In The Safety Of Magical World

Chapter 28

While our children roamed the stores, Harry and I were sitting in Rosa Lee Teabag shop, sipping peppermint tea from fancy little cups. The teashop was a nice, cozy place that felt separate from the hustle and bustle on the streets. We had chosen a table in the back of the shop near the window though the place was half-empty anyway. The visitors of Diagon Alley apparently had more important stuff in their minds than tea and rushed past the little teashop without even looking at it.

I was playing with the empty sugar packet and felt as if I was transported to a circus arena where someone was about to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Can a Muggle man live a Muggle life without magical surprises lying in ambush, please? First, my daughter turned out to be a witch, and then...

Harry popping up in front of me alive and well had shaken my world like an earthquake. Magic seemed to be rooted in my life like a weed – even after I pulled and plucked it repeatedly, it still kept coming back.

" You might want to do some research on your family tree, " Harry said, emptying his cup. His jacket was hanging on the back of the chair. " I wouldn't be surprised if you had some distant wizarding ancestors. "

" I highly doubt it. "

" There must be. That's how muggle-borns get their magic. They are descendants of Squibs who have married Muggles and their families have lost the knowledge of the wizarding legacy. The magic resurfaces randomly generations later. "

" I didn't create Stella alone, " I said and fell silent for a moment. " Do you think her mother could have been a witch? "

I thought of Nicole. Where was she and what was she doing now? Was she remembering Stella and me or were we wiped from her memory like unnecessary junk? But since I was oblivious enough to miss my daughter's true nature, it wouldn't be shocking to find out I was unaware of Nicole's possible wizarding abilities too. However, Harry shook his head.

" Unlikely, Thomas. She would have let you know. If not during the dating period, then definitely when you two had a child. She would have known Stella is magical. Where is she, by the way? Stella's mother? "

" No idea. I haven't seen her for more than 5 years now. Stella and I have gotten used to living without her. "

Weirdly, Harry's life after the war had been unfolding very much like mine. His marriage with Ginny Weasley was short-lived, though he managed to produce three children. The couple's relationship started to wobble with the birth of their eldest son, James Sirius. Then came Albus Severus, who was now out in the streets with Stella, looking for school supplies. 

Harry and Ginny divorced shortly after their last child – Lily Luna – entered the world and today, she was too young to attend Hogwarts.

Albus shared a special bond with his father, more than the other two, and since the divorce of his parents, lived with Harry. Harry's eldest son and little daughter stayed with Ginny in Grimmauld Place – a home that used to belong to Harry's godfather and later the Potter family.

I could unmistakably hear the distress in Harry's voice when he spoke about his failed marriage. I recognized myself in him as if we had simultaneously gone through the same things on the opposite side of the country.

" I'm not really sure what happened, " he said, twirling the cup on the saucer, " Ginny's not a bad woman, you know. But...the affection I initially felt for her, died away. More and more, every day. For a long time I tried to keep our relationship alive, but everything had burned out. And she badgered me about it. Constantly. Eventually, I could take no more. Do you understand? "

Of course, I understood. How could I not? I remembered Nicole's nagging too well. After coming home from work, I couldn't even take my shoes off without her whining about me not taking her anywhere and treating her like an empty place. In a fit of rage, Nicole advised me to hire a housemaid since that's obviously the only thing I need from her.