Hello all! I am still here and I come bearing an update. I am so sorry it took so long, but it took forever to write and as a result it came out super long. This chapter has a little bit of everything in here and will hopefully answer some questions that you all have had. I won't keep you waiting. Read on!
EDITED: 8/5/17
Meant To Be
Chapter 25
They didn't talk about that night; where he had been, what he had done. It didn't matter anymore, it was in the past. Tom had done what was expected of him as a Dark Lord and as a father and Harry couldn't blame him for that. It made him a little uneasy with what his imagination came up with, yet Harry felt a sort of peace knowing that they would not be harmed again. They were safe.
Wynter was happy and healthy, any smoke inhalation had been taken care of and she was as happy as could be as she took in her new surroundings. Harry's burn had also healed nicely, leaving no trace that he had been burned at all thanks to Tom's fabulous potion making skills.
Now that all the excitement was over, Harry was bored out of his skull. He was trapped in Tom's bedroom because Death Eaters were walking around all over the manor, so the only safe place was here. The only entertainment he had was Wynter and books, lots and lots of books. And Tom himself when he wasn't busy. But other than that there was nothing to do. So Harry was left to just fill the time himself, mainly reading. Which in hindsight was a good thing because he was learning a lot of new things, most of it, he would never ever use, but it was an interesting read.
It just got repetitive; as it was now.
Harry was sprawled out on his stomach on the bed reading another book, Potent Potions and Poisons complete with graphic illustrations, to keep himself company and Wynter was taking her nap. The book was absolutely horrific but he couldn't look away. Who knew there were potions out there that completely cooked your insides, needless to say, he was not making pea soup anytime soon.
The door opened and Tom appeared looking frustrated and annoyed. "Harry?" Tom said, "I found this banging at my office window..."
Harry managed to tear his gaze away from his book to see a familiar white owl perched quite comfortably on Tom's head. "Hedwig!" he exclaimed tossing his book aside and jumping up. Hedwig flew from her perch and landed on Harry's outstretched arm. "I missed you, girl. I was so glad you were out hunting at the time," he murmured to her, "I don't know what I would have done without you."
"Get a new one," Tom stated. Harry glared at him and Hedwig turned her large yellow eyes at him and seemed to glare too.
"Hedwig is irreplaceable," Harry just said and resumed petting her. Hedwig hooted happily and nibbled at his fingers and picked at his shirt and Harry smiled and stroked her feathers. "I'm okay." She hooted again and then left his arm to land on the edge of Wynter's crib and gazed down at her sleeping form. "Wynter is fine too. We're both fine."
Tom watched their exchange with mild amusement and perplexity and just shook his head. He would never understand the relationship that Harry had with his owl; it was just a bird.
"What?" Harry asked as he saw Tom shake his head.
"Nothing," Tom said. "How the hell did she find this place? I have the strongest protection and concealment charms that I put up myself."
Harry grinned at Tom's frustration, "Hedwig's good like that. She always knows where to find me." On the railing, Hedwig puffed up her feathers in pride and Harry gazed at her fondly. When she was satisfied with her inspection of Wynter she turned to Harry and offered up her leg. It was then that Harry noticed that she had a letter attached. "What do you have for me, girl?" he asked and took it from her. He opened it up to find two letters addressed to him.
"It's from Ron and Hermione..." Harry said softly recognizing the writing of his best friends.
"What does it say?" Tom asked suspiciously, approaching him cautiously.
"Let me read it first," Harry said and turned his attention to the first letter.
Harry-
I hope this letter finds you, knowing Hedwig, she knows exactly where you are. At least I hope she does. If she doesn't find you that means that either you just are really well hidden or there is nowhere for you to be and that means...Oh, god. I can't think that way. Are you okay? Are you safe? Is Wynter alright? We are so worried about you and have no idea where you are. Please be safe. I don't know what we would do if...
All we know was that some Death Eaters found out where you were and tried to...burn you alive along with Wynter, though I don't think they knew about her. I really hope they didn't and that they didn't take you. Though, Dumbledore seems to think that you got out. That, someone, was there...I know you have denied it, that you have been seeing someone, but if he saved you and Wynter...I am glad he was there, that he has kept you safe. Whoever he is, I am thankful that he has kept you safe. But you have to come home now, it's not safe. You-Know-Who will be looking for you. We don't know yet how the Death Eaters got through the wards or even found you, but we can keep you safe until we can figure out a new plan.
