A/N: Once again, many, many, many thanks for all the reviews! I can never say that enough. It is much appreciated. And to the people who are asking for smut: patience, patience. It is coming (no pun intended, hehe) and I hope when it arrives, it will be worth the wait :) After this chapter will be 3 more and an epilogue. Hope y'all will stay with me. So here's the next one. Enjoy!
Chapter Nine
"So I need you to be really good for Daddy's friends today, ok? None of those temper tantrums, no banshee
wailing, no mosquito whining. Yeah?"
Harry was laying down the law to his daughter who was busily engaged in her favorite activity - Greedy Bottle Sucking. He doubted she understood or cared but the books said to talk to babies as if they understood so that