The young family arrived home to the Potter Manor. Kit and Torry greeted them happily. "Master Harry, Mistress Hermione, Mistress Arabella, welcome home, welcome home," they ushered them into the Manor, bringing in their luggage that Remus put on the front step.
"Thank you, Kit and Torry," Hermione said as their trunks were brought upstairs. Hermione set Arabella's infant seat down and took Crookshanks out of his basket, letting him run and be free. Harry did the same with Hedwig and let her fly outside to hunt.
Remus, Tonks, and the Grangers said goodbye to them and let them deal with everything on their own. Hermione brought Arabella in the family room. She took her out of the infant seat; Torry set a blanket down on the ground and her mother laid her on it on her stomach to look around.
Crookshanks came sulking to the baby sniffing her. "Crookshanks," Hermione warned. "Don't you scratch her."
Arabella looked up at him and smiled, grabbing his fur and almost petting him. He licked her cheek, making her giggle and everyone else laugh.
Hermione looked at Harry. "So are you going to tell me what McGonagall told you?"
"After dinner, I promise," he smiled and kissed her forehead, leaving to go unpack.
After dinner, all three of them went into the nursery so that they could put Arabella down for the night.
"Are you going to sing to her?" he grinned as his daughter was getting a little fussy.
Hermione rolled her eyes and sat in the rocker with Arabella. She began singing Arabella's song, getting her to pass out. Harry just stared at her, thinking she had the most beautiful voice in the world. It was angelic. The first voice Harry wanted to hear when he died, singing that song, was her voice.
When she was finished, Arabella was out like a light. Hermione tucked her in with the blanket. "Goodnight, baby girl, Mummy loves you." She turned around and saw Harry staring at her. "Well…?" she asking him about her singing.
"It was…beautiful," he choked out. "Um…I'll meet you in the living room to tell you. I'm going put my pajamas on and I need to get something." He rushed out before he said anything stupid.
Hermione shut Arabella's door, leaving a crack in it. She smiled and went put her own pajamas on.
They met in the living room. Kit had put a roaring fire on, warming them, even though it was the summer, as there was a little chill. "Thank you, Kit," Harry said and the house elf bowed and left. Harry and Hermione both sat on the couch. Hermione put her feet up and leaned back against the arm of the sofa, while Harry just sat with his feet on the floor. He gave her the parchment in his hand. "This is a prophecy...made about me...and Voldemort. McGonagall gave it to me. She said Dumbledore was keeping it from me."
She took it and read it. When she finished, she looked at him with a tear in her eye. It rolled down her face. "So, you have to kill him?"
"Or he's going to kill me," he replied solemnly.
"No, you are going to kill him," she corrected. She leaned forward and turned his head so that he would look at her. "You are going to kill him. Not the other way around."
He nodded, agreeing that she was right. He hoped he could destroy him once and for all and then live in peace.
"What's 'the power the Dark Lord knows not'?" she asked looking at the parchment again.
"Dunno. McGonagall didn't know what it was either. I guess we'll have to wait and see," he replied sighing. After a moment, he said, "Arabella is not going to like her Daddy being a murderer."
"Harry, don't say that," she protested. "If anything, she should be proud of you. You're supposed to defeat a Dark Lord, who wanted to kill her. She wouldn't be ashamed of you. She'd be proud because her Daddy protected her." She rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "She should be proud to be your daughter, Harry." He nodded again. "Can I copy this? I want to look it over and study it so I can help you," she asked talking about the prophecy.
"Yeah, sure, just don't leave it lying around. You don't know what could happen and whose hands it could get into," he told her. "You don't have to help me with this. I won't ask for your help."
"You're not asking," she shook her head. "I'm offering." She smirked. "I want to help you. You don't have to be alone in this, Harry. It doesn't say anywhere in here that you have to do this alone." He knew she was right. Like always.
"I want to let you help. I do. I just don't want to see you get hurt because of me," he said looking down.
