That they would be a real family one day.
Harry and Hermione spent the rest of the evening side by side, whispering intimate nothings to each other while they cradled their sleeping baby in their laps. They were so lost in their little world that they failed to notice Andromeda's return.
The older witch quietly crept to the edge of the living room, not wanting to disturb the couple. She watched as Hermione reached down to stroke the sleeping Teddy's bangs. Harry had eyes only for her. He seemed utterly entranced as he turned to kiss Hermione's brow. The girl smiled softly at the contact, looking utterly blissful and content as she leaned into Harry's side.
Right as they closed their eyes, Andromeda pulled her camera up from her bag and popped off the lens cover. The shutter sounded with a soft click as she captured the moment forever.