Also, I should tell you that, we had to tell the rest of the Order about Wynter. Please don't be mad! It was unavoidable. They saw some of her things that were in the cottage and there were questions...So now they know everything. So now they know that we have to look for two people, not one. Please, please write back. I have to know that the both of you are okay and safe.
Hermione
Harry set the letter down as he finished reading and gazed out at the wall deep in thought. He knew his friends would be worried about him but now that they actually contacted him, what should he say? Plus, now the Order knew. Harry didn't know what their reactions had been but he was sure there had been some unsavory ones.
"What did it say?" Tom spoke up, "How much do they know?"
"Everything."
"Everything?" Tom repeated.
"Well, not everything. They know that Death Eater's tried to burn me alive in my house." Here Tom's eyes narrowed in remembrance. "They also know about Wynter." Harry gave a deep sigh and let himself fall back onto the bed. "Hermione didn't say how they took it, but I can imagine."
"Their opinion does not matter," Tom said softly as he sat down next to him.
"I know...but it kind of does. You know?" Harry asked looking up at him.
Tom tilted his head slightly in acknowledgment. "Did your friend-" "Hermione" Harry interjected. "Hermione," Tom repeated, "say anything else?"
"Yeah, she knows about you." Tom whipped his head around so fast Harry had to laugh. "Not about you, but of you," he said waving Hermione's letter in front of his face. Tom took it and read the letter himself. "She knows that someone came and saved us from the fire, but not who. Ron and Hermione have been bugging me for weeks about the guy I have been seeing, I've been denying it, but they know."
"You're seeing someone?" Tom asked suspiciously with a somewhat hurt look on his face.
"Don't give me that, you know it's you," Harry stated flatly. Tom turned his attention back to Hermione's letter, but not before he saw the slight smile on Tom's face. Harry shook his head. "Anyways, they assume that you were the one who did it."
"Mmm," Tom only hummed, not bothered by it.
Harry only rolled his eyes and picked up Ron's letter which would hopefully be more forthcoming.
Hey mate-
What's up? Hope you and Wynter are doing alright. Everyone is losing their heads over here and so am I a bit since...you know, the fire and that you were taken, or not taken. Some people are not sure. Hermione and I think it's the guy you havenotbeen seeing. Which was a bit surprising since I thought he was a Muggle, but that may be why you didn't say anything... But I am glad he was there if he is the one who got you out. He must be a pretty good guy if he caught your attention, which makes him okay in my book. Unless he's a jack ass then he's not.
Harry shook his head. Trust Ron to not be discreet. Oh, Ron, you have no idea, he thought and glanced at Tom who was idly flipping through the book he had left on the bed.
But as long as you are okay and not being...I don't know tortured or something, alls good. We still need to know where you are though, we can't protect you and Wynter from You-Know-Who if we don't know where you are. Though I don't think some of the Order would want to. Oh right, the Order knows about Wynter now. Sorry mate, but Remus saw the crib in what's let in Wynter's room and put it together and asked questions. Some were not happy, bunch of hypocrites, they are. I don't even want to repeat what they said, it makes my blood boil, though you can probably imagine it. You were worried about what they might think...and you were right. They are doing better now though once Hermione and I knocked some sense into them. Mum and Dad want to meet Wynter though, so does Remus. They are very excited about it too. We are all focusing on finding you first, so hurry up and show yourself. Everyone is waiting!
Ron
Harry smiled and covered his face with Ron's letter. Ron was always more carefree in his letters, there was no underlying message, no gaps in what he was trying to say, just unfiltered Ron. Which he was grateful for.
"Well, I was right about the Order. Half of them hate my guts for having a devil's spawn and the others want to meet the sweet baby that I created," Harry said handing Ron's letter to Tom for him to read. "I don't know what to tell them."
"Nothing," Tom stated simply.
"I have to tell them something," Harry said sitting up, "they won't let up if I don't."
"Mmm," Tom hummed again and leaned toward him, nuzzling his neck slightly.
Harry turned to look at him to see a mischievous look on his face, "What are you doing?"
"Torturing you."
Harry's eyes widened and looked at the letter in Tom's hand. "Oh."
Tom smirked and leaned in to kiss him, which Harry accepted eagerly. Harry felt the all too familiar stirrings in his stomach and realized it had been weeks since they had last slept together. With all that had been going on, neither of them had been in the mood.
Harry pulled away slightly, already breathless, "Wynter..."
"Is asleep."
"She could wake up."
"She won't," Tom murmured leaning in again.
"How do you know that?" Harry asked.
