#gywm

[taliesin-19]

Random Fact of the Week - Molly and Abby Edition

Abby looked left and right, eyeing both entrances to the kitchen of the Burrow before snatching a biscuit off the plate on the table.

Molly had taken them out of the oven not ten minutes ago and they were warm, and gooey, and absolutely delicious--

"What are you doing?"

Abby stuffed the rest of the biscuit in her mouth and turned around, spotting Harry in the doorway.

"Nothing," she said, gulping down a rather large bite.

Harry gave her a frown and walked in, eyeing the plate of biscuits. "You ate one, didn't you."

At that moment, Molly walked in, smiling at them both before taking in their expressions.

"Is something the matter?" she said.

Harry sighed heavily as if carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. "The Healer said Abby should stay away from dairy. She's been breaking out into hives and getting nauseous. But the first moment I leave her alone, she's got her hand in the biscuit jar--literally."

Abby clicked her tongue. "Oh, come off it, Harry. It was only one!"

"One was clearly enough to do the trick yesterday," he said, before looking at Molly. "She was up at the crack of dawn vomiting for hours."

"It could have just been the regular morning sickness," she said, crossing her arms.

"That's not what the Healer said--"

"Oh, enough with the Healer already!" Abby said, throwing her hands up. "The Healer this, the Healer that. Why don't you go and marry him!"

"Maybe I should!" Harry said. "I'm sure he'd be more reasonable about his own health!"

At this point, Molly decided to step in. "All right then," she said, rubbing soothing circles on Abby's back. "Why don't we all just take a breather. Abby, let's go out in the garden for a bit. It's beautiful out."

"Fine," she mumbled, giving Harry a small glare that she knew was immature.

Once outside, she exhaled loudly and sat down on the swing next to Molly, staring out at the flower beds in silence.

"I know I'm being a brat," Abby said. "I know he does it because he cares, you don't have to tell me. It's just annoying sometimes."

Molly chuckled softly. "I wasn't going to tell you anything of the sort, dear. I just figured you both needed some space."

Abby looked at her and gave her a grateful smile. "I'm so happy about this baby. And obviously I love him. But sometimes, he's just so..."

"Harry?" Molly finished for her.

"Yeah, that," Abby said, amused. "It's like all the bits of his personality that usually are only slightly irritating have become extremely irritating now that I'm pregnant. Please don't tell me this is going to be the rest of our lives."

Abby dropped her head into her hands. She felt the woman's hand on her back, warm and steady. The simple presence of it brought a comfort to her that she didn't know she'd been craving. The touch of woman, older and wiser. The touch of a mother.

For the longest time, she'd thought she'd gotten most of her grieving out of the way. But now that she was pregnant, now that she was going to be a mother herself...she felt new parts of that grief come rushing forth.

Maybe it wasn't just Harry being overly protective that was affecting her mood lately.

She wanted her mum. It was as simple as that.

"This won't be the rest of your lives," Molly said gently. "Harry's always been protective. But after everything he's been through, I imagine it's only gotten more extreme. And it's not that he doesn't trust you--no. He's just so afraid, he feels like even the smallest bit of control might keep his head above water."

Abby nodded in understanding. "I'm scared, too,' she admitted.

"Of course you are, my dear," Molly said, brushing a hand down her hair. "It's the scariest and loveliest thing, having a child. Just as all the best parts of life are. But I'll tell you what I told Harry before he became a father for the first time..."

"What's that?" Abby said, lifting her head up.

"You've got a whole army of people around you, ready and willing and so happy to help," she said. "You will never be alone."

Shutting her eyes, Abby felt a tear slip down her face. Without another word, Molly leaned in and hugged her close.

And Abby realized in the back of her mind that both women were grieving different losses.

But like pieces of a puzzle, they connected ever so perfectly to fill the space.

[taliesin-19]

Random Fact of the Week ('Mum' edition)

The first of the children to call Abby "Mum" had predictably been Lily. It happened rather anti-climactically one random night.

She'd been snuggled up on the couch between Harry and Abby while Al stood in front of them reading his made-up story about aliens aloud to the family.

