Harry and Miranda start making plans, remind themselves that they're horny teenagers (full version on A03, btw), and Harry goes to a party.

August 25th-

The soft sound of Teddy's giggles echoed from the living room as Harry stood in front of the fireplace. Miranda was sitting cross legged on the floor, wearing one of his sweaters, playing with their godson. "Harry, look!" She cried happily, holding her hands up while Teddy rolled onto his side and teetered precariously for a moment before rolling onto his stomach.

He'd been working on it for days, and Harry couldn't let his sour mood detract from the moment. "Look at you!"

Teddy squawked, apparently surprised by his new orientation, but he didn't cry, just looked around for reassurance. He was so unaware of the complexities of the world around him. In just two months, Teddy trusted them implicitly.

Miranda stroked his face gently, a look of wonder on her own face, "You're okay, Teddy. So proud of you!" She looked up at Harry, "We'll have to send the memory to Andromeda!"

"Yeah, we will." Harry agreed, but the tone of his mood leaked into his words.

"Harry," Miranda said softly, her voice carrying the quiet strength she'd gotten so good at as she adjusted to the role of mother that had arrived earlier than they'd expected. "You've been quiet tonight. What's on your mind?"

He hesitated, unsure of how to put his thoughts into words. He hadn't really said it out loud yet, but since Hermione had made her announcement at lunch at the Burrow on Sunday. "I've been thinking," he began slowly, "about going back to Hogwarts too. I know it's something I should consider. They're making residency exceptions for those of us returning, so I could live here with you and the children with no issues."

Miranda nodded, swapping the leg she had underneath since it had started to go numb. Teddy, oblivious to the conversation or the significance of his milestone, seemed content to giggle at the soft fabric of the rug beneath him, his tiny hands swatting at the air. Harry chuckled despite his confusion, sitting down beside them. Miranda smiled at her lover, reaching out to brush a hand across his cheek. "I know you've thought about it. I obviously can't show up eight weeks from giving birth, not that I have a wand…or that I would be welcomed anyway, but I don't know why you shouldn't go."

"I can manage school, my NEWTs, being here for you and the babies, but…I don't think I'll be able to keep up the search for Lupin." Harry admitted, running his fingers over the edge of the nearby coffee table as he struggled with his thoughts.

Miranda's gaze softened, and she nodded in understanding, "I know how important the search is to you."

Harry groaned in frustration, "It feels like if I go back to school, if I commit to that, I'll have to stop looking. I can't just stop looking. I can't leave Teddy's father out there, not knowing what happened. If I stop…" He trailed off, staring at the little boy, whose hair was shifting to match a vibrant blue strand of color from the rug beneath them.

"You don't have to choose between school and Lupin." She told him gently, "You don't have to stop your search, but you also don't need to put your life on hold to do so. This doesn't need to be an all-or-nothing decision." She paused for a moment, "Ron and Hermione have offered to help."

"I know." He whispered, eyes still on the boy, "I want to make sure he knows the truth, that he has answers. But…I feel like I'm the one that has to do it."

"Compromise, Harry." She replied, leaning over to kiss his cheek, "We'll make things work. If you want to go to school, if you want to keep looking, we'll figure it out. I'm not asking you to choose. You're not alone in this, okay?"

"I don't want to let you or Teddy down." He told her, but he nodded anyway, "I love you."

"I love you too, and you won't lose us, Harry. We're a family, and no one is after us anymore." She told him easily.

"I know." Harry said as he stood. Miranda made a soft sound, moving a bit but unable to get a foot underneath her. "Need a hand getting up, old lady?"

Miranda reached for his hand with a playful smile. "I'm not as old as my birthday implies, Harry," she teased, her eyes twinkling. "Just a little…pregnant."

"Right," Harry said, grinning at her, "Not old, just…in need of some extra help."

She laughed softly as he helped her to her feet. "I'll take it," she said with a warm smile, leaning against him for a moment. Harry wrapped his arms around her, and he let her warmth seep into him.

