RA Ch 4 Christmas 2008 & a Wedding in 2009
Christmas morning, about 6:30 AM, Harry Potter heard the wail that announced that Lily wanted to eat. There was nothing tentative about Lily. She woke up hungry, and usually was very vocal from the time she woke up until she was on Ginny's breast, not always crying but always loud. Ginny said there was nothing tentative about her nursing either. She grabbed on and nursed like she needed to get as much milk out as quickly as possible. 6:45 AM Harry was just about back to sleep when two little heads popped into their room. "Is it seven yet?" James wondered.
"What does the clock say?" asked Harry pointing to a digital clock next to his side of the bed.
"Six Four Six?" James suggested. "Is that close to Seven Zero Zero? Can we wait with you?"
"Come on up," Harry grinned as he let the two little boys clamber up into the bed, putting one on each side of him. "Love you, boys. Snuggle in." Al began to snuggle into Harry's side on the outside of the bed, but James was almost jumping up and down on the inside, bothering Ginny and attracting the attention of Lily. "Switch places, boys," Harry told his sons as he put Al next to him in the middle of the bed and moved James over to the outside of the bed where he could watch the digital clock and bounce without disturbing anyone but Harry.
"Six Five One," James announced rather loudly.
"Quiet," Harry hushed. "We need to be very quiet until seven in the morning."
About this time there was a little wail from Lily. "I have another one, you little piranha," Ginny stressed, as she moved a temporarily panicky Lily to her other breast. "You don't need to try and suck my insides out. Have a little patience." From the sucking noises coming from Lily it was obvious that Ginny's entreaties had fallen on deaf ears. Harry had the biggest smile on his face.
"I love you, Ginny," Harry said. "I'd give you a kiss but I've an obstacle in my way," pointing to Albus, who was snuggling into Harry's side quite content.
"There is another obstacle in the way as well," Ginny sighed as she pointed to Lily, who was on the breast closest to Harry and was both sucking hard and looking around.
"Six five three," announced James.
"Teddy is supposed to be here about seven," Harry told the boys. "As soon as we hear Teddy we can get up."
"We have to wait for Teddy?" James complained.
"I'm sure he will be here quickly," Harry countered.
"Six five four," James grumbled. "Make it go quicker, daddy."
"I cannot make it go faster, James," Harry tried to explain.
"Why?" James wondered.
"There is no way to make time go any faster," Harry proclaimed.
"Why?" James asked.
"I like it when you hug me James. Do you want hugging to go faster?" asked Harry.
"I want Christmas to come. I want Teddy to come so we can open presents," James protested. "It's boring waiting here." … "Six five five." Wiggle wiggle wiggle, big sigh, wiggle wiggle, another big sigh … "Six five six." Big sigh. "Boring boring boring."
Harry took his wand and made a duplicate of the display of the map of the house, so he could see when Teddy arrived. Just about this time Lily was done nursing and started make noise. Ginny laid her down on the bed and she wiggled over to Al and started to wave her hands at Al. Al grabbed her hands and wiggled them, gave Lily a little kiss. Lily said something like, "Ah da da ah ah fweet," as she dribbled milk out her mouth and onto Al and the bed. Ginny buttoned the top of her night clothes, leaned over and kissed Harry who was surrounded by the three children.
"Six five seven," announced James.
"Go to the loo, boys," Harry announced. James and Al ran to the bathroom. James climbed up onto the large loo, and Al sat on the little potty chair.
"Wash your hands, boys," Harry told his sons. The boys washed their hands and came running out of the bathroom. James looked at the clock and proclaimed, "Six five nine!" Harry saw the sign on the map that said Teddy had come through the Floo down in the kitchen, and saw him running up the stairs. Everybody heard Teddy as he came flying up the stairs to the level of the master bedroom and nursery, patta patta patta patta patta, then run up the next set of stairs, patta patta patta patta patta. They heard one door slam shut, then another, as Harry saw on the map Teddy opening first James door and then Al's door. Patta patta patta patta patta down the stairs came Teddy, and he came flying into Harry and Ginny's bedroom, out of breath and panting.
"Here you are," an out of breath Teddy gasped.
"Ah da da ah ah fweet fweet fweet,," Lily added, waving her hands and feet, trying hard to get into the conversation.
"Seven zero one!" James yelled. "Time to wake up!"
"Like anybody has been able to sleep," Harry laughed.
"Time for Christmas!" James excitedly proclaimed.
You could see Albus count on his fingers, concentrating real hard. "Been Christmas seven hours," Albus, who was rather literal about things, suggested.
