Unofficial Portkey Archive

Epilogue

Two years later

Benjamin Albus Potter was born the week before Christmas and it was difficult to ascertain who was most ecstatic at his arrival - his parents or his big sister.

As soon as they had found out the gender and thought she could understand, Harry and Hermione had told Emerson about the baby. From that moment on, Emerson told anybody who would listen that she was going to have a baby brother. She loved to lie down with her face pressed to Hermione's swollen belly and "tell the baby secrets."

"I'm going to teach him all kinds of stuff," she declared to her moist-eyed parents.

Harry could scarcely believe how wonderful his life had become. He and Hermione had been married six weeks after he proposed. They just couldn't see any reason to wait. They'd already wasted too much time being blind! They had put together a quick wedding, only family and closest friends, with a larger reception for anyone who wanted to attend. There had been more than 500 people at the reception and thousands more sent good wishes. Harry was the Boy-Who-Lived, afterall, and Hermione was famous in her own right as one of the developers of the cure for Prolonged Cruciatus Curse victims.

They had postponed their honeymoon for a week so they could celebrate Emerson's first birthday. Then the newlyweds had spent a blissful three weeks in the South Pacific, island-hopping between Fiji, Tahiti, the Solomon Islands and Tonga. They had actually been supposed to stay a month but they were both worried that Emerson would miss them too much. Or so they said. Actually it was the other way around and Em had barely batted an eyelash when they breezed back into the Burrow a week early.

His relationship with Hermione was incredible. Even after more than seventeen years of friendship, he was still getting to know her better and every time he thought he couldn't love her more, he would wake up the next morning having proven himself wrong. They were so attracted to each other, it wasn't even funny but they already had a solid foundation of friendship to build on. They had been through so much and taken so long to get where they were that they were cautious to treasure every moment they had together.

It was a running joke among their circle of friends about how incredibly randy they both were. Their friends marvelled that Harry and Hermione had managed to get to almost two years before Ben was conceived, what with all the explosive sex they were having. Ron had even joked at the beginning of their marriage that he would kiss Malfoy if Harry didn't knock Hermione up within the first 12 months.

Needless to say, when Ron kissed Malfoy it was the first time in the history of the world that a second Weasley had ever kissed a Malfoy (the first one being Ginny Weasley, of course. Malfoy and Ginny had been dating almost a year now. Harry was quite proud of his matchmaking success. Now if they could only get Ron with Luna Lovegood).

Ignoring their doctor's warnings, Harry and Hermione had even made love the day before Hermione went into labor, which was three days overdue anyway. And now Ben was here, perfectly healthy and beautiful and already had Harry, Hermione and Emerson wrapped around his tiny fingers. Ben was so wanted. Harry loved being a father, Emerson was such a blessing in his life, and he adored Hermione so much that he couldn't wait to make a baby with her. A tangible product of their love. If he had had his way, they would have expanded their family the night of the wedding, but Hermione convinced him that they should let Emerson get a little bit older. As it was, Em was convinced that Ben was her baby.

Harry and Hermione were fiercely proud and protective of their daughter. She was a lovely child with her green eyes, permanently tanned skin (due to her mixed heritage) and ebony hair which was a jumble of curls and waves tumbling almost to her waist. Emerson was intelligent and energetic, prone to bursting into paroxysms of song and dance. Harry and Hermione had already agreed to enroll her in dance lessons when she turned four - no reason to let all that natural enthusiasm go to waste. She was friendly and affectionate and was already displaying a love of books, to Hermione's great delight. Nothing soothed Emerson more than to curl up with Mummy or Daddy or both and be read to. Her favorite book was "Goodnight, Moon", though "David and Goliath" was a close second.

Not that she was all roses and light. Emerson had an exasperating stubbon streak and a temper to rival any redhead's. Fortunately though, she also had a high tolerance threshold but once it had been breached - watch out.

"Rockabye baby on the treetop," Emerson sang in her high little girl voice as she held her brother with Hermione's help.

