Ch. 34
Last time:
"Wait until Hermione joins us." She shook her head as Hermione came out.
"Why is my pee green?" she shoved the cup at Pomfrey as she sat on the bed.
Pomfrey smiled delightedly. "You're pregnant, Miss Granger."
And Harry fainted.
Sunday 15 November 1998
Madam Pomfrey just laughed uproariously. "Poor boy. He can kill a Dark Lord but not handle the news he'll be a father."
As Pomfrey was saying this, Hermione was reviving him. She looked up at the healer. "Yeah. But he's never been directly responsible for someone else before. With Teddy, he can always hand him off to Dora." Mione said as Harry opened his eyes. "Hey there, love." She smiled at her love. "Do you remember what Pomfrey said?" she asked him.
He nodded and smiled weakly. "You're going to be sick for nine months."
"Actually 10." Mione corrected. "Why was my pee green? I'm assuming it means more than that you're pregnant."
"It means you're having more than one." She laughed at the gobsmacked expression on the teens' faces. She began to run her wand over Mione's stomach. "Well, I can hear at least two heartbeats. Would you like to hear?" Both nodded as she amplified the heartbeats.
"Are they supposed to be going that fast?" Mione asked. "It sounds like a horse galloping." Harry snorted at that.
"They are, dearie. Remember, there are at least two." She muttered a spell and a blurry moving photo of the babies came up. "Yep. I see two-no three. You're having triplets! Oh my!" She took some measurements and did some mental math. "It looks like you conceived around 21 September and are due 16 June although many don't make it that long with multiples." She looked up and saw Mione sitting on the bed holding Harry's hand. However, he looked a little wobbly to Poppy so she guided him to sit next to Mione. "Sit down dear. Miss Granger, I'm going to go get some information for you. Mr. Potter needs to hear this too, so if you could get him to speak, that would be helpful." She laughed.
Hermione turned to her fiancée with a concerned look on her face. "Harry? Are you okay love?" she realised he hadn't said anything since he'd woken up. "Can you speak?"
He nodded and said. "Triplets? How do we feed them? It takes two hands to feed Teddy. We don't have enough room here. They'll need a room each. Oh Merlin! Three nappies at a time."
Mione ran her fingers comfortingly through his hair. "This isn't any worse than the Stone or the Basilisk. We'll get through it." Hermione smiled as she saw the signs he was calming down. "Good." She ran her hand up his arm and looked into those beautiful green eyes. "That's the man I know." She smiled as he smiled back. "Now, love. Poppy is coming back to give instructions so I need your help." She cuddled up to him and he kissed her head.
"We'll make it." He said in his more determined voice.
"Can I come in?" Pomfrey asked.
"Yes please." Mione replied as she came in.
"Now, as you are at seven and a half weeks, we are going to get you with a high-risk pregnancy Healer. I have a friend who specializes in that and he'll be here tomorrow for your first appointment. Are you sick much?"
Harry nodded. "She can't keep anything down."
Pomfrey handed her a phial. "Take this now. It should suppress the sick for 24 hours."
"You mean I'll not wake up and have to go to the loo?" she asked hopefully.
"Yes dear." She laughed as Mione guzzled it down. A minute later she looked at Harry and laughed.
"I feel great!" She kissed him.
"Now, Hr. Axel told me to give you these." She held out a large quantity of pamphlets. "He says he'll answer any questions you have tomorrow." She smiled at some of her favorite patients. "I'll see you tomorrow." She headed back to her office as Harry and Mione left.
HP
As they walked back to their flat, Harry asked eagerly, "Should we tell the family tonight?"
"Can we do it tomorrow? I'm tired. I don't have the energy to tell them right now." She sighed.
"Okay. Let's go get you in bed." He smiled, putting one hand on her back and one on her shoulder.
Hermione looked over at him irritated. "I can walk on my own, thank you!" She pulled away from him as they entered the flat. Everyone was there. "Are you okay?" Sirius jumped up.
Hermione smiled at him; he was so adorable when he worried. "I'm fine, just tired Uncle Sirius. I'm going to bed."
