The invite was delivered by Wendy Bird who seemed to not just
memorize all of Harry's habits but Harry's friends' habits as well. If
birds could be Seers then Wendy Bird was one.
Angelina Johnson and George Weasley, Engagement Party at the
Borrow.
Harry was happy for them but not all that happy about having to go
to the Weasleys, not while Ron, Ginny, and Molly were still in arms
against him.
Harry sighed, he was sure it would work itself out and with the twins
there he imagined that the worst trouble would be of their making.
At least for Angelina's sake, he hoped it would all go well.
"Alright you lot let's see your patronuses," Harry started with his fifth
to eighth years. The fifth and some of the sixth years were the only
ones he hadn't taught before.
Of the students he had taught, only half managed to call their
patronuses.
It was not a good sign.
"Luna," Harry called, "Come up here please?"
They were in an old classroom that no one had used in the last two
decades, it was one of the rooms no one had any memories of
fighting for the lives in.
Luna skipped to the front of the class, smiling brightly. She gave
Harry a hug, and because it was Luna he gave her a hug back.
She breathed him in and pulled away laughing. She gave him a look
as if they were sharing a joke.
Harry wasn't too worried about it. "Would you show the class your
patronus?"
"Expecto Patronum," she said in her most whimsical voice, and a
hare pranced out of her wand.
Harry pointed his own wand alongside hers and roared, "Expecto
Patronum!" A blinding light burst from a wand and for a moment the
shape hesitated before morphing into something much smaller than
a stag.
It was a bird. An eagle, no a falcon. A gyrfalcon if the markings and
size were anything to go by. Harry had read about them in an avian
book Dudley had discarded in his second bedroom.
It circled around the room with the hare, the prey, and the predator,
dancing in the air.
Harry watched it for a second longer before turning to the class.
Hermione raised her eyebrows at him, and he shook his head ever
so slightly. He didn't know why his patronus had changed either. If he
had been expecting it to change he might have thought it would turn
into a wolf like Teddy. Maybe, just maybe it might have turned into
like a bunny like Andromeda. But a falcon? Harry didn't have a clue.
"As you can see from our two castings, you don't necessarily need to
be 'happy' to cast a patronus, but you do need to have a happy
memory. A memory that is happy enough that the mere thought of it
is associated with positive emotions. If you're choosing a memory
you have mixed feelings about or a memory that was quickly
followed by something less than pleasant try to think of something
else."
"But how do we cast it to begin with?" one of the fifth years asked.
Harry taught the charm from the ground up and had the students
who had mastered it work on casting it silently. After they got that he
had them direct their patronuses and then deliver whispered
messages to each other.
By the end of the three hours, everyone could cast a patronus and
all of the seventh and eighth years had mastered the more advanced
techniques.
Hermione and Luna caught up to Harry after class. Hermione spoke
first, "We are going to the Weasleys' tonight, can we join you?"
Harry nodded, "I am going to feed Teddy before we go so we might
be a little late."
"That's fine," Luna said airly, "it isn't always good to arrive on time."
Harry was trying to get Teddy to finish his applesauce while
Andromeda fussed over Hermione's hair.
They were late but Teddy was in a good mood and Hermione looked
as regal as a queen.
George and Angelina were the center of attention. And as the party
was being run by the twins more so than by Molly everything went
well. Ron and Ginny stayed away from Harry.
Fleur on the other hand immediately handed off Verona as soon as
he walked through the door. Andromeda smiled at him but drifted off
to speak with Kingsley who was in a corner of the room with
Minerva.
Harry was more than content to babysit the little fussy baby as Teddy
ran back in forth between integrating the guests and reporting to his
godfather and Verona.
Lee Jordan drank a noticeable amount but not enough to ruin the
evening.
After all the well wishes had been made and the ring had been
showed off and the presents shrunk, George and Angelina returned
to the twins' apartment above their joke shop. Despite the twins
having separate rooms, Fred would be spending the night at the
Burrow.
Harry was very reluctant to return Verona to her mother.
Which is when Molly finally hounded down on him. "You know, Harry,
if you want more children of your own you'll have to start dating
again."
Harry gave Verona another kiss on her forehead before relinquishing
her to Fleur.
"I'm fine, thanks," Harry said, voice clipped. It took a lot for him not to
reach out for Andromeda in that moment.
"You and Luna get along well enough," Molly said.
"Mum!" Ginny chided.
Luna smiled graciously, "Harry's heart is quite content, Mrs.
Weasley."
Molly huffed, "He needs a girlfriend."
"Molly," Harry said a little coldly, "I am really getting sick of you telling
me what I either need or can't have."
"It's quite clear, my dear, that you want a family."
"He has a family," Andromeda said, her voice was purely glacial.
"You can't keep him to yourself forever," Molly shot back.
"But Grandmama and Mapoppy love each other," Teddy said. "They
are together forever."
