I do not own Harry Potter, the Wizarding World, or any canon characters.

A Friday update to make up for the missed Monday one. Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

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Extended Family

Chapter 103 – Assurances

Takes place after Dahlia's birth, and about a year and a few months after chapter 30.

"Healer Chang, would you be willing to take a new patient?"

Tina Chang looked up. "To act as primary pediatric healer? Sure, I haven't had a new one in a while." She accepted the chart. "Why me?"

"You were asked for," the Medi-wizard said.

"By the patient's parents?" Tina asked, eyebrow raised. "I can't think of anyone that I know that would ask for me and that has a child."

"You were recommended by them and by a colleague." The Medi-wizard smiled. "I won't say who just yet so you can't panic or feel any strong feelings one way or another."

Tina snorted. "Fair enough." She read the name on the chart. "Oh! Huh, well this will be interesting." She walked down the hall in St Mungo's pediatric wing and knocked gently on a closed door before opening it. "Hello!"

Harry looked up and smiled. "Hello there. I'd get up but I'm a bit hampered right now."

"No problem at all," Tina smiled. "Hello Dahlia. My name is Healer Chang but you can call me Healer Tina if you like, or just Tina. How are you?"

Dahlia buried her face into Harry's chest, squirming closer to him.

"Sorry," Harry said weakly. "She's really shy with new people. She's also a little miffed right now. She was expecting to see someone else and isn't too pleased about it despite saying we will visit right after."

"Don't be sorry," Tina said soothingly. "This is a common first response and it doesn't bother me at all. I take any time where they aren't crying loudly and screaming and throwing things as a good thing. Though I never begrudge them if they are crying or screaming. Part of the healing trade."

"She's really good about not screaming and throwing things," Harry said proudly. "Dally, Healer Tina is really nice and she comes recommended by Grandma and Nana. Will you be my brave girl?"

Dahlia slowly turned and faced Tina. "Hi," she said shyly at last.

"It's so very nice to meet you," Tina said. "You have pretty eyes, just like your father's." She gasped when Dahlia smiled brilliantly, eyes open and wide. "Look at that smile!"

"That's my girl," Harry praised and kissed Dahlia on the crown of her head. "Healer Tina is going to do your check up and make sure you're healthy."

"No shot," Dahlia said hurriedly, looking up at Harry with worry.

"Shot?" Tina asked, growing concerned. "Do you think someone is going to shoot you?!"

"She thinks she might get a shot," Harry explained hurriedly. "With Muggle needles. An injection."

"Oh! Don't worry Dahlia, no shots today. Shots at St Mungo's are very rare and I don't think we will need one for you, okay?" Tina smiled when Dahlia relaxed and smiled up at her. "There we go." She began casting a series of charms over Dahlia.

"She has a Muggleborn and a Halfborn auntie," Harry said. "I think they were trying to help her feel better about today and she latched onto something a bit unpleasant and worrisome for her."

"I don't blame her. Shots really are unpleasant. Thank Merlin for potions and infusions," Tina said. She hummed softly as she looked at the diagnostic charm results. "She's really good. Nothing's jumping out at me. Healthy weight."

"That's a relief, she eats a lot," Harry sighed. "I was worried I was over feeding her but she really cleans her plate."

"What does she eat for a general meal?"

"A big bowl of mashed fruit or veg with a bit of well cooked protein here and there. Lots of milk and water. A glass of juice a day. She's starting to eat solid fruit and veg.. She loves eggs too. Still nurses here and there."

"That's all just fine and like I said, healthy weight and hercharm results look wonderful so her diet isn't unhealthy."

"Oh right, I have to ask this. Is she allowed to have bacon?"

Tina grinned. "Maybe a nibble here and there but not too much. Why do you ask?"

"My owl will feed her bacon and she never shares bacon normally. I tried to stop her and said it wasn't healthy but she disagreed. My owl, not Dahlia."

"Really?"

"My owl feeding her bacon, the sharing bit, or the disagreeing bit?"

Tina laughed. "All of it I suppose."

"Yes really," Harry said with a wry smile. "All of it."

"He'wig!" Dahlia said loudly.

"That's right, we're talking about Hedwig," Harry grinned.

"I've heard that your owl is incredibly smart," Tina said.

"You have?" Harry looked surprised. "Oh no, what has she done to you? I don't even know how she would know you."