Sirius came over and kissed her head. "Have a good sleep kitten." She smiled and went to her room. Sirius turned to Harry. "Is she okay, really?"
Harry laughed at the concerned look on his face. "She's fine Pads. I think I'm going to bed too. It's been a long week."
"See ya later pup." Sirius ruffled his hair as he left. Sirius and Jaime left not too long after.
HP
The next morning was an amazing sight for Harry. He woke up to Hermione's hair splayed over his chest as she actually slept. It was the most beautiful sight in the world to him. He just stared down at the mother of his children. Wow! What a thought. Children, as in three. This is so weird, he thought as he got out from under her without her waking. As he walked into Teddy's room, he thought, My Gods! We'll have four kids under two! Four kids in nappies! Shite!
"Hey kiddo." He looked down at his Godson. "We are screwed." Teddy just giggled and started to make noise as they started the day the only way they knew.
When The Family got to the table and began eating, Harry and Mione exchanged a nod. He looked over at his godfather who was on two legs of his chair. "Mione's pregnant with triplets." Everyone saw Sirius tip over and land on his back and began laughing.
As he got up, he glared at his Godson. "Why didn't you warn me?"
"It was more fun this way?" Harry laughed.
"What do you mean, Mione's preggers with bloody triplets?" Dora asked.
"Just that. Mione's pregnant with triplets." He laughed at everyone's reaction.
"Holy Shit!" was Jaime's response.
Luna's response was the most dramatic. She squealed, ran around the table and launched herself at them. They were both standing at this point because, well, they knew Luna would react oddly. They held onto her until they all got their balance back.
"Oh Merlin. We'll need three of everything! This is going to be amazing!" She jumped up and down.
Nev came over to her and hugged her. "Luna, calm down, love."
"I can't believe we're gonna have 3!"
"They aren't ours, love." Nev reminded her.
"Like hell they aren't." she glared at him.
"Are you going to deliver 3 babies?" Mione asked her best friend sarcastically.
That calmed Luna almost immediately. "Point taken. Geez that's going to be hard."
"Yep." As soon as everyone was sitting back at the table, Hermione said, "We have a Healer appointment this afternoon, so we'll see what happens then." She sighed. "This needs to stay in the Family until I'm 12 weeks, yeah?" She looked at everyone and got a nod in response.
"Of course." Sirius said.
"Oh boy! Another baby!" Dobby clapped his hands and grinned.
HP
The appointment with Hr. Axel was after classes that day but both teens were pretty nervous throughout the day. At lunch in the Great Hall, Harry was snappish with some second years that he taught. He kept rubbing at his scar which to Nev meant he was stressing, so he took Harry outside to the courtyard. They sat together.
"Harry, you're going to explode before you see the healer today. You need to calm down." Nev said in a soft voice.
Harry got to his feet and started pacing. "I can't. I can't lose her Nev. You have no idea what that would do to me." He growled out.
Nev stood and grabbed Harry by the shoulders. "You won't. She has all of us." Harry looked Nev in the eye for the first time that day "We'll get her through this-as a family. You won't lose her Harry." He repeated forcefully.
Harry nodded, took a breath and let it out. "Okay Nev. I'm holding you to that." He smirked.
HP
When classes were done, Harry ran to Hermione's classroom where she was putting her supplies in her bag. "You didn't have to run love. It's not like I'm going to go without you." She smiled brilliantly at him as he grinned goofily.
"I love you, Mione."
"I love you too, you goof." She laughed as they left her classroom. "So how'd your students do today?" She asked as they tried to take their mind off the appointment they were headed to.
"Fine. I was a little grumpy today though." He grinned sheepishly at Mione.
When they got to hospital, both teens quieted down. Pomfrey was stocking supplies and looked up with a smile. "Healer Axel is in the room over there." She pointed to a room Hermione had not noticed before.
They just nodded and walked into the room. Sitting there was a man in his late twenties with a short black beard and longish black hair with bright blue eyes. He looked like a man who laughed a lot as he was giving them a bright smile. He stood and came over to them with his hand stretched out.
"Hi. My name's Healer Axel."
