“You feel secure, Sev?” Harry asked, checking the straps of the baby carrier one more time.

Severus wiggled his arms and legs. Other than that, he could barely move. He signed ‘yes’.

“You got him, Gin?”

“Harry, I checked the straps after I put him in, and I’ve checked them ten times since then. You think I want him to fall out?” Ginny scowled at her boyfriend.

“I’m paranoid. I’m sorry.” Harry said apologetically. “You know me, love.” He leaned in over Sev’s head and gave her a sweet kiss. “I know you don’t want him to fall out. I’m just…” He struggled to find words, but in the end just sighed and turned away, checking his broom for anything that might impair his flying.

“Just fly slow, Harry, that’s all.” Ginny replied gently. She encircled his waist from behind with one arm and stretched up on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek. “You’re a master flyer, love. I trust you.” Letting him go, she walked over to her rucksack and checked it one last time. In it, she had packed design books and magazines, as well as a few odds and ends in addition to her overnight clothes. “Do you think I have everything, love?” She asked the child strapped to her chest.

“So did Ron say anything yesterday after you got back home?” Harry asked as he shrunk the bags and stuffed them in a zip-up pocket.

“No, not really.” Ginny shook her head. “I think he was satisfied after he saw you and you guys talked for a bit.”

“Did he buy into the cover story?”

Ginny shrugged. “More or less.” She gave Harry a questioning look. “Do you think Hermione did?”

“Absolutely not.” Harry smirked. “She knows something’s up. I think she got especially suspicious when the two of us kept going back and forth to the bedroom.”

“The closed door didn’t help any.”

“Nope.” Harry shook his head, mounting his broom. “Nor the silencing charms.”

“Sirius probably doesn’t suspect anything.” Ginny added in a hopeful tone.

“Probably not.” Harry shook his head. “He’s sharper than Ron, for sure, but not as sharp as Hermione.”

“I think they all took a tour of your quarters yesterday, after I left.” Ginny said, closing, shrinking, and pocketing her knapsack. “Ron and Padfoot figured the crib and toys belonged to Teddy. Hermione wasn’t fooled, though.”

“You know, I’d really love to trick that girl one day.” Harry remarked as Ginny mounted the Firebolt behind him. “I mean really trick her—where she doesn’t suspect one thing.”

“That’ll be the day.” Ginny smirked. “Tonks told me that after they ran around looking for you yesterday, Hermione asked about Severus at the staff table; about what had happened to him and why he wasn’t in the hospital wing anymore.” Both Harry and Sev looked up at her in concern. “Don’t worry. Dumbledore’s still really sharp. I think he figured we were hiding from Sirius and that’s why we weren’t able to help Remus move in. He made up some excuse about Sev and threw them off the trail.” The two boys sighed in relief. “The rest of the staff must’ve followed his example as well, from what I can tell.”

“In fact, I had a word with them right before the moving party joined us yesterday.” A jolly old voice answered behind them. All three turned to find the Headmaster himself strolling down the steps of the Wooden Bridge to the middle of the Stone Circle, where they were getting ready to depart. “I take it Mr. Black, Mr. Weasley, and Miss Granger do not know about Severus yet?” He raised an eyebrow at them.

“Not yet. No, sir.” Harry answered.

“Well the staff promised to keep mum about it unless otherwise indicated.”

“We appreciate it, sir.” Ginny nodded and tapped Sev lightly.

Severus scowled at Dumbledore, but mumbled and signed, “Eeeenk-ooo.”—‘Thank you.’

“You’re very welcome, Severus.” The old man smiled at the baby and then turned to Harry. “So, are the three of you off to Godric’s Hollow?”

“Yes, sir.” Harry nodded. “Taking the back route, we are.” He pointed to the river behind the Quidditch pitch. “We’re staying low until we reach the river, and then apparating when we’re outside the wards.”

“Trying to avoid the nice photographers outside the gates, are we?” The headmaster chuckled.

“Hopefully it hasn’t occurred to them to fan out just yet.” The teenager nodded.

“Well…have a good time.” He wished them, stepping back to allow them to push off the ground. “And when is the housewarming party?”

Harry made sure Ginny was hugging him tightly before he pushed off the ground and hovered just above Dumbledore’s head. “In good time, sir. Don’t worry—you’ll get an invitation.” He turned around slightly to check on Ginny and Sev. “Have you got everything, sweetheart?”

“Yes, yes—designs, overnight clothes, Sev’s things, everything.” She turned back to the headmaster with a kind smile. “Have a nice weekend, sir.”

“And to you three as well, Miss Weasley.”

With a final wave, Harry took off towards the river behind the school. He didn’t move too fast, scared at what might happen if he lost control of his broom. Normally, when he flew a broom, he was by himself, so flying as fast as he wanted and as high as he wanted was the order of the day every time he mounted a broomstick. Now that he was flying with his girlfriend and an infant on board, though, his attitude towards flying completely turned on its head. Slow and low was the way to go this time around.

As soon as they reached the river, he instructed Ginny to hold on tightly. His girlfriend’s arms tightened around his waist just as Sev’s little arms reached around his neck, as far as they could go, and grabbed his shirt. Harry grinned. “Alright? Everyone feels secure now, right?”

“Mmm!” Sev whined.

“We’re fine, Harry.” Ginny answered, a smile in her voice.