"You know what I mean, Al, time to get up and go downstairs and open presents. Come on! Time to get up!" James pushed.
Harry and Ginny both arose and put on bath robes. "Take Lily," Ginny declared as she headed to the loo. So Harry tromped down stairs surrounded by the three boys, Lily in his arms.
In the middle of the drawing room was the doll house that Ginny had received from her brothers, the one that had replaced the one destroyed when the old Burrow had been destroyed around the time of the Battle of Hogwarts. There was also a fireplace against one wall, part of the always changing arrangement of furniture that allowed the room to be changed to suit the needs of the Potters, with stockings on the fireplace. The room really was magical the way it could be changed to do so many things so well. Once Harry was down stairs he pointed his wand at the fireplace and a nice fire was burning in it.
The boys immediately found their stockings, and when Ginny came down, not in her night clothes but dressed, they opened presents. Finally, Ginny showed the boys some little dolls. "There have been Harry and Ginny Potter dolls for years," Ginny explained, "but this year we were asked if they could make a Potter family doll set, and we allowed them to make it." There was a set with six dolls, Harry Potter, Ginny Potter, Teddy Lupin, James Potter, Albus Potter and Lily Potter, all sized for the doll house.
After all the presents were opened the family sat down for breakfast. Harry announced, "I want all of us to give thanks for something." He then prayed, "Lord, I want to give thanks for my family, for Ginny and all the Weasley family, and how I feel so much part of a large and loving family, and for my children Teddy Lupin, James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna. Mum and dad, Grandma and Grandpa Potter, I am so sorry you cannot be here to see these fantastic grandchildren, but I will always be thankful that you sacrificed to save me."
Ginny continued, "Thank you for this family. Thank you for sending Harry back to me from the dead. We are so lucky. And thank you that I recovered from getting hit by that bludger. I may have lost Quidditch, but I have so much more in return."
Teddy Lupin had one of two sets of the Potter Family dolls, and prayed, "Thank you, Lord, for giving me a family, a mum and dad, when mine were killed. Help me take care of grandmum Tonks. Mummy and daddy Lupin, see," showing the doll set, "I may be part of the Potter family, but I will never forget that you are my real mummy and daddy, and that I am Teddy Lupin. Thank you that I was born."
Teddy then looked at Harry and Ginny. "I think it's real important for my mum and dad that I'm Teddy Lupin. Thank you for not making me Teddy Potter. I love you, mum and dad, but I need to love mum and dad Lupin too, don't I?"
"Your mum and dad were good people, just the best," Harry replied. "I am sure they still love you, and are very happy you are growing up to be such a fine young man."
Harry then turned to James. "Your turn to give thanks, James."
James replied, "Thank you for mummy and daddy and for presents." James was not exactly a deep thinker.
Albus volunteered, "Thank u for Cissmas, mummy and daddy, new Lilylu and Teddy part our family. Help me be good."
James protested, "What about me, Al?"
Albus looked cautiously at James. "Help me nice to James, even James not nice to me."
Harry looked at the two boys. "James, thank the Lord for Al and Teddy and Lily, and Al, thank the Lord for James." He then looked right at James.
James sighed, "Thank you Lord for Teddy and Lily, and," with a big sigh, "even Albus."
Albus countered, "Sorry bout James, Lord. Thanks everybody."
Harry looked at Albus, who was trying to look sweet and innocent. James was not protesting Albus's prayer, so Harry decided not to say anything more.
Christmas 2008 was another milestone, not that Arthur and Molly were any different. Arthur was almost identical, just a little older and balder, but the hair that was left was as red as ever. The biggest difference in Molly was the ever changing Christmas outfit, with Teddy and now twelve grandchildren on it. It was the first of many Christmas's with twelve Weasley grandchildren, plus of course Teddy, without the confusion of the next generation of spouses and great grandchildren.
Teddy was ten. That April Teddy was turning eleven, and that fall he was going to be the first of the children going to Hogwarts. Of course the next year Fred Weasley was going to be going, and the following year Molly and Victoire. This was the last Christmas for a very long time without a Hogwarts student. Teddy was a beautiful child, self-confident, usually happy, and always well dressed. He had decided that he was going to be an Auror, a good one, he would tell anyone who asked, and he was very vocal about how he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his mother and father and godfather Harry Potter.
Harry and Ginny had talked about Teddy often. They thought that Teddy always wanted to be well dressed because his father was always so shabbily dressed. He was trying to take care of his grandmother and not leave her while still being somewhat part of the Potter family, and he was always very aware that he was different.
Fred, nine, had calmed down, but he was still the exuberant outgoing salesman and prankster son of George Weasley. He had a full head of the very red Weasley hair, although he had inherited the very curly texture of black hair, and he wore his hair very short. He usually wore store robes.