"If I get hurt, Harry, it will be because of me. Not you. Me.I became your friend, not knowing what I was getting myself into," she chuckled. "And I'm staying your friend, now knowing what I'm getting myself into. I'll help you as much as I can."
"I think there's going to be a battle. A Final Battle between him and I. I do not want you going with me. I know, I understand you are powerful, maybe even as powerful as me, but you have Arabella to take care of. She needs you. And you have to be there for her. I'll try to win this for you and her." He smiled trying to reassure her. " I'll let you help me with anything I need help with. But please, just do this for me. Don't insist on you going with me. I need you here safe with Arabella. I need you to be here for her. Promise me," he said strongly.
A couple of tears rolled down her cheek. He was right. She had to stay for her daughter and take care of her. She wanted to fight in the Final Battle and help Harry out, but she knew she couldn't leave her daughter with Arabella's grandparents, while her parents were probably not going to come back. She needed to be there for her. She nodded. "I promise. I can't believe I wanted to do that. I'm such a horrible mother." She began to cry a little harder and Harry took her in his arms.
"Shh, you're not a bad mother, Hermione. You just weren't thinking. Your mind was somewhere else. I'm sorry you can't come with me. But it's something that has to be done. You have to be strong. Be strong for Arabella. Be strong for her," he said stroking her hair with his fingers and kissed her brown locks.
Hermione nodded, pulling away from him. She wiped her eyes and smiled weakly. "We better get to bed," he said and they stood up and walked up the stairs to their rooms. Harry walked her to her room and she said, "I'll copy this down and give it back to you tomorrow."
He nodded and hugged her. "Goodnight, 'Mione."
"Goodnight, Harry." She opened her door and went inside.
Harry just stared at her shut door for a few seconds before he went to his own room.
His head hit the pillow and he was out.
The next morning, Harry woke up at around six. He got up and left his room, in pursuit to Arabella's nursery. He heard a soft crying and went to the crib, seeing his daughter lying there, crying a bit, and trying to eat her feet. When she saw her Daddy's smiling face, she cooed happily and reached for him. "Hey, Arabella. Hey, baby girl, Daddy hears you." He lifted her up and sniffed. "Phew, looks like you need a change." He brought her over to the baby changing station and changed her diaper.
When he was done, he picked her up and brought her to the kitchen. He set her in her high chair and she moaned a bit, indicating that she was hungry. "You hungry, princess?" Arabella stopped moaning and clapped happily, as if saying he got it. He was still amazed that she still knew what he was talking about. He felt as if a piece of their bond never left and was still there inside of them, still functioning. He could connect quite well with her.
Harry took out some baby cereal they had started to feed her. It was only a little bit though because they were just trying it. He pulled up a chair, snapped her bib on, and began feeding her breakfast. After she was done, he pulled out a bottle full of Hermione's breastmilk from the fridge, unstrapped Arabella, held her in his arms, and began to feed her the milk. They stil fed her formula, but every now and then, they gave her breastmilk. She ate in hungrily and stared at him with her emerald-green eyes. He stared back at her. Green met green. Matched.
Suddenly, a pop was heard and Kit and Torry appeared in the kitchen. "Master Harry, Mistress Arabella, good morning, sir and miss!" they chorused.
"Good morning, you two!" he chanted back.
"What would Master like for breakfast this morning?" Kit asked.
"Um, pancakes?" he said unsure of what Hermione wanted to eat. "With chocolate chips in them."
"Coming right up, Master," he said and got to work on breakfast.
"Does Master wish Torry to take Mistress Arabella to give her a bath once Little Miss is doing eating?" Torry asked nervously.
"Oh, no, that's okay. Hermione or I will give her a bath a little later. Thank you, though," he protested.
Torry bowed and began to help Kit with the breakfast.
