The First Day

Harry settled into bed, the hot chocolate a soothing warmth in his stomach, gazing up at the ceiling. He was drained, but was more than a little frightened to fall asleep. Even the naps he'd taken yesterday and that afternoon were plagued by nightmares. He slowly inhaled and released the breath. They're just dreams. It's not like before. They're not real... He rolled over to his side and let his eyes trace the crack in the plaster. It was starting to annoy him. Sitting up, he opened the drawer of the night table and pulled the moleskin pouch from it. Tucked inside was the picture of his father and him on Harry's first birthday. It was the one that Snape had ripped in half. Harry wondered, as he tacked it to the wall, if he would ever be able to find the half that had his mother in it. He doubted it. Harry supposed Snape's belongings had either been destroyed or disposed of in some fashion. He got up and rummaged through his knapsack, unearthing the photograph album from underneath a welter of ragged jumpers.

Harry took the album back to bed with him, and lit the small lamp next to the bed. He paged through the book, the images of his parents waving at him. There were a few of Lily, heavily pregnant, looking slightly disgruntled, but smiling gamely for the camera. There were several taken after he'd been born, the awe clearly visible on his father's face and the exhilaration radiating from his mother's, as they held his tiny, squirming body. A photograph of Remus holding the infant Harry caught Harry's attention. Remus' hungry gaze struck Harry in particular. He remembered the evening Remus had come to Grimmauld Place last August, terrified of becoming a father, but in this photograph, Harry could see how badly Remus had wanted to become one. He felt an unmistakable tingle in his eyes, as he remembered how delighted Remus had been the night Teddy was born. Harry blinked and took several deep breaths. He'd done enough crying that night.

Harry lifted his head and gazed it in the direction of Ginny's room. He thought about the two of them, cradling their own child. Snorting, he shook his head. 'Getting a little ahead of yourself, Potter,' he murmured, glancing back down at the photographs. Sirius grinned up at him as he proudly cuddled baby Harry. Frowning, Harry tried to remember if there had ever been anything done for Sirius. He didn't think so, but he wasn't sure. At the time of Sirius' death, he had been considered a convicted criminal, guilty of the deaths of thirteen people, and his death had occurred under circumstances the Ministry didn't want made public. And officially, Sirius had been a fugitive and not even supposed to be in London. Harry looked at his godfather's smiling face. It didn't seem fair that Snape had been honored, but Sirius, who had lost his freedom, his life, and his best friends, was forgotten. You make damn sure they're not forgotten, echoed Ginny's voice in his head.

Harry pushed the bedding away and searched through the desk in the bedroom, coming up with a small piece of parchment, a usable quill, and an old bottle of ink. Harry quickly scratched out a note and sealed it. He'd have to ask Ron if he could use Pig in the morning. Harry knew he was going to have to find a successor to Hedwig someday, but he couldn't make himself leave the Burrow to go to Diagon Alley and Eeylops yet. There were too many people to face, and the idea of crowds bothered him.

Climbing back into bed, Harry propped himself up against the headboard, and continued to page through the photo album until he fell asleep, the book open across his lap, his hand resting over a photograph of James and Lily dancing at their wedding.

*****

After lunch, Ginny found Harry in the tool shed poking in a cupboard. 'What are you doing?' Ginny inquired from the door to the tool shed.

Harry jumped and smacked his head on the edge of the cabinet he was investigating. 'Ow!' He emerged, rubbing the smarting area of his head, checking his fingers for blood. 'Warn a bloke next time, would you?' he said crossly.

Ginny walked to where Harry knelt on the ground, nudging a tarp-wrapped bundle next to him with her toes. 'What's that?'

'Dunno yet.' Harry stood and stretched, arching his back a little.

'You've got dirt all over your face,' commented Ginny, crouching next to the bundle and pulling the edge of the tarp back.

'I'm washable,' Harry said with a shrug.

'Oh! It's Dad's old hammock,' exclaimed Ginny. 'Ron, Fred, George, and I used to fight over it so much, Mum made him take it down and pack it up.'

Harry hefted the bundle into his arms and took it out into the garden. 'Maybe we can put it up.' He let it drop to the grass at his feet. Shading his eyes against the glare of the late July sun, he scanned the back garden. 'What about there?' he suggested, pointing to the line of trees separating the paddock from the garden. 'In that gap?'

Ginny gave him a look, arching one eyebrow. 'It's awfully sneaky of you.' She started walking toward the trees.

'How so?' Harry picked up the unwieldy bundle. 'Ginny, how is that sneaky?' he called after her, lugging the hammock to the gap in the trees.

'Turn around,' she said.

'What?'

'And Kingsley offered you a job with no N.E.W.T.s...' Ginny grumbled. 'Look at the house.' She put her hands on Harry's shoulders and turned him toward the house. 'If someone's in the back garden, they can't really see you from here.' Molly's flower and vegetable gardens screened the area where they stood from prying eyes in the back garden.

