1981
It was the dead of night, a loud cry rang out throughout the house.
The door creaked open just slightly, a cat meowed before jumping up into the crib.
The infant reached out a chubby hand to grip orange fur, as the cat settled in beside him, purring.
The door swung open, light from the hall flooding the small nursery, light footsteps crossed the room.
The infant was lifted out of his crib, cradled to his father's chest.
"Harry," The man sing-songed softly, settling into the rocking chair, "hey."
The infant, Harry, cooed, green tinted blue eyes peering up at his father.
"You're not gonna go back to sleep right now, are you?"
Harry cooed sweetly, wide awake.
"Yeah," the father sighed, "That's what I thought."
May 2nd, 1998
Harry woke, comfortably warm where he was curled into a fetal position under a quite heavy blanket, the smell of pine filling his nose.
They had won the war, unbelievably, they had won.
And, as most everyone had celebrated or mourned together at the place the final battle had taken place, at Hogwarts, Harry had left, apparating from Gryffindor Tower as there were no longer any wards to keep him from doing so.
And now he was waking in the same place he had fallen asleep, in a tan and marron bedroom that smelled faintly of pine, immaculate despite not being lived in for the better part of two decades.
The same place the first wizarding war had come to an end.
He had apparated to the cottage in Godric's Hollow, vaguely noting that the lawn needed work as he entered the house. Having entered the house, he had beelined for the bedroom immediately burying himself under the covers and passing out.
"There you are." A familiar voice commented, causing Harry to jerk upright, heart hammering as he looked wildly toward the doorway. "We were looking for you."
The familiar head of red hair calming his heartrate.
"Ginny." He breathed, breathlessly, as she came into the room.
She pulled her boots off, before padding across the room, crawling onto the bed beside him.
"Crazy day, huh?" She asked, her voice rough and eyes red rimmed.
He hummed in agreement, laying back down and lifting the blanket invitingly for her to scoot under it.
She settled in with a sigh.
"We'll probably need to head back to Hogwarts soon, wont we?" Harry asked, eye slipping shut.
"Probably." Ginny agreed tiredly.
It was early evening now, and Ginny just wanted to be able to turn in for the night. Harry's arm slipping around her only strengthened that resolve.
Her eyes slipped shut and her breathing evened out as she fell into the land of dreams.
June 7th, 1998
Things were moving much slower after the war ended than anyone would have expected.
It was over a month since the war ended, and they were only just able to bury their dead. Normally, wizarding tradition would dictate that it would've been done on the seventh day.
The friends and family would mourn until the third day, the fourth day the body would be prepared, the fifth and sixth days would be spent celebrating the life of the lost, and on the seventh day the lost would be buried.
As it was, though, with as many as they had lost, bodies had had to be put into stasis, until they could all be prepared, and now they were doing back to back burials.
Nearly everyone that had been at the final battle was there that day, and then some.
Few of the more sympathetic death eaters had been escorted by the few aurors that had been proven trustworthy, as they would also be burying their dead that day as well, but most were still being held in Azkaban.
And at the end, after they had lowered their last into the ground, all who had their wand raised them to send their lost into the afterlife, and in hope of a new peaceful world.
July 27th, 1998
The Quidditch World Cup of nineteen-ninety-eight was one of the biggest ever, with many quidditch fans flocking to it, even when they had to travel outside of the country.
It even had many non-fans attending, just for the fact that they could without fear.
While there were extra security measures, it was quite obvious it was just in response to the events of the last world cup.
For the most part, it went off without a hitch, with the exception of minor hiccups.
September 1st, 1998
They had just barely managed to get the wards back up, and Hogwarts habitable for the new school year. They had first focused on the wards, then on renovating all the most used areas, as the now Headmistress McGonagall had reasoned that the less used areas could be sectioned off and worked on during the school year.
Due to the war majorly taking place over the last year, many of the seventh years of the previous year were returning for an eighth year, to be merged with the seventh-year classes and dorms.
There were a good handful of eighth years returning that year. Of the Gryffindors, there was Hermione and Parvati Patil, and Neville Longbottom. Hufflepuff there was Susan Bones, Zachariah Smith, and Hannah Abbott, who Ginny suspected may only be there for the beginning of the year, as she appeared to be noticeably pregnant. Ravenclaw had Lisa Turpin. Slytherin surprisingly had the most students returning with the entirety of the surviving class returning, even the Malfoys had been cleared, along with their house being raided, in time for Draco to join the other Slytherins in returning at the beginning of the school year.
