AN: I don't own Harry Potter.
Thank you guys so much for all the reviews, follows and faves.
Time jump chapter. Random day as Harry visits Hermione. Takes place just after the New Year.
AN 2: July 19 - After a review from a guest got me thinking, I went back and edited the last part of this chapter.
Go! Read and enjoy!
''Harry! Come on in.'' Hermione said as she opened her front door. ''Sorry it's a bit of a mess right now.'' she said as she followed Harry into her living room.
''Whoa!'' Harry said as he saw the living room. ''Went a bit crazy shopping for Nicholas, did you?'' he asked as he stepped over a pile of baby clothes and Hermione shoved some off the sofa to make a spot for him to sit.
''Oh, goodness no.'' she snorted. ''No, most of this I got sent by fans when the Daily Prophet announced I was pregnant. I'm just sorting it and putting it away for future use.'' she smiled.
''Smart.'' Harry nodded.
''Yeah.'' Hermione said. ''Sorry.'' she said when a couple shirts fell over on him. She moved them to the floor and made sure Harry wasn't in danger of being buried by more clothing. ''So, how's living with Sirius?'' she asked, sitting down on the only other clean area of the sofa.
Harry smiled as she asked about him living with Sirius. ''Great! We spent the weekend gutting Grimmauld Place, and started the remodel.'' he said. ''He plans on making it brighter and more open than before.'' he added.
''Well, that's great. I always wondered how he stood to live live there. I mean, Grimmauld Place holds some fond memories and all, but it's just so dark and dank in there.'' Hermione said. ''No wonder he was always wanting to go outside.'' she said.
''Yeah.'' Harry agreed. ''Where's Nicholas?'' he asked, looking around.
Hermione leaned down to pick up a shirt from the floor. ''He's upstairs asleep.'' she said, folding it. ''Which is great. He had a bit of a rough night.'' she said as she picked up another shirt.
''Oh? He's not sick, is he?'' Harry asked in concern as he picked up a pair of pajamas and began folding them.
''No, he's fine. I was walking down the hall upstairs, and tripped over a rug we have. Well, I knocked a picture down, and I apparently forgot the one way silencing charm on his room, and woke him up. He spent the next, like, three hours screaming his head off.'' Hermione said as she folded more clothes. ''I feel bad, however, for the family I sent an owl to at three this morning.''
''Uh..you lost me, Hermione.'' Harry said, tilting his head in confusion. ''What family did you owl?''
''Well, I also got sent toys and books along with all these clothes. So, yesterday when I was going through everything, I found this disco ball looking thingy that projects stars and galaxies onto the walls and ceiling when it's on. Well, thankfully I remembered that last night when Nicholas was crying. After Severus got it set up, it only took around five minutes for Nicholas to stop crying and go back to sleep.'' she said. ''Well, I was so relieved, not to mention exhausted and emotional, I sent the family that sent it a thank you letter, a signed Chocolate Frog card, and a batch of cinnamon buns Mitzy gave me yesterday morning. I didn't notice what time it was until after I'd sent Achilles off this morning.''
Harry laughed at that. ''Well, if they were annoyed, I'm sure they forgive you after tasting Mitzy's cinnamon buns.'' he said.
''Yeah, but I still feel..''Hermione said, stopping when Nicholas' cries were heard through the baby monitor. ''Sorry. Be right back.'' she said as she got up to go check on her son.
While she was gone, Harry picked up the new photo on the table beside him, smiling as he looked at it. Hermione had obviously taken it. Severus was sitting on the sofa with his feet propped up on the coffee table and had Nicholas lying on his lap, his bent knees supporting Nicholas' head as he held his hands. It was the look of complete awe on Severus' face as he looked at his son that made him pause, though. Even after all these months, and the last two weeks since Nicholas' birth, it was still odd for Harry to connect the Potion's Master he knew as a child with the loving, devoted husband to his best friend, and now as a very hands on father.
''That's my favorite picture.'' Hermione said as she walked back in, holding a bright eyed Nicholas.
''It's a great picture, Hermione.'' Harry said, putting it back on the table. ''Hey, little guy.'' he said, leaning over to tickle Nicholas' tummy.
''Would you like to hold him?'' Hermione asked, smiling.