Then, Hermione shuffled into the room sleepily. Harry chuckled. "'Morning, beautiful." Her hair was a mess and she looked so tired. But, yet, Harry thought she looked amazing.
Hermione glared at him mockingly. "Shut up." She saw her daughter in his arms and made her way over to them. "Good morning, Arabella." She kissed her forehead. "Did you wake Daddy up this morning?" Arabella saw her Mummy and kicked her legs a bit, her eyes widening and lighting up, happy to see her.
"Whoa!" Harry said as she almost fell out of his arms. "Actually, no, I just woke up at about six and went to the nursery to change her and feed her. She was already up, though."
"Oh, okay, what's for breakfast?" she asked seeing Kit and Torry at the stove.
"Chocolate chip pancakes," her best friend answered with a smile.
"Mmm, yum," she said back. "Did you feed her the baby cereal?"
"Yeah."
"Did she like it?"
"Yeah, she didn't spit it out, if that's what you mean," he chuckled. Arabella took her mouth away from the nipple of the bottle, finished with it. She sighed a cute baby sigh, as if to say, "Yum!" They laughed at her, making her giggle. She held out her arms for Hermione, who took her and kissed her cheek. "Hey, Arabella, you want Mummy now?"
Kit and Torry finished with the breakfast and gave them to their Master and Mistress. Harry offered them a few and they took them gratefully and sat down at the table to eat with them. Once Torry was done, she took the "Little Miss" as she called her and held her so Hermione could eat.
After breakfast, they both went give their daughter a bath in Hermione's bathroom. They put her in a baby bath tub. They had no trouble and dressed her for the day. After, they let Torry watch "Little Miss" while they both took separate showers.
Hermione was finished first, as she had gotten in the shower before Harry did. She grabbed her wand and dried her hair with a drying spell to get things done faster. She dressed in jeans and a cute, white, short-sleeved blouse, that showed a bit of cleavage. She saw the parchment that had the prophecy on it and she remembered that she had to return it to him. She took it and hid her copy of it inside a book and put the book in her bedside table. Then, she left her room to go to Harry's to bring it to him.
She knocked on the door and opened it. She widened her eyes at what she saw. She had already seen them once before, but she was shocked at how much he filled out in a year. Harry was standing there bare-chested, with a four-pack, as he was fifteen after all. He was more toned than she last saw his chest. More buff. She smiled and blushed a bit. He was, thank God, wearing pants. He was drying his hair with a towel. "Hey, 'Mione. Need something?" he asked noticing her and then looked at her cleavage and widened his eyes a bit. He immediately looked away, but Hermione never noticed.
"Um, here, I brought back the prophecy. I copied it last night, like I said I would. I'll review it in the library during Arabella's naps if you want to come join me and see how the progress is going," she said giving him the parchment.
He nodded and took it, putting it in a box and in his walk-in closet on a random shelf, next to a pair of trainers. Hermione watched his back, gazing almost hungrily at his muscles. She snapped out of her daze as he walked back to her. "Well, I'll just go get Arabella and play with her for a while." She hurriedly left the room, shutting the door, with a smirk on her face.
She walked to the nursery, finding her daughter and Torry on the floor of the room. Arabella was lying on her back on a blanket, kicking her legs. "Hey, Arabella, did you miss Mummy?" She knelt down and Torry backed up. "Thank you, Torry."
"You're welcome, Mistress," she bowed and disappeared. The little baby girl happily raised her arms to her mother, who helped her into a sitting position. "You need to learn to get up on your own, little girl." Arabella looked at her, with a look that showed understanding. Now it was Hermione's turn to be confused. She knew her daughter could communicate with Harry by telepathy, and with herself by kicking, but could she still understand them?