Molly gave Teddy a paternising look, "I mean real love, Teddy dear."
Teddy frowned at her putting his hands on his hips like his
grandmama sometimes did, "Mapoppy and Grandmama are real
love."
Harry and Andromeda exchanged a look, both of them thinking the
same thing, it was coming out sooner or later.
"Molly," Harry started, "There is something be-"
"No, Harry, you can't let your godson believe lies about you. You and
Andromeda aren't his real parents. You aren't a couple."
The temperature of the room seemed to drop and it wasn't Harry's
power filling up the small space.
"Enough, Prewitt," Andromeda said, "It has been a long and well
enjoyed night. Leave our personal lives alone for this one visit."
Hermione, Luna, and Fred exchanged looks. The three of them knew
that Harry and Andromeda were a couple and knew that Molly's
reaction would not be pleasant.
"Black," Molly snarled, "you can't keep taking advantage of Harry's
goodness."
Harry crossed the space between himself and Andromeda wrapping
his arms around her waist and pulling her in tighter to him. "Isn't that
what being a couple means, that there is an advantage to be taken
and given?"
Molly scowled. "Don't be ridiculous Harry, she isn't good enough for
you."
Teddy was getting angry, "You're mean! You don't know anything!"
"I know-" Molly began but was silenced by Harry bending down to
give Andromeda a kiss on the lips.
It was a restrained kiss by their standards but it was enough-
"NO!" Molly shouted.
Arthur stepped in between them to intercede, "Molly, dearest, Harry
is an adult. He-"
"She's old enough to be his mother!" she screeched, "She's older
than Harry's mother!"
Aside from Luna, Hermione, Fred, Bill, and Fleur the room was in
shock.
Ginny didn't know what to think. She was disgusted but looking at
Andromeda…
Once the room thought of her not as Nymphadora's mother but as
her own woman, well, she was stunningly beautiful. Age hadn't
changed that in the least.
In fact, as the room looked over the Boy Who Lived and one of the
infamous Black Sisters, they seemed for lack of a better description -
fit each other.
"Molly, it's alright," Arthur said.
"How!?" she exploded, "How is that alright, that bitch's sister killed
our son. Percy is dead because of her!"
Teddy started balling. Great big crocodile tears.
Harry was at his side before anyone could blink.
"Teddy," Harry coaxed.
Teddy clung to his godfather, his hair turning blonde and his eyes an
icy blue. Between hiccupping sobs, he asked, "Aunt Cissa killed
Gred and Forge's brother?"
Andromeda dropped to her knees catching Teddy's face between her
hands. "No, Teddy, no. Aunt Cissa hasn't hurt anyone. But we did
have another sister once who didn't know right from wrong."
Teddy was an amazingly intelligent child but the emotions and the
adult conversations were too much for him to follow. He fell into his
grandmama's arms crying helplessly. Too confused and too put on
edge to process the situation anymore.
Harry glared up Molly. "Why can't you be civil when I'm here? You
aren't my mother Molly, butt out of my life. Not everything has to be a
dramatic scene. You don't approve of my life choices, I get that, but
let me be."
Molly opened her mouth but Arthur squeezed her arm, "Enough
Molly, we've had this talk. More than once. Let it be."
"But-"
"Mum," Bill said softly, "You hated Fleur when we were first dating.
But if you give Harry and Andromeda a chance you'll love them just
the same."
Molly stiffened and said with acid, "I could never love a Black."
"You loved Nymphadora," Ginny spoke up. "She was hopeless in the
kitchen but you loved her. Bill's right, you need to give them a
chance."
"I thought you were still mad at Harry?" Ron asked his sister.
Ginny shrugged then met Harry's gaze, "I think I've always loved the
idea of you and you were better than the legend. But the life you
want, the person you are, that's not what I want out of life." She gave
him a wane smile, "You're too old for me."
Harry smiled back, "I suppose I had that one coming."
"It is kinda gross, mate," Ron said, "to be dating someone older than
your mum."
Harry wrapped his arms around Andromeda and Teddy, "My mother's
dead, she doesn't get an opinion besides; love knows no bounds."
They disapparated away before anyone could pick another with
them.
Teddy whined at the pressure of apparating and struggled out of his
guardians arms. He ran to the house slamming the door behind him.
Andromeda shook her head, "He's going to be a menace when he's
a teenager."
Harry didn't really want to think about that too hard. "I think once he
finds peace with his wolf half he'll be less..."
"Choactic," Andromeda supplied.
"I wish there was somewhere or someone we could go to for help."
"Isn't learning to become animagi the help?" she asked.
"Some but I want someone to explain what's happening to our son."
Andromeda was quiet for a long moment. "There are other countries
in this world with different magical creatures and humanoid creatures
than we have here. Perhaps I could reach out to some old family
friends."
"I think that might be for the best," he said but not with much hope
anything would turn up.
"Look," Andromeda said suddenly.
