Disclaimer: The Harry Potter universe belongs to the proverbial Duchess of Magic, JK Rowling, Scholastic, Bloomsbury, Warner Bros and some other high falutin' companies. No matter how much I whine about not owning anything related to the HP universe, other than a few fanfic plots, I do not profess to own - and would never dream of making any money off - JKR's wonderful world... Damn it!
A/N: Fair warning. Penultimate chapter.
Chapter Twenty Three - James Sirius
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Six weeks after they first left, Harry and Luna were back in wizarding Britain. However, it wasn't all honeymoon and 'only them' time while they were away.
They were only in France for just on twenty-four hours when someone gently ward-knocked the wards at the property boundary to let them know they had visitors. It was the sort of 'knock' that was akin to a muggle someone knocking on your muggle front door.
Seconds later, Dobby popped in to report that a couple of French aurors were at the property line asking to speak to Lord and Lady Peverell-Potter.
Harry turned a pained expression on Luna, who only smirked back before she said, "They're here because the French Minister of Magic sent them to invite us to visit him for a short while."
"This is going to happen a lot, isn't it?" he grumped.
"Afraid so," she gently replied.
Harry sighed and said, "Let them in, Dobby."
Dobby gave a short bob and said, "Yes, Master Harry." Then immediately popped away.
Two minutes later he was escorting both aurors - one male and one female - into the welcoming parlour. Both wore uniform, but neither seemed even slightly perturbed or were hinting, through their body language, at being there to arrest either or both of them.
"What can I do for you two?" asked Harry.
The female, with a slight French accent, replied, "Minister Charlemagne wondairs if you wouldn't mind paying him a quick visit. He knows you are here on your 'oneymoon, but hopes it will not be an... inconvenience."
"Now?" he asked.
"At your convenience," she immediately replied. "Howevair, he is free at the moment, yes."
"Very well," he sighed. Turning to Luna he said, "I think we'd best dress a bit more appropriately first."
"Indeed," said Luna. She then turned to the female auror and said, "Please take a seat and make yourselves comfortable. We won't be long."
Then, before the witch could respond, immediately led Harry out of the parlour and towards the staircase.
It turned out the Minister really only wanted to meet Harry to shake his hand and have a photograph taken with him. However, he also wanted to ensure they knew that if France could do anything for 'the wizarding world's latest and famous hero' they needed only ask.
Harry and Luna knew, though, that offer was only an excuse to get Harry to visit him. After all, he could have simply instructed the aurors to pass on that message.
They encountered similar situations in Italy, Singapore, Australia, America and Canada of the places they visited. And every time it was basically just an excuse for the Head of magical State of that country to meet Harry, shake his hand and get a photo taken with him.
By the time they'd landed in New York, their last stop of their 'round the world' trip, Harry was almost certain all the Heads of State had read from the same playbook abut how to get their photo taken with a tourist 'celebrity'.
However, even with the short meet and greets they had to put up with that interrupted things, the two were still able to accomplish what they wanted to accomplish. And Harry also used the trip to re-bond all the Potter house elves to the House of Potter, while also checking the properties to ensure all the relevant wards were all still properly functioning. Only the one in Singapore needed seeing to; and he organised that via owl mail to Gringotts before their first day there was over. Unknown to him, Luna was also making a list of the wards she wanted changed or added for each property they visited. She'd organise that once the honeymoon was over.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Once back at Potter Manor, the two spent a quiet night in the manor alone before heading out the next morning to visit folks to let them know they'd returned. They did not visit the Rookery, the home of Luna's father, because he was currently hunting exceedingly rare magical creatures in Sweden; and they visited him while he was on his latest expedition for their last stop before arriving back in Britain.
Instead, they headed to Grimmauld to visit Sirius.
As soon as they popped out of the floo, Harry called, "Sirrr-ius! We're baa-aack!"
Then Luna stepped out of the floo. That had Prankster, Sirius's house elf, pop in.
However, before the elf could even properly greet the two of them, Sirius practically ran into the room. He took one look at them, grinned and hurried over to scoop them both up in a group hug.
"Welcome back, you two!" he laughed, swinging them about a little.
Before either had a chance to say anything he released them both before grabbing Luna by the shoulders and turning her this way and that a little. "So," he begged. "Is this one pregnant yet? Am I going to be Uncle Padfoot in a few months?
"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed, unbelieving his godfather would behave such.
Luna was lightly giggling and blushing. "Not yeh-het!" she sing-songed back between giggles as she was moved this way and that.
Releasing her and holding the back of his off-hand to his forehead, Sirius wailed, "Is my godson not man enough? Does he not know to poke tab A into slot B?"
"Oh, knock it off, will ya?" Harry grumbled.
Finally deciding enough was enough, Sirius dropped his hand and grinned at his godson. "Come on down to the kitchen. Prankster! Lay on tea, would you?"
"Yes, Master... S-Padfoot," said the elf before it popped away.
As Sirius then started to lead them from the room, Harry said, "Prankster's getting better at using your Marauder name."
"It's a work in progress, but he's getting there," said Sirius, over his shoulder.
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―==(oIo)==―
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After going through everything they'd gotten up to while away... at least, that which didn't relate to their sex life... Sirius brought them up to date with what was happening on the local scene.
"So," said Harry, after told the fallout of the 'Nott Incident' as it had become known, "There's been absolutely no evidence it was a conspiracy of any sort; just Nott, acting on his own."
"Nope," replied Sirius.
"And what about negativity directed towards me?" he asked.