"Can you understand Mummy, Arabella?" she asked thinking herself stupid for asking a five month old this. However, Arabella just looked at her and smiled, giving her slight "yes". Hermione widened her eyes a little bit and smiled. "You're Mummy's big girl, aren't you? You're a smart little girl, huh? Mummy's gonna get you!" She began to tickle her stomach softly, making Arabella giggle. She fell backwards on her back and Hermione "attacked". She raised her small shirt and leaned down and blew raseberries on her stomach, making the child laugh full out and from her gut. Suddenly, Harry came in and joined in the "torture of Arabella". He held his daughter's arms down so that she wouldn't try to push Hermione away. Hermione looked at him and smiled, and then continued to blow raseberries on her daughter's tummy.
They had a grand old time, playing with her and tickling her and laughing at her giggles. She loved her Mummy and Daddy. She remembered what her Daddy said about love when she was in her Mummy's tummy and she knew that's what this was. She could feel the love in the air and inside her, coursing through her veins. She loved to be loved. And she loved to love. She couldn't believe she was here in the world. Here. In her room with her parents. Just...existing as time itself rolled by. She had everything she needed in the world right here. Her Mummy and her Daddy. And that was enough.
After an hour, her Mummy said it was time to take a nap. Arabella was indifferent about naps. She didn't like them because she was not with her parents. But she did like them because when she slept, she dreamt. She dreamt of her Mummy and her Daddy and herself in a field full of warm sunflowers and long tufts of grass and wheat. It was warm and the wind was blowing and everything was perfect. In the dream, they just laughed and ran and her parents kissed, like Uncle Neville and Aunt Luna did a lot. In the dream, she was a little bit older, about two or three years old. Her parents would come alongside of her, one on each side, and grab her hands. And they'd swing her back and forth as they ran. In reality, her world was almost perfect. But her naps made her enter a world that was perfect in every way imaginable.
Hermione and Harry left the nursery after turning on the baby monitor. Like Hermione said she would, she went to her room to get her copy of the prophecy and went into the library to begin her research. She walked to the baby monitor receiver on one wall and turned it on, so she could listen for Arabella. She smiled as she could hear her soft and tiny breathing. She grabbed a spare piece of parchment and an ink quill to get started.
Harry decided to go for a walk and see the town of Godric's Hollow. He went to the cemetary and subconsciously looked for two names. It took a while, but he eventually found them.
James Potter
Born 27 March 1960
Died 31 October 1981
Lily Potter
Born 30 January 1960
Died 31 October 1981
He smiled at the gravestones. His parents. His parents that gave their lives up for him were lying under the earth, not knowing their son was standing there. "Hey, Mum, Dad. Uh..." He didn't know what to say. "I'm living in your old home. The Manor. Remus and Tonks fixed it up for Hermione and I. Hermione's my best friend. She's a Muggleborn like you, Mum. Uh, she's also the mother of my child," he said this part a little quietly. "I know what you're thinking. I'm only fifteen and I should not be thinking about children. But we just got caught up in the moment. It's a girl. Her name is Arabella Charlotte Granger-Potter. She was born on December eighteenth, nineteen ninety-five. She's real beautiful. She has our eyes, Mum." He chuckled. "And Hermione's brown hair. She's amazing. She's only five months old, but I feel like she can understand us and she's very advanced for her age. It's amazing." He turned to his Dad. "Dad, I hope I be a great father, like you were. There's a prophecy that was made about me and Lord Voldemort. It said that I have to kill him or he has to kill me. We both can't live while the other survives. Hermione, she's real smart, she's trying to figure it out right now and what it means, because I'm supposed to possess this power that the Dark Lord knows not. Please, guide me while I do this. Be with me always. I love you both. And...thank you."
He turned and left the graveyard, wiping his eye of stray tears that had seeped out of his eyes. The next time he went there, he needed to bring them something. A bouqet or a wreath. He made his way back home and went to the library to see Hermione's progress.
"Hey, how's it coming?" he asked looking over her shoulder. He saw two words written down on the scrap piece of parchment. He read them out loud, "'Good' and 'Evil'." They were right underneath Harry and Voldemort's names respectively. "No good, huh?" he asked giving her a weak smile.
