Positive (Completed)

Chapter 11: Speak

They arrived at Hogwarts and went to the Opening Feast. They saw all the faces they wanted to see and all the ones they didn't, like Dumbledore. Arabella sat, once again in Hermione's lap. Her mouth watered at the food in front of her. But of course, she couldn't eat it. Before Hermione ate, she fed her some mashed bananas from a baby food jar. She semed to really like it. She would take a bite and twiddle both of her index fingers happily. Hermione thought this was very cute.

After, she gave her a bottle of formula and began to eat her own food. Arabella's eyes would watch her mother's fork go from her plate to her mouth. She was so fascinated by this.

When the Feast was over, Harry took Arabella now and lifted her up in his arms. With Hermione, they walked to their private dorm to go to bed. Arabella snuggled into Harry's embrace and buried her head in his neck. Harry smiled as her breathing even out, indicating that she was indeed asleep. "'Arabella'," Hermione said as they stepped in front of the portrait of Aphrodite, who opened up and let them through saying, "Lovely to see you two dears and the little one." They both smiled and went inside. The fire was lit, igniting the room. They took Arabella up the stairs to the nursery to put her down for the night.

Hermione kissed her cheek, followed by Harry and they laid her down, and closed the door.

*****

The next day was Harry and Hermione's first day of classes. So they had Dobby watch Arabella for the day and they would come check on her at on their study break. They decided to rejoin Defense Against the Dark Arts this year because Umbridge was fired. Their new DADA professor was surprisingly Nymphadora Tonks. They smiled as they saw her walk into the classroom. She winked at them as she passed and then blushed as she tripped on her big combat boots.

"Good morning, class, and welcome to Sixth Year Defense Against the Dark Arts. I am Nymphdora Tonks, that's Professor Tonks to you," she smiled. She called out the roster and began with her lesson.

Potions came next and they were once again picked on by Snape. After Potions, was History of Magic with Professor Binns. Harry began to fall asleep and Hermione kept having to elbow him in the ribs to wake him up. She whispered into his ear, "It's the first day, Harry, and you're already falling asleep?" He felt her warm breath tickle his ear. He whispered back, "I think he must have bored himself to death." Hermione had to giggle at Harry's joke. It made perfect sense since Professor Binns was a ghost.

The next two classes went by really slowly. The pair were wanted to go back to the Common Room and check on their daughter. Lunch soon came and they stopped by the Great Hall to grab themselves a sandwich each and ate and finished them on their way to the Common Room.

They walked in and saw Arabella lying in a pink bean bag chair Dobby must have conjured for her. He was in front of her, feeding her strained vegetables from a baby food jar. When she would take a bite, she would pull a disgusted face, but ate and swallowed it as she was hungry. But soon, she would wash it down with a swig of formula from her bottle that was in her lap.

When her eyes set on her parents, she swallowed and grinned widely.

"Hey, Arabella, did you miss us?" Hermione asked kneeling down to her, pushing back her short, brown locks that matched hers, and kissing her forehead. Arabella smiled and closed her eyes at her soft and tender touch.

Harry followed suit and kissed her cheek on the other side of her.

"Dobby, I can take over from here. We have fifty minutes before we have to go back to class. Take a break," Hermione offered.