Harry's Future, Part 46
Harry sat in a comfortable chair on the portico of his, or more accurately his family's, new home. It was the Saturday of their first weekend in the house and shortly visitors were due to arrive for the house warming. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were already there, having come early to help with the preparations. The food was, of course, being handled by Mrs. Weasley and Kreacher with promised supplementation from Angelina. Harry did what he could but after a short while it was suggested he just relax and maybe get ready to greet the guests as befits his role as lord of the manor.
He didn't mind very much at all, although he thought the 'lord' comment was a bit over the top. Since the move was completed the previous Tuesday afternoon, Harry had come home each afternoon when his classes were over. He found the view from the portico very enjoyable. He could look out over the lawn and flowerbeds or lift his gaze and see the hills rising away from the meadow further out. The sun was warming the late April morning and Harry let his head rest on the chair back as he closed his eyes and just listened to the various sounds of birds and insects.
He wasn't sure if he had drifted off but the swooshing sound of broomsticks definitely caught his attention. He opened his eyes in time to see Bill and Fleur, each astride a broom land in the front yard. Little Victoire was visible over Bill's shoulder, having made the trip in a back pack style carrier on her dad's back. Her flying outfit included a small hat and pair of goggles. She was waving frantically to her 'unc 'arry'.
Harry smiled as he stood up and walked down the steps to meet them. Hand in hand, Bill and Fleur walked up the path towards Harry. Fleur handed her broom to her husband and then approached Harry with arms wide.
"Good morneeng, mon frere. Oh, 'arry. The 'ouse is très manifique, truly magnificent," she said as she wrapped Harry in a tight embrace before bestowing the traditional two kisses on the cheek, then pulled him close to herself again and whispered in his ear,
"I weesh you many, many, years of 'appiness and love 'ere, mon ami."
Harry gripped her as tightly and replied,
"Thank you, Fleur, for everything. You'll just have to visit frequently to check up on me."
Fleur released Harry enough to lean back and look deeply into his green eyes with her brilliant blue and said,
"Do not theenk that I weell not, chère."
"Harry, it's just beautiful," Bill added. "Ginny and Abagail really outdid themselves."
"Yes, they did. I still have trouble believing it's real," Harry said as he reached up to take Victoire's hand in his.
Fleur stepped behind her husband to undo the straps that kept her daughter in place and then lifted her from the pack. The little girl reached for Harry and he took her from her mother and held her close, getting the miniature version of her mother's hug. Without relinquishing his hold on his niece he led the way up to the front door. The door swung open and Kreacher bowed them in.
"Oh, 'arry. Eet ees even more beautiful on the eenside."
"I know. I've spent the last few nights just wandering around taking it all in. The design, the workmanship. If I called it a dream come true I'd be wrong because I never dreamed of anything like this," Harry said quietly as they made their way towards the kitchen.
For the next several hours variations on this theme played out as more and more people arrived. Hermione and Ron came with Mr. and Mrs. Granger by car. The rest either Disapparated to the front lawn or flew in from the direction of the Burrow. Bill and Fleur had taken the only cross country flight under cover of an invisibility charm that Bill had discovered some years earlier in his work for Gringotts. He called it a fringe benefit.
Harry and Ginny took turns taking groups around for the grand tour. High points included the expansive kitchen, Harry's library complete with the antique chess set and Abagail's bedroom which was more of a suite with a private bath and an additional room for her artwork. George raised an interesting question while Harry was showing he and Angelina around, with little Fred along for the ride.
"So, what kind of basement did they provide for your mad magical experiments, Harry?"
Harry looked at George, mildly perplexed and replied,
"Um, I'm not really sure, George. I think there's some space down there for food storage and laundry but I never even thought to check. I've been too absorbed with everything up here," he finished with a shrug. "Guess I'll have to poke around when I get the chance."
Since arrival times varied for the different groupings of visitors, lunch was a buffet affair arranged on one of the expansive kitchen counter tops. A number of the men folk wound up outside on the front lawn discussing the possibilities of the meadow. After about fifteen minutes, a number of brooms appeared and soon the sky above the calf high grass was full of flyers tossing a brand new quaffle, a house warming present from Charlie and Eleanor, back and forth.