Needless to say, that year's graduating class would be quite a bot larger than had been originally expected.
So here Ginny was, alongside Hermione waiting to board the Hogwarts express for the last time.
October 12th, 1998
Harry was settling into his apartment that he moved into. He had stayed at Godric's Hollow those first couple of nights, then he had stayed at Grimmauld Place for multiple weeks while looking for a better home, that he could easily have Teddy with him in.
Currently, he was helping Andromeda whenever and however he could, but the plan was for Teddy to start staying with him a majority of the time as soon as possible.
So here he is, living in a two-bedroom apartment, when he hasn't yet found a job (though he was trying to get into the auror department), living off of what was left in his trust fund, as most of what the Potter family had in Gringotts had been used in post first wizarding war efforts.
He could have returned to Hogwarts alongside Hermione come September, had he chosen to, he had decided to stay back and care for his godson, though, as Remus and Tonks' will had specified.
There was a knock at his door, and he froze momentarily where he was unpacking boxes in the kitchen, adrenaline rushing through his body before he could rationalize it as being just a knock at the door.
Sighing, he grabbed his wand from the counter, and went to open the door.
"Harry." Kingsley greeted when Harry swung the door open. "Sorry to drop in unannounced."
Harry stared up at the older man for a moment, before opening the door wider in invitation for him to enter.
Kingsley raised an eyebrow. "No security questions?"
"I have wards up." Harry shrugged, watching the man closely, "Multiple wards."
Kingsley hummed, "I can respect that."
They lapsed into momentary silence wherein Harry continued staring at the older man as he glanced around the apartment.
"What are you doing here, Kingsley?" Harry asked suddenly.
"I need aurors." Kingsley said bluntly, and to the point.
"And what do you want me to do about that?" Harry asked apprehensively.
"I would like for you to join the auror force, if you'd be so willing."
There was a time when Harry was at Hogwarts still, and had yet to have fought in a war, where he would've been over the moon to be having this conversation. He would have jumped at the opportunity to join the aurors, would have been offering up his help. But now that he had fought in a war, and had an infant that would be relying on him soon, he was more apprehensive about it.
"You're the first person I've approached." Kingsley continued, noticing Harry's hesitation. "Please, Harry, we're down to just a handful of aurors left."
"I don't know Kingsley." Harry answered, crossing his arms over his chest. "I mean, I haven't even gotten my NEWTs, and I'm not planning on going back to Hogwarts."
"Harry. You defeated Voldemort, I think we can forgive you not having your NEWTs." Kingsley responded. "Or, if you wanted to get them for the job, you could do them over mail in."
Harry hummed, eyes finally straying away from staring at the man, to glance around the room.
"I'll be taking in my godson in just a couple weeks, I don't know when I'll be able to find a daycare for him." Harry muttered.
Kingsley sighed, recognizing the excuse for what it was, and started for the door. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me."
Harry nodded, following the man to the door, "Thank you, Kingsley." He responded, hoping his voice didn't come off as wooden as he feared.
He stood, staring at the door for a moment after the man left, his heart racing as he processed the conversation he'd just had.
Who was he kidding?
The job was still his dream job. The one he'd worked toward for his entire time at Hogwarts. He'd more than likely be taking this job and taking the NEWTs along with it.
November 1st, 1998
It was nerve wracking, waiting for Andromeda to show up to drop Teddy off.
Harry couldn't help but feel bad, like he was taking him away from her, despite them following Remus and Tonks' will. Despite the fact that she would still get to see the infant, he wasn't going to keep him from her.
He was as prepared as he could be, was honestly probably a little over prepared.
He had a crib, a highchair, formula and bottles, six to twelve month clothes, diapers, probably too many diapers, a toy chest filled with age appropriate toys, his entire apartment was locked down and babyproofed.
He even had a car seat and stroller.
That unfortunately didn't mean he felt prepared mentally.
Maybe he shouldn't be doing this, he foolishly hadn't expected this to come to soon despite accepting the role of godfather while in the middle of a war. What if he ended up parenting like his Aunt and Uncle had.
There was a knock, and he was at the door before Andromeda had a chance to even knock more than once.
Andromeda gave him a slightly startled look as the door swung open.
