It had been a couple of weeks since Sirius and Barty had moved in.
Thankfully, they were settling in just fine.
Sirius had taken to exploring Konoha whenever he could, especially when he wasn't busy fighting with Saeko over who got to watch the boys that day. At first Harry had thought it was almost sweet, right up until he walked into his kitchen one morning and found Sirius and Saeko glaring at one another over the breakfast table.
"Teddy likes me best in the mornings," Sirius had declared. "He gets all clingy and sleepy and I'm clearly his favourite source of cuddles before breakfast."
Saeko had snorted. "You are delusional. He likes whoever has the bottle or the breakfast. And his favourite is clearly Hari!"
"Harry doesn't count! And I've given him breakfast!" Sirius had argued.
"And yet he reached for me this morning," Saeko had replied smugly, cuddling a beaming Teddy in her lap while the child patted at her earrings and babbled.
Harry had stood in the doorway for a full minute, taking in the sight of his godfather and his sort-of-mother-in-law squabbling over grandparent rights while Shikamaru sat at the table looking done with everything.
Then his boy heaved a great big sigh, "troublesome. Can't you both just watch us at the same time?"
So now Sirius and Saeko shared grandparent duties together more often than not, which mostly meant Teddy and Shikamaru got coddled twice as much. Barty, surprisingly, had become the middle ground between them when he wasn't busy taking over the clan library.
Harry had initially expected him to keep to himself more, but Barty had settled into the role of steward for the clan seriously.
He had turned the Ryūjin library into something far more organised than Harry had, muttering darkly under his breath about cataloguing systems and cross-referencing and annoyed at the texts piled "for aesthetic reasons." He had also taken to bringing Shikamaru there whenever he had a spare hour, teaching him the basics of magical theory.
Shikamaru, to no one's surprise, loved it.
The first time Harry had walked in to find the two of them hunched over a table, Shikamaru had looked up with such bright-eyed excitement that Harry had nearly cried on the spot, feeling far too emotional for such a simple thing.
"Barty says I have to understand theory first, so I won't blow anything up!"
Barty had lifted a brow. "That is not precisely what I said."
Shikamaru sent him an offended look. "You said I would have more accidental magic if I'm stupid!"
"I said uninformed," Barty corrected.
Harry had been torn between crying and laughing, just thankful that his favourite people were getting along so well.
That Barty was settling in so well.
Shikaku had been generous enough to introduce him to old Hotaru, the kind Nara librarian had taken one look at the sharp-eyed wizard and decided to take him under his wing. Hotaru had begun to teach Barty everything he could about Konoha's political undercurrents and the other nations, while Barty, with his permission, shared a few of their own medicinal texts in exchange for his tutelage.
Between raising his boys, family dinners, research on the village, research for Luna, mirror calls with everyone back home, chakra training, and making sure he and Shikaku still had time together amidst all of it, Harry had barely had a moment to complete half the tasks he kept adding to his own endless list.
Which was how he had ended up at Konoha bank at a stupidly early hour, filling out paperwork for what felt like the last hour and a half.
He had started with a little over two hundred million ryo when he left Iron's capital all those months ago. He had spent some of it on their travels, some on clothes and supplies and gifts and, occasionally, plain convenience when he couldn't be bothered to barter. By the time he'd reached Konoha, he had only a little less than the original amount left, which was still more money than most people in the village would ever see in their lifetimes.
Even so, he wasn't foolish enough to place everything in one institution.
Half would do for now. The rest could remain split between the compound vaults and the Keep.
Konoha's bank, Harry had discovered, didn't function like Gringotts, which was both unsurprising and deeply disappointing. There were no underground cart rides, no blood tests to verify lineage and accounts. Instead, there were at least three different forms to confirm one's identity, residence, clan status, financial status, and some other nonsense Harry had to reread multiple times.
Apparently, he was opening an account with the Haruno branch, though the main branch was in the Fire capital and would hold the official records. The Haruno's did not, in fact, own the entire banking system in fire country, something he had assumed when he first saw the man in charge of banking in the council meeting. Rather, each village in Fire Country housed a branch overseen locally by prominent civilian families, while the capital maintained final authority.
Still, this was far more paperwork than he remembered doing when he first claimed his family accounts in Gringotts.
"Lord Ryūjin?" the banker asked nervously, pulling Harry from his thoughts. "Can I get you any refreshments?"
Harry blinked and looked up from the final scroll.
"Ah, no thank you," Harry said, offering him a tired but genuine smile. "I believe I'm done here. Will I have to wait for the account to open in the capital before depositing any money?"
The banker straightened, relieved to be back on familiar ground. "No, my lord. Once we file the paperwork, you'll have immediate access to your account here in the village. The transfer to the capital records will take some time, perhaps a couple of weeks, but any funds deposited today will be available to you without delay."
Harry nodded, pleased. "Good."
He pulled out the storage scroll Shikaku had prepared for him and carefully slid it across the desk. Harry had considered simply putting it in one of his magically expanded bags, but Shikaku had been very insistent on doing this for him, something about scrolls being less suspicious.
"This scroll contains one hundred million ryo. I would like to deposit the majority into the main clan account."
The banker's brush stilled.
Harry continued. "And two million into each of the clan member accounts opened as stated in the paperwork."
The man actually stared at him for a moment before scrambling to recover himself. "Y-yes, my lord. Of course."
He looked over the records once more, then hesitated, clearing his throat. "Lord Ryūjin… are you certain you wish to open a new account for the shinobi named Tenzo? He does already possess an account through village registration."
