Daphne had her pregnancy confirmed a few days later. Harry felt as happy as can be. He had two wives and was soon going to have two children. He finally had a family!
Daphne couldn't feel that happy as she soon entered the phase of morning sicknesses. The potions dispensed by Madam Pomfrey helped only partially, preventing the worst effects, but couldn't prevent it all. At least Hermione was past this phase.
~..~
Except for the pregnancies, Harry found the eighth year to be fun. He had two wives to cuddle with and to enjoy as much sex as he wanted. He also had them to help him understand the lessons and comprehend everything better. Without the looming danger, he found out he could focus on his studies much better and achieve good grades. The lack of distractions from Ron also helped quite a bit. Then, when he wanted some male company, Neville, Dean and, to a lesser degree, Seamus were all ready to talk about whatever interested him.
Ginny was visiting the Potter apartment regularly. She wanted to stay Hermione's friend and to also become closer to Daphne. Since she had lost her romantic interest in Harry, he felt more comfortable in her company, not needing to stay alert to any unwelcome advances. He noticed that Ginny still had occasional sad expressions, but after she resumed dating Dean, these turned rarer.
Harry was surprised to see Lavender among the students. He thought she would stay with Ron, but the blonde wouldn't give up getting her NEWTs. "Wait a few days, and Ron is sure to come too," she said with some mischief evident.
"Why do you think so? Ginny was sure he wouldn't come."
Lavender's smile widened. "She's not the one who shared his bed, is she? And George promised to work him hard enough to make school look like fun, not to mention Molly's nagging."
Harry had to smile. Lavender could be just as cunning as any Slytherin when she really put her mind to it. He was also glad to see that her scars were fading. She would still carry some of them for the rest of her life, he was sure, but most were now faded enough that simple makeup could hide them completely, at least the ones visible to most others.
Lavender noticed his wandering glances. "Bill suggested to ask the goblins for a treatment to remove the scars. It turns out that they are much better at that than our healers. They told me that had I been brought there sooner, even the few remaining signs could have been healed. I'm glad Ron doesn't mind them, though."
"Has he proposed?" Hermione asked.
"Not officially, but he started talking to my parents about wedding arrangements and where we could eventually move after that. He dares not make it official before we have everything planned, or Molly would take over," Lavender explained.
Hermione nodded. If Molly got into the mood, nobody else could put a word in, and the young couple wanted it to be their celebration, not exclusively Molly's.
~..~
Lavender proved right, not that Harry doubted it. Ron arrived during the weekend. As one of the war heroes, he was allowed his own apartment, where Lavender moved in that same evening. Minerva grudgingly allowed that. She thought both had suffered a lot during the war and the last battle, and she could overlook that breach of school regulations if it made them both happier. Harry considered it a wise decision.
Ron found it more difficult to go into "student mode" since he'd never really tried it. He could no longer rely on Hermione, especially after seeing her so close to Daphne – a Slytherin. Despite knowing that not all Slytherins were evil and not all Gryffindors were good, he still held to his old beliefs, making it impossible for him to study near Daphne. Neither Hermione nor Daphne cared. Harry could also say that he didn't miss Ron's company, except when wanting to talk about Quidditch, and that didn't happen often at all.
~..~
That was actually a topic Ginny talked about on her next visit to the Potter apartment. "The Gryffindor team is short of a seeker, you know. I could probably play it adequately, but then I can't play chaser, which I like much better, and we shall still be short of a player. None of the new candidates proved good enough. Why don't you take the seeker position for this year?"
Harry sighed. "I'm no longer interested. It was something I liked when I was just a child. For me, it was a way to fly as I wished and become popular for something I was actually doing and not something that happened to me. I don't need it any longer. With my new 'hero' position, I can't escape attention, even though I don't feel I deserve the position. Then, as a soon-to-be father of two, I need to stay healthy to help my expecting wives and be in top condition when the babies arrive. Quidditch can only assure some more injuries. I can't take the position. I may help train a replacement if you find someone."
Ginny sighed. "I kind of expected this answer, although I hoped for a better one. I remember how Hermione acted each time you were playing, and I'm sure she had enough of that. Still, I think you fully deserve your hero status. You may be a reluctant hero, leading us without expecting to and doing stuff just to survive, but you still are. If Ron got a hero status, you deserve it much more."
Harry smiled, feeling somewhat defeated. "Well, if you say so…"
A few days later, Harry joined the team's training, coaching a second-year girl to become a good seeker. She had the will and the ability but had no idea how to act. He felt sure he could make her into a decent seeker even before the first game of the year.
~..~
Surprisingly, Ron didn't even try for the keeper position. He explained it to Harry, "I promised Lavender to try my best in school. I can't spend time on Quidditch training, especially after neglecting my studies for too long. Lavender is helping me nicely, and Ginny also helps when she has any free time. Parvati tried to help too but then enlisted her sister to help, and you know how good a student Padma is."