"Because if she is anything like you, she could sleep through a thunderstorm."
Harry gasped, "How mean!" but then laughed as Tom tilted him over onto the bed and continued to kiss him.
"She could still wake up," Harry insisted between kisses.
"The curtain around her will block anything out here and she can't stand yet to move it," Tom explained as he left a trail of kisses down his neck. "That is if she even wakes up."
"Oh, okay then," Harry said and pulled Tom's face closer to kiss him some more. Their kisses steadily got deeper and more passionate as everything that happened over the past few weeks caught up to them. They quickly shed their clothes, tugging and pulling in haste to touch skin. Hands and mouths roaming where they could.
Tom's lips found a sensitive spot on his neck while his hands wandered and teased lightly, making Harry breathless with need. Hands were skimming lightly over his sides and across his stiff nipples, spreading his legs so that he could come between them and grinding their cocks against each other to create that delicious friction.
"Ooh, no foreplay today. Just fuck me already," Harry moaned.
"God, you're eager." But Tom wasn't about to argue, he was just as impatient. He lightly placed his hand over Harry's stomach to place the contraption spell and Harry giggled.
"That always tickles," he said then gasped as Tom's fingers intruded him.
"Does that tickle?" Tom asked huskily, sliding his slick fingers around Harry's hole, stretching him.
"No, feels good. Hurry," Harry panted, laying there ready and willing. To entice Tom even more and get him to hurry up, he spread his legs more and lifted his hips invitingly.
That was obviously the right thing to do because Tom's eyes narrowed, his arousal clear in his red glinted blue eyes. He pushed in a third finger a bit roughly, but not enough to hurt, and stretched him further. When he was ready enough, Tom pulled his fingers away and immediately filled him deeply with his cock. He pulled Harry's hips up higher and sank in deeper making them both groan in pleasure. Tom didn't waste any time and started moving with sharp, deep thrusts.
-Fuck. Feels so good- Harry hissed, closing his eyes and just feeling the way Tom slid in and out of him, hitting his sweet spot just so to make sparks of pleasure run down to the tips of his toes. He would clutch tight around the cock inside him for a tighter fit and enjoyed the feeling of it rubbing inside.
-Stop clutching- Tom hissed.
-Why?-
-You're going to make me come too soon- Tom replied as he focused on his movements.
-What? You can't hold it?- Harry asked with a smirk. His eyes flew open when Tom thrust in hard right against his prostate. "Fuck!" he gasped then slipped back into Parseltongue. -A-Again, right there-
-Here?- Tom asked and thrust in again in the same place.
Harry moaned, arched his back and moved his hips to meet Tom's -Yessss.-
Tom continued to move and Harry let his hands wander down Tom's chest; sliding against pert nipples and strong abs, tracing faint scars from years past. He felt Tom's breathing hitch slightly as he explored and felt empowered by it, who else could do that to him? Then again Tom could do the same, as he was doing right now, being deep inside of him. Harry trailed his hands over Tom's sides and held them still on his hips; feeling the movements Tom made as he moved in and out of him. It was bliss.
-Harder- Harry hissed as he rocked his hips back to meet Tom's thrusts. He could feel the beginnings of his orgasm creeping up along his untouched cock, spreading through his stomach and down his thighs.
Tom gazed down at Harry; at his heavy lidded eyes, vibrant green peeking through, that were watching him and at his hands, one of which was trailing down his chest and into the trail of hair that led into his nether area where they were joined, then detoured and found its way onto his thigh to wrap around his own cock, where he gripped it tight and started moving it in time with Tom's thrusts.
Harry continued to move his hand faster as Tom started to quicken his pace and slam himself harder into him; both of them were close now. He suddenly jerked forward and hooked an arm around Tom's neck to pull him down, claiming Tom's mouth with a kiss that he returned. Harry shuttered and moaned into the kiss as he came and clutched tight around Tom's cock inside him as he felt it swell as he came inside him. Harry pulled away to breathe and tucked his face into Tom's shoulder and clung to him as they rode out their orgasm.
After a little while, Harry let himself drop back on the bed. "God, I needed that," Harry groaned as Tom rolled off of him.
"Mmm," Tom hummed in agreement, as he caught his breath. He turned his head away for a moment then looked at Harry with a smirk, "See, she didn't wake up."
Harry turned his head to where the crib was and there was no movement or sound coming from within. "I guess so."
"Nothing to worry about," Tom said, relaxing back against the sheets with his hands behind his head.