At five o'clock, Mr. Weasley, with the aid of his wand, got the 'boys' to land and come in for dinner. He relayed an order from Mrs. Weasley that they make sure they get cleaned up so Harry pointed out the several washrooms for them to use and he made use of the one in the master bedroom suite. It was still a source of amazement for Harry that he had a 'master suite'. He had come a long way from the 'cupboard under the stairs'.
They all congregated in the dining room. Some very clever thinking had gone into the design of the room and layout of the furniture. Under ordinary circumstances a long table was situated in the center of the room. However, when this arrangement wasn't enough, such as this day, the regular table could be pulled apart into two halves, rotated ninety degrees and two additional leaves taken from a closet would be used to connect the original two sections, forming a large 'I' shaped table that could fit the entire group comfortably. Additional chairs were produced by Kreacher from somewhere in the house.
As the 'lord' of the manner Harry sat at one end, or actually, the top of the 'I' looking directly down the long expanse. As he ate his way through the magnificent meal he couldn't help marvel at how in such a relatively short span of time he had progressed from a despised orphan to an integral, and apparently, much loved member of a large family. As he pondered this wonderful turn of events he thought he felt that soft, almost feathery touch on the back of his neck and head. Without Abagail there to confirm it, he had to suppose that the touch was the same as he had felt when he first held James and when he was kneeling in the cemetery at Godric's hollow.
He was brought out of his reverie by a tapping of utensil against glass. Arthur Weasley was trying to attract everyone's attention. When he had it he stood up and cleared his throat before saying,
"As the patriarch of this fine family," he started with a grin, "I just wanted to offer my congratulations to Harry and Ginny. They've come such a long way since that first day on the platform at King's Cross. And a very extraordinary journey it's been. My wish for you two is that the journey continues for many more years, full of joy and over much smoother ground," he said, then raising his glass finishing with, "Cheers."
Everyone around the table raised their glasses and echoed the toast. Mr. Weasley then said,
"Harry, perhaps you'd like to say something."
Harry hesitated a moment and then stood up. He looked around the table, seeing his red headed 'brothers' and his silver haired 'sister'. He laughed to himself thinking that Angelina and Hermione could just as easily be considered in the same way. There was Ted Lupin and Andromeda Tonks. Even Mr. and Mrs. Granger were more family then friends now. He looked back at his dad and mum, without the need for quotation marks, and said,
"Yes, I think I would. First, I want to thank Ginny for being the inspiration for this amazing house and making it a home. I would have liked Abagail to have been here too but she insisted she needed to stay at Hogwarts for the sake of those classmates she's helping prepare for exams," he said as his eyes roamed over all of those seated at the table.
"I've said this before but I'll say it again. Regardless of what people may think, I really do consider myself to be a very, very fortunate fellow. No matter how bad things may have gotten for me, ever since that day at King's Cross, I've had someone to help me through it, starting with Ron. And as time went on and things got more and more serious, there were more and more of you to help me. Even after Riddle was finished, and my problems became more internal, you've been there for me," he said, looking down at the table in front of him for a moment, before looking up again.
"I know I've been a challenge. My issues with anger, my fears of ending up alone again, my struggles with the concept of family. But no matter how bad it got you've always been there to help me through it. Some with unbounded love," he said looking at Molly Weasley before continuing, "some so fiercely protective to put a mother dragon to shame," he said as he looked directly at Fleur who smiled back through flowing tears, "and some with a brutal honesty that opened the way for a truer understanding of family and my place in it," he said looking at Eleanor who was trying hard to maintain her composure.
"And of course, my life, my love, the one who never fails to pull me back from the edge when things start to spin out of control," he said looking down at Ginny, putting his hand of her shoulder, which she covered with one of her own. "I know I've said this before but I don't think it was ever with such a clear understanding of what I was saying. You are my family. I love you all. This house, this home, is because of you and it's for you. You are welcome anytime, for any amount of time."
