A Long, Strange Trip

III.

Cho took a deep breath, inhaling the fresh air as she strolled down the path that led away from the Malfoy Mansion toward the town. She held Damien's hand, and even though he disliked these overt gestures of maternal affection, there were some things he wasn't allowed to object to; one of these was her absolute right as his mother to hold his hand. His head was held high, as always, and he almost resembled a soldier in uniform as he strutted along in his miniature Slytherin Quidditch robes.

"What are we going to do?" Damien asked, once they were outside the entrance gates and had turned onto the main road.

"What do you want to do?"

"Can we stop in and look at the new Quidditch store?"

Somehow Cho had expected this; ever since the new, remodeled and updated version of Diagon Alley's Quidditch shop had been built in town Damien took every opportunity to get either Draco or Cho to take him there, and usually wound up with the latest new accessory. He looked forward to it the way most other children his age looked forward to toy stores and ice cream parlors.

Cho sighed inaudibly, but couldn't resist the excited look in her son's eyes as he turned his face up to her. "Sure, all right," she said.

They continued walking, and her mind drifted. Soon they would pass the bend that led to Harry and Luna's house, comfortably sequestered just beyond a grove of trees. She'd seen the house from the outside but had never been inside its walls; it intrigued her, wondering how Harry and Luna had set up their lives. She imagined it was more homey and lived-in than the Malfoy mansion, perhaps with pictures drawn by Phoebe posted on the walls in place of framed paintings. There would be soft, cushioned chairs, walls done in bright cheerful tones and lots of light flooding through the windows.

You can probably touch things, she thought. Not just look at them, or admire them like museum pieces. Luna had always struck Cho as a very hands-on person. Clearly she loved nature and was very attuned to the way things worked. No 18^th century antiques for her. Sure she was a bit 'off', but it had been good enough for Harry. Heat rose in Cho's cheeks as she recalled the Lovegood-Potter wedding, with the two of them standing at the altar, oblivous to everyone but themselves as they stared unblinking into each other's eyes while the minister proclaimed them husband and wife. Luna had worn a crown of flowers draped with ribbon in her hair in place of a veil, with a flowing, airy white dress that made her look like a fairy (which Cho was certain was not a coincidence). Harry had looked so handsome in his tailored gray suit. As handsome as she'd imagined he would be at his wedding...

"Mommy, you're hurting my hand!"

Without realizing it, Cho's grip had tightened around Damien's hand. "Oh, I'm sorry," she murmured, loosening her fingers. She gave her son a reassuring smile, and they continued to walk.

Harry was almost breathless when he spotted the unmistakable glint of Luna's blond hair near the end of the main street that led out of town. Luna was holding Phoebe by the hand, while the little girl skipped merrily alongside her holding some flowers. For an instant Harry paused to look at them. This was his life, this was his future. For once he felt completely certain he'd made the right choice. Everything had been so chaotic in the months leading up to and immediately following the war; it was such a relief to know that all that lay ahead was a comfortable, ordinary life with his wife and children.

"Luna!"

She turned at the sound of his voice - perhaps even a split second before, but Luna always had a way of sensing Harry's presence even before he announced himself. She smiled as he approached.

"Why didn't you tell me," Harry asked, still breathing heavily, "about the twins?"

"So you ran into Hermione and Ginny. Did you hear the good news about Hermione, I expect Ron will be surprised."

Surprised wasn't the word that came to Harry's mind. Flabbergasted. Astonished, maybe.

"Yes, I'm sure he will be. But about you--are we really having two?" His eyes drifted to her stomach, still flat beneath her dress, then back up to her face.

Luna nodded serenely. "Are you happy?" she asked.

Honestly, as Harry looked into her eyes, he'd never been happier. "Of course. I - I'm just..."

"It's going to be boys, both of them," Luna went on casually, her eyes drifting to Phoebe, who had strayed over to the window of the nearby pet shop and was marvelling at some of the owls on display.

"Boys?"

"Phoebe, come back, we're going home now," Luna called. She slipped her hand into Harry's and they began to walk. Phoebe came up alongside them and reached for Harry's other hand.

"Daddy, we got flowers!" she announced, holding up the bouquet.

"Yes, I see. They're lovely..." Boys. Until that moment Harry never realized how much he wanted a son. He imagined this must have been close to what his own father felt when he and his mother found out about him - or perhaps they hadn't found out until the birth...His heart ached.

"Eew!"

Phoebe's exclamation drew Harry out of his emotional reverie, and before he could even ask what it was that his daughter found offensive, he saw the approaching figures of Cho Chang and Damien Malfoy.

"Ssh," Luna quieted her.

Silently, Harry agreed with his daughter. Damien Malfoy was the miniature version of Draco, minus the blond hair and silver eyes. The thought of Damien attending Hogwarts with Phoebe in five years made Harry's blood boil.

"Good morning," Luna said as Cho and Damien drew nearer and finally stopped only a few feet away.

Damien scowled at Phoebe, who stuck out her tongue in return. Damien made a move as if to grab her, but Cho was one step ahead; she pulled his arm firmly back to his side, and admonished him with a stern look.

"Good morning," Cho answered a moment later, as if nothing had happened. Her eyes drifted over Harry, and he felt the same cold icy sensation that came with the attention of any Malfoy.

"Why are you wearing that?" Phoebe released Harry's hand and pointed at Damien's uniform.

"I had Quidditch practice today," Damien retorted proudly.

Phoebe glanced up at Harry. "Can I be a Quidditch player for Halloween?" she asked.

"It's not a costume!" Damien said hotly. But Phoebe ignored him, her attention focused on her father.

