Harry's Future, Part 43
Saturday morning found Harry up early and eating a substantial breakfast at the kitchen table in the Burrow. The end of March was rapidly approaching and that put Ginny on the 'anytime now' watch. Harry intended to make his trip to Diagon Alley and Ollivander's his first and only business of the weekend and then he was going to spend the rest of the time being with his wife. Once he was done with his second full plate he got up, gave Ginny and her mom kisses on the cheek and headed for the back door.
"I'll be back shortly. Hopefully this one won't take as long to find as the first wand," he said with a smirk.
With a wave he was on his way. He Disapparated to his favorite spot near Gringotts and then made his way to the wand shop. He had taken the cane with him but didn't really need it so he moved smartly along giving a nod or smile to anyone who made eye contact with him. In moments, he was standing in front of the shop and he had a quick flash back to his eleventh birthday when he first visited the strange store. He took a breath, opened the door and walked in.
"Mr. Harry Potter. So good to see you looking so well."
"Hello, Mr. Ollivander. It's good to see you again, sir. How have you been?"
"Not as well as I once was, Mr. Potter, but well enough. How may I be of service today? A bit of polish perhaps. Holly, eleven and a quarter inches, Phoenix tail feather if I do recall."
"You recall correctly, sir, but I'm afraid it's beyond polish," Harry said as he withdrew the damaged wand.
"My goodness, Mr. Potter. It must have been a great work of conjuration to do that much damage. May I be permitted to see it?"
"Of course, sir," Harry said as he handed his wand to the aged wizard.
While Ollivander was examining the wand Harry took the time to examine the wizard. The man had never been what anyone would call robust but it was obvious that age and his run in with Voldemort had taken its toll. What little hair that remained was pure white. He was very thin and stoop shouldered and he moved slowly and with effort. His eyes, however, were still bright and penetrating.
"I must say, Mr. Potter, that in all my years I have never seen a wand damaged in this manner. Broken or shattered from falls or burned in the usual manner but vaporized from a spell, that is something new. I'm afraid it's beyond my abilities to repair."
"I thought so, sir. I assumed I'd be buying a new one. In a way, I don't feel so bad about it. This wand is my last link with Riddle. I think I'll just put it on a shelf in my library," Harry said and then looking at the aged man he continued. "So, what would you suggest for an aspiring Hogwarts Professor?"
"Hmmm, let me see," Mr. Ollivander mused and he began to work his way through his shelves offering wands for Harry to try ranging from oak, maple and willow, to ash and walnut.
They contained unicorn hair, dragon heartstring or hippogriff feather. Nothing felt right or worked as it should. Harry was fretting that this was going to be a replay of his first time at the shop. Mr. Ollivander surveyed the pile of boxes on the counter and then looked at Harry with a squint, tapping his chin absently with a thin finger. He seemed to have come to a decision and turned and walked to the back of the store. He returned with a box and laid it on the counter and pushed it to Harry. He took it and removed the lid. What he saw was oddly impressive. Harry picked it up and immediately he felt a tingle in his arm. It felt right.
"Hornbeam, dragon sinew, thirteen and a quarter inches. You'd be hard pressed to damage that wand, Mr. Potter."
"Hornbeam, sir?" Harry asked.
"Commonly know as ironwood, very dense, very strong. The very devil to shape but we have our ways," Mr. Ollivander said with pride.
"And I've never heard of dragon sinew, just heartstring."
"The sinew is intended to add strength to the wand as well as tap into the magical nature of the dragon. Please, feel free to try it, Mr. Potter, but nothing too strenuous if you don't mind," the old man said with a small smile.
Harry nodded and with a compact swish and flick he levitated a stool that was set against the near wall. Then he gave another wave and produced a rainbow of sparkling stars. Then he turned and with a casual flick turned Mr. Ollivander's tea cup, which was on the far end of the counter, into a small mouse and then back again before it could scamper off.
Harry looked at the wand and nodded and then he pointed it at a larger freestanding cupboard and floated it until it bumped the ceiling before bringing it back down again. He turned to Mr. Ollivander and said,
"I think this will do nicely, Mr. Ollivander."