Harry smiled. "Yes. While he may currently be listed under the Senju clan, he is still of my family's bloodline."
The banker looked faintly flabbergasted by that. Harry could almost hear the thoughts racing through his head, that Tenzo wasn't one of Harry's direct clan responsibilities, that the boy already had a standing account, that no sensible clan head handed out millions to distant relatives he hadn't even properly met.
But Harry was not interested in being sensible about this.
He hadn't yet met Tenzo face to face, true.
Tsunade was still hoarding the poor boy with all the ferocity of a nesting dragon, and Harry understood.
He truly did.
He was glad they had found each other at last.
Still, he knew what Tenzo had been through, how hard it must have been to reach out to Tsunade like he did. Tsunade had also been pouting about Tenzo asking to meet Harry once he'd returned from his mission. Tsunade confiding in him that the boy had been trying to learn as much as he could about their shared family, all shy and uncertain about his place in it.
So yes, he would provide for him.
Why wouldn't he? Tenzo clearly needed more people caring for him.
"And I would also like two million transferred to heir Shikamaru Nara's account," Harry added.
That was the one he hadn't told Shikaku about yet.
Not because he thought the Nara lacked money. Clearly, they didn't.
But Harry had recently found out exactly how much had been spent searching for Shikamaru. He would never have found out if he hadn't overheard a couple of Nara bemoaning over it, while simultaneously praising Shikaku for doing everything to find their heir.
He knew that Shikaku would refuse to take his money if he tried, but the guilt of it all wouldn't leave him alone. So, he would hopefully take the strain off the clan, just a little bit, and Shikaku wouldn't have to worry too much about putting an allowance into the heir account for a while.
Not that he thought he would stop, but he could try.
More than that, he was providing for his children.
All of them.
No exceptions.
The banker just stared at him like he was an idiot, then quickly lowered his eyes quickly and began writing with renewed speed.
"Yes, my lord. I'll have these entered and sealed under the appropriate accounts immediately."
Harry waited while the final details were recorded, fingers drumming lightly against the armrest as he zoned out.
Finally, the banker rolled the final scroll shut, before looking up again.
"I believe our business is concluded, Lord Ryūjin."
Harry rose smoothly to his feet. "My thanks for your help, Mr. Takemura."
Takemura actually puffed up at that, visibly delighted to have his name remembered.
"It has been an honour to assist you today, my lord," he said, hurrying around the desk to bow more deeply. "A true pleasure to serve you. The dragon lord himself!"
Harry felt embarrassed at the enthusiasm but returned it with a nod of his head. "You've been very helpful. Thank you."
Takemura looked as if he might float away as Harry turned to leave.
The moment he stepped outside the bank, he let out a long breath and stretched his back, shoulders rolling beneath his coat as relief washed through him.
Finally.
Harry closed his eyes for just a second, soaking in the freedom of being outside and breathing in the fresh, cool air. Only to heave a sigh of exhaustion as he began walking in the direction of his next task.
It took him longer than it should have to notice he was being followed.
At first it was only a prickle at the back of his neck, the sort of alertness his magic gave him when someone's attention lingered a little too long. He ignored it for half a street, assuming it was yet another curious civilian or shinobi. Then he turned a corner, slowed slightly, and the feeling remained.
Frowning, he didn't break his stride. Instead, he took a quieter route, away from the thicker foot traffic and towards one of the side streets that wound behind a cluster of small shops. Once he was sure there were fewer eyes on him, he let his magic slide over his skin and pulled his veil into place, vanishing from notice.
Then he spread his magic outward until it brushed against a familiar signature.
He sighed, long-suffering and deeply amused all at once, especially when a loud curse came from the rooftop above him followed by the sudden frantic movement of someone clearly searching for the person they had just lost.
Dropping his veil, he called upward, "Daen!"
Nothing but silence.
"Daen, I know it's you!"
The chakra signature froze entirely before the man dropped from the rooftop, landing in front of Harry with far less confidence than he usually wore. He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, all lazy charm.
"Hari-sama," Daen said, offering him a grin that looked suspiciously guilty. "Fancy seeing you here."
Harry only arched one brow.
"Yes," he said dryly. "What a surprise. Especially when you've been following me for the last four streets."
The man actually had the grace to look embarrassed, glancing away as if the dirt path had suddenly become the most fascinating thing in the world. He shifted his weight and muttered something under his breath before finally sighing.
"Shikaku-sama asked me to make sure you were safe while out in the village."
There it was.
Harry stared at him for a moment, letting the silence stretch just enough to make Daen fidget. The older man straightened automatically beneath that look, though Harry knew well enough by now that Daen was rarely truly cowed by anything less than Saeko's wrath or Shikaku's disappointment.
Harry narrowed his eyes a touch more, just for effect.
Daen actually squirmed.
Then Harry huffed a laugh.
"Honestly, Daen." His shoulders relaxed. "You can go home. I'm perfectly capable of looking after myself, and I'm sure you have better things to do than stalk me through the village."
Daen looked outright offended.
"I would never fail such an important mission given to me personally by Shikaku-sama," he declared, as if Harry had accused him of treason.
Harry snorted softly. "Maybe you could watch the children instead?"
Daen shook his head. "Saeko-sama knows to call for Nara guards if she takes them into the village. The clan is still on full alert after everything that happened with Shikamaru."
Something in Harry softened at that, even as a different part of him felt the sharp little prick of annoyance.
So Saeko was in on it too.
Of course she was.