Harry looked around and finally followed her finger to the night sky.
Orion's constellation shown overhead.
"Sirius, the Dog Star, always shines the brightest," she said, an old
smile in her voice.
Harry took in a deep breath of the almost frigid air, and let the
tension seep from his shoulders. He looked up at the beautiful stars
and their cold light. The love of dead ones, beautiful, unable to give
warmth, and far, far away.
"Where's the Andromeda star?" Harry asked.
She smiled at him with only the porch light to illuminate her face,
"Didn't you learn it in class?"
"I wasn't always the most attentive student."
She took a step closer to him, "Andromeda isn't just a star." She
entwined her fingers in his wild, raven black hair, "It's a galaxy."
For a time Harry was lost in her kiss.
A week passes without major incident.
Harry was making breakfast when Andromeda came up behind him
and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Harry put down the eggs he was mixing to lay his hands on hers.
"You're up early," he said.
She laid her cheek on his back relaxing against the warmth of him.
Harry bit his lip to keep from making a sound. Teddy would be up
soon and while the boy was young enough not to catch some things,
Harry didn't want another round of twenty questions.
'Mapoppy why did you make that silly sound?' 'Mapoppy why is your
face red?' 'Mapoppy why were you eating Grandmama's face?'
'Mapoppy why do you keep dropping stuff?'
But of course, it took two people to stay restrained.
"I wanted to talk to you before Teddy wakes up," she said.
She pulled back so he could face her. Once his back was to the sink
she wrapped her arms around him, pressing the length of herself
along the length of him.
Harry had to bite his cheek.
She smirked at him, knowing, feeling the effect she had on him. He
tried to glare at her, but there was an altogether different type of heat
filling his gaze.
And damn her, she knew it.
She seemed to be waiting for him to speak. He tugged on the braid
single braid trailing down to her waist, and said hoarsely, "You said
you wanted to talk?"
Her eyes sparked with mischief. Harry never had any doubts about
which house Andromeda belonged in.
She ran her hand hands up the back of his shirt, her hands feeling
the bare skin and muscle of him. "Are you sure you want me to talk?"
Harry was quickly losing higher functioning in his brain, "Dromeda,"
he warned. Though in all honesty, he wasn't sure if he was warning
her to stop or to never stop.
She sighed, pulling back from him. The absence of her warmth
finally drawing a small sound from him.
Andromeda smiled and reached into her skirt pocket. She handed
Harry a small vile.
"What's this?" Harry asked taking it from her.
"Contraceptive."
"Oh," Harry said, blinking at the small red glass with the dark liquid in
it. "You want me to start taking it? How often do take them?"
Her smile grew, "I want you to throw it away, but in the future, it is
good to know that you're would be willing to take the male
contraceptive."
Harry frowned, "I mean if you want me to, of course, I'll take it. This
potion is hardly a spoonful anyway."
"Well, that potion is only good for a month before it expires so you
best toss it."
Harry nodded and uncorked it the vile, then poured it down the sink.
It smelled like chocolate and seaweed.
When he looked back to Andromeda she was smirking at him. He
took a moment to enjoy the sight of her. Her long chestnut hair pulled
back from her face, her brown eyes that were dark and liquid like the
finest cut jem, and her… well all of her. The lines that defined her
face, the smooth paleness of her skin with an undertone of olive so
that his own paleness seemed to glow against hers. Her lips, her
breasts, her hips, so lush, so amazingly a part of his life.
"Harry," she called him back to her.
His gaze snapped up to meet hers and he couldn't help the flush that
raced up his neck, warmed his cheeks.
She chuckled and stepped toward him, wrapping her arms around
him once more as he did the same. "I will not be on contraceptive,
Harry."
Harry's mind went blank, and he repeated the words aloud trying to
make sense of them, "You will not be on contraceptive?"
"Correct."
Which is when his mind caught up. "You mean- You mean we? You
mean we can try? Can we?" As his excitement rose the coherence in
his sentences became less so.
Andromeda's face glowed with happiness as she watched the
emotions race across Harry's face. "Yes, Harry we can try, and yes,
as a witch, I am still young enough to be able to safely bear another
child."
Harry lifted her in his arms. He spun her in the kitchen, her skirts
spinning out around them. Harry was smiling so hard he thought he
might break his cheek muscles.
He kissed her, and as Teddy would put it, 'he ate her face.'
But it was alright because Andromeda responded with equal adore.
Harry was about to ask, 'Can we try now?'
When Teddy ran into the room.
The two lovers broke apart, Harry saying good morning before going
back to scrambling the eggs and Andromeda scooped her grandson
up.
"Mapoppy?" Teddy asked, "Are you okay?"
Harry grinned like a manic, "I'm great! How are you, son?"
Teddy gave him an odd look before turning to his grandmama,
hoping for some sanity, but the same stupid, crazy look was on her
face too.
Adults were weird.