Roxanne, seven, was in a very pretty dress. She was a little less outgoing than her brother, and although she would fight with Fred or anyone she was a little more eager to find her own way. Wearing a dress and not store robes was a way she could show that she was not just part of the Weasley's Wizard Wheezes group, but an independent person in her own right. She had less curly hair, really beautiful darker red with lots of waves, coming down to her shoulders.
Molly, eight, was as shy as Fred was outgoing, by far the shyest and most subdued of the children, but she had opened up some since she was little, and could hold her own in the chaos that could be the Weasley family gatherings. She and her sister shared their father's Weasley red hair, and both were thin nice looking girls. Lucy, just seven, looked almost identical to her sister, but she was not quite as shy.
Victoire, eight, and Dominique, six, looked very different. Dominique had the same blond hair and blue eyes, the same fair skin and fine features as Fleur. Victoire shared her father's brown eyes, and her hair was a wild mix of darker blond and red, never the almost orange red of the Weasley family but a lighter version of the pretty red of the Prewett side of the family. They were both beautiful, and were always dressed the part, never more than at Christmas. You could see that Victoire was going to be heavier than Fleur, and Dominique a little lighter.
Louis, four, was extraordinarily good looking, blue eyed with a little of the beautiful auburn hair of the Prewetts mixed in with Fleur's blond. The older Louis grew the more he looked like the photographs of Bill before his face was shredded, and the more he reminded the family just how much Bill had lost when he lost his face. He was a studious but self confident boy, as interested in learning as in flying. He admired his father, and wanted to learn what his father did, something that was not easy to explain.
Rose, just three, was what Harry and Ginny thought Hermione must have been like as a young child, serious and precocious. She was beginning to get the overly thick hair of her mother, and her brown hair had red highlights.
If Rose was in some ways an easy child, Hugo, four and a half months, was beginning to become Hermione's nightmare, a boy with bright red hair, just as wild as Rose was calm. Molly said Hugo and Lily reminded her more of Fred and George than any of her other grandchildren, except for young Fred of course. Ron was delighted, but Ron was not the one trying to nurse this wild boy and at the same time hold down a full time job.
Harry looked at his own family. He felt amazingly settled, head of the Auror department and so involved in the affairs of the Wizarding world. Other people seemed to treat him like they treated Kingsley Shacklebolt or Al VanLente or all the other major figures in their world, something that still surprised him sometimes.
Ginny! After all these years Harry was still amazed that, after he thought that he would die, after he reluctantly resigned himself to losing Ginny forever, then after almost losing Ginny to the Quidditch accident, here he was married and with three, Three, THREE beautiful children, plus of course always Teddy, not fully their son but still in some way so much their son.
Ginny! Beautiful red hair, a little heavy but not too heavy, well not as thin as when they were married and no where near as thin as when she was playing for the Harpies, but with a very feminine shape. Beautiful hips, still thin enough in the middle, despite the belly that she could never get rid of, and delightfully busty because of the nursing. Still passionate, still the fiery and passionate red head. Harry was always afraid of being out of control. Almost none of the various responsibilities he had could tolerate him being at all out of control. Ginny, on the other hand, she occasionally showed that she could still be someone to be feared. It was not wise to get on her bad side.
James, four years old, was plenty bright enough. Ginny and the other people teaching him had to reassure Harry that James was really doing well enough in school. What James really wanted to do was to fly, play Quidditch, and for four years old he was good at it. Bright Weasley red hair, great big smile, and very outgoing and confident, he had some idea that his father was a hero and a well known person, and he was very comfortable being the oldest child in the family. James Sirius Potter was very comfortable in who he was.
Albus, two and a half, was another case. Al was maybe the smartest and most complicated of all the twelve grandchildren. He liked to fly, but was not as passionate about it as James. He was extraordinarily good at the kind of magic a small child or experienced wizard could do without a wand, and worked at magic harder than any small boy could be expected to. He was obviously from what he said and how he reacted much more aware of all the dangers in the world than any of the other grandchildren, but courageous enough to do anything he wanted or needed to do anyway.
James was jealous of how easily learning came to Albus, and Albus was, if not exactly afraid, at least concerned, very aware that James was bigger and stronger than he was. It did not help that Al was small for his age, small and fine boned and almost pretty, with the same kind green eyes of Harry and his mother, and black hair just like Harry and his father, but for the first time in three generations neatly combed. Harry and Ginny thought that there was going to be some tension between Albus and James for years, and hoped that they would grow out of it.