"It would certainly seem so, Mr. Potter. Allow me to give it a quick clean and polish and we'll be done."
The elderly wizard reclaimed the wand from Harry and disappeared into the back of the shop. Harry recovered his original wand and slipped it into his pocket. When Mr. Ollivander returned he handed Harry the new wand and Harry handed him the galleons.
"A pleasure Mr. Potter and I hope I'll still be here when you bring in your firstborn for his or her first wand."
"I hope so, too, Mr. Ollivander and thank you," Harry said with a smile as he turned and left the shop.
Harry made his way back to his spot by Gringotts and Disapparated back to the Burrow. He went inside to find Mrs. Weasley and Kreacher busy in the kitchen and Ginny slowly walking around the living room.
"Ah, Harry, dear. Did everything go alright at Ollivander's?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Yes, Mum. It took a little longer than I had hoped but it worked out in the end. Mr. Ollivander also took some time to look at my old wand. He found it rather remarkable," Harry said, with a poor imitation of the old wizard's voice.
"I'm sure he did," Mrs. Weasley said.
"So, Harry, what did you wind up with?" Ginny asked as she slowly walked into the kitchen.
"Here it is," Harry said as he pulled it from his robe pocket. "Hornbeam and dragon sinew."
"Wow, that's a formidable looking wand, Harry," Ginny said.
Mrs. Weasley came out of the kitchen to look.
"Ironwood and dragon sinew," she said. "Now there's a combination I've not seen before."
"Mr. Ollivander implied that something strong would be helpful. It feels very good and I managed some delicate work with it too so hopefully it will serve well when I start doing transfiguration work," Harry replied then he looked at Ginny. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Harry. I find if I sit too long the baby starts getting restless. I got a little signal just before you came in," she said with a smile.
"A kick?"
"More like two kicks and a punch. If it's any indication, I think we are going to have quite the little handful here in a few weeks."
Harry smiled his lopsided smile and put his arm around Ginny's shoulders and in doing so saw the extra activity in the kitchen.
"So what's going on, Mum? Seems like a lot of work for just us."
"I was feeling a little lonely, my dear, so I sent out a general invitation for anyone who's interested in a free meal to come for dinner. I think we should have a relatively full house this evening."
"Really? That's sounds like a great idea. I wish I had known. I would have asked Kreacher to bring the chess set back."
"Master Harry's chess set is upstairs in one of the spare rooms. Mrs. Weasley suggested that Kreacher bring it here," Kreacher called out from the kitchen.
Harry smiled at his 'mum' and said,
"Brilliant, Mum."
"Thank you, Harry, dear," she said patting him on the cheek as she went back into the kitchen.
The first 'guest' to arrive did so right after lunch and it wasn't anyone that Mrs. Weasley was expecting. Firstly, whoever it was, knocked. Secondly, when Mrs. Weasley answered the door the deep voice from the other side didn't belong to any family members. Harry and Ginny were sitting in the living room chatting but at the sound Harry stood up and looked towards the kitchen door.
"Harry. There is someone here to see you," Mrs. Weasley said, her tone flat.
She stood aside and the Minister of Magic stepped into the kitchen. Kingsley Shacklebolt looked at Molly and said,
"Now, now, Molly. No need to sound like that. This is strictly a social visit to see how Harry is getting on."
Harry stood up and met the Minister at the edge of the living room. They shook hands and Harry said,
"Please come in and sit down, sir."
"Thank you, Harry," the Minister replied and then looking at Ginny said, "Good afternoon, Mrs. Potter, I trust you are feeling well."
"I'm feeling large and impatient, Mr. Shacklebolt," Ginny said.
Ginny had tensed up when she heard the Minister's voice in the kitchen but had relaxed a bit when she heard him say the visit was supposedly social. The Minister took a seat across from the young couple as Harry had already resumed his place next to Ginny.
"So, Harry. How are you getting on? The last time we spoke things were a little muddled."
