Honest Feelings

Jazzy sat on the southside patio of Potter's Keep. She loved this place. The patio had several amenities that made sitting out here on a lounge chair extremely relaxing. For one, there was a wooden and glass extension over the patio. The roof extended over three quarters of the patio from the house and the sides were protected from wind and rain by fences on which magical rose vines grew. The thick mesh of vines and flowers closed the holes in the criss-crossing fence that started on the ground and connected to the roof. The roof was made from a special type of glass that let light through but prevented that the air below it was heated up, like it was the case in greenhouses normally.

Each fence had a different type of rose climbing up to the roof and Jazzy enjoyed their scent. Currently they were in full bloom and it was heavenly to sit on the patio and simply relax. On the left side the flowers were pink and on the right side they were light blue. A rare breed among roses, even in the magical world. From a portrait of Jazzy's great grandfather Charlus Potter, she and Barty found out that his mother had loved breeding roses and all the current roses came from her experiments to cross different types of roses.

In front of the patio lay a beautiful garden. In the centre was an island with a large round flower bed that surrounded a willow. Around that island lay a small lake, in which several water lilies grew. She had often seen some frogs resting on a lilypad and then jumping back into the water. There were also countless dragonflies buzzing around. At the edge of the lake there were fields of reed, next to a pier that led to a boat that could be used to ride over the lake. She had also been told that it was safe to swim in the lake in summer if one was so inclined. Around the lake was a large field of grass, which was trimmed neatly. A few paths made of white pebbles led through the garden, with flower beds sitting around the path in some places.

And each bed had its own theme, which was great and looked beautiful. She could spend hours wandering the gardens and exploring which kinds of themes were used in the flower beds. Because the paths continued into the forest around the main garden as well and in meadows the work had been continued. Potter's Keep was a work of many generations of Potters and it was done with love to details.

On the patio, there was also a large fireplace with a spot to grill meat and sausages over the fire. According to her grandmother Mia's portrait, she didn't like being called by her full name Euphemia, said it was too much of a mouthful, she had asked Jazzy's grandfather to build it, as she had seen some muggles having such grills and liked the idea. It had started with a simpler version to test the concept, but both soon decided that it was a wonderful way of preparing meat in summer when the weather was nice and had the large fireplace grill built on their patio. Adding a nice set of furniture especially for the garden, like a table and chairs to sit and eat together during a barbecue dinner was a logical conclusion once they started to love these events.

As the patio was large, it was separated into the eating area and the relaxation area. There was a wall made of flowerpots both on the ground and hanging from the ceiling that separated the two parts. Jazzy had asked Winky to fill the empty flowerpots with common summer flowers, like geraniums, fuchsias and pinks. Since that had been in January, she now got to enjoy the blooming flowers.

Currently she was reading a book about magical techniques in childcare. She was nervous about having her baby in September. She wasn't sure if she could be a good mother yet. She also didn't know how things would go once the baby was born. She knew for sure that she wasn't alone. She had a wonderful husband, a doting godfather / father figure and two overprotective house elves that wouldn't let anything happen to her or the baby. She also had extended family in the Tonks, and a best friend that she could talk to, as she was in the same situation as her. But there was something she hadn't told anybody yet. Not even Barty.

Contrary to Hermione she remembered. She remembered what had happened during the time before the ritual. It had happened sometime during the month when she felt the disharmony symptoms. Still, despite knowing that Barty wasn't an unwilling victim like she and Hermione, she didn't hate him. She had observed him closely and she was absolutely sure that he loved her and the baby. He also wasn't an extremist. He wanted more than life had given him so far. Knowing that his father, who he had everybody convinced was his grandfather, including Winky, which had to be done by a spell in some way, had never appreciated him, let her empathise with him. She had also remembered the discussions they had had before some event had required a quick adjustment to the plans that Voldemort had made.

She didn't know exactly what those plans were, or what had happened, but she also didn't feel inclined to stop them. After taking her time to think everything she knew through, she couldn't sympathise with Dumbledore. He had caused most of the horrible life she had led before. And she had owl ordered several books from foreign book shops to cross check what she had read while she was a captive at Voldemort's base. Each of those books, which couldn't have been altered beforehand, confirmed the story that she had been told about the war in the seventies. The aggressor that triggered the bloody phase hadn't been Voldemort's Reform Party. It had been the Ministry of Magic.

