Evermore

Chapter Fifteen: I'll Think Of All That Might've Been

Harry stepped inside the estate in Devon after grabbing the post one afternoon in late-November, and felt the warm smile come automatically to his lips when he spotted Severus and Lily on the floor of the living room, Lily sitting up on a blanket, while Severus was gently coaxing her to her feet and, upon the success of that, began gently walking with her around the room. She let out a giggle after a few minutes, spotting Harry, and immediately left Severus's side and crossed over to him almost effortlessly, lifting her arms towards him.

"Daddy, up!" she chanted.

Harry smiled indulgently down at his firstborn, and set the post upon the coffee table and gathered up his daughter in his arms. "Well, Miss Lily, have you been having a good time today?" he asked her.

"Yes, Daddy," Lily replied, nodding her head before turning to Severus. "Papa tells Lily lots of stories about school."

"Hogwarts is not merely a school, Lily," Severus said, addressing their daughter gently as he bent towards the table to sift through the post. "It is a way of life. If you're a Slytherin like me, then you'll have quite a time there..."

"Excuse me?!" Harry demanded, gently putting Lily's face against his chest and covering her other ear with his free hand, so much so that Lily laughed aloud. "No. Lily is going to be a Gryffindor whether you like it or not!"

Severus held up his hands in surrender, and went back to fishing through the mail. "Ah, look at this—a letter from Ginny and Dean."

Harry crossed over towards the couch and sat upon it, waiting for Severus to join him and, when he had done so, Lily moved so that she was sitting between them. "That's wonderful. We haven't seen much of them since they got back from Spain. What's up?"

Severus smiled, summoning a letter-opener and slicing open the envelope, whereupon he held it up and began to read Ginny's tiny, slanted script.

Dear Harry, Severus, and Miss Lily,

Dean and I had an absolutely wonderful time in Spain—we have many presents for my precious goddaughter, of which I cannot wait to present to her. You say the word, and she will receive them promptly as possible. However, I don't believe that Dulcis would be able to make the trip all in one go, as some of the parcels are quite large, but we'll make it work.

We want to know absolutely everything you're willing to share with us about wedding planning. I am quite sure that my dear sister-in-law wants to be involved as well, but I happen to think that there is room for everyone, if that is what you so choose. Mum and I spoke the other day about it—her and Dad are very excited—and say that if you need anything, anything at all, to let them know, and they'll help. The same goes for me and Dean—you say the word, and you and Severus shall have it for the big day in question.

We also wanted you and Severus to be the fourth to know—after Mum and Dad, Dean's parents, and Ron and Hermione—that Dean and I are expecting a child. The child is due to be born at the end of spring, and we cannot tell you how excited the pair of us are. It was most unexpected, like the first time, but, thankfully, no Carrows are around to disrupt such a thing. Using the Killing Curse truly changes you, and I don't think I will want to use such a thing again. Now that Dean and I are older and wiser, perhaps the time is now for a child.

We love you all, and hope to see you for Thanksgiving!

With love,

Ginny Thomas

"Well, isn't that lovely that they're expecting again?" Severus said, folding up the letter carefully and returning it inside its envelope. "We'll have to send them a reply quickly, letting them know that we got the letter, and are looking forward to a chat about Spain and Lily's gifts..."