Tina laughed brightly. "Not me directly. But I've heard stories from my cousin. You know her actually. Cho. She was a year above you I think."

Harry laughed too. "Oh! Yeah I know Cho. We were Seekers on different teams at Hogwarts." He winced. "Yeah, you would hear stories about me and Hedwig then, from Cho."

"Is it true that your owl kept stealing Cho's bacon and pins?" Tina asked eagerly.

"Yeah. Hedwig heard Cho make a remark about me once and got offended on my behalf. So she started nicking her bacon and her hair pins. She had a collection of pins before she stopped and I finally convinced her to give them back." Harry rolled his eyes. "Which Hedwig did by delivering each pin to an owl post office and had them mailed back to Cho one at a time for weeks."

Tina laughed and held her sides. "I thought Cho was making that up! That's incredible! She still thinks you made Hedwig do it."

"I have never made Hedwig do anything," Harry sighed.

"How did Hedwig steal her pins?"

"She would take them right out of Cho's hair if she had the chance," Harry said and Tina laughed harder. "When she couldn't, she figured out a way of getting into Ravenclaw tower. I have my suspicions on how but I never tried to confirm them. Less I know the better."

"I'm surprised the professors didn't do anything."

"To be honest, me neither. Then again, Hedwig doesn't listen to just anyone either."

Tina shook her head. "To go back to the earlier question, a bit of bacon here and there is okay. Much like most things, moderation is key and it's better to slowly get children used to certain things through slow exposure."

"And everything else is normal? She's healthy?" Harry asked plaintively.

Tina gave him a curious look. "Yes, but are you worried about something in particular?"

Harry shrugged slightly. "I'm a bit of a worrier and just wanted to be sure. Children are good at hiding things."

Tina nodded slowly. "You're not wrong but I think she might be a bit young to be doing that. But no, she's doing really well."

"I have noticed she squints a lot sometimes," Harry said after some thought.

Tina cast a charm centered on Dahlia's eyes. She then lit the tip of her wand and moved it slowly about and watched Dahlia's eyes as she followed the moving light. "No refractive error that I can tell. Her pursuits looked smooth and full. No jerky movement." Tina flicked her wand and the light on her wand tip floated around like a ball. She directed it farther out and watched Dahlia follow it. "No squinting here. When have you noticed her squinting?"

"I'm not sure, I haven't paid attention to when it happens. Just that I see it often enough to notice." Harry looked panicked. "I knew I should have been more careful…"

Tina peered at Harry's glasses. "Are you myopic? Nearsighted I mean?"

"Yes."

"Raise your glasses for me?" She smiled when Harry did, squinting slightly and at Dahlia squinting like Harry. "I think we figured it out here. This little girl wants to be like her daddy."

Harry settled his glasses back on his nose and sighed with immense relief. "That's good, I'm glad it wasn't anything serious." He tickled Dahlia gently. "You shouldn't try to be like me, Dally." He smiled softly when Dahlia huffed and hugged him, burrowing her face against him. He missed Tina's questioning look.

"Let me do some extra charms just to be safe," Tina said. She cast several more and nodded decisively when they finished. "Dahlia is a very healthy girl and is well taken care of. You and her mother are doing excellent and have nothing to worry about."

"Thank you so much," Harry said, smiling easily. "I really appreciate it." He smiled down at Dahlia. "See flower? That wasn't so bad. Wasn't Healer Tina great?"

Tina's heart melted when Dahlia nodded and gave her a beaming smile. "You are so beautiful," Tina sighed. She dug into her pocket and pulled out a small biscuit. "Here you go! For being a good girl."

Dahlia's smile was even wider when she took the biscuit. She held it up to Harry. "Bake!"

"That's right, that's a baked biscuit," Tina praised.

"She means something else actually," Harry smiled. He broke the biscuit into two and handed the pieces back to Dahlia. Dahlia then offered one of the pieces back to Tina.

"Oh my goodness, she wanted you to break it and share it with me?" Tina gasped.

"She loves sharing treats and eating them with people," Harry said proudly.

"I love her so much and I just met her," Tina laughed. "Thank you so much Dahlia." She took the piece and gasped again when Dahlia opened her arms to her. "A hug? For me?!" She hugged Dahlia when the little girl nodded. "Such a cutie," she gushed.

