Chapter 20: Possibilities & Boundaries

"So how about it, Ron? …. Do you want to have kids with me?"

Ron gazed at his girlfriend for a long moment, trying to think through what he was going to say. He had never been the best with words – not in the way Hermione or even Harry were – but he knew that whatever he said next had to come across as just right.

More the point, however, was to consider the merits of Lavender's offer: she wanted to have a child, and she wanted to do it with him. He felt truly honored, in as much the same way as he had felt honored when Hermione had approached him all those years ago and expressed that she was ready to try for a baby.

Simultaneously, however, the thought of going through the travails of parenthood all over again terrified him.

"I thought I was done with the nappies and the feedings," he expressed to Lavender honestly. She sat back and listened to him. "Rose and Hugo are both grown, or nearly, out in the world. Any little one of ours… well, he or she would be quite the caboose."

Lavender nodded in agreement. "Do you think Rose or Hugo would be uncomfortable at the prospect of a little brother or sister?"

"Hard to say, at least until we found ourselves in that situation or moment. If I know my Rosie, she'd be thrilled. Hugo…. I'm not sure. But then again, how does anyone react to the fact that you're suddenly going to be a middle child? Middle squeezes tend to get a bad rap – I felt scrunched between Ginny and the twins! Though to hear Percy talk, he had it even worse…."

Lavender chuckled. "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

She smirked and rolled her eyes. "Would you want to have another baby?"

He considered the question for a moment. "I guess my biggest concern would be…. does it matter – would it matter – to either of us if we got pregnant before we were to, hypothetically, get married?"

"Nope," Lavender responded. "Not to me."

"Me neither," Ron found himself agreeing. A beat, and then he laughed at himself. "Merlin! Mum must be rolling in her grave…."

"Very traditional, that one," Lavender mused.

"Don't I know it! I think it helped that Hermione was too. She was focused on her career, and we didn't learn we were having Rosie until three years after the wedding." His voice trailed off. "I… I would be fine with it." He weighed what he had just said, found that it rang true, then nodded eagerly. "I – Yes, love. I would love to have a baby with you!"

Lavender grinned. "Well…. all right, then." And with that, she began to unbutton her pajama top. Seeing the fabric part like curtains to reveal the swell of her breasts, Ron sucked in an astonished breath. Noticing him ogling her, Lavender smirked shyly. "Want to get in a bit of practice?"

She said it casually, yet the couple still nonetheless undressed each other with a quiet, solemn reverence. Kissing languorously, deeply, Ron shrugged the pajama top off Lavender's shoulders. He shuddered with pleasure as he felt her palming his firm erection through his trousers, her fingers trembling to undo the buckle.

Yanking his shirt over his head, Ron heard Lavender moan at the sight of his broad chest. Embracing, Ron slipped his hands down to feel up Lavender, cup her smart little bum. Sucking in a breath, Lavender responded by helping him hike her leg to his waist. Picking her up completely off her feet, he steered her back towards the bed and they tumbled onto the mattress. Ironically, the knowledge that there were now making out in the same bed where he and Hermione had once made love, the same bed where his previous children had in all likelihood both been conceived, only entered the barest subconscious.

Hovering above her, Ron gazed down at Lavender, and how she blushed down to her chest.

"We certainly never went this far as teenagers!" he breathed.

She threw back her head and laughed musically. "No, indeed."

"Do you trust me?" Ron whispered to her.

Lavender nodded dumbly. "You know I do."

"Take the facemask off then."

She blinked at him, stunned and confused.

"Please, love. Just trust me." Ron grinned, trying to put her at ease. "It's not as though I haven't seen it before."

Slowly, Lavender raised a hand to her face and peeled off the half of her face that stayed there through magical adhesive. When her scars were revealed, Ron didn't even blink. In fact, he hardly noticed them.

"Beautiful…." He breathed.

Lavender turned her face away. "You don't have to…" she mumbled.

Ron cupped her cheek. "I mean it." Dipping his head, he kissed her, long and lingering. From her wide eyes, Lavender was amazed by his sincerity. Within moments, she had melted and was happily kissing him back.

Her arms dazedly encircled him. She spread her legs for him.

"I love you!" Ron whispered along her skin. Lavender could only groan in response.

The blonde-haired witch clapped her knees about Ron's torso, lining up their entrances. Ron thrust inside her.

They had sex.

They both came together, the world spiraling about them.

Harry Potter studied the letter he had just received in owl post, his lips pursed in a concerned frown. Getting a missive like this made him think back to the worst days of his and Albus's relationship, when his middle son had been having such trouble in school. At that time, he had had Ginny to talk to about his fears – bitterness twinged inside him to think of her now, still under house arrest in Grimmauld Place, watched over by her own sons, though thankfully with the date of a preliminary hearing set. The trial would begin any day now.