The days following Harry's decision to return to school felt like a whirlwind. After weeks of uncertainty, diving headfirst into life after the war by trying to get one blasted year uninterrupted by Voldemort seemed like the right thing to do. Now, sitting at his desk in their now cozy living room, textbooks spread out before him, Harry couldn't help shake the feeling that so much had changed…and even more was on the horizon.

Miranda, her growing belly the most visible sign of that change, had already slipped into a new routine she made look effortless. With Harry gone to Hogwarts most days, Miranda took on the bulk of the responsibility of caring for Teddy. He was a bundle of energy, crawling, pulling himself up on furniture, making small adorable noises as he discovered the world around him more and more each day. For Miranda, every one of those days was a balancing act between caring for the little one and managing the physical strain of her pregnancy. The exhaustion sometimes hit her in waves, but there was a joy she found in the chaos, even in her most tired moments. She loved watching Teddy explore, even though it set the elves on edge and meant she was constantly getting down on the floor to play with him. Fortunately, she and the three elves made a great team, and Harry arrived in the evenings just in time to give them all a much-needed break. He had become a master at getting Teddy to try new foods. It was all mashed up or pureed though, so he usually ended up wearing more than he ate. He'd also become exceedingly adept at holding Teddy until the infant was finally ready to be put to bed in the nursery. The nursery was finally complete. They'd had to move it though, given that they would now have two within the same year of age, the original one had seemed too small. Walburga's old room would now serve as the nursery for the next generation of the Tonks/Potter branch of the most Ancient House of Black.

Most evenings, the house would fill with the quiet buzz of study sessions. Hermione would join them, her textbooks spread out on every flat surface as she worked through her own coursework and prodded Harry through focusing on his, as opposed to Miranda. Ron would come by too, ready and willing to share stories from his auror training.

The oddest addition had to be Draco. He was stuck in a kind of limbo. Enough of the Malfoy money and assets had been in his name that he could provide for himself just fine, but he was unsure of what he wanted or needed to do next. He spent a great deal of time at the house, typically drifting in and out, showing up sometime after lunch and staying until dinner.

Draco helped Miranda out with the potions she worked in in the basement while Teddy napped, he was a sounding board when she felt overwhelmed, and he helped keep the boy out of trouble with gentle hands. He'd softened like butter around Teddy, and was more at ease with the little boy than anyone had anticipated. In a way though, Miranda thought it made sense. With his father incarcerated and his poor mother dead, Teddy was one of the closest blood relatives Draco had left. Harry had been the one to point it out one night after they'd put Teddy down. In a way, the attachment had helped Harry look past their history. He understood, after all, the desire to be close to your family.

Along the same vein, Harry was more than a little pleased about being able to enjoy Miranda's pregnancy. His eyes would light up when he saw her, and he always had his hand on her belly, whispering small words of encouragement and love. He would often pause what he was doing just to be with her, whether it was holding her hand while they talked, helping her off the couch when her back ached, or simply holding her as he marveled at the life they were beginning. He loved watching Miranda, seeing her strength and grace as she carried their child.

Once Teddy was in bed…wonderful things happened.

One October evening, as they sat together alone in sofa in their bedroom, Harry touched Miranda's hand and smiled. "You're glowing," he said, his voice filled with affection. Miranda laughed, a small, tired smile crossing her face, but Harry could see the pride in her eyes.

"I feel like I've never been more tired," she replied, resting her head on his shoulder, "I had a full on melt down this afternoon because Teddy crawled under the dining room table and I couldn't bend over far enough to get him."

Harry squeezed her hand, "Obviously you got him out."

Miranda pouted at him, "Claudius scooped him up and Dobby held my hand while I cried it out."

"I'm sorry." Harry told her, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You know," he said, a playful smile tugging at the corner of his lips, "If you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to have a hard time focusing on these textbooks."

Miranda raised an eyebrow, her lips curling into a teasing grin. "Oh, really? Maybe I should keep distracting you then. Wouldn't want you to get too serious about school, would we?"

The distance between them seemed to disappear in an instant as he kissed her softly, lingering as a promise. The house only seemed to hold the sound of their heartbeats. Everything was changing, but no matter how busy, how chaotic things became, there would always be this—their love.