Most countries in Europe at most humoured Great Britain but ignored their opinions. They were a lot more advanced in the way the people lived, from common workers to high-society members. Most was due to corruption and progress being oppressed in Great Britain. And Dumbledore was at the centre of that roadblock. He was a fat spider pulling the strings from the background.

Her childhood was only somewhat ruined by Voldemort. Sure, he had been the one to kill her parents, but that was all he did. She would never like him for that crime, as it left her defenceless, but the one to cause the horrible way she grew up had been Dumbledore. No Death Eater had been involved in that at all. Dumbledore had placed her with her relatives, even if there were relatives on the magical side that could and would have taken her in if Sirius had been unavailable. The Tonks for example would have been great foster parents. And if Sirius hadn't been denied his basic rights, because every witch or wizard had the right to a fair trial by their own laws, Jazzy would never have been left with muggles.

Especially magic-phobic and hateful muggles. And Dumbledore had forced her back each summer, even after she found out about the wizarding world.

At Hogwarts, he was involved in most of the events that endangered her life over and over again. First year he stupidly brought the stone into a school full of children, when a thief had already managed to break into Gringotts and was only thwarted because Hagrid had emptied the vault the very same day. Then second year, the basilisk that roamed the castle. Any responsible adult would have searched the school top to bottom and asked any source of information to get the matter resolved. But no, he, who had more information than anybody else, as he had been a teacher at Hogwarts back when the Chamber of Secrets had been opened the last time hadn't drawn the right conclusions when Hermione had managed to do so when she was just thirteen years old.

Then letting dementors be placed around the school for a full year. She had found out that there had been several narrow misses with other students and the villagers of Hogsmeade that hadn't been published. And after reading up on it, she could call his claim of not being able to overrule the minister a bold-faced lie. As Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot he had that power. He could have insisted on a lesser number of dementors and postponed any execution of Sirius based on it as well. No, her trust in Dumbledore was non-existent. She knew that he had plans concerning her, which were most probably thrown into disarray thanks to the ritual. The blocks on her magic were gone, her body was healed and she received a huge boost to her already impressive core when she married Barty, as she was pure when the ritual worked as a marriage ceremony in the eyes of magic.

The question was, when would she talk to him about it? She needed to have an open and honest conversation with him. She loved him, as strange as it may be. He was a good man and he wanted to do things that would be advantageous for the magical population of Great Britain and their family. She remembered that he told her that the ritual would bring back Voldemort fully sane. The question was, had that worked out and what would happen now?

Barty found his wife sitting in one of her favourite spots on the patio of the Keep when he returned from visiting Voldemort. He observed her for a few minutes. She looked radiant. Now that they were at home, she did nothing to hide her swollen belly. She wore comfortable clothes that did nothing to hide that a baby was growing inside of her. His baby. He felt wonderful knowing that in just a few short months he would greet his first son into this world. And he intended to make it into a better world for him to grow up in. A world he could be proud to call his home.

When he had taken in the sight enough, he walked over to her.

"Welcome home. Did your trip that you took with Endymion go well?" asked Jazzy smiling as soon as she spotted him.

"It went very well. I introduced Endy to my new acquaintance and they got along great. We discussed a few things that were goals we would like to realise over the next few years and he gave us a lot of hints how to go about our future apprenticeships successfully," answered Barty, "He also told us about a few of his projects and we got to give our opinions and input about them. It was an interesting meeting."

"Good to hear," replied Jazzy.

Barty reached her and kissed her lovingly.

"And, how are you and the baby doing?" he asked.

"We are doing well today, even if our son is quite active. I believe that once he is old enough to move around on his own power, we will have our hands full. I felt him kick lots of times today," Jazzy told him happily.

"Really? That's wonderful. Even if I better double check my knowledge on baby proofing a place. Better to be ready when he's old enough," pondered Barty.

"As if Dobby and Winky wouldn't have foreseen that and taken their own measures," giggled Jazzy.

"Yes, you're probably right," agreed Barty grinning.

The elves were always ahead of all things going on with their family.

"Barty, I wanted to talk to you about something," started Jazzy.

"You know you can talk about everything with me," promised Barty.