“Okay, here we go!” Harry tilted the broomstick just slightly and they soared upwards in a slow, gentle climb. He leveled off at about a kilometer off the ground and continued flying forward. “Alright then…I’m going to apparate now, so…” He quickly glanced over his shoulder to check on them. “Just hang on tight, don’t let go, and…enjoy the view!” Harry took a deep breath to prepare himself. “Okay, here we go! 1…” Harry gripped the broomstick tightly, “…2…” he made sure his legs were locked beneath him, and, “…3!” He shot forward as fast as he could, focusing his mind and thinking about the one other place in the world that felt like home.

Godric’s Hollow...Godric’s Hollow...Godric’s Hollow!

POP!

When the ‘rubber tube’ feeling—as Harry called it—subsided, he looked up to find himself flying just above a bright green hilltop in the English countryside. Turning slightly, he breathed a sigh of relief when he realized that he had successfully apparated his passengers and his broomstick along with him. “Everyone alright?” He asked with a smile. “No splinching?”

“I’m fine. Are you okay, Sev?”

“Uh-huh.” Sev moaned.

“Sweetheart?!” Ginny cried, alarmed.

“Dee-bee.” Sev groaned.

“He’s dizzy, love, that’s all.” Harry translated. “Is your stomach churning, Sev?”

“Uh-huh.” The infant nodded sadly.

“Don’t worry, cub, we’re almost home.”

“Where are we, Harry?”

Just then, Harry’s broom cleared a rather tall hill, and a spectacular view of the English countryside greeted them. “Lady and gentleman, welcome to Godric’s Hollow!”

It was like a scene out of a picture book. Rolling hills of green stretched as far as the eye could see, interspersed with small groves of trees, dirt roads, cottages, and stone fences. A small, peaceful-looking village lay nestled amidst the majestic hills, its wood and stone buildings giving it the feel of an Old English town. The midmorning sun’s rays kissed everything in sight, illuminating the area with a golden glow. Ginny could see cows, sheep, and goats grazing in the different pastures. A herd of horses ran free around one particularly large patch of grass. Children and sheep dogs ran loose in another field of green. The grass must have been soft, for the kids chased each other barefoot, laughing and taking turns on a small wooden tree swing.

“Love,” Ginny murmured with a smile, “‘Beyond perfect’ wouldn’t do this place justice.” Harry turned his head slightly to look at her and the two of them exchanged a meaningful look. “It’s paradise.” She continued. “My heaven on earth, and it is absolutely divine, Harry.”

Harry gave her a sweet half-smile and began to gently slope his broom downwards. “Told you you’d love it.” He flew towards a grouping of four cottages a short walk away from the town. Behind two of the houses was a small grove of trees, a stream running through its center. Directly across from those houses were two more cottages, behind which lay several green pastures and a single field of rye. “Alright, hang on! We’re almost there, cub.” Speeding up slightly, Harry banked sharply and pulled up just in front of one of the stone cottages next to the grove, landing his broom softly on the ground. “Number 20 Haven Place. Welcome to ‘The Den’!”

“Harry, Sev’s stomach.” Ginny reminded him.

“Oh!” Dismounting, Harry pulled a small vial of pink liquid from one of his pockets. “Children’s Stomach-Calming Draught, cub. Bottom’s up!” He held the vial to the child’s lips and he emptied it in one gulp. “You should be feeling better in a bit, eh?”

“Who else lives here, love?” Ginny asked, surveying the three other houses.

“No one, actually.” Harry replied. “When I first returned here, I asked around town. A rather nice old muggle man informed me that these other three were actually up for sale, and each at a relatively low price.”

“So you bought them.” Ginny surmised.

“Yes, well…” He pointed to one of the houses across the street. “That house belonged to Dumbledore when he and his family lived here a long time ago. He doesn’t want it back; bad memories and everything. Aberforth, on the other hand, doesn’t really care. He likes the house because it reminds him of Ariana.”

“So he wants it back.”

“He offered to buy it back. I offered to give it back. He liked my offer better.”

Ginny laughed. “Naturally. That’s Aberforth for you.” She gestured to the two houses across from each other. “And these two?”

“I’m remodeling both of them.” Harry replied, taking the shrunken bags out of his pockets. “I’m offering them to Ron and Hermione, or even Remus and Tonks, if they want a summer home.”

“I think Ron and Hermione want to live in London.” Ginny replied.

“Yeah?”

“Well Hermione wants to live in London. Ron doesn’t really care. But Ron told my mum, and my mum told me, that they were looking for a flat in London close to Sirius’ place.”

“Oh…” Harry helped Ginny and Sev off the broom. “Well, I’ll make the offer to them anyway. If they refuse, I’ll have the muggle realtor put an ad out for a rental.”

“Muggle? Why not wizard?” Ginny asked, a small smile tugging at her lips.

Harry took his Firebolt in one hand, Ginny’s hand in the other, and began leading them into his little fixer-upper of a cottage. “Oh, I don’t know. Can you picture an ad in the Daily Prophet? ‘Quaint two-story rental cottage in Godric’s Hollow; 3-bedroom, 2-bath, complete with attic, basement, front and back yards, and plenty of land; Oh, and by the way, Harry Potter will be your landlord.’”

Ginny cracked up. “They’ll all be swarming over here.”