"Good morning, Harry." She greeted, Teddy on her hip, and holding a diaper bag with her other hand.
"Andromeda, come in." He said, holding the door open for the woman.
She stepped into the living room, dropping the diaper bag next to the coffee table, before sitting on the edge of the couch, Teddy happily on her lap.
Andromeda had struggled that morning, while getting Teddy ready to go. She would have happily raised her grandson, but she did understand why Nymphadora and Remus had put in their will for him to be left with his godfather.
She hadn't exactly been in the best health in the lead up to the war, and even up to now. She was sure it had more to do with them not wanting to put additional stress on her, over anything she may have done.
That didn't make it feel any better, though, even if she knew Harry wasn't the type to keep her from seeing Teddy.
December 7th, 1998
Hannah held her just minutes old daughter in her arms as the room bustled around her.
The early weeks of her pregnancy had been hard and terrifying, as a war raged around them. The war itself would have been bad enough for her, but then she had found out she was pregnant and suddenly there was a tiny life depending on her.
But she had survived and managed to keep her daughter alive as well.
Allison cooed up at her mother, from where she rested on her chest.
January 1st, 1999
Ginny may have drunk just a little too much while out the night before as she woke up with a pounding headache, and only vague memories.
She groaned, pulling her blanket over her head, the softness pleasant against her skin as she tried to recollect the events of the night before.
She knew she had gone out with the rest of the seventh and eighth year class, along with her brothers as well, but couldn't remember much past ten that night.
She sighed, rubbing the divinely soft blanket on her cheek, before freezing and looking at the blanket.
Ginny didn't have a blanket like this.
She bolted upright, the sunlight streaming in through the blinds illuminated cream colored bedroom walls, obviously not her overly pink childhood bedroom she had been staying in at the burrow over the break.
She rubbed her hands over her face, before standing from the cushy, spacious bed, and headed for the door. Opening the bedroom door, it became clear whose home she was in.
There were a handful of pictures on the hallway wall, but three stood out the most to her. One was a picture of her family, including Fleur, Hermione, and Harry, which was taken on Father's Day the year before. Another was one of Harry, Ron, and Hermione from the Yule ball in nineteen ninety-four. The last was of a red headed woman, with a dark-haired man that looked strikingly like Harry holding a dark-haired toddler between them, obviously Harry with his parents.
An infant's babbling was heard from what seemed to be the living room.
How had she ended up in Harry's home?
He hadn't even been there the night before, having turned down the invitation.
Slowly, she made her way to the living room, only to find it empty, toys on the floor and a pillow and blanket strewn on the couch.
An excited babbling came from behind her, and she spun around, seeing the open floor kitchen, little Teddy in his highchair near the table, and Harry at the counter, cutting up a banana.
"Good morning, Ginny." Harry greeted softly when he noticed her.
"Good morning." She whispered, before clearing her throat awkwardly.
"How're you feeling?" he asked cautiously, as he dumped a handful of banana on Teddy's highchair tray.
"How'd I get here?" Ginny asked in lieu of answering.
Harry raised his eyebrows, glancing at her, "You showed up on my doorstep at two in the morning, drunk out of your mind."
Ginny blushed at the answer. "Oh."
"Here," Harry said, reaching into a cabinet and pulling out a dark green potion and handing it to her, "It'll help with the hangover."
"Thanks." Ginny muttered, accepting it from him. She grabbed her shoes from where she had seen them near the door, "I should get home, Mum will be wondering where I am." She told him, leaving before he had a chance to answer.
February 19th, 1999
Kingsley's initiation as official minister was a rather quiet affair, as he had already been temporary minister during the war.
It was announced that he'd be taking the position more permanently, then everyone moved on with their lives.
Everyone other than the members of the Order of the Phoenix, who all insisted on a get together between the group to celebrate.
March 22nd, 1999
Ron was starting at the ministry alongside Harry, an accomplishment he had been working toward since his OWLs years.
It almost felt like a dream for him to finally be here.
It was truly surreal.
April 6th, 1999
Teddy's first birthday came and went, leaving the Potter household with an abundance of toys and books to find places for in the apartment, and Harry with a new picture of an absolutely cake covered Teddy to add to his wall.
May 2nd, 1999
A birthing room in Saint Mungoes was the last place Fleur had ever imagined herself being on the first anniversary of the end of the second wizarding war.