"I'm doing fine, sir. I accepted Professor McGonagall's offer to join the faculty full time and our new home is nearly finished. Not to mention the baby's imminent arrival," Harry said with a small grin.
"I'm very glad to hear that, Harry," the Minister said, smiling, then his face grew more serious. "I owe you a great deal, young man. And not just about the other day. You've left behind a fine legacy, especially when you consider your relatively short tenure. Maxwell and the others have a firm foundation to build on."
"Thank you, sir, that's very kind of you to say," Harry replied quietly.
"Not at all, my boy, not at all. Of course, things have been pretty chaotic the last week or so. One way or the other, nearly all of the Mysteries Department is gone. Either dead, missing or under arrest. I was down there the other day and it's a mess. Don't know what half the stuff is they've got down there. It will take some time to work through the files and figure it all out. I need to find someone who can make sense of it all."
"If I might make a recommendation, you should give a thought to asking Charlie Weasley for some help. He has a great deal of experience as a researcher, his very smart and I think you can be reasonably sure that he would be working with the best of intentions. Not to mention he also has contacts with a number of other researchers he could call upon," Harry said.
"That's not a bad idea, Harry. Although from what conversations I've had with Arthur, I didn't think Charlie would ever be interested in a Ministry job."
"Well, I don't know that he would want to make a career out of it," Harry replied. "But if you're looking for someone to get things sorted out and set up properly he might be interested. I think he's going to be here later this afternoon, so I could approach him about it."
"That would be very helpful, thank you," the Minister replied and then turned to Ginny. "I'm afraid that I seem to still need to rely on your husband. I hope you don't mind if I call on him from time to time."
"As long as you come out to the house to visit and no one is chasing you with fireballs you'll be very welcome, Mr. Shacklebolt," Ginny said with a straight face.
The Minister laughed his deep laugh and said,
"Have no fear on that account, Mrs. Potter. Harry's days on the front line are over, as far as I'm concerned."
Ginny smiled in response. After a few more minutes of chatting the Minister got up as did Harry.
"I'm glad to see you're doing well, Harry, and thank you again, for everything. I look forward to hearing from Charlie if he's interested," the Minister said as he was shaking Harry's hand.
"You're very welcome, sir. I'll be sure to mention it to him today."
With that the Minister took his leave of Mrs. Weasley and left through the kitchen door. Molly came out to the living room and said,
"Well, that wasn't nearly as bad as I had feared. I thought he was going to try and talk you into coming back or taking a different job at the Ministry."
"I doubt it, but even if he was thinking along those lines you two would have scared it right out of him," Harry said with a grin.
"Now what is that supposed to mean, young fellow me lad?" Mrs. Weasley asked.
"Oh, come on, Mum. Between the tones of voices both of you were using and the looks you were giving him he's probably thinking he was lucky to get out of here without a dose of the bat bogey curse," Harry said.
Mrs. Weasley's eyebrows went up but Ginny started to laugh and then swatted Harry on the arm. Mrs. Weasley shook her head and went back into the kitchen while Harry settled back into the couch and talked with Ginny about a few different things but soon they were discussing their plans for the house with Ginny going into detail about the furnishings she had selected. Harry's favorite chair, which he had imported from the continent, was to be the centerpiece of the library, along with a new desk and desk chair, the chess set and a leather couch for visitors. She was describing the new dining room when the kitchen door opened and a not quite two year old whirlwind entered followed by her parents.
It was a testament to Harry's improved mood that it took less than two minutes from the time Victoire arrived to when the house was filled with the sounds of her screaming and laughing as she was tickled by her 'unc 'arry'. Harry then sat the little girl down on the couch next to Ginny so he could receive the full treatment from Fleur.
"Ah, mon frere'. That ees what I was 'oping for. I see you are feeleeng much better, yes?"
"Yes, Fleur. I still have some concerns to work through but all in all I'm doing much better," Harry replied.
Bill completed the greetings with a handshake with his now full time colleague. Ginny received all her greetings from the couch. She had made it clear that she wasn't going to be getting up and down for everyone that was expected for dinner. She sat with Fleur on one side and little Victoire on the other and was quickly consumed in an even greater detailed discussion about the new house. Bill and Harry took seats in a couple of chairs and discussed Harry's visit to Ollivander's.