"I know. I don't know how to gently talk about this, but right now, Sirius won't be around until at least the day after tomorrow, as he's busy at St. Mungo's for some treatment. It's probably the only time I can guarantee that we won't be disturbed by anybody," sighed Jazzy, "And this should stay between the two of us."

"That sounds ominous," worried Barty, not knowing what she could want to talk about that she wanted to keep secret from her beloved godfather.

"It probably is. Barty, I remember the time before the ritual. Both sets of memories. I know that you weren't forced into the ritual like Hermione and I were. I also remember that Endymion agreed to participate to bring back Voldemort," revealed Jazzy.

Barty blanched hearing that.

"I have regained my memories during the time when I suffered the disharmony symptoms at the beginning of the pregnancy with our son. I did some research to check if the numerous books that you let me read to pass time were truthful. I wasn't too surprised that the facts checked out. It wasn't easy for me, but I have also examined my own feelings for you and what I experienced about your feelings for me," continued Jazzy.

"I love you. That is the truth, Jazzy," declared Barty desperately.

"I know," nodded Jazzy, her expression soft and gentle, "That is why I decided to talk to you openly when we were among ourselves."

Barty sat down on another lounge chair. He was a bit relieved but still worried.

"I have thought many hours why you would support somebody like Voldemort. The crimes committed by him at the end of the seventies and early eighties don't match what I know about your character. Then I remembered that you stated that the intention behind the ritual was bringing back Voldemort fully sane, as only then he could bring upon good reforms and changes in our world. I was doubtful about Voldemort being a good guy, as you can probably understand, considering my personal history with him," pointed Jazzy out.

"Yes, I do understand that. If you remember, you also know why I originally joined him. I did tell you after all when we spoke before the ritual was performed," commented Barty, not denying anything.

"Yes, I do. I know that our relationship was pushed in large parts by our magic wanting us to unite. That I am highly submissive to you. I don't mind that though. I have fallen in love with you, Barty Crouch. I know that you honestly and from the bottom of your heart want what's best for me and our family. The wish to have a true family is something we have in common. The question is, what does Voldemort plan? How does he want our world to look like? Because I know for certain that he won't have a hard time to take over the Ministry of Magic. That place is easy to defeat, as few people there are ready to fight against properly trained troops.

"Not to mention that the ones in charge don't deserve their positions. Our country is rotting under the surface and I can't find it in me to care for the people that won't stand up for their rights. I know that Dumbledore has plans to use me in his twisted game of chess. I don't intend to play along any longer. My highest priority is my family. You and our son in first place, then Sirius and then the Tonks. Hermione and Endymion as our closest friends follow. Other friends I would also protect, but I don't see any reason to risk my life for a world that is so foul at its core," admitted Jazzy.

"I wouldn't want you to risk your life in any way, Jazzy. Lord Voldemort was revived by the ritual that was performed on the winter solstice and it worked exactly as I hoped. As you already regained your memories, I need to give you a full picture of events to make you understand why I did the things I did," said Barty and told her the full story. From being rescued by Peter and Voldemort, changing the type of ritual and the developments that led to making it appear that they had escaped together and ran to Hogwarts.

Jazzy listened patiently and simply let her husband talk. When he was finished and seemingly exhausted, she stood from her lounge chair and walked over to him. She smiled at him before she sat down next to him.

"I am happy that you trust me enough to tell me all of this," she revealed, "I can agree that many of the plans Voldemort told you about are good and necessary. I will have to wait how he realises his plans to say if I can go along with them fully. This country needs change urgently. If the muggles find out about us being here, it would bring devastation and ruin. We need to limit the contact between the two worlds as much as possible."

Barty nodded.

"For the time being, I will keep this secret and not reveal it to anybody. I don't trust Dumbledore at all. He's playing games with my life and I don't intend to play by his rules any longer. I will concentrate on doing well in my OWLs and raising our son. That will be more than enough for me to do. I don't see any need to get involved in anything else until I have graduated from Hogwarts. Afterwards, well, if you become a teacher there, I can see myself taking over some position at the school as well. Even if I insist that things change for that. I won't live at the school full time like the current teachers do," sniffed Jazzy.

"I wouldn't want that either, love. I enjoy spending time here at the Keep. That is our home now. During the years while you are still a student, living there is sensible, but once that is over, I can as well floo there to work. It wouldn't be different to any other job. And Lord Voldemort agrees with that part. So far, the idea is that the teachers rotate weekly to have a contact person in case of emergencies during the evening and night for the students available. Though only for those that decide to be full boarders. We have spoken about other options. Once he has taken over, he wants to establish grand reforms to the educational system in our country.

