After the War

Chapter 14

"Hey Dromeda!" Harry greeted as he stepped out of the swirling green flames.

"Good morning, dear," she walked into the sitting room, a bag already slung over her shoulder. "Thanks for watching Teddy for a bit."

"Of course," he shoved his hands into his pockets, watching the witch bustle around the room collecting things to put into her bag. "I'll be back in about two hours. Teddy should be waking up any minute now. I have his food laid out in the kitchen so you can feed him when he wakes up, then just play until I get back. Easy enough?"

"Yup, sounds good," Harry nodded, making a mental checklist. There were only two things. He can handle that.

"All right, then I'll be off. Let me know if you need anything," she waved over her shoulder and stepped outside before turning on the spot and disappearing from sight. He hadn't heard any cries yet, so he walked around the back of the couch and collapsed into, rubbing sleep from his eyes. The same couch that he had woken up from the night he left Privet Drive about a year ago, he couldn't help but think. That's over now, he told himself firmly. Yet the flashes that lit up the dark night sky could not be erased from his memory.

Barely a few seconds after sitting down, he pushed himself off and walked into the kitchen where he saw a tiny bottle, already full, waiting for him. He wandered around the house aimlessly, trying not to look at the pictures on the wall of her family, all who had passed during the war. Eventually, when he heard the soft cries of a newborn, he hurried into the room and saw the baby on its back with a toothless smile and two chubby hands holding one of his feet at an angle that only babies can achieve.

"Hey buddy," Harry said softly over the edge of the crib. Teddy's hair was a light brown that perfectly matched Lupin's, but as he became more awake, it began to turn a light blue that matched his bedroom walls. Reaching over the bars, he picked up the baby and held him in his arms like Dromeda had instructed him to, careful to support his head. Did she say to feed him right when he woke up? Harry bit his lip, trying to decide. Teddy just stared at him, completely unaware of the decision making process.

"Are you hungry, bud?" he asked, not really expecting an answer, but thinking that an answer would be nice nonetheless. Teddy continued to stare at him. "You'd probably start crying if you were hungry, right?" Making a decision, Harry walked to the center of the room where a playmat was laid out and he carefully set his godson down and he immediately grabbed his feet again. Harry pulled a box full of toys towards him and held up the colorful rings, watching his tiny fist grab and hit the dangling shapes.

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"I made you some tea," Ron approached Hermione with a warm mug and sat on the chair next to her just outside the Burrow. She looked up from her newspaper with a smile and murmured 'thanks.'

"Is there honey in here?" she asked after taking her first sip.

"Er... yeah. You always add honey so I figured that's just how you like it, but if you don't--"

"No, no, I do like my tea with honey. I'm just surprised you knew, that's all," she told a blushing Ron.

"What are you reading?" Ron asked to change the subject from his awkwardness.

"That article about us in the Prophet. I still have your copy too if you want."

"Sure," he said and took the identical paper that she held out. Side by side, they read the summary of what had happened over the past year with Ron snorting occasionally.

"What?" Hermione finally asked, unable to see what was humorous about what happened.

"Listen to this: 'Harry Potter led the wrongfully accused muggle-borns into a lift, still guarded by his powerful stag patronus and he, along with Ron and Hermione, made their daring escape out from under the clutch of corruption.'" He read aloud from the paper in a dramatic voice as if he was telling a ghost story, making Hermione giggle.