“Exactly! I rather have muggle neighbors than deal with that.” He waved his hand over the lock and the door swung open, revealing a small enclosed porch that led to an inner door.

“Hey, Sev?” Harry called, turning his attention to the quiet baby strapped to Ginny’s chest. “Hey, cub, are you alright?” He pulled the infant out of his carrier and into his arms. The sudden movement startled Severus and his eyes jerked open. The child whined, yawned, and rubbed his little eyes, grabbing onto Harry’s robes and making himself comfortable against them.

“Aw, he’s sleepy.” Ginny said, removing Sev’s carrier. “We woke him up pretty early this morning.”

Harry stepped inside, waving the second door open and escorting them into the front room of the house. A small table lay to the left of the door, while to their right, against the wall, were several coat racks and shelves for shoes. The stairs that led to the second floor sat right in front of them, and a rather large room lay to their left. A huge fireplace sat against the far left wall, a door to its immediate right. Four leather easy chairs, a coffee table, and a comfortable-looking couch lay across from it. On the far right wall were two doors, slightly ajar. Ginny took note of how…empty the place looked.

“Ehm…this is the living room.” Harry said, lowering his voice for the sake of the sleepy child.

“This is the living room?” Ginny echoed disbelievingly. “This whole thing is the living room?” Harry nodded sheepishly. Ginny blinked. She pointed to the door to the fireplace’s right. “Where does that lead?”

“That’s a swinging door and it leads into the dining room. The other swinging door in the dining room leads into the kitchen.” Then, he felt compelled to add, “It’s a rather big kitchen.”

Ginny cracked a smile. “I’m sure I’m going to love it, Harry. Don’t worry.” She then gestured towards the wall with the two doors. “Where do those lead?”

“The one closest to the fireplace leads to my office…or study…or whatever. The door closest to the staircase leads to a bathroom.” He replied. “Oh, and that’s the only working bathroom in the house at the moment. I sealed off half of the second floor because a large chunk of the roof is missing. That includes the master bathroom.”

Ginny’s eyes widened in realization. “Voldemort!”

Harry grimaced but nodded. “They left the house in its ruined state as a memorial and a reminder against violence. Now I have to deal with cleaning up sixteen years’ worth of water damage and wind erosion.”

“Harry, at least you’re the one who’s doing it.” Ginny replied, looking him square in the eye. “They were right to do what they did.”

“What do you mean?” Harry asked, confused.

“Well, look at it this way,” his girlfriend responded, “As I recall, this house was preserved in its ruined state as a reminder of the violence that tore apart your family, correct?”

“Yes…?”

“Now, almost seventeen years later, you’re building one!” Ginny continued with a smile, “You’re building a family. You’re also repairing this house at the same time. Don’t you see? It all works out, love.” Ginny explained, “Seventeen years ago, this house was torn apart when your family was torn apart. Now…this house is being rebuilt, and—”

“My family is being rebuilt along with it.” Harry nodded in understanding, a smile tugging at his lips.

“See? Appropriate.” Ginny grinned. “No one else should’ve been allowed to rebuild it except you.” Quickly turning her attention to other things, Ginny pointed to the small hallway between the staircase and the bathroom wall, near the back of the house. “What’s beyond that?”

Harry glanced over, “Oh! There’s a doorway to the backyard there, but I had planned to build another enclosed patio, like this doorway.”

“Excellent!” Ginny exclaimed, climbing up the stairs. “Tell me what else you wanted to do and I’ll fit it into my blueprint.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “What blueprint?” He began following her up the steps. “You have a blueprint?”

“I assume the master bedroom is livable?”

“Yes, it was the first room I cleaned and repaired.”

“The sheets are new?”

“Brand new, clean, and soft.” Harry nodded. “Oh, and that reminds me, did you bring Sev’s crib?”

Ginny froze and turned back to him in concern. “No, I thought you brought Sev’s crib.” Her boyfriend stopped and shook his head slowly. “His playpen?”

“I was about to ask you that.”

Ginny rolled her eyes and shrugged, resuming her trek up the stairs. “It’s okay. He can sleep in the big bed with us. I’ll ask him about it later when he’s more awake.”

Harry thought about it a second before continuing to follow her up the stairs. “Well it’s not like he has much of a choice now, does he? By the way, are you sure your parents are okay with you staying with me for the weekend?”

Ginny sighed in frustration. “I already told you, Harry. They trust me, they trust you, they trust us together, I trust you, you can trust me. I’m not going to give anyone a reason not to trust me. Are you going to give anyone a reason not to trust you?”

“No! Absolutely not! You can definitely trust me!” Harry replied defensively.

“Okay then.” Ginny grinned. “Nothing to worry about.” Upon entering the master bedroom, she gave everything a quick once-over before diving into the king-sized bed, its fluffy white comforter cushioning her landing. “Harry…I love the bed.”

“Thought you might.” Her boyfriend replied, trying to keep his shoulders from shaking as he chuckled at her.

Quickly, Ginny pulled open the covers and made a little white nest for the now-sleeping infant. Harry laid Severus gently on his back, pausing to brush a strand of baby hair away from the angelic face before straightening up again.