"There was a single day of it," replied Sirius. "That was public gossip and a couple of Letters to the Editor in the Prophet. However, in response to those letters, Cuffe wrote an editorial in the same edition where he stated he was at the reception and witnessed the whole thing. He said that, if the DMLE even thought of charging you with killing Nott over what happened, then it was time for the Minister to think about replacing Hammer as Director; because it would be obvious it would mean that Hammer had turned into an idiot.
"He then went on to state he did not believe Hammer to be an idiot; therefore, he could not see you being charged. It was a nonsense to think otherwise.
"And Hammer was also quoted in the same edition as stating killing Nott was in lawful self-defence. And that she, too, witnessed the event.
"There was nothing about it since, other than the trial of the five mercenaries who accompanied the twit. All five were found to be wanted fugitives in other countries for capital crimes and were also found guilty of the attack on the reception. Combined with the evidence against them from other countries, all five were found guilty and found themselves sent to Azkaban for life, that same day.
"One side effect of all this," he continued, "Is that Hammer has spent a fair bit of time reviewing how you handled the hostage part of the situation. As the aurors have had to deal with hostage situations in the past, the way you handled it has got her thinking and she came to talk to me about it."
He then shrugged and said, "I told her how you once told me you will never negotiate with a terrorist; that it's a fool's gambit. And that you should never allow that a hostage is involved change how you would deal with the situation. It's given her a lot to think about."
Harry gave a firm nod back and said, "Good. I've always thought that allowing criminals to dictate terms just because they've got themselves a hostage is illogical. I've also thought that if a hostage is taken, then the punishment should be tripled.
"Start trying cases in court with that belief and the bad guys will very quickly see it as a losing proposition; and stop taking hostages.
"I think they should also allow hostages who make it through it alive or their families if they die, sue the living hell out of the hostage takers; whether or not they end up in prison or are executed. Then it becomes financially unviable to take hostages."
"Enough of that," said Luna, starting to get annoyed at all the negativity. "What's happening in your private life, Sirius? Got a long-term girlfriend yet?"
"It might help if you were able to tell me just whom I'm looking for?" he snarkily grumbled right back.
"Not a good idea," she returned. "You need to enjoy the search by going through it. If you don't, the marriage won't stick. The search is what will help you find your true life partner and stick with her."
Sirius just gave a huff of amusement back and wryly said, "Thanks."
"It will happen, Sirius," she quietly said. "Just give it time and yourself time to find her."
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―==(oIo)==―
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After the two spent some time with Sirius, even waiting long enough for Remus to turn up with Tonks in tow, the two finally made it back to Potter Manor to relax.
"About Sirius..." Harry asked.
"Less than a year," Luna replied.
Harry gaped at his girl- wife... for a few moments, still getting used to thinking of her as his wife and that she was now Lady Luna Peverell-Potter, before he gave a snort of amusement. Every now and then she would surprise him by answering his question before he even had the chance to ask it.
"Any clues you can give me on just who she is?" he asked.
"Nope," she happily returned.
"Do you know who she is?" he tried.
"Yep," she just as happily replied. However, she still wouldn't tell him.
After a moment he chuckled, knowing his wife was now simply 'tweaking his nose' about it.
He knew that, if she could tell him without screwing it up for Sirius, she probably would. This was another of those 'the knowing of a thing, changes the thing' and not for the better. So, he never pushed in those situations.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Life for the two Potters then quickly began to settle down. At the same time, both were slowly beginning to build up a circle friends.
After an initial uncomfortable situation over Harry's magical spanking of him - and him being discovered not to be the Chosen One to defeat Riddle - Neville turned out to be a good friend, after all. It was actually re-begun when the two worked together on various issues in the Wizengamot; now that Neville had finally taken his Seat in those tiers in his own right.
Once Harry learned from him that he was very quick to shed himself of the supposed friendship of both Ron and Ginny Weasley as soon as he could, Harry was more open to re-establishing his friendship with the other young man.
Harry said to him, "You figured out Ginny was determined to be the next Lady 'Chosen One' Longbottom, wife of the one to defeat Voldemort; and that Ron was nothing but a user, thief and spy for Dumbledore, didn't you."
"Oh, I had that figured out pretty quick," said Neville. "The problem was, I couldn't do anything about it until you dealt with Dumbledore. Then I could finally get them away from me."
"That must've been hard on Hannah," he said.
"It was," sighed the other young man. "However she both remained faithful and, knowing I wasn't falling for the Weasley duo's tricks, that I couldn't do anything about it until either Dumbledore was neutralised or Riddle was dead. You, taking care of both, freed me to be able to finally 'officially' announce our betrothal.
"We both knew each of us was the one for the other back in fifth year, irrespective of what the Weasley duo thought."
Their marriage would take place in the summer the next year.
The only surprise came when Molly Weasley was arrested and taken before the Wizengamot. She had apparently sent Neville an abusive Howler, found herself immediately arrested for 'verbal assault of a Lord of a Noble House' and sentenced to a month in Azkaban, dementor free, for her troubles. She was also fined, but the Weasley twins paid it for her.
Apparently, other than Arthur going on his proverbial knees to apologise for his wife's poor behaviour, the Weasleys left Neville well alone after that.
Harry, though and on Luna's recommendation, used the event to sever all ties with the Weasleys other than his existing investment in the twins' Weasley Wizarding Wheezes business venture. He needed an excuse to do so and Molly Weasley unintentionally provided it.