Harry watched the scene from his chair beside Hermione's bed. He caught his wife's eye and smiled. Her hair was a tangled mess and she looked tired, but Harry thought he had never seen her more beautiful. She had just given him a son and he loved her so much, he thought his heart would burst.

"Mummy, look!"

Little Ben was yawning and blinking his eyes, his sparse black hair as messy as his father's.

"Oh, aren't you precious!" Emerson cooed, causing Harry and Hermione to grin as they blinked back tears.

That was another thing about Emerson. She had an incredible knack for repeating grown-ups. Molly Weasley had a habit of saying those very words to her various grandkids, biological or surrogate.

Harry and Hermione had been made aware of Emerson's talent after Hermione's dad had come over one evening. David Granger was thinking of scaling back his dentistry practice per Hermione's urgings ("You need to slow down, Dad!") but was lamenting the lack of common sense among today's young parents. Why, just the other day he'd seen to a little boy barely older than Emerson whose enamel was already coming off his teeth almost completely!

A week later, the Potters hosted Annamaria Lupin's 5th birthday party at Ballynore. Annamaria was Remus and Tonks' eldest daughter. Harry and Hermione had overheard Emerson telling Annamaria that her Grandpa Granger knew a little boy who had cows coming out of his mouth.

Annamaria scoffed, putting on I'm-older-than-you airs, as all kids are wont to do. "That is complete nonsense."

"It's true!" insisted Emerson, undeterred. "I heard Grandpa Granger telling Mummy that the little boy had animals coming off his teeth!"

Harry and Hermione had laughed so hard, they'd cried even as they reminded themselves to watch what they said in Emerson's earshot. Little pitchers, indeed.

"Why are you crying, Daddy?" Emerson asked suddenly.

For indeed tears were streaming down Harry's face. He took off his glasses and wiped his eyes before putting them back on. Emerson got up and climbed into his lap. She put her little arms around his neck and kissed his cheek, looking worried.

Harry smiled. "I'm fine. I'm just so happy."

Emerson frowned. "I'm sorry but that doesn't make any sense. You're suppose to cry when you're sad and laugh when you're happy," she pointed out in all her three year old wisdom.

"That's true," Harry conceded. "But you know how when you pour too much milk in your cup, it spills and overflows?"

Em nodded.

"Well, sometimes you can get so filled up with happiness that it spills and overflows through your eyes. But they're happy tears," he said, locking eyes with his wife who tearily mouthed "I love you".

"I love you too," he mouthed back, wanting badly to kiss her.

Emerson seemed to think hard for a minute before she nodded. "I see," she said sagely before she scrambled off his lap and returned her attention to her brother.

Harry moved to sit on the bed beside his wife and gathered her into his arms, before kissing her softly. He cradled their son as Emerson leaned her head against his arm, Hermione on his other side and heaved a great sigh of blessed contentment.

For most of his life, he had felt adrift; had felt himself being tossed and blown all over the place like so much flotsam and jetsam on the sea of circumstances beyond his control. Many things and many persons had provided him glimpses, nudges and winks of a safe place. But none of them have been the right person or place and he had been cut afloat time and time again.

Today, though, his vessel would never again need be as battered and beatened by those harsh waves. He was not so naive as to think that they would live happily ever after, but he was nevertheless quite content. At long last, things were right.

And as Harry Potter watched the two women he loved most in all the world giggle and coo at his new son, he knew he had arrived.

His ship was finally safe in harbor.

**********
End Notes: Well, that's it. My first fully-completed fanfic *sniffles* And what a fun ride it was too! Thank you guys so much for all the support and inspiration you all provided. It was truly invaluable, and hopefully I'll be able to write other stuff to share with y'all. Rock on and on and on...

1. The enamel/animal joke is from a novel called "The Most Wanted" by Jacqueline Mitchard, the same author of "Deep End of the Ocean", an Oprah's Book club selection and a big-budget movie.

2. I forgot to post this with the last chapter, but here's a picture of Hermione's engagement ring: http://www.bluenile.com/design.asp?add=1&filter_id=1&set_shape=&ring_size=&piderror=
My husband bought my rings from this company and they are wonderful.