Harry smiled at his sometimes friend. "I'm glad you get all that help since Hermione's pregnancy will soon prevent her from moving so freely, and she won't be in the right mood to help you or anybody else. Luckily, Daphne's pregnancy is about four months younger, so she can help Hermione with the subjects I have not taken. Well, she mainly needs the lectures and assignments when she can't be present. She can do the rest on her own."
Ron frowned at the mention of Daphne. "Is Daphne really good to you both? She's a Slytherin, you know."
"She's very good to both of us, each in a different way, of course." Harry wiggled his brows to make Ron's thoughts go in the right direction. "You know she got an Order of Merlin, Third Class, for her help at the infirmary during the battle, don't you?"
Ron sighed. "You're right, but I find it very difficult to trust any of them. Maybe it will change in time, though."
Harry didn't intend to hold his breath for that.
~..~
By the time they left for the winter vacation, Hermione was already feeling heavy and bloated, although she had more than a month to the expected delivery date. She seemed to feel constantly tired, very moody and easily upset. As much as Harry and Daphne tried to help her, they couldn't do much.
When they reached London, the Grangers were waiting for them. "I know how irritable a pregnant woman can get, and some pampering can ease the burden on all three of you," Jean told them.
Harry was a bit reluctant to go to the Granger house instead of Grimmauld Place, but the smile on Hermione's face assured his cooperation. Daphne also liked spending some time in the muggle world which she still didn't think she knew well enough.
They still visited for a few days with the Greengrass family, celebrating the Yule there, although Christmas and the New Year were with the Grangers.
~..~
Back at Hogwarts, Hermione found herself skipping most of the lessons. She simply couldn't cope with the multitude of stairs. She even stopped going to meals at the great hall, asking the house elves to serve her meals in the Potter apartment. Harry and Daphne ate with her, most of the time.
By the end of January, Hermione was feeling so heavy that she could barely even get out of bed. Harry also thought her shape was changing somewhat and asked Madam Pomfrey to check her.
"That is a normal change for a pregnant woman approaching birth," she told him. "The baby is turning and moving lower, as ready as can be for the delivery. It probably means your son will be born in less than a week."
Indeed, on the second night of February, Hermione was awakened by some sharp pains. "Take me to the infirmary," she told Harry.
He was somewhat surprised since it was not very close but complied. Hermione had two more bouts of pain on the way and another, just as she passed through the infirmary's door, that also wetted her feet.
"I think my water broke," she told Poppy.
It then went quite quickly. Less than four hours after awakening his parents, James came to the world. Poppy let Harry bring the newborn to his mother for the first suckling, and Harry felt elated and overwhelmed by a multitude of feelings that he couldn't even name. He only knew that the little baby in his hands had become the most important person in his life, even more than the young woman who had just birthed him.
He barely even noticed that Daphne was at his side the whole way and even Helped Hermione as needed.
Madam Pomfrey sent them both to sleep for a few more hours to also allow the new mother and the baby to sleep and recuperate. Harry slept for three hours only. He was awakened by a house elf bringing him two bracelets. "The headmistress said these will allow Lady Potter's parents to come and see Hogwarts, but you need to take the bracelets to them."
Harry dressed quickly. He then used a broom to fly out of the wards and then apparated to where Hermione's parents lived. Luckily, they were still renovating their clinic, so he found them at home. Five minutes later, he took them on side-along to the gates of Hogwarts and escorted them to the hospital wing.
Jean rushed in, unwilling to wait any longer, finding Hermione sitting in bed and breastfeeding James. Hermione didn't mind when her mother came but blushed slightly when her father followed in. She wasn't really sure why that happened, since her family had spent at least a week each summer at a nudist resort since before she could remember. Maybe it was the intrusion on the intimate moment between mother and baby, she thought.
Harry wasn't surprised to find Daphne there. She also awakened when the house elf came. He thought she still looked a bit tired.
"Have you rested enough?" he asked her.
"Enough for now. I'll rest some more in the afternoon," she replied.
"I'm sorry to have awakened you," he started.
She put a finger over his lips. "It wasn't your fault. We were both awakened by the house elf, and I don't regret it. Seeing how Hermione passed it and how she's now is a kind of lesson for me. I'll be in the same situation soon enough, you know."
Harry sighed. "I wish I could spare you both the pain. It was quite frightening when I witnessed Hermione giving birth."
She smiled teasingly. "I was at your side the whole time. Don't you remember?"
Harry felt unsure about the right answer. He finally said, "I was so concentrated on her that I noticed practically nothing else until James came out. Then, I could barely notice even Hermione."
Daphne smiled tenderly. "You're going to be a great father for all your children, I can see it."
"I really hope to be," he answered sincerely.
~..~
Hermione returned to their apartment the next day, along with James – of course. She was still quite sore and somewhat weak, but very happy. The fact that she could share her happiness not only with her husband and his co-wife, but also with her parents, helped tremendously. It also helped that her mother could stay for a few days and help her adjust to her new situation. Dave had to return home, though, since he needed to supervise the renovations.
Four days after giving birth, Hermione resumed attending lessons, although she still had some aches. She took James with her, of course, except to Potions. With the large robes she still had, she could even breastfeed him during lessons, and nobody could see anything out of order.