"Yeah..." Harry said slowly then grinned and sat up. He quickly kicked off the sheets and straddled Tom's lap. Tom's eyes were wide in surprise as he used his hands to steady him. Harry leaned down to give him a brief kiss, "Again?"
He didn't have to ask twice.
xxx
Sometime later, Harry and Tom finally got out of bed and Tom reluctantly went back downstairs to work. But they were both in a very good mood after the two uninterrupted rounds that they had that had been long overdue. It was a good thing too because a few minutes after Tom left, Wynter's face poked sleepily through the bars and wanted out. So Harry settled her on the bed, nestled safely in a nest of blankets while he lay next to her with a quill and parchment with a book as a table, trying to write a letter to Ron and Hermione.
He had no idea how much to tell them or what he should say that wouldn't reveal too much without worrying them. He knew he had to tell them something though, or they would likely freak out.
"You sure have it easy," he commented lightly to Wynter, "this is too hard. Hopefully, you won't have to deal with this sort of thing." He glanced at Wynter and saw that she had fallen back to sleep. He chuckled and lightly caressed her cheek, moving her hair away from her face. "Thank you for your input," he murmured and turned back to his letter.
xxx
Ron stretched his arms above his head and closed the door behind him. "Hermione, I'm home!" he called as he took his cloak and tossed it on the couch where he then sat down with a groan. It was nice to come home to a comfortable spot after a long day.
"Ron, put your stuff away," Hermione scolded peeking out at him from the kitchen.
"Aw. I already sat down," Ron complained, but he got up anyway and put it away. He knew better than to argue with her, as he had learned since they had moved in with each other two years ago. Harry used to make fun of him about it, that Hermione had whipped him into submission. He denied it of course, but it didn't stop Harry from...ah, now he did it, he was worried now. It had been two weeks since Harry had disappeared and they had heard nothing from him.
Hermione came into the room and saw his troubled face and knew what he was thinking about. Her face immediately became troubled too. "I hope they're okay," Hermione whispered, twisting a kitchen towel in her hands.
"He's okay. I mean he's Harry. He always turns out okay," Ron said reassuringly.
"It's because it's Harry that I am worried."
Ron opened his mouth to answer but thought better of it; she was right after all. Harry was always okay, but not before getting in some big drama that resulted in something terrible. He and Hermione were usually there with him, but this time...he hoped Harry was okay on his own, he had little Wynter to think about too.
"What was that?" Hermione asked suddenly.
"What was what?"
"That."
"Wha-?"
"Shh. Listen," Hermione whispered.
Ron listened and he heard a noise, a tapping noise. "It's coming from the kitchen," he said getting up from the couch and going in. It was then that he found it was coming from the window. Going over to it, he peered out and saw an owl, a white one to be exact. "Hedwig!" Ron exclaimed and quickly opened the window.
"Did she find him? Did he write back?" Hermione asked impatiently bouncing on her toes in excitement and worry.
Hedwig hopped in and flew over to land on a chair and extended a leg over to Ron. He took the letter that was attached to her leg and unfolded it with baited breath. Opening the letter he sighed with relief as he recognized his best friends' writing. "It's from Harry."
Hermione dropped into a chair with relief, "Oh thank God." She rubbed at her face to try to keep herself from crying. "What does it say?"
Ron sat in the chair opposite her and started to read the letter out loud.
Dear Ron and Hermione,
First of all, I am alright and so is Wynter so you can both stop worrying. And second, I won't tell you where I am for our safety. It is not that I don't trust you, you know I do; it is just safer for no one to know where I am. All you need to know is that we are fine and safe.
I don't really know what happened that night, it's all kind of fuzzy and everything happened really fast. I only know that Death Eaters found me and set the cottage on fire. I got lucky and Wynter and I were able to get out.
Here Ron could tell that Harry had paused like he was unsure if he should say more. And in the next line, he could see why.
You guys were right. I was seeing someone. I didn't mean to keep it from you, it was just...it was all new and awkward and I didn't want to scare him off. You guys can be very pushy and I wasn't sure how you would react, or more like how he would. He's a little...different, I guess. I met him by chance and we hit it off right away and yes he is a wizard, but he doesn't pay attention to all the stuff about me, nor does he care, which is why I like him. He gets along really well with Wynter too. He's agreed to keep my secret, so you don't have to worry about that. At first, everything moved too fast, but now we are taking things slow, but then the fire happened. He saved us.
