Chapter 13 - Revelations

Harry's head in the fire, was calling for Ted but only Andromeda had answered to the appeal, Ted was working a shift at St. Mungo due to finish very soon. She promised Harry to let him know he called.
'Can you tell him is quite urgent?' Harry asked before to pull away his head.
Sunrise was eating with gusto a flan in her highchair and Harry pacing up and down the kitchen was occasionally shooting her fleeting glances. Then unable to resist the impulse, sat on a chair in front of her and for the third time since Ginny was gone, asked her 'Sweetie, in your dream what colour Joe's hands were?'
But she didn't answer all taken by her flan. Harry took a green rug from the kitchen counter 'Like this one?' he asked showing it to her.
She shook her head, carefully putting her half full spoon in her mouth.
'Like that one?' he asked pointing at the yellow curtains.
Sunrise looked casually at them and then shook her head again 'Like the sea.' She chirped tugging from the flan again.
Harry didn't know what to think. It was exactly that sentence that had ringed a bell in his head at George's place when he was recounting about his injury.
He had frozen in hearing it, remembering Sunrise exclaiming the same while talking about her dream, and hadn't been able to focus on anything else the whole day. When Ginny expressed the wish to go visiting Luna to chat some more about the wedding, he had strongly encouraged her to go that day, to have some time to mull everything over.
Unfortunately, the thinking only enhanced his sense of foreboding making him restless.
He hadn't shared this new discovery with Ginny, sure she would have only minimized the event, but Harry was growing seriously alarmed. The coincidences were starting to be too many.
He needed somebody objective to talk it over, somebody completely bereft of bias. And in desperation the only person that came to his mind was Ted.
Normally he would have been unwilling to reveal that much to him. Despite everything he was very young, and it didn't seem right to turn to him when problems arise. It ought to be the other way around. Harry wanted to be that person for Ted. But for some reasons it seemed he was the only one having always issues and, in the end, without any other option or nobody to turn to since Hermione wasn't there, and notwithstanding his reticence, it was him, with his thirty-eight years, the only one asking for advice.
After having paced up and down the kitchen an uncountable number of time and having asked Sunrise the same question once more, a crackle of fire made him lurch to attention.
Ted was in the fireplace, white as a cloud, his baggy jumper hanging loose on two very skinny legs.
Sunrise exclaimed delighted his name and outstretched her arms to be picked up.
He smiled softened and ambling over her to comply, said to Harry 'I thought to pop over, grandma said it was…'
'Yes, yes! It is urgent!' Harry tailed off impatiently but then, reminding about good manners, asked 'Would you like something to drink?'
Ted, puzzled by this abrupt change, faltered a moment taking Sunrise from the highchair '…Yes please. A glass of…' but Harry unable to concentrate on anything else interrupted him again 'Ted, I need your opinion'
Ted looked at him concernedly 'Alright' he said taking that glass of water he was about to ask from the sink with his free hand and sitting on a chair.
'It's about…' Harry commenced but paused hesitatingly looking at Sunrise. Children at that age seemed never to listen but they were recorder machines ready to repeat everything at the wrong moment. He had learned his lesson already. Sunrise knew more swearing than all of them put together and she was always coming out with them out of the blue in front of Ginny.
'…my daughter…' he concluded. No reaction from Sunrise.
Ted relaxed against the chair sighing gloomily 'Yeah… I thought you were going to notice it sooner or later…' he said stroking absentmindedly Sunrise curls.
Harry was bewildered 'Did you know already? Why didn't you tell me? How did you realise?'
Ted shrugged 'It was kind of obvious watching from the outside, but I was waiting for you to mention it first'
Harry, speechless, dropped on the chair in front of Ted 'But…' he stammered dumfounded 'Has she recounted you the dreams? When?'
Ted's brows knitted 'What dreams?'
Harry was silent. He looked studiously at Ted 'What are you talking about?'
Ted was silent. He looked with ingenuity at Harry 'Nothing' he cooed smiling reassuringly 'What dreams?'
But Harry wasn't fooled so easily 'We'll get back to this' he admonished him but keen to have his story out of the system first, he recounted everything to Ted agitatedly.
Ted listened carefully, without interrupting, sipping his water.
Sunrise was playing with the green rug only occasionally repeating words at random.
When Harry got to the end of his tale telling him about George's hands, Ted, like Ginny, seemed everything but impressed.
'I don't see why you are worrying so much…' he begun at which Harry nearly got a breath of relief, if even Ted thought it was only his mind working too much, it must surely be so. Better to be crazy and imagining things than what he was afraid of. But as he was ready to hear "you are reading more than there is in it/you are a lunatic/your daughter is absolutely normal/stop being so neurotic" Ted continued absolutely chill out 'She must be a seer'.