Later, Harry asked her, "I take it that was necessary for some important reason?"
"Yes," she'd replied. "If you hadn't done that, you'd have had to kill Missus Weasley about two years from now. Until this incident, she'd planned on trying to work her way back into your heart and make her daughter your second wife.
"She'd have then tried to kill me, failed, and you'd have killed her in her attempt."
"Second wife?" he asked.
"Yes, Harry," she replied. "In some rare circumstances, a waiver can be made for someone who heads two or more important Houses to take a second wife to better ensure the protection of the bloodlines of those houses. You, actually, would qualify with Peverell and Potter both bordering on extinction."
Harry pulled a face and gave a mock shudder of revulsion. "Errph! No thanks!"
Moving over and sitting in his lap before then wrapping her arms around his neck, she asked, "And what if I don't want to turn out like Molly Weasley, birthing a Quidditch team of children?"
"Then, you won't," he firmly declared, pulling her in tighter. "We have as many children as we decide, together. If that means we stop after two... then so be it."
Surprised, she asked, "What makes you think we'll have at least two?"
"You told me," he smirked back. "Back last year, you said I'll be a good father to our children. That implies at least two."
She broke out into her tinkling laughter. "It's nice you pay attention, Love."
"Always," he said, moving in for a kiss.
After a long single snog she pulled back, looked into his eyes and, almost formally asked, "Well then, My Lord. If it does not offend thee, may I come off the anti-pregnancy potions?"
He happily grinned back and blurted, "Hell yes!"
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―==(oIo)==―
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It was only two months later when Luna, who had told her husband she was going out to visit someone to confirm some facts, returned and immediately sat Harry down for a cup of tea. They were sitting on two kitty-cornered lounge chairs in the parlour with a small plate of quarter cut sandwiches on the small occasional table between their seats; put there by one of the elves.
"Well," she said. "It looks like it's just about time for me to start writing that book on Dumbledore."
Confused, Harry asked, "What's changed? Didn't you plan to start writing it once you fell pregnant the first time?"
She smirked back and said, "Nothing's changed, Love."
Even more confused, Harry said, "Wait; wait. If you said you'd start writing that book once you were pregnant... and you're also saying nothing's changed... that means..."
In dawning comprehension he looked back in shock at his wife.
With her smirk widening into a grin she said, "Yes, Harry. I've just had it confirmed at Saint Mungo's. I'm pregnant. Apparently, I'm―"
That was as far as she got before Harry, jumping to his feet and, spilling his coffee mug of tea off his lap in the process, started jumping around in joy, shouting near-nonsense to the room. "We're pregnant! I'm gonna be a daddy! We're gonna be parents! We're―"
He suddenly froze for a moment, while Luna was giggling.
"Oh, God!" he softly said, staring off into space. "W-we're gonna be parents! I'm gonna be a daddy!" And collapsed back onto the lounge.
Setting her own tea cup and saucer aside on the table - Dobby or one of the other house elves had already popped in to clean up the spilled tea and the broken coffee mug - she moved over to sit alongside her severely shocked husband. Then wrapped her arms around him.
"As I said quite some time ago, Love," she quietly said. "You're going to be a great daddy."
That had Harry relax a bit. "Promise?" he plaintively asked.
"Promise," she firmly returned.
They sat there for a few moments with Luna cuddling into him. Eventually he asked, "Who do we tell first?"
"We can't... yet," she replied. "We need to hold off until the end of the first trimester. That's in a little under two months."
At first a little upset, Harry clamped down on his Occlumency and just nodded. "I take it there's a very good reason. Can I please know why?"
She nodded and said, "I know I will not lose this baby. I also know it's going to be a boy. However, there exists a certain risk in pregnancies that the mother can lose the first baby for whatever reason in the first trimester. As such, it is always strongly recommended by the healers that the parents not announce the pregnancy before the first trimester is done. As such, it's become tradition not to."
Harry thought about that for a bit before he said, "And, if we announce it... we break that tradition. And we can't tell them why we're confident we could."
"Precisely," she nodded.
Firming up, he said, "Then... as soon as we can... we tell your dad, first, then Sirius, then everyone else."
"As you would put it, sounds like a plan," she smirked.
"Hang on," he suddenly said. "How sure are you that the staff at Saint Mungo's, who you had to see to confirm it, won't blab about it before we have a chance to announce it."
"Very," she smiled. "I made sure of that."
Frowning back a little he asked, "You didn't obliviate them or anything, did you?"
"No," she replied. "I simply reminded them of their oaths and that, if they do blab about it before we officially announce it, you or I will immediately declare them Oathbreakers; no excuses."
"Good," he firmly stated. "Because that's exactly what I'd do."
"I know," she grinned. "That's why I had no problem telling them that."
Just as she said she would, Luna began writing and researching what would become within the year the preeminent biographical account of the life of one Albus Dumbledore that very afternoon.
Of course, her research was only needed to provide evidence of what she already knew. However, knowing what she knew, meant she knew where she needed to go to gather that evidence.
"And while I'm doing that, Love," she said. "I think it is past time you started thinking about what you're going to do with all your spare time now. I don't want to be married to a... what's the term?... couch potato; yes."
"I need to make sure there's going to be plenty of gold available to us for our growing family," he declared. "I think I need to go in and see Rockgnasher about our share and property investment portfolio."
"Sounds good," she said. "But don't you think you should come up with some ideas to implement first?"
Surprised, he said, "Errr... yes. Yes, I see what you mean."
Looking at her more fully he said, "You know; I've been a bit of twit."
