What happened afterward

*Note* Okay here is the fourth chapter of this little story. I probably won't up-date until after Christmas. Finals are coming up, here at college, and I think studying will be taking up most of my time. But if I do consider you lucky that I actually have the time and intellect to type. I hope you enjoy this chapter I tried not to draw it out too long but I figured that you all needed some suspense in your life. Happy reading and keep busy until the next time I up-date.

“Hannah, Hailey, Harriett...” Harry sounded off in a monotone voice.

“Ugh! Harriett. It is way too similar to your name. And if she decided to shorten it most people would come up with the nick name Harry.” It was morning time and the happy parents had awoken by the screaming of their unhappy child. Harry actually pulled out his wand, and stood up ready to curse the first thing that moved. Unfortunately for Madame Pomfrey she was the first thing he saw. Being given a tail didn't seem to faze her though as she picked up the little girl, and brought the screaming child over to her mother.

“This will be your first lesson in breast feeding.” And the day wore on, well the morning did. She took her first journey in breast feeding and in burping. Harry learned how to change the little tyke's diaper, and now he was going through a book on baby names, trying to find the perfect one.

“Harry lets get out of the H's.” She said with a sigh. Once again her body was beginning to feel restless, and she wanted desperately to be able to move about. But Poppy had informed her that she was bed ridden for the morning. “Don't you find it a little strange that we haven't had any visitors?” The question she posed seemed to bounce off Harry who was now staring at the little girl sleeping in the crib beside his chair.

“Hello!” a voice sounded on the other side of the curtain. Needless to say the little Potter didn't like being disturbed and promptly decided to start crying. “Oh dear, Lily always use to tell me I talked to loud.” Remus Lupin stepped into view with an apologetic smile on his face.

Hermione just leaned over, and picked her daughter up. “Keep looking Harry, there has got to be one name in there that we can both agree on.” Sighing she noticed the tiny little creature in her arms didn't want to stop crying. “Madame Pomfrey?” She called out to the nurse. “How long do we wait in between feedings?” The nurse gave the reply about every two to three hours. “Remus would you like to hold her for a minute?”

She didn't think his smile could get any bigger than when she asked him that question. They played switch the holders and Hermione put a towel over her shoulder and unbuttoned the top of her hospital gown. Once again they played switch the holders, and Hermione pulled the towel up. Remus immediately went red, and started talking adamantly to Harry, who wasn't listening to anything anyone said.

“So names you say?” He said his voice a strange pitch. Hermione let out a snort of laughter.

“I'm sorry Remus. I thought the yelling to Poppy was enough warning. Oh I hope next time it is Ron. It just makes me laugh so hard to see his face match his hair color. Oh and he would probably stumble backwards or rush out of the room.” She was picturing it in her mind and Harry finally looked up from the book.

“What about…Remus did she give you a bit of a shock?” The older man shoulders twitched in movement but he gave a nod in reply. The two men passed the time of the little Potter's feeding by suggesting names for her. So far none of them passed the final judge, Hermione.

Twenty minutes after Hermione laid her daughter back down to sleep Poppy came bustling into their corner of the hospital wing. “I say it is about time you've gotten out of that bed.” Hermione was so thrilled to her this news she almost squealed for joy, but then she remember she didn't want to face the wrath of her daughter. “Now it is going to hurt so if the pain is too much I want you to tell me, just don't go being the brave Gryffindor you are.” Poppy helped her stand up and take the first few steps.

“Can I change into real clothes and take a shower?” She asked the matron of medicine. Forty minutes later Hermione had showered and put on real clothes. She slowly made her way back to their section of the hospital wing. She stopped at the opening in the curtains when she saw Harry holding their child. Her eyes glazed over with tears, she didn't even think about wiping them away as she stepped into the room.

The afternoon passed in relative silence. Remus stayed and helped with trying to find the baby name. Hermione rested some more, and Harry while looking for the perfect baby name held his daughter in his arms.

“She is so beautiful. Black hair, blue eyes, cute little nose and mouth, ten fingers and toes, and a light dusting of freckles on that tiny little nose of hers.” Harry exclaimed and Hermione smiled at him. “She is my beautiful little gift.” Harry said in a whisper, he now thought everything had to be whispered when the baby was around.

“Harry that's perfect, let me see the book.” She suddenly felt like she was back in her first year rushing to tell Harry and Ron who Nicolas Flamel was. Quickly she opened the book that Harry handed her and started flipping through the pages. “Found it, of course that is if you agree too.” She didn't think Harry would say no to her.

“I can't believe you two are still looking for a name to name it.” Ron popped into view before Hermione got to tell Harry what it was. “So no one told us, not even McGonagall, what is it?”