"Love you, Dad," Lily said sleepily, resting her feet on his lap and laying her head against Abby's arm. "Love you, Mum."

Al stumbled over his sentence and paused for a moment, looking around at everyone in the room. James was too busy with his head in a bag of crisps to notice anything, but Harry and Abby glanced at each other.

"I love you, too, baby girl," Abby said, giving her a wink and squeezing her closer.

Harry gave them both a soft smile, knowing full well that Abby's heart was currently soaring.

"Love you, too, flower," Harry said, relaxing more into the couch, unable to keep the smile off his face. "Go on, Al. What happens next?"

***

A few weeks later, Al pulled Harry aside after dinner, a serious look on his face.

"Dad, I wanna discuss something."

Harry's eyebrows shot up, but he nodded and brought him into his study, closing the door behind them.

At nine years old, Al already had a flair for the dramatic. He sat down across from Harry and folded his hands atop the desk, looking troubled about something.

"Everything all right?" Harry asked, wondering what this could possibly be about.

"Lily calls Abby, 'Mum', now," he began, looking somehow much older and much younger than his actual age at the same time.

Harry nodded, waiting for him to continue. Al often needed a few seconds to consider his words.

"Abby is...a bit like our mum now," the boy said, not looking into Harry's eyes. "And Mum is our mum too, even though she's dead."

Al was certainly never one to sugar coat things, either.

"So...I guess what I'm trying to say is..." Al said, still not looking up. "Can you call two people 'Mum'? Well, I mean...of course you can, but...does one mum cancel out the other mum? Is there a first mum and a second mum? Can they both be first? Even if one's dead?"

Harry felt his heart warm as he listened to the boy stumble over his words.

"There's no rules when it comes to it, Al," Harry said, calmly. "You could call a hundred people your mum, no one can stop you."

"Well, that would be a bit silly."

"Maybe," Harry said. "But if you want to call Abby 'Mum', that's your choice. It doesn't cancel out anything. It doesn't erase Mum or make her second. It's just a title. It's just someone who loves you and takes care of you and is responsible for you. And I have a feeling Mum would love to have someone here to take up that title while she's on the other side, doing Mum things there."

"What Mum things can you do while you're dead?" Al said, eyes lit up with curiosity.

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure," he said. "But I like to think both our mums are looking out for us. Checking in, making sure we're happy, protecting us whenever they have the chance."

With a frown, Al considered this. "Isn't that what living mums do?"

"Well, it's a big job being a parent," Harry said. "We could use all the help we can get."

Al nodded in agreement. "So...Mum can be my dead mum. And Abby could be my living mum?"

"I don't see why not," Harry said.

The boy smiled, seeming satisfied with this answer as he rested back against the chair.

As if by fate (or perhaps the divine intervention of dead mothers), Abby knocked on the door at that exact moment.

"Hiya," she said, poking her head through the doorway. "Lily's been hard at work making lemonade. Would anyone like to try some?"

Al stood up and walked over to her. "Sure, Mum," he said, before walking past her and out the door.

The look on Abby's face made Harry break out into a smile.

"Did that really just happen?" she said, slightly dazed.

"It really just did," he said.

She pumped her fist into the air and raced around the desk to give him a hug.

xxx

James was the last by a long shot. In fact, he'd never managed to adopt the title fully, choosing instead to call Abby by her first name most days simply to be cheeky. He'd even toss in a 'Harry' now and then for fairness.

Harry figured he'd adopted the habit from Teddy who'd been calling Andromeda by her first name since he'd hit adolescence even after multiple scoldings from both her and Harry.

Despite that, however, when it mattered most, when it counted most, Abby was 'Mum'.

The first time had been more casual, similar to Lily. But no less impactful.

It was the summer after his first year at Hogwarts. A few friends from school had come round for the first time.

"This is my dorky brother Albus and my annoying sister Lily," Harry could hear James say by way of introduction. "And their equally lame counterparts, Rose and Hugo."

Harry put down his newspaper and looked up at Abby who was sat across from him at the kitchen table.

"James!" he called out. "A word, please."

"Don't be too harsh," Abby warned him quietly. "Not in front of his friends."