The teens quickly made plans for the rest of the day. Harry was to unpack whatever needed to be unpacked in the bedroom while he watched Sev and Ginny took a quick tour of the house. Once his girlfriend was done with her initial inspection, they would switch off—Harry focusing on building the porch he envisioned, while Ginny babysat and made blueprints and design plans using the magazines and books she brought from home. Their plans went off without a hitch.

Thus, the twelve o’clock cuckoo bird found Ginny sitting cross-legged at the edge of the king-sized bed. Picture books, do-it-yourself home improvement spell books, muggle and wizard design magazines, stainless inks, various quills, and loose pieces of parchment were either strewn on the bed or flying all around her.

“The library can have a nice, homely theme. I always liked the old-style type. Definitely mahogany…no! The cherry wood finish! Yes…” She muttered under her breath as she scratched something off on the parchment she was holding. “What was the name of that theme? The oak leaf theme? Maybe…that’s probably it. Lots of greens and reds…Where was that picture?” She began flipping through one of the floating books around her when a tiny yawn caught her ear, instinctively making her stop what she was doing to check on the infant.

Severus still had his eyes closed, but he kept wobbling from side to side, as if he wanted to roll over. Slowly lowering her papers and books back onto the bed, Ginny set aside her quill and parchment, and carefully crawled over towards the pillows. She laid down on the right half of the mattress and gently lifted the pillow guarding Severus on her side. Almost immediately, those beautiful chocolate eyes flew open to meet her hazel.

“Good afternoon, Severus.” Ginny drawled, a gentle smile upon her face. The infant blinked, confusion miring his features before recognition finally sparked.

“Ah-moooooooom.” Turning away, Sev surveyed his surroundings briefly before pushing slightly on the other pillow and rolling over. Now on his stomach, the infant’s eyes widened in wakefulness. He inspected the room once more, his eyes radiating a sort of muted curiosity. Turning back to Ginny, he yawned again.

“Still sleepy?” The teen asked worriedly, her hand automatically reaching up to take his temperature. The infant leaned into the touch, eyes closed in delight. Squirming forward, Sev pushed himself up on his hands and knees and then lunged at Ginny, landing on his back against the spot where Ginny’s side met the bed. “Ah, you want to cuddle! I see!” Ginny’s arm came around him automatically, and he felt a gentle kiss placed on his forehead. “Oh, and by the way, Harry and I forgot both your crib and your playpen by accident, so you’ll have to sleep here on this bed with us tonight. Is that alright?”

‘No! It most certainly is not alright! I sleep alone!’—‘That doesn’t sound too bad. This bed is way more comfortable than that crib anyway! Plus, I always feel safer with one or both of them in the room.’ Two different voices argued viciously in the back of Sev’s mind. Yet he completely ignored both of them in favor of the third voice in his stomach, which was grumbling something fierce right now.

“What do you say, sweetheart?”

Sev tilted his head back to look at her. “Mewmew, pea…” He said pleadingly, signing ‘hungry’, ‘milk’, and ‘please’.

“I’ll feed you just as soon as you answer me, love. Are you okay with sleeping with us?”

“Uh-huh!”—‘Yes’

“Okay!” Ginny grinned, giving him a tight hug and a brief kiss. “Thank you, Sev!” Sitting up, she summoned the baby sling to her and prepared to nurse. Once she had Sev settled in and appropriately latched on, she looked down at him adoringly. “How about we take these…” she held up her semi-completed blueprints, “…and go find Harry. He’s been working for three and a half hours now. We could all use a break.”

As gently as she could, Ginny made her way downstairs and towards the back door under the staircase. “Harry!” She called over the din of spellwork, “Come on, you’ve been working long enough. Time for a break!”

“Argh!” Harry stopped himself mid-spell with a frustrated sigh. “It’s not measuring up the way I want it to.” He explained, trying the smooth the wrinkles on his forehead. “Plus, it’s not reinforcing itself the way I want it to.”

“You can figure it out, later.” Ginny interjected, tugging him towards the dining room. “It’s lunchtime now. Someone’s already enjoying himself. Let’s find ourselves something to eat, shall we?”

“Oh, bloody hell!”

“Harry!” Ginny scowled at her boyfriend, her arm tightening around Sev protectively.

“Sorry…” The teen grimaced. “It’s just…I…forgot I didn’t have any more food in my kitchen.” He threw his spell book against the wall, irritated with himself. 

“Will you calm down, Henry!” Ginny snapped, using Harry’s proper name in an effort to get his complete attention. It worked. Harry turned to her, speechless. “Look at yourself! You’re getting angry over nothing. This is precisely why I said you needed a break. You were too focused, and then you became stuck, now your blood pressure’s up and you being hungry probably didn’t help that much.” Stopping herself mid-rant, Ginny took a deep, calming breath and then released it, feeling her own anger and frustrations draining away. “Okay, so there’s no food in the kitchen. So what?” She shrugged and waved it off. “Is there a grocery store in town?”

“Um…yeah.” Harry nodded.

“Muggle or wizard?”

“Muggle.”

“Do you have a couple of pounds on you?”

“All my money’s in pounds right now.” Harry replied, reaching into his back pocket and checking his wallet to make sure that was indeed the case.

“I could do with a walk. How about you?” She looked at him expectantly.

“Do I actually have a choice?” Harry asked, a smile tugging at his lips.

Ginny narrowed her eyes playfully and smirked, “What do you think?”

