Heartsong

Chapter Two: Family Matters

Harry was startled out of a dream that involved a younger version of himself and someone he never saw in waking life by a sharp knocking on his front door. Shaking his head and looking down, he realized that he had made it through the last days of his sixth year at Hogwarts and Dumbledore's funeral before falling asleep. The funeral still made him feel like it had happened just yesterday and he had spent a few moments quietly remembering his mentor. Afterward, he had felt strangely exhausted, so he fell asleep. He had been doing that a lot lately...

"Come in!" Harry called; not bothering to ask who it was first. For one thing, the wards around his house were so advance-not just Ministry tested, but a few he had added himself-so that no one but his family or friends could get in; for another, the fact that his wife was now dead had taken away Harry's entire desire to live.

Almost as if she could hear his dark thoughts, Heartsong shot him a disapproving look that made Harry half-smile; reminded of another loved one he had lost; only this loss had healed, instead of getting worse over time.

"I can't help feeling that way, girl. You should know that better than anyone. You were there when I buried her. You saw how much that dug in, that cut..."

"Gramps?" a voice called, echoing in the vastly empty house, too high to be male, making Harry's ears ring and Heartsong call out an answering cry. "Where are you?!?"

"Back here!" Harry shouted dryly. Girl's got lungs like a foghorn. He recognized the voice as one of his many great-great grandchildren. They were the only people he knew that called him "Gramps". At least, the only people he let get away with it.

It sounded like it was Lily's grandchild, the sports player. Everything from brooms to balls, if it was outdoorsy, she played it. Harry was half worried that he spoiled her, with all the sports gifts he had given; but her mother had told him, on numerous occasions that she had shared every gift he had sent. Except the brooms. Those she had kept every single one. From toy brooms to her brand new Phoenix 500.

It had almost been a month since her last visit and that one hadn't lasted long; she had seemed distracted by something and won't tell him about it. It wasn't until she had set Heartsong on fire when lighting the stove that Harry decided that it was time for her to go home.

As if she had been conjured by that thought, a petite red-head with a Quidditch player's build and enough energy to power a small continent came bounding in. Her outfit was covered by a thick woolen robe that had snowflakes dripping of it. She spotted Harry with her emerald eyes and smiled.

"There you are! What are you doing all the way back here? You have over twenty rooms in this mansion, each of them clean and huge, why pick this dingy little hole?"

Harry face twisted into a wicked grin and quipped, "You didn't know? This is the room where you were conceived, Nymphadora."

"First off, it's Dora, not Nymphadora, Gramps," Dora informed, giving him a poke in the chest. "Secondly, I don't want to hear how Mum and Dad snuck in here for a quick shag and then found out that later that they were pregnant."

"But they had been trying so hard..." Harry started before Dora stopped him with a look. "Fine. Then what brings to my, as you call it, 'dingy little hole'?"

"It's only this room that's dingy, not the whole mansion," Dora parried, taking off her hat and gloves as she sat in the few chairs in the room and looked nervous as it creaked under her weight.

"I know," Harry countered, a smile growing on his face. "You tell me every time you visit."

A bright smile on her face, Dora focused her gaze on her Gramps' face. "Before I tell you why I came here, and that's a bit of big news, I want to know something: How have you been?"

Grimacing, Harry scoffed at the question that was a constant refrain from his family ever since that fateful night a year ago. Ever since he had snapped and yelled at Lily for talking about her favorite dessert. "I'm surviving, like I always do."

Dora shook her head. "That's not what I mean. I know you miss Grams, I do too. If I loved someone the way you did her, I'd be upset that they were gone from my life."

Harry swallowed, hating the way they used 'loved' and 'did' when they talked about the person who healed his heart and saved his soul. "Some days are harder then others. I still expect her to walk in the door and tease me into forgiving her for worrying me... Or pout until I feel bad for being mad in the first place."

Dora reached over and squeezed Harry's hand, not saying a word. Most of his children and grandchildren would have said something, tell him to move on, but how do you move on when the reason for getting up each morning has left you? Dora was the only one who tried to understand and he loved her all the more for it. She was truly a blessing, no matter how she was brought into the world.

Suddenly standing, Dora exhaled sharply before asking, "Are you hungry? I could probably make something for us...?"

"You sit," Harry ordered, smiling at the obvious change in subject. "You didn't come all this way to cook for an old man. I'll have Holly get us something."

"Holly's still here?" Dora smiled, taking her seat again. "No wonder this whole place isn't covered in cobwebs!"

Laughing for the first time in almost a year, until his sides ached from the seer joy that he could still laugh, Harry called out, "Holly!"