He pursed his lips, but nodded, knowing she was right.

The older his kids got, the more he started to understand what Dumbledore meant by the old forgetting what it was like to be young. Abby was always much better about that than him, and it was something James seemed to appreciate.

"What's up, Dad?" James said, swinging into the kitchen and leaning against the doorway with a pleasant smile on his face.

Before Harry could tell him what was "up", the other two boys appeared next to James, looking around curiously.

"Oh, hey guys," James said, turning to them. "This is my dad and mum. Dad, Mum, these are my friends I told you about, Leo and Oscar."

Harry refrained from groaning aloud. At that moment, he knew he'd lost Abby.

"Hello! Yes, James' parents, nice to meet you," Abby said with a wave, a look of pure pride in her eyes. "We won't bore you, though. There's snacks in the cupboard. We'll be around if you need us!"

She stood up and practically yanked Harry's arm as she dragged him out of the kitchen.

"What was that for?" Harry said, once they were out of earshot.

Abby squeezed his hands and grinned widely. "Well, as James' mum, I demand we be the coolest parents any twelve year old has ever met. Which means we feed them and we stay out of their business."

"Please don't let this get to your head."

"It already has!" she said, delighted. "Do you know how long I've been waiting for him to say it?"

"Yes."

"Too long," she said, anyway. "So I'm going to bask in it and you're going to refrain from disciplining him just this once. Just for now. Pretty pretty please."

He placed his hands on her cheeks and looked her in the eyes. "You're annoyingly endearing about all this."

"Aren't I about everything?"

Harry smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Very much so."

He wrapped his arms around her and she leaned into his embrace, exhaling softly.

"Would you ever have imagined," she said into his chest, "all this. The first time I met them. James with his little scowl. And you with yours."

With a chuckle, he brought her head up to look at her. "No, I didn't," he said, feeling a bit emotional all of a sudden. "I never even dared."

[taliesin-19]

Random Fact of the Week #76(? Totally just made that number up)

Harry had always had very different relationships with each of the Weasley men.

Ron, obviously, was the closest to him. A best friend and brother. But somehow so much more than even that. No one else in the world grounded him the way Ron did. Even in the darkest, most tumultuous of times.

George was next after that. The big, teasing, proud older brother he never had. Conversations with George were usually only filled with laughs and good cheer, occasionally littered with bouts of angry, protective passion. Harry treasured them always.

Next came Bill. The once intimidating presence of elegant class and coolness. Ginny's self-proclaimed favourite brother (not that Harry dared ever share that aloud to the others). Though he'd never directly given Harry any kind of talking to when he'd first started dating Ginny, there was always a subtle daring glance exchanged between them. As if to say 'just try me...'

As the years went on, however, and even after Ginny's death, Harry had formed an unexpected bond with the man. They'd started seeing more of each other because of various playdates with Teddy and Victoire, discussions about work and fatherhood, and even about Ginny. One of the things he'd always appreciated about Bill was his willingness to bring up Ginny and Fred in every casual conversation even when others might have preferred to avoid them. It was understandable, of course...the urge to avoid. But Merlin how Harry loved to share memories of her with everyone. It made it all so much more bearable. As if she could still be present among them all.

Bill understood that like no one else.

Charlie was...well...mostly not present. Harry liked the man well enough. But Ginny's death had changed him and not at all for the better. Molly had shared with Harry once that Charlie felt immense guilt for being away from the family for so many years: during the war, after Fred, and then Ginny. He'd turned to drinking as a way to cope with it all, and Harry couldn't blame him for it. He only wondered why he seemed so determined to continue to distance himself from the family. It angered Harry at times to think Molly had to feel the pain of losing two children to death and then one to life. He'd stop by here and there, but it wasn't enough.

It would never be enough.

And finally...Percy. While everyone had forgiven him without question after the war, it didn't change the fact that Percy was still as pompous a git as ever. His long talks of work at the dinner table and constant offers to bring Harry to certain events in order to rub elbows with other stuffy ministry employees was enough to do Harry's head in. If it weren't for the fact that Percy had humbled himself over the years when it came to his parents, Harry was certain his brothers wouldn't be nearly as patient with his attitude as they were.