Clearly all his teasing jibes about Daen hadn't been enough to dissuade Shikaku from assigning him as an unofficial shadow.
For one absurd second Harry wondered if he could get Daen "accidentally" sent on some long mission to the Land of Snow.
Then he sighed internally because Shikaku would only assign someone else.
And much as it irritated him to be quietly watched over like some fragile thing, he knew exactly why Shikaku was doing it.
Danzo. The council. Shikamaru's new gift.
The ugly possibility of retaliation or attempted kidnapping.
Harry rubbed at the bridge of his nose and let the sudden flare of temper settle back down into something manageable. He reminded himself that he liked Daen, it wouldn't be much of a hardship to spend the day with him.
"Come on, then," he said at last. "If you're going to follow me, you may as well keep me company for the day."
Daen blinked, then brightened into a lazy grin and sauntered closer. "And where are we going?"
Harry grinned back, just a bit wickedly. "I hope you're not one of those flight-risk patients I've heard so much about, because we're about to spend the rest of the morning at the hospital."
Daen let out a groan and Harry nearly laughed, but then the man's posture shifted, and he glanced at Harry with sudden concern.
"Wait," Daen said, all traces of humour fading. "Are you sick?"
That genuine note of worry softened Harry instantly. "Not that I know of. I'm creating the wards over the hospital today."
Recognition lit Daen's face. "Oh." Then he straightened and gave a delighted sort of chortle. "I've heard about that!"
Harry's mouth twitched. "You have?"
Daen grinned broadly. "It's all anyone can talk about. You putting the council elders in their place, there's also a lot of good talk about you protecting the academy and evacuation tunnels."
Harry felt a feral little smirk curl at his mouth before he could stop it. The memory of Danzo's face and Koharu's sputtered outrage, was still deeply satisfying.
"Yes, well," he said with false modesty. "I've put it off long enough. Tsunade said she would have a slow day today, so she can show me around. The wards can be a bit tricky, and I don't want people crowding me."
Daen's posture stayed lazy, but Harry saw the shift in his eyes immediately, that same bright, quietly hungry look he'd come to recognise in Nara when something academic or interesting caught them.
Daen opened his mouth.
Harry pointed at him before he could ask the question. "Keep your questions until we get there."
Daen looked deeply offended. "I haven't asked anything yet!"
"You were about to."
He huffed. "You can't prove that."
Harry just smiled sweetly, and Daen turned his head to the side, ears pinking slightly.
He diverted the conversation every time Daen circled too close to the matter of wards or seals, not wanting to explain things twice. Steering instead toward easier things, gossip about the clan, the latest complaints from some of the older Nara about a leaking storehouse roof, and how Ko was apparently jealous that Daen got the 'shadow their future matriarch' job.
That last one flustered Harry.
But a little burst of joy filled him after hearing how many of the Nara were rooting for him and Shikaku, already placing bets on how soon the wedding would be. Reminding him all too much of Shikaku's teasing remarks.
By the time the hospital came into view, he had to force his cheeks to cool from all the teasing Daen gave him.
Harry bypassed the front reception entirely. He knew where he was going, and he had no desire to field questions from every fanatic nurse in the building. With Daen beside him, he headed straight down the corridor and to Tsunade's office and knocked briskly.
"Enter!" came the sharp, grouchy bark from within.
Harry opened the door and frowned.
Tsunade looked dreadful.
Her hair was a mess, her shoulders slightly hunched, and there were dark shadows under her eyes, she clearly hadn't slept at all.
Harry leaned against the doorway, taking her in with open concern. "Did you stay here all night? I know for a fact that Shizune slept in her own room last night."
Tsunade huffed and rubbed one temple. "Sleep is for the weak."
Daen, to his credit, kept his face wonderfully blank and just went to stand in the corner of the room as Harry stepped inside and shut the door behind them. "Did you at least take a nap?"
"Mission went wrong," she muttered. "A whole team came in half dead and bleeding all over everything. We were patching them up most of the night."
Harry's expression softened. He took in her exhausted posture more carefully, and the way her fingers twitched slightly.
"I can come back tomorrow if you need to go take a nap. The hospital wards can wait one more day," he offered quietly.
Tsunade sat up straight so quickly it was almost aggressive.
"Absolutely not," she snapped. "My hospital is getting those wards, and it's getting them now before that bureaucratic snake sticks his fingers where they don't belong again."
Harry glanced reflexively toward Daen.
The man had turned his head slightly, as if he were deeply invested in a very dull crack in the wall.
Tsunade waved one hand dismissively. "Oh, please. Shikaku trusts him enough to make him your babysitter."
Harry glowered. "He's not my babysitter."
That earned a snort.
"I'm honestly surprised no one's tried to kidnap you yet."
Harry sniffed in offense, but he didn't argue very hard.
Compared to being forced to heal princes, threatened by daimyo's, and cornered by would-be captors, Konoha had actually been… fairly tame.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out one of the little vials he always kept on hand. "Here."
Tsunade's eyes lit with immediate, greedy recognition.
Without hesitation she uncorked it and downed the potion in one swallow, face scrunching as steam bellowed from her ears.
She set the empty vial down with a sigh that bordered on indecent pleasure. "Marry me."
Daen made a choking noise behind Harry.
Harry only rolled his eyes with a smile. "No thanks. Incest isn't my thing."
Tsunade smirked lazily. "My other cousin would agree with you."
Then, she was on her feet and grabbing his wrist. "Come on. We're starting with the central building and then working outward."
Harry stumbled after her with a laugh, Daen falling into step just behind them.