She shook her head. "No, everything makes perfect sense except the power part. I have no idea what that power could be," she said.
"Well, you are off to a good start, I'll say that," he told her trying to cheer her up. She gave him a real slight smile this time. "What power does it mean? Like a magical power. Like I'm supposed to be more powerful than him or something? Like I'm the most powerful wizard in the world?" he asked confused looking at the prophecy again.
"Well it says 'knows' not. It doesn't say 'possess'. So maybe you don't possess the power." Then she got a breakthrough. "Oh! Maybe it's a power that you have and Voldemort doesn't. Because it says 'power the Dark Lord knows not'."
"We just established this," he said confused at what she was saying.
She rolled her eyes cutely. "No, listen to me. We established that we think the power is magical. That you possess some magical power that will outweigh Voldemort. What if it isn't? What if it isn't a magical power? What if it's something bigger than that? Something more complex and at the same time simpler than that?"
"What are you getting at, Hermione?" he asked not following her.
She turned to him and looked at him dead in the eye. "What if it's a power that everyone in the world has, including yourself, but Voldemort doesn't? What if it's a power that everyone can have?" She smiled, not believing she was getting this. "What if...it's a feeling?"
Harry looked at her. Now she was making perfect sense. "It makes sense now. But what feeling?"
Hermione thought for a moment and then turned around to write something on the paper. Under Voldemort she wrote, "Hate". "Voldemort feels hate all the time," she said. "And you feel..." She wrote another word under Harry's name. "...'love'."
He stared at the word. "'Love'?" he asked her. She nodded.
"Yes, love. That's the power," she grinned widely.
"So, I'm supposed to...love him to death?" he asked jokingly.
Hermione gave him a frown.
"I'm kidding." They chuckled.
"Alright, thank you so much, Hermione, for figuring this out." He kissed her on the top of the head. "No problem, Harry."
Suddenly, from the baby monitor, came a cry.
Arabella was up and she wanted her Mummy and Daddy. They looked at each other and left the room to tend to their offspring.
They walked into Arabella's room. "It's okay, Arabella, Mummy and Daddy are here. Shh. It's okay, angel," Hermione soothed softly and took her out of her crib. Arabella stopped crying once she was in her mother's arms. Hermione changed the baby's diaper and Harry came up behind her, looking at Arabella. "Hey, princess."
She giggled at him. When Hermione was done, she set her on the floor and they sat down with her. Harry accioed a bottle of breastmilk from the fridge in the kitchen and he gave it to Arabella, who took it gratefully, feeding herself.
Harry looked at Hermione and said, "I went see my parents' graves today." She looked at him and smiled.
"You did?" He nodded.
"Yeah, I told them all about you and Arabella," he said.
"That was nice. Did you tell them about the prophecy?"
He nodded again. "I asked them to guide me through this."
Hermione rubbed his shoulder. "You know that they are going to."
"Yeah."
Arabella's eyes shifted back and forth between her two parents as they talked. She found it very interesting.
Together they watched Arabella eat from her bottle. When she was done, she set it aside and looked at the bookcase, and then back at her Mummy, who grinned widely, knowing exactly what she wanted. "You want Mummy to read you a story?"
Harry groaned, "Oh, Lord!" and fell backwards on his back. "My daughter's a bookworm now!" Arabella looked at him and clapped her hands and laughed.
"That's my girl!" Hermione just said and accioed a children's picture book to her. Arabella held out her arms. Hermione picked her up and set her in her lap. The book was The Veleveteen Rabbit. It was a good story that was about a toy rabbit who was brought to life by his owner's love. Arabella listened to her mother read it and she smiled, thinking that she was just like the rabbit. She was brought to life by her parents' love. But maybe, just maybe she was brought to life for a purpose. A bigger purpose. She could feel she was born for a reason.
But what?