He came and he found us and got us out. I suffered from minor burns that have healed now and Wynter didn't have a scratch, just some smoke inhalation that was taken care of. We are both fine now and are staying with him. Like I said, I won't tell you where I am because it is safer that way, but we are fine and happy.
As for the Order now knowing the truth...I don't blame you or Dumbledore. it was bound to happen sooner or later. I am glad that I wasn't there for it. Going by what Ron said it was pretty nasty. I probably would have cursed someone, so it was probably better that I wasn't there. I just wish I had told Remus and Ron's family myself. I hope they are okay with all this, that they don't...hate me. I am glad that you guys defended me. It makes me really happy. I didn't want this to happen to me, but I am glad it did because then I would never have met my little girl and I wouldn't wish that away ever.
I am perfectly happy where I am and how things turned out. Don't worry about me, tell everyone else too. Hope you two are doing well.
Harry
"Oh Harry," Hermione murmured. "Thank God he's okay."
"Yeah. He didn't tell us where they were though and we were right about the guy."
"I knew it. We are going to have to meet him though," Hermione sighed, "I'm just so glad that they are okay. I just wish he told us where he was at. But I do understand why he didn't tell us."
"Yeah," Ron said re-reading the letter.
"We should tell Dumbledore that Harry wrote to us," Hermione said and left the room to get parchment and a quill.
Hermione came back and wrote a quick letter to Dumbledore telling him that Harry had made contact but didn't tell them where he was, only that he was with a guy and that both he and Wynter were okay. Then sent the letter off with Pig. Hedwig had made herself comfortable by the window where Ron had given her some water and a treat as she rested.
"I hope this guy is okay," Ron said.
"Me too. But I trust Harry's instinct. He wouldn't let anyone near Wynter if he thought they were a danger to her."
"True."
Ron and Hermione both sat there deep in thought, relieved yet still worried about Harry and Wynter. They most likely would remain that way until they actually saw them. They sat there for a while until the ringing of the timer from the oven went off and Hermione got up to serve dinner. Once they were done and the table was cleared they both got parchment out and sat down to write their replies to Harry.
"Harry's not going to answer all of these questions if at all," Hermione sighed as she wrote.
"Well, you know how he is. He'll give us enough to satisfy us and that's all. Doesn't help in our favor that we can't do the questioning in person."
"I know, we would have better luck in getting answers if we were face to face."
"What? Like his face turning bright red if we ask is they've slept together yet?" Ron asked with a smirk.
"Exactly. Though from what he told us and the way he was acting before, I think they have."
"Geez, you'd think he would have learned his lesson," Ron said.
"Yeah, but the first time wasn't exactly normal," Hermione said quietly.
"That's true," Ron said and fell silent. As they continued writing their letters, Pig flew back in the window carrying a letter from Dumbledore. "What's it say?" He asked as Hermione read the letter.
"There's two," she said as she pulled out a single note and another envelope that had Harry's name on it. "It says: 'I am glad to hear that Harry and his daughter are safe, but we do need to bring him back home. Please pass on the letter I have attached to Harry if you would.'"
"That's it?"
"That's it," Hermione said turning the letter over to see if there was more.
"I guess he just wants information straight from the source," Ron stated. "You done?" he asked gesturing to her letter.
"Oh. Not yet," she said and quickly sat down to finish.
Ron folded up his letter and put his letter with the one from Dumbledore's. "You up for another trip Hedwig?"
Hedwig hooted and flew down to land on the back of his chair. Ron went to start tying the letters to her leg as Hermione finished up hers, but Hedwig suddenly started screeching and hopped away. "Hedwig? What's wrong?" Ron asked her, but she continued to screech as Ron approached her and flew on top of the fridge. She continued to flap her wing indignation as Hermione got up and tried to placate her.
"What's wrong with her?"
"I don't know. I didn't do anything. I just tried to give her these," Ron said holding up the letters.
Hedwig took flight and knocked the letters out of his hand with her wing and landed on top of the pantry on the opposite side of the room.
"The letters?" Hermione questioned as she picked them up. She knew that they didn't put anything on them, they wouldn't do that to Harry unless he was in any danger; that left just one. Hermione glanced at Ron uncertainly, then drew her wand and pointed it at Dumbledore's letter. It glowed bright blue.
"What does that mean?" Ron asked.
"Tracker," Hermione said stiffly, a bit angry, "Professor Dumbledore put a tracker on Harry's letter." She couldn't believe that he would do such a thing; she understood why though, but still.
