Square One

At some point during Harry's nap, Papa had sent an invitation to the entire Weasley clan to join them on the boat. Zebeda would be serving a lavish dinner, and everyone was encouraged to stay the night; if the weather improved, Papa planned to sail the next morning for the enjoyment of his guests and to show off his ship.

The whole family had come along, except for Percy, as had Remus and Tonks. George had even agreed to turn both Wheezes locations over to non-Weasleys the next day so that they could all take advantage of Nicolae and Papa's invitation.

Currently, Charlie, Remus, and Ron were helping Brian with the card castle while Tonks, Arthur, and Papa talked politics. Hermione, Molly, and Ginny were playing with Lauren.

Harry dropped down onto one of the plush sofas and settled into its fluffy cushions. He couldn't seem to take his eyes off of Brian. Ron caught him looking and gave him a sympathetic smile.

Well, that answered that question: someone had obviously told Hermione and Ron that Brian was his son.

He smiled back at his friend, a little sadly. Two weeks ago - at least in Harry's mind - he and Ron had been teenaged boys, talking about Quidditch and girls. Now they were parents. Responsible adults.

A moment later, George plopped down to his right, jostling Harry a bit, and Nicolae perched on the sofa arm to Harry's left.

"No more serious thoughts tonight," Nicolae said. He held his hand out palm down in front of Harry.

"On pain of...something painful," George added with a grin, placing his hand on top of Nicolae's.

Harry looked from one of them to the other and couldn't help grinning back. He laid his hand on top of George's. "Fine. No more serious thoughts."

"Good," Nicolae said. George pulled his hand away then, and Nicolae grasped Harry's wrist and pulled him to his feet. "Charlie," he said. Apparently Charlie heard volumes in that one word - either that, or he'd learned to read minds - because he immediately abandoned the card house and prodded Ron toward the door.

"Where are you lot off to?" Tonks asked, sleepily snuggling closer to Remus.

"Boys only," Charlie teased, giving her spiky hair a gentle tug. "No girls allowed."

"If you're disallowing me, there had better not be firewhisky involved," Tonks replied, punctuating her statement with a jaw-cracking yawn. "And you can't have my pillow."

"I am not a pillow," Remus said with a chuckle even as he drew her head down onto his shoulder. 0020

Nicolae left Harry by the door and doubled back. He poked around in a couple of cleverly concealed cupboards before coming up with a light blanket which he helped Remus tuck around Tonks. That done, he led Harry, Ron, George, and Charlie out of the lounge and through the ship. After a couple of wrong turnings, Nicolae threw open a door and exclaimed "Finally!"

As they stepped through the doorway, Harry noticed that the ceiling in the room was glass, just as it had been in the ballroom. Here, however, the walls were glass as well. A u-shaped wetbar divided the room. A billiards table took up most of the right side, and the other was bare, save for what seemed to be a large square platform that stood less than a foot off the floor.

Charlie headed off to the right, pausing beside a small rectangular box set into the wall. He tapped his wand against the box, and soft music filled the room. He tapped it again, and the volume increased to a more normal level.

George grabbed two bottles of wine from behind the bar, tossing one rather carelessly toward Charlie (who thankfully caught it) and using his wand to pop the cork from the other. He handed the bottle to Harry and went to help Nicolae. The two of them worked for a minute or two to remove some sort of cover from the platform. Once it was gone, Harry realised what it had been hiding: a very large Jacuzzi.

Nicolae summoned three wine goblets from the bar while George retrieved the bottle from Harry. The wine was poured, and the glasses and bottle placed within easy reach of the Jacuzzi. Then Nicolae and George were stripping off their clothes.

Harry just stood there, staring at the two of them. In shock, of course. He was not ogling them. He wasn't geared that way. Really.

He had to turn away. Where in the world had that come from? His skin tingled and his heart was beating too fast. And he honestly couldn't understand why.

George let out a hedonistic moan, and Harry swallowed hard. What the hell was wrong with him? Maybe whatever had put him in the coma had caused this, too.

"Come and join us, Harry," George called. "The water feels great."

"Healer's orders, Potter," Nicolae added.

Charlie and Ron had abandoned the billiard table for the tub, now, and were shucking off their clothes. The sight of Ron's bony, chalk-white arse filled Harry with relief; at least he wasn't so fucked up as to start lusting over his best friend.

Ever so slightly heartened, Harry tossed his clothes in the pile and slid into the hot tub. And he suddenly and completely understood George's earlier moan. He sank further into the water, letting the heat soak away the stress of the last two weeks.

Whether he had dozed off or simply slipped away into his own meandering thoughts, Harry wasn't sure, but he jolted fully awake when a wave of hot water smacked him in the face. He sat up, spluttering, and looked around at the others who were all looking back at him with identical innocent expressions on their faces. He gave them all a little smile and, pretending to reach for his wine glass, snatched up his wand. He made a strange twisting motion with the wand, and all four of the others were slapped with waves of water just as he had been. It was the beginning of an all out war.