''Uh..sure.'' he said, smiling as Hermione handed her son to him. ''I think the last baby I held was Teddy.'' he said, getting comfortable.
''Yeah.'' Hermione said sadly. Deciding to change the subject before she got depressed thinking about him and Ron leaving, she asked with a smirk, ''So, how was the date with Melinda?''
Melinda Danielson was a witch that Harry had fancied for a few weeks, ever since he met her at Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, where she worked. She was a very lovely girl, she was funny, smart, not to mention very pretty. She was about five foot six with medium length blonde hair. She also had plenty of attitude, and Hermione knew she wouldn't put up with any crap from Harry.
Harry blushed as he focused on Nicholas. ''It was good. I took her into muggle London to the cinema. We went to see some action film about robots.'' he said. ''Then, I took her to this little coffee shop just up the road from the cinema, and we sat talking until the waitress kicked us out so she could close up.''
''Are you planning on seeing her again?'' Hermione asked, folding another onesie. ''Or is this going to be another Sandra?'' she asked. Back in November, Harry had gone on a date with a distant relative of Draco, and had firmly stated he would not be seeing her again.
''This is completely different, Mione.'' he said. ''That woman was a nightmare. She spent the whole evening bad mouthing the Weasley's, not to mention you and Severus. Besides, toward the end of the night, she said she had to to to the loo, and after twenty minutes I was going to go check on her, and found her snogging the waiter in the corridor.'' he said.
Hermione stopped what she was doing and frowned at Harry. ''Oh, yeah. Sorry about that, by the way.'' she said. ''I never should have let Draco set you guys up. I met her at his and Ginny's wedding, and came extremely close to punching her.'' she said, making Harry laugh.
''Uh huh.'' Harry smirked. ''Anyway, yes, I am planning on seeing Melinda again. We have a date this weekend.''
''Well that's great.'' Hermione smiled.
''What's great?'' Severus asked from behind them, entering the living room.
''Hi, love.'' Hermione said, smiling as he leant down and kissed her. ''Harry's seeing that girl again this weekend.''
Severus smirked as he reached out and took Nicholas from Harry. ''Oh? I take it she's nicer than Sandra?'' he asked with his eyebrow raised.
Harry nodded as he watched Severus rock Nicholas gently. ''Oh yeah. Melinda's tons better.''
''Good.'' Severus said. ''Has Nicholas been fed yet?'' he asked Hermione.
''Uh..no. I was going to feed in him about ten minutes.'' Hermione said as she glanced at the clock above the mantle.
''Well, why don't I go ahead and feed him?'' Severus asked. ''You did pump today, didn't you?'' he asked, knowing the answer already. Hermione breastfed Nicholas, but always had at least one baby bottle in the fridge filled with expressed breast milk to take along when they traveled. One of those just in case situations.
''Alright. And yes, I expressed some milk earlier this afternoon. It's in the bottle with the ducks on it.'' she said. ''I filled a couple of bottles for him for when we went to your mum's tonight.''
''Is the kitchen also covered in baby items?'' Severus asked teasingly.
Hermione laughed. ''No, it's clear. I just have these three stacks to fold, then I'll shrink them and put them in the attic.'' she said. ''By the way, where'd you put that plastic storage container mum got us?''
Harry sat quietly on the sofa as he observed the two. It never failed to surprise him when they acted like a regular married couple. Of course, they were, but still. When they started talking about regular things, he was always amused. When he first got back and found out they were married, he imagined they sat around all day talking about potions, or arithmancy, or something else intelligent. But, seeing them talk about babies, clothes, breast milk, and now they were talking about nappies, was always a bit surreal for him.
Not to mention their house was nothing like he had originally imagined. When he was riding with Hermione here the first time, he pictured a dark house filled with bookshelves, decorated in Slytherin colors and old, musty, mismatched furniture. Needless to say, upon seeing their brightly lit house with more pictures than bookshelves, and in neutral colors, he had almost choked on his surprise.
If someone had told Harry ten years ago that he'd be sitting here, watching his best friend and former professor discussing nappies as said former professor held their almost two week old son, he definitely would have checked them into St. Mungos.
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XOXO - Onyx Obsidian