It was beginning to look like Lily was going to be every bit as wild a girl as her mother was. She was already rolling over and getting anywhere she wanted to go, grabbing at things. She had a temper, and when she did not get her own way she could throw quite a temper tantrum. Ginny was alternately amused and frustrated. Molly occasionally thought Ginny and Lily together were hilarious, just revenge for all the problems Ginny has caused Molly when Ginny was a little girl. Lily was going to have the darker prettier red hair of her mother and not the shocking red of James and so many of the Weasley children and grandchildren.
Dudley and Belinda were going to get married the middle of February in California, and the entire Potter and Weasley Family were invited. Harry was trying to figure out how to get all the family over there safely. Dudley wanted the whole family, but the only ones who really knew Dudley and Belinda were Bill and Fleur, Harry and Ginny. Ron and Hermione did know them, but the rest of the family did not live in the intersection of Magic and Muddle like those three couples, so it was decided that only those three families would go. With the children it was still fourteen people, a lot to travel by Floo and then the Closet network if you were worried about security.
Harry went over to California to case out the wedding site, and the California Auror department met him. They were going to provide an extra security detail for Harry and his family, and Harry was going to bring over a couple of Aurors and a couple of the Auror house elves as well.
Harry and Ginny went on their usual Caribbean vacation, for the first time with three of their own children and, for the first time, Teddy. Teddy really wanted to go to the Caribbean with Harry and Ginny. Harry and Ginny took two pair of Aurors with them, and also Mitzi and Dobedo. Harry and Ginny had been told by Bill that, "Three children is six more than two," and there were times when it felt like it. Having four children in tow was certainly a lot more than having two very small children, even when one was a very responsible ten-and-a-half-year-old.
Harry was becoming more and more concerned about the evil that he could sense in the Caribbean, but also felt he needed to continue to come and become familiar with the area. Teddy was fascinated by the Caribbean; it was so different than England.
It was impossible to wear armor when you were in a bathing suit, but for the first time Harry was in armor whenever he was fully dressed. He also had a suit of armor for Ginny. She hated that she needed to wear it, but from then on whenever she was not in 'safe space,' even if she was at Diagon Alley, she wore her invisible armor under her regular clothes.
When Harry was back from vacation he met with Dudley and Belinda about the wedding. Harry announced, "Bill and Fleur, Ron and Hermione, Ginny and I and our families are the only ones from our world that are going to your wedding. Who else from here is going?"
"It's not like I have many relatives" Dudley responded. "The distant cousins that were my dad's partners sure do not want to spend the money to go to the United States West Coast, and in all honesty we barely know their families. My mother and Aunt Marge are the only people who we are inviting to the wedding."
"How are your mother and Aunt Marge going to get to the wedding?" Harry wondered.
"We will probably fly with them," Dudley suggested.
Harry was still concerned about getting everybody to California. He went over to North America and talked about security some more. Everybody knew of the attack at Vernon Dursley's funeral, and it was reasonably common knowledge that Dudley and Belinda were going to get married, and when and where. It was also reasonably well known that Harry Potter and his family were going to the wedding. In some ways it would be easier if they could get everybody except Dudley and Belinda, who needed to go over ahead of time, over at the same time. It was awkward to take a large group of magical people by commercial airplane. It was especially awkward because you had two infants who could not control their use of magic at all. Then you had Albus, who always tried so hard to be good, but who seemed to use such powerful magic so easily that he could accidently do something that would be a problem. Going over via the Floo and Closet networks with Petunia and Aunt Marge was no better. People would be too spread out, and you really should not take Muggles like Petunia and Aunt Marge via magical transportation.
Finally, it was suggested that they could charter an airplane. The only problem with chartering an airplane was the expense, but Harry could easily afford it. It was much easier to take wands and house elves on a chartered airplane, and you could fly without having to announce to the world when you were leaving.
So that is how, on Thursday evening February twelfth, two thousand and ten, Harry found himself leading a large contingent of people onto a private, chartered airplane that was going to fly north out of England direct to California. The airplane had been charted out of California, and had brought some machines over with it. Dudley had explained that it was difficult to bring partly magical machines into or out of the United States and the United Kingdom, and they were taking the advantage of the airplane to move several large machines and machine parts around. You could shrink the machines only so far, but you could shrink them and make them light enough to bring several over each plane trip. More machinery was being loaded into the airplane for the trip back to California.
The airport was a large noisy place, with many airplanes moving about, and of course plenty of little vehicles of all kinds. Very few of the people, none of the children, had ever seen anything like it. As an Auror Harry and Ron had been at airports, even if they had not personally flown in an airplane. The cars carrying the people had magically been waived through customs after the most cursory inspections of everybody's passport.