She smiled back and asked, "Finally going to ask me, are you?"
With a slightly pained sigh, he nodded and said, "Yes. Can you write down what investment opportunities you know of from your gift, or if your gift has given you any clues into, that I should see about investing the Potter investment portfolio into?"
"I'll write it down this very day, Love," she agreed. "Send an owl to Rockgnasher and organise an appointment to see him late morning tomorrow."
Harry gave a nod and began to walk towards his office when he stopped and turned back with a grin on his face. He softly, but excitedly, said, "We're going to be parents."
She giggled back.
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―==(oIo)==―
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With Luna's visions and Harry's belief in her, the Potter portfolio began to see immediate improvements and growth.
Luna was using the time to gather her evidence, including interviews with those still alive who knew Dumbledore when he was either a small child or a student at Hogwarts.
She also knew that the Flamel's were still alive, that the Philosopher's Stone at Hogwarts back in 1991/92 was a fake and how to get in contact with them. Apparently, whenever either was upset at Dumbledore, Perenelle used to call him 'Wulfric' and Nicholas used to call him 'Brian' just to annoy him. It was their way of demonstrating they knew Wulfric and Brian weren't actually part of his real name.
She also contacted and interviewed a reluctant Elphias Doge, an uncaring Bathilda Bagshot, and a very willing Griselda Marchbanks; all of whom knew Dumbledore quite well back when he was a child.
She also received permission off Headmistress McGonagall, who only received a written reprimand for her actions relating to Harry over the years, to interview the portraits of Headmasters Phineas Black and Armando Dippet and Headmistress Dilys Derwent. Black was both Dumbledore's Potions Professor when he was a student, moving on to be Headmaster in Dumbledore's last year. Dilys Derwent was the next Head and was the one to hire Dumbledore as Transfiguration Professor after he claimed to have completed his Masteries in Transfiguration and Alchemy. And Dippet was the Headmaster at the time Dumbledore was 'promoted' above other applicants to the role of Deputy Headmaster, before eventually replacing him.
Of the two Masteries, the first was true; the second, according to Flamel, was actually a lie. Dumbledore had demanded Flamel recognise him as having completed his apprenticeship with him, but Flamel had refused claiming he wasn't ready. Dumbledore had another Master of Alchemy of the time 'grant' him his mastery in the subject - which Flamel claimed to have actually been 'bought'.
In her interview of Dippet, the balding and partially deaf old man in the portrait claimed Dumbledore, after he succeeded to the post of Headmaster, had admitted that he'd dosed the old man with a minor loyalty potion to get the old man to select him as Deputy; and then claimed it was 'For the Greater Good' he be so. Then he ordered, as Headmaster, the portraits not to tell anyone what he'd admitted to.
McGonagall, who'd been listening in from behind her desk while Luna interviewed Dippet, was visibly appalled at what she'd learned during those interviews. However, in respect for Luna, she would not speak of what she'd learned that day with anyone until Luna published her book. However, just on what she'd learned that day alone, she knew Luna's book was going to make Skeeter's book look poorly researched.
When Luna's tummy began to show signs of her pregnancy before the ninety days were up she felt it was close enough to the three months to 'come clean' with family and friends as to her now carrying the next Potter heir.
Her father, the first they told, blinked twice and then slowly smiled. "I'm going to be a grandfather," he softly said. Then he looked at Harry and quietly said, "Thank you."
Harry thought it was the sanest he'd ever seen the man; and that included at his and Luna's hand-fasting.
"Know his name yet?" asked Xeno.
Luna nodded and replied, "James Sirius Peverell-Potter."
Luna had 'convinced' Harry of that only six weeks previous. However, Harry had already thought of those names and a couple others before he'd raised the subject with her.
He'd turned a gobsmacked expression on her before she gave that smile that said she'd already Seen the name. And he sighed.
"Well, that was easy," he'd said.
Sirius reacted similar to how Harry did and then immediately declared - as he had two names of Marauders - he'd be raised as a Marauder. Luna vehemently disagreed and, after pouting about it, Sirius acquiesced.
"I still get to spoil him, though; right?" he'd begged.
"Within reason," she replied. "And you'll be treating our second son the same."
"Hey, woah!" Harry immediately exclaimed. "Let's see how he goes with our first, before we start giving him carte blanche for our second."
"Awww!" Sirius whined. "No picking on Lord Padfoot; okay? I can be good."
Harry just grinned back before he suddenly had an idea and turned to his wife. "We need to talk about something when we get home," he said.
Luna nodded. She already knew what he needed to talk to her about; picking a godfather for their first son.
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―==(oIo)==―
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Six and a half months later, Harry was woken by his now very pregnant wife.
Waking, he muzzily asked, "Mmm?"
Sounding a little in pain, she said, "It's time for you to take me to the hospital... daddy."
"To the hosss―" That was as far as got before his eyes snapped wide open and he received a jolt of adrenaline to his body, bringing him to full wakefulness.
Sitting bolt upright in bed he spun to his lady and asked, "You're sure?"
"Yesss..." she almost hissed while grimacing. A long moment later and after her grimace had faded away, she said, "The contractions have started."
Harry immediately leapt out of bed and grabbed Luna's 'go' bag. The one already packed with what she'd need for a short stay in hospital giving birth to their son.
"Right!" he declared. "Let's go!"
A little annoyed Luna said, "Settle down, would you? I'm in labour and the contractions have only just started. We at least need to get dressed, first."