"Among them that parents can choose if they send their children to Hogwarts as boarding students or day students. And for the weekends there will be general opportunities for the students to travel home to spend time with their families. I really like that idea, as it will keep them closer and allow the parents to hear what is going on regularly. It would create tighter knit families, which can only be good," explained Barty.

"I agree with that point. With the floo and portkeys available, it would be easy to realise something like that," nodded Jazzy, "Even if I dislike travelling by floo."

Barty chuckled, having seen how his wife regularly tripped while exiting the floo. Even his tricks and hints didn't work in helping her master it.

"If everything goes well, we might manage a portal system like they use in Asia in many countries. That would be great and a lot easier to use. And it would allow us to bring progress to the country. Portals allow easier transport of people and goods. It's just like stepping through a door and arriving on the other side. With the floo, the capacity of what can be transported it greatly limited," stated Barty.

"That makes sense," accepted Jazzy.

"He also might ask you to help with restructuring some parts of Hogwarts, like the students' diet and what the house elves serve. I might have praised your ability to plan the working processes of an efficient kitchen due to your past experiences," admitted Barty.

"That would be something I wouldn't mind. It would be fun to improve what is served and save a lot of money at the same time. Honestly, the school wastes so much money on food. I know how much is thrown away, due to the organisation in the kitchen not planning ahead. I mean, the elves do great work at preparing the meals, no doubt about that, but I doubt that anybody told them how they could avoid the wasting of food," commented Jazzy.

"You already told me about the cheaper dishes. Could it be improved even further?" asked Barty.

"Yes. It's actually quite easy. You know that the students can eat breakfast from six thirty to eight thirty, lunch from twelve to two and dinner from five thirty to seven thirty. Always two hours during which the tables are filled with food. Naturally, that leads to some food getting cold and in some cases it can't be warmed up and is thrown away. The first thing I would do is giving the students a list to mark when they normally eat their meals on which day. They can choose up to two brackets of half an hour each day. Easily enough time to eat in peace. Next to that, if the elves cook some dishes that aren't as popular in high amounts, the remainders get thrown away as well.

"That brings up a second list for the bigger meals, mostly lunch. My idea is to have two options for the main dish and let the students choose ahead of time which of them they want. Add a simple third option, like for example a side dish for those that like to eat large salads, and the elves could tell what they need to have ready at which time with a lot less food being thrown away," explained Jazzy, "It's common practice for muggle kitchens in large companies or hospitals. Though at hospitals it is to have it easier to deliver the food to the rooms of the patients."

"Interesting. I didn't know that. But it sounds like a great idea. I will write that down and pass it on to Lord Voldemort. It can be realised easily," nodded Barty.

"How does he plan to deal with Dumbledore and his fanatic followers?" asked Jazzy.

"Fanatic followers?" asked Barty amused.

"You clearly have never met Molly Weasley and others like her," snorted Jazzy, "That woman would believe everything that Dumbledore claims."

"Stupid, but I never got the image of her being that bright and able to think for herself," sighed Barty, "I only know the general outline. The main idea is to make Dumbledore's death appear like either an accident or an illness. Perhaps even old age. But nothing that would be connected to violence. That would only turn him into a martyr. It will work out much better if he is seen as an old man whose time is past. The one thing that will be ensured is that those like McGonagall don't get to follow him into his position. She would only keep up the status quo out of misguided loyalty to Dumbledore. In fact, my Lord plans to install Snape as headmaster and take over the system he established in Slytherin House to support scholastic success."

"I want to be against that, but Snape's house does do well in all kinds of classes," replied Jazzy, "I also got the impression that he hates teaching children. Perhaps he would do better in an administrative position. Though my personal opinion is to let him lead some kind of research facility for potions, where he can invent new ones that will bring the country forward. There are few among the current teachers that would easily accept change. They have worked under Dumbledore for too long to change their ways."

Barty nodded. He had noticed the same thing.

