The Young Ones

Chapter Three: Discussions

Harry awoke with pain in his bones to the sounds of quiet chattering coming from nearby. He groaned slightly as he sat up and looked around the room to find his children, Tom and Severus looking at him with worried eyes from where they were gathered around the coffee table playing board games.

"Mum, are you okay?" Salazar asked.

"Yeah, baby. Just my bones again. Nothing to worry about," Severus gave him another pain relief potion and Harry sighed in relief as he downed it.

"You haven't had this much trouble with your bones before, have you?" Severus asked, wondering about the previous years as Harry never seemed to be in pain in the past. He knew, of course, that Harry's bones were weak and not healed correctly where they were broken or fractured in the past, but he had never seen Harry in pain.

"Probably because I haven't really had the opportunity to really notice it before now. I mean, I had always been in pain, but with everything going on before and after starting Hogwarts, I haven't really felt relaxed, or anything other than adrenaline which helped me push past it. You know? Now, though, I feel… I feel safe," and wasn't that something, especially when he was surrounded by people who had tried to kill or hurt him many times in the past, "I feel relaxed, despite everything. And the adrenaline seems to have left me, so I have time to… feel the pain, I guess," Harry shrugged.

"Well, I do believe it is time for dinner," Tom said, standing up as he looked at Harry with eyes filled with worry and apology.

The children cheered and they all stood, Lyra finding her way into Severus' arms as they started heading towards the dining room, Harry bringing up the rear alongside Salazar.

"Mum, why do your bones hurt?" Salazar whispered. He looked so sad and worried that Harry's heart almost broke.

"I…" he stopped walking and pulled Salazar into his arms, smiling somewhat happily when his oldest son relaxed and held him back, "I just have some deficiencies in certain foods and it causes pain in my bones because they aren't as strong as they are meant to be. But don't worry, okay, I am going to be fine. Sn-Severus is helping me heal,"

Salazar pulled back and looked at him confused, "It's weird hearing you call nana by his name," he whispered, knowing how things might be difficult at the moment, but also still being confused by it all.

Harry swallowed deeply, his cheeks slightly pink, "Well, what do I call him in your time?"

"Mum," Harry nodded, not knowing what to say.

He didn't know if he was ready for that, yet. He… it was all just so confusing.

"Well, one day, I will start calling him that. I just…"

"I know,"

Salazar took his hand and led Harry to the dining room. Harry practically beamed at the feeling of his sons' hand in his own. He loved them all so much already. So much that the thought of letting them go hurt more than anything else. But he knew that one day he would have to send them back to their own time.

And he couldn't wait to meet them again after that.

Dinner was just as lively as breakfast was. Everyone was talking, laughing, and joking around. Getting to know each other. Salazar sat next to Harry, Aurora sat between the Lestrange twins, Lyra sat on Severus' lap for the meal, and Orion sat with Harry's friends, sitting on a new lap every minute and laughing with them all as he stole food from their plates. Not that any of them minded sharing food with Harry's son. And, of course, they had ice cream for pudding.

For an hour after dinner they all sat in the library either reading or telling the kids stories, until the kids started falling asleep and they were swiftly taken to their beds.

Harry's friends and the Inner Circle remained in the library whilst Harry led Severus and Tom to his bedroom. They needed to talk.

"Harry, are you okay?" Severus asked, a worried frown on his face.

"I don't know," Harry said as he sat on his bed, his hands twisting in his lap.

"Are you in pain?"

"No. It isn't physical. I just…" he didn't know where to start, "Tom, what did the kids tell you last night? Have they said anything else today?"

An almost angry look flashed in Tom's eyes for a second at the name, but he didn't comment on it. His thought to be non-existent heart still filled with love and awe when he thought of or saw his future children.

"I asked if they had any other siblings. The oldest two looked at each other worriedly, and Orion said you were pregnant. They haven't said much else regarding the matter. In fact, they seem to be avoiding it, other than the younger two who are confused about you not being pregnant here. It looked as if they wanted to say something but didn't know how, or didn't know if it was the right time," Tom said, sitting in one of the two chairs he pulled over to the bed from the sitting area of the room for himself and Severus.

"Severus, have they said anything to you?" Harry said, his gut churning.

"No, but I do get the impression they are hiding something. Something which they want to tell us, but are struggling to. I think, maybe they are just trying to settle into this new environment. Or maybe they are worried about you with what happened in the Great Hall, and with you being in pain. Maybe they are waiting until you are okay,"

"Have they said anything to you, Harry?" Tom asked and Harry could feel his heart hurting.

"Orion said something, didn't he? You have been sad since you spoke to him, even though you were trying to hide it," Severus said, ever the observant one. Harry supposed he had to be, as a spy.

Harry nodded, "He said a few things actually,"

"What did he say?"

"I'm a necromancer," they gasped, "Not yet, obviously. But I am guessing on my seventeenth birthday I come into my inheritance. I am guessing that is how I ended up finally leaving Dumbledore and joining the Dark side. Apparently I regularly speak with Regulus, James and Lily; who I am assuming knew nothing about me not being their son because if they did I wouldn't allow the kids to call them grandpa and grandma, they call Regulus papi apparently," Severus smiled sadly, "But apparently I haven't spoken to any of them in a while, or let the kids speak to them. And everyone has been sad. Orion is confused because everyone is happy here,"

Harry felt a tear slide down his cheek as the horrible thoughts of what could have happened rushed through his head.

Tom cleared his throat and Harry looked up to see worry in his eyes, "We also know that the kids have dreams of a bad man, with Lyra having the dream the most often,"

Harry nodded as another tear slipped down his cheek.