The hospital tour was thorough.
Tsunade showed him the general treatment areas first, the quieter wards where civilians and shinobi alike were treated for the less severe injuries and illnesses. Nurses and medics moved quickly through the corridors, some pausing only briefly to bow to Tsunade before carrying on.
"The whole hospital needs malicious intent wards, and I could put an anti-theft barrier around the storage rooms. I can show you how to key certain staff into it using their chakra," Harry murmured, half to himself as he looked around.
Tsunade grunted approvingly. "The medicine stores especially."
They moved on to the emergency treatment wing, and the atmosphere changed immediately. It was louder there, more frantic. Beds were wheeled in and out, medics barked clipped instructions, and several shinobi on stretchers looked as if they had only recently stopped bleeding.
Harry's expression went still, fingers twitching with a sudden need to heal.
"This," Tsunade said, voice lower now, "is where we take the worst hits every time. Civilians too, if things go bad in the village. If someone attacks the hospital, this ward becomes chaos in seconds, never enough room for everyone."
Harry looked at the entrances, the windows, the layout. His mind began building lines and intersections, seeing where wards could sit, an expansion charm here and there, where lockdown spells could divide sections into safe zones without trapping the wrong people.
"And here," Tsunade continued, leading him toward a less used corridor, "is the main evacuation tunnel."
They descended slightly, the stone less stable beneath their feet. The tunnel itself was broader than he expected, but not nearly broad enough to reassure him that it made for an easy escape route.
Harry ran his hand lightly along one of the walls, feeling the weakness beneath the stone. His magic brushed outward and found old damage, subtle cracks hidden beneath previous attempted reinforcement.
"A few more hits and this tunnel will collapse," he said wincing.
Tsunade looked grim. "That's the concern."
"There's only one?" Harry asked.
"For the general hospital population," Tsunade said. "There's another route ANBU use, but that's separate and only accessible with seals."
Harry tilted his head, storing that away. ANBU routes would need different considerations, wards that barred all entry would be worse than useless if they trapped the wrong people or cut off emergency access.
"I'll need to see that one later," he said.
Tsunade nodded. "I can arrange it."
And then they reached the maternity wing.
Harry very nearly stopped dead in the doorway, nose twitching.
He couldn't stop the delighted purr that escaped his chest.
Because there were babies.
Tiny, warm, bundled little babies in neat rows and cots, some sleeping, some fussing, some making those impossible little snuffling sounds that did dangerous things to his heart. The room smelled faintly of milk and soap and that newborn baby smell, and Harry had to physically curl his fingers into his palms to stop himself from immediately going to gather every single one of them up.
Oh. This was torture…
"Oh, don't you dare," Tsunade said, already seeing it on his face.
Harry looked at her helplessly. "I just need to—"
"Back away right now."
He opened and closed his mouth about to argue.
Instead, he stared longingly at the nearest cot, where a red-faced little baby was making little cooing noises in its sleep. "I only want to hold them."
"Finish the wards first," Tsunade said, far too smug. "Then maybe I'll let you come back and fuss over them. I'll even let you feed them, Mama."
Harry pouted. "That is an incredibly unfair thing to call me in front of witnesses."
Daen made a very suspicious choking sound.
Harry turned his head slowly and glared. "You laugh again and I'll have you swapped with Ko."
Daen saluted, smirk still on his face. "Yes, Hari-sama!"
Tsunade barked out a laugh and clapped Harry on the shoulder. "Come on, maternal instincts later. Wards now."
He let her drag him away, though not without one last wistful glance over his shoulder at the tiny babies.
It was probably for the best that she did. The longer he stayed near so many newborns, the more his instincts roused in ways that made him feel just a little bit feral.
Protectprotectprotect, his magic whispered. Hold them. Feed them. Raise them.
He needed distance before he did something embarrassing like purr and paw at the glass that separated them.
By the time they returned to the centre of the hospital, Harry had himself mostly under control again.
Mostly.
Thankfully the central part of the building was empty, and there wasn't any basement underneath them, definitely a good place for the main wardstone.
He crouched down, setting the already etched stone from his bag against the tiles, and punched his fist downwards. The stone easily breaking apart with his magic and shifting to create a decent sized hole in the ground.
"Right," Harry said, rolling his shoulders as his focus sharpened. "Let's get to work."
~
It didn't take long for Harry to set the wardstone.
The stone itself sat quietly beneath his hand once he had sunk it into the floor, and when he fed his magic into it, it drank greedily before activating.
Tsunade had moved through the hospital barking brisk instructions to every medic, orderly, and nurse in sight, ordering staff to warn patients and visitors not to panic if they saw the ward shimmer into place.
The more unstable patients, especially those kept steady by delicate chakra-based seals, had been carefully removed from the building entirely as a precaution. Tsunade had made the call herself after Harry warned her that the sudden surge of foreign energy might interfere with anything chakra related.
The effect had been immediate.
A shimmer rose from the wardstone, a pale ripple that surged outward and up. It spread over the walls, across the roofs, into the foundations, a dome of woven magic and intent that flashed once in the daylight before it faded to something invisible. Not as strong or complex as the wards on his own compound, but definitely strong enough for what he promised.
Thankfully, there had been no cries of alarm from the medics about exploding seals or patients destabilising. The patients who had been moved out were brought back in once it became clear the seals hadn't destabilised.
The main ward carried the broader protections.
Anti-pest. Anti-theft. Anti-violence. General shielding. Repelling charms. Layered intention wards that would bar anyone entering with clear malicious purpose.
