Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
The first week flew by, as it always did. Harry had never felt so overwhelmed.
Throughout the day, James, Albus, and Lily stayed with Cassie. Cassie took it all in stride. She adored watching the kids and Harry felt good leaving them with her. He trusted her, after all. He knew that she would die protecting them and she would never hurt them, so the only thing he was worried about when leaving them with her was how they treated her. After all, he wasn't the only one leaving his kids with her. Scorpius was with her all day, and so were Rose and Hugo. Neville's kids were with Luna whenever she was off (which was every other day) but when she wasn't, they were with Cassie.
He had no idea how she handled all of them, but she did and they all loved her.
Albus had become best friends with Scorpius and this bothered Harry for a while. He wasn't fond of Draco, after all. However, he was quick to realize that his rivalry with Draco shouldn't affect his son's friendships.
During the day, Harry taught and taught and taught. He quickly learned who of the first years were trouble-makers and learned who would be the best in the class and the worst in the class.
In the evening, he was busy grading papers and trying to watch James, Albus, and Lily. Lily's accidental magic came as if a dam had broken and now he was having to watch her carefully. James and Cori had started several pranks around school. Albus was constantly talking to him, rambling about what they had done that day.
It made concentrating on grading very difficult.
He'd been watching Freddie, hoping to see the boy's spirits up, but that hadn't happen. Freddie seemed to sulk around the castle, not talking to anyone, even Georgia.
Harry had hoped things would work out for the boy, but it looked like he would have to take things into his own hands.
It was Friday. His last class was first year Slytherins and Hufflepuffs. So, as it finished, he spoke up.
"Freddie, stay after class."
The boy sent him a look but nodded. As the students piled out of the classroom, Freddie walked up to his desk.
"How are you doing?" Harry asked him simply, eyebrows raised at the eleven-year-old.
Freddie huffed, crossing his arms, "How does it look? I'm a stinking Slytherin."
Harry simply nodded at that, "Yes, you are a Slytherin. How is it? I heard the Common Room is under the lake."
The boy's eyebrows furrowed. He hadn't expected that response, "Well… it's kind of cool. But everyone there hates me because I'm a Weasley. And everyone in the school hates me because I'm a Slytherin."
Harry sighed. He knew that Freddie was looking at things in a negative way, though it was true that many believed that. There were a lot of prejudice in the school against Slytherins.
"The other Slytherin's are most likely just a bit confused. At least most of them. I know that they're trying hard to fix the image of Slytherin house being all about blood purity. There has never been a Weasley in Slytherin before. Look at you, breaking rules your first day in."
It was a poor way to cheer him up and he knew it.
Freddie huffed again, "Everyone in Slytherin are prats. They're all sneaky little snakes who manipulate people for their own gain."
"You do realize that being sneaky isn't a bad thing, right?" Harry raised his eyebrows at him, "You and Georgia have been sneaking around places since you could walk."
He faltered at that, "That's different."
"Is it? There's a reason why most of the Slytherin's escaped the Battle of Hogwarts fairly unscathed. They were sneaky. At the time, I thought that they had just abandoned us but as I grew older and met more people, I've realized that that wasn't the case. There were several Slytherins fighting but they were just smarter than others not to be seen. They helped us just as much as the other houses."
Freddie stared at Harry, eyes wide, "But… Slytherin is Voldemort's house."
A sigh escaped Harry's lips and he nodded, "Yes, it was. It was home to a lot of dark wizards, but so was Gryffindor and Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and it was him that led my parents to their deaths."
Freddie winced at that and looked at the ground.
"Kathryn Oswald was a Hufflepuff. Do you know who she was?"
Freddie shook his head.
"She was one of Voldemort's most loyal followers, though she managed to stay mostly in the shadows. After the war, she showed her true colors and attacked dozens of Muggle towns and killed a total of fifty people. She even murdered her newborn baby in a failed ritual to bring Voldemort back to life. Loyalty can be just as dangerous as manipulation."