Whatever else he might have said was cut off by heavy sobbing and the sound of a chair pushing back across the wooden floor. Mrs. Weasley, sitting on the other side of her husband, who sat on Harry's left, had stood and was holding her arms out to Harry as she cried. Harry stepped behind his father's chair and met her half way. She caught him up in a fierce hug and cried heavily into his shoulder. Harry held on tightly and then something miraculous happened.
He could feel an additional warmth across his shoulder and through teary eyes he saw to his side the ethereal but still visible image of a slender redhead with bright green eyes. She was smiling as her arms rested on the shoulders of Harry and Molly Weasley. He heard Molly's sharp intake of breath and similar sounds coming from those around the table. The image lingered for a moment and then faded away.
The spectral touch was replaced but a more earthly one as Ginny took the place of the image of Lily Potter and hugged both her husband and mother. After a few moments Mrs. Weasley's crying subsided and she pulled her head back away from Harry's shoulder and looked at him through red rimmed eyes.
"I'm sorry, Harry, but a mother can't help these kinds of things," she said with a little laugh.
"No worries, Mum," was all he could manage in reply.
Draping his arm over both Ginny and Molly's shoulders his turned toward the rest and said,
"I guess the whole family was really here after all."
It was a short while before the shock of seeing Lily Potter's image wore off and the buzz of conversation started up again. Harry had left Ginny and her mother to talk and he wandered over to one of the large windows that gave the dining room a view of the lawn. As had happened before a faint hint of fragrance caught his attention. Without looking away from the window he said,
"Hello, Fleur."
"'Arry, you are well, yes?" she asked.
"Oh, I'm far more than well, Fleur. It's a rare thing for a son to be embraced by both his mothers," he said, looking over at her with a small smile. "A bit stunned perhaps, but very happy and very content," he said. "Looks like a full moon for tonight," he added for no particular reason.
"Oui, mon frere. Eet ees a beauteeful sight," she replied, hooking his arm with hers.
They stood there taking in the beauty of the moonlight bathing the grounds. After a few moments Fleur leaned over to kiss Harry's cheek and then released his arm and went back to join her husband and daughter. Harry drifted away from the window and for no real reason he slowly made his way out of the dining room and to the front doors. He let himself out and stood on the portico, looking up to the moon which hung not too far above the horizon. It looked unusually bright tonight.
He was standing there for a handful of minutes when the sound of the door opening again caught his attention and he turned to see Mrs. Granger slowly move to stand next to him. She too looked up at the moon and then over at Harry. Her face was a mask of concentration. He looked back at her with his characteristic half smile.
"I suppose this has all been a bit unusual for you, Mrs. Granger."
"Well, I don't want to say that I've grown accustomed to all this, Harry," she replied with a smile, "but I've gotten used to the idea that unusual is not to be unexpected where you're concerned."
Harry laughed an easy laugh and said,
"I can imagine. I still manage to surprise myself every now and again."
He looked at his best friend's mother and said,
"Speaking of which, I believe I still owe you a sample of one of the more unusual aspects of my nature."
"Oh, Harry. Really? Are you sure?" she said eagerly.
"I don't see any reason why not," he said and then taking her by the arm, walked with Mrs. Granger to the edge of where the trimmed lawn met the more natural growth of the meadow.
He indicated that she should wait there and he walked further out, leaving footprints in the crushed grass. Turning around he faced Hermione's mum and with a wave directed his thoughts inward and within two heartbeats was looking down at Mrs. Granger from a much higher perspective. He could see the look of surprise change to awe and almost as quickly one of girlish glee. Her mouth went from an 'oh' of amazement to a wide grin and she clapped her hands together and held them to her chin.
Harry dropped down to all fours and dipped his head to bring his eyes more on a level with Mrs. Granger's head. He was glad to see that she wasn't frightened in the least. He edged his head forward until his snout was within arms reach.
"Oh, Harry. You're magnificent. In all my dreaming I never saw anything as wonderful as this," she said, one hand moving towards him as if it was doing so on it's own.
As her hand came in contact with the smooth dry skin between his nostrils her eyes went even wider as if the contact confirmed the reality of what her eyes were seeing. Looking past her, Harry could see the other dinner guests hurrying out the door. He had forgotten that Mrs. Tonks and Teddy had never seen him like this. In a few moments the others had formed a loose arc behind Mrs. Granger.