By the time that Papa and Arthur came to round them up for dinner a half-hour later, the entire left side of the room was drenched in water from the tub and all five of the younger men were in high spirits. The water war ceased immediately in favour of food, and Charlie conjured towels for the lot of them to wrap up. He then wandered over to the billards table with Arthur and Papa, leaving George and Nicolae to siphon off the water while Ron dried their soaking wet clothes. Harry had been instructed to sit and rest, and he wasn't about to argue; the water war had left him exhausted once again. But at least it had taken his mind off things.

~ ~ ~

Dinner wasn't in the dining room, as Harry had thought it would be. Instead, they dined in the ballroom, grouped around the linen-clothed tables. Brian had a crisis moment, trying to decide who to sit next to, but finally opted for a seat between Papa and Remus. Harry chose to sit with Ron, Hermione, and Lauren, but made sure that his seat would also allow him to keep an eye on Brian.

"It isn't quite what I expected it would be," Hermione said, drawing his attention away from his son. "It's so much harder, actually. But it's also...better."

"Best thing that ever happened to me," Ron agreed, lovingly stroking a hand over his daughter's soft brown curls.

"Yeah, well, you also had nine months to get used to the idea," Harry said sourly, stabbing at his pasta. "I haven't even had 24 hours. And the situation's completely different."

"Yes, but...."

"I'm Uncle Harry for fuck's sake," Harry muttered.

Ron gently caught hold of Harry's arm, gaining his full attention, and looked him square in the eye. "Do you love him?"

Overcome with sudden emotion, Harry just nodded ever so slightly. "Yes," he said quietly. "I do."

Ron beamed at him. "That's all that matters, mate. The rest will work itself out."

"I hope you're right," he said, thinking about his earlier meeting with Draco Malfoy. "I really hope you're right."

~ ~ ~

After dinner, Nicolae pulled Ginny and Harry aside. "We need to talk."

The three of them went to the library so that they could have a little privacy.

"I'm guessing this is about Brian," Ginny said as she dropped into a padded leather chair across from Nicolae.

Harry took a seat on the third side of the table, wanting to keep things equal.

Nicolae slid a sheet of parchment across the table. Ginny took a quick glance at it, her face going white, and shot up from her seat.

"Ginny, wait," Harry said, gently taking hold of her wrist.

She shook him off, tears welling in her eyes. "You can't have him. Either of you. You can't...."

"No one is trying to take Brian from you, Ginny," Nicolae said. "Please hear me out?"

Ginny collapsed back into her chair, and Harry moved to sit beside her, his arm around her shoulders.

"This," Nicolae said, tapping his fingers against the parchment, "is what they call an amicable custody agreement. It means that the three of us agree that we are all Brian's parents, and we work together to make sure we all get to spend time with him in a way that takes each of our needs - and Brian's - into consideration."

"It says that legally, none of us has the right to take Brian from the others," Harry added.

Ginny nodded and wiped her eyes with the back of one sleeve. "That sounds reasonable."

"Do you think we can do this? Can we work out an agreement?"

Ginny nodded again.

"Now, I know you're not keen on the idea of Brian staying with me at The Cauldron...."

"That place has gotten scary," Ginny said. "I don't want him staying there overnight."

"I respect that," Nicolae said. "But once I find somewhere suitable, I will want him to stay overnight. If he wants to, of course. And there may be a time when I want to take him with me to visit Papa in Romania."

"So what you're asking is if I can trust you."

"Essentially."

"I can," Ginny said. "I do. I just....I'm scared."

Harry squeezed her shoulder and Nicolae reached across the table to take her hands. "We all are. But for Brian's sake, and for the sake of our own sanity, we have to try to get past that."

"I'm sorry I lied to you," Ginny blurted out. "To both of you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." She pulled her hands out of Nicolae's and covered her face with them as sobs shook her body.

"We forgive you," Harry murmured in her ear, knowing full well that Nicolae agreed.

Nicolae came around the table and gently stroked Ginny's hair.

Eventually the two of them got Ginny calmed enough to resume negotiations. After only a few minutes, though, Nicolae smacked the table in frustration.

"How can we work out the details when I don't even have a home?" he snapped.

"You could take Arthur up on his offer to stay at the Burrow. It might be a bit awkward, but it would at least be a safe environment, so you could have Brian overnight."

Nicolae shook his head. "I can't."

Ginny's brow furrowed. "You're having trouble finding a place you can afford because you're paying for my cottage." It wasn't a question.

"That's a part of it." Nicolae pulled his still damp hair back from his face and slouched in his chair. "I wanted to find somewhere near to either you or your parents so we wouldn't have to drag Brian all over Britain, but everything in those areas that's available is too big and expensive for what I need."

"If it will help," Harry began, "I could...."

"No." Nicolae's tone brooked no argument, but Harry forged ahead.

"It isn't as if I can't afford it."

"Harry, I said 'no'."

"There's no winning this argument, Harry. Trust me on that," Ginny said. She gave Nicolae an affectionate pat on the arm. Nicolae gave her a small, tight smile and took her hand in his.

Harry had to fight down a sudden flare of jealousy, masking it behind frustration. "What the fuck good is it to have money if no one will even fucking take it?" he snapped.