Alone on a sleepy weekend morning here in Godric's Hollow, his first instinct was to call for Hermione and ask her advice. Seizing a clump of Floo powder in his fist, he threw some into the fireplace and watched the green flames erupt.

"Minister's Mansion!" he guessed. He knew that Ron had been allowed to keep the house after the divorce. "Hermione? Are you there?! I'd like a word!"

No reply. No green, floating head appeared in the fireplace. Frowning, Harry tried again, this time calling out, "The Rook!"

There was a WHOOSH as the flames seemed to switch connection almost. "Lu?" Harry called. "Can I have a word?"

Within seconds, Luna's head appeared in the fireplace, grinning brightly and gaily. "Hello, love," she murmured.

Harry held up the letter he had just received via owl post. "I just got this by way of Hogwarts. From Neville. It's about Lily."

A beat as Luna absorbed this. "I'll be right over."

There was another WHOOSH and then Luna herself was spinning right into his living room.

"Hey…." She absently pecked him on the lips and Harry returned it, as his girlfriend and lover took the missive from him, scanning the contents. "What's this about Lily Bear?"

"Parent-teacher conference. As her Head of House, Neville has a few things he'd like to discuss with me."

"Is she all right?" Luna's silver eyes searched him with concern.

"Dunno. Nev was vague. But I remember how Gin and I would get posts like these about Albus, and it never meant anything good." He sighed. "Looking back now, I think it was a cry for help, coming from Al. Meetings like these, Ginny did most of the talking… She was the more disciplinarian parent."

Luna nodded thoughtfully. "You're worried about going in there alone," she guessed.

"Sort of. Not really. I mean… Neville's a good mate; he'll walk me through it."

"What if I were to go with you?" Luna offered.

"What?"

"As a secondary…. parental unit."

Harry smirked curiously, putting his arms around her. "Didn't know we had gotten so serious, love. I mean…. you really don't have to come if you don't want to. After all, you're not her mum."

"I'm her godmother. And considering that Lily's real mum is very likely about to be sent to prison for a long time, I'm as good as."

Harry kissed her chastely on the mouth, touched. "What about Lorcan and Lysander? Won't you need someone to watch them?"

"I'll manage. Just give me a half an hour to make some arrangements, then meet back here."

"Yes, ma'am!" Harry saluted. Beaming at him, Luna was just starting to turn away when Harry suddenly grabbed her, spun her back around and snogged her furiously.

When they broke apart, Luna's silvery eyes were blinking rapidly like a butterfly's wing. "What…. what was that for?" she gasped breathlessly, though she looked incredibly pleased.

"Nothing. Just that I…. you're amazing, Lu."

She grinned. "Thanks." And she stepped into the flames and disappeared.

A couple of hours later, Harry and Luna Apparated onto the windswept hills just beyond the castle. There was Hogwarts in the short distance. After a companionable, almost leisurely walk, Neville met the pair at the front gates.

"Luna Scamander, as I live and breathe!" Laughing, the old friends and DA allies hugged, following a firm handshake between Neville and Harry. Luna drew back from the embrace with the Herbology professor, noting the solid muscle in his forearms.

"Gracious, Nev! You've been working out!" she praised approvingly. "Bench-pressing flower pots, are we?"

Harry noted how Neville blushed. "Not much, really," he mumbled. "What brings you here?"

"Parental substitute. I am the young lady's godmother."

Neville gnawed on his bottom lip, his eyes looking pained. "Ah, yes. Um… I've been reading about Ginny's upcoming trial in the papers. Harry…. I'm so sorry."

"Not your fault, mate," Harry shook his head, lips pursed tightly. He didn't want to talk about his soon-to-be-ex-wife just now. Unless, of course, that was part of the reason he had been summoned here, to discuss Lily…. He tried for an easy smile. "And besides…" He slipped an arm around Luna's waist. "There is some good that's come out of it."

Neville glanced between them, comprehension dawning. "Oh. Oh, I see…. You two are….. together?"

Luna bobbed her head, smiling brightly. "A bit sudden, perhaps, but it's been such a lovely surprise!"

"Indeed….. congratulations," Neville offered up.

He beckoned the couple back to his office and chambers.

"What's this about, Nev?" Harry asked as he and Luna took their seats.

"First of all, it may not be my business, but let me just ask: does Lily know you two are together?"

Harry and Luna glanced at each other. "Not yet," Luna murmured. "We've…. we've been trying to come to an agreement on when and how to tell her, and the boys, on both sides."

"We've put it off because we don't want our relationship to interfere with the trial and my impending divorce," Harry explained.