'Oh.' Harry stooped and began to unwrap the tarp from around the bundle of heavy woven twine. 'Actually, I just thought it was shady here. That's why I thought it would be a good spot.' He gestured to the gap between two trees. 'Enough of a space to hang it, too.' He jabbed his wand at the folded hammock, and the ends knotted themselves around the tree trunks. Harry gingerly sat down in it, swinging gently. It seemed to be able to hold his rather negligible weight. He held out a hand to Ginny in invitation, and she joined him in the embrace of the hammock.

They swung silently for a several minutes, reveling in the cool breeze that drifted over them. 'So your birthday's Friday...' Ginny began.

'Yeah.' Harry shrugged uncertainly.

'What do you want?'

'For everyone to treat it as a normal day.' Harry closed his eyes. The photograph of Remus holding him floated into his head. 'Have you ever seen Teddy? In person?'

'A few times. I was there when he was born. I helped Mum and Mrs. Tonks deliver him,' Ginny said shyly. 'We went to visit a week later. Mum took some food over.'

'What's he like?' Harry asked hesitantly.

'He has her face. The shape of it. When he sleeps, his hair goes to its normal shade. It's the same color as Remus'. Maybe a bit darker, but when someone's holding him, his hair changes to theirs. When we went to see them after he was born, when Remus held him, his hair turned turquoise. He seemed so happy. Both of them, really. In all the years I'd known Remus, I'd never seen him smile so much.'

Harry drew in a shaky breath. 'Do you think he loved her?' he asked quietly.

Ginny felt a jolt of surprise. 'What?'

'Did he love her...?' Harry opened his eyes and turned his head to look at Ginny. 'A few days after Bill and Fleur's wedding, he came to Grimmauld Place and wanted to come with us. To leave Tonks, knowing she was pregnant. He thought Teddy would be like him.' Harry swallowed heavily. 'I've never seen him so scared before...' Harry suddenly sat up, making the hammock rock wildly. 'Teddy's not... A werewolf, is he...?'

'No,' Ginny said firmly. 'One of Tonks' friends from school is a Healer. She came over to test Teddy for lycanthropy. He'll be fine.'

Harry explosively blew out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding. 'That's good...'

Ginny laced her fingers through Harry's. 'He loved her,' she told him.

'How could you tell?'

'At your birthday last summer, before Scrimgeour crashed the party?' Harry nodded, and Ginny continued. 'Even with all the worry, there was a moment, where he looked at her, and everything disappeared for him. Everything except her.' Ginny smiled tremulously. 'It's the same way Dad looks at Mum.'

Harry's throat closed and he felt tears gather in the corners of his eyes. 'Thank you...'

'Whatever for?' Ginny couldn't keep the surprise from her voice.

'For telling me that. Remus deserved to be happy.'

*****

George pushed his plate away and looked at Ron and Harry. 'Are you ready to go?'

Ron gulped the last of his coffee. 'Yeah.'

'Ginny, you want to come?' George asked suddenly.

Ginny looked at Molly, who was clearing the table. 'May I go, Mum?'

Molly hesitated, then speared the boys with a fierce look. 'She stays with you at all times. She's not to go wandering off in Diagon Alley by herself.'

Ginny's face lit up, in spite of the restrictions. She was getting tired of banging around the house. 'Thank you, Mum!' She filed out of the kitchen with George, Ron, and Harry.

'And no underage magic!' Molly shouted after them, as they made their way down to the end of the paddock to Apparate, away from the diehard reporters still camped out in the lane.

Harry took Ginny's hand, and started to turn. 'Wait!' she said suddenly. 'You've never taken the Apparition test.'

Ron snorted, shoving Ginny lightly on the shoulder. 'What are they going to do? Expel him from school?'

'Kingsley gave us both our licenses last week,' Harry assured her, tightening his grasp on Ginny's hand, and turning.

They reappeared in front of Weasleys' Wizarding Wheezes, Harry glancing over his shoulder, but it was still somewhat early and the street was relatively empty. George stood in the street, looking up at the building, his breath coming in fast, shallow pants. 'George?' Ron asked worriedly. 'We don't have to do this today...'

'F-f-f-fred would want me to reopen in time for school,' George choked. Ron slung an arm over George's shoulders. George took a deep breath and shook himself rather like a dog. 'Let's go...' He laid his hand on the doorknob and twisted it slowly. George hesitated for a long moment before he stepped over the threshold. 'Damn them...' he breathed. Ron, Ginny, and Harry followed close behind, crowding the doorway. 'Damn them!' George ground out between clenched teeth. The edge of his remaining ear peeped through his shaggy hair. It was slowly turning red.

