Chapter 5

Hermione spent the remainder of the evening making something for them to eat, and getting him bathed and into fresh pajamas. They were soon settled on Aquila's new bed, ready for story time. Hermione sat against the headboard of the bed with her son sitting under the covers leaning into her shoulder as she began to read. She didn't get very far into the book, before she noticed the little blond head begin to nod forward. She put the book on the nightstand and carefully slid the little boy down so his head was resting on the pillow. She tenderly covered her child and kissed his forehead. "Goodnight, Aquila my love. Sleep well, mama loves you."

"Night, night, mama," came a breathy, quiet reply. In the next moment he was sleeping.

She stood in his doorway for a long while, watching him in slumber, hardly believing the drastic way her life had changed today. She was responsible for the life and safety of another human being!

She almost physically staggered under the enormous weight of this responsibility. Could she really do this? She felt so confident in her ability to parent a child earlier, where had that confidence gone? Without even realizing it, she sank to her knees right there in his doorway.

"Come on Granger, don't have a panic attack now," she willed herself to calm down, "this child is counting on you. Dig that Gryffindor courage out of your school trunk and get on with it."

She spent some time there in the doorway giving herself the pep talk of her life, then finally went to her room across the hall. She got ready for bed and left her door open slightly in case her son needed her in the night. She made a mental note to purchase a baby monitor for his room the next time she went shopping in muggle London. Then the exhausted, new mother fell into bed and knew no more.

"Mama?" Hermione heard a little whisper next to her head and slowly opened her bleary eyes. "Mama, you wake?" She turned her head toward the little voice. There, looking her in the eye was her little angel, his hair sticking up at all directions. He was looking at her, worry etched in his little brows.

"What's wrong, Aquila?" she sat up and looked at the clock, 4 am. She inwardly groaned, but didn't want her son to think she was upset. "Are you feeling sick?"

"No mama, I wet," he looked down at the front of his pajamas, "no be mad, mama, ok?"

"Of course I'm not angry with you, sweetheart," she wondered if there was someone at the orphanage who got upset when children had an accident like this and she had to tell herself not to show her annoyance at that thought right now.

"Let's get you cleaned up and fix up your bed. You just had too much to drink before you went to bed last night, that's all." She made another mental note to pick up some of those pull-on nappies for him to wear at bedtime from now on until he was dry all night on a regular basis.

She got her wand and made quick work of stripping and remaking the bed, depositing the soiled sheets in the washing machine. She made ready a bath and quickly cleaned her son, and soon he was in fresh pajamas and tucked back into bed. "There you go," she leaned over and kissed his forehead, "sweet dreams, son. I love you."

"Love you, mama." Aquila rolled to his side and was back to sleep before Hermione reached the doorway. She crossed the hallway and fell into bed again.

It seemed like only seconds later and her alarm was going off. She stuck her arm out and slammed the button to turn it off. She needed to get up and owl the ministry to inform them of her status as a new mother and request a leave of absence.

Hermione stretched and stumbled out of bed, intending to go check on her son and make some coffee.

Fortunately, she looked down before taking another step, since said son was currently lying on the floor next to her bed. She rushed to him thinking he was sick or hurt, but he seemed to be sleeping.

Hermione carefully picked him up and placed him in her bed. "Mama?" he lifted his head and looked at her with a tired smile. "I come see you. No like be by myself." She realized then that he had probably never spent a night alone, since he shared a room with all those other toddlers at the orphanage. This was going to take some getting used to for him.

"It's alright, love, you just lie there and go back to sleep. Mum just has to send a message to work. I'll be right back."

She pulled her blankets up over him and kissed his little cheek. Then she made her way to the desk in the corner of her living room, where she wrote a note to her supervisor explaining the circumstances of her new status as a parent and requesting today (Friday) off and a leave of absence to begin the following Wednesday. She noted that she did have a couple of projects to finish up, and she would plan on coming in Monday and Tuesday to work on them before her leave started.

She thought that maybe Molly wouldn't mind watching Aquila for those couple of days while she finished up at work. She would have some time while she was on leave to arrange child care for her return to work. She took her missive to the fireplace and sent it to the Ministry via the floo, charmed to land in the department head's inbox.

She stopped at the loo on the way down the hall. When she made it back to her room, she had to stifle her laughter. She thought, 'How can someone so small take up so much of the bed?'

She made her way to the dresser, where she had a small camera in the top drawer. She turned and took a picture of her son, who was spread out in the center of the bed at a diagonal, with one foot on the pillow. His head was half covered by the blankets, and the hair that could be seen was sticking straight up.

She put the camera away and went to the bed, where she carefully picked the sleeping child up and put him back with his head on the pillow next the hers. She then climbed in next to him and covered them both. Without waking, Aquila curled up into the warmth that was his mother's body. He sighed and smiled in his sleep. Hermione carefully placed an arm around him and closed her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this kind of peace.

The rest of day was spent in playing with, feeding, cleaning and just generally getting to know her new son. He was a delight to be around, and very cooperative, but she wasn't naïve enough to believe that would always be the norm. She knew that once he was settled in and feeling more secure with his new situation, that the more typical behaviors of children his age would start to make themselves known.

