The Gifted Sons
By: Ryu Katanna
Beta:
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Chapter Two
Harry was jolted awake the next morning by the sound of Teddy's fussing. Green eyes opened to see Teddy was awake in his crib next to the bed. His eyes turned to dart around the room as he calmed after a few deep breaths when he remembered where they were. Assured that there was no danger, the only sound coming from George in the other room, he groaned as the adrenalin washed away leaving him feeling sore and exhausted. He pushed those feelings away as he got up from the bed to tend to Teddy.
"I'm coming Teddy bear. Hush now." Harry soothed softly as he stood, reaching for the little one, and it didn't take him long to figure out what the problem was.
"Time for a change, and then we'll get you set up with a bottle. How does that sound? Hmm?" Harry asked tiredly as he reached for Teddy's bottomless bag to search for the clean cloth nappies with one hand.
"You should have had Draco take a turn on watch, George. Go get some sleep. I'm up now." He said after he'd grasped one and pulled everything he needed out of the bag before carrying it out of his room where he found a tired-looking George holding a warmed bottle toward him.
"At least one of us needs a full night's worth of sleep. We can rotate nights. Wake us both in a few hours if he doesn't get up on his own. We need to talk about what to do next, and we'll need an early start if we decide to move camp." George said as he handed Harry the bottle and headed into his room on the other side of the tent.
Harry got Teddy laid down on the sofa and quickly got him cleaned up and changed. Bundling up the dirty cloth nappy he tossed it into the bin to be cleaned later. There were spells to make it easy, but Harry wasn't willing to try them at the moment with the way his magic had acted. That would need to wait until they could test their spellcasting away from Teddy. The bin would nullify the smell in the meantime because there was no way he was willing to clean it the muggle way without a cleaning charm first.
Harry took the time to look over his godson. The boy was warm, but his skin now held a light grey hue. Looking at his hands as he had changed Teddy, Harry could see that his skin was a grey palour as well. He had still been half asleep when George went into his room, but he could remember the red-head had also had a similar coloring while his freckles were a few shades darker.
His thoughts returned to Teddy as he looked the baby over. His hair and eyes hadn't settled on a specific color as they still shifted so he hadn't lost the inherited metamorphmagus talent from his mother. Other than his skin there were only two changes that Harry could see. As he had noticed from Draco and George the night before, Teddy's eye color seemed more vivid. No matter what color they shifted to, they glittered and reminded Harry of gemstones glistening in the light. Then there were his ears. His godson's little ears had formed a delicate point where they had been rounded the day before.
This almost startled Harry. Reaching up to his own ear, he could feel that his ears had changed as well. The rounded curve at the top of his ear stretched upward into a point. Harry bit his lip as he took in a deep breath to steady his nerves. Okay. So they had changed for unknown reasons. None of those changes seemed harmful at the moment so he decided to push away the revelation to be explored more later.
Picking his godson back up, Harry shuffled to the back of the tent and up the stairs into the kitchen and dining area as he held the bottle up to Teddy's mouth to feed him. Just as Mrs. Weasley said, there were several bottles already prepared and waiting under stasis charms on the counter.
"Seems I will need to do most things the muggle way for a while. I don't want to risk you getting hurt or burning down the tent. Maybe once I'm not feeling so exhausted and sore I can go outside and test a few spells while George or Draco watch you." Harry murmured softly as Teddy sucked on the bottle George had prepared.
It didn't take too long for Teddy to finish his meal. Harry set him up in the playpen near the base of the stairs after he had been winded. Once he was sure he was settled and had a firm grasp of one of the toys to keep him entertained, Harry let go to turn and really take in the tent for the first time. He'd been too shattered after last night -or was it early that morning- to look around as he made his way inside to get Teddy settled before passing out.
He knew from one look that his friends had spent a good many of his galleons on setting everything up. For as small and unassuming as the tent looked on the outside it was quite large inside. The only thing that gave it away as a tent meant for camping was the heavy canvas walls. It was very unlike the tent Harry, Hermione, and Ron had lived in for the majority of the last year as they ran from detection. That tent had been set up with only the basic necessities needed for camping while this one had been set up for comfort and potential long-term living.