And so, it was to this collection of varying personalities that Harry cleared his throat to make an announcement.

All the Weasley brothers were sat around the table at the pub (a very rare occurrence), and Harry figured it would be the perfect opportunity.

Ron and Hermione already knew, of course. As did Molly and Arthur.

But that left....everyone else.

"Er...since you're all here," Harry said, playing with the rim of his bottle. "I just wanted to share some rather big news with you."

He felt nervous despite himself.

While he loved all the Weasleys and vice versa, they were still rather intimidating to talk to as a group. He was just waiting for someone to cut him off and call him a tosser or crack a joke at his expense.

But they seemed to sense his nerves and mercifully stayed silent.

"I'm...getting a new owl," he said, gauging their expressions. "I just sort of think it's time. It's been years since Hedwig and--"

"What the fuck, Potter," Charlie said, staring at him as if he had two heads. "Are you serious right now? That's your announcement?"

Harry sighed and looked down for a moment before shaking his head. "No...no it's really not."

Noise erupted from the table at once, multiple balls of napkins bring thrown his way and George's arm pulling Harry into a headlock.

Harry laughed and put his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay, sorry, sorry," he said. "The truth is..."

He waited a few seconds for dramatic effect, causing everyone to let out noises of frustration.

"Abby and I are engaged," he said, finally.

His words were met with silence at first before George shot up in his seat. "WOOHOO, MOTHERFUCKERS!" he said, lifting his drink up in the air and causing the liquid to slosh around and spill around them. "That's my boy right there!"

He pointed to Harry, glass still in hand, spilling even more of his drink. "THAT'S MY BOY!" he yelled to the patrons around them.

Harry was only grateful they were in the Hog's Head and none of the patrons were conscious enough to understand or care.

Percy tutted and forced George back into his seat while Ron simply beamed at the display.

"Congratulations, Harry," Percy said, sticking out his hand. "You and Abby should come round for dinner to celebrate sometime. Audrey has a good friend who does wedding planning--"

Percy was thankfully cut off by Bill leaning past him and slapping Harry's shoulder hard in congratulations. "So happy for you, mate. Truly," he said, giving him a genuine smile. "Any woman that can make you as happy as Ginny did is a goddamn good woman. And I just know my baby sister is breathing a sigh of relief right now."

Swallowing hard, Harry nodded. He could never properly convey how much it meant to hear those words, but Bill seemed to understand.

Bill understood like no one else.

"Fuck..." came a voice at the end of the table.

They all looked over to see Charlie take a final swig of his drink before standing up. "Congrats, Harry," he said, not making eye-contact. "I just, erm...I gotta go."

And with that, he turned and left.

They all watched him for a moment, varying expressions of emotion on their faces.

"He's just..." Bill said, turning to Harry.

"I know," Harry said. "It's okay, I'm not upset or anything."

Ron gave him a small frown. "Don't let him ruin your day, mate."

"He's not mad at you, he's mad at himself," Bill added.

"As he should be," George said, causing Bill to throw him a look.

With a shrug, George took another pull of his drink. "He shows his face once every year and expects us all to bow at his feet in gratitude? He can go fuck himself. Harry just shared the best bloody news we've had in years, I'm not about to let Dragon Wanker ruin it."

Percy rolled his eyes at this. "Let's maintain a level of maturity, please."

"Ay, you can go fuck yourself too, Perce," George said off-handedly.

It was a sign of just how immune they all were to George's crassness, that nobody batted an eye.

"He'll come around," Ron said, patting Harry on the back. "You know how messed up he is about...well, everything. He loves you, mate. He's just got a shit way of showing it. To everyone."

Harry nodded, not knowing what to feel at the moment. Excited, disappointed, numb, happy.

While it would have been nice to get positive responses from everyone, Harry supposed George's reaction more than made up for it. They all did.

Sometimes he still couldn't believe how lucky he was to have all his family behind him, supporting him and wanting the best for him always.

Ron and Hermione, the Weasleys, Andromeda and Teddy, and most importantly...his children.

Harry smiled at the thought, feeling his heart grow lighter.