Harry took his hand. "Hi. I'm Harry Potter and this is my fiancée Hermione Granger." He pointed to Hermione and Hr. Axel shook her hand.
"Oh! You're the one I have to thank for this." He motioned to his laptop. "I'm muggleborn and I've always been frustrated with the lack of technology in the wizarding world. Then this summer I find I can use one at the office—absolutely amazing!" He sat down and directed Hermione to the bed.
"Well, I'm glad you like it." she smiled.
"I love it. It makes keeping files so much easier."
"See, I wanted it for here at Hogwarts. I hate parchment." They both laughed.
"So, I understand you're pregnant with triplets. Let's take a look." He waved his wand and a moving visual was projected up from her stomach. "Yep. There are three. See those flipper-like things?" They both nodded. "Those are their arms and legs developing."
"Shite!"
"Language Harry!" Mione admonished without skipping a beat which made Hr. Axel laugh.
Harry looked at her, his eyes as wide as saucers. "They're real." He whispered as Mione took his hand.
"Yes love. And they're ours to protect." Hermione said with determination in her voice. She looked at the healer. "So, how do we protect them?"
"I really wish there was some way for you to get around without having to mount these stairs." He said.
"You mean like a wheelchair in the muggle world?"
"Exactly." Hr. Axel and Harry looked at Hermione,
"Bloody hell." Harry sighed as the healer gave him a questioning look. "I know that look. She's inventing. When is our next appointment?"
"Friday. This is a high-risk pregnancy, we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
"She'll have one ready by then or it'll be this weekend at the latest." Harry laughed.
"So, are you having trouble with morning sickness?" Axel asked as both Harry and Hermione nodded vigorously. Then they were off to the races talking about her health and how to keep the triplets safe.
They discovered her tiredness was normal. They got more of the potion to help her not be sick. There was an actual name but it was long and Harry didn't care. All he cared about was that she stopped feeling bad. She was put on vitamins.
"Just from knowing you this long, Harry, it's going to take you walking with Hermione to her classes to make her stop when she needs to. With climbing all these stairs Hermione needs to take lots of rests."
Harry nodded. "I'll carry her if I have to."
"You will not, Harry Potter!" She hissed at him.
"For now, you're not under any restrictions Hermione. Just be careful not to exert yourself, yeah."
She nodded. They got a little more advice and literature about being pregnant with multiples and left.
HP
When they got back to their flat, everyone was there grading, planning lessons or studying. Harry saw Sirius on the small couch with Jaime. One arm was around Jaime, the other was grading essays, Jaime was in the same position. Dora was feeding Teddy. Nev and Luna were at the table studying. He couldn't help but grin at the fact that these were all his family. While it was not a typical family by any stretch of the imagination, he couldn't imagine life any different.
There were the father/grandfather and mother/grandmother figures in Sirius and Jaime. Dora was the Aunt. Then there were his brother and sister and his godson. And of course, his wife.
Just like 8 years ago not being able to imagine his world with magic; he couldn't imagine it without these people in it now.
"Hey Son." Sirius looked up at him with a grin. "How'd it go?"
"Great. We got some more of the 'make Hermione sane' juice. Ow!" he looked at his arm which Mione had hit.
"I am not insane. I am pregnant!" she tried to hide the smile that wanted to break out. She loved it when Harry teased. She loved seeing this new version of Harry, the less broody more fun-loving version.
"Yes dear." He smirked at her.
"Alice and Lily said that at least once during their pregnancies." Sirius laughed.
"Sound like smart women." Jaime laughed.
"They married stupid blokes though." Sirius grinned as Harry and Nev said simultaneously, "Hey! That's my dad you're talking about."
As everyone laughed, Sirius just said, "Your dads would say the stupidest things to Ali and Lily and then complain when they got hexed."
"Like what?" Harry asked
"Frankie suggested Deibencorn as your name Neville. He got blasted across the room, came into work limping. It was bloody hilarious."
"Deibencorn? Was he crazy?" Jaime asked, laughing at Sirius' nod.
"What did my dad do?" Harry asked.