'Oh God...' Ginny whispered, peering around George's arm. The shop was in a shambles. Shelves had been tipped over and smashed to pieces. Boxes and packages of merchandise were ripped open and scattered across the floor. The Pygmy Puff cage was bent and mangled. 'George, we didn't know... Percy and I Apparated straight into the flat...' Ginny stammered.

George shook his head. He was biting his lower lip so hard; Ginny feared he would go straight through his flesh. 'We can fix it,' he muttered.

Ron sidled in and picked his way across the floor to the back room. The carnage was worse back there. His trainers crunched over a quantity of broken glass, and he looked down in shock. He knelt and gathered the torn pieces of a photograph of George and Fred into his hand. Ron began to breathe heavily, attempting to stifle the sobs that welled up. It was like burying Fred all over again. 'Ron?' Harry's husky voice broke through the harsh sound of Ron's breathing. Ron wordlessly held up the shards of the torn photograph. 'Oh...' Harry scraped an area of the floor clean and sank next to Ron. He tentatively put his arms around Ron. He wasn't quite sure how to go about the business of comforting someone, but this seemed like the thing to do. It was what Molly had done with him Saturday evening.

Ron began shaking, and he let the torn photograph fall to the floor. He buried his face in his hands and began to cry. Harry heard someone come into the back room, and Ginny knelt on the other side of Ron. Her arms wound around his waist, one hand gripping Harry's cold one. Neither of them heard George come into the back room.

George pointed his wand at the photograph. 'Reparo,' he said softly, watching the torn edges fly into place and seamlessly fuse.

After a few minutes, Ron raised his tearstained face. He took the handkerchief Ginny offered him and mopped his cheeks. 'All right,' he muttered gruffly. 'Let's get this done.'

*****

Harry paced the confines of Bill's room. He hadn't really slept alone since the age of eleven. It was an odd sensation. When he was at the Dursleys he'd had Hedwig for company. All the other times he'd been with the Weasleys, he'd shared Ron's room with him. They'd even shared a room at Grimmauld Place when it was the Order's headquarters. When they'd been on their pursuit for the Horcruxes, there was always at least one other person in the tent while he slept. At school, he'd slept to the sounds of Neville and Ron's snores, the sighs of Seamus, and the occasional mutterings of Dean.

The solitude was slightly unnerving.

Harry saw Ron come up the stairs and darted to the door. 'Hey, Ron? Can I talk to you for a mo?'

Ron's face bore a slightly bemused expression, but he agreed. 'Sure...'

Harry perched on the edge of the bed nervously. He wanted to move back into the attic with Ron. He hoped Ron wouldn't mind.

*****

Harry made himself a cup of tea, and perched on the bench outside the back door to drink it. Ginny stumbled into the garden, wearing her unbound dressing gown over her nightdress. The nightdress was slightly translucent and Harry took a large swallow of his tea, willing himself not to look. 'Why are you up?' he asked.

'Bloody creaking stairs woke me up,' Ginny mumbled. 'What are you doing up so early?' she asked sleepily, pulling the edges of the dressing gown closed.

'I have to go check on something.' Harry offered her a sip of his tea.

'Where?'

'I'm going Godric's Hollow.'

'Can I come?' Ginny asked hopefully.

Harry looked at her, wanting to take her with him. He tucked a strand of hair that had come loose from her plait behind her ear. 'Not today, Gin,' he told her regretfully. 'I have to go do this alone. Next time, I promise. I'll take you with me.'

'What are you going to doing?' she asked curiously.

Harry fiddled with the zipper of his jacket. 'I need to see my parents,' he confessed. 'I have to tell them something.'

'Oh.' Ginny leaned against Harry, her head dropping to his shoulder.

'And I need to see if something I've asked to have done is finished yet.'

'What?'

Harry pressed a kiss to Ginny's head. 'Sirius,' he said quietly. 'A grave marker. I asked to have one placed by Mum and Dad's.'

Ginny lifted her head from Harry's shoulder and brushed her fingers over his cheek. 'I think he'd like that.' She tried to smother the yawn, but it was wide enough to split her face.

Harry chuckled softly. 'I hope so.' He put a finger under her chin, and tilted her face up, kissing her gently. He reluctantly broke the kiss and stood, pulling Ginny to her feet. 'Go on back to bed. Get some more sleep. I'll be back in a bit. I won't be long...' He watched her walk back into the house and made his way down to what was now the family's Apparition point at the end of the paddock. He slid his hand into his jacket pocket, checking to make sure the letter he had written to his parents was inside.

*****

'My turn,' Ginny said, scooping Teddy from Harry's arms. 'You've been keeping him to yourself all evening.'