He was going to marry Abby. And his entire family was going to be there cheering him on.

He couldn't think of a better way to start this new chapter of his life.

[taliesin-19]

A very tiny sneak peek of chapter 31 (finally):

Though she wanted to avoid Harry’s eyes, she forced herself to look at him, unsurprised to see his features drawn into a deep frown. 

“So, what do I do?” he said, his jaw set hard. “You want me to change something? I’ll change. I know I wasn’t always honest with you from the start, but I laid it all out for you before we got together, and you said that we should try, so I’m trying. Now, tell me what to do.”

“I don’t–”

“Tell me what to do,” he repeated.

“I can’t–”

“Why can’t you?”

"Harry."

His nostrils flared as he looked away from her, breathing out heavily. 

"I don't know," Abby said. "I'm just talking out loud here."

[taliesin-19]

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11111990/30/Grow-Young-with-Me

[taliesin-19]

Random Fact of the Week #71

Harry wasn't sure how the kids would react the first time they'd told them.

James would likely be excited. Al bordering on indifference. But Lily was a toss-up.

Her ninth birthday was just around the corner--a fact that still shocked Harry to his core. And she was just as much of a daddy's girl now as she'd been the day she was born.

"She took that a bit...too well, no?" Harry told Abby that night, having finally shared the news of a baby to the kids.

Abby raised an eyebrow at him. "You've been stressed all week wondering if she'd be upset," she said, slowly. "And now you're stressed that she wasn't upset?"

Harry sighed as he settled back against his pillow. "I'm not stressed, I'm just..." he said, trying to find the words. "I mean--you'd think she'd care a little bit, wouldn't you?"

At this Abby put a hand over her mouth, clearly covering a smile.

"What?" Harry said. Then when she didn't respond, he tried again. "What?"

"You're upset that she wasn't upset!"

"What?" Harry said, looking at her as if she were mad. "Why would I want my daughter to be upset?"

"Well, not a terrible amount," Abby said. "But maybe just a teeny tiny bit."

She held her fingers close together in front of his face, but Harry pushed her hand aside and huffed loudly.

"Not true," he mumbled.

"She'll always be her daddy's girl, don't you worry, Harry."

"Leave me alone."

Abby giggled into his shoulder.

"Well, whatever. Let's just wait and see what happens if this baby is girl," he said.

Nothing happened.

Not then. Not when the gifts came pouring in. Not when the room was being set up. At no point throughout the entire pregnancy did Lily show any signs of jealousy or resentment--something that Harry was genuinely relieved about.

There was always that tiny niggling voice in his head asking why. But Harry ignored it. It was silly. He was being silly.

"Lily, do you want to say hi to your baby sister?"

Harry and Abby glanced at each other over her head, both of them waiting on baited breaths.

The girl ambled in, pressing against Harry's side as she looked at the baby in Abby's arms.

"She's so little," Lily said, holding Harry's hand in hers a bit tightly. "Can I hold her?"

"Sure, but we've got to be very, very careful, okay?" Harry said. "How about we hold her together."

Lily nodded, finally letting go of Harry's hand as he picked up the baby carefully and sat down.

"Can I hold her now?" Lily said, sitting down beside him.

Harry smiled before gently placing Lizzie in her big sister's arms, one hand still under the baby's head.

"Look at you three," Abby said with a tired smile. "Daddy and his little girls."

Lily glanced around, almost shyly.

It was uncharacteristic of her, and Harry and Abby made eye contact again before he leaned in close to Lily.

"My big little girl," Harry said, placing a kiss on her head. "And my small little girl."

"Small and little are the same thing," Lily said as if he were thick. "And how can I be big and little. You don't make any sense sometimes, Daddy."

Harry sighed, glad at least that the odd bout of shyness was gone.

"Give her here, Harry, and go call the boys in. I can practically hear James pacing from here," Abby said, holding out her arms. "Lily, come sit beside me, love."

Harry did as he was told, unable to keep the stupid smile off his face, feeling an unbelievable lightness in his chest that he hadn't felt since the last time he'd been in a room like this, holding his new baby in his arms.