Freddie looked horrified at that, "But Hufflepuff's are supposed to be nice!"
Harry nodded, "You need to realize that stereotypes are just that: stereotypes. Hufflepuffs are not always kind. Hardworking and loyalty does not equal kindness. You can work hard on a crime. You can be loyal to someone horrible. Same with Gryffindor. Bravery does not equal good. You can brave to commit a crime. You can be determined to kill someone. Wit can be used for harm. Intelligence can be dangerous."
Freddie chewed on his bottom lip, thinking hard. Finally, he protested weakly, "But I'm not a Slytherin."
A laugh escaped his lips at that. Freddie trying to say that he wasn't a Slytherin was like Ron trying to say he wasn't a Gryffindor, "Of course you are, Freddie. I've never seen someone as sneaky as you, or as ambitious as you. Wasn't it you that said that you want to be Minister of Magic one day?"
The boy gave a small nod.
Harry smiled at him, "Slytherin is a great house filled with amazing wizards. Severus Snape was a Slytherin, you know? He was the bravest man I ever knew."
Freddie seemed to be brightening up at this as he leaned in, wanting to hear more.
"Draco Malfoy was a Slytherin as well," Harry said, sighing softly.
"But you don't like him."
"No," Harry agreed, smiling, "But I respect him. He saved my life when we were captured by Death Eaters in the war and I know that he's an amazing father. He, like a lot of Slytherins, didn't have a choice during the War but at his trial, several people came forward saying that he saved their lives and even helped some escape when he could."
Freddie nodded, understand. He still didn't look sure, though, "That still doesn't change the fact that everyone hates me."
"Everyone doesn't hate you," Harry assured him, "I don't, Sirius doesn't, Neville and Hermione don't, Teddy and Victoire and Georgia and Caroline don-"
The first year interrupted him, "Georgia hasn't spoken to me once!"
Harry winced. He had noticed that. The girl seemed to be a bit upset.
Deciding to prove a point, he asked, "What did your parents say?"
Freddie shrugged and pulled a letter out of his pocket, "Dad sent me this the first day… I haven't read it."
"Why not?"
"What if he disowned me?" Freddie asked, voice shaking fearfully.
Harry stared at his nephew in disbelief. He shook his head softly, "Freddie, your father is the last person alive who would disown you for something as simple as being a Slytherin. Mind if I read it out loud?"
Freddie looked scared but he nodded.
Harry pulled out the letter and skimmed through it. He smirked lightly and then started to read.
"Dear Freddie,
Slytherin! I can't say I expected it, that would be your Uncle Harry, but I can definitely see it. Merlin, this is great. You and Georgia are going to be the prankster royalty! Your Uncle Fred and I only really had access to the Gryffindors but now you to have access to two houses! Just imagine the things you two are going to do.
Make sure to keep me updated. I'll send you pranking supplies, just don't tell your mother. I've already got some Extendable Ears ready to send to you so get back to me soon and I'll send them.
Your mother says she's proud of you. Slytherin needs a good Beater. Next year, you're going to have to get on the team and give Slytherin a chance. I've heard that they haven't won the Quidditch Cup in years!
I bet you can get a lot of your fellow snakes to help with pranks. They're all sneaky. Come to think of it, Fred and I really should have been Slytherins.
Write back soon about the pranks.
With love,
Dad."
Harry glanced up at his nephew. The boy was blinking back relieved tears.
"Now," Harry said slowly, nodding at Freddie, "You and Georgia go out there and make a name for yourselves. Don't tell McGonagall that I said that."
"Daddy, I can't find my shoes!"
"Jamie took my doll!"
"Where's my bag?"
Harry sighed, running a hand over his face. It was Saturday. That meant that he had to take the kids over to Ginny's for the week. It was rather difficult to get three kids to the floo with everything they needed.
He pulled out his wand and summoned Albus' shoes, "Al, come here," he said and the six-year-old walked over, "Here's your shoes."
Albus beamed and took them. He had recently learned to tie his own shoes and always loved to show it off.