Two Aurors entered the plane first, followed by Harry. Harry was met by two stewardesses. They both had wands stored in the uniforms, and it was obvious they were witches. "Has anyone told you that you are flying with three families with small children?" Harry wondered.
"We had no idea who or what we were flying with," one of the stewardess replied. "We were only told that this trip was very confidential, and that until you were back in England we were going to be on duty and could not contact anyone."
"Are you ready for us?"
"Yes, Mr. Potter," said the lead stewardess.
Harry waved, and the first car pulled up. Out stepped Ginny carrying Lily, Mitzi helping Ginny, followed by Teddy, James, and Albus. Harry's family boarded the airplane. They were led up to the front of the airplane, where in the first row of seats there was provision for a crib for Lily. Ginny and Mitzi took the front two seats on the right, with Lily in the crib. Harry and James took the next two. Teddy wanted to know if he could sit with Victoire, and he was put in the row behind. Albus sat in the row behind Teddy and waited for the rest of the people.
Ron and Hermione with Rose and Hugo came next. Ron and Hermione sat in the front left hand seats, with a crib for Hugo. Rose took the seat right behind them, and Albus came and sat next to Rose. Bill and Fleur came in next, with Bill and Louis behind Rose and Albus, Fleur and Dominique behind Bill and Fleur. Victoire sat next to Teddy. Petunia and Aunt Marge sat behind Teddy and Victoire, and at the rear were two more Aurors, Dobedo and Winky, and a couple of people from DPW. The Aurors sat in the back.
Petunia was wide awake, but Aunt Marge seemed in some sort of a daze. Harry told his Aunt Petunia that, "Marge will remember taking a private plane that I have chartered to San Francisco, but she will not remember many details. I have insisted that no one modify your memory."
Petunia looked like she wanted to say something, but she didn't say anything.
About two hours into the flight Ginny told Harry, "I have never really talked to your Aunt Petunia. I really ought to."
"Good luck with that," Harry scoffed.
Ginny arose and by holding onto the seats was able to work her way back to where Petunia and Marge were sitting.
"Drunk, I see," Aunt Marge snarled as she saw Ginny wobble a little as she walked back.
"My balance has never come back after a sporting accident," Ginny explained. "I'm not happy about it, but it has not kept me from having a fantastic marriage and great children. I'm pretty happy."
"The children are running all around, not sitting quietly like they should," Marge griped.
"They are just acting like normal children," Ginny countered. "This is the first time any of them has been in an airplane."
"They ought to sit quietly in their seats and not bother the rest of us," Marge sulked.
"They have not been back here to bother you," Ginny replied, getting irritated. "I would think you would be grateful that you are getting a free ride to Dudley's wedding!"
"He's not marrying a proper English girl. She is an American! And she gets dirty with the machines just like Dudley! Petunia went in to see then and both of them had greasy WORKMAN coveralls on, and little parts in their hands, holding on to them like they were jewels."
Ginny snapped, "They might as well be jewels. I've seen how much money Dursley, Potter and Weasley is making, and it is a bloody fortune! Belinda is a very bright, degreed engineer. Dudley has found a perfect bride."
"She has him helping with the cooking, and they eat rabbit food. Vegetables hardly cooked, and a little fish. No good boiled meat, no gravy, just awful food. And they eat in the same room they cook in. They should have a formal dinner in the dining room!"
"How often have you been to Dudley and Belinda's house?" Ginny wondered
"Just once," Marge snarled.
"Aunt Petunia," Ginny asked, "how often have you been to Dudley and Belinda's house?"
"Once, with Marge and Vernon," Petunia replied. "They have visited me couple of times since Vernon died. I would rather they visited me. I just don't feel comfortable at their house."
"Are you looking forward to grandchildren?" Ginny wondered.
"One nice, quiet one would be acceptable," Petunia thought. "The house is nicer since Dudley moved out. I've been able to buy some pretty things. I don't want little brats running around breaking things."
Ginny took her leave of the two women, horrified at Dudley's relatives. The New Burrow was always child friendly, without any delicate breakable things around for small children to break. Her mother and father welcomed even the wild grandchildren.
The airplane trip was uneventful, well as uneventful as it could be with seven excited children looking out the windows, asking questions, moving from seat to seat and generally having a grand time. The stewardesses were very willing to answer as many questions as they could.
Everybody slept during the middle of the flight, but they were wakened shortly before the airplane landed in California.