[taliesin-19]

Random Fact of the Week #68

Against all odds and expectations, James was the one to give Harry the least amount of grey hairs as a teenager.

Perhaps it was Karma. Fate's way of making it up to Harry after dealing with the boy as a child--the endless behavior issues, the stressful calls down to the school, the ugly fights with his siblings.

Fate--and James--owed Harry an easy adolescence.

And it was. Truly, it was.

Until James started dating.

After the massive fall-out that came with Harry's rather unfortunate opinion towards his latest girlfriend Gemma, James refused to speak to him for a week.

"All I'm saying is that she might care more for your name than she cares for you!"

Harry shook his head, trying to forget for the umpteenth time the words that had plagued him since last Tuesday. The words that had caused a look of hurt on James' face that Harry never dreamed he'd be the cause of.

"It'll be fine," Abby said, breaking him out of his thoughts.

She walked towards him where he was sitting on the bed, and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Let's go downstairs, she'll be here soon," she said.

Harry sighed loudly and rubbed his face. "Why am I nervous?" he said. "She's a fifteen year old girl."

Abby grinned and stroked the hair at the back of his head. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm sure she's nervous too."

He laughed and shook his head. "God, I'm being ridiculous."

"You’re not," Abby said, sitting down next to him and resting her chin on his shoulder. "You want this night to go perfectly, so you and James can go back to normal. I get it, Harry. But it'll be fine, trust me. James is just glad you're giving her a proper chance."

Harry sighed again and nodded. "Okay, let's get this over with," he said standing up.

"Is that the attitude we're looking for?" Abby said raising her eyebrows at him as if he were a child.

"Let's get this over with!" he said sarcastically, pumping his fist in the air.

Abby snorted. "You're such a shit," she said, pushing him forward through the doorway where he pretended to stumble over, nearly running into James.

"Oi!" the boy said, sidestepping him.

Harry straightened up at once and cleared his throat. "Sorry."

James gave them both an annoyed look as he walked by. "Gemma will be here soon. Keep the cringe to a minimum please."

"Keep the cringe to a minimum please," Abby said in a whiny voice. "Is he getting more snotty or is it just me?"

"I heard that," James called from the stairs.

*****

The arrival of Gemma Jenkins was met with various reactions.

James stood up at once, leading her out of the grate and helping her brush the soot off her shoulders.

Abby smiled adoringly at the boy's back, while Harry stood tall, attempting to appear kind but imposing.

"Hi, Gemma!" Abby said apparently unable to wait any longer for introductions.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Potter," the girl said, her cheeks turning a bit pink as she met their eyes. "Thank you so much for having me over."

"Thank you for coming," Harry said, stepping forward and offering his hand.

Gemma's eyes went a bit wide as she accepted his handshake before shaking Abby's hand as well.

"It's so nice to meet you both," Gemma said. "Mr. Potter, I--I've heard so much about you."

Harry could feel James' eyes on him, and he forced a pleasant smile on his face. "Have you?" he said, already not liking where this was going.

"Oh, yes. James talks about you a lot. You're like his hero," Gemma said with an awkward giggle, before turning to Abby and clearing her throat. "And you of course, Mrs. Potter."

"Oh, I'm sure he talks about his dad more," Abby said with a roll of her eyes causing Gemma to give a relieved smile.

Harry didn't respond, looking over at James instead and feeling his heart warm and ache at the same time.

If he felt shit before, it was nothing compared to how felt now knowing that James seemed to speak so highly of him. And to his girlfriend of all people. Did she seem a little starstruck? Sure. But God, she was fifteen.

He'd been so ridiculous.

Harry vaguely heard Abby calling for Al and Lily to come downstairs as he walked over to James.

"Come on," Harry said, giving his shoulder a squeeze. "Let's go meet Gemma properly. I'd really like to get to know her better. She seems sweet."

James looked up at him, his lips turned up just a fraction in a smile. "Sure thing, Dad," he said, clapping Harry on the back.

"So...Gemma Jenkins..." they heard Al say as they approached. "How does it feel knowing that your name is an alliteration?"

"Erm..." Gemma said.

"Her first name starts with a 'G', you git," Lily said.