"He did? And Hedwig knew? Wow," Ron said looking at her impressed. Hedwig ruffled her feathers in response.
"Yeah, but that means she won't take them."
"Can you remove it?"
"Maybe...but I think we should just send it back," Hermione said picking up said letter, "It would likely alert him if I do."
"Oh." Ron watched her take another piece of parchment and write a brief note explaining what had happened. She then gave the letter to Pig who was ready to go after a little rest and sent him off.
"We'll send our stuff to Harry in the morning when we get Dumbledore's letter back," Hermione said as she watched the small owl disappear into the setting sun, "Then when he replies we can get some answers."
xxx
Harry woke up to the sun spilling across his face and he squinted and turned his head away, snuggling deeper into the covers. A second later he felt tiny hands patting his face and he opened his eyes to see bright green eyes peering at him underneath wild tangled hair.
Harry smiled, "Good morning, sweet pea," Harry said to Wynter and she smiled and patted his face again and brought her face close to him as she babbled her baby talk. He grabbed her and laid her down on the bed and rose so that she was beneath him and leaned in and kissed her soft little cheeks loudly, making her giggle. As she squirmed around, waving her arms and legs around without any coordination, Harry looked over on the other side of the bed, but it was empty. He looked around the room and toward the bathroom, but there was no sign of him.
Harry looked back down at Wynter, "Where is your daddy, huh?" he asked her. She only blinked up at him with a gummy smile and her bed head and he couldn't resist kissing her cheeks again. A crinkling sound caught his attention and he pulled away and looked at Wynter and realized she was on something, rolling her over slightly he realized that wasn't right, something was on her, a piece of parchment to be precise. He unstuck the paper from Wynter's back and read the note that was from Tom.
Something came up that required my attention. I will be back later. -Tom
"Well, I guess it's just you and me," he told Wynter. "Did Daddy change you?" Harry pulled her bottom up and checked her diaper. "He did. Good for him." Wynter clapped her hands and Harry copied her, "Yay! Okay, Mommy has to get dressed, stay here." Harry rolled over intending to roll off the bed, but he was suddenly stopped by an invisible presence. He tentatively touched the barrier and realized Tom had put it in place so Wynter would not fall off the bed while Harry had been asleep. "Your Daddy thinks of everything," he commented and took down the barrier and got out of bed.
He was still naked from last night's activities, but at least Tom had been considerate enough to leave him some clothes nearby so he didn't have to go across the room stark naked. After Tom had come back yesterday, a house elf had brought them dinner, they gave Wynter a bath and she knocked out so he had put her to bed. They then didn't waste time, with their newly awakened sex drive, and went for another round before crashing for the night. He was only slightly upset that he had missed waking up next to Tom, but seeing his beautiful daughter's face instead more than made up for it.
After he was dressed, he picked up Wynter and got her crazy hair tamed and tied in little pigtails and changed into some clothes. He glanced over at the small sitting area by the window to see a covered plate on the table. "Are you hungry?" he asked heading over to the area where he also saw a jar of baby food for her. Wynter makes a little motion with her head that looks like a nod before placing her head against his chest; Harry takes it as a yes and sits down for breakfast.
He is cleaning up Wynter's face of the remnants of her food when there is a tapping on the window. Looking up he sees a familiar white owl. "Look who it is!" he said picking Wynter up and going to the window to open it for Hedwig. She hops in from the window and flies up onto his shoulder to peer down at Wynter in curiosity, turning her head this way and that to view her at all angles. Wynter coos up at her and reaches to touch her feathers. "Gently," Harry tells his daughter as she cautiously pets the soft downy feathers, feeling them between her tiny fingers.
Harry smiled as he watched them interact, just staring at each other. They used to do that at the cottage too, just observing each other. Wynter had been too small to touch her then, only having to resort to staring up at the owl. "Have something for me, girl?" he asked Hedwig as he placed Wynter in her crib. Hedwig fluttered down onto the edge of the crib and stuck out her leg, then went back to gazing down at Wynter as she stared up at her in fascination; Harry, on the other hand, opened his letters.
"Three of them?" he questioned as he pulled them apart. He recognized Ron and Hermione's writing and after some thought realized that Dumbledore had written to him too. He panicked slightly and ran his wand over the letters but didn't find any sort of spells on them; he didn't want to expose Tom's hideout, even if he was technically on the Order's side. But all that didn't matter now. Harry could only guess what was in the letters, especially Dumbledore's; so he sat back down in the sitting area and opened one of the letters, which happened to be Ron's.