Their day was broken up periodically by the arrival of owls bearing packages from various members of the Weasley family, the largest being a basket from Molly containing the usual Weasley sweater, small and charmed to size itself to fit. It was blue with a silver eagle on the front. Also in the basket were supplies that magical families with small children kept on hand, including child doses of various potions for different ailments, salves for cuts and scrapes and special soaps and shampoos made for small children. Hermione was so grateful for Molly's experience in raising children. She spotted a lot of things she wouldn't have thought of until the need arose. Gifts from the others included clothes, spare sheets and blankets, and toys.

Harry and Ron sent a gift together with a note, "Since you won't let us get him a broom yet, we got something else. Just place the enclosed box on the floor and enlarge. (Don't worry, it's not too large!). With some trepidation, she placed the box on the floor and picked up her son while stepping back a fair distance. (This was Harry and Ron after all!). She pointed her wand at the box, "Engorgio!"

There on the floor was a beautifully wrapped box, nearly as tall as her son. Aquila began to squirm, "Down, mama! Down!" She put the excited child down and they both made their way to the gift. Aquila made quick work of the wrappings and Hermione used a cutting charm with her wand to carefully cut through the tape. She opened the box and lifted out a brand new tricycle. It was a bright, shiny red and even had a bell on the handlebars. Aquila's stood there and stared wide-eyed at the vision before him. He cautiously reached for the handle of the bike as if he expected it to disappear before he could touch it. He looked at his mother in wonder, "For me, Mama?"

"Yes, Aquila, that is for you from Uncle Harry and Uncle Ron." She barely got the sentence out when Aquila let out a loud squeal. He grabbed the handlebars and swung his litle leg over to sit on the seat. The brightness of his smile putting the sun to shame. He just sat there for a moment, turning himself around on the seat several times to look over every bit of the bike.

"Should we go to the park down the road so you can ride your bike today?"

"Yes, Mama!" then a pause, "mama, I not know how."

Hermione got down on her knees in front of Aquila, who was starting to look a little sad. "Don't worry, son. I will show you how"

"Tank you, Mama."

Aquila was a big hit at the Weasley Sunday dinner. He took to 'Gamma' Molly right away, and she wasted no time trying to feed him every time he turned around. "Molly," Arthur teased, "the poor boy just ate, give him some time to digest what's already in his stomach!"

"But he's so thin, Arthur," Molly handed Aquila the biscuit she had in her hand, "we have to build him up a bit."

Arthur laughed and shook his head. "Come with Grandpa Arthur, Aquila," he said holding out his hand, " let's go see what everyone is doing outside, I think you and Teddy should get to know each other a little better. After all, you are practically cousins." Harry and Ginny brought Harry's godson, Teddy Lupin with them. Teddy was only a few months older than Aquila. They had been eyeing each other all afternoon, but both were acting a little shy. Molly was sure they would be fast friends in no time.

"OK, Gampa." Aquila put his hand in his new grandpa's and they went out the door into the yard.

Hermione stood in the window and watched as her new son interacted with these people who had been her family for so much of her life. They were literally all the family that she and Aquila had.

Harry and Ron had made a trip to Australia in an attempt to find her parents, but they had no success. Even Minister Shacklebolt, as a favor to his favorite war heroine, had sent aurors on a mission to find them. They found no trace.

"It would be easier for us to find them if they were magical, Hermione. There are just so many places they could be." Kingsley had promised, though, that he would periodically send aurors to different places in Australia to check for them over the next couple of years. He felt that wizarding Britain owed Hermione Granger that much.

She was heartbroken, and spent many a night crying into her pillow wishing they would be found, but if they couldn't, she just hoped that wherever they were they were safe and happy.

"He's a beautiful child, Hermione," Molly sidled up to Hermione to give her a warm hug, "kindness just radiates from him. Look at everyone out there, they all want to hold him and play with him. No matter what the circumstances of his birth, you know he always has a place here with us, just as you do."

Hermione returned the hug wholeheartedly, "Thank you so much Molly. There is something I would like to talk to you and Arthur about though."

"Well, let me call Arthur in here, Hermione," Molly bustled to the door and called her husband into the house. Soon they were both seated at the table across from Hermione.

"I have thought very seriously about this for the last few days, and I would like it very much if you two would consent to being Aquila's godparents." Hermione looked hopefully at the couple across the table, "It's not like I plan on leaving him without a parent anytime soon, but I feel that I have to be responsible enough to prepare for such an event. I know you two would always make sure he was loved and cared for, and there would always be someone in the family to help with his care. I just couldn't choose between Harry and Ron, without worrying about hurting the other's feelings, and I know they are both a part of this family anyway. Ok, I know I'm rambling now, so I'll just stop."

Arthur and Molly looked at each other. Molly already had her handkerchief out, dabbing at her eyes. She nodded at Arthur.

"We'd be honored, Hermione," Arthur reached across the table to take Hermione's hand in his, "you know we would do all in our power to make sure he was cared for, should anything happen to you. And of course all of this lot would help us!" He waved his arm at the gathering of Weasleys watching from the doorway. George was holding Aquila and they were all looking like they felt guilty for intruding on a personal moment between their parents and Hermione. Ginny, Pansy and Fleur were all starting to tear up, and all three young women walked over to stand near Hermione.

"It's ok, Hermione, you don't have to worry about hurting anyone's feelings," Ginny gave her friend a quick hug. "Mum and dad will be the official godparents, but that only means he gets all of us."

"Hear, hear," came a voice from the group still crowded at the door, "now let's go play some Quidditch."