"So how's the old fellow getting along, Harry?" Bill asked.
"He looks kind of worn out, Bill, but he seems as sharp as ever. Took him a while to come up with a good match, sort of like the first time, but at least this wand doesn't have any of the 'heritage' as my old one."
"May I?" Bill asked.
Harry produced his wand and handed it to Bill. He took it with a raised eyebrow and then laughed a bit as he felt its heft.
"I don't know, Harry. Are you sure you didn't ask him for a bludger bat by mistake."
"Ironwood and dragon sinew. I guess the only thing missing is a couple of iron bands to hold it all together," Harry said with a smirk.
"It certainly is stout. How is it for delicate work? Will you have any problems with transfiguring?"
"It seems ok, Bill. I tried a few things at the shop and they all worked out alright," Harry replied.
They continued to talk a bit more 'shop' when the next guests to arrive interrupted the conversation. Charlie arrived with Eleanor. As Charlie shook hands with Harry, Eleanor exchanged greetings with Fleur and Ginny. When she shifted her attention to Harry her smile was wide and bright but her eyes were shiny with tears. She pulled Harry tightly to herself and squeezed as hard as she could. She held on for a while with Harry holding her and rubbing her back. When she finally let go and pulled back enough so that Harry could look at her eye-to-eye she sniffed a bit and said quietly,
"I know I said some pretty harsh things to you that time, Harry, but if they had anything at all, even the littlest, tiniest bit, to do with you getting out of that place, I'm glad I said them."
"I'm glad you said them, too, El. For lots of reasons," Harry said and then with a last hug he turned his attention back to Charlie.
"I need to have a chat with you, Charlie. Something interesting has come up," Harry said gesturing for Charlie to take a seat.
"What's up, Harry? Something new for the Quidditch camp?"
"Something a bit more serious than that. The Minister was by earlier today. Came out to see how I was getting along and to thank me again. While we were talking he mentioned what a mess the Mysteries Department was."
"Well, you did manage to break it up a bit, Harry," Charlie said with a smile.
"Please, don't remind me. But he was referring to more than just the physical damage I did. What with the hybrid dragon business and now this, most of the personnel are gone, the records are a mess and no one much knows what's been going on down there for some time now. The Minister is looking for someone to try and pull it all together again and sort it all out. I suggested you."
"Me?" Charlie asked incredulously. "Harry, when did I ever give any indication that I wanted a job at the Ministry? I'm a field researcher, you know that."
"I do know that, Charlie. I wasn't suggesting a permanent posting. The fact that you are an experienced researcher would be a big plus in trying to get to the bottom of what's been going on down there. I also brought up the fact that you have lots of contacts with other researchers that might be able to help. Think of it as another project. This way the Minister can take his time selecting someone to head it up on a permanent basis."
"I don't know, Harry," Charlie said. "What do you think, El, Bill?"
"Personally, I think it would be a great idea, Charlie. You'd be doing something important for the community and who knows where it might lead. It certainly wouldn't hurt to have helped out the Ministry the next time you go looking for a research grant," she said.
"I have to agree, Charlie," his big brother added. "You would lend a lot of credibility to the investigation. You'd be coming from outside yet you'd be tied in with us and Harry. We do have a bit of a reputation for being on the right side in all of this."
"Well, let me think on it, alright. It does sound intriguing but I'm so used to being out in the wilds, on my own, more or less. Of course I am in between projects right now, except for the book thing. Just give me a bit of time to decide, ok?"
"I didn't make any promises, Charlie. I just said I'd mention it to you," Harry replied.
As the afternoon progressed, the rest of the Weasley clan arrived with the exception of Percy and Audrey. Percy was out of the country on Ministry business and Audrey had gone along. Once Harry had finished his conversation with Charlie he asked Kreacher to bring down the chess set and in next to no time Ron and Eleanor were locked in combat. They were both great favorites with the antique chess pieces and the game was punctuated with spirited single combat and numerous taunts and jeers.