"James, give Lily back her doll," he told his oldest, "And your bag is in your room."
The boy sighed but handed his sister back the doll and bounded off to his bedroom. Minutes later, he was running back with his gold back on his shoulders.
"I'm ready!" he said happily.
Harry let his eyes roam over his children, making sure they had everything. Their shoes were on, they had their bags (Harry had personally packed them to make sure they didn't leave anything behind). He gave a nod of satisfaction.
"Alright, we'll be taking the floo. I'll go with Lily. James, Albus, you can go alone, right?"
The two boys nodded confidently.
"Lily and I will go last. James, you first."
His oldest smiled proudly and bounced up to the floo. He grabbed a handful of floo powder. One hand holding tightly to his bag, he flung the powder into the floo and spoke, "Potter Cottage."
As he was whisked away, Albus replaced him in the floo.
Once his sons had flooed away, he climbed into the floo holding Lily. The girl had a bit of a lisp and couldn't enunciate things clearly, so he was always worried to let her go alone.
He arrived at Potter Cottage moments later. James and Albus had run into their mother's arms and Ginny was hugging them as if she hadn't seen them in years. Lily wiggled out of Harry's hold and bolted to Ginny as well.
Harry glanced around. Ginny hadn't changed anything about the place except that he noticed several suitcases by the couch.
The door to the kitchen opened and a man walked out. Harry almost pulled his wand on him in habit but pulled himself back as Ginny gave him a smile.
She turned to her kids, "This is Michael Corner. He's going to be your nanny while I'm at work."
Michael Corner. He'd been in Dumbledore's Army and he'd dated Ginny for a while, but Harry didn't know him all that well.
"Actually, it's a manny," Michael corrected with a smirk. He glanced to Harry and his face clouded over with what looked to be jealousy. He nodded stiffly, "Potter."
It wasn't hard to realize that the man wasn't fond of Harry. He nodded back, "Corner."
Michael's eyes flitted over each of the kids before resting on Lily, "Aw, Gin. She looks just like you."
Lily beamed proudly at that and hopped slightly as she spoke, "Mummy says I'm her mini-me!"
"That you are," Michael said cheerfully, ruffling the girl's hair, "Hey, I brought Exploding Snap with me. You guys want to go play a game?"
The three children nodded enthusiastically and bounced off after him as he left the room.
Harry raised his eyebrows at Ginny, "Michael Corner? Really?"
She sighed, "We met up at the Three Broomsticks the other day. He told me that he had recently lost his job and his home. I mentioned that I needed to find a babysitter and he agreed, so he'll be living here with me to watch the kids," she suddenly changed the subject, "Anything about the kids I should know?"
He shrugged, "Albus has a new best friend. It's Scorpius Malfoy."
"Malfoy?" her lips quirked up at that, "Wow, I didn't expect that."
He shook his head, agreeing, "Well, I'll just say my goodbyes and be off."
She nodded and he walked to the area that he saw the kids and Michael go. He found them in the kitchen, surrounding the table.
"Alright, kids, I'm going to go now. I'll see you next Saturday."
They nodded distractedly. Harry frowned, feeling a bit of jealousy ignite.
Ginny gave him a reassuring smile, "They'll be excited to see you when you get back. Don't worry."
He nodded, said one more goodbye that got half-hearted replies, and left.
"What are you doing out here?"
Harry glanced up. He was outside, sitting against a tree with several essays in front of him. He'd brought them with him to grade, but had gotten distracted staring off into space.
Hermione was standing next to him.
He shrugged lightly, "Just thinking. I actually have time to do that now. Last week, I was overwhelmed. Now, I feel underwhelmed."
She gave a soft laugh at that and sat beside Harry, "I know what you mean. Ron has the kids this weekend. It's too quiet in my quarters. There's no screaming children running around, creating messes or fighting. It's a bit peaceful, but it's also boring."