"I believe that most will be offered, with some pressure added, to go into retirement. That will allow the school a new beginning. After all, about half of them are old enough for that already, another quarter will be there in at most ten years. The only ones I could see accepting change would be Babbling, Vector and perhaps Sinistra. Snape, well, that depends if he gets to realise his ideas at the school, should he decide to accept the position as headmaster," pondered Barty, "While Flitwick and Sprout do a good job at teaching, I don't believe they would go along with the substantial changes that will happen."

"I believe you are right," nodded Jazzy and leaned her head onto his shoulder, "I don't really want to do more than simply let things happen. As long as the country is truly changed for the better, I couldn't care less."

Barty nodded and started caressing her hair. She enjoyed the motions. It was soothing whenever he did it. They sat this way for a while until Winky popped up in front of them to inform them that dinner would be ready in fifteen minutes and to go to the dining room. They did just that, only stopping at the bathroom to wash their hands before eating.

It was the fourteenth of September. The summer break had been a good time for the Crouch family. They had spent a lot of time together, next to Barty occasionally visiting Voldemort to keep up to date concerning the plans that were in the work. Voldemort had been exceptionally surprised that Jazzy remembered, had broken through his own memory modifications, and still decided to not go to Dumbledore and reveal everything. He had sent her a letter, explaining more about his true motivations and why he wanted to change the country. He also openly admitted that some of the rituals that he had performed to increase his power had gone wrong and over time driven him insane, which ended in the murder of her parents.

He had stated that he was fully aware that he could never make up for what he had done and that while he could and wanted to apologize, it would never be enough. He had promised her to leave her and her family alone, as long as they didn't enter open battle against him. Even then he would fight to defend himself, not to kill. He also paid a blood price onto the personal account of Jazzy and set up a trust vault for her unborn son into which he placed five thousand galleons, to be given to him when he came of age. Until then the money would be invested for his future. Jazzy acknowledged the gesture for a show of goodwill and accepted a truce.

She wouldn't openly attack Voldemort as long as he kept to his part of the bargain, which also included keeping his sanity and not acting against his followers by torturing or killing them. That was among the things she wouldn't tolerate. As he planned to prevent falling into that trap ever again, he had no problem promising that part.

Hermione and Endymion had come to visit a few times and they had enjoyed three barbecue evenings with their friends, as Lestrange Manor didn't have the large grill that Potter's Keep had. And Hermione enjoyed these evenings as much as Jazzy did. Endymion had never participated in a barbecue before, as it wasn't common among magicals, but he liked it a lot and decided to get such a grill built on the patio of the manor as well. The Lestrange house elves had come to visit to see how such a grill was built and then set to work. Though their first summer project had been to create a wonderful reading niche for Hermione on the patio, as she enjoyed the fresh air and due to the growing baby, she didn't manage to walk around as much as she would have liked.

Jazzy and Barty had been at Lestrange Manor to inaugurate the new barbecue grill. That had been at the end of August. The first of September had been a bit strange, as they didn't take the Hogwarts Express with the other students, but they were busy with other things. Due to the babies being expected between the middle and end of the month, the expecting parents wanted to be ready and prepared all kinds of things.

Jazzy intentionally didn't ask for details about Voldemort's plans. Her priority would be her family, nothing else. She didn't want to be dragged into a battle that wasn't her own. Though she could notice that Endymion's father's cousin wasn't who he appeared to be. But the man was nice enough and she accepted that he got to know Endymion and Hermione. He lived at another Lestrange property but regularly visited the two. She was sure that he had good intentions and wasn't in any way opposed to Hermione being added to the Lestrange family, despite her being a halfblood. Leon explained that he knew that the old families needed new blood added to their lines regularly to not become weak.

He wanted the Lestrange family to prosper and he could see that Hermione and Endymion were a good couple. He somewhat took the position of an advisor to Endymion, giving him more detailed information that he needed to know as Lord Lestrange. And he was clearly excited for the baby that would be born soon.

This morning, everything had still been normal. Jazzy slowly moved from the bedroom to the dining room, to eat one of the wonderful breakfasts that Dobby had prepared for her and Barty. They talked about their plans for the day, which mainly included Jazzy staying at home, as moving around this late into the pregnancy was difficult for Jazzy. Barty wanted to get some paperwork done in his office before he went to Gringotts to get some gold. Though just when Barty was done with his paperwork and got ready to leave for Diagon Alley, Jazzy felt something stinging in her stomach.