Harry watched from the couch where his niece split her time between playing games with him and dashing over to see what was going on with little Fred. It was perhaps an hour before dinner when Victoire ran out of steam and she climbed up onto Harry's lap, leaned back against his chest and promptly fell asleep. Harry held on to her gently. He noticed Fleur and Mrs. Weasley regarding him intently. He gave them a questioning look but they simply shook their heads as if to say 'nothing, we're just looking'.
The rest of the evening passed pleasantly. When it was time for dinner, Fleur collected her daughter, who was still sound asleep, which allowed Harry to help Ginny up off the couch and escort her to the dinner table. There was a certain tension in the air, not one of dread, but of happy anticipation of Ginny's first child being born. Much like the wedding of her and Harry, the idea that the first Weasley daughter in generations becoming a mother was something special, or perhaps more special since any birth was a special occasion.
This much anticipated event arrived close on the heels of the weekend. Harry was back at Hogwarts, sitting at the faculty table having lunch midday on Thursday. He was having a casual conversation with Bill but his mind was on Ginny as it usually was if he wasn't deeply involved in something. As they chatted he felt a sharp jab in his head. He shook it off, removing his glasses and rubbing his eyes. He had been reading a great deal lately and he thought maybe he needed an eye exam, it had been quite a while. He started talking again and about ten minutes later he felt another sharp pain. He also heard an exclamation from the far end of the Ravenclaw table. He looked up and saw a commotion where the sixth years sat.
A student who had been blocking his line of sight moved and he saw Abagail holding her head but looking in his direction. When their eyes met she nodded and managed a weak smile. Harry immediately realized what was going on. He stood up quickly and looked at Professor McGonagall.
"Professor. It's Ginny. I think the baby is coming," he said in a rush.
"Off you go, Harry. We'll handle things here. Please keep us informed," she replied with a small smile.
"Yes, ma'am and thank you," he said, then turned to Bill. "I'm off. Be back when I can."
"Get going, Harry. We'll keep an eye on things for you."
Harry hurried down off the dais. Although he hadn't needed it in days, he had been carrying his cane about, just in case. It lay forgotten behind his chair. He was quickly out the front doors and moving down the wet gravel path that was still atop the bit of snow that remained. The last week of March and the first few days of April had been warm enough to continue the melting of the historic snow pack. Once he was outside the gate he Disapparated to the backyard of the Burrow and he was through the kitchen door in less than a moment.
"Harry," called Mrs. Weasley from the kitchen. "How did you know? We only just sent off the owl."
"I felt a couple of sharp pains, so did Abagail. I figured it was the baby. How is Ginny? Is she upstairs?"
"Ginny is doing just fine, my dear. The contractions started early this morning but only just recently got really going. She is upstairs in your room. The midwife is here and so are a couple of visitors," Mrs. Weasley said with a smile.
"Visitors?" Harry asked, confused.
"St. Mungo's sent out a healer and nurse. Apparently the midwife had tipped them off. Seems more than a few people are interested in the first child of Mr. and Mrs. Potter."
"Should I go up or what?" Harry asked.
From the look on Harry's face and most likely it was the same look as nearly all about-to-be fathers had, this was one area where he was completely adrift. She smiled sympathetically and said,
"Why don't you stay here for a moment, Harry? I'll let Ginny know you're here and if she wants to see you I'll give a shout."
"Oh, ok, sure, Mum."
Harry sat down and poured himself a cup of tea from the kettle Mrs. Weasley had set on the table before she went back upstairs. He had watched her ascend the stairs and he thought he heard the sound of a shout but he felt no pain. He wondered why he had before. After trying to think about it for a few moments, a thought wormed its way forward until he could recognize it fully. It had to be Abagail. He suspected that she had been keeping 'watch' on Ginny and when the contractions had become strong enough the pain radiated through the little witch to him. He hoped that she had the sense to 'switch off' her talent to save herself the unpleasantness now that he was home.
"Harry?" Mrs. Weasley called out.
