Here After

by Kiamii

Chapter Five "Sick days"

Conscience and reputation are two things. Conscience is due to yourself, reputation to your neighbor. - St. Augustine

Achoo!

"Bloody merlin this kid is going to be the death of me!" cursed Teddy as he ducked another oncoming spell. The baby was crying now, unable to help it as he felt really hot now. Teddy now wished he had gone to get what his godfather needed instead, wishing Harry would hurry back. This kid was ruddy powerful when it came to accidental magic. Every sneeze, cough, and even whimper caused some foreign spell or another to come flying from the baby. Currently Alex was laying in nothing but his nappy in his crib, seeing as how Teddy couldn't reach him without Alex's magic letting loose. Lily and Hugo had abandoned helping him out, each having already been hit with something. Teddy had thankfully reversed Lily's "noodle" hair and Hugo's abnormally large nose. So far it had only been an hour too.

"Alex! Come one kiddo, calm down," called Teddy to no luck. Alex continued bawling, feeling stuffy and sick. Just as Teddy was about to give up, the floo dinged and he headed downstairs, ignoring his now purple skin and elephant ears as he came face to face with Hermione Granger.

"Oh dear," Hermione said in surprise, "I was only picking up Hugo but I'm guessing something happened?"

"Alex is sick with a magic illness. Harry doesn't know yet what kind and he's getting the potions a baby can take." Teddy said miserably. Hermione nodded knowingly and reversed the spells on Teddy for him, hurrying upstairs and into the nursery where she cast protego over herself, ignoring Teddy's exclamation of "Why didn't I think of that?" as she entered the nursery. She tsked at the wreckage and instructed Teddy to reverse the magic and clean up while she tended to the baby. She leaned over the crib and place a hand on the baby's forehead, frowning at how high it had gotten. She then found a small black spot on his tummy and immediately knew what it was. The dragon flu. Nasty little bugger and it was stronger than the normal muggle type flu.

"Poor dear," she murmured as she cast a cooling charm on the crib and noticed he was in need of a change. She summoned a nappy to her and the other items and chose to change him in the crib, noting faintly that he had other symptoms as well. She quickly changed his nappy and Alex had finally stopped crying, though he was constantly whimpering and sneezed or coughed every now and then. She continued to gently cool him down for the next hour while Teddy went downstairs to entertain Lily and Hugo. Finally Harry stepped through the floo and headed to the nursery after getting told by Teddy that Hermione was there.

"Dragon Flu. The black spot on his tummy gives it away. He is also having diarrhea and he's coughing. Do you have a fever reducer and the other things?" she asked. They had gone through this thing only once, when Teddy was around two years old. This kind of thing wasn't exactly common and Harry had been unprepared with potions because it had been awhile since he had dealt with a sick baby. Harry nodded and handed the items over, helping her work as they catered to the baby until he was finally asleep, sucking his dummy as he was dressed in a sleeper for the night. Harry held the baby as the two walked downstairs to see Teddy talking to Lily and Hugo about the dangers of a sick baby, to their amusement. Harry coughed and his godson jumped, startled, before grinning sheepishly.

"So I have to get home and all," Teddy said as he made his escape. Hermione shook her head and kissed Harry on the cheek in parting as she took Hugo with her through the floo. Lily looked at her father imploringly and Harry transfigured a nearby spoon into a bassinet since they hadn't thought to buy one. They probably needed more clothes and necessities for the baby soon, but Harry didn't fancy going out again to shop. No doubt the pictures they took today of him buying from a baby store would be in tomorrow's paper. He laid Alex down in the bassinet and looked at his daughter with a smile.

"Teddy said magical babies who get sick are monsters," Lily said innocently. Harry chuckled and kissed his daughter on the forehead.

"Only when they are really sick baby girl," he assured, "but Alex was just feeling under the weather. He should be alright soon. Speaking of which, did Teddy tell you that Alex was walking and talking today?"

"No way!" Lily said excitedly before lowering her voice sheepishly at the baby's slight whimper, "What did he say?"

"Want and Mine," repeated Harry with a grin. Lily giggled and Harry set to making a cup of pumpkin juice for his little girl and a coffee for him. As father and daughter talked together, Alex slept on peacefully in the bassinet next to Harry, occasionally reaching out only to have Harry rub his back soothingly, his finger being grasped by the baby's hand. Lily was in the middle of telling Harry all about a new boy who apparently had very rich parents when Ginny stepped through the floo. She frowned lightly upon seeing the transfigured bassinet holding a sleeping Alex when it was already 6pm.

"He caught the Dragon flu apparently. He's only just now gotten enough sleep. I think he fell asleep around 5pm," explained Harry.