He smiled softly and nodded. Things were a bit boring without the kids running around. It was too quiet. They had been gone a full day now and it was the longest that he'd gone without seeing them. He was really starting to miss them. There was too much free time on his hands.
"How are the essays coming along?" Hermione asked him, noticing the papers.
"They're not," he said with a sigh, glancing down at the one in his hands. It was by a sixth year Gryffindor and, to put it mildly, it was bad.
"Let me see," Hermione said, holding her hand out. He handed the paper to her and the moment she read the line, her nose scrunched up, "Oh, wow. This reminds me of one of your essays when we were younger."
He laughed, "Mine were not that bad!"
"Only because I edited them," Hermione smirked, leaning back against the tree beside them, "You probably would have failed all of your classes with me."
Harry refused to admit that she was right, so he took the more mature route of sticking his tongue out at her.
She raised her eyebrows at him, "Yeah, you've been spending way too much time with your kids."
She handed him back the essay and bushed her dark, bushy hair out of her face. Harry just rolled his eyes at her, though she was right. James, especially, was very fond of sticking his tongue out at people. He really needed to spend more time with adults.
"Well," he said slowly, "The first Hogsmeade Visit is on a week where the kids will be with Ginny and I've already volunteered to chaperone. I'll get out then."
"I'm chaperoning too. I'll come with. I haven't been there in so long," Hermione said cheerfully, "Cassie already said that she'd watch Rose and Hugo. By the way, have I told you about Rose's new crush?"
Harry raised his eyebrows, "A crush?"
She nodded and giggled softly, "All I hear about nowadays is Scorpius this and Scorpius that. The other day, she told me that she's going to marry him. Isn't that cute?"
Harry laughed, "It seems both of our kids have gotten close to the Malfoy kid. He and Albus are best friends now. It's rather odd, considering the fact that we hated Malfoy when we were kids."
"Yeah, but Draco isn't like his father," Hermione shrugged, "We talked for a while earlier. Draco was taught about blood supremacy from a young age. It was pretty much drilled into him. Now that he understands, he said that he's raising his son differently. He doesn't want him to be a spoiler brat like he was, and he's not. He's doing really well raising him."
Harry had to agree with that. When he'd first met Scorpius, he'd been surprised at how different the boy was from the pureblooded brat that Harry had known at Hogwarts. Draco had really changed after the war, though that was partly because of the warning he'd been given at his trial. He had to change, and he did. He had really redeemed himself.
"If someone would have told me that Malfoy would be a decent adult, I would have laughed in their face," Harry smirked.
"If someone had told me that Harry Potter would be a professor, I would have died laughing," Hermione retorted, poking him, "People change and grow up. You're a far cry from the first year who tried to convince me to do his homework."
A sigh escaped his lips, "Life happened. The War happened."
"Exactly," she said with a nod, "We can't judge people on how they were as children. Ron's an amazing father but he was an irresponsible child. For Merlin's Sake, Fred and George are parents!"
He grinned at that, "Alicia said that Fred's planning on having more kids."
"More? They already have five!"
"Apparently, he wants to have eight. I think he took Arthur's joke that none of them were going to have as many kids as they did as a challenge."
Hermione shook her head fondly, "There's too many kids that I can keep track of."
Her watch suddenly made a beeping sound. She glanced down at it and quickly stood up.
"What's wrong?" Harry asked, concerned.
"Oh, Ron should be arriving with Rose and Hugo soon. I need to get back to my quarters."
Harry nodded in understanding, "Well, I'll see you later, Hermione."
The woman grinned, "You too."
He watched her go. For some reason, he found himself staring. He pulled his eyes back to the essay as he wrote a 'P' at the top.
He hated giving bad grades, but they would never get better if he didn't.
AN: Alright, so we got Harry giving advice to Freddie, Harry being jealous, and a Harry/Hermione conversation. Next chapter will explore Harry's jealousy over Michael, since that's going to be a pretty big plotline, and we'll meet some more Professors! Leave in a review what you thought of this chapter and what you'd like to see in the next one!