"Ah, yes. The subject of today's conference," Neville segued. "There has been a lot of talk about Ginny's trial and news of your divorce proceedings amidst the students. And Lily…"

"Are her grades suffering?" Harry asked.

"Dipped a bit, but not serious. More serious is her behavior: she's been lashing out, hexing people who talk bad about her mum." Neville cringed. "I can't really blame her – watching all this play out has been hard for me too. Her mummy is one of my best mates."

Luna nodded. "I've felt the same," she admitted quietly.

Neville studied her for a moment. "You seem to be recovering nicely, though, Lu."

Harry bristled. What was that supposed to mean?

Luna blushed. "Well…. love is ever a surprise, I suppose."

"Well…. it shows. You look good!" Neville complimented.

Harry wasn't sure, but he thought he saw Luna turn even pinker. "Thanks. You don't look so bad yourself."

There was a strange pause during which Neville and Luna studied each other, their expressions hard to discern. Harry cleared his throat.

"What do you suggest, Nev? Is she going to be expelled?"

"Oh, no, no – she's lost Gryffindor quite a few House Points, to be sure, which isn't exactly ingratiating her to her peers, but the infractions are nothing grave enough to warrant expulsion!"

"Do you want me to talk to her, Nev?" Luna asked. "She might need some girl talk, lady to lady, to make sense of all this…."

"I can have a word with her, Lu, I got it," Harry assured her.

"But…"

"I got it!" Harry quipped, a little shortly. Luna stiffened a little. "Lily's mine…. I got it…."

"All right….. You got it…" Luna conceded, though she seemed a little miffed, and more than a bit confused. Even hurt.

Neville walked them back to the castle gates after the meeting. He and Harry shook hands, then Neville and Luna lightly hugged and kissed cheeks.

"It was lovely to see you again, Lu – it's been too long!"

She grinned happily. "Well, don't be a stranger, then! You deserve to get out of this castle every once in a while, Nev!"

Luna and Harry walked back to the Apparation point. Just before they turned on the spot, Harry suddenly yanked the beautiful Ravenclaw close and kissed her hard, causing Luna to gasp in surprise as he spun them both around and they Disapparated.

They reappeared in the Godric's Hollow sitting room, and Harry broke the kiss abruptly, leaving Luna blinking dumbly as he angrily stalked to the kitchen.

"Harry…." He didn't answer, sharply pulling out drawers and fishing for a quill so he could pen a letter to his daughter. "Harry!..." Luna's voice rose in frustration. He glanced to her stormily, taking in his girlfriend with her hands on her hips. "Care to explain what that was about?"

"What was all that about offering to talk to Lily?" he demanded.

Luna's silver eyes expanded in shock, and she let out an offended little laugh. "I merely was making the suggestion that I act as a stand-in parental unit! I thought that we agreed I could act as a substitute, to support you while this whole thing goes through with Ginny!"

"No, we didn't. You inserted yourself, insisting on tagging along…."

Luna's jaw dropped. "You accepted….!"

"I didn't really want to – you cornered me!"

Luna flinched, now looking hurt. She pursed her lips and stared down at the floor.

"Well, then…."

"And what was all that between you and Neville?" Harry demanded hotly.

"Huh?" Luna glanced up.

"Oh, you know!" he jeered. "The pair of you making eyes at each other! ….. Complimenting him on his muscles?! ….. 'Don't be a stranger,' you said! I thought you told me you and he came to realize you were better as friends!"

"We are!" Luna insisted. She scoffed. "Honestly, Harry, it was one kiss, and it was thirty-some years ago!"

Harry snorted. "Must have been some kiss. Clearly, the bloke hasn't forgotten about it, from how he was looking at you!"

"And how was he looking at me?" Luna demanded.

"Like he wanted to take you right over his desk!"

Luna gasped with dramatic horror. She threw up her hands. "You know what, if you're going to act like a possessive prat…."

"I can when you're flirting with someone else!"

Luna let out another little shocked, offended laugh. "That…. that wasn't flirting!" she spluttered. "It was two friends catching up, and…" She shook her head. "You know what? I don't have to explain myself to you. I offered my help, and from my perspective, you accepted it, only to get your back up about letting me talk with Lily, which I have a right to do, as her godmother!" She stepped back, lips pursed tightly and her hands raised in surrender. "Look, Harry, if you want to discipline your daughter, then discipline your daughter! But sooner or later, we're going to have to decide where this relationship is going and what we both want out of it! I want to be there for Lily, in the same way that I would want to be there for James and Albus, and in the same way I would hope you would want to be there for my boys! What is it that you want? Think about that!"

With that, Luna stormed off in a huff. Harry listened to the WHOOSH of the green flames as she departed by Floo back to the Rook. Grunting, he sourly flung himself down into a chair, armed with quill, ink and parchment and began to pen a letter to his only daughter.