Harry-
Boy am I glad to see that you replied. I knew Hedwig would be able to find you. We used other owls but they all came back with no results, but then Hedwig showed up and low and behold, she found you. Right smart bird she is. I understand that you want to remain hidden, but we want to see you and Wynter with our own eyes. Hermione is driving herself crazy with worry. I wish you would just tell us where you are...but I know you, once you are set in your ways there is no changing your mind; just know that we are here if you need us.
We also want to meet this boyfriend of yours; we so called it. He seems like a nice enough bloke from what you say, but he still needs to go through our inspection, even if he is shy. He won't be approved until he goes through HR...get it H. R., Hermione and Ron...I thought it was funny...Let me know if you laughed, it's hard to do this sort of thing through a letter, I just feel stupid. Anyway, just be careful, I don't think you want another one running around so soon. And don't try and deny it, you are sometimes glowing when we went to see you; it was so obvious.
Don't worry about Mum and Dad or Remus, they are all fully on your side on this. The more we describe Wynter the more they want to meet her. I'm sure Mum will want to hold her tight, she won't be able to resist. The others will follow, I'm sure, once they meet her.
Hope you are doing okay, where ever you are.
Ron
Harry laughed at Ron's stupid little joke, trust Ron to make him feel better, even through a letter. Turning back to the letter, he saw just below his signature that there was a hastily written note.
PS. Just so you know, Dumbledore tried to put a tracker on your letter but Hedwig wouldn't take it. We had to send it back to have it removed. Smart bird. He apologized though, he thought it was best to find out where you were, but I think you know what is best for you and if it is not with us, then...there you go. Hope you write soon!
Well, that was disturbing and relieving at the same time. It also explained why there were no spells; though he didn't think his friends would do that to him; not unless they believed he was in real danger. Though it was something that Dumbledore would try to do, no doubt 'for the greater good.' Not that he didn't understand why, but it did anger him a little that he didn't respect his privacy that he had clearly asked for. But it wouldn't do to make himself upset, so he turned to his next letter.
Dear Harry-
I knew it! I knew you were seeing someone. You were just so happy and glowy all the time, but you kept denying it...it's nice to have a confirmation. I want to meet him, I have too, it's a rule. Best friends have to meet the boyfriend for approval. But since we don't know where you are you have to at least give me details. What does he look like? Is he good looking? How old is he? Is he treating you right? He better be, or he will be hearing from us. How about Wynter, is she okay with him? Oh, so many questions, and you better answer them. I will keep asking them until you do or when I meet him myself.
But I am grateful that he was there for you when we couldn't. And I am glad to hear that you two were not truly injured. You did heal alright, right? I would hate for you to have another scar to add to your already extensive collection; though I think only one of them is a treasured one. And you are safe where you are right? I know that you don't want to tell us where you are. but are you some place safe? Like under wards and spells, not just hiding somewhere, because then someone could find you. But then again our letters from before couldn't reach you only Hedwig could...I guess I just answered myself. But still, tell me.
I hope that we can come see you soon, or at least you come see us. I have to see both of you with my own eyes. Plus, we have a few people here that want to meet your beautiful little girl. Mrs. Weasley especially and Remus, they keep asking us for any sort of detail of her to tide them over. They want to know if she is talking or walking yet...she isn't yet is she? I don't want to miss that so you better tell me when she does, or I will be so mad!
We would have had these letters to you earlier, but we had a bit of an incident. You have no doubt seen that you got a letter from Dumbledore. Well, turns out he had placed a tracker on it. We had to send it back to have it removed because Hedwig would not take it. I understand his reasoning for it, but I still disprove of it. It is a complete violation of privacy!...Then again the situation is a little extreme. I really hope that you come out of hiding so we can see you and protect you. I feel so helpless, Ron and I both do. But I know you and it seems your mind is set, though I wish you would change it.
You take care of yourself and of our sweet goddaughter, understand? And you write back to us, you hear! Don't go leaving us in the dark; you know we hate that. Love you lots.
Hermione
Harry sighed. Trust Hermione to make him feel good and bad at the same time. He felt really guilty keeping such a big secret from his best friends, but it was for his daughter's safety as well as him just being scared shitless of the outcome. He shook his head and turned to the letter from Dumbledore that he had deliberately left for last. He was not looking forward to what it said.