And yet, here she was, clutching at her husband's hand, as she sobbed her way through contraction after contraction, all while her magical core repeatedly replenished just to immediately deplenish to damn near nothing as soon as a contraction eased up.
Never before had she hated being a veela as she did in this moment.
It was as though her child were a parasite leeching her magic from her.
"Alright, Missus Weasley," The midwife said, before saying the words Fleur had been waiting hours to hear, "With your next contraction, you can start pushing."
June 23rd, 1999
Hermione couldn't believe she was finally here. After a long almost nine years, she was finally graduating from Hogwarts, she'd finally get to walk across the pitch and get her diploma in front of her friends and family.
She was graduating top of her class, closely followed by Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley.
After the graduation ceremony, would be the leaving feast. Then, they'd be riding the Hogwarts Express for the last time.
A rather bittersweet fact.
July 1st, 1999
"Good morning Potter Watch listeners!" Lee Jordan announced to anyone tuning in on the radio. "This is Lee Jordan, or to those who listened during the war, River. I am your host, and this is the first show post war, and a revival of the original Potter Watch.
Whereas the first Potter Watch was to keep you guys updated on the war, this revival will be focusing on the more mundane news from the wizarding world and for entertainment purposes!
For our debut, I have asked Harry Potter himself to join me as our guest star…"
August 11th, 1999
Ginny's eighteenth birthday celebration had also turned into one of her officially getting accepted onto the HollyHead Harpies team, as she had just gotten the owl informing her of their decision earlier that day.
Which led her group of family and friends to the Leaky Cauldron that evening.
Somehow, inexplicably, a couple rounds of drinks led to she and Harry snogging in one of the rooms of the leaky cauldron.
She wasn't sure how exactly they had gotten there, but she wasn't complaining.
Nor did she know what exactly they were, but she knew she wanted to be more.
September 5th, 1999
They were all gathered at the Burrow, the first of what would quickly, by happenstance, become a weekly Sunday tradition.
It would quickly become the time to fill the family in on whatever was happening.
Engagements, pregnancies, promotions, and the like.
This first one, Molly and Arthur had called the family together to share their plans to have a vow renewal in the coming months.
October 31st, 1999
Yet another photo was added to Harry's growing wall of photographs, Teddy dressed as a puffskein with Victoire dressed as a mandrake.
November 9th, 1999
Molly may have had the slightest case of empty nest syndrome.
Or maybe a huge case.
Bill was married and live in Shell Cottage with Fleur and Victoire. Charlie was still in Romania. Percy had moved to London. George was back to the apartment above Weasley Wizard Wheezes, and Ron with him. And now Ginny was headed off to start training for the HollyHead Harpies.
Molly no longer had any of her children living with her, and the only solace was that the war was over, making them just slightly safer than they would have been otherwise.
It almost felt as though she had lost them all, and she spent several days struggling to even get out of bed. Even if logically, she knew she could still visit them rather easily.
December 31st, 1999
New Year's Eve for Molly and Arthur wasn't much different than any other night. Using Arthur's time off work to continue planning their vow renewal.
One thing Bill and Fleur had noticed quickly, was that many things were different when you had a child, New Year's being one of them. Sure, you could stay up to bring in the new year if you want to, but you'll probably regret it come morning when an infant has you awake at four in the morning.
Charlie had wanted to be home for the new year, but ended up having to stay in Romania to wrangle a Hungarian Horntail that hadn't transferred into their care very well. A youngling mother that had been obviously mistreated and had also had her egg taken away from her.
Percy spent his New Year's working, finishing filing any documents that needed done before the first of the year. Only because his family hadn't had any plans otherwise.
Geroge spent the night attempting to come up with new ideas for Weasley Wizard Wheezes, unsuccessfully, perhaps due to the bottle of firewhiskey he spent New Year's Eve with.
The last thing Hermione had been expecting out of that New Years Eve was for Ron to propose. But he did, and of course Hermione's answer was an enthusiastic 'yes'.
Ginny finally knew what she and Harry's relationship was. They had finally decided together to pick the relationship back up where they had left off over two years ago now.
Going into the year two thousand, Euphemia Rowle had been caring for Delphini Riddle for a year and a half at this point. As the babe once again started wailing, the woman couldn't help the bitterness that had been slowly overtaking her. This child was like a curse to her.