"What is it, Jazzy?" asked Barty, who had noticed her flinching.

"Some stinging sensation in my stomach," she answered, putting a hand onto the now large and swollen belly.

"Anything else?" asked Barty worried.

"My magic is flowing strangely," answered Jazzy after trying to feel her body like she had been taught by Andromeda during birth preparational conversations.

Barty went over all things Andromeda had taught them that they needed to know before the birth of the baby.

"I will wait until we can be sure that you aren't going into labour, Jazzy," decided Barty, "Andromeda said that this can happen close to the actual date of birth, but if it is labour, you would feel these stinging sensations repeatedly."

"Okay, that will work out well," agreed Jazzy.

"It's probably best if you sit down until we can be sure," suggested Barty.

Jazzy nodded. She chose one of her favourite couches in their lounge and waited if there would be more stinges. When she flinched again, Barty had to collect himself. He knew what that meant.

"Winky, Dobby," he called and the two elves appeared.

"Winky, prepare the bedroom we chose to have the baby delivered, Dobby, go and get Andromeda Tonks. It seems as if Jazzy is in labour," ordered Barty.

"Yes!" cheered both elves and popped away to get their tasks done.

Both knew exactly what they had to do in case this happened. They were better prepared than Barty himself. Knowing that right now the only thing he could do was giving support to Jazzy, he helped her up and escorted her to the bedroom they had chosen for the birth. It was easier than using their bedroom, as then the bed would have to be cleaned up after everything was over, and nobody knew when Jazzy would go into labour. Barty also cast a messenger patronus to inform Sirius. He didn't want to imagine what kind of reaction the man would have if he wasn't informed and had the chance to be there for his goddaughter during that important time.

Currently, Sirius was busy setting up his own home. He had found one property of the Blacks that he could renovate and decorate the way he liked it and was constantly on site to see things getting done and doing a few tasks himself. As it was only a simple apparition for him to return to Potter's Keep once Jazzy went into labour, it wasn't a problem for him to not be there constantly. Jazzy was also much calmer ever since she had remembered. Knowing that Voldemort and Pettigrew weren't the danger she had at first believed them to be, reduced the stress levels drastically.

Andromeda was just done with her first examination of Jazzy.

"From what I can tell, you will be at this for at least six hours, Jazzy. Every witch is different though and considers different actions helpful while giving birth. If you think something will help you, just tell us, then we will take care of it getting done," assured Andromeda, "The position of your son is perfect and I don't expect complications."

"Good to know," sighed Jazzy in relief. One worry less.

"What do you want to do, love? Walk a bit or lie in bed?" asked Barty.

"I think for now I want to walk a bit. I'm going to go crazy if I have to lie in bed all the time," decided Jazzy.

Barty nodded and helped her up from the bed. It was an advantage that the house was large. They could walk along the corridor for ten minutes and then turn around to walk into the other direction. And he knew that Dobby had already placed chairs in strategic spots along the route to allow Jazzy small breaks in case she decided that she wanted to walk, which both house elves had considered probable. Jazzy was a witch of action, not sitting or lying around. Barty had heard them discussing this about a month ago.

Sirius arrived just when Barty and Jazzy finished the first round.

"Hey Jazzy, how are you?" he asked concerned.

"So far, I'm well, with some periodical pain from labour," answered Jazzy.

"I take it you go stir crazy while waiting for the final phase," guessed Sirius.

"Yes."

"Like Lily then. Barty, be prepared for a long time walking. When Lily was in labour with Jazzy, she and James walked all around the house for seven and a half hours. Only when Jazzy was ready to come out, Lily wanted to lie down," warned Sirius.

"Don't worry, I was prepared for some walking," assured Barty.

In doubt he would take some potions to prevent that his muscles cramped up. He would be there for Jazzy while she went through this. He had a stock of them ready. And if he really needed a break, Sirius could take over one round. It was great how much Sirius cared for his goddaughter. It was certainly much more than his own father would have done in this situation. But then again Barty Crouch senior had been a lousy father. Sirius was already slated to be the granddad for their little boy.

Finally, after six and a half hours of walking all around the first floor or Potter's Keep, Jazzy was pushing as much as she could, with Barty holding her hand, giving her something to press when she needed to use a contraction to push their baby further out of her. Thankfully, with magic involved, Jazzy didn't have to suffer too much pain, as Andromeda had numbed it with a specialised spell known to all healers, medi witches or wizards and midwives. Sirius was waiting outside, handling the floo, as some of their friends were asking how Jazzy was doing. But outside of the immediate family they didn't want anybody present for the birth.

