Ch 99: Last Day Home

As September 1st was on a Sunday that year, Molly had declared they would have the family dinner on that Saturday instead. They would do a lunch celebration with the whole family, and then everyone would have time to go home and pack and be with their parents and siblings in the evening.

Seeing how torn up Ron looked, his father and George had snagged him and taken him off to fuss over some muggle toy in Arthur's shed, along with a small bottle of firewhisky in George's pocket.

"Have a little shot of this now, Ron. You look like shite. And you need to be all confidence and positive vibes for Hugo to do this right," George said.

"Agreed," affirmed Arthur. "While I am not usually one for firewhisky in the middle of the day, you need something to calm you down a bit if you don't want to make Hugo more nervous than he already is."

"Bloody hell, both of you? I must look bad if Dad is trying to liquor me up."

"Well, it's not that, son. It's just that I have been there, and I know what it's like. And it is way harder on you than on him, but he needs you to be Mr. Calm tomorrow."

"You can return the favor next year when I send off Rox," George said. "I will be every bit of the pasty, mumbling idiot you are today. And then you can liquor me up so I can be encouraging. All part of the circle of life or some shite like that."

"Fine," Ron grumbled as he downed the drink, wincing as it burned his throat. "I just need to stay positive until the train pulls off, right? Then I can be as crotchety and mumbling as I want, right?"

"Well, as much as Hermione will tolerate from you, anyway," Arthur chuckled. "And aren't you lot going with Harry and Ginny on some getaway?"

"Yeah. I think the plan is to distract us with sun, weather and food until we forget why we are depressed."

"Hmm. Sounds fabulous."

"I know. It will be, but just let me grumble in here, ok?"

"OK," they both agreed, but poured him a second drink.

Across the yard, Hugo was looking for his own support. He had seen Harry and his godson headed towards the pond, and he peeled off from the other kids to follow. He caught up to them on the dock where they were throwing small stones into the water and chatting.

"Can I ask you two something?" Hugo ventured.

"Of course," Harry said. "What's up, Hugo?"

"Well, I don't quite know how to say this. But, well, I guess you two kind of know what it is like to go to Hogwarts after losing your parents. And I know it's different since you guys never had the chance to really know them. But, still, you went and had to live up to the memories and possible expectations of people who weren't alive anymore."

Teddy sighed. "I am really sorry you have to be part of this club, mate. It isn't a club we hoped to add to."

"I know," said Hugo somberly. "And while I wish I wasn't in it either, if I have to be in this situation, it sure is nice to have other people to talk to who get it."

Harry nodded knowingly. "Well," he sighed, "you were right when you said it is a bit different. For me, I didn't know anything about my parents other than their names. So, I didn't know they had been in Gryffindor, and I had to find out my father was a quidditch seeker by seeing his name on an old trophy."

"Really?"

Harry nodded. "So, for me, it was a chance to talk to people who had known my parents and could help me know them. Now, you know the time I was there was pretty messed up in a lot of ways, but I did get to know my parents better through talking to others. I did get rather tired of people telling me how much I looked like my father and had my mother's eyes, though. It was a bit strange to think they were looking at me and seeing someone I had never known."

"Yeah, but for me it was different as well," Teddy interrupted. "For me, Harry and everyone had done such an amazing job making sure I knew all about my parents, that I wasn't going to school to seek that out. It was a little hard for me, as I knew they had both died at Hogwarts. But, on the other hand, my dad had been a professor there for a year as well, and it was wonderful to get to be in a place where he had not only been as a young kid, but also as an adult."

Hugo nodded thoughtfully. "Well, Uncle Collin died there too that day, but I never knew him from anything other than stories, so it feels a bit abstract. I guess I wonder how to make sure the teachers see me as me and not as some partial ghost of my parents. And then also, how do I make them proud, you know? I don't want to disappoint Mum and Dad or my late parents."