"So, Mum, what do you think of our Harry?" Hermione asked with more than a bit of mischief in her tone.
"Oh, my dear," she said, sounding a bit like Molly Weasley. "He is truly a wonder. I know you've always said he was someone special but this is, is…" she tailed off, unable to articulate what she was thinking.
Mrs. Tonks was staring at Harry, her face an unreadable mask. Ted's eyes were ready to pop out of his head. Ginny came forward to stand at the side of the dragon's head; reaching out to run her hand over the scales below his eyes. She leaned in and said,
"Since you're in a mood to show off, why don't you make it a real show, my love?"
Harry gave her the slow dragon wink which set her off giggling as she stepped back. Harry drew his head up and back and took several steps backward and then turned. With a lunge upward and a strong downward sweep of his wings, he began to climb into the night sky. He could hear the cries of delight from Mrs. Granger and a very loud, 'Oh, cool' from young Ted.
He headed off past the end of the meadow and over the trees that formed the boundary of his property. He wheeled around and came back towards the small crowd and the house, his wings sweeping to gain speed as he flashed over their heads, causing them to duck reflexively, all but Charlie, who stood watching with a huge grin. Harry soared out over the house and pulled up to gain altitude. As he flew back over his family at a higher altitude he let loose a blast of white hot plasma that lit up the meadow like a football stadium for a night match.
He continued to dip, wheel, climb and dive for another fifteen minutes before coming to hover over their heads, the wind from his wings whipping their hair and clothes, then backing away to drop down onto the meadow grass again. He walked a few steps forward and brought his head back to the level of his audience. Mrs. Granger stepped forward and placed both her hands on the side of Harry's head and said,
"Thank you, Harry, thank you more than I could ever say."
Mrs. Tonks continued to look at Harry and then she put a hand on Ted's shoulder and looked at him saying,
"Remember this night, young fellow. Remember this display of power and remember what you heard in the dining room. All this power tempered with all that love and humility. That is the example for you to follow for the rest of your left. Your godfather has much to teach you but that lesson, by example, will be the most important of all," she said, then she looked directly into the dragon's eyes and smiled. "Thank you, dear boy."
Feeling he had done enough for this evening, Harry stepped back and raising himself up he thought of himself and within two heartbeats he was standing in the crushed grass of the meadow. Ted sprinted forward to be caught up by his godfather. Once he was set back down he looked up at Harry and said,
"Oh, wow, Harry. That was unbelievable. My godfather is a dragon," he enthused.
"Yes, Ted, and it has to remain a family secret, understand? This isn't something that can be discussed with anyone from the outside, ever," Harry said, seriously.
"Yes, sir. I understand," the boy said, every bit as seriously.
"Good man. Now what do you say we introduce you to the wizard's chess set?"
"Cool."
They walked back to the rest, Harry with his hand on Ted's shoulder. He got hugs from all the ladies, starting with Mrs. Granger. Eleanor was the last and as she held Harry to herself she whispered in his ear,
"May I consider myself the dragon's sister now, Harry?"
Harry pulled back to look at her eye-to-eye and said with a small smile,
"I thought you already were."
There were handshakes from the guys, although both Charlie and Ron gave him bear hugs. When Ron let him go Harry said,
"Come on, mate. We need to introduce young Ted here to the chess set."
Ron grinned saying,
"Yes, we do."
This sentiment was echoed by Eleanor and Audrey. Unexpectedly, Mr. Granger asked if he could tag along. Hermione had never mentioned but apparently her father was a chess aficionado and was intrigued by the concept of magical chessmen. The chess players headed for Harry's library while the rest made their way with Ginny to the living room for after dinner tea and drinks.
Harry led the way into his library. It was a magnificent room, despite the mostly empty shelving. Harry's collection of books on magic only managed to fill one such built in case and there were many more ranked around the walls. His comfortable chair from the continent was set to one side near a small fireplace. An elegant desk was set before the large windows. This was for both he and Ginny's use. In addition, there was the antique chess set flanked by two cushioned chairs for players plus two more for spectators, plus the large leather couch to one side.