“Ron, come and meet our little girl.” Harry was cradling her and Ron peered at the child with a scrunched up face. “What's wrong Ron?” Harry asked seeing the look on his friends face.

“Nothing, I just remember that I forgot to bring your parents with me.” He bolted out of the room and Remus quickly followed him. Harry exchanged a look with his darling wife and then told her she was on a roll with the name.

“Oh, right, anyway there is a word in Greek that means gift and people sometimes name their children it. Anyway I was thinking, how about we name her…” Hermione was once again cut off, but this time it was by her daughter's intense screaming for food.

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“Ron!” Remus had followed Ron into the corridor that led to the hospital wing. He knew what was bothering the young man for the look he had seen on his face earlier mirrored the look he had seen on another's face over seventeen years ago.

“I need to go get Hermione's parents.” Ron simply said not looking at him.

“That can wait for a minute or two. Now why don't you tell me what is really bothering you.” He steered Ron into an empty area of the castle. Then he conjured up two chairs for them to sit in.

“Nothing is wrong.” Ron did all he could to avoid Remus' gaze.

“Okay than let me take a stab at it. You are afraid they are going to forget you. After all they are married and now they have a kid. The friendship you had with them is going to change, even more than it already has, and that worries you.” Remus explained all of his problems and Ron was amazed.

“I knew that look that you gave the baby. Sirius had it on his face the first time he saw Harry. He was so afraid his relationship with James was changing. And he was right it did. Sirius and James didn't go out as often and James was considerably more father like. But the best thing was James and Lily made sure Sirius didn't feel left out. Because his friendship was so important to James they made him Harry's godfather. Ron your relationship with Harry and Hermione will change. I'm not going to say it won't be an easy change but you have to accept that. They are now parents, young parents, and they are going to need all the help they can get because raising a child isn't easy.”

Ron immediately felt so stupid, he felt like a complete prat. He had let his own selfishness come in the way of something great. He knew that this little girl was one of the best things to happen to Harry and he would be damned if he let himself come in the way of letting Harry be happy.

“I guess this is why they called you the rational Marauder?” Ron got up and walked to the door. “Thanks, Remus.” And with that he left to find Hermione's parents.

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Molly was just fixing the tea while she, the Grangers, and her husband Arthur waited for Ron and Ginny to arrive. She settled everything on the tray and with a flick and swish floated it out onto the tea cart.

“So how exactly does a cd player work?” Arthur's enthusiastic voice sounded as she made her way into the living room of the area they were staying. She shot him a stern look and then went about fixing tea for Hermione's mother.

“Well this is exciting and all, the birth of a baby. Oh I remember when Bill was born. The pride you feel for that first one is never quite the same. Now that is not saying I don't love all my children equally but everything about the first one is so new and so exciting that when the sixth or seventh comes around you have it down pat. Well we did until Ginny came along, the only girl amongst all boys.” Arthur stopped his conversation and listened to his wife. He knew exactly what she was talking about. The first one was especially special.

“Oh listen to me rambling.” Molly said as she started pouring the tea. “How do you take it dear?” She turned her attention to Mrs. Granger.

“Just cream, please, and if you don't mind it's Emma.” Molly smiled and made Emma her tea just as she asked for it.

“Mum! Ginny is too busy getting help, from Neville, in Herbology to come right now.” Ron shouted as he crashed through the rooms. “There you guys are.” He said as if finding them took a lot of work. “Come on you should see the little monster.” He didn't notice their strained faces but he did notice the food.

“Ron!” His mother shouted as he took his fourth finger sandwich. “Stop stuffing your face and lets leave.” He knew better than to deal with his mother when she was angry so instead he gave her a kiss on the cheek and escorted her out of their corridors.

They had almost reached the third floor when a strangled cry was heard coming from the back of the group. Ron wheeled around to find the amusing sight of Mr. Granger stuck in invisible stair. “Sorry I keep forgetting you all are muggles. This is one of the trick steps. Dad I'm going to need some help lifting him up.” Once they got him back on solid ground Ron started laughing. “Next time I'll tell you to jump.” His mum hit him upside the head and Ron immediately apologized. “Sorry, it's just that even Neville remembers to jump them now.”

The rest of the way to the hospital wing was uneventful. Ron opened the door to find that a huge group had congregated in the wing once again. “She isn't having another one is she?” Ron questioned the group.

“Okay now that everyone is here we can get started.” Harry's voice filtered through the people. “Now public speaking isn't really my thing but then again Hermione is much worse at it than me so I guess I will be the one address the crowd.” Ron heard Harry say Ow, and he assumed Hermione smacked him. “So the abuse beginnings.” Laughter started up at his comment. “We would like everyone to make a circle around our bed so that everyone can see well.”