As Harry pulled back, a playful grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, he whispered, "You know, I think you make pregnancy look pretty damn good."

Miranda laughed, shaking her head, "You're ridiculous," she teased, but the sparkle in her eyes was unmistakable. "But…I'll take the compliment. Just don't expect me to stop distracting you anytime soon."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Harry replied, leaning in for another kiss, pushing his books aside.

Miranda sighed happily when Harry's lips left her lips to travel over her jaw and down her neck, "Oh, yes. More distracting. I can do that."

Harry kissed her collarbone, then down her torso, unbuttoning her dress as he went so he wasn't denied access to her fair skin. Though it was far from the first time, his green eyes widened in appreciation as the skin below his attentive affections started to slope upward. Harry stopped kissing her at once, working the remaining buttons open carefully, leaving her top half bared to him. Miranda was beautiful, and the sight of her took his breath away. So did the still flickering scar on her chest.

As if she knew exactly where his thoughts were headed, Miranda grasped his face with both hands and pulled him back up to kiss her on the lips. As they kissed, she took one of his hands and guided it to lay firmly against the taut skin of her stomach. The baby nudged against his palm. "We're okay." She whispered against his lips, pressing their foreheads together.

"I almost lost you," he said, his voice trembling with emotion.

And then he was not okay. Because Miranda had the audacity to distract him from the rising panic by shifting her hips against him. "Harry." She started in the firm yet prim voice she used when she was displeased, "In between thinking about all the horrid things that could have happened, I need you to focus. I've spent more time with damp nickers than I'd ever dreamed these last few months. No one in my proper upbringing ever mentioned that being pregnant can have an unfortunate side effect of making you more desperate than you've ever been before." She stripped her dress off completely while Harry was still trying to process what was going on. His shirt had ridden up, and she accentuated her next words by sliding her naked wet core along his abdomen, "You did this, now take care of it."

Harry took a half second for his brain and body to agree with each other again. "Absolutely, I can do that."

Exhausted afterwards, she collapsed sideways, leaning into the back of the sofa, sated and blissfully happy. Harry sat up to hold her in his arms, pushing her hair out of her face and cleaning them both up with a quick spell.

The following weeks passed in a similar blissful pattern.

Miranda was currently on the living room sofa though, watching Teddy play. Her stomach was impossibly large on her thin frame, and she'd started to be shorter tempered as the pressure on her organs and pelvis grew, "Harry. Why are you still here?"

He glanced up from his papers, a surprised look on his face, "What? We're staying in with Teddy tonight."

She narrowed her eyes, "You're going to Hogwarts for the Halloween party tonight."

"I changed my mind." He told her, rolling the scroll in front of him up.

"Nope." Miranda said stubbornly, "You've been buried in your books, the baby, or searching the world for a missing werewolf. Take a night off. Go have some fun." She rubbed her stomach where an elbow or knee was digging into her. "I'll stay here with Teddy. We'll both be asleep in an hour anyway." Harry opened his mouth to protest, but Miranda wasn't backing down. "I will send for you if I need anything. Claudius and Kreacher are here, so don't use that as an excuse to stay home."

Harry paused, looking at her carefully. Two of their resident elves were home, Dobby was already at Hogwarts, having volunteered to help with the party. Objectively, she would be in good hands. He could see how badly she wanted him to go, and really, it would be nice to be Harry for a minute. "Okay, okay. But I'll be back before you know it."

Miranda smiled, the joy in her eyes mixing with the confidence that he would relax, even if just for a bit. "You better get dressed and get out there soon then."

Harry smiled at the sight of her, and scooped Teddy off the floor, "I'll try to put him down before I go, okay?"

"I'll be right here, cooking this baby of yours some more." Miranda said, shifting so her feet were up on the sofa.

Harry kissed her forehead, glad to see her relaxing. He tucked a pillow under her feet with his free hand before letting her kiss the boy goodnight.