Kreacher followed in behind and quickly laid a fire in the hearth and set it alight with the wave of his hand and then he was gone. Harry suggested that Ron and Eleanor take the first round and Ted and Mr. Granger could watch from the other chairs. He and Audrey sat on the couch to watch and talk. The chessmen were quite happy to once more have Ron and the Lady Eleanor in control and knowing they were being watched, they rose to the occasion and put on quite a show.
"Harry, I'm so happy for you and Ginny. This house is just amazing. It's so grand, yet at the same time if feels so comfortable and homey already," Audrey said.
"I know what you mean, Aud. I thought that it would take some time to get that feel but it almost seems built in. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that Ginny and Abagail put so much feeling into it. Every time I walked through the front door these past few days coming home from Hogwarts, it's like walking into a warm embrace," he said quietly.
"Do you think it might be because of what we saw before, in the dining room?" she asked tentatively.
"Maybe, I don't know. I guess I'll find out when Abagail comes home. She seems to be able to see them pretty well. I know she said there was no trace of anything when we visited the house I was born in over in Godric's Hollow. But it's not like their regular ghosts like the ones at Hogwarts. I'm not sure what it's all about," he finished.
Audrey looked at her brother-in-law and took hold of one of his hands. She looked at him with a tilt of her head and said,
"How are you holding up, Harry? It's been a pretty emotional time for you lately. What happened in the Ministry building, deciding to resign, then the birth of your son and now the house. Are you doing alright," she asked, her concern so evident.
"It has been a bit of a wild ride. Reminds me of the time I visited my vault right after I got my letter. But for the most part it's been good. Holding James that first time, well, once I got past the fear of dropping him," he said with a laugh. "It was the most amazing thing I've ever done. And to be perfectly honest with you, Audrey, I'm rather glad to be out of the Ministry. Ever since the day the Minister gave me the job of Chief, I've felt uneasy about it. I mean I knew I was doing important work that needed doing but I never felt that I was the right one to be doing it. Being a teacher at Hogwarts feels right. It always has. Even when I was a student, working with the DA always felt right whenever we were together," he said looking down into his lap then back up at Audrey.
"And now all this," he said with a wave of his hand. "I'd have to say I'm really happy."
"I'm really glad to hear you say that, Harry. I think it would be good if you let Mum Weasley know that, too."
"Don't you think she knows already?" Harry asked.
Audrey shook her head a bit and then smiled at him.
"Harry, never assume that a woman knows how you're feeling. Would you just assume that Ginny knows you love her? I'd imagine you tell here every now and then don't you?" she asked with a smile.
"Of course I do. Rather frequently in fact," Harry said, a touch indignantly.
"The same holds true for your mum, Harry. She worries about you so much; she needs to know that you're doing ok."
Harry looked away from Audrey, gazing out of the windows to the night sky beyond. When he spoke again much of the joy had gone out of his voice.
"I wonder sometimes how she stands it. I think the last thing she needed was an eighth child with the kind of baggage I brought with me."
"Oh, no you don't, Harry. Don't you even think of something like that. You know full well that she loves you every bit as much as her other children. Yes, you've had more than your share of difficulties but you need to know something. Molly Weasley firmly believes that it was fate that brought you into their lives. And that it is her task to care for you and ensure that you're able to do all the things we need you to do," Audrey said and then holding Harry's hand with one of hers she used the other to pull his head around to face her. "And the most important part of it is, Harry, that she is happy to do it."
Harry looked at Audrey, then his eyes darted away but she held him firmly by the chin and wouldn't let him go. His eyes came back to look into hers. Then his lips curled up a bit.
"I'm doing it again, aren't I?" he said with some chagrin.
"If you mean, looking for the cloud without the silver lining, yes, you are. If you need to, try remembering what it felt like flying earlier, or better yet, go take a long look at your son. See how long your dark cloud can obscure those rays of sunshine, Mr. Potter," Audrey said with a smile.