Harry snorted, and then peered down at the nursing baby. “What do you think, Sev? Do I have a choice?” The infant smiled at him from around Ginny’s breast. A drop or two of milk escaped and ran down his cheek.

Ginny wiped them up immediately. “That’s a ‘no’.”

Harry inclined his head towards the front door. “Let’s go.”

Hand and hand, Ginny and Harry leisurely strolled into town, taking their time to admire the amazing green scenery, the carefully constructed stone walls, the clean dirt roads, the five-hundred-year-old, still-sturdy bridge. They coaxed Severus into stretching out his senses and listening for the music that, even during the day, was present in places like this.

“You see, cub, Hogwarts may be a beacon of light for white magic, but for some reason it doesn’t have the same sort of purity that this place has.” Harry explained.

“That’s probably because Hogwarts has seen its fair share of battles.” Ginny explained. “This most recent battle is hardly its first, and I’m sure it won’t be its last.”

“Many people have died on its grounds, yes.” Harry nodded. He turned back to the infant. “But can you hear that, Sev? Can you hear that music?”

“It’s always there, sweetheart.” Ginny added, “Just like I told you. It’s not only at night.”

“That’s the sound of white magic.” Harry emphasized. “Just like the tingling is the feel of it.”  

Severus sat up in his sling, admiring the landscape along with his two caretakers, and basking in the warmth of the surrounding light. The wind whistled through the trees in perfect harmony with the earth’s notes, and his ears rang to the tune of nature’s drummer. By the time they reached town, Severus was a calm, happy baby, chewing on a water-filled teething ring and looking around curiously.

Apparently, today was the farmer’s market in Godric’s Hollow, for there were booths set up along the main street, displaying all varieties of fresh fruits and vegetables available for purchase. Ginny, a fan of the farmer’s market as well as supporting the little people, bought fruits and vegetables by the bushel and made Harry lug everything around, much to Sev’s amusement. She made sure the feed her boys, though, keeping them satisfied as they trekked from booth to booth.

“Good afternoon there, young lady!” A nice middle-aged woman greeted them from her seat behind her produce booth.

“Good afternoon!” Ginny replied cheerfully, eyeing the tomatoes, potatoes, and asparagus in the boxes with a critical eye.

“May I interest you and yours with a carton of eggs—three dozen for only ninety pence.”

Ginny’s eyes widened in surprise. “Ninety pence?”

“Yep!”

“Three dozen?!” She turned to Harry in wonder. “Three dozen, Harry! What do you think?”

Her boyfriend raised an eyebrow, but gave both ladies a half-smile. “I’d think ‘What’s the catch?’”

The booth tender cracked up. “I know. Hard to believe, isn’t it?”

Harry silently and wandlessly scanned the carton for any rotten eggs or funny business. Strangely enough, the woman was genuinely selling a carton of three dozen fresh eggs. “A tiny bit.” He answered lightly, handing his wallet over to Ginny.

“A ba!” Severus babbled, making a reach for some peaches on the table.

“No, no, no, sweetheart!” Ginny chuckled nervously, gently pulling his hand back.

“No, go ahead! You can have one. No charge!” The booth tender smiled. “Your son’s adorable! How old is he?”

Both Ginny and Harry blushed. “Thank you. He’ll be six months in…”

“Twelve days.” Harry filled in, “The ninth.”

“Wonderful! Hey, listen, are you new in town, or are you just passing through?” The tender asked.

“Oh, we just moved in to a cottage near here.” Harry answered.

“Excellent! So you’re the new neighbors up at Haven Place! My friend told me someone had bought all three houses up there. So how’re you enjoying town, so far?” Then her eyes widened and she stood up and offered them her hand. “Oh, excuse me, where are my manners? I’m Martha.” She said with a smile.

“Ginny.” The teen answered, shaking her hand and mirroring the smile. “This is my husband Harry and our son…er…” she exchanged a look with Harry, “…Henry.”

“Oh, my goodness!” The woman chuckled. “Harry and Henry.”

“Yes, well…” Ginny laughed nervously, “He’s a junior!” She saw Harry scanning the area for any indication of wizarding folk. “This is the big Henry, this is the little Henry.” Her boyfriend gave her a barely-perceptible nod, indicating he had found a few. “Sometimes we call the little one Hank.” Ginny continued, forming a cover story in her mind.

“Harry and Hank. That works!” The booth tender nodded, oblivious of the additional exchanges between them. “So listen, since you’re new to town, I’d like to invite you to our Sunday services tomorrow in the chapel.” The woman continued. “It doesn’t really matter what denomination you are, really. My brother is the pastor, and though one of his missions is converting, he doesn’t like pushing religion on those who wish to dance to their own drummer, so to speak. He likes hosting events that bring the community together, though. This Famer’s Market is largely his doing.”

“Tell him it’s wonderful.” Ginny said.

“I will, thank you! So anyway, a free lunch is offered after services every Sunday. If you and your family don’t want to come to services, that’s fine. You’re still very much welcome at the free lunch.”

“That sounds great, Martha!” She exchanged a look with Harry. Her boyfriend shrugged and then nodded. “What do you think about that, Henry?” She jiggled Sev to get his attention. The infant looked at her, blinked, looked at the woman, blinked, looked at her once more, blinked, and then leaned over and tried reaching for the peach once more.