"Nothing with names. He learned from Frankie. He asked Lils whether she was gaining too much weight at about six months. Ended up with an itchy rash all over his body—and I mean everywhere—for two days and he slept at my place that night." Sirius chuckled at the looks on his boys' faces. "Like I said, stoopid." This had everyone laughing.
As Harry took out the essays he had to grade, he sighed. "I really wish we could demand that each student have a computer. Then they could e-mail me their essays so I could actually read them. This chicken scratch is impossible."
"Funny, that's what I've always told you about your handwriting." Hermione smirked at Harry.
"Yeah, yeah. But this is insane." He grumbled as he started deciphering the scratch.
"So, what'd the healer say?" Sirius asked.
"He's worried about all the steps here so I need an analog to a scooter or wheelchair." Mione informed him. She got up. "I need to go to the Madhouse. I need a few books to see if I can charm a regular chair to work."
Harry got up. "I'll come with you." He took her hand which she pulled away.
"You will not!" Hermione said emphatically. "I'm not an invalid, I'm pregnant."
She looked at him and he saw her eyes flash angrily before they turned to stone. "Mione, I just want to make sure you're safe."
"I won't be if you're hovering."
Before this could get any worse for his godson, Sirius stood and put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, she'll be fine. Don't worry so much, not yet."
"Thank you, Uncle Sirius." She smiled and went to the floo.
"You've got a strong witch there. You need to remember she took care of all of you for a year, she can handle this."
"Fine." He grumbled as he sat back down. While he worked on grading while she was gone, he didn't breathe easily until she got back. Unfortunately, she didn't get home until right before dinner.
She burst through the fire with the gleam in her eyes that Harry associated with her 'I've got it' face. He got up and met her for a hug. He grinned at her. "You've fixed it?"
"Yep. Look here." She pulled out a very comfortable looking bar stool with a back. "I figured that I needed a chair I could sit in comfortably for a long while so Mum and I went shopping and got this. I also figured I'd need to sit on it in front of students so it needed to be a high chair. Then I figured out the charms to make it levitate at various speeds and heights. Now I just have to charm it."
"Do your mum and dad know you're pregnant?" he asked a little fearfully. He had not really considered telling them or how they'd react and was now nervous.
"Yeah. Mum's ecstatic, Dad's worried." She smiled tenderly at her fiancé. "Don't worry. They'll be fine." She laughed at the way he relaxed at that. "I also went to Waterstone's and Flourish's and bought some books on being pregnant with multiples." She laid the chair out and started mumbling charms.
Luna came over and got the books out. "We're going to need to start a new section in the library on pregnancy and raising kids." She said to Hermione as she looked at the books. She looked at her best friend and saw her biting her lip. "Need help?"
"No. I think I've got this one. I actually found spells for what I want, it's just a matter of layering them correctly." Mione smiled.
"Okay. We'll try it out after dinner." She smiled at her sister. She was really happy for her friend but on the edge of her mind, she wondered how long Mione had left on earth. After all, her mum died when she was nine as did her mum and her mum before her. Luna wondered if she and Nev were going to have to help Harry raise the kids. No, she couldn't think that way. She wouldn't think that way.
After dinner, they tried it out and decided to layer the spells differently. The two teens worked late into the night working as the team of best friends they had become over the last six months.
By midnight, they had it working the way they wanted. "I think I'll test it tomorrow around the school."
"Going to go run over Ronald?" Luna grinned.
Mione laughed. "I'm going to try not to run anyone over but if I happen to, I've no problem doing that. Not after how he's been treating Harry at practices."
"Yeah, Harry does come back pretty upset after practice these days."
"That's because Ron is telling him to change his tactics, which have worked since he joined the team." Mione bit her lip. "Honestly, it's only the fact that people are coming to see the game that he keeps playing. That and he loves flying."
"That's too bad. I know he loves the game. Anyone this summer could see it." Luna got off the floor and helped Mione up. "Better get to bed sis." She hugged Mione then headed to her own room.
Wednesday 18 November 1998
Tuesday was an interesting day for Hermione. She took her new chair around the school and it worked beautifully. The only problem was that the long legs kept getting in the way of the people around her.