The airplane was met by Aurors when it landed, and again using magic the group was shepherded through customs after cursory inspections of everybody's passport. The group was taken to a magic hotel in San Francisco where Harry and Ginny had stayed at before. Everybody took a nap, but by noon everyone was up, and the group took a magic tour in a magical bus around the San Francisco area, visiting mostly Muggle sights but a few magical ones as well. Petunia and Aunt Marge stayed in the bus when everyone else visited a couple of the magical sights. Aunt Marge was not in a particularly good mood, but she seldom was. Petunia seemed to be putting up with it, as long as you kept the little children away from her. Everyone ate at good restaurants Friday noon and evening, and the children were as good as could be expected for their ages, and all very excited. Petunia Dursley and Aunt Marge had to leave the group the middle of the afternoon to go to the wedding rehearsal and then rehearsal dinner.
Saturday morning everybody had to get dressed in their finest Muggle clothes for the wedding. It was decided that the safest way to go to the wedding was to all go together in a magical bus. Since the bus drove at normal speeds it was going to take about two hours to go to the church where the wedding was being held, and Petunia Dursley as mother of the groom had to be there a little early.
There was nothing unique about Dudley and Belinda's wedding. Belinda wore a wedding dress. She had never been exactly flat on top, but Ginny looked at her and said to Harry, "I bet she's pregnant."
What no one but Harry and the people involved knew was that everybody Harry was concerned about was wearing armor, except Belinda. It was really tough to add armor to a wedding dress.
The trip back was similar to the trip over, and within a short time everything was back to normal.
April Harry found out that Ginny was right; Belinda was pregnant and due the end of September, so she was pregnant just as Ginny had though at the wedding.
Harry looked at his schedule. It was Friday, the second week of June, and the first week back after the International Conference of Witches and Wizards. It was a quiet week day with very little going on. He had interviewed the wizard they were going to hire for trauma counseling, and other mental health issues, for the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Gray Blackburn had been in the same healing program as Lavender Brown. When Harry had asked if Gray knew Lavender he said he did, but did not volunteer any more information. Harry wondered how well Gray knew Lavender, and how she was doing. It had been a couple of years since he had contacted Lavender's parents. At the time they said she was healing, and things seemed to be going as well as could be expected.
Arthur came over to Harry's office, Gray and Gray's house elf companion Lumos at his side. Gray had been almost killed in a bombing in the mid-east when he was twelve, and he was thirty-two. Most of the last twenty years his body was being rebuilt. They had recreated and restored everything but his sight. Nothing could replace the lost eyes.
"I've invited Gray and his wife to come over to the pond this afternoon," Arthur told Harry. "A good way to get to know them better, and a good excuse to leave work early."
"I would love to get to the pond early," Harry thought. "I expect most of the children and quite a few adults are there right now."
So shortly after Arthur left Harry left work, leaving well before four in the afternoon, an hour to hour and a half sooner than his normal quitting time.
Gray took the Floo network to the Brown house. "I've been hired," he announced.
Violet Brown beamed, "Fantastic! Now you and Lavender can move to England, and I will be able to see my grandbabies."
"I'm only expecting one, Mum," Lavender countered. Lavender was expecting a baby in two months, the middle of August 2009, and it was obvious at a glance that she was very pregnant.
"Oh, one at a time is fine," Violet smiled. Lavender squeezed Gray's hand, and he squeezed back, indicating that he knew. Gray was more than willing to give Grandmother Brown more than one grandchild, but he didn't have to go from sort of big to huge every time.
Gray volunteered, "Arthur Weasley has invited us over to the pond on their property. There will be time to swim. He and Harry Potter thought that all the wives and grandchildren and many other people would be there."
"I haven't seen most of those people in years," Lavender thought.
Gray replied, "Several of them offered to see you, but the only people you would see were your parents and your brother. It's time to meet all the people you knew again."
"I know," Lavender sighed. "It's just that I'm not only pregnant but big! I've gained more weight than I should have, a lot more."
"Get your swimming suit on, Lavender," Gray persisted. "We are going."
Lavender put on a two piece, Tankini style bathing costume. It showed huge breasts, swelled from her gaining weight as well as her pregnancy, and large hips. Lavender was still very curvy, but there was a lot more of her, including a belly swelled by more than just pregnancy.
Lavender, Lumos and Gray took the Floo network to the New Burrow, where they were met by Arthur. He promptly took them out to the big deck by the pond, and seated them in some comfortable chair. "Everybody should be here shortly," Arthur announced. "I'll tell you who they are, and introduce them if they come over."
"I should recognize most of them," Lavender suggested.
The first group to walk out of the New Burrow towards the pond consisted of Fleur and her three children. Lavender looked at Fleur. From the silvery blond hair to the perfect bosom, from the waist with no stretch marks to the nice sized hips, Fleur was spectacular.