With a crack like a whip, the biggest house-elf Dora had ever seen popped into existence. Unlike other house elves, she came to Dora's chin and had hair the same whiteness as Harry's. She bowed low to Harry, then Dora before replying, "What may Holly do for noble Master and young Mistress?"

"I thought I told you to call us by our names, Holly?" Harry smiled as the house-elf's large, sapphire orbs turned his way, sparkling with a type of hero worship he only allowed once before.

"But Master is great Wizard who defeated the Dark One who trapped Father's Master and made him bad!"

"Holly," Dora jumped in before a long standing argument started between Harry and his house-elf, "could you bring us something for lunch? Perhaps some Butterbeer as well?"

"Of course, Miss!" Holly exclaimed before disappearing with a muted crack.

Heartsong chirped a high, happy song as Harry and Dora chatted on what his children were doing. Apparently, it had been awhile since Dora had heard from any of them. Harry was just about to ask why when Holly appeared bearing a tray and a flagon of butterbeer.

"Thank you, Holly." Dora wasn't surprised that Holly had remembered all of her favorite foods, from ham and potatoes to trifles and treacle tart. How the house-elf remembered over twenty favorites and remember what went with who was something Dora had been trying to learn for ages.

Bobbing a quick bow, Holly exited and left Harry to start his lunch with Dora.

"You told me there was some important news?" Harry inquired, polishing off a chicken sandwich and sighing deeply. Holly's cooking was always superb, weather she made hot or cold food. "What may that be?"

"Oh...um..." Dora quickly stuffed her face with a chicken sandwich of her own. "Ca' we 'ait 'til 'unch is 'ver?"

Harry raised a quizzical eyebrow that told his relative that her sand-bagging had not convinced him to deter from his questioning. Or from finding out what was bothering her.

After a few minutes of silence and several jaw movements, she simply said, "Winnie's getting married."

Harry looked at her, a little surprised at her tone. As well as the fact that she looked like she was about to dodge a bullet. "This is wonderful news! Why are you looking so morbid?"

"It's because of who she's marrying, Gramps." Dora's voice dropped a few more notches and an apprehensive look took over her face as she cleared the table with a quick Vanishing Charm. "I'm worried that you won't like it."

Suddenly struck with a sense of foreboding, Harry lowered his own voice. They were now talking as if in the presence of someone very sick. "Who is it?"

"Thomas Draconis Malfoy."

Harry abruptly turned back to his parchment and quill before replying, "Good for her. I'm sorry I won't be able to make it to the wedding."

"Gramps-" Dora started, but was interrupted.

"If that's all...?" Harry dipped his quill into his inkwell and started writing again.

"Gramps!" Dora stood up so suddenly the chair fell over and Heartsong let out a sharp squawk. "He is not his father, his grandfather, or even great grandfather for that matter!"

A crack sounded next to Harry, but he stayed focused on Dora's enraged face. "Winnie loves him, that's good enough for me and should be bloody good enough for you as well! What have you got against that boy, other than the fact that he was born into a lousy family?!?"

Dora's breath was coming in gasps and an inkwell was what had busted when she was finished. Once more, Harry stared at his great-great granddaughter in surprise.

Never, in all his years and there were quite a few of them, had he ever seen Nymphadora lose control like that. He had seen her yell a few times, she had even punched her sister when Selene had stolen Dora's broom that Harry had given her for a birthday present; but never had she caused something to be destroyed magically. It was apparent that his wasn't the only life that was in turmoil.

Heartsong had started a soft, slow song as Harry got up and embraced the only child that reminded him of Ginny even when she shouted. "What is it? What's wrong, my little Nymph?"

Dora let Harry embrace her, the use of her pet name even went as far as to let her return the hug, embracing him so tightly Harry was finding it hard to breathe; yet, he said nothing as she buried her face in his shoulder and took a deep, steadying breath before speaking. Her voice was slightly muffled, but Harry could still hear her as she filled him in what he missed in the year that Ginny had died.

"It feels like my family is ripping itself apart, Gramps. Suddenly and very violently. The real reason I don't know anything about anybody is that my Uncles aren't speaking to Mum while my Aunts are telling her what she's doing wrong in raising us, Selene moved out with the promise that she never come back 'even if we were attacked by Death Eaters' and Tobias is getting more violent. He threw a Firewhiskey bottle at me the last time I tried to visit and called me 'a bloody waste of a good witch' and that hurt the most because we used to get along so well."

Dora took another steadying breath that was half sob and continued before Harry could interrupt, or even blink.

"Then Winnie tells me she's getting married to the man she's loved ever since her first day at Hogwarts! Something good had happen and I was completely ecstatic, even when she told me who she was committing her life to. I came over here to tell you the news, hoping you would be happy for her, even though I knew you didn't like the Malfoy family."