As he was standing there nude, he looked down at himself and quietly said, "Oh."
"Go get dressed while I call Coco to help me," she ordered, flipping the blankets on her side of the bed back and, in a little pain, swinging her legs off the side of the bed.
"Right," said Harry. He knew not to try and help at the moment; and to instead get dressed. Luna would not call the little female house elf until she was sure Harry was already dressed enough not to embarrass the little elf with his nakedness.
Quickly donning chino pants and a collared T-shirt he said, "Call her. I'm dressed enough not to embarrass her."
And she did.
As soon as Coco popped in, deliberately ignoring Harry, she asked, "It be time, Miss Luna?"
"Yes, Coco," said Luna. "I need to dress to go to Saint Mungo's."
"Yes, Miss," nodded Coco. She snapped her little fingers and a easy-to-get-out-of set of witches robes, unfolded and laid out, magically appeared next to Luna on the bed.
Harry hadn't even finished getting dressed when Luna declared, "That was fast. My waters just broke."
"Shhhit!" Harry muttered, hurriedly pulling on a pair of dragon-skin boots.
Seeing how dressed Harry was, Coco vanished the mess under Luna with one snap of her fingers and had Luna dressed with another snap of her fingers. A third snap of her fingers had a chair for Luna to sit on, which Luna gratefully accepted.
"You go now!" declared the little elf.
"Right you are!" declared Harry, now properly dressed.
He grabbed the go bag, walked over to his wife and looped a long piece of baby-blue string around the pair of them.
"Ready?" he asked her.
"Definitely," she sighed.
"Baby time!" Harry immediately declared, activating the prenatal emergency portkey.
The portkey was a specially made, pregnancy friendly, portkey created for the purpose of portkeying women in labour direct to the birthing ward at Saint Mungo's. Which is where they were deposited after coming out of the portkey travel. He'd even added the charm to key it to the anti-portkey ward on Potter Manor, envisioning they'd be at home when it was time for Luna to be rushed to the hospital.
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―==(oIo)==―
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As soon as Harry and Luna arrived, a small bell immediately went off.
Before Harry even had the chance to move Luna to a wheelchair waiting for expectant mothers, two orderlies and a medi-witch rushed into the room. The orderlies immediately moved to help Luna into the wheelchair, with Harry almost being 'hip and shouldered' out of the way as they moved.
As they worked, the medi-witch asked Harry. "Lady Luna Selene Peverell-Potter, yes?"
"Errr... yes," replied Harry.
"Due... in three days?"
"Err... yes," Harry repeated, having to rapidly remember what day it was and realising it had to be sometime after midnight for her asking if it was three days instead of four.
Thankfully, the next question was directed to Luna. "Contractions?"
Luna promptly replied, "About seven minutes apart and my water broke about three minutes ago."
"Then your baby should be in your arms before the sun comes up," declared the medi-witch.
By then, Luna was already being wheeled out of the room with the nurse by her side. Harry had to hurry to catch up.
As he hurried out of the room he cast a quick Time Charm, Tempus. It was just after 2.00am.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
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Sirius was woken out of his sleep by Prankster. "Master Padfoot must be gettings up!" the elf declared.
"Hunh! Wazzat?" asked Sirius.
"Master Padfoot must be gettings up!" the elf repeated. "Master Hardwin be on the floo."
Confused, or confuzzled due to being woken, Sirius asked, "Harry's on the―" And froze.
Suddenly he leapt out of bed, grabbed a night robe and was hastily pulling it on as he hurried downstairs to the floo.
As he ran in, he saw his godson's face in the floo, dancing in the green flames.
"The baby?" asked Sirius. "Is everything alright?"
"Everything's perfect, Sirius," replied a still grinning but clearly tired Harry. "Or perhaps I should call you great godfather... or godgrandfather... or something along those lines."
"The baby's here?" Sirius demanded, kneeing before the fireplace to get closer to his godson.
"Born just an hour or so ago," giggled Harry. "Six pounds, seven ounces. A healthy, squalling baby boy; already with a head of black hair, but with blue eyes."
"Almost all babies have blue eyes when they're born, pup," said a very happy 'godgrandfather'. "They change within the first few weeks, if I remember rightly."
"Luna said they're going to be silvery blue, just like hers, but with flecks of green in them," said Harry. "When I saw the baby's eyes for the first time I thought she must've been lying to me. If they're going to change colour I'll have to apologise to her, even though I didn't actually accuse her of lying."
"Always a good idea, Harry," said Sirius. "So. When can we visit?"
"How about... after lunch?" replied Harry. "Luna woke me up with her contractions at about 2.00am this morning and I've not been asleep again, yet. She's sleeping at the moment, though. She was exhausted. She only dropped off to sleep about five minutes before I came to floo-call you.
"Can you also let the others know? You were the first I contacted, but I've also got to floo-call her father to let him know he's now a grandfather.
"After that I intend to go back to the manor to sleep until about noon. That's why I suggest waiting until after lunch."
Sirius nodded and said, "Sounds like a plan. I'll let the others know, as you suggest, while you floo Xeno. Then, Pup, definitely get some of that sleep. We'll see you after lunch at Saint Mungo's."
"Thanks, Sirius," said Harry, smothering a yawn. "See you then."
Harry pulled his head from the flames and the floo connection winked out. Then he immediately floo-called Xeno and let him know.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
After an early lunch at the manor and after being woken by Dobby so he could enjoy it before returning to the hospital, Harry was back at Saint Mungo's before any well-wishers arrived.