People started shifting and laughing as the bumped into one another. The whole process took a good twenty minutes because whom ever you bumped into you said hello to, and a conversation would soon kick up. Though everyone had the common goal of finding a place around the bed, it went Hagrid, Poppy, Minerva, Dumbledore, Molly and Arthur Weasley, Ron, Luna, Ginny, Neville, Hermione's parents, Lupin, and Dobby.

Ron was a little shocked to see his sister and Neville there but he reasoned with himself. Harry and Hermione wouldn't do something without them included in the process of it all.

“Are you okay? Do you need anything?” Harry questioned Hermione who gave him a stern look.

“Listen, I'm not going to break. So stop worrying about me.” She was doing her best impression of McGonagall. Before Harry or anyone else could speak a loud wailing was heard. “Time for her feeding,” Hermione bent over and picked up her daughter. Even now it seemed a little surreal to be saying her daughter. She was now a wife and a mother, her life couldn't be anymore complete. “I swear she got her eating habits from you, along with her hair.” She was smiling at Harry as he grinned back at her.

“I assume we are all assembled here for a purpose…Ah! Warn a guy before you do that.” Ron had just witnessed something he never wanted to see before, Hermione breast feeding.

“Sorry Ron. Anyway there is a purpose for everyone being here, besides to laugh at Ron. Even though I think that is purpose enough. Don't you glare at me, I'm better at it than you are.” Hermione was trying to hold back her laughter as she scolded her best friend. She was also minding the fact that her little girl was done eating. With a glance at Harry she handed her off to him. “Don't forget this.” She draped a towel across his shoulder, “Now we have called you all here to meet our little girl but first we need permission from Professor McGonagall on something.”

Their head of house looked startled for a minute. She smiled at them and said, “I think I've done enough but what is it?” Hermione smiled at her.

“I know in the last seven years we've been at Hogwarts, we have caused you enough heart failure to last a life time. And I'm not talking just Harry and Ron, but me too. With sneaking out for late night strolls, to trips into the Forbidden Forest, and anything else we have done. I got to thinking that for all of our troubles we caused you that we should repay you.” She glanced from her favorite teacher to Albus Dumbledore. “You were there for me when my own mother couldn't be. I've come to look up to you, not only as a role model, but as a favorite aunt. So Harry and I discussed it and we decided to give our little girl the middle name of Minerva. But only if that is okay with you.”

“That is more than okay with me. I would be honored beyond belief.” Her eyes brimmed over with tears and Harry, who had just finished burping his daughter, held her out for Minerva to hold. She cooed at the little girl in her arms and suddenly looked up at the two she thought of as her children. “Okay, we've got the middle name so what about the first name.”

“We will be getting to that in a minute.” Harry said cheekily. “Remus, you're the only Marauder left. The only link I have to my parents. We…I want you to know that you are like a father to me and you are now her Grandfather. So we expect you to spoil her rotten and to teach her how to prank slimy Slytherins.”

“This kid is going to have a lot of grandparents.” Hermione mumbled. Several people looked at her with a questioning gaze. “Well, she'll have my parents; to teach her all about her muggle heritage, she'll have Remus, and he'll teach her god only knows what, next comes Molly and Arthur…”

“Really?” Molly voiced interrupted Hermione.

“You'd thought we would forget you two. God, you're the parents Harry never had. You have always been there for him.” Harry nodded his approval at Hermione's words. A second later they were thankful that Minerva had their daughter because they found themselves in the rib cracking embrace of Molly Weasley.

They were both released from the hug a couple for minutes later, when breathing became a problem. “The last set of grandparents is Albus and Minerva. You have supported me through everything I have done. You have guided me through tough times and shown me what true wisdom is.” Harry said. Minerva when hearing this handed the sleeping baby girl off to Albus. The twinkle in his eyes grew and he blushed. “We expect both of you to teach her that same wisdom.”

“Ron and Ginny, you both know that you are her godparents.” The red heads nodded, “good, but we also have an extra helper in this area. Hagrid, if you would consent?”

The half giant burst into tears at Harry's words. He was overcome with joy at the two sitting on the bed in front of him. After all they had been through they, above everyone else, deserved to be happy, but he hardly expected them to share their happiness in this way. They had a one of the kind type of love and yet they made sure that their love was not just kept between the two of them. Yes, they certainly had everything in this world.

When Hagrid regained his sense of sight he saw that Albus had given baby Potter back to Hermione. “Now that we have dragged this out long enough we will tell you the name of our precious angel.”

“I guess Junior really wouldn't work for this one, huh?” Ron said amid the ripple of laughter that went through the room.

“Ron we wouldn't have named her Junior anyway.” Hermione through a glare his way, “But we did name her Charisma. Charisma Minerva Potter.”

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