Harry was so taken aback he got in a paralysis for a moment.
'Sorry?' he only managed to stutter.
'She must be a seer' Ted repeated in the fifth essence of calmness and matter of fact, as if only disclosing about Sunrise being clever for her age or having a cough.
Seeing the bemused expression on Harry's face he asked 'Why? What did you think?'
Harry, speechless, looked at his daughter who was humming a song cheerfully with a bit of a snot down her nose. She looked everything but a seer.
He stood up and with a handkerchief cleaned her face and took her from Ted's arms who was still waiting for an answer.
'I guess that, but I hoped to be wrong' he said agitated in the end.
'Why?' Ted asked puzzled.
'It's not normal!' Harry exclaimed bewildered by Ted's lack of comprehension 'and scary!' added hastily squeezing Sunrise protectively because indeed it felt quite so.
Ted laughed 'I disagree. It's neither one nor the other' he said standing up and getting some bread from the kitchen 'I still didn't get my dinner. Do you mind?' he asked.
Harry shook his head still dazed and with his wand made appear some food on the table to be eaten with the bread, impatient to hear what Ted had to say on the matter.
Ted took some strawberry jam and while spreading the bread continued 'It happens sometimes, it is not that bizarre'
'What do you know about seers?'
Ted sat down chewing is sandwich pensively 'They can see the future in many ways. Some get into trances, some with dreams, some in crystal balls …' he took another bite while Harry was hanging from his lips 'Usually women, seldomly muggles' Another bite 'It runs in the family. It's hereditary'
'It's impossible then!' Harry burst out triumphant 'Ginny would have told me if they had a seer in the family!'
Ted halted his eating to look at him meaningfully, arching his eyebrows as if to suggest an answer but not seeing any sign of light behind Harry's eyes, prodded him 'What about your family?'
Harry gawked at him. He was so accustomed in thinking the Weasleys his family that was prone to forget that he had one too only none of those alive anymore. He halted to reflect on this staggering new notion. It could come from his family. He didn't know absolutely anything about them; very little about his parents, less than little about his grandparents, nothing at all about the rest. He had often wondered if indeed there were some other distant relatives connected to him, but he had never felt the need to do any research, the Weasley were enough for him.
However, this reflection had the power to calm him down. For some reason, the thought that this trait was something coming from his family made it seems less scary and unnatural but more something to be proud of, a connection with the family never met.
He looked at his daughter that was outstretching her arm over the table to grasp the strawberry jam's pot and felt a wave of love for that curly, freckly small thing and, as these waves usually coincided with spoiling, took a teaspoon dipped it into the jam and gave it to her who all happy stuffed it into her mouth with a pleased smile.
'If Ginny asks, she ate boiled carrots, green beans and fish fingers' he said pointedly to Ted.
'A balanced diet' Ted said smiling finishing his sandwich and taking an apple 'in that case you should make them disappear. If she finds the meal untouched it will be kind of obvious Sunrise hadn't eaten them, don't you think?'
'Very wise' Harry said grateful and, bringing them on the table with his wand, exhorted Ted 'Dig in' pushing it toward him.
'I just got a strawberry sandwich and I'm eating an apple!'
'Eat it!' Harry ordered severe 'I'm your godfather and you must obey me!'
'Hey!' Ted retorted 'I'm Sunny's godfather and I've a right to superintend her diet then!'
'Only when I'm not there. Right now, I'm the responsible parent. And the responsible father wants her daughter to be happy. Are you happy, sweetie?' he asked with a softer tone giving her the pot so that she could dig in it with more easiness.
'Yes, daddy' she chirped profiting amply of the opportunity.
'So, do you think she is a seer then?' he asked Ted who was observing the scene sceptic.
Ted pulled the plate toward him and started to eat the veggies leaving the fish behind for Harry 'If what you say it's true, she may be. Pay attention to her next dreams and see what happens.'
Harry nodded while making disappear the fish fingers in his mouth and asked him casually how Victoire was.
He was surprised they didn't marry yet or at least move together; it was already several years they were a couple and it seemed natural to him to take that step. He had imputed it to Ted's unwillingness to leave Andromeda alone but when interrogated on it, Ted admitted it was only part of the truth, revealing to Harry that his salary was still too low for him to afford a place for them. Magical habitations were quite expensive even outside London being few and difficult to build because of muggles presence. Many magical people were buying muggles ones and transforming them as Hermione and Ron had done. But it needed nevertheless a lot of money for the conversion as usually experts needed to be hired, being the spells to perform many and complex and permissions required.