It didn't take long for them to run into a problem with that last one.
Apparently, some patients didn't arrive with calm, civilian intentions. Proven by the ninja that staggered in half-mad on battle instincts, wrapped in so much trauma and bloodlust that the ward had frozen him in place as he bled out all over the floor. Harry sent a silent stunner at the man and bent the ward slightly to let him through, handing him over to the wide-eyed medics nearby.
"That was less than ideal," he had said dryly, slightly apologetic.
Tsunade barked a sharp laugh. "Some of these idiots are one bad trigger away from trying to bite through a wall."
He sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. "I hardly want to ban every traumatised ninja from seeking treatment because they're a bit stabby."
Once Harry had adjusted the ward, it became clear the solution was not simply softening the intention detection. There were too many shades of violence in a shinobi village, and some of the people who most needed help would be turned away by a charm that judged too rigidly.
Which meant he had to adjust the ward and add separate spells to prevent those who would do harm over each wing of the hospital. Expanding the shinobi side of it and adding reinforced rooms for the more volatile patients. Though only Tsunade and Daen knew about the calming charms he layered into the walls, Merlin knows that ninja were already a suspicious bunch.
For the next hour Daen hovered as Harry worked, firing question after question.
"How does it tell the difference between a patient with bad intent and someone intending harm to others?"
"Can the walls distinguish between chakra attacks and physical ones?"
"If someone threw a smoke bomb in there, would the ward react?"
"What happens if someone tries to go through the floor?"
Harry had answered what he could without saying magic, couching everything in the bloodline-seal language Konoha understood.
Most of it was true, even if translated badly.
Daen had looked increasingly fascinated.
The other enchantments went faster after that.
The separate wards over supply storage and records offices were easy enough, and the evacuation tunnel proved even easier. There he gave in to practicality and simply used his earth manipulation, thickening the walls, smoothing weak points, widening the narrowest stretches so panicked civilians could move faster through it. Then he reinforced the whole structure with magic until old weaknesses knitted over and strengthened into something near impossible to collapse.
By the time he moved onto the maternity wing, however, something in him had begun to feel… off.
At first it was only a faint feeling of fatigue.
Then, halfway through layering the anti-intruder ward over the newborn section, a sudden wave of dizziness hit him so sharply he had to catch himself on the wall.
The corridor tilted unpleasantly.
Harry forced himself not to stop. He pushed the final strand of magic into place, sealed the ward, and only then sagged back against the plaster with a slow exhale as his stomach rolled.
"Hari-sama? Are you okay?"
Harry took a careful breath through his nose.
Then another.
The nausea lingered, his magic fluttering strangely in his veins in a way he did not like at all.
Before he could speak, Daen was suddenly right there, shoving a cup of water into his hand with urgency.
Harry blinked, then took it gratefully. "Thank you, Daen."
He drank the whole thing in a few gulps, the coolness helping a little.
Daen crouched slightly to eye him, brow furrowed. "Do I need to get Tsunade-sama?"
Tsunade had been called away earlier by some emergency consult, leaving the two of them to finish what they could without her. Harry, grateful for once that his cousin wasn't there, forced a smile and straightened a little.
"No," he said. "No, I'm alright. I've just never cast this many different wards all at once in one go before, that's all."
It sounded plausible.
Whether it was true, he wasn't entirely sure.
The moment he reached inward to check himself, he felt his magic flare oddly again, depleted and unsettled, as if his magic had been disturbed from a different task before settling once more.
It made his eyes widen slightly.
He wasn't used to feeling his magic deplete so suddenly.
Not to be arrogant, but he had spent most of his life being the strongest magic user in whatever room he entered. Strange fluctuations in his own core were rare, maybe he had been overworking his magic lately? Though he couldn't think of any large acts he had done that would be the cause.
He hid his discomfort, Daen still watching him too closely for any more signs of weakness.
The man looked one stumble away to summoning Tsunade.
Not wanting to strain himself further though, Harry gave up on pretending and took his wand from his sleeve to finish the next phase of the casting more carefully, allowing himself the precision and support of a channel instead of forcing everything through will alone.
Daen's eyes dropped to it immediately, eyes narrowing in curiosity.
Before the questions could start in earnest, Harry distracted him. "Can you go and get us something to eat? I think I might be a bit hungry."
Daen blinked. "Food?"
"I'm sure if I don't eat something soon, I'll faint into the nearest incubator."
That sent him moving.
By the time he returned, balancing two cafeteria sandwiches and a bag of crisps in one hand and more water in the other, Harry had finished the last of the maternity protections.
He took the sandwich immediately and nearly inhaled half of it before he realised how hungry he was.
Daen watched him with concern. "What more is there to do?" he asked once Harry had demolished the second half and stolen most of the crisps as well. "Perhaps we should make our way back home so you can rest?"
Harry smiled at him over the crinkled empty bag and shook his head. "I'm finished with what I can do here today. Tsunade's going to set up a meeting with the ANBU commander when they have time so I can see their entrance another time."
Daen visibly slumped with relief. "Then let's go now," he said at once. "If we're lucky, the children will be napping and you can join them."
Harry turned his head and looked at him for a long moment.
The strange, specific knowledge of his family's habits should not have startled him, but it still did a little.
Of course, Daen knew our routines.
What sort of assigned shadow would he be if he didn't? Where Saeko was likely to be, whether Teddy napped before or after noon, whether Shikamaru would be in the library with Barty or playing with his friends.
And maybe Shikaku had told him all of it.