Harry bolted from his chair and hurried to the bottom of the staircase.
"Harry, dear. Ginny said to tell you that she and I quote "under no circumstances wants you to see her like this and you'll just have to wait like an expectant father should". I'm sorry, dear," she said with a kind smile.
"It's ok, Mum. I guess I understand. Please tell her I love her."
"Of course, dear. Now try and relax."
Harry went back to his tea. Having grown up in a muggle household he was aware, if very indirectly, that it was common for muggle fathers to be there with the mother during childbirth. But he was also well aware that witches and wizards had a strong streak of 'old fashion' and this is what he was dealing with now. So he topped off his tea cup and took it with him into the living room to sit and wait. In the back of his mind, a cold, reptilian voice was telling him that this was a very natural thing and the presence of the father was superfluous at best. Harry thought back that they might be true of dragons but we aren't dealing with egg laying here. That little corner of his mind got very quiet but he thought he sensed a very huffy grunt before it did.
The downstairs quiet was punctuated by the occasional yell and Harry noticed that they seemed to be coming closer and closer together. As the afternoon wore on he got some company. Apparently, Mrs. Weasley had sent Kreacher off to inform a few members of the family and Harry was joined by Mr. Weasley, Fleur, Victoire, and shortly before dinner time, Angelina. Kreacher had returned and he took it upon himself to prepare some food for a simple, serve-yourself, dinner.
Despite his usual ravenous hunger, Harry only managed to pick at a few bits and pieces and spent much of his time pacing around the room. The others did their best to keep him occupied but even the irrepressible Victoire couldn't keep him distracted for long. Mrs. Weasley made an occasional trip downstairs for this or that and to keep them appraised. Ginny was doing well, all signs were positive and at her request the room had been spelled to keep the sound from getting too loud since she didn't want to upset anyone with her yelling.
It was around eight thirty in the evening when a gentle voice called down from the top of the staircase.
"Harry. You can come up now," Mrs. Weasley said.
Harry hesitated for a moment and with a gentle push from Mr. Weasley he made his way to the bottom of the stairs and then climbed up. His 'mother' gave him a brief hug and then with a hand on his back, ushered him into the room. It was obvious that some time had been spent getting the room cleaned and ordered. The midwife, healer and nurse were standing on the far side, looking at Harry and smiling widely. They might as well have been three ogres for all Harry paid them any attention. His entire focus was on his wife and the small bundle she held to her. She was obviously tired but her smile was bright and her face glowed.
"Say hello to your, son, James," she said softly.
Harry stepped closer and looked down. All that was visible was a wrinkly face and a pair of pink hands clutched in fists. There was a thin thatch of dark hair on the small head. He couldn't tell what color eyes the new born had.
"He's beautiful," was all Harry could say.
"I thought boys were supposed to be handsome," Ginny teased.
"No, you were right about that. He's beautiful and so are you," he replied as he bent down and kissed her forehead.
Ginny patted a space on the bed next to her and Harry gingerly sat down. He reached out with a finger and gently touched one of the tiny hands, which opened and quickly closed on his finger. Harry felt a chill run down his spine. It was the most amazing thing he had ever encountered, and for Harry that was saying quite a bit. Harry was oblivious to the fact that the midwife, healer and nurse were taking their leave of Mrs. Weasley.
His concentration was finally broken by a hand that had come to rest on his shoulder. Mrs. Weasley said,
"Harry. It's time to let Ginny get some sleep. Things went well but it's still a very tiring experience. Why don't you go downstairs and share the good news and I'll be along in a bit."
"What, oh, ok, sure, Mum," he said then leaned into to give Ginny a short but heartfelt kiss and then he whispered in her ear.
When he pulled back, Mrs. Weasley could see her daughter grinning from ear to ear. With a last touch of the tiny hands Harry eased himself off the bed and then he backed his way out of the room, not wanting to look away from his family. Once in the corridor he stopped to catch his breath and consider this most momentous of events. With a shake of his head he turned and made his way down the staircase to accept the enthusiastic congratulations of the rest of his family.