"You couldn't disappoint them, Hugo. They all love you so, so much. They did when they were alive and they do now. I'm not going to go into the technicalities now, but when I was fighting Voldemort, there were two times when I more or less came in contact with the spirits of my parents. And the last time that happened my godfather, Sirius, and Teddy's father, Remus, were there too. And in that moment I knew that they not only were not in any pain, but also that they continued to know about me, they continued to love me, and they continued to want to be a part of my journey. And I am 100% confident that the same is true for Teddy's mum and for your parents as well. And, now that I am a parent, I am even more confident in saying that a parent's love for a child has nothing to do with how much he accomplishes, or even if he makes all of the right choices. The love a parent has for a child is unconditional. You could make bad decisions and be a royal jerk, and they would still love you, as would Ron and Hermione. When Percy made some bad decisions during the war, I didn't understand how Arthur and Molly could still love him so much. But the minute I became a parent I got it. You just love them. You hope they become a good, nice person, but in the end you love them no matter what."

Hugo looked at Harry with glassy eyes. "Really?"

"Absolutely. I would swear on my magic."

"And you really saw them? After they were dead? What was that like?"

"Um, well, I don't want to go into all the details right now. Partly because it's gruesome, and largely because it still upsets me some. But, what I will say is that the first time it happened, Voldemort was trying to kill me by using a special spell on his wand, and the spirits of all the people he had killed, including my parents, sort of came out of the wand and protected me. I could feel their love and protection. But, I couldn't really focus on them too much because, well, because the psychopath was trying to kill me. And, well, the second time was when he was about to try to kill me again, so there wasn't time for chit chat. But, they were very clear in telling me they had always been with me and would be with me until the very end, even if I couldn't see them. And I have always held that with me. I don't know if they were real spirits or imprints of their souls or what. But, I do know that they loved me, and that they still love me. And in the end, that's all that matters."

"I know Dad's told me before what had happened. Or at least a lot of it. But, I just want to say I am really sorry all of that had to happen to you."

"Thanks, Hugo. You know for a long time I was sorry about it too. But, if all of that hadn't happened, the world would be so different. I might not have met Ginny, or had my children. You can't take back the things that happened. All we can do is live the day we have today and make the most of it. And, the three of us learned the hard way that you have to cherish your loved ones each day because there are no guarantees in life."

Teddy nodded. "So, Hugo, I hope that knowing you can't disappoint your parents gives you a bit of relief from some of those nerves. And I wouldn't worry too much about what the professors who knew your parents think. Neville and McGonagall knew them, but many of the staff and faculty are more recent. And they won't have any preconceived notions. But most of the time you are with your friends – and they don't care if your late father was good at potions or if Ron is good at defense, or even that my father was a werewolf. They just care that you're a good friend."

"And really, Hugo, anytime you want to talk to me – or to Teddy – we are both here for you. Unfortunately, we do get it. Well, we get some of it. I am not sure which is better – never knowing what you had lost, or knowing how great it was and then losing it. Neither are good in my eyes. But, we are here."

"Thanks," said Hugo, looking visibly lighter. "I appreciate it. Even if I don't talk to you about it, it does just kind of help knowing that other people get it. You two get it. And George gets it too. But it is easier with so many people to help you."

"Always," said Harry. Teddy smiled, and Hugo nodded.

After some quiet, Hugo said, "Well, I am going to go off and find Lilly and everyone. Thanks, though. You two have helped a lot."

And with that, he jumped up and ran across the meadow towards the quidditch pitch. Teddy looked at Harry and shook his head.

"Amazing kid. I didn't have the bollocks to do anything like that at his age. Still might not, come to think about it. Maybe I should change my bet with George. With bollocks like that, he is all Gryffindor."

"Come on, Teddy. You were just as amazing. It just wasn't as new to you then as it is to him."

"'Spose that's true. But, it helped that you absolutely understood what I was dealing with from day one."

"Yeah. I did," Harry sighed. "But, I do think we maybe had it a bit easier. I had always wished I had memories of my parents before they died. But the day I saw Hugo get that news, I changed my mind. I was glad that the loss was more abstract. I still wish I'd known them, but I think not grieving that loss in such an intimate way is maybe the easier route."

"Possibly," said Teddy quietly. "That is something no one can ever answer. But, in case I don't say it enough, I am really so grateful for having had you in my life. You had been in my shoes, but you learned from your own life and never let me not know love, and you never let me not know my parents. And, I will never be able to thank you enough for both of those things."

"Ted, I mean this sincerely when I say it has been one of the greatest privileges of my life."