Another Chance

Part Nine

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By the time the Gryffindor versus Slytherin quidditch game arrived, Harry's pregnancy was obvious to anyone who looked at him. A betting pool amongst the students on his delivery date and the gender of the baby had begun at the first visible signs. Several students had questioned Madam Pomfrey outright only to be turned away with ten points subtracted from their house for inappropriate behavior.

Harry and Remus were in the stands with Minerva, all decked out in Gryffindor colors. Snape scowled at them from across the teacher's box but got no reaction out of Harry or Minerva. Remus scowled right back.

"Will they ever grow up?" Minerva whispered in Harry's ear.

Harry whispered back, "Remus will. Don't hold your breath for Severus. I'm willing to bet he'll get worse before he gets better. That's a man that can hold a grudge."

"What are you two whispering about?" Remus asked.

Harry, thrilled to be back at Hogwarts, had spent a great amount of time with Minerva and Albus. Remus joined him often, but did not develop the same sort of relationship Harry had with the headmaster and deputy headmistress. He was known, though, to spend hours at a time over a chess board with Filius.

"We were talking about you, love," Harry replied with a quick hand squeeze. There were no public displays of affection in front of the students. The staff was subjected to little demonstrations, though. "You and Severus continue to act like children."

Remus snorted, "I'm nothing. If Padfoot..." he trailed off and a deeply sad look haunted his eyes.

"Hey," Harry nudged Remus, "don't think about it. The game is about to start."

When the snitch was released Harry automatically kept an eye out for it. He was the first professor to react when it shot by the stands followed by the seekers, forcing all the professors in the front to lean back to avoid getting hit. He enjoyed watching Charlie Weasley play. Though Harry had played many games with the Weasleys he hadn't seen Charlie in true competitive mode. Early on in the game Harry decided that Oliver Wood was right; Charlie could have played professionally if he had wanted to.

The game was fairly tame, though fast paced. Harry hadn't realized how much the animosity between him and Malfoy had fueled the rivalry between their houses. The rivalry was always there, but it was much less violent and personal in this time. Charlie and the Slytherin seeker lost the snitch its first and second times out. The third time, though, Charlie had a head start on his opponent. He looped the chasers and had his hand stretched out for the snitch when a bludger came at him from behind. The force of it pushed him forward off his broom as his hand closed around the snitch, winning the game 190 - 50.

Harry reacted immediately, not bothering to draw his wand. He stood in the staff box and slowed Charlie's fall while casting a cushioning charm on the ground. Charlie still landed hard, and Minerva was at his side before Harry managed to leave the box. Despite the change in his balance center Harry was still quick on his feet. He and Remus joined Minerva as she examined the fallen seeker.

"A few of his vertebrae have cracked," she said stiffly.

Harry knew she was fighting back tears, though most of her students would just see the stern facade. Charlie moaned and started to move. Harry acted before he could hurt himself further. Petrificus Totalus! He scanned Charlie to see the extent of his injuries, casting his own diagnostic spells.

"He can't move or he might end up paralyzed," Harry explained as Bill Weasley joined them. "Bill, run up to Madam Pomfrey and tell her we're on our way."

Minerva conjured a stretched as Bill Weasley ran off. Remus helped Harry stand and Harry almost fell as he felt all the blood rush out of his head. He steadied himself on Remus's arm.

"Charlie's not the only one going to Madam Pomfrey," Remus scolded, though Harry could hear the worry in his voice. "Did you use your wand for any of that?"

Harry shook his head, "No, and I'm just tired. I don't need..."

Harry woke in the infirmary with Molly Weasley looking down at him, tears in her eyes. She was thinner than the last time he had seen her. Harry had opened his mouth to say something when he felt the movement in his abdomen. He turned his head and saw Remus sitting beside him, looking extremely worried. He smiled and reached out for Remus's hand.

"We're fine, Moony," he said, placing Remus's hand on the movement.

Remus's eyes lit up and his mouth opened in awe, "She's kicking."

Harry shared a smile with his husband before turning back to Mrs. Weasley, "You must be Molly Weasley."

"I'm sorry to intrude," she said with a reminiscent smile. "I just wanted to thank you for saving Charlie."

He waved a hand dismissively in the air, "Anyone would have; I just got to it first."

"From what I understand you were the only one in the stands who could have," she insisted, "as Albus was not at the game today."

Harry blushed. It had been a long time since he'd been praised for something like that, "How is he?"

"He's fine, thanks to you, and sleeping. Bill is with him, and the rest of my brood is somewhere around here," she explained.

Harry was thankful for his time with Albus. Inwardly he was thinking of how he would manage to avoid meeting the entire Weasley family. He couldn't afford to meet Ron. The red-head couldn't keep his mouth shut to save his life.

"Will we get to meet the whole clan?" he asked.

"That may not be the best idea," she smiled. "They can be a bit rambunctious and we'll be heading back home in the morning. I'd hate to wake my two youngest to bring them back now. I'll leave you two alone now."

Molly fussed with Harry's blankets, tucking them under his chin. She made sure he had water in his glass and hugged Harry tightly before returning to Charlie.

Remus was grinning at Harry, "It looks like you've been adopted."

"Should I dye my hair red and paint freckles on my skin?" Harry asked playfully. "I'm too old to be adopted. I'm almost a parent myself!"

"I don't think there's anything you can do about it, love," Remus said, laughing until Madam Pomfrey made her way over.

Harry grimaced. It was time for the lecture.

"New ground rules for you Professor Jameson. No more wandless magic until after the birth. Exhausting your magic supply is not a good idea, and is much easier with the amount your body is using to make a place for that child to grow..."

Harry groaned and leaned back into his pillows as Poppy continued. No matter what time he was in she and Molly Weasley ended up mothering him. He would have smiled at the comfort of it but he did not want to encourage Poppy.