When he walked into the private room Luna was accorded due to her being a Lady of a Noble and Most Ancient House - and for which Harry had also paid a pretty galleon for - he was just in time to see his wife coax their son to start suckling upon her breast. On the wheeled bed-tray he saw the remains of an early lunch; or late breakfast.
The one thing that Harry truly noticed about his wife's breasts was during the second trimester when they started to grow. Luna went from a mid B-cup to a solid C-Cup in a few short weeks. The downside was that her pale areola, that he truly appreciated, considerably darkened. Worst still, Luna began to ban him from playing with them. According to her, they now belonged to the baby and he wouldn't regain access to them until well after the baby was weaned off them.
He watched as the baby latched on and immediately began to suckle. And Luna gave a small jump in surprise "Oh!" she softly exclaimed. "So, that's what that feels like."
Harry grinned at her. "How are you feeling?"
"A little sore, still," she replied. "But, it'll pass soon enough. The potions are a great help."
Harry nodded and move to sit on the chair beside her bed, put there for his use by the hospital staff.
He then watched as his son... his son... eagerly took in nourishment.
He hadn't even realised he'd been so intently watching until Luna asked, "What are you thinking about?"
"Hunh?" he asked, snapping his gaze up to stare into his wife's eyes. "Oh! Ahh... how I'm now a daddy and you're now a mummy... how beautiful he looks... how such a great job you did growing him inside you... lots of things."
"Earlier," she said. "While I was in the process of giving birth to this little one. What I said..."
"Don't worry about it," he shrugged. "The midwife told me it wasn't all that unusual for a mother in that situation to threaten to cut the baby's father's penis off, even with a rusty knife. She said she's heard a lot worse."
"Still," Luna blushed.
"Don't worry about it," he assured her. "Besides, we know there's going to be at least another child, right? That can't happen if you cut little Harry off first."
She smiled back and said, "Still, I'm sorry for saying it."
"Apology accepted," he immediately replied.
"How's your hand?" she asked.
"The healer fixed the broken finger and the bruises," he replied, holding his left hand up and wiggling his fingers to show her. "You've got quite the strong grip, you know that?"
"That was the pain," she smirked. "However, for the next one I will be taking the pain potion they recommended I take first. I don't want to go through that again without it."
"Completely your choice," he said. "You know that."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Luna had only just finished feeding the baby, from both breasts, and covered up again when Sirius came in. At the time, Harry only had the baby in his own arms for about five minutes that felt like ten seconds.
"Hi Sirius," he quietly said.
His godfather was grinning back. "I remember seeing your father holding you just the same way twenty years ago, Pup. Though it feels less than half of that."
That was when Xeno walked in. He took one look at the tableau before he moved to the other-side of the bed from Harry. As he walked forward he said to Luna, "Hello, my little sugarplum."
"Hi, Daddy," she happily returned.
Then he reached her, bent over the bed and kissed her on the forehead. "How are you holding up? The Nargles giving you any grief?"
"The Wrackspurts did for a while, but they've now long since disappeared again," she replied. Then she gestured to where James was in Harry's arms and said, "Your grandson chased them away."
Xeno beamed in pleasure at the baby and quietly said, "Well done, grandson." Then he looked back at Luna and said, "Your mother said almost the same thing about you the day you were born."
Sirius and Harry just exchanged light smirks. They both knew it was an act put on by both father and daughter. It was their 'thing'.
For about the next two hours Harry found himself only getting to hold the baby for about ten minutes, total. Xeno took him first, then Sirius got to hold him for a while.
About an hour after Sirius arrived, the Tonkses and Remus turned up. And the baby got moved around between them.
After that, everyone bar Harry was shoo'ed out by the hospital staff, a Mungo's house elf changed the baby's already full diaper, it was gently placed back into it's hospital cocoon-like crib with it's soothing magics and Luna needed to take another nap.
Harry was all set to just sit in 'his' chair and watch over both his wife and the baby, but the medi-witch then threw him out, ordering him to go home and not return until after 7.00pm.
When he glared at her and was about to 'wield his Lordly might', she cut him off and said, "That won't work, so don't even try. I've dealt with the likes of Abraxas Malfoy and Arcturus Black. You don't scare me, no matter how much you might want people to be afraid of you."
When he then slumped a little and turned whipped-puppy eyes on her it still didn't work. "Nope," she smirked. "Come back at 7.00pm; not a second earlier."
With a sigh, he then bent over his sleeping wife's form, lightly kissed her on the lips and silently made his way out the room.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Luna and the baby were both out of the hospital the next evening. And both were only allowed out then because Coco, newly refresher-trained in handling wizarding infants, would be focusing on nurse-maiding them.
As soon as she was back in the manor, Luna was 'ordered' by Coco straight to bed with the baby's newly built and charmed cradle/crib already set up in the room allocated as a nursery right next to the master bedroom suite.
Harry was only woken once during the night by the baby's crying and, even before he had his eyes properly opened, Luna was sitting up in bed, bolstered by large pillows. Coco immediately brought James in and Luna was breast feeding him in moments.
"Everything alright?" he quietly asked.
"Everything's fine," she replied. "This little one was just hungry, is all."
"Uh-hmm," he murmured. "Lucky little bastard gets to play with your breasts."
"He's not playing, Love," she lightly scolded him. "He's feeding."
"Po-tah-to, po-tay-to; to-mah-to, to-may-to," he murmured.
She just lightly snickered back.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
The now Potter-three quickly settled into a routine, even if it was one that left Harry feeling a little frazzled.