Barty in the end didn't know how long they had been at it, but when Andromeda told them that she could see the head, he was excited to soon see his firstborn son. Jazzy gave her all and finally their son came out fully, caught by Andromeda's waiting hands.

"You were wonderful, Jazzy," praised Barty, watching how Andromeda held the crying baby boy and then held out the umbilical cord for him to cut.

They had decided that Barty wanted to do this himself and not let Andromeda do it. He took the scissors that were prepared for it and cut it a bit above the navel of his son. Andromeda was handed a warmed towel by Winky and she wrapped the baby boy into it. She handed him to Barty to take care of the placenta that still needed to come out as well.

Barty looked at his crying son lovingly. Sure, he currently wasn't much to look at, but he had just been born and that was strenuous. He knew from studying all about new-born babies that it would take a little while for him to look more normal. But he was finally here. His son. Jazzy's son. The small miracle they had created together. He then looked at Jazzy, who was exhausted from giving birth.

"Look, Jazzy. He's beautiful," stated Barty.

He held him out for Jazzy to see him properly.

"Hi, little man. I'm your Mummy," she said happily.

"And I'm your Daddy," added Barty, "We love you so much. We are so happy that you are here now."

Andromeda then turned to them after she was done with ensuring that the placenta had come out properly.

"Congratulations you two. Before I perform the first examination for him, what name have you decided for him to have?" she asked.

This was a standard practice among pureblood families. The declaration of the name of the baby with just the healer or midwife present for it. It enabled the families to decide if they wanted to hide the true name of the baby. But Jazzy and Barty had decided that they wanted a simple name for their son, one that could be shortened and not be embarrassing for him later in his life. Andromeda's daughter came to mind, for never having forgiven her mother for naming her Nymphadora.

"We have decided for his name to be Alexander Julian Crouch," stated Jazzy smiling happily.

Andromeda nodded and added the name to the prepared birth certificate. When she sealed it with her signature and a spell that identified her as a licensed healer, the special parchment of the birth certificate triggered a triplication of the document. She would file one copy at the Ministry of magic, one would remain with the Crouchs and one she would keep for her file of Alexander. This copy was the official healer's copy and would be passed on to his healer on record should it change.

Then Andromeda took the baby boy and performed the common examinations that each baby was put through to ensure that there weren't any health problems that needed to be taken care of immediately. While she did that, Winky took care of her mistress and cleaned her up from the sweat from the hours of being in labour and giving birth. She had her clean and in fresh clothes within five minutes. When Andromeda was done, she handed Alexander to Jazzy to allow her to nurse him for the first time.

Jazzy opened the upper part of her shirt to allow her son access to her breast. He instinctively knew what to do and was soon drinking peacefully.

"Jazzy, I'm so happy. Thank you for giving me this incredible gift. I love you so much. You and Alex," stated Barty touched.

"I love you too, Barty. We are parents, we really are parents," replied Jazzy, watching her son fascinated how he drank.

When Alex felt he was full, Jazzy carefully removed him from his position. Barty took him into his arms and with a towel over his shoulder he gently patted his back, having learned that babies needed to be burped to allow them to digest the milk they drank better. While he did that, Jazzy closed her shirt again, yawning when she was done.

"Let's call Siri inside and introduce him to his grandson," suggested Jazzy.

Barty nodded.

"I will take care of it," offered Andromeda and after they nodded, she went to the door and called her cousin inside.

Sirius walked over to them, smiling at the picture of the happy family.

"Congratulations, you two. I'm so happy for you," said Sirius.

"Thank you. I want to introduce you to your grandson," said Barty, somewhat surprising Sirius, as they hadn't told him before which position they wanted him to take for their son, "This is Alex. His full name is Alexander Julian Crouch."

"That's a wonderful name," agreed Sirius, "Hi little Alex. I'm your granddad."

He was very touched that Jazzy and Barty wanted him to take that role. He would do his best to be the best grandfather he could be. And this time, he wouldn't have it ruined by being locked away or other things that cost him precious time with the people he loved.

Hope you liked it.