In Charms on Wednesday, while everyone was practicing the current charm, Hermione went over to Professor Flitwick. "Professor, could you help me a moment?" she asked.
"Of course, Ms. Granger." He smiled at her. She brought him to her chair and explained the problem she was having.
"The chair legs have to be this far out when I'm sitting in the classroom but they've knocked students over in the halls. Can I simply shrink them so they are not as obtrusive?"
"Yes, but we can transfigure them into folding legs." He did it. "And then charm them to fold up on command." He showed her how to do it.
She got a huge smile on her face. "Thank you, Professor. Thank you."
"Don't mention it. Any way I can help, let me know." He smiled as he went about helping others.
HP
Since he had found out that his fiancée was pregnant, Harry had been in a daze. He'd gone through the daily routines he had without paying too much attention to them.
It had gotten so bad that on Tuesday morning he left for classes without saying goodbye to Teddy. Dora, Jaime and Sirius had noticed this and Jaime had encouraged her lover to talk to his godson. He had decided to find Harry after classes got over on Wednesday.
He let his last class go a little early so he could catch Harry before he ran off and hid himself away for the evening. As he strode into Harry's classroom, he noted that Harry looked like hell. His hair was a mess, messier than usual at least, he had dark circles under his eyes and had a scowl on his face when he looked up. Seeing it was Padfoot, he smiled slightly. "Hey Pads. What's up?"
Sirius perched himself on a desk. "How're you doing pup?"
"Fine. Tired but fine." He sighed as he started getting things ready for the next day.
"So, you're really not going to tell me huh?" Sirius shook his head.
"What do you mean?" he looked up, confused.
"Pup, you forgot to say goodbye to Teddy yesterday. You come home looking like you've spent the day dueling. I don't think I've heard more than two dozen words from you in the last three days." Sirius sighed. "You need to talk. Whether it's to me, Nev, Luna, Dora or someone else—you need to talk. None of us like who you've become."
Harry stopped working and perched himself on the edge of his desk. "I don't know. I can't get over the fact that we're having three. One, maybe two, I could handle but not three." He rubbed his hand over his face. "I mean, we just got rid of Voldemort, we're rebuilding our world and having triplets? I don't know. That may be too much for me to handle. I'm only 18, even my parents were older than that when they had me!"
"What are you really afraid of Harry?" Sirius asked, knowing Harry was talking around whatever the real issue was. He got up, grabbed his godson's arm and pulled him out of the castle towards the Black Lake.
When they started around the lake, he asked again, "What are you really afraid of?"
"I don't know. I'm just afraid Sirius. I can't seem to get the fear that I'll be a horrible father out of my head. Yeah sure, I know how to nappy and feed a kid. I even know how to calm a baby down. But I don't know how to be a Dad. I can't help thinking I'll do something wrong and the kid will hate me for life."
They walked for a while before Sirius spoke. "You know, your dad went through the same thing when Lils got pregnant. He was worried out of his mind. By then Mum and Dad were gone and he really had no one to talk to except me. . . and boy did he." Sirius chuckled nostalgically. "Any chance he got, he told me how scared he was. It got so bad that Rem and I searched bookstores for books about being a dad. There was one bloody book but it helped him calm down quite a bit." Sirius sighed as he wrapped Harry in a sideways hug. "All this is to say that every dad goes through these feelings, it's how you deal with them that shows who you really are."
"What do you mean?"
"Do you sit down and read the book or do you run and hide? Your dad chose the former." Sirius looked sternly at his godson. "And if you do the latter to my niece, I'll hex you into next year." He said without any humour in his voice.
"I would never do that to Mione." He objected to the idea. He then smiled after a few minutes. "So, you ready for Mark to come on Saturday?"
Sirius groaned. "Uh. That'd be a no but I'll face him for Jaime."
"You really do love her, don't you?" Harry looked a little astounded, considering the reputation Sirius had as a youngster.
"Yeah. I do." The old dog smiled.
Nev half-smiled. "I don't want to even think of losing Luna."