Maybe some of it came from his own observation.
Perhaps, he should have felt weirded out by it all, but all he thought was that Daen and Ko were clearly taking their mission to protect them all seriously.
His eyes stung suddenly as the quiet care of it all hit Harry all at once.
He blinked fast, furious at himself for nearly crying in the middle of a hospital corridor because his mate's subordinate knew his sons' schedules.
He shoved cheer into his voice and said, "Absolutely not! Now that I'm finished, I have some babies to cuddle."
Daen actually recoiled. "What? But—"
Harry was already following his nose to that newborn baby smell.
That was how he ended up in a small side room full of plush, colourful pillows and chairs.
He sat in one of the rocking chairs with a tiny baby tucked caefully in his arms, the infant blinking up at him with wide dark eyes as they stared fascinated at the giant stranger holding them. Harry swayed in the chair, soft little purrs vibrating through his chest without thought.
So far, it had worked wonders.
Every fussy baby passed to him had quieted within moments, settling against his chest as the deep vibrating hum seemed to reach straight into their tiny bones.
Across from him, Daen sat in another rocking chair as stiffly as if he were perched on a bed of needles.
In his arms, he held the baby like it might explode.
The infant gave one warning squawk and then burst into full, outraged tears.
Daen's eyes went huge.
"Hari-sama!" he whisper-shouted in total panic. "What do I do?!"
Harry snapped out of his pleasant, wolfish haze and laughed.
A nearby nurse, already starry-eyed from watching him calm infants for the last half hour, took the baby he was holding while he crossed to Daen.
"Nothing's wrong," Harry crooned as he lifted the wailing little girl from Daen's arms. "Did the big bad shadow man scare you, sweet pup?"
He shifted her, supporting her head and rubbed slow circles along her back while he switched from purring to gentle nonsense. The crying dropped to indignant hiccups within seconds.
Daen stared at him like he was some kind of mystical god.
Before Harry could mock him for it, another nurse came in carrying a bottle and an entirely different baby.
She took one look at Daen, still frozen in the rocking chair, and pushed the child into his arms with the brisk ruthlessness of someone who had decided he needed exposure therapy.
"Support the head," she ordered. "And hold the bottle like this."
Daen looked appalled.
Harry nearly laughed himself breathless.
The baby, a round-faced little thing with almost no hair, blinked up at Daen in utter silence for one long moment and then latched onto the bottle hungrily.
Daen looked down.
The baby stared back up with wide eyes, cheeks moving steadily as he drank.
Something in Daen's expression shifted from horror to confusion to reluctant fascination.
"Heh," he said after a moment, sounding stunned. "I guess they're kind of cute."
Harry laughed and reclaimed his chair, settling with the girl he'd soothed now blinking drowsily against his chest. "Kind of?"
Daen shot him a flat look. "I'm not admitting to anything."
Harry rocked gently and took another bottle from the waiting nurse, offering it to the tiny girl in his own arms.
For a little while they sat like that, the room gone quiet except for soft suckling sounds, the creak of the rocking chairs, and Harry's low purring growls.
Daen looks terrified with a baby in his arms, but not bad, Harry thought. Not bad at all.
A wicked thought came to him.
"So," Harry said sweetly, "does this mean you're open to starting a family of your own now? Should I call some of Saeko's cafe friends and let them know?"
Daen went scarlet so fast it was almost impressive.
"Absolutely not."
Harry grinned. "I'm sure one of them has a daughter. Or granddaughter. Weren't there at least three trying to set you up last time?"
"They were vultures."
"They were perfectly nice retired old ladies."
"They were matchmaking demons."
Harry snorted.
Daen, still pink, sniffed and tried to recover by aiming a suspicious look at Harry instead. "Don't you get enough cuddles from your own babies?"
The question caught him off guard.
Harry leaned back in the chair and looked down at the baby in his arms. "Shikamaru's too big for this," he said quietly. "He still cuddles, but not like this. And Teddy only stays still this long when he first wakes up." His mouth softened at the thought and then, before he could brace against it, grief caught him sideways. "He turns one in a couple of weeks."
The words came out small and a little broken.
And that was enough.
Emotion rose up too fast, hot and stupid and utterly out of proportion, until suddenly his eyes were burning and his throat ached around a sniffle he couldn't stop.
Daen's head snapped up in alarm.
"Hari-sama?"
Harry laughed wetly, horrified at himself and unable to stop the tears that had already welled. "I'm sorry," he said, rubbing quickly at one eye with the back of his wrist. "I don't know what came over me. It just—he's growing so fast."
Daen looked horrified at the sudden turn.
The baby in his arms continued drinking, perfectly content.
After a beat, Daen awkwardly stretched one foot out and tapped it lightly against Harry's, as if that was the best comfort he could manage.
"Maybe," he said cautiously, "maybe you and Shikaku-sama could adopt another baby?"
Harry's head came up.
"What?"
Daen looked a little alarmed at how quickly Harry brightened. "I mean—well—if you're sad because Teddy's growing up—"
"You think he'd want to?" Harry asked, voice suddenly hopeful and damp all at once.
Daen snorted softly despite himself. "Hari-sama," he said, deadpan now, "Shikaku-sama would adopt a hundred babies if it made you happy."
Harry went very still.
The look that crossed his face made Daen's stomach drop.
It was thoughtful.
Too thoughtful.
No.
Surely not.
Daen stared at him in growing horror as Harry looked down at the baby in his arms, then slowly back up, eyes still suspiciously bright but now with a dangerous sort of wonder behind them.