She looked back at Harry. "Would you like a written copy of her exam for your records?"

"Yes please. Her Mummy will want to see it. She couldn't get away from work today or she'd be here too."

"I'll be right back then." Tina reluctantly gave Dahlia back to Harry and smiled when Dahlia insisted he take a nibble from her half of the biscuit before she munched on the rest herself. When Tina opened the door, she took a hasty step back as Andromeda and Samantha stumbled into the room. "I really hope you aren't trying to check up on me," Tina said with a concerned look at Samantha. "Or you know, the typical doctor and patient confidentiality."

"Gramma! Nana!" Dahlia squealed happily, reaching her arms out.

"That makes a lot of sense now," Tina said with a sigh of relief. "I was wondering who recommended me and why."

"We meant well with the whole try not to directly treat family members in an official capacity," Samantha smiled while Andromeda crossed over to Harry and Dahlia eagerly. "But we are nosy grandmothers so there you go."

"Makes sense to me," Tina smiled. She gave Samantha a look however, a look that Samantha recognized. She left the examination room with Samantha following.

"Is something wrong with Dahlia?" Samantha asked, her countenance shifting.

"No, not with her at all. She's healthy and adorable as heck."

"Yeah she is," Samantha said proudly.

"I'm worried about her father however. He was overly concerned with her findings." She briefly recounted what Harry said. "Is this his first child?"

Samantha sighed, becoming incredibly sad. "Yes and…there's a reason for it. Let's just say he had a difficult childhood."

"Oh." Tina nodded, immediately understanding. "That makes a lot of sense. I was thinking he was being a nesting dragon parent."

"Oh right, I get you." Samantha shook her head. "I think he's really protective and very worried due to his past."

"That's understandable. He has nothing to worry about though. He obviously takes excellent care of her. She's lovely and healthy and you can tell she adores him."

"That's a relief to hear. I'll be sure to try and get it into his head. He's a touch stubborn." Samantha shook her head sadly. "For good reason unfortunately."

Harry smiled when Samantha and Tina returned. "Dally was worried you weren't coming back to hug her."

"As if I would ever let you go without hugs and kisses," Samantha said and picked her granddaughter up, kissing her cheeks messily and hugging her tight. "And Grandpa Tommy and I are coming for dinner tonight and we're going to cuddle you silly."

"Baey?" Dahlia asked.

"Yes, and Bailey too," Samantha smiled, laughing when Dahlia clapped her hands.

After another round of hugs, which Tina accepted happily, Harry and Dahlia left and the three healers left to continue their work day.

"Is something the matter?" Andromeda asked softly.

Samantha sighed and recounted what Tina had told her.

"That poor boy," Andromeda sighed. "We will have to try our best and help him think otherwise."

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"I'm home!" Katie said, stepping through the Floo.

"Mummy!" Dahlia came toddling towards the Floo room and she squealed when Katie scooped her up.

"There's my baby," Katie cooed and kissed her. "Did she have a good visit at St Mungo's?"

"Yup! Healer Tina is wonderful and Dahlia liked her by the end," Harry smiled. "Here's a copy of her chart and she's very healthy and doing great."

"That's good," Katie smiled, looking through the chart while Dahlia wiggled in her arms, pulling on her hair gently.

"Also, I must report that yes, Dahlia is allowed to have bits of bacon here and there," he said ruefully.

Hedwig made a noise of deep satisfaction and looked superiorly at Harry.

"Yeah yeah, go on then," he said, rolling his eyes at her. He snorted when she mooned him, dancing from side to side and flicking her tail feathers at him while hooting in a condescending way. "You've been really working on that "I told you so" dance, haven't you?" He snorted again as she expressively wiggled her rear at him, shaking it with even more vigor and energy.

"I also learned the reason why Dally squints sometimes," Harry said to Katie. He lifted his glasses up and Katie shrieked with laughter when Dally squinted like Harry did.

"That's so cute! Also I have to tell Angelina and Alicia. They told me they've noticed Hailey and Hadley squinting sometimes."

"They shouldn't try to act like me," he said softly, rubbing Dahlia's head gently.

"They love you," Katie said gently.

"I know," he said softer still.

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"So next time you and I have an argument, I just need to bring Dally," Katie smiled.