"Alliteration is based on phonetic sounds as well as letters," Al said at once. "Who's the git now?"

"Still you," James said pushing Al out of the way as he sat beside his girlfriend and gave her a quick peck on the lips.

This was met with immediate outcries from Harry, Al, and Lily while Abby tutted at them loudly.

"Oh relax, it's not as if they're snogging," Abby said, causing Gemma to turn a bright shade of red.

Lily pretended to gag. "Please, not before dinner."

"Speaking of," Harry said, standing up. "Why don't you lot sit yourselves down at the table. James, you want to help me bring the food out?"

James nodded and followed him into the kitchen.

As soon as they were alone, they faced each other and spoke at the same time:

"How am I doing?"

"Do you like her so far?"

Harry laughed before looking down at his feet. "It doesn't matter what I think," he said. "I trust you, James, I do. You're such a good kid, and you've got such a big heart. And I want to protect it with everything I've got, but..."

Harry swallowed hard and met the boy's eyes. "I can't," he said, shaking his head sadly. "The older you get, the more I realize that. I'm just so sorry I hurt you."

He drew the boy into a hug and held him tightly.

"I know," James said quietly. "And I forgive you obviously. I did, like...right away, but I was mad and wanted you to stew a bit."

Harry laughed and ruffled his hair as he let him go. "Are we good, now, though?" he said. "I know it was only a week, but...I missed you, mate."

"We're good," James said with an easy smile. "And we've got a lot to catch up on, but I'll fill you in after dinner. Don't ever make me ignore you for a week again. "

"I'll do no such thing."

[taliesin-19]

Random Fact of the Week #65

Abby stared down at the white stick in her hand with a dazed expression. 

It shouldn’t have come as such a surprise really. Sure they hadn’t been trying, but they hadn’t exactly been not trying either. 

But it was always more of a ‘if it happens, it happens’ sort of thing. Brief mentions here and there, vague concepts of unnamed children.

‘Can muggles and wizards even have kids?’...‘Yes, we’re not different species.’ ...’Oh, good...Wanna go test it out?’

‘You know, any kid we have is going to be shit at maths.’ 

‘Wait...your grandfather was a redhead? God, if our future kids are ginger, Ron will never let me hear the end of it.’

They’d considered it many times, sure. But Abby was willing to bet no matter how open they were to the idea, it was always going to come as a shock. 

A good shock. 

An amazing one. 

Abby smiled to herself, blinking back watery eyes as she left the bathroom.

Harry was still asleep, but he opened his eyes as soon as she got back into bed. “What are you doing up?” he said, looking at the clock next to their bed.

She rarely woke before him which caused Harry to wrinkle his forehead in concern. 

Forever the worry-wart. She supposed she’d better strap herself in for the next nine months.

The thought made her grin, and Harry sat up and looked at her. “What’s going on?" he said, rubbing a hand down his face. “Why are you smiling so early?”

Unable to contain herself a second longer, Abby threw her arms around him, settling her face in the crook of his neck. She felt a sudden and powerful wave of contentedness wash over her. And compared to the rather crappy way she’d been feeling lately, she welcomed it fully. 

“I love you,” she said quietly.

“Love you, too,” Harry said, looking a bit confused. 

“Can I tell you a secret?” she whispered in his ear causing goosebumps to rise on his neck.

Harry leaned back to stare at her, then looked over at the clock. “You know we... don’t really have much time for...”

Abby grinned and shook her head before leaning in to whisper once more. “Harry...I’m pregnant.”

He seemed to freeze for a second, as if needing a few seconds to process her words. Then: 

“Wait...seriously?” he said, eyebrows raised in shock. “You’re...are you being serious right now?”

She bit her lip and nodded. “I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life,” she said.

Harry’s face lit up at once, a dazed smile on his face. “Oh my God, oh my...bloody hell this is--I never even--I mean...”

Abby let out a loud laugh and kissed him. “I know,” she said, forehead touching his. “Me too.”

She leaned back to get a better look at him and was surprised to find his eyes red and shiny. “Hey...are those happy tears?” she teased him. 

Harry grinned as one of them escaped his eyes. “The happiest fucking tears.”