The entrance to the tent opened into a living area. There was a woodstove near the blue sofa and two matching armchairs. The wood stove was charmed to produce enough heat to make the entire tent comfortable even in freezing temperatures and a single log would burn hot and long enough to keep them comfortable for a week. Six more logs were stacked into a small stand next to the stove so at least they wouldn't need to worry about gathering wood for a while.
A tall cabinet stood in the corner of the living area next to a desk and chair in what looked to be a makeshift office area just next to the entrance to his room. There were touches around the space that he could recognize as the work of his friends. It was quite homey, reminding him of the Borrow, but also functional without being too lavish. It was the small things that made him smile most as his chest squeezed with affection.
A wizarding chess set rested on the coffee table. A Gramophone and records in a storage compartment to one corner of the room. A knitted afghan splayed over the back of the sofa. There was even a curio cabinet with assorted knick-knacks made of gems and crystals that reminded him of them kept safe behind the glass near the stairs to George's room.
Like the Perkin's tent that they had borrowed before going on the run, the back of the tent was set into three areas with a few stairs leading up to those spaces. To one side of the tent was Harry's room in the front corner and Teddy's in the back with the loo separating the two spaces. The stairs in the tent had all been spelled for safety at the top and bottom, acting as an invisible barrier, so Teddy couldn't fall and get hurt once he started walking. There was a crib in Harry's room for Teddy, but a bunk bed had been placed in Teddy's room for when he outgrew it. It had a full-size mattress on the bottom and a twin on top with built-in stairs that had drawers for additional storage. Harry didn't know why Teddy would need a bunk bed when the rest of them had rooms and beds of their own, but he had to admit that it would be nice for Teddy to have the option.
Stuffed animals, toys, blankets, extra cloth nappies, clothes, a couple plastic pool floats still in their boxes for children toddler size and up, and more things that were needed for a toddler or young child could be found packed away around the room and in the cupboards. Looking around, he also found boxes labeled as clothing for Teddy that should fit until he was three or four.
The playpen in which Harry had placed Teddy was set along the side of the staircase leading to Teddy's room near the kitchen. A blanket that he knew must have been knitted by Mrs. Weasley was draped over the back of a rocking chair near a small bookcase filled with children's books nearby. Harry smiled appreciatively as he knew that Teddy settled more easily at night when rocked to sleep.
George's room was on a raised platform on the other side of the tent from Harry's. The canvas curtain had been pulled down to muffle any sounds Harry and Teddy made and provide some privacy. Harry knew George nor Draco would have used silencing charms when they were unsure of their safety in this new world. He could see the storage area under the stairs to George's room, stocked with bundles of the same logs that were near the woodstove.
Draco's room was next to George's and directly across from the washroom. The entrance had been pulled closed the night before when he had gone to bed, and the raised platform held more storage. Harry was unsure what was all down there, but he thought it could be the tent Hermione had bought to set up as a potions lab as well as a few cases of ingredients. There was also a muggle tent that Hermione had insisted on in the event that they needed one to blend in better.
Next to Draco's room was another set of stairs that looked to be another bedroom or a storage room. There was another bunk bed in the back corner that had been left bare of linens. Harry couldn't help but wonder why it was there when it seemed unneeded. Along the canvas walls were several trunks and chests. He decided to investigate those later in favor of looking around some more.
In the middle-back of the tent was a slightly raised platform between Teddy's room and the extra bedroom/storage area. Two stairs led up into the kitchen and dining area. The kitchen was basic with a cooktop, small oven, sink, counter, a large icebox, cooler, and two standing cupboards. A few cookbooks had been placed on the countertop in a neat row in the corner against the wall. The cooler, icebox, and cupboards were all much larger inside.
Looking through the cupboards he found one held cookware, bakeware, dishes, silverware, bottles of dish soap, dish rags, and plenty of different dried herbs and spices for cooking. Boxes lined the lower shelves; their labels telling Harry that they contained a stock of spices, more dish soap, and dish rags for when they needed new ones.