Harry gave her a small smile back and then raised her hand and kissed it. Ginny had once told him that he wasn't losing his mind, he was just scared and confused. He thought he had to be a least a little crazy. He looked over and saw Ted staring transfixed at the pieces on the board. Ron was explaining each move as they were made, with help from Eleanor and Mr. Granger. Harry gave Audrey's hand a squeeze and stood up saying,
"Excuse me for a bit, would you, Aud? I'm going to go see how our other guests are getting along."
"Sure, Harry. It should be my turn at the board soon," she said with a knowing smile.
Harry smiled back and then with a last look to the board, seeing Ron's winning position and realizing Audrey was right, he made his way out of the library and down the hall to the living room. When he walked in he could see the rest of his family occupying various chairs and couches happily talking. Ginny sat with James cradled in her arms while Fleur sat nearby with Victoire on her lap. Mrs. Weasley was the first to notice Harry's arrival.
"Harry, dear, how is everything going in the library?" she asked.
"Just fine, Mum. The pros are hard at it and Ted is getting a good introduction to the game. Mr. Granger seems to be enjoying it as well. He seems to really know the game."
"Yes, he does, Harry," Mrs. Granger added. "He and Hermione used to play quite a bit but she would never bring a wizard's chess set into the house. She doesn't approve of the violence."
Harry laughed and looked at his best friend and said,
"Yes, I seem to remember her using the term 'totally barbaric' once."
"I meant it then and I still think it, Harry," Hermione added primly.
"And how are you doing, Harry," Mrs. Weasley asked, eyeing her son.
"I'm doing great, Mum. I'm very happy with how things have been going. I'm really looking forward to this summer. Two months being here all the time. Having Abagail and Ted here, too. And hopefully lots of visitors," he said with a meaningful grin.
Molly Weasley looked fondly at Harry with a big smile. Harry was forced to break eye contact when he heard a very demanding 'Unc 'arry, up' from the vicinity of his knee. He looked down to see that Victoire had slipped off her mother's lap and walked over and was standing next to him, looking up, her face serious and her arms raised. Harry obliged and lifted her up and held her tight and then let her settle into the crook of his left arm, her arms loosely resting on his shoulders.
"And how are you doing this fine evening, young miss," he asked.
"G'd, unc 'arry."
"Can you say 'uncle' now, Victoire? You're getting to be a big girl. Try it. Say it like this. 'unc el'."
"Uncly."
"That's pretty good, but one more time. 'Unc el'. Say it with an 'el' sound at the end."
"Uncle."
"That's right, very good, Victoire. What a smart girl you are," Harry said with a big smile.
"Uncle 'arry," the little girl said with an equally big smile.
"That's my girl."
"Well, Professor Potter," Bill said. "Once again you demonstrate your natural talents."
"Thank you, Professor Weasley. If the bottom falls out of the Dark Arts business I can always fall back on elementary education," Harry said with a laugh. "Maybe I'll go into partnership with Abagail and start a wizard's preparatory school. She's spending a lot of time helping tutor some of her classmates."
"You can thank yourself for that, Harry," Bill replied.
"What do you mean?"
"I was talking to her the other day. She said that you were her example. Doing what you can when you can, she called it."
Harry just smiled but suppressed the shrug. The rest of the evening passed with a great deal of conversation, and Harry drifting back and forth from the living room to the library and back. Ted even got a chance at playing a round of chess. He was given the white side and the king proved to be very patient once it was explained this was the boy's first time playing. A great deal of advice was shouted up from the board and by the time he was half way through the match with Ron, he was making his commands in a crisp manner. Ron played the game with a simple strategy and gave Ted advice of his own. Harry was glad to see Ted felt comfortable at the board.
During one trip down the corridor he met up with Mrs. Tonks who was returning from a trip to the ladies. She smiled as they met in the corridor. She looked at Harry and said,
"I just wanted to tell you how pleased I am with the way your new home has turned out, Harry. You've done so much for so many others it's nice to see you've taking the time to make some happiness for yourself. And I feel privileged to have been able to see what you showed us outside earlier. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Ted was absolutely besides himself. It's always amazed him that the famous Harry Potter is his godfather. I don't know if you knew but it was supposed to be your dad that was going to be the godfather for Remus' firstborn."
"No, I didn't know that," Harry said quietly. "I'm glad I was able to carry on in his absence."