Samantha's smile was from ear to ear and she looked deeply satisfied. "That probably would work," she said happily. She had sat with the little girl for a long time after dinner and now they watched as she romped around, followed by a happy Bailey. The two women laughed when Dahlia fell over with a thump and Bailey put her head on the little girl, keeping her in place. Dahlia laughed and patted the dog who whuffed happily, her tail whipping back and forth.

Samantha looked to the side, seeing Harry and Thomas engrossed in their conversation, and she sighed softly. "How's Harry been?"

"What do you mean?" Katie asked, growing concerned.

"As a father I mean."

"Wonderful. Is something wrong?" Katie asked, leaning forward.

"Tina said she noticed a few worrying things Harry said during the exam," Samantha explained. "Being overly anxious about a few things for example. She thought it was more than the usual first-time parent concerns."

Katie sat back and hummed softly as she thought. "Nothing leaps out to me…though earlier he did say that he didn't want the girls to act like him. You know, he is usually the first to run over if Dahlia cries or anything like that. He hasn't exactly tried to wrap her up in a bubble or anything but still, he is very attentive."

Samantha grew sad. "Tina said that Harry said children are really good at hiding things."

Katie hissed as realization dawned. "I bloody hate the fucking Dursleys."

"You and me both," Samantha said frankly.

They looked over at Harry, smiling when he threw his head back and laughed.

"Poor thing is probably overly worried," Samantha said softly.

"Yeah…" Katie rubbed her face. "I'll talk to him. He has nothing to worry about. Dahlia is amazing and he's amazing. With Dally, and Hailey, and Hadley."

"You know, and I know, and everyone who knows him knows. I bet even he knows deep down. Some thoughts are just hard to shake though. And I can't blame him at all." Samantha shrugged helplessly.

"Me neither. Bailey." Bailey looked up at Katie. "Go get him!"

Bailey gently lifted her head off Dahlia and barked happily before she took off, slamming into Harry's leg. When he whooped and stumbled to his knees, she tackled him to the ground and licked his face with wild abandon.

"Ack! Good girl!" Harry sputtered and laughed, trying to fend off the overly affectionate Labrador.

Thomas smiled and knelt down to scoop up Dahlia who had toddled after Bailey. "You know, you're the one she loves to do that to the most. She's not nearly as enthusiastic when she goes after Katie or Lyla or any of the cousins."

"I'm honored," Harry said wetly. He cleaned his glasses of slobber and kissed Bailey on the forehead. "Thank you, Bailey." He smiled as Samantha handed him a towel. "What did I do to deserve getting Bailey'd?"

"No reason aside I wanted to see it," Katie giggled.

"And what were you two laughing about earlier?" Samantha asked.

Thomas bounced a babbling Dahlia. "I was telling Harry we should do a magical enlarged mini golf course. David obliterated me the last time we went to a mini golf course and I thought that having some magical hazards would be a lot of fun."

"That does sound like fun," Katie said.

A few hours later, Samantha and Thomas and Bailey left for their home and Katie and Harry put Dahlia to bed. After leaving Dahlia's bedroom, Katie took him to the kitchen. "Hey you, do you have something to tell me?"

Harry groaned. "I'm sorry, I ate the last piece of chocolate. I thought there was more but I wasn't counting and I didn't realize I ate the last one. I meant to get some more today but it slipped my mind. I swear I'll restock tomorrow."

"No not that-wait you ate all my chocolate?" She shook her head. "Let's come back to that." She took his hands in hers. "Anything else?" She sighed when he looked away. "Harry, look at me." She waited for his eyes to meet hers. "You are Harry James Potter."

"As far as I know," he said, slightly confused.

"You are not the failures that failed to raise you," she said gently but with conviction. "You are an amazing man, an incredible husband, and a wonderful father. I can think of no one else I would rather be married to and spending life with and Dahlia loves you. Your goddaughters love you. Your friends love you. You are not and will not ever fail us in any way. Do you hear me?"

He closed his eyes. "I just worry," he whispered. "I hear her cry and I remember what it's like to cry like that."

"But you're there to help her when she cries," Katie said. "You are there for her and you won't stop at anything to comfort her and protect her." She took a deep breath and looked pained. "She isn't you, love. She isn't in the same situation you were. Far from it."