"Poor baby," cooed Ginny as she lifted the sleeping child up into her arms, giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead and kissing Harry fully on the lips. Alex sleepily tugged on Ginny's robe, whimpering slightly. Ginny rocked him gently and told Harry she was going to put the baby to bed. She lowered Alex into the crib and smiled as he leaned into her touch, his dummy slipping a little from his mouth. She watched as his stomach went up and down steadily as he breathed, his small features looking like Harry in a way and she wondered if her husband had blood adopted the little baby. Harry had only told her that all living relatives of the baby were dead and he had made the choice of adopting Alex instead of sending him into an orphanage. She fondly remembered the days leading up to and after James was born when Harry had always come home with a stray animal that he'd found while working on a case. Ginny had stubbornly refused to allow any after her firstborn had been nearly bit by a cat.

"Mama," came a soft voice and Ginny looked down to see Alex still asleep, but his hand was reaching out. She smiled, feeling younger again when all three of her own children were that small, and kissed Alex on the forehead before adjusting his dummy so that he could continue to suckle on it. She left the room to talk with her husband and daughter about their day, leaving the baby to sleep...

Harrry... Haaarryyyyy. You let her kill me!

"Nuu.. Siri," whimpered Alex very slightly. He rolled on his side and with a jolt found himself awake. He wasn't in the department of mysteries but instead found himself in a nursery. He blinked before memories came back to him and he let the dummy in his mouth fall. He sat up and frowned lightly, noting it was still night time. There was a small night light next to the crib so he could thankfully see. He looked around before spotting the stuffed rabbit he had first seen upon being brought here a few days back. He hesitated before taking hold of the rabbit. He smiled shyly to himself when he felt how soft it was, and soothing for him. He was still scared to go back to sleep, not wanting to face remembering Sirius' death. He let himself whimper before stopping. He was a ruddy baby and he was powerless to stop the tears going down his cheeks and the quiver in his lips. Memories of his past haunted him dangerously and his baby body was too young to handle all of it. To top it all off he still felt stuffy and hot.

The door opened and Alex looked up to see Harry, or future Harry really, looking at him with a sad smile.

"Another nightmare baby boy?" Harry asked as he lifted Alex out of the crib. He was about to leave the stuffy when Alex squirmed, trying to hold onto the comforting item. Alex was thankful when Harry let him have it and he mentally frowned. Calling him Harry was starting to making him confused, seeing as he was Harry too... Or rather he was Alex now. Harry had adopted him hadn't he? What the aurors had said might have been true. He was in an alternate universe or something considering something would have changed the minute he was seen or he had discovered who he had married. What was happening to Hermione and Ron then? His world?

"Shhh, Harry's here." soothed Harry as he bounced Alex up and down in his arms. Alex looked at the man a little, wondering how this Harry had overcome everything in his past to be this kind of man. Alex let Harry sit him in his lap as a bottle of warm milk was given to him. Instead of taking hold of it, Alex pushed it back at Harry who looked at him before holding the bottle for Alex. The deaged teen let Harry feed him the bottle instead, finding comfort as he held the stuffy as well. Maybe it had a calming charm on it or something? Nevertheless Alex pushed aside his dignity and drank from the bottle even though his older self was in control of his body for once.

"I bet you're scared, being here with no idea where your real mummy and daddy are if you really are me," Harry said softly, "I lost a lot of people in my life after that you know. My godfather, Teddy's parents, and many more." Alex almost paused in his drinking, before hastily gulping down the milk again. So Remus and Tonks were dead? Teddy was an orphan just like Harry had been.

"I promise you'll grow up loved here, and you'll never experience someone like the Dursleys, if you stay in this world I think." Harry was whispering as Alex finished. Alex allowed himself to be burped and he looked into Harry's own green eyes for a moment before making up his mind. If he was a baby from now on and would have to grow up again or something, then he'd do his best to put all dignity aside and be one for Harry's sake. With that decision, he opened his mouth into a baby like coo.

"Daddy sad," he crooned. He figured it was worth the embarrassing words when Harry's face split into a wide grin, kissing the baby's cheek.

"No baby, Daddy is happy," Harry corrected, his forehead touching Alex's own with a smile. Absently he noted the fever was no longer there as much and as Alex giggled a little, Harry was happy that he was able to change this little one's life.

Author's Note: Hehehe I had fun with this part. This isn't a long story, though I don't even know where I'm headed with this. The whole story idea appeared in my head while I was at church and, ignoring my mom's indignant look, I had pulled out my iPhone and started typing most of it, starting the whole story when I got home. So maybe it was lucky I wrote it down. Just saying, if you have an idea, no matter where you are, write it down! I'm really surprised how easily this story is coming to me than the others I've written. Maybe this one will be done by Christmas. Who knows...