"Ted can't wait to be here this summer. I truly hope it's not going to be any problem for you?"
"Andromeda, please. Look at the place. There's more than enough room. He'll be good company for Abagail and I'll be happy to have him around. We need to get to know each other better."
"Just don't let him pester you about the dragon. I can just imagine him asking to go for a ride," she said with a grin.
"To be honest, I wouldn't even know how to go about that," Harry said with a laugh.
As the clock in the corridor began to chime ten o'clock some of the guests began to make their farewells. By eleven they were all gone. James had been put to bed, or crib, and Ginny and Harry were sitting at the counter in the kitchen watching Kreacher put away the last of the dishes. Harry was watching the little elf closely and it seemed he was moving slowly.
"Kreacher? Are you feeling alright? You look really tired," Harry said.
"Kreacher is somewhat tired, Master Harry. There were many things to do today. Kreacher was glad to work but tired now Kreacher is."
"Is a house this size going to be trouble for you, Kreacher?" Harry asked, his voice showing his concern.
Kreacher looked at his master and mistress with an odd expression on his face. He walked over to where they were sitting and with a hop, came to rest on a stool facing them.
"May Kreacher speak with Master Harry and Mistress Ginny?"
"You already are, Kreacher. What do you want to talk about?" Harry asked.
"Kreacher very much likes this new house. It is a happy place to work and does not have the bad memories for Kreacher that the old house has. But it is a large house and Kreacher is not a young house elf anymore. Kreacher wonders if Master Harry and Mistress Ginny would consider help for Kreacher?"
"What kind of help?" Ginny asked.
"Kreacher knows of two Hogwarts house elves that would like to come work for Master Harry and Mistress Ginny. One is a very good cook and the other does housekeeping. When the time comes that Kreacher can no longer work, there would be house elves to work here."
Harry looked at Ginny, both with somber expressions. It was true that they had no idea how old Kreacher was. He also remembered the hideous display of the heads of former house elves that had been at the Black house. It was obvious that house elves didn't live forever. Ginny gave Harry a nod and he looked back at Kreacher.
"Let me know who they are and I'll talk to them when I go up on Monday. I don't want you taking any long trips when you're tired. And I want you to sleep in tomorrow morning. Ginny and I can take care of breakfast ourselves. You've had a tough day and I want you to get your rest."
Kreacher looked at his master with his large, liquid eyes. A small smile grew on his lips and he gave a small nod.
"Kreacher thanks Master Harry. Lucky was the day that Kreacher went to work for so kind a Master."
The little house elf jumped down and slowly made his way to the door that led to his small room. Ginny reached across and gave Harry a squeeze on the arm.
The next morning a special visitor arrived at the house. While Harry sat on the portico sipping from his second cup of tea, having finished breakfast a short while earlier, a large figure emerged from the path that led from the small gravel car park in the trees. Hagrid had come to meet his godson.
"Mornin' Harry. 'tis a fine house ya've made fer yerselves," Hagrid said as he neared the steps.
"Hagrid. It's great to see you. How'd you get here? I didn't hear anything," Harry said perplexed.
"I still have Sirius' flying motorcycle. Had some work done on it ta quiet it down. Flew down before sun up. If'n ya don't mind I'll hang about until sundown fer the trip back."
"That'll be great, Hagrid. Can you manage the door? The foyer has head room for you."
"I'll fit, Harry. Let's go meet James."
With both sides of the double front door open wide and some ducking and side shuffling Hagrid was able to squeeze through and into the foyer. Ginny had heard what was going on and by the time Hagrid was standing to his full height she was there with James. She held him so Hagrid could see. He knelt down and brought his head down for a closer look.
"Cor' blimey, ya two. He's a handsome one and no doubtin' it. Hello, James Potter. I'm yer uncle Rubeus."
Harry gave a start at the sound of his friend's true first name and a thought occurred to him.
"Does it bother you that no one uses your first name?" he asked.
"Nah, Harry, not at all. But this young one is diff'rent. Me and him have a long road ta travel tagether and this way it starts special like. Hope ya don't mind," Hagrid said.
"Not at all, Hagrid, not at all."