He wouldn't really want a hundred babies, would he?
Daen swallowed.
No.
Even someone as family-focused and terrifyingly maternal as Hari-sama could not possibly want that many.
Still… perhaps it would be wise to warn Shikaku-sama.
Just in case.
~
When Harry got home that evening, the first thing he did was gather Teddy into his arms and hold him close.
He tucked the little pup up against his chest and breathed in deeply through his nose, eyes fluttering shut for just a moment as he let himself drown in the scent of him. Warm milk. Soap. Sunshine from the garden. Something sweet and soft that was simply Teddy, his pup, his baby, his little wolf.
Mine, some fierce and aching part of him whispered.
Teddy made an indignant little sound at being trapped so thoroughly, then wriggled immediately, as if proving Harry's earlier thoughts right. He didn't stay still the way the newborns at the hospital had. He wasn't a tiny sleepy bundle that could be cradled for hours without protest. He was all lively limbs and grabby hands and bright-eyed determination.
He was growing far too quickly.
The baby twisted in Harry's arms with an impatient little growl, trying to turn himself around enough to look up at him. His curls were a little wild, his cheeks pink, and his entire face lit up with adoration the moment he caught Harry's eyes.
"Mamas!" Teddy chanted triumphantly, as though he had been waiting all day just to say it. "Mama!"
Harry's breath hitched.
He laughed, but it came out soft and a little shaky around the edges, his voice wavering.
"That's right, Teddy," he murmured, pressing one kiss to his forehead, then another to his cheek, then another to the little nose that made him scrunch up with a squeal. "Your mama loves you so much."
Teddy let out a delighted shriek and rewarded him with a series of slobbery kisses pressed enthusiastically to his chin and jaw.
"Oh, thank you," Harry laughed, smiling so hard it almost hurt. "Thank you, my sweet puppy. Such generous kisses."
Teddy made a happy growling sound, one hand clutching at the collar of Harry's shirt while the other patted insistently at his cheek.
Harry shifted him a little more comfortably onto his hip and spotted the familiar dragon plush abandoned near the sofa.
"Look what I found," Harry cooed.
He lifted the plush in front of Teddy's face and gave it a dramatic little roar, wiggling it about as if it were swooping through the air toward them.
"'igel!" Teddy cried, eyes going huge. "'igel!"
Then the little menace actually started looking around.
He craned his neck, peering over Harry's shoulder and then toward the hall, then the windows, as if the dragon in question might materialise in the middle of the house.
Harry bit back a laugh.
"Oh no," he said softly, already seeing the upset gathering in Teddy's expression. "No, sweetheart. Rigel's sleeping right now."
Teddy looked at him, lower lip wobbling dangerously.
"Mamas," he whined, little hands curling tighter around both Harry and the plush dragon. "'igel."
"I know, my love," he murmured. "I know. But Rigel is asleep. He's had a very long day, you can visit him tomorrow."
Teddy's face crumpled further. His whole body went rigid with the beginnings of what Harry recognised as a truly catastrophic tantrum.
Absolutely not.
Cheating, Harry shifted him higher, tucked the plush between Teddy's arm and chest, and let the purr rise from deep in his throat.
His throat was slightly sore from how often he had done it already that day, but he would rather deal with a bit of hoarseness than a hysterical baby when he was already tired and raw from everything else. The sound vibrated against Teddy where he was pressed close, and almost immediately the tension began to melt out of the small body in his arms.
Teddy cooed and did his best to mimic him.
His head dropped against Harry's chest with a sleepy little sigh, the plush dragon clutched protectively in one hand.
"There we are," Harry whispered, kissing the top of his curly head. "That's my good little puppy."
Still purring softly, he began rummaging through the fridge one-handed.
He was starving.
Saeko had clearly made enough leftovers for a small army, and Harry silently thanked every benevolent force in existence for her foresight.
Egg rolls.
Stir-fry.
Rice.
Some sort of braised vegetables that smelled heavenly and made his stomach growl outright.
He barely bothered heating half of it before he was shovelling food into his mouth.
Teddy, smelling food, lifted his head and opened his mouth wide like a tiny bird.
Harry snorted softly and fed him a little piece from the end of an egg roll.
"That's yours," he said sternly as Teddy made an impatient little sound for more. "And this is mine. You've had your dinner, puppy."
Teddy's response was to open his mouth even wider.
"Unbelievable," Harry muttered, though he gave him another little bite anyway.
It was like that, one arm full of warm, cuddly baby, the other alternating between forkfuls for himself and tiny stolen bites for Teddy, when Sirius and Shikamaru found them.
Shikamaru had clearly just come from his bath. His hair was wet, clinging in all directions around his face and neck despite his best efforts to towel it dry. He was in his deer pyjamas and looked freshly scrubbed, pink-cheeked, and adorable.
"Pup!" Sirius announced, brightening instantly at the sight before him. "How did the warding go?"
Harry smiled around a mouthful of stir-fry, swallowed quickly, and lifted his fork in greeting.
"It went good!" he said. "We ran into a few hiccups, but nothing I couldn't fix. Though I'll have to go there again to finish one of the other tunnels."
Sirius's face lit with interest as he ushered Shikamaru toward the chair beside Harry. Then he snatched the towel from the boy's shoulders and started drying his hair with frantic, back and forth motions.
Shikamaru yelped.
"Hold still," Sirius said, utterly unrepentant, rubbing Shikamaru's hair erratically until the boy was squirming and half-laughing, half-whining.