The other opened into a walk-in pantry of food stores that, even with the expansion charms, was packed to the brim. He could see crates of butterbeer, fire whiskey, elf-made wine, boxes of chocolate, and various candies from Honeydukes shrunken and stacked to the ceiling of the 'pantry'. He found stacks of boxes containing bread, pasta, rice, beans, flour, sugar, canned goods, and more ingredients for cooking and baking that must have been purchased at muggle grocery stores. Everything was shrunk to make space for boxes labeled with even more behind what he could see. Everything was under preservation charms as long as they remained in the 'pantry'.
Harry figured that all of this could last them for at least two or three years if they were careful. There were even jugs of juice and cases of water that had all been shrunk to make room for more, stacked and lining one of the bottom shelves. Looking closer, several labels were in French.
'Fluer did say her family helped. I guess they sent some things from France so that Hermione and the Weasleys wouldn't draw too much attention in wizarding Britain. At least Draco knows how to read all this.' Harry thought as he shifted a few boxes around to see the writing.
Looking inside the cooler and icebox, Harry found they had been stocked in much the same way. A lot of the food looked to have been bought in the muggle world. This had to be Hermone's influence. The organization would certainly be like her. It was smart, though he was betting the muggles had been left scratching their heads as it looked like she had cleared out at least two stores.
"They were probably thinking Hermione and the others were preparing for the apocalypse." Harry muttered bemusedly as he wondered if they would really eat all of this.
Mr. Weasley had said a few days ago that there would be enough food for a year or so. He must not have known how much the others had purchased on top of what he and his wife had covered. There was enough here that Teddy may turn four before they ran out of what they had stocked there. Maybe even longer if they were careful; provided the preservation spells would hold. They could hunt, forage, or fish to replenish some things so that they would last longer, but they would need to learn how first. They would also need to find out what was edible here and possibly trade with the natives of these lands; if there were any.
He refused to allow Teddy to ever go hungry as he had, and one thing their magic couldn't do was produce food from nothing.
The dining area was simple though comfortable. The dining table had four chairs, and there was a high chair in the corner for Teddy, who was just starting on soft foods. The table was covered in a dark green tablecloth, but it was what was on top of it that drew his attention. In the center of the table was a vase of lilies in different colors with a scroll of parchment next to the vase.
He could sense the magic that had been infused into each of the lilies, and his mind went back to the roses Ginny had made him infuse with his magic over a week ago. Each flower felt different, and Harry almost choked when he realized each one had been enchanted by someone else. There were several lilies. One for each of those who had seen them off at Grimmauld as well as Percy and Charlie who hadn't been able to be there that night though they had said their goodbyes earlier in the week. The lilies were all open in full bloom, but their color seemed a bit dimmed and not as vibrant as they should be.
His eyes trailed down to the scroll of parchment which he picked up to investigate. It must be the list Bill had told him about before. The seal had already been broken, so Harry knew George must have read it while he and Draco were sleeping. In it was a list of what had been prepared for them. Each part of the list looked to be in different handwriting so he knew everyone had a hand in adding to it. Glancing at Teddy, Harry found he was quite content and so sat down to read it over.
Harry, George, Draco, and Teddy
We hope you all have made it safely to wherever it is you are, and that you have found a good place to make new lives for yourselves. We hope you are safe wherever you are. All of us know that there isn't anything we can do for you now, but hopefully, our preparations will make things easier for you. This is a list of everything we've gathered and stored in the tent for you as well as where to find it. We used the money you gave us as you told us to, but we added some personal touches where we could.
We wish you all the best. Hopefully, you will find somewhere you can belong and are appreciated as you haven't been here in the wizarding world. Somewhere you can rest and allow your wounds to heal. None of us can know the challenges you will face but know that you are in our thoughts. All our love.
Harry smiled as he looked at the individual signatures before looking down at the list.
He admittedly felt a bit curious about a few things on the list, but now wasn't the time to go digging to investigate. There would be time for that later. Not while Draco and George would need to learn to use magic without their wands, and thank Merlin it appeared they would be able to. Definitely not while his magic still felt wonky and he had to retrain himself.