Lavender looked at herself. Although functionally she was totally healed, you could see by the lighter coloring where her big scars had been. Pregnancy, plus the extra weight she had gained, had made the situation worse. Fleur had little covering her breasts and not a lot more covering her bottom, and nothing in her shape or skin coloring gave any hint that she had born three children.
"Fleur, the Veela wife of Bill Weasley, is coming towards the pond," Lavender told Gray. "She doesn't look like she has gained a pound or changed at all since having her three children. Long, silver blond hair. Average height, and the breasts are not too big, but they are big enough. Nice size hips, a narrow waist, and a happy smile.
"The oldest girl looks like Molly Weasley's granddaughter, with red hair with just a little of Fleur's blond in it. She is heavier than her sister, but a beautiful girl. The youngest looks like a thin clone of her mother. And the little boy is well behaved just like his sisters, and good looking as well."
Gray protested, "You are beautiful to me, Lavender. Don't compare yourself to anybody else. You have had a very long and hard healing process."
Arthur announced, "That is Audrey, our daughter-in-law, married to Percy, and her daughters Molly and Lucy."
Lavender sighed, "They are all thin, pretty, and well behaved. Just the perfect family." Gray could feel how inadequate Lavender was feeling.
Audrey wore a swimming suit that covered just about everything, as full and modest as Fleur's was skimpy, but you could see that she still had a thin figure. Her two girls were pretty, and seemed to be well behaved as well. Lavender was beginning to think she would feel pretty inferior to the perfect Weasley/Potter family.
Angelina followed. Freddy ran ahead of his mother, screaming. Angelina had a reasonably skimpy bathing suit on, and it showed a modest belly. At least Angelina was a little less than perfect.
"That's Fred Weasley, the wild one," Arthur said, grinning.
"George Weasley's wife Angelina has put on a little weight," Lavender noted. "At least she's not perfect. She is a big black girl, with a reasonably well behaved little girl who does look like a cross between Angelina and George."
Then Harry and Ginny appeared. Harry looked like he did when he defeated Riddle, but Ginny had changed, a lot. She was heavier, and unsteady on her feet. She was holding Harry's arm, and a house elf was helping to support her.
Lavender took a long look at Ginny. The face and arms were heavier, and the bosom was not only much larger but somehow looked matronly. There was a modest belly, and her hips and thighs were significantly heavier. She actually looked pretty sexy for a chunky young mother.
There were five children and a house elf accompanying them. The oldest boy was holding the hands of the young boy and girl, but the one boy was running ahead. The house elf was holding the baby.
Harry and Ginny went to the deck, and Ginny plopped down on a chair next to Lavender. The baby went, "WAAAAA. MaMaMa. WAAAA."
"Calm down, LilyLu," Ginny argued. She peeled back the swimsuit top from one breast and Lily clamped on hard. "You bite me again and you are going to stop nursing, Lily," Ginny snapped. Lily gave Ginny a worried look. "You know what I mean, little Lily," Ginny growled.
Lily let go of the breast, looked at her mother, and you could almost see the battle of wills.
"NO BITING," Ginny snapped.
"NO," Lily shouted. "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
"Mulk, Mum." In a tiny voice, "Mulk."
"You may latch back on, little, girl, but no biting," Ginny argued.
Lily went back to her mother.
"May I take Albus and Rose to the pond?" Teddy asked. "All the Aunts are there."
"Yes, but make sure the Aunts know you are there," Harry replied. "I see James didn't wait. I will be at the pond shortly."
Harry looked at Gray. "Gray Blackstone, this is my wife Ginny and our youngest, Lily Luna. The boys are Teddy Lupin, my godson, and Albus Severus. Hermione's daughter Rose is with them."
"I believe you know my wife, Lavender," Gray volunteered
"LAVENDER!" Ginny exclaimed.
"WAA wa WAA MA WA," went Lily, waving her hands and looking at Lavender, oblivious to her mother's need for modesty, before latching back on again, dribbling milk all over in the process. Lily proceeded to find some of the spilt milk and rub it on Ginny.
"At least it's just milk," Ginny sighed. "I left Hermione and Winky fighting with Hugo, and he had managed to pee and poop all over everything. Hermione was at her wits ends. She was planning on nursing Hugo and letting Winky get everyone and everything clean before coming over.
"Grandmother Jean Granger went to her room. Hugo wore her out today!"