"Stop! Stop it!" Shikamaru shrieked, wriggling in the chair as Sirius ruffled the towel even more aggressively. "Grandpa!"
"You'll freeze if I don't dry it," Sirius informed him, as if he couldn't just do it with magic.
Shikamaru turned to Harry immediately, eyes wide with betrayal. "Mom! Tell him to stop it!"
Harry near melted.
Then he recovered enough to flick his finger.
The wet towel abandoned Shikamaru's head and immediately launched itself at Sirius's face.
The man let out a startled shriek and stumbled backward, flailing as the damp fabric plastered itself over his face.
"Pup!" Sirius wailed from beneath it. "What treachery is this?!"
Shikamaru dissolved into helpless giggles.
Harry laughed, and even Teddy, let out a peal of delighted baby laughter and kicked his little legs.
Sirius clawed at the towel dramatically. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"
Harry was still laughing when he waved his hand and released him.
The towel floated harmlessly down to the counter.
Harry only winked at Shikamaru, who was still grinning like he'd just witnessed the best thing ever.
Then Harry opened the arm that wasn't occupied by Teddy and tugged Shikamaru into a sideways hug, kissing the top of his damp head.
"Did you have a nice day with grandma and grandpa today?" he asked, smoothing a hand down the boy's hair more gently than Sirius had managed.
Shikamaru leaned into him immediately and nodded. "Mmhm," he said. "Dad came home for lunch and we played shogi! I didn't win, but grandma played against Ko and won so fast!"
Harry huffed a soft laugh.
"Did she now?" he asked. "Do you think I could win against Ko?"
Shikamaru scrunched his nose.
"I don't know…" the boy said cautiously.
Harry just looked at him.
Shikamaru fidgeted. "You're pretty bad at shogi…"
Harry raised one elegant brow, and Shikamaru's eyes went huge.
"I mean—not bad bad," he babbled at once, words tripping over each other in his panic. "I just meant that you don't play like a Nara!"
Harry's expression remained deeply unimpressed.
Shikamaru visibly dug himself deeper. "And that's—not a bad thing! I mean—well—it is if you want to win, but—" He made a strangled little noise and then gave up entirely, turning his face into Harry's chest with a groan. "Sorry."
He sulked there, pink-faced and embarrassed.
Harry held out for exactly three seconds before he broke into laughter and kissed the top of his head again.
"Oh, little fawn," he said fondly. "I've no chance at being good at shogi with all the brainy Nara around, do I?"
Shikamaru looked up at him at once, earnestness written all over his little face.
"You're better than grandpa," he said.
Sirius made an offended noise.
"Excuse you," he huffed, snatching the towel back up and glaring at them both. "I happen to be a natural strategist."
Shikamaru stared at him like he was deeply unconvinced.
Sirius narrowed his eyes. "I am! I just haven't properly learned the game yet."
"Grandma still beat you," Shikamaru pointed out.
"she clearly cheated," Sirius said with great dignity.
Harry laughed under his breath, shaking his head at the surprising little rivalry that had developed between Sirius and Saeko over the last couple of weeks. It had started with the boys and had now somehow branched into board games
Still smiling, Harry shifted Teddy slightly on his hip and glanced between the two of them.
"I was thinking that I might throw a small party for Teddy's birthday."
That got everyone's attention.
Even Teddy, who had been mostly occupied with chewing dragon plush, looked up at the sound of his name.
Harry continued, warming to the idea as he spoke. "Maybe we could make a cake and enlarge the mirror and put it next to the portrait, so everyone can talk properly."
"I didn't know it was his birthday soon!" Shikamaru exclaimed, turning toward Teddy in astonishment.
"He's growing so fast," Harry said softly. "And I want Grimbok, Blaise, and the others to sing happy birthday to him."
Sirius, leaning one hip against the counter, grinned at them all. "That means just us, Saeko, Shikaku and Barty for the party then."
Harry nodded.
"Yes," he said. "Tsunade and Shizune as well. Just family."
Because it would have to be.
Anyone else and they'd have to explain the mirror and the portraits.
He was already planning to ask Grimbok and Tazgira to make sure everyone back home was free that day. He wanted all of them there, even if only by mirror call, wanted them to sing together and celebrate his pup's first birthday properly.
He wanted Teddy to be surrounded by love.
He just wished—
His smile faltered for half a second.
He just wished they could do it all in person.
All his favourite people in one place.
No worlds between them.
Just one room, full of everyone he loved.
But that was only a dream.
He shoved the thought away before it could drag him under.
Instead, he looked down at Teddy, who was now basking shamelessly in the attention with his little legs kicking and his dragon plush clutched to his chest. The three of them began cooing at him almost at once, and Teddy, naturally, thought this was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
"Who's turning one?" Harry crooned, bumping his nose against Teddy's curls.
"Such a big boy!" Sirius added dramatically.
"Birthday boy!" Shikamaru said, grinning as he started singing the song.
Teddy's eyes went round and delighted.
He kicked harder and babbled something that sounded suspiciously like an attempt to sing along, his voice rising and falling in nonsense syllables as he tried to mimic their tone.
Harry laughed, but his chest ached.
He wasn't quite ready to let his pup grow up yet.
Not when it felt like only yesterday Teddy had fit against him so small and helpless and new. Not when even now, with his wriggling and growling and demanding Rigel at impossible hours, he still sometimes tucked his head under Harry's chin and sighed like the littlest thing in the world.
Harry pressed one more kiss to the top of his head and held him a fraction tighter.
No.
He was not ready.
But he would make the day perfect anyway.