“I take that as a yes.” Ginny shrugged. “Thank you so much for the invite! We’ll be at services and the free lunch.”

“Excellent!” The two exchanged details and then Ginny bought the three-dozen eggs in addition to several soft fruits for Severus. The two then said their thanks and goodbyes and soon the three of them were heading up the road back to Haven Place.

“Do you think anybody recognized us?” Ginny asked as she finished peeling Sev’s peach and held it in his mouth for him to chew on. The infant gripped her fingers and held her hands where they were, gnawing at the fruit as if it was a new teething toy.

“Without a doubt.” Harry replied. “Well, they recognized me, at least. I saw at least a dozen wizarding families there. They were all trying to not stare at me.”

“Bet that whole ‘husband and son’ thing threw them for a loop, though.” Ginny smiled mischievously.

“Just a bit.” Harry smirked. “At least, it threw off the ones who were in listening range.”

“Too bad I didn’t see their faces!” Ginny added playfully, acting put-out. Sev laughed at her antics.

“We need to work on our cover story.” Harry said. Ginny agreed.

After they reached the house, they put all the food away and then fixed themselves lunch. Severus nursed once again while they ate. After finishing and cleaning up, Ginny shrunk the dining table to an appropriate size and then sat Severus on its surface, away from the edges. She then took her blueprints and spread them out in front of the baby.

“So this is what I have so far for this house.” She said, presenting the plans to her boyfriend. Both boys inspected the plans.

“Are these all to scale?”

“Yep!”

“Bick few-pey.” Sev commented, pointing to the main fireplace.

“Yeah, I know. It’s huge!” Harry agreed with a smirk.

Ginny began pointing to different parts of the paper. “So this is the section that was blasted off by Voldemort—the section missing the roof—and this is the section that you sealed off. I checked out your old nursery while I was in there. Ol’ snake-face really did a number on the place.”

“I know.” Harry nodded. “I really, really know. But you know what?” He added, barely remembering something he had meant to tell her for a while now. “What I noticed was that it wasn’t flooded with Dark Magic! You’d think it would be.”

“Oh, I know!” Ginny agreed, wide-eyed and excited. “I noticed that too! It’s flooded with white magic instead. It’s absolutely incredible!”

“It’s my mother’s magic.” Harry said assuredly. “I can feel it. I can tell. It’s her.” He and Ginny exchanged a short, meaningful smile.

“Wiwee?” Sev broke in, his voice small and quiet. His gaze moved from one to the other, eyes filled with as much wonder as his caretakers’.

“Yeah, Sev.” Harry replied, taking a seat next to the child and looking him square in the eye. “Lily.” His voice was soft, almost reverent, when he spoke of his mother. “I’ll take you there tomorrow so you can feel it for yourself. It’s her who has left the white magic. I just know it! It must’ve lingered there after Voldemort was taken care of, and it never dispersed.”

“It’s just as well.” Ginny broke in, pointing to the room on the blueprint. “It’s going to be his room by the time the house is finished.”

“MEH?!” Sev squeaked, taking a closer look at the blueprint under him. “Meh woom?!” Sure enough, the words ‘Sev’s room’ were scratched in blue ink next to the red outline.

“Absolutely, your room!” Ginny smiled. “Why? Is that so hard to believe?”

“So let me guess,” Harry stood up and walked around the table, looking at the plans, “the ones in black are already there, the ones in blue are labels, and the ones in red require intense construction spellwork.”

“Not necessarily.” Ginny shook her head. “The rooms definitely do, and the porches, for sure. Most of this red stuff is furniture, though. That reminds me! Can we go into London sometime this week?”

“IKEA?”

“I’m sorry?”

“You want to look at furniture, right?” Harry guessed. Ginny nodded. “You’re going to love IKEA. It’s a gigantic furniture store, they have displays and almost everything on the displays is for sale, a restaurant on top, a kids’ area, it’s ridiculously cheap—”

“Stop! It’s my favorite store already.” Ginny smirked and then turned back to the blueprint. “Okay. So once you guys raise the roof next weekend, you can really get down to repairing these four rooms—your old nursery that we’re converting into Sev’s room, the master bathroom, and then the two rooms across the hall from them, which, on this blueprint, are bedrooms. The only big construction work on the ground floor are the two porches—the closed one you’re working on right now, and the bigger, open one behind the kitchen. The only things left to build after those two are the island in the kitchen and the wall to separate the living room and the stairwell.”

“An entertainment center? Like a muggle entertainment center?” Harry’s eyes shone with delight as he studied the boxed off area next to the aforementioned wall.

“Why not?” Ginny shrugged, smiling at his childlike glee. “You said you always wanted one of those as a child. Just because we’re of the wizarding world, Harry, doesn’t mean we can’t have the best of both worlds.”

“I love you.” Her boyfriend whispered in her ear, giving her a big, loud kiss on the cheek.

Ginny rolled her eyes and laughed. “Everything else that’s marked in red is furniture. Now…” she pointed at Harry, “Next week, when you guys raise the roof, I request that you reinforce it multiple times over because Sev and I will be working on a super-secret project for the attic.”

Sev perked up at the mention of his name. “Meh?”

“You, sir.” Ginny nodded. “Unless you want to remain idle every single weekend we’re here?” She raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

“Mo!” The baby shook his head firmly.