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The news of how Professor Jameson saved Charlie Weasley made it all over the school before either of them made it down to breakfast the next morning. Once again, Harry was a hero at Hogwarts. Stories of how he left school to fight You Know Who and his role in the Edinburgh battle circulated, much exaggerated. It was quickly known that Professors Jameson and Lupin had been good friends of the Potters, and they were asked endless question about the Boy Who Lived, all of which they refused to answer.

Harry, nearly unable to walk from one place to another due to his increasing size and the crowds of students, eventually announced in the great hall that he had no contact with Harry Potter's guardians. He said he would answer questions about the fight against Voldemort in class or in his office, and only if the students referred to him by his name. Nearly the entire great hall flinched as one when he said Voldemort's name, and the admiration students had for him increased.

His new rules about questions were followed strictly, though. No student wanted the favorite professor mad at them. Remus was amused by the entire situation, especially at the group of Gryffindor girls who tried to carry things for Harry and asked several times if they could feel the baby. Remus would just sit back and howl with laughter when Harry complained. Harry demonstrated the feather light charm he placed on his belongings and refused to let any students touch him in the halls. He relented when they came by during his office hours, though, and he was subjected to their cooing and baby talk for an hour.

Poppy allowed Harry to assume his animagus form, as it was large enough to allow his body to transform around the baby. Remus would not let Harry accompany him during the full moon, though. Even with the Wolfsbane potion which he stiffly thanked Snape for each month, he didn't trust himself around his unborn child in his werewolf form. Remus was fiercely protective of Harry and hardly allowed him to lift a finger as May approached.

True to form, Molly Weasley had taken it upon herself to act as a substitute mother for Harry. He complained to Remus, but was very happy to have his adoptive mother back and secretly basked in the attention. Molly sent him homemade baby clothes, the miniature form of the Weasley jumper, and reams of advice on childbearing and parenting. She visited Hogwarts on several weekends, much to Bill and Charlie's embarrassment, to check on Harry's progress. They were teased endlessly for their mother's attention to their professor.

Harry sat in Albus's office after one of her visits with a cup of tea in his hand, a lemon drop in his mouth, and an evil grin on his face.

"What are you thinking about Harry?" Albus asked.

As they were alone Harry felt free to speak his mind, "Harry Potter will be best friends with Ron Weasley and practically adopted by Molly Weasley. I can't seem to escape my surrogate mothers, can I? I was thinking of the expression that will be on her face when she finds out. I just hope I'm there to see it." He thought of the howler she had sent Ron once. "Then again, maybe I want to be as far away as possible."

Albus was laughing even before Harry finished. Harry knew that Albus had remembered more than he was supposed to, and shared more and more harmless information with him.

"That will be priceless," Albus said once their laughter died down. "I wish I was going to be there for it."

Harry, and consequently Remus were awoken that night by shooting pains through Harry's abdomen. Remus conjured a stretcher and rushed Harry to the infirmary. Once they arrived, a disheveled Poppy Floo called St. Mungo's for the midwitch. The woman came through, grumbling that all babies decided to enter the world in the middle of the night.

Cesarean sections performed by magic are much easier, neater, and less painful than those done in the muggle world. The midwitch numbed Harry with the complete version of the spell he adapted and opened his abdomen with a precise spell. Poppy wrapped Remus and Harry's daughter in a receiving blanket, and Harry was healed, a new scar added to his collection. The midwitch gave him a potion which restored his body to its previous state of health and countered the anesthesia spell.

Harry watched the entire process in awe. He had been subjected to films about the birthing process in his muggle school. As with almost everything else in the wizarding world Harry was pleasantly surprised by the differences from the muggle world. Remus sat next to him, his arm around Harry's shoulders, the entire time. After the birth Harry was handed his child, and shortly passed the little bundle to Remus.

The two men gazed at their daughter with wide smiles while Poppy woke Albus and Minerva. They did not notice the entrance of the headmaster and the deputy headmistress, as they were enraptured by the little girl in Remus's arms, until Albus conjured a teddy bear that he placed in Harry's lap.

"Albus, Minerva," Harry said, his grin plastered firmly on his face, "I would like to introduce you to Antigone Lily Lupin Jameson, born April 28, 1987 at four hours and fifty-one minutes past midnight."

There was a flood of people through Remus and Harry's quarters later that day. Harry had been released as soon as the spell wore off. Most of the people who had known them as students stopped in, including Tonks, Jessie, Moody, Ryan Weasley, and Anne Vector. Molly and Arthur Weasley came by as did many members of the disbanded Order of the Phoenix. The students were not allowed into the professors' quarters but they sent cards and gifts through Albus, who covered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classes for two weeks as one of his gifts.

Harry and Remus did not return to Hogwarts the following year, as they wanted to raise their daughter in more privacy than the school offered. They took turns teaching for the rest of the school year they had committed to. Reyna returned to teaching after her year of following Voldemort and yet another former Order member was sent on the trail.

The small family moved into Dumbledore Manor as the house elves were able to help with the tasks of caring for an infant that Harry and Remus were both completely unfamiliar with. A steady stream of guests populated the manor, insistent on helping the new parents. Antigone, called Tig by her parents and their friends, grew into a precocious toddler. Minerva and Molly Weasley were regular visitors. Aberforth spent more time at the manor than he had in decades, and Albus actually tore himself away from Hogwarts for frequent visits.

Antigone Lily Lupin Jameson was four years old when Harry Potter met Rubeus Hagrid and started his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

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The End

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Read the next installment: Behind Blue Eyes

And the companion piece: Changes

Note: Changes takes into account all the events of Healing, Another Chance, and Behind Blue Eyes.

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