Harry's arms felt strangely light without Teddy's weight in them. He leaned back in his chair, snagging the butterbeer from the table next to his half-empty plate. Ginny crooned nonsense to Teddy, while he listened to her with a wide-eyed expression on his face. Teddy's hair slowly changed from Harry's jet-black to the deep, autumnal auburn of Ginny's. Harry blinked at the picture in front of him. It could be Ginny with their child. He ran his hand through his hair. Get a grip on yourself, Potter. You have no idea if she even wants to marry you... And you're both too young to think about that right now...

Ginny looked up and smiled at Harry. 'What?'

'Beautiful,' he blurted. 'You're beautiful...'

'Oh...' Ginny felt a blush creep up her neck, staining her cheeks. She looked back down at Teddy. 'You ought to get your eyes examined,' she scoffed lightly.

Shacklebolt strolled over to their corner of the table. 'So, Harry... Have you given any thought to my offer?'

'Huh?' Harry tore his gaze away from Ginny and Teddy. 'Sorry, did you say something?'

Shacklebolt grinned slightly. 'My offer to you to become an Auror.'

Harry shifted slightly in his chair. 'How is that going to work?' he asked. 'With no N.E.W.T.s or the additional years of training?'

'Correct me if I'm wrong, but you've had something like seven years' on-the-job training, in situations we can't even begin to simulate at the Ministry.'

'That was just luck,' Harry objected. 'Being in the wrong place at the right time.'

'The D.A.?'

'That was just students wanting to pass their exams!' exclaimed Harry.

'But they followed you. You did such a brilliant job, that all the students who took O.W.L.s the next year that were in the D.A. received either an Outstanding or an Exceeds Expectations. As did most of the students that took O.W.L.s your year, too.'

'My Potions work is weak,' argued Harry.

'We can fix that. We'll set up some lessons.'

'Won't the others resent that I've skipped ahead so much?'

'Harry, this isn't special treatment. You've earned it.' Shacklebolt leaned forward. 'There isn't a person in the department that would begrudge you this.'

Harry sighed and weighed his options. Go back to school for his seventh year, or get started with his life. While the idea of going back to school had its appeal, Harry felt uneasy about it. There were too many memories there. And even though he would get to see Ginny every day, he knew the best thing for the two of them was if he learned to stand on his own two feet and not grow dependent on her. He could feel himself beginning to rely on her for his emotional equilibrium. It wasn't healthy, he knew. 'Are you sure it won't be a problem?' he asked again.

'None at all.'

Harry nodded. 'I won't start before September second, though.'

Shacklebolt nodded. 'Understood.'

Andromeda came over to them, and persuaded Ginny to relinquish her hold on Teddy. 'It's time for us to get home,' she said.

'Mrs. Tonks?' Harry asked suddenly. 'You said I could see Teddy any time I wanted...'

'Of course you can.'

'Could I have him on weekends?'

Andromeda shook her head. 'Not just yet,' she said.

'But why?' asked Harry in confusion. 'I won't be alone. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley will be here...'

'I can't... Not yet...' Andromeda settled Teddy into the sling. 'It's not you, Harry. I'm not ready to let someone else have him...' She shrugged apologetically. 'He's all I have...' Andromeda took a steadying breath and looked at the dismayed expression on Harry's face. She glanced down at the baby, sleeping peacefully in the sling. Despite the yawning differences in their situations, Harry knew what it meant to not have family. It was why Remus had chosen him to be Teddy's godfather, in spite of Harry's relatively young age. 'Next Saturday afternoon,' she said softly. 'I'll bring him over after lunch.'

'Thank you...'

Andromeda nodded, picked up Teddy's bag, and walked to the gate.

Andromeda's departure seemed to serve as a signal for the others to leave as well. After Harry had said his goodbyes to the guests, he began to carry dishes back into the kitchen. Molly was already setting a stack of plates to wash. Harry set the plates on the counter. 'Mrs. Weasley... Thank you. For the par--dinner...'

Molly turned and gently embraced him. 'It was my pleasure, dear.' She pulled back a bit and took a small, flat box from her apron pocket. 'Arthur and I wanted to give you this.' She held it out to Harry.

Harry took the box, giving Molly a questioning look, as he opened the box. Inside, nestled on a bed of cotton wool, was a hand for the family's clock. His face smiled hesitantly on the end of the hand. Harry gulped noisily and carefully placed the box on the counter before pulling Molly into a tight embrace. 'Th-thank you, Mrs. Weasley...' he said in a tight voice.

Molly felt the tremor run through Harry's shoulders, and gently patted him on the back. 'Arthur and I have considered you family for ages. We've wanted to do this for years.'

Harry took a step back, patting the counter blindly for a dishtowel. 'I don't know how to thank you, Mrs. Weasley.'

Molly reached up and blotted Harry's wet face with the towel in her hand. 'Harry, dear, don't you think it's time you started calling me Molly?'