“Then I have an assistant!” The baby grinned. “Will you be working on the lab at all this weekend?” She asked Harry.

“Wab?” Sev’s eyes widened and his gaze shot to Harry.

The teen sighed. “Yes, I have a lab. Yes, it’s for potions. Yes, I’ll show it to you when I’m done with it. And I might work on it this weekend if I can get the porch to cooperate.”

“Wehw?”—‘Where?’

“It’s down in the basement, next to the big library.” He fixed the baby with a stern look. “And you are not allowed in there without my go-ahead, you hear me? You’re not even allowed to touch the door. The way down is a spiral staircase and it is dark. You won’t be able to see the first step until you’re tripping over it, and by then you’ll be tripping over the next step, and the next step, until you end up rolling down the staircase and breaking your neck.”

“Oh, quit with the melodrama, Harry.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “His walker can’t even fit through the door, and you should have baby-proofed the staircase by now to begin with!”

“Do you understand me, Severus?” Harry continued, regardless.

“Yep, ehw.”—‘Yes’

“Excellent!” The teen smirked at his girlfriend. “Don’t hog him, Ginny. I’d like an assistant too, sometimes.”

“Well, aren’t you the popular one.” Ginny winked at Sev and the baby grinned. He liked feeling useful! “For now, will the two of please help me think about things to plant in the garden. I’m going out to assess it right now, and I’d appreciate some ideas as to what I could grow in it.”

“Ah whoa! Ah whoa!” Sev bounced up and down excitedly, his racing mind already coming up with over a dozen potions ingredients she could grow in a garden.

“I think that adjourns this meeting.” Harry chuckled.

Ginny placed Sev in his walker and spelled the wheels to be virtually frictionless, while Harry set about baby-proofing all the staircases in the house. Just as the last time Sev was allowed in his walker, he had the time of his life running around all over the place. He moved between helping Ginny redesign the living room to helping Harry make sure the porch was on straight.

“You see…” Harry said as he corrected the angling of some wood, “…there’s a world of difference between repair and construction. Repair is easy and fun. Construction is irritating and tedious. Repair is just correcting something that’s already there. Construction is growing something that’s not there yet.” He corrected the angling of another piece of wood. “It’s like a plant. It can grow up sickly and weak, it can grow up crooked, it can grow up the wrong color, there’s any number of things that can go wrong with it. You see, we were lucky with Remus’ quarters yesterday. By some miracle, it all turned out alright when I grew his loft and rooms. This, on the other hand, is a rather stubborn plant. You know what I mean?” He turned to the infant in his walker, who had stationed himself against the far wall of the backyard, and cried out to him loudly, “There! How is it now?”

Sev shook his head. “MOHPE!”

“Whoooooooooooo!”

“What do you think of a deep burgundy color?” Ginny touched her wand to the wall and it turned that exact shade. She then turned to Sev, who stood in the middle of the room, examining it on all sides. The baby shook his head. “Okay…how about dark green?” She changed the color and turned a raised eyebrow on the child.

Sev’s lips tightened. ‘T-O-O D-A-R-K.’

“I don’t suppose a light purple could do the trick?” She murmured to herself. Tapping the wall, she changed the color and stepped back to examine it. She made a face. Sev made a face as well.

“What about a cream color? Something a bit off yellow…” Ginny tapped her chin in thought.

“Hey, you two! Will you stop for a second and tell me if this wall is what you had in mind?” Harry asked, gesturing towards the newly-constructed wall between the front hallway and the living room.

“Whoooooooooooo!”

“Okay, cub. Is the top on straight?” Sev was across the kitchen, parked against the fireplace and the cast-iron stove, helping Harry build the island Ginny wanted in the middle of the enormous cooking space.

The infant took one look at the new island and was about to sign ‘yes’ when a thought struck him. He doesn’t know that. Sev smirked internally. He put on the most innocent baby face he could muster and shook his head slowly.

Harry frowned. Tapping his wand to the granite counter, he tried correcting the angle once again. “How about now.”

Now it’s crooked. Feeling laughter bubbling in his chest, Sev thought it wise to hightail it out of the room before he burst into giggles and gave himself away. “Uh-huh!” He gave Harry a thumbs-up and rolled past the swinging door into the dining room, just as Ginny came into the kitchen.

“Whoooooooooooo!”   

“Um…Harry? The top of the island is crooked.”

“Severus!”

Childish squeals of laughter could be heard coming from the living room.

“Whoooooooooooo!”

“Okay, love…” Ginny unrolled a piece of parchment and laid it on the table of Sev’s walker. “These are my plans for the attic so far. What do you think?”

Sev chewed on two of his fingers and, smiling, he nodded. “G—oo—d…Goo—d…Goo—d…Good!”—‘Good’.

“It’s good?!” Ginny’s eyes lit up in delight. “You like it?”

“Ike.”—‘Like’

“Thank you, Sev. That means a lot to me!” She gave him a big kiss on the cheek. Sev grinned.

“Whoooooooooooo!”

Does he love me?
I wanna know!
How can I tell if he loves me so?

Ginny was in the kitchen.

(Is it in his eyes?)
Oh no! You be deceived!
(Is it in his size?)
Oh no! You make believe!

Listening to oldies songs and dancing around the room, singing into a wooden spoon.