Ted couldn't afford it yet, not even adding Victoire's salary. When Harry found out about this difficulty, had offered him straight away Grimmauld place, but Ted had turned it down justifying the refuse with James and Albus' possible need for it in future. Harry insisted; it seemed unlikely they would have wanted to make any use of it. Albus, the only time had been in it as a child, had been so terrified that refused categorically to put his foot in there again even when a child no longer and James was so repulsed by dark magic that had recoiled in horror seeing the house elves' heads stuffed on the wall.
Therefore, it was his intention to buy a place each whenever they would have been old enough. He was actually starting with Ginny to keep an eye on possible good deals for James. Money had never been a problem. Harry was already rich by birth and the situation only improved advancing in his career. Moreover, soon after Sunrise birth, under pressure of media, he and Ginny had given another interview posing for a family picture. Only the cachet for that one was enough for a very decent appartement.
For that reason, he absolutely didn't need Grimmauld place and, sure that Sirius would have agreed likewise, would have been happy to pass it legally to Ted, who seemed the only one at his ease in it.
Despite Ted considered Harry like an older brother, Harry considered Ted very much like a son of his own and felt his duty to provide for him, but Ted wasn't of the same mind and was unwilling to accept money or costly presents from him.
After a light chat, Ted was about to go. Sunrise stamped a quite wet and berried flavoured kiss on Ted's smooth cheek, and he stepped in the fireplace with some floopowder in his fist. Only then Harry remembered suddenly about the beginning of their conversation.
'Hold on a sec!' he hooted before the powder could be released from his hand.
Ted stared at him enquiringly.
'Leave that powder and get back here' Harry ordered stern beckoning him the chair he had just vacated.
A look of comprehension dawn on Ted's face and as he seemed on the verge of making a quick escape letting drop the powder, Harry glowered at him ominously.
'Don't even think about it'
Sunrise repeated the injunction copying the same tone and expression, her minacious face all splattered with strawberry jam.
'Sit' Harry ordered (followed by the echo of Sunrise's voice) beckoning insistently for the chair and Ted, reluctant, putting back the powder in the vase, complied.
He sat tamely and looked at Harry.
'Well?' Harry snapped as Ted wasn't emitting any sound 'What do you think I should have noticed about Sunrise?'
Sunrise sat to attention hearing her name.
'Harry, I don't know if…' Ted said all wavering avoiding his gaze.
'I want to know' he replied stern while Sunrise was trying to catch his attention with a series of well-directed 'Daddies'
'Not now, sweetie. Let me talk to Ted first' Harry told her severely.
'I need to pee'
Harry sprang to attention immediately, there was always a very short time between the warning and the disaster having Sunrise only recently dropped the use of nappies.
'Don't try to sneak away' he barked in Ted's direction while darting to the bathroom with Sunrise.
When back, as fast as he could, Harry was surprised to see Ted still there, having feared his escape.
Instead, he was sitting composedly on his chair tapping his long fingers on the table and looking outside the window wistfully.
'Right' he said putting back a clean face and empty bladder Sunrise on her highchair 'Now you'll let daddy and Ted talk like a good girl, won't you?' he told her getting from a drawer a paper and some crayons and placing them in front of her.
'Yes, daddy. I'm a good girl. I make a flower' she said grasping greedily a crayon and attacking the paper with vehemence.
Harry sat down in front of Ted who looked uneasy 'I'm listening' he said drawing the chair a few inches closer with a steady gaze.
Ted, agitated, run a hand repeatedly in his white hair and with each stroke they grew a bit longer 'I thought you must have realised by now…'
'Realised what?' Harry snapped again falling slowly but steadily in a beginning of irritation.
Ted paused unable to find the right words, his hair was now shoulder length and shiny reflecting the light of the fire.
'Do you remember what Sunny's teacher told you about her whining?'
'Of course. Did you understand the reason?' Harry asked suddenly interested, his irritation checked in a moment.
'I think so, yes.' Ted admitted hesitantly.
'Why then?'
Ted paused looking at the floor and then firmly at him 'Because you were low' he said all in one breath.
Harry thought to have misunderstood 'Sorry? What do you mean?'
'When you are low, like very low, she is low too.'
Harry smirked uneasy 'You are kidding, right?' he said shaking his head slightly and folding his arms on his chest sitting back against his chair.
Ted shook his head, his long and sleek white hair swinging softly around his face 'And I don't think It's only sadness. I think it's all very strong emotions.'
Harry sniggered narrowing his eyes, an irk creeping on him 'Ted, that's preposterous! How can you think something like that? It's impossible.'