He trusted the wards as he knew Bill and Hermione had drilled the three of them on the ones they would be using, but he wouldn't take chances with their lives. The area where they had set up camp had looked deserted. The snow and ice may have led to an inhospitable environment for the locals. Even so, they would need to be cautious. They knew nothing about this world or the creatures and beings that inhabited it. He may be unable to die from injury, and while Draco and George appeared to have gained his healing, there was no guarantee that they would heal from a fatal wound as he had. It wasn't something he was willing to test either.
They weren't incapable of defending themselves, but Teddy was all too vulnerable.
Sighing, Harry rolled the parchment up and set it back on the table before moving to start on breakfast. George had gone to bed, but Draco should be up soon. Deciding to do something simple, Harry pulled out bread from the cupboard before turning to the cooler to pull out milk, eggs, butter, and some blueberries. Less than ten minutes later he plated up three servings of eggy bread with blueberries before he was distracted as Teddy started to fuss. Setting his plate down on the table, Harry made his way over to the playpen to see that Teddy was pushing the toys away from himself in aggravation. It was then Harry realized what he had forgotten earlier.
"Ah, I'm sorry Teddy. I forgot your Moon Moon, didn't I? Give me just a minute." He said before quickly moving into his room and picking up the bottomless bag from where Draco had left it on the floor next to the carrier and Harry's bag.
Placing the carrier on the bed for later, Harry carried his and Teddy's bags with him back to the playpen as he reached inside to find what he needed. He quickly had a hold of the stuffed wolf that Teddy favored. Teddy cried and made grabby hands toward the stuffy which Harry handed over with a chuckle. Seeing his godson settle now that he had his stuffed Moony, Harry started moving back to the table before pausing as Draco stepped out of his room.
His appearance almost startled Harry at the contrast from what he had always known his rival turned-friend looked like. His skin was the same pale shade of grey as Harry had noticed from George, Teddy, and himself. It only drew more attention to his hair which had changed from a light blonde to snow white. It had grown to fall down to the middle of his back and had been left loose. The length helped to hide his ears, but Harry had a feeling that his would have changed as his and Teddy's had. Then there were his eyes which had shifted from a pale blue-grey to a light blue that glittered and reminded Harry of an aquamarine crystal.
"Morning. I made breakfast, but if you want your morning tea I'll need to make some." Harry said once he'd pushed away the slight shock, knowing that Draco still hadn't learned everything when it came to doing it himself as the blonde had always had house elves to do it for him.
"Smells good. Coffee?" Draco grunted and Harry chuckled in amusement, for though Draco woke early, he was not a morning person.
Harry went about making two cups of coffee for the both of them before handing one to Draco along with the plate he had set aside for him. They sat down to breakfast after Harry concentrated and managed a preservation spell on George's plate so it would be ready when he woke. Harry set the bags on the chair next to him. He started eating after he settled into his chair while slowly pulling the few things he'd packed himself out of his bag.
It wasn't much. He'd lost a lot during the war that he hadn't bothered trying to replace before things went to hell all over again. There was no replacing the firebolt Sirius had given him that had been lost in the escape from Privet Drive, and Harry hadn't even tried. The watch given to him by Mr. and Mr. Weasley that had once belonged to Fabian Prewett had been another thing he could never replace after it had been broken, though he kept it for sentimental value. In truth, Harry had very few possessions left that had meant anything to him. Almost everything that had been left behind in the tent when they were captured by the snatchers had been lost. The tent burned to ash by the time they had gone back to find it after it was safe.
The few things he had left were what he'd stored in his mokeskin pouch or hidden away in Grimmauld. The shard from Sirius's broken two-way mirror, the snitch bequeathed to him by Dumbledore that once held the resurrection stone, and a worn letter from his mother to Sirius with part of a photo were all still in his pouch. Luckily, he'd had the sense to hide the photo album Hagrid had given him in Grimmauld before their disastrous infiltration of the Ministry to retrieve the locket. He pulled these as well as Andromeda's photo albums for Teddy out of the bag and placed them on the table.