It sounded like the tears had started up again, but Dora kept going. "Thomas is the only apple in that family that didn't spoil, but you were still disgusted that Winnie was in love with him. Why? Is it just because he's a Malfoy? If it is, that's as bad as hating someone because they're Muggleborn!"

Harry flinched, for Nymphadora Hedwig Potter had hit the nail on the head: He had heard the name Malfoy and immediately thought 'rat'. He had never got over his hatred of the Malfoys and had been almost certain he never would. His distaste had grown when he heard that one of his family had fallen in love with a Malfoy and another defended the relationship. He had hoped that the relationship would die off; however, it was obvious that it had progressed rather farther than he ever dreamed.

"Old habits die hard, honey," Harry breathed into Dora's hair, feeling her sobbing slowing down while Heartsong was still singing on her perch behind them. "As well as old grudges. I've hated the Malfoys ever since I met Draco and that was even before Hogwarts. He was arrogant, rude and a selfish prig. For the longest time he reminded me of a magical version of my cousin. Meeting his father didn't help matters and I gave up on the Malfoy family."

Dora sighed against his shoulder and Harry was surprised that she was almost as tall as him now. "Thomas isn't that bad, Gramps, or Winnie wouldn't love him like she does. She's bloody marrying him, for Merlin's sake."

Harry placed his head on top of Dora's and sighed as well. "I know, sweetie. I guess I haven't really given him a chance. I'm human and I'm not perfect, despite what papers are still writing about me. I'm sorry for being an ass, my little Nymph, and I will try to find a time when I can tell Winifred that, as well see if I'm still invited to the wedding."

Pulling away, Dora sniffed a few times before giving a dry chuckle. "Thanks, Gramps. I'm sure she'll still let you come, you're family after all, and that has to count for something. I didn't mean to unload on you-"

"That was perfectly alright. I haven't been yelled at in a long while, by my family member to top it off! It was almost refreshing."

"-and I'll tell Winnie to expect a visit," Dora finished, giving him a look that told him his joke wasn't even close to funny. "I love you, Gramps and I hope everything goes well with Winnie. Thank you again for listening."

Harry smiled. "It was a pleasure to see you again and I have no problem listening to your troubles. I hope your next visit has more happy news... as well as not taking so long to happen."

Pulling on her gloves, Dora had one last thing to say. "I want you to promise me something, nothing really big, but something nonetheless: Don't tell Mum what I told you, O.K?"

Harry tried to catch Dora's eye, but her gloves seemed to be giving her more trouble than one would think; she couldn't, or wouldn't, take her eyes off them.

"Alright, but why? Can I know that?" Harry was curious as to why Dora would tell him something, but not her mother. They shared everything with each other and rarely hid things, unless it was a surprise.

"It would just worry her and she has enough on her plate to worry about more than problems that I should take care of myself and people that aren't even living under the same roof as her anymore. Please promise."

"I promise. Do you want me to make an Unbreakable Vow? It might take a little while longer than usual 'cause I'll need to find a Bonder... Maybe Holly can do it?"

Dora shook her head and laughed. "Your word's good enough, Gramps, it always has been. You never have given me a reason to believe otherwise. I got to go now."

Harry gave Dora another hug and watched her leave before returning to his desk. Gazing at the picture of his best friends and wife, Harry Potter sat in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't until Heartsong let out a inquisitive chirp that reminded Harry to move. He picked up a quill and wrote three letters, one a bit longer than the other two, talking to the phoenix the entire time.

"I've been selfish, Heartsong. I thought that my pain was the only thing I should be focused on, that I should care only about the one I lost. Look what happened: My family is destroying itself, almost as bad as if Voldemort were back. The ones I still have are suffering almost as bad as I am and I'm doing nothing but watching it happen. This can't happen, I won't let it happen. I'm going to try to fix it, Heartsong, but it's not up to just me. I'm going to try to get them to start binding together. This is family, we should stand by each other, not shove each other down."

Holly had come to the room and cleaned up the spilt ink as Harry started on the third paragraph of the last letter and cleared her throat with a soft squeaking sound.

"Yes, Holly?" One more sentence and he would find out how messed up things had gotten.

"Will you be needing anything else, Master?" The house-elf stroked Heartsong as she fed the phoenix a few firestones.

"Not right now, Holly. Thank you for lunch... and everything else." Holly had always done more than her fair share and never once complained, even when Harry told her she had every right his children had.

"It is always a pleasure, Master." With another low bow, Holly disappeared as Heartsong finished her food and settled back on her perch.

Sending the letters off with the phoenix after a few quill strokes, Harry went back to his story and wished there was a spell for erasing heartache.

Dora's and his own.