He found himself constantly woken at all hours of the night, but he knew it was even worse for Luna. He wanted to bemoan his 'fate', but couldn't; as Luna had it worse. Having to actually feed the baby, she was still almost serene in her happiness at being a mother.
For the first couple of weeks after they got home, Potter Manor often had visitors. Even little professor Flitwick dropped over on a weekend to visit with one of his favourite students.
Harry snorted in amusement and said, "Liar! You're just like all the rest. You came to hold the baby. You can't fool me."
"I said what I said, Lord Peverell-Potter," the diminutive professor overly-innocently replied. "And you cannot prove otherwise. Now, where's my future Ravenclaw student?"
"Slytherin!" Harry immediately countered. "He already has both Luna and I wrapped around his little finger."
Flitwick countered with, "The true and smart Slytherins all ensure they get sorted into Ravenclaw, Lord Peverell-Potter."
Harry laughed and said, "Luna's in the office... which she's now taken over, by the way. I believe you'll find them both in there.
"Come on," he said, gesturing. "I'll show you the way."
Flitwick happily followed behind.
In the office, Luna was sitting at the desk putting some of the final touches to her book about Dumbledore. The baby was in the cradle alongside the desk and gently rocking back and forth, with the rune-based rocking charm built into the cradle currently active.
As soon as Harry walked in he said, "We have a guest, Love." Then stepped aside to let the professor in.
As soon as she saw who it was, Luna's expression lit up with joy. "Filius!" she quietly exclaimed. And was quick to stand and hurry around the other side of the desk from the cradle.
After she gave the little man a quick hug, she gestured to the baby and said, "Come; look what Harry and I did!"
The little professor chuckled as he eagerly walked forward.
Harry just rolled his eyes and made his way out, back to the breakfast room and the House financials he had spread out on the table there.
He understood the relationship Luna had with Flitwick and gave them 'privacy' to sit and chat while fussing over the baby. With her father not available while she was at school, after Flitwick had dealt with her bullies he had become somewhat of a pseudo-father for her. If anything, he was an even better father for her than her true father.
The little Professor actually stayed for almost three hours, which really surprised Harry. Then he realised it was the late June and school was out for the summer. The Professor had probably rushed through marking all the end of year exams for first to fourth and sixth year - as the WEA marked the OWLs and NEWTs - and came over as soon as he had enough time available.
Harry realised he should have already realised that, as he was working on his investment portfolio to see what he could do to reduce the amount of muggle tax he would have to pay on his muggle investment dividends. Of course, the easiest way to pay as little as possible was to re-invest as much of the profit as possible before the end of the financial year; which he was currently organising because that was only in a couple of weeks.
The Professor visiting them gave Harry an idea. Another way to reduce the amount of tax you paid was to donate a significant portion of it to charity.
He wouldn't have time this year before the thirtieth of the month, but it was something he could organise for the next. He'd set up a charity to fund muggle-borns attending Hogwarts. This year, though, he'd be soon paying a visit to McGonagall to ask what things he could donate to the school that would 'make a real difference'. He thought the school brooms probably hadn't been replaced yet; so that would be one of things he'd do; pay for them to be replaced.
'Hmmm...' he thought. 'Pay a substantial percentage of each muggle-born's requirements to attend, I wonder? I can't pay for the school fee, though. The Board would quickly find out about it and immediately put their fees for muggle-borns up while reducing the fees for the pure-bloods... the bastards.'
It would be something to figure out and lay out over the next six months or so. He wanted it in place before school commenced the next year in September.
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ
Luna finally finished her book and had it approved by the publishers in the October. And they promised to have it available on the shelves in bookstores across the country at the beginning of December. That way, it would be available for purchase as a Yule/Christmas present.
The publisher also promised to see if there was a viable market for it on the mainland. It turned out there was.
However, the publisher under-estimated how many they'd need to print. The book hit the shelves and, within a week, the bookshops were screaming for more from the distributors, who were then screaming for more from the publishers.
Luna's book, 'Albus Dumbledore, the Great Dissembler', with the secondary title of 'The Dark Lord Who Hid in the Light' turned into an instant nationwide bestseller; and, only a week later, turned out to be a best seller on the mainland too.
A month later, a far shorter time than should have been anticipated, an owl flew in and landed on the breakfast table before Luna. After a couple of quick detection charms on both the owl and the obvious letter it was carrying tied to its leg, she released the owl of its load, swapping it for a small section of cured ham.
Happy with its 'payment', the owl flew out again while Luna magically unfolded the letter.
Only a few seconds later her face broke out into a beaming smile.
"Clearly good news," said Harry. "From the publisher, right?"
"Yes," she replied. "It's to let me know my first residual payment has already been transferred into my vault at Gringotts."
"That was fast!" he said. "You told me they only paid that when the first print run was eighty percent sold. I take it that's what's happened?"
"And fifty percent of the second print run, too," she smiled.
"Wow!" he quietly said.
"According to the publisher at Obscurus Books, they anticipate having to do a couple more print runs after this in quick succession," she explained. "And, so far, the book has only been distributed to here and Europe. It's not properly gone global yet. That's what they're doing next, but getting one of the bigger publishing houses in America to print the runs for over there and Canada. They have a bigger operation and can print and ready to distribute the books faster."
"Congratulations, Love," he beamed at her.
She pinked just a little in pleased embarrassment.
She was just finishing her breakfast when Coco brought James down and said, "Feeding time, Miss Luna."