As they were talking a very harried Hermione came out, Hugo on her breast. Hermione was also a little heavier, with a modest belly and bigger hips. Unlike the rest of the women she had very little shape on top. Hermione plopped down next to Ginny, and admitted, "Winky threw me out. Told me not to worry about the mess, just go."
Just then Hugo let go of Hermione, a look of distress on his face. Hermione put Hugo up to her chest and started to pat his back, not bothering to cover herself. "No wonder you get air bubbles, Hugo," she argued. "Stop screaming and you won't get so many big air bubbles."
Hugo responded by letting go with a big, and very milky, burp. He then looked at his mother like he was desperate for more food, and Hermione put Hugo back on the same breast.
"I never thought I would walk away from my child's mess and let a house elf clean up, but I am so grateful for Winky," Hermione admitted. "I'm just not up to THIS baby, not without help.
"Lavender? Lavender Brown?"
"I'm married to Gray Blackburn now," Lavender replied. "I was beginning to think all the Weasley family was perfect, and I was the only one who had put on weight."
"You saw Fleur and Audrey," Ginny observed. "Fleur would be disgusting, except she is so nice. I sure don't have Veela genes, just my mother's."
"I did have the perfect little girl," Hermione volunteered. "Hugo was breach, and he has never stopped being trouble. OUCH!" Hermione held Hugo's nose and he let go of her breath. "You are going to stop biting me or you are going to stop nursing, Hugo! No more right now."
Hugo started to scream.
"I can take him, Hermione," Harry volunteered. He picked up a screaming Hugo and took him over to a nearby table. "Do you want milk, or do you want to play?" asked Harry, somehow getting Hugo's attention.
"Eel, Eel," Hugo babbled.
"Here you go," Harry said as he conjured up a two handled cup. Harry held on to the cup as Hugo grabbed hold of the two handles and tried to drown himself. After about four minutes of very messy drinking Hugo seemed to have drunk his fill.
"I was feeling so inadequate," Lavender sniffed. "At first you looked like the perfect family."
"James has been picking at Albus," Ginny grumbled. "I think Albus got his revenge, though. James ran into the wall downstairs and hurt himself, and I do not think it was just an accident."
"Did you catch Albus doing anything?" asked Hermione.
"No," Ginny admitted. "I hate to agree with James, but Albus IS sneaky, and smart. James had better watch out. Al gets his revenge, and no one ever catches him."
"Where does Albus get his sneaky streak, Ginny?" Hermione asked.
"At least he inherited SOMETHING from me, and not Harry," Ginny grinned, her trademark smirk evident. "I didn't have to teach him to be sneaky either!"
About this time Hugo was on his feet, unsteadily standing, waving his hands, and saying to Harry, "Ide, ide, up ide dow sploo. Oosh."
Lily was done nursing, and also standing on unsteady feet, looking at her father and cousin. "Sli … sli … soo…oosh," Lily babbled.
"We will climb up to the big slide, and I can make it so we sploosh into the water," Harry volunteered.
"How did Harry know what they were talking about?" Lavender wondered.
"Harry has always been good at understanding what babies want, what they are trying to say," Ginny explained. "He will make them climb the stairs, and when they are done with a few slides the babies will be worn out."
"Hugo will take a long nap, and then wake up in the middle of the night," Hermione grumbled. "Ron, for all his good intentions, will sleep right through it, but Winky will change Hugo and bring him to me. She is trying to get him to drink out of a cup in the middle of the night, but it isn't going well. NOTHING is easy with that child."
Hugo and Lily were madly talking baby talk as they climbed up to the top of the tower with the big slide. Harry did something, and the slide grew and went out over the water. The two toddlers yelled with joy as the three of them went down the slide and splashed into the water.
"Harry is having the childhood he never had when he was growing up," Ginny grinned. "He loves little children."
"Sometimes I think Ron still is one," Hermione suggested. "Except for the little belly. All the eating is finally catching up, and he has to watch what he eats."
"Ron has to watch what he eats, like he is on a diet?" Lavender wondered, astounded.
"He's not a bit happy about it, either," Hermione grinned. "He is getting just a little bald on top too. He is going to look like his father in another ten years."
Lavender spent a delightful couple of hours at the pond, introducing Gray to many members of the Potter/Weasley family, and meeting the people she didn't know. When they went back to the Brown residence she felt much better about moving back to England. Ginny looked more like Mrs. Weasley than she did the cute little girl Lavender knew at Hogwarts. Lavender didn't have to compare herself just to Fleur. When Ron finally showed up it was obvious that he was getting a little belly, and he was beginning to look like his father. Gray was thinner than Ron! Maybe she wasn't perfect, but not too many people were. She was going to be able to enjoy being back home; life would be good again.
2021