If you wanna know
If he loves you so
It’s in his kiss
(That’s where it is!)

She pointed the spoon at Severus, winked, and in one fluid motion lifted him out of his walker and into her arms.

(Or is it in his face?)
Oh no! That’s just his charm!
(Or his warm embrace?)
Oh no! That’s just his arm!
If you wanna know
If he loves you so
It’s in his kiss
(That’s where it is!)
Oh! It’s in his kiss!
(That’s where it is!)

Ginny puckered up and Sev gave her a quick, wet kiss on the lips before burying his bright red face in her shirt, giggling.

Oh, oh, oh! Kiss him and hold him
And squeeze him tight!
And find out what you wanna know!
If it’s love, if it really is
It’s there in his kiss!

She danced to the counter, mixed the bowl of pudding she was making, and then danced back to the stove to check her soup and bread.

(How ‘bout the way he acts?)
Oh no! That’s not the way!
And you’re not listening to all I say!
If you wanna know
If he loves you so
It’s in his kiss!
(That’s where it is!)
Oh yeah! It’s in his kiss!
(That’s where it is!)

Harry leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen entrance, arms crossed and a half-smile on his face as he watched his girlfriend cooking, dancing, and singing all at the same time. She had a giggling Severus wrapped in her embrace and seemed oblivious to her captivated audience. Harry couldn’t remember ever seeing something more beautiful in his life.

Oh, oh, oh! Kiss him and hold him
And squeeze him tight!
And find out what you wanna know!
If it’s love, if it really is
It’s there in his kiss!

Ginny and the infant Severus—his girlfriend and his ward—in his kitchen, dancing to music from his record player, and making his favorite dish for dinner, while he watched them from the door. Harry’s heart skipped a beat when it occurred to him just how…domestic this whole scene looked to him. A stranger from afar would see them and assume they were a family. Well…to be completely honest with himself, they were a family…sort of. Yet it was that simple fact that Harry was finding difficult to come to terms with. For him, this was all too good to be true! Harry felt like a bum from the streets who had just been handed a million pounds. This was a scene from his deepest dreams, his most desperate desires! He almost had to slap himself to prove he was actually awake.

To go from having almost nothing to having the world in the space of a month was a bit of a shock for him.

(How ‘bout the way he acts?)
Oh no! That’s not the way!
And you’re not listening to all I say!
If you wanna know
If he loves you so
It’s in his kiss!
(That’s where it is!)
Oh yeah! It’s in his kiss!
(That’s where it is!)
Oh, it’s in his kiss…!

The record player clicked as it transitioned to another song, while Ginny threw a spoon into the kitchen sink with a clang.

“Oh, wasn’t that a great song, love?” She grinned at the cooing baby in her arms. “They don’t make it like that anymore, huh?” She laughed as she brushed some stray red hair away from her eyes, and spotted Harry in the process. Her grin melted into a gentle smile as her hazel eyes met his emerald greens. She immediately noted the wistful look and tiny smile upon his face.

“How long have you been standing there?” She asked, her eyes narrowing playfully.

The opening notes of another familiar song began floating through the room.

“Long enough.” Harry pushed away from the door and slid over to where she and Sev stood. “Come ‘ere.” He whispered, pulling them into his arms.

There are places I’ll remember
All my life, though some have changed.
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone, and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall.
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I’ve loved them all.

He took her hips, she took his shoulder, and together they slowly danced around the kitchen, Sev in between them, smiling softly around his chewed fingers.

But of all these friends and lovers,
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more.

He pulled the two of them closer, wrapping his arms around her back and leaning his forehead against hers. Their eyes locked for a long moment before his gaze flicked to Severus.

Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life, I love you more.

Leaning down, Harry placed a gentle kiss on the top of Sev’s head.

In my life, I love you more.

And then he and Ginny shared a kiss of their own; a kiss, they both realized, that meant so much more than it ever did before.

Dinner that evening was full of laughter. Sev delighted in the seafood soup Ginny made. Apparently, it was Harry’s favorite. Reluctant as he was to admit it, it was quickly becoming Sev’s favorite as well. Ginny kept whispering ideas in Sev’s ear about their attic project and Harry kept trying—and failing—to eavesdrop, much to Sev’s unending amusement. Dessert for the night was Ginny’s vanilla pudding, which tasted just as good as her chocolate pudding, so Sev wasn’t about to complain.

One nice, warm bath later, Sev found himself nestled between a fluffy, white comforter and sheets, big, soft pillows, and Harry and Ginny.

“So you like the Tales of Beedle the Bard, huh?” Ginny asked as she flipped through the book and made herself comfortable on Sev’s left side. Harry lay on Sev’s right, shirtless and reading the Evening Prophet. “Which stories haven’t you read yet?” Sev pointed them out and Ginny chose two to read. “I’ll read one, and then Harry will read one—complete with voices!” She winked at Sev.

Harry suddenly looked up from the paper and turned to them. “I beg your pardon?!”

“Once upon a time…”

“I am not doing voices, Ginny.”

Ginny coaxed him into doing voices anyway. Sev spent half of story time just laughing at him. Yet when story time was done, Ginny put away the book, Harry folded up the paper, Ginny turned off the lights, Harry opened the windows, and the three of them huddled together, listening to the humming of the midnight wind as she sang them to sleep.