Nicolae sighed deeply and ran a hand over his face. "Harry, it's not...."

"He thinks this particular debt is his responsibility, Harry. He only lets me help out because I live there." Ginny paused, looking thoughtful, and then turned to Nicolae. "You can have the cottage."

"What?" Nicolae sat up straight in his chair.

"I can move back in with Mum and Dad, and you can have the cottage."

"The idea behind buying a cottage in Hogsmeade was that you'd be near the shop," Nicolae protested.

"What good will that do me if I'm having to pop over to Mum's to drop off Brian? If I'm living at the Burrow, I only have to make one roundtrip to Hogsmeade instead of two. It'll actually work out very well," Ginny insisted.

Nicolae sat back, letting his gaze wander until it settled on Harry's face. "I don't think it would work out too well for Harry."

Trying to ignore the slightly dizzy feeling that had come over him at the mention of Ginny moving back into the Burrow, Harry nodded dumbly. He moistened his lips and rubbed his now sweaty palms on the thighs of his jeans. "It might be a bit awkward, yes," he said.

"Oh, Harry. I'm sorry. I didn't think."

"No, no. It's all right. I'll be fine. You're right - it would be a good arrangement."

Nicolae leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. "You'd be welcome to move into the cottage, Harry. I know we haven't always gotten on well in the past, but I think we're past that."

"Yeah, I think we are," Harry agreed. "And...I think I'll take you up on that offer. If you agree to actually go halves."

"Fair enough," Nicolae agreed. He offered Harry his hand, and they shook on the deal.

Ginny looked mutinous. "I suppose this means you two will get twice the time with Brian," she said as calmly as she could.

"Of course not," Nicolae said. "It actually works to your advantage, as well. If we were each living separate, you wouldn't get nearly as much time with Brian."

"So you're not going to take advantage of the situation?"

Nicolae visibly bit his lip to keep from saying whatever thought had first popped into his mind. He settled for shaking his head.

"Whatever you were going to say, I probably deserved it," Ginny admitted quietly.

"It was nothing," Nicolae said. "We have a lot of work to do. Shall we?"

Harry, glad that the living arrangement crisis had been averted and that they were all managing to remain civil, nodded eagerly. Best to get this over with as soon as possible; if the three of them stayed in the same small space for much longer, there was sure to be an explosion.

Over the next couple of hours, they hashed out a tentative custody schedule and agreed that it should be revised no less than once a year. Exhausted, they made their way back to the lounge, but almost everyone had already turned in for the night. Only Charlie and George were still there, obviously waiting up for the others.

Charlie's eyes immediately searched Nicolae's face, for what Harry didn't know. He seemed satisfied with what he saw; the tension melted out of his body, and he let his head loll back against the sofa cushions.

"I see no one got pitched overboard," George teased as Harry collapsed onto the sofa beside him.

"It was a near thing," Harry said. "I had a hard time stopping them from coming to fetch you and feed you to the fish."

George smiled tiredly and gave Harry a good-naturedly slap to the back of the head.

"It's late," Nicolae said. "And we're getting an early start tomorrow. I'll show you lot to your rooms. Harry, I know you weren't expecting to stay overnight when we left home this morning, but you'll find everything you need in your room. Papa's doing, so don't blame me if it's a bit extravagant."

"Papa doesn't believe in doing things halfway," Charlie added.

"I noticed," Harry said, with a grin.

Sure enough, there were silk pyjamas laid out on Harry's bed, basic toiletries in the bath, and new clothes and a new pair of dragon hide boots in the wardrobe.

Harry had just finished preparing for bed, luxuriating in the feel of smooth, cool silk against his skin, when someone knocked on his door. He opened it to find George standing on the other side, clad only in pyjama bottoms and looking both utterly exhausted and rather distressed.

"George? What's wrong?"

"I just...." George ran a hand through his hair and shifted from one foot to the other. "I can't stop thinking." He crossed his arms tightly across his bare chest and stared at the carpet.

"Come in," Harry said, stepping out of the doorway. "Do you want to talk?"

George moved into the room, shaking his head slightly in response to Harry's question. "I don't want to talk about anything. I don't want to think. I just...it's easier to keep from thinking when there's someone else around."

"Yeah," Harry agreed, "it is." He didn't add that it was impossible for him to think about much of anything with George standing there half-naked. He glanced longingly at the bed; he really wanted nothing more than to curl up in a ball and go to sleep.

"Never mind," George said suddenly. "It's okay. You should get some sleep."

Harry sighed. "You can take the outside. But don't complain if I accidentally kick you out or squash you trying to get up in the middle of the night." He climbed under the covers, stashing his glasses and wand on the narrow window ledge beside the bed before burrowing beneath the duvet. With a grateful smile, George climbed in, too, and doused the lights. There was just enough moonlight filtering in through the curtained window so that Harry could see, but not enough to keep him awake. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the sound of George's breathing, and soon he felt himself sliding into sleep. His last conscious thought was that George was right: just having someone else nearby made it easier to keep his demons at bay.