Now a few months into being parents, neither Harry or Luna were surprised. And Luna merely gave a nod back before she sat back and released the catches on the breast of her 'motherhood' robes. The catches allowed a 'panel', each side, of the front of her robes to open to allow easy access to her breasts. Her bra had similar panels in the cups.
Only fifteen seconds later and James was once more latched on, enjoying his own breakfast.
Once the baby was properly secured to her nipple and was feeding, she looked back to her husband and said, "How go your plans for the Lily Potter and Selene Lovegood Memorial Bursary Funds?"
The Lily Potter Memorial Bursary Fund was the 'charity' Harry was creating to fund muggle-borns attending Hogwarts, while the Selene Lovegood Memorial Bursary Fund was the charity to aid in funding impoverished half- and pure-bloods to attend.
He created the second as a way to stop the pure-bloods, once they found out about it, getting all up in their wands about the 'free ride' the muggle-borns would get from the first. If they bitched or tried to block or hinder the first, he would use the threat of stopping the second to fight back.
However, the only ones to know of both funds so far were Harry, Luna, Rockgnasher of Gringotts, Sirius, Narcissa Black, Ted Tonks and a very excited Filius Flitwick; the man who should be the current Deputy Headmaster, but was blocked by the school board in favour of pure-blood Septima Vector.
Harry had also found out he had two seats on the board when the President of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Board, the school board, demanded he start to attend the monthly meetings. Harry knew it was because he wanted the name of 'Harry Potter' to be recognised as an active member of the board. It was a 'demand' that he'd come to bitterly regret.
In return Harry demanded right back a copy of the school charter, the constitution of the board and other errata that were the important documents, took them to Ted Tonks - a law-wizard - on the recommendation of Narcissa and the two went over them.
At the next meeting Harry attended with Ted as his special guest - allowable under the constitution - bided his time until after being 'inducted' onto the board, complete with photographs being taken for the Daily Prophet of him shaking hands with the Board President - and then immediately nominated Ted Tonks as his personal proxy, much to the shock of the other members. When they then immediately got all up in their wands about it he calmly pointed to the relevant sections of the constitution where it was allowable and let Ted deal with them.
His only instruction to Ted was he wanted full equality for all students and that Ted would report back to him, together with a copy of the minutes of the meeting once they were ratified, what was discussed and what was decided. Ted also knew that he was to be immediately informed if the board tried to raise tuition or other costs that exempted or overly-benefitted pure-bloods.
To stop the board from then trying to smear Harry's name in the press, realising just how big a mistake they made in forcing him to activate his seats among them, Harry struck first and immediately donated to the school thirty brand new Cleansweep Trainer brooms for the 'Introduction to Flying' classes, organised and paid for the repair and ward maintenance of the school's greenhouses, organised and paid for replacement boats for the first years crossing the lake (complete with, on each, protection wards to repel rain, prevent students falling overboard and others) and organised and paid for replacement wagons (complete with similar protections) that took the students from Hogsmeade to the school and vice versa.
They were all something he had begun to organise back the previous June, but had not had opportunity to do anything about until then - even if he originally started it to try and reduce his taxes.
Straight after the presentations to Headmistress McGonagall and her staff, Harry once more and near-instantly became the darling of wizarding Britain when he made it clear he paid for such to 'further protect the heirs of our great nation'.
The board tried to pass a resolution that all donations to the school had to be via the board and in gold. Harry retaliated by verbally and in person threatening the entire board that he would make internationally public how much the board members were being paid in 'honorariums' from the school funds just to sit on the board. And that 'it seems like' the board were trying to 'skim even more' gold from the funds to 'line their own pockets'. As he was currently riding the crest of the amount of gratitude and love the British wizarding community were heaping his way, the board - quite in fear of even their lives from an angry body of students' parents - very quickly changed their tune. And Ted then used the opportunity to push through a resolution that capped those honorariums.
His evidence included just how much similar school boards were paid at schools across the world. That the Hogwarts school board were already paid almost double even the second closest and that Harry was happy to make those figures public if they didn't comply, didn't hurt his argument.
"They're going good," he replied to his wife's question. "Professor Flitwick will be making sure I receive a list of what students are going to be attending next year who'll need assistance and the same from each year there onwards, together with the blood status of each as it becomes known.
"He's certain that, once we break the news of the funds to Headmistress McGonagall and Deputy Headmistress Vector, they will be one hundred percent behind us and help with figuring out who are the impoverished and who are not. We'll then figure out how to handle the determinations of who gets how much financial support after that."
As little James noisily suckled, Luna smiled back and said, "I'm glad. You realise, don't you, that Hogwarts is going to receive a jump in the number of students each year?"
"Of course," he nodded. "I just don't know by how much yet."
"Not enough to break the funds, as that has you worried," she said.
He grinned back and said, "You know me too well."
Then he dropped the grin and asked, "Still no sign, through your ability, of the board successfully stopping it?"
"There will be further attempts," she replied. "However, with how you're acting to cut them off at the knees before they even get a chance to enact their plans, for now none of them will work. Both Funds are safe for the foreseeable future."
He gave a nod back and chuckled.
She asked, "Have your 'response' notes ready for when they try the same in the Wizengamot?"
"Yes," he replied. "I've already had both Ted and Narcissa looking them over and they've already made the changes they... demand... I make to them."
"Good," she firmly stated. "You're going to need them for this coming session."
Surprised, he quietly said, "I see."
_‗_
―==(oIo)==―
ˇ