"I know," he said, his voice strained. "I do. But, I'm sorry-"

"Don't be," she interrupted gently. She pressed her forehead against his. "It's hard but you've been amazing. You try so hard every day and I love you for it. I know you can't help but worry, but don't think for a moment that you aren't doing incredible. Okay?"

She took another deep breath. "Remember the time where I let my insecurities about the attention I got when we first started dating and I unfairly took them out on you?"

"Vividly," he smiled.

She snorted and headbutted him gently. "Every so often, whenever I see girls in the stands with those hilariously inappropriate signs or when others try to flirt with you, I get a flash of uncertainty, a tiny feeling deep down." She squeezed his hands when he opened his mouth. "But it all goes away every time I look at you because I know how I feel about you but more importantly, I know how you feel about me. Every time you give me that goofy grin of yours, I can ignore all the noise and attempts because that's all they are: attempts.

"I'll always get that flash of feeling because I'm human and human brains and thoughts are dumb things. That's normal. You having your fears and insecurities are normal too. But whenever you get worried by them, about you worrying about being the best father and husband and partner, look at me. You know I would tell you if there's anything legitimately wrong, right?"

He nodded. "You will never lie to me."

"I won't," she agreed. "So look at me and rest easy knowing that I believe in you one hundred percent. And you can let me squash those worries of yours."

He released a breath that seemed to have existed within him for ages. He deflated slightly, looking exhausted and relieved at the same time. "I can do that," he said. "Thank you. I love you so much."

"I love you more," she said and kissed him sweetly. They held each other for long moments, enjoying the warmth and the peace. After a long time, she spoke once more. "Now about you eating all my chocolate…"

"I'll get more tomorrow!" he laughed.

"But that doesn't solve the problem now!"

He snorted and reached for his wand. He flicked it a few times and the ice box opened, cartons of ice cream flying out. A long dish came out of the cupboard and a banana rose from the counter top. It peeled itself and split in half long-ways and settled in the dish while three scoops of ice cream emerged from the cartons. They settled in between the long banana halves and a bit of whipped cream fluffed up on top of the ice cream in three dollops.

"Does this solve the problem?" he asked with a grin.

"Depends," she smiled back. "How much is for me?"

"Most of it," he chuckled. "I'll eat the remainder and Hedwig gets my whipped cream."

"And you'll still get chocolate tomorrow?"

"And I'll still get chocolate tomorrow."

"Then it solves the problem," Katie smiled.

"Thank Merlin," Harry smiled and laughed when Katie poked him.

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Ghostwriter - I think canon says Ron eventually joins George but yeah, that was one of the sadder moments in the original story. I wanted to give them the happiness they deserved.

odonnellzoo99 - When I was younger, my mother had a sandwich shop. From elementary school through high school, I worked their every day after school and on weekends for prep, on holidays and breaks and everything. I learned how hard it was to run a business and the value of hard work. I'm glad it felt proper and real here, showing how much they did to get their start. I also wanted to show a side of Arthur and Molly and bring a different way to show why Molly 'didn't approve'. Also, ever since we heard Minnie say she always brought calming draughts because of the twins, we needed to see the why.

DOOOOOOM Lord of Waffles - Glad to hear things are better and hope they continue to improve.

poka - Glad you adored it. I wanted to show how thoughtful the twins were, as in they tried, and planned, and thought things out. Not a literal magic fix and finish.

Flyer101999 - Thank you. I always want to try and show canon characters with a firm foundation of their canon personalities. Sure there are some nuances in fanfic, but they should be recognizable. I don't try to bash or overexaggerate certain personalities, unless it's a bit of a crack or if I am using them nefariously. I'm glad you got some stone soup, what a nice thing to have coincidentally.

I don't have a career in writing actually. I have an occupation and use writing as an outlet. That said, I've dreamed to get something written and published formally. After working consistently on writing for so long now, this last year and a half, I think the dream might be possible. I have an idea and hope to write it out and one day see it in a bookstore. Thank you for all the kind words.

1529 - Thank you. Funny enough, I shy away from OC stories as well typically. I like seeing good ones but generally don't read ones that are solely OCs. I'm glad mine do have purpose and feel like they belong. I'm thankful that you continue to read them.

alix33 - No, Fred meant Holy Carp. Brinner, breakfast for dinner, is underrated.