"We could ask them to tell us. And to tell us what happened to bring them here," Severus suggested.

"They might not tell us," Tom said.

"What if they aren't the only ones?" Harry asked, voicing the thought that had been swirling in the back of his mind since he started talking to Orion.

Severus and Tom looked at him with knowing looks, they too had been thinking that.

"What if there was another child? What if we had another child and they… What if our baby…" Harry couldn't finish it. It was too painful.

If one of his children had died… if he couldn't save them, even as a necromancer… he would be devastated beyond all belief.

He was devastated now, even just thinking about it. And he didn't know if that was actually what happened. But the mere thought hurt more than anything else.

Harry gasped in shock when Tom held onto his hand. It felt nice, warm, and safe. He squeezed the hand in thanks.

"Would that… would that stop you from talking to the dead?" Severus said quietly and Harry looked at him with pain filled eyes.

"M-maybe…"

There was a knock on the door and Harry stood up to answer it. Shocked when he saw Salazar there, looking upset. His eyes looked like he had been crying.

"Baby, are you okay?" He asked, pulling the boy into his arms and holding him tight, not wanting to let go, ever.

"It was just a bad dream. Are you okay, mum?" Salazar said as they sat cuddled together on Harry's bed.

Harry just held him close and cried, he didn't know what to say.

"Salazar, sweetie, I think you should tell us what is going on," Severus said, causing Salazar to look at him in shock.

"What are you talking about, nana?" Harry buried his face in Salazar's soft hair, his eyes clenched shut.

"How did you get here? And what are you all hiding from us?"

"We know you are hiding something, Sal," Tom said with concern, "We just want to know what so we can help you all. Lyra said you all have dreams about a bad man. Orion said everyone has been sad. You and Aurora shared a worried look when I asked if you had any other siblings. Orion said that Harry hasn't spoken to his family in a while. Why?"

Salazar looked at them all sadly, not wanting to do what had to be done but knowing he should. His mother had asked him to after all. Salazar pulled back from his mum's arms and dug around in his pockets before pulling out a vial that looked to be filled with a pensieve memory. He gave it to Harry who took it with shaky hands.

"Mum wanted me to give this to you. He said that you all should watch it. I don't know what it is exactly, I just know that it will explain how we got here and what happened,"

"I sent you here," Harry deduced, "Why?"

"I don't know all the reasons, but I know that this pregnancy has been… difficult, for you and the baby. The others don't know that, you have been trying to hide it, from all of us, but I heard you and dad talking about it one night. I think that is one of the reasons why, because you were worried about what was happening and didn't want us to have to witness it," Harry's heart twanged in pain at the thought of what might be happening, his hand automatically going to his stomach even though no baby was there.

"What did we say when you heard us talking?" Tom asked, worried as he gazed at Harry's stomach that would one day house his children.

"I didn't catch the whole conversation. Mum has been weaker during this pregnancy, a lot more than he was in the others. Nana and both of you are worried that the baby will be premature… or worse. Erm… mum has also experienced some pain during the pregnancy. And the baby is smaller than he's meant to be-"

There was another knock on the door and Severus called them in. It was the other three children, all of whom looked sad as they jumped up onto the bed and cuddled close to Harry who wrapped his arms around them, trying to control his own tears.

"Mummy, we had a bad dream," Lyra said, the wobble in her little voice breaking his heart some more.

"Can we all sleep here?" Orion asked.

"Even nana?" Aurora said with a hopeful hint in her voice.

"Of course, baby," Harry said, because he couldn't let them go. Not yet.

The children cheered and pulled Harry down in the middle of them, all snuggling into him as Tom cuddled in on the side of Salazar and Severus did the same on the side of Aurora, the younger two snuggled into Harry's sides.

The younger two were asleep in minutes, but the rest were still awake.

"Are you okay, mummy?" Aurora whispered with worry in her voice as Severus ran his fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, baby, I will be just fine," though he doubted it for a while.

Salazar and Aurora fell asleep soon after. Severus took the vial of memory from his hand and placed it on the bedside table before wrapping his arm over Aurora and Lyra, his hand resting on Harry's shaking stomach and rubbing it gently.

"Harry, we will watch the memories soon and we will know, okay. Until then try not to worry too much,"

"That's a bit difficult when my babies have bad dreams about bad men, and tell me that my future self is having a bad pregnancy, and everyone's sad, and I won't talk to three of my four parents anymore, or my godfather. I can't… I mean, I sent them back in time. I would only do that if… if things got really bad, right? And I can't… I can't…"

"I know, baby, I know. But we will have our answers soon. And we are all here to help. You aren't alone. And we will help the kids as much as we can," Severus said, trying desperately to calm his son but not knowing how when he was in a bad place also, and didn't know what he was doing.

Harry cried himself to sleep, basking in the warmth and love he felt emanating from his children and mother. Desperately wanting to know that everything was okay and yet knowing, without a doubt, that things weren't okay. Not in the future where the children came from.

And it hurt.

Hiya, I hope you are all well!

A bit of a shorter chapter, I know, but I hope you enjoyed it anyhow despite all the emotions. The memory will be coming in chapter 5 because I am introducing the one and only Arthur Weasley in the next chapter and I want to spend an entire chapter writing his interactions with Harry and the children. I think it will be cute, so the next chapter will be a tad happier also. I hope to update again in the next week or two so keep an eye out.

I have a Facebook group called Maraudering_Paige if you are interested in joining. We can talk about Harry Potter, fanfictions, share memes, talk about life, and more. It is also where I will be sharing updates on what I am working on and when I am updating and such when I am a bit more organised. Feel free to join, I will happily accept any of you into our little community.

I hope you are all having a lovely day!