"Of course you can," Luna said with a smile, as Harry fought back the urge to laugh out loud.

"But I want one in pink. Pink and silver."

"Pink! You can't have a pink Quidditch uniform," Damien looked smug.

"I can have a pink one if I want! It's my favorite color."

"No, it's stupid!"

"You're stupid, Dumb Damien!"

"Nutty Phoebe!"

Harry and Cho restrained their respective children, both of whom had made lunges at each other almost simultaneously.

"Stop it, now!" Cho said firmly to Damien.

"Pink sounds very pretty," Luna said, completely overlooking the altercation.

"And, I'm going to play Quidditch, too," Phoebe announced. "I'll be a Seeker, just like my daddy."

Harry felt a flush of pride, imagining his daughter making a sweeping dive for the Golden Snitch. She'd never expressed more than a passing interest in the game before. On occasion he'd been able to persuade her to go to a match with him, but she'd usually been more interested in the bright colors and the boisterous Quidditch fans in the stands.

"You can be anything you want,"Luna said encouragingly to Phoebe. Her hand drifted across her stomach.

"My father is training me to be Seeker," Damien said. "He's a much better Seeker than your father."

"Damien," Cho warned, squeezing her son's hand.

"Not true! My daddy was the best Seeker at Hogwarts, weren't you?" Phoebe turned her eyes up to Harry seeking his confirmation.

Harry choked back the desire to agree and instead settled on the more neutral response. "We were both good," he offered. But even he didn't believe himself, and from the look that crossed Cho's face she didn't believe him, either.

"You can teach me Quidditch?" Phoebe asked.

Harry was virtually bursting now. "Yes, if you want," he said. In his mind, he was already planning lessons.

Phoebe beamed. "You can teach the babies, too," she added.

"Yes, of course. But we'll have to wait until they're big enough."

"Babies?" Cho blurted rather suddenly. Her eyes shot over to Luna.

"We're getting two babies!"

"Boys," Luna said.

"They're going to be my brothers. I'm a big sister."

"Well that's...I'm so happy for you. Congratulations." Cho smiled. "We should be going. Damien wants to look in the Quidditch store. Nice to see you."

With that, Cho whisked Damien away down the road. But not before he stopped long enough to stick out his tongue at Phoebe. She promptly put her thumbs in her ears and wiggled her fingers at him.

"So, what's the result?"

"Will you calm down? This isn't a charm or a spell, it's a Muggle pregnancy test." Hermione's hand trembled ever-so-slightly as she lifted the white plastic stick from the side of the sink.

"What does it say?!" Ginny hovered over her shoulder.

"Can I have a little air, please?" Hermione gave Ginny a slight nudge with her elbow. Then she looked at the stick in her hand. Two blue lines.

Before Hermione could process this, Ginny let out a delighted squeal. "I knew it! I knew it! Luna was right! Oh Hermione, this is so exciting!"

"Yes, it is." Hermione continued to stare at the two thin blue lines. A smile fought its way onto her lips, yet at the same time she felt a rising heat within her. There was one thing she hadn't considered in all this. How was she going to break the news to Ron? He was only just getting used to being married, and after the amount of work she'd done with him to get him to propose, she couldn't imagine what to do about this.

Of course, they had talked about having a family; Hermione had made a point of covering all the important issues with Ron before they got married, to make sure they were on the same page. Yes, they wanted children--how many was still up for debate--and both had agreed that it would be best to wait until after they had been married for awhile and had their own house. That way, in Hermione's reasoning, things would be secure both emotionally and financially and the atmosphere would be just right for having a family.

She cast a glance around the pocket-sized bathroom that was barely big enough for the sink, toilet and stand-up shower. A baby would need baths; that required a bathtub. A house, with a bathtub. Where were they going to get the money for a house, they'd only been saving for a year, they hardly had enough for a down payment. Suddenly any self-confidence she had about having a baby went out the window.

"What's the matter?" Ginny asked. "You've been quiet. Is something wrong?"

Hermione got to her feet and dropped the plastic stick into the wastebasket, along with the packaging. "No, of course not," she said. She moved past Ginny into the living room.

"Ginny?"

"What?"
"Will you do me a big favor?"

"Hermione, I'll do anything for you, especially now that you're going to the trouble of carrying Ron's baby." Ginny giggled.

Hermione looked at Ginny with a straight face. "Tell Ron for me."

"Tell Ron what? You mean, about - Hermione, what are you talking about?"

"I just think he might take it better, you know, coming from you."

"You must be dense. You're the only person qualified to tell Ron this news. He'll be over the moon about it."

"Over the moon, as in he'll go stark-raving mad."

"Hermione, what the --?'

Hermione stood up and began to pace. "We didn't plan for this. We're not ready. We don't have any money, we live in a tiny one-bedroom flat, I just started a new job..."

"Well, too bad."

"What?" Hermione rounded on Ginny, eyes blazing.

But Ginny was unfazed. "You can't just plan ahead for everything, you know. You're having a baby, whether you're ready or not," she said simply. "No amount of argument is going to change that. It's not like the baby's going to say 'oh well, they're not ready for me, I'll just go away and come back in two years, or five years.' Come on! Besides, I can't think of a better place to bring a baby home, or two better people to bring one into the world. You're going to make a brilliant mother, Hermione. And Ron, well - I know he'll be a very enthusiastic dad."

Even as tears stung her eyes, Hermione felt a rush of reassurance. "Thanks, Ginny."

"Now, what do you say we do a little baby shopping?" Ginny smiled, and took Hermione's hand. "We were supposed to go shopping today anyway, right?"