Harry had finished his light breakfast as he stared at the few objects on the table in front of him. Eighteen years of life... George, Teddy, Draco, and the things in this tent were all that was left of that life. The things would eventually be used or maybe even lost, but the four of them at least had each other.
That hurt more than his own losses. Teddy was just barely six months old and had already lost even more than Harry had. Harry, George, and Draco were the only ones his godson had now. A godfather who barely knew what he was doing and two cousins, one a more distant relation than the other. At least Harry, George, and Draco would have the memories, good and bad, of all that had come before. Teddy would only know those who had loved him through them.
Harry's parents had died so that he would live. Sirius had died due to Harry's mistake as he came to save him. Remus and Tonks had sacrificed everything to make the world better for their son. Andromeda had given Harry the last thing she had left in the hopes he would keep him safe. George had lost his twin brother and let go of his family to follow Harry and Teddy. Draco had lost everything except what his Mother had managed to send to him before he had decided to come with Harry.
Harry could feel the grief as it started to drown him, but a coo from the playpen pulled him out of the dark spiral his thoughts had pulled him into. Green eyes turned toward the playpen where he could see Teddy had flopped over with his Moony wolf in his arms. He looked over to see Draco watching him with a raised brow. The sight was enough for Harry to force himself to breathe before turning back to watch the six-month-old. He didn't have time to dwell on those thoughts that left him feeling shattered.
Not now. Not when Teddy needed him to be one and whole for him. Harry could grieve for their losses later. For now, he would do what he needed to do.
"Could you watch him for me so I can bathe? I won't be too long and then you can take all the time you need." Harry knew Draco would always spend at least an hour or two when he went to bathe as the other teen was very meticulous about his appearance.
"I'll keep an eye on him." Draco agreed as he stood to take their dishes to the sink and attempted to direct his magic to wash the dishes.
"Take your time, Draco. Don't let it frustrate you if you need to try a few times. That's how I blew up the sofa." Harry attempted to cheer him up at the reminder of what he'd done at Grimmauld Place when trying to direct his magic after his wand had exploded.
"That sofa was no loss. I don't know what my great Aunt was thinking when it came to the decor in that place." Draco grumbled with a familiar grimace of distaste, and Harry chuckled as he picked up the items he had pulled from his bag off of the table.
"There's a note from everyone with an inventory of everything in the tent on the table if you want to read it." Harry told him before going to his room
Harry placed the photo albums on his bed before pulling the drawer to his bedside table to place the mokeskin pouch inside. He paused in confusion at seeing the items inside. Sirius's bike had been shrunk to the size of a toy as he had seen from the list, but that wasn't the only thing he found.
There was a book on animagi in the drawer. Next to it was a sealed envelope. His name was written in glittering light blue on the front. Harry's breath caught as he recognized the handwriting.
"Luna." He murmured as he sat down on the edge of his bed and picked up the envelope.
He stared at it for several moments before dropping the mokeskin pouch into the drawer and moving the envelope to place it on top of the stand. Closing the drawer, Harry decided to wait to read it. He'd just pushed back one emotional upheaval and wasn't prepared to go through another.
There would be time for everything else later. For now, he needed a bath. Then he would talk to Draco after the other teen got out of the bath about taking turns stepping out of the tent to practice their spell casting. They would need to wait for George to wake so they could start making plans on what to do next.
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That's it for this chapter! I know it's been a while since I posted, and I meant to do so earlier. I've just had a lot going on.
After my husband passed last year I couldn't bring myself to stay at the house we had just bought a couple of years ago. So one of my brothers is buying it, and I moved in with my mom and youngest brother. We just moved again after buying another property with some acreage and enough space for all of us to have our own space. I'm currently remodeling a tiny home on the land about half an acre from the house for me to live in but still have family close. So yeah, not much time to focus on writing between moving and remodeling but everything else I've been up to.
I wanted to thank you all for your condolences, well wishes, and patience in what has been the worst time of my life. I do appreciate it. I have started on the next chapter, but when it will be finished… Who can say? Hopefully things will start settling down once the remodel is finished and I'm moved in and settled with less distractions.
~Ryu