Dear Mr. Potter-
I am glad to hear that you and little Wynter were not terribly harmed in the incident at the cottage. I am very sorry that you were put into that kind of danger and I apologize for my inability to keep you safe. Though I find myself puzzled over how Voldemort's followers found you and got through the layers of wards around the cottage. They must have been very skilled. I regret the loss of your possessions that you were unable to save, but all of those can be replaced, however, you and your daughter cannot; you at least have your memories. But all that is in the past and we must look to the future to ensure that you and Wynter are safe. Which is why I believe it is best that you come home so that the Order may better protect you.
From what Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley have told me, you are staying with a young man. I know that you feel safe and protected there with him, however, I do not believe he understands the sort of protection that you and Wynter need. It would put him in great danger if Voldemort and his followers should find you again. I do not believe you wish for that to happen. You also have to think about your daughter; she needs to remain safe and the Order can provide you with the protection you need.
Now if I am not mistaken, Ms. Granger and Mr. Weasley have told you that thecat is out of the bagas the muggles say. It is unfortunate but was necessary to tell the Order the truth about why you suddenly pulled out of the war and have not come back and also about your daughter. As I am sure you know, some of our members did not receive the news well. However, that will not prohibit them from doing that they need to. They just need time to adjust and I am sure they will welcome Wynter in no time. There are others, Molly Weasley for one, who are very anxious to meet the newest Potter member. They won't be able to do so if you are not here.
Therefore, I would ask you to please contact one to disclose your location or to come to Hogwarts or the Burrow if you feel more comfortable there. Molly would probably prefer that. From there we can go about providing you and Wynter the proper protection.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Albus Dumbledore
Harry stared in shock at the letter in his hands, anger, and amusement filling him. He couldn't believe how effortlessly Dumbledore had tried to guilt him into coming forward out of hiding. Not that Tom would let him, but still. He had used his daughter's safety and Tom's to make him feel guilty, not to mention Mrs. Weasley, who he loved like his own mother. If the situation had been different then he would no doubt go back and seek the Order's protection; no matter his trepidation. But Tom was no ordinary 'young man' he was, in fact, the one he was supposed to be hiding from. But he couldn't tell Dumbledore that, so Harry would just have to say he was staying with his 'young man.' If Dumbledore didn't like it, then so what.
The thought made him chuckle. Tom was not young. He was, what? 70? Though wizards did live a lot longer than muggles, so he guessed Tom was still technically 'young'. Harry wouldn't dare tease him about it in fear of making him angry...well he did just a little bit, but it was all in good fun. He never pushed too hard though; age seemed like it would be a bit of a touchy subject with the 50 year age difference, no matter how young Tom looked.
Harry sighed and absentmindedly wiped Wynter's face with the wet towel he had left on the table to get rid of the crumbs that she had somehow obtained in the few minutes he was occupied. He knew what he was going to say to Dumbledore, that was easy, but his friends were another story. He couldn't just say 'no, I am staying with my boyfriend and nothing you can say can change my mind.' They would want more, especially Hermione with all her questions. He would answer some of them, vaguely; just enough to satisfy them and that was it.
For the rest of the day, Harry just lazed about with Wynter on the floor trying to get her to move on her own, but all she did was wiggle her butt in an attempt to pull herself up onto all fours. The most she could do now was sit up on her own and roll over onto her tummy, but she had a hard time getting her legs beneath her to pull herself up; it was cute to watch her try. Harry was simultaneously looking forward to and regretting the day she started crawling. From what he understood, once they started moving, they didn't stop. She was just getting so big! It was like yesterday to him that she was just a tiny thing that had been growing inside him and now she was 6 months! Time was going by too fast.
Harry played with her some more until Wynter went down for her nap and then he sat down to write his letters back. He wrote a simple one to Dumbledore saying thank you but no and the more extensive one to Ron and Hermione. He would send them later that night to let Hedwig rest. Other than that, it was another very uneventful day.
So there it is, my beautiful long chapter. I am really proud of it and I hope I did not disappoint. I said it had a little bit of everything, just not torture just all the good stuff. I know I am not the best updater but I really appreciate you all being so patient, I know you are all looking forward to the next chapter as I see all your reviews that come to my inbox and I appreciate each and every one of them, even if I don't always reply back. Even those of who just hit that favorite button, it makes me so happy!
The next chapter is going to be a major one to do with the plot to move things forward in Harry and Tom's relationship. I won't spoil it because it is already in the works. I'll get it up as soon as I am able.
phoenix
P.S. For those of you who did not figure out what Hermione meant by Harry's 'treasured one' she is referring to the scar left by giving birth to Wynter.