A half hour later, she was asleep on the sofa, and he was gone. With Teddy asleep and Harry hopefully enjoying himself, she was able to drift off. Or try to. Her body insisted on reminding her constantly of just how pregnant she was and woke her up. She had been ignoring mild cramps all day, almost used to the occasional Braxton Hicks contraction that had started mixing with the constant need to pee and cheap kicks at her organs. The tightening in her abdomen didn't seem to go away completely, even as she adjusted her position over and over. She was just tired, about to give up and try to get more comfortable in bed, but then there was a knock on the door.

Miranda sat up and listened closely. Another knock came, and she stood carefully, pressing instinctively against her belly as another twinge of discomfort passed through her. Nothing to worry about, just more practice.

Before she could waddle to the door, Kreacher entered the room, a worried look on his wrinkled little face.

"I'll get it," Miranda said, trying to brush off the tension in her voice. "Stay upstairs with Teddy, please." The little one tended to panic if he woke up alone.

Kreacher opened his mouth to protest, but hesitated, then nodded and went upstairs. Miranda, her nerves fraying just a little more with each step she took, opened the door.

Standing there was a man she never thought she'd see again. He had shaggy hair and a scruffy beard, but it was his eyes…too familiar…that caught her breath. His presence sent a ripple of unreasonable panic through her chest.

"Remus?" she asked, her voice tentative.

The man smiled, but it was colder than she'd remembered, almost mechanical. "It's me, Miranda."

Her hand tightened on the doorframe, her pulse quickening. "Where have you been?" Her voice shook, but she tried to keep it even.

His smile pulled oddly, like he wasn't sure how to maintain the expression, "I've been trying to find a way back, to Teddy. I'm here now, and I want to be a part of his life. I've missed him."

She sighed happily, allotting his strange behavior to being out in the wild for months, "You came back. We've all been so worried."

He nodded slowly, his smile faint, "I know. I needed time. But I'm here now. I've missed Teddy."

Miranda's chest tightened with emotion as she stepped aside, "Come in, he's upstairs, sleeping."

Remus stepped inside, his presence somehow filling the room. He looked around, his gaze sweeping over the familiar surroundings, but Miranda noticed a subtle tension in his posture…an unease that didn't seem to fit.

She turned to him, her hands smoothing over her belly as another shoot of pain pulsed through her, "We should call Harry." She suggested, her voice soft, "He's at Hogwarts at the Halloween party, but he'd want to know you're here."

Remus froze, the smile on his face slipping for just a moment. There was something about the way he hesitated that set Miranda's teeth on edge. "No," he said quickly, his voice a little too firm. "There's no need for that. I'm here now. We don't need to involve anyone, I'm just here for my son."

The words hung in the air like a warning bell. No need for Harry? That didn't make sense. "Remus, Harry has spent the last six months looking for you, he'd want to know you were here."

His eyes flicked toward the stairs, his expression shifting in a way that didn't seem right at all, "I'm here now, Miranda. I don't need anyones permission to take my own son."

Miranda took a step back, confusion and dread flooding through her, "You don't want to see Harry?"

"I am Teddy's father. I'm here to take him." He said coldly.

Miranda shook her head, "No, this isn't you." That was exactly the problem. She had let him in, invited him into her home. This was a stranger wearing Remus' face, someone who knew enough to find Grimmauld place, but…the way he looked at her, the way he kept avoiding Harry's name. Another contraction hit, sharper this time, making her gasp as pain shot through her. She clutched her belly, trying to steady herself. "Who are you? What have you done with Remus?"

The man, the imposter, smiled coldly, "I'm Teddy's father. And I've come to take him."

Miranda took a step back, eyes darting to the stairs. She couldn't let him take him. "Get out of my house," she demanded, her voice low but firm, though her knees were beginning to shake.

The imposter's smile widened as he slowly advanced, his eyes gleaming with something dark and possessive. "I'm not going anywhere, little girl."

The way he said it, the growl in his voice. She knew who he really was before the magic started to fade, his features distorting before Remus Lupin was gone and Fenrir Greyback stood in front of her.

Everyone okay?

I'm thinking three more chapters, but still adding in a few more things so it may end up being more. Any snippets you're interested in?

See you all soon!
-Jenn