Although while saying that sentence a subtle voice in his head was making his way whispering.
You know very well it's not impossible.
He shut it hastily in a twinge of fear, but his face darkened considerably.
Ted stared at him a moment but asked anyway 'When you went to pick her up that day, the teacher reported she had whined the whole afternoon, right?'
Harry barely moved his head in an assent glowering ominously at Ted.
'What were you doing that afternoon?'
'Surely not whining in my office' he smirked unnerved.
'Harry, she whines because that's the only way a child can express sadness. What were you doing? Think about it!' he asked keen.
Harry snorted annoyed. He remembered very well what he was doing, he was visiting the families of his deceased colleagues and the heaviness felt that afternoon was still with him but kept his sourly silence not wanting to admit with Ted that much. It was only a coincidence. It didn't prove anything.
But Ted accustomed in having to read Harry's mind when speaking about delicate topics, didn't need an answer and was able to interpret everything only from the bleak aura surrounding him.
'And the teacher said it had been two weeks since it started?'
Harry was as rigid as a trunk and was by then not even nodding anymore but Ted was already tumbling up with another question standing up in his eagerness 'And the ambush on the dark wizard had been more or less two weeks before, right?'
'Ted, it doesn't mean…' he muttered darkly but Ted interrupted him walking to the counter and leaning against it in deep meditation firing another question 'And when she was to my place and started whining you were here "reading", were you?'
Harry, his eyes fixed on him, started to feel on the top of irritation, uneasiness too but Ted, who wasn't waiting any longer for his answers and was only following his train of thought, continued 'And that night we were having dinner together you were so pissed off, right? And Suny was having a tantrum. When you stepped out, she kept in her bad mood for about ten minutes and then quietened. What happened when you were out?'
His hair had started to curl with every question and by then where very similar to Harry and Sunrise's but of a sheer white.
Harry was by then feeling less than assured, that night he was indeed furious, but he had met the boy then and the strangeness of that encounter had calmed his rage. It fitted in a freakish way but stuck in his stubbornness not wanting to see the truth in Ted's words.
He half smiled awkwardly shaking his head 'It's impossible, Ted. She is only picking up the mood in the house.'
'No' he said keen 'She is picking up your mood'
Harry winced plunging deeper and deeper in rigidity and irritation, he massaged his neck trying to fight the discomfort. This tale of picking up mood wasn't new to him and reminded many gloomy and scary moments of a time in his life where it was him who was picking up strong emotions from another person and the parallelism wasn't a pleasant one.
Ted sensing the obstinacy's vibes emitted from Harry, moved toward Sunrise, picked her up, and gathering all the things she was using to colour, brought her to the living room. She made her sit on the coffee table with paper and crayons and told her sweetly 'Sunny, I'll leave you here only for a moment alone, I'll be in the next room with daddy, all right? I'll close the door, but you don't have to be scared as we are just there, all right?'
Sunrise nodded energetically taking back straight away one of the crayons eager to continue her drawing.
Harry had stood up and was following this exchange curiously from the kitchen's threshold. Ted closed the door behind Sunrise and then gesturing Harry to move closed the kitchen's one behind them too.
Harry smirked 'What now? Are you going to brainwash me? I warn you, you've got only five minutes, that's the amount of time Siry will stay by herself' he grumbled sitting down mutinously.
Ted smiled back and shrugged, then he took his glass of water and filled one for Harry.
'How was in Diagon alley today? Did you get the watch? Can I see it?'
Harry took the glass suspicious but not sensing any trap in a question so unconnected with the rest, hazarded an answer and went to get it to show it to him. He praised it and told Harry conversationally that he had been in the alley the day before with Victoire.
The issues Harry encountered going to Diagon Alley were the same Victoire faced most of the time. She was stopped every few paces by men making declarations and exclaiming the impossible to catch her attention.
Aware of the thing Harry asked cackling 'How was it?'
Ted half smiled 'Nothing new. Same farfetched declarations. The winner remains always Ron anyway'
'For what he told Victoire at Christmas?' Harry asked suddenly curious remembering what Victoire recounted the last time he had seen her.
'Actually, that was just part of what happened' Ted admitted a grin spreading on his face inspite of himself and mischievously accosted his chair to Harry's and leaning toward him muttered something conspiratorially in his ear.
Harry almost choked on the water he was drinking, and coughing let go to a burst of amusement so intense it brought tears to his eyes.
Ted, smiling serenely, stood up and went to open both the kitchen and the living room's door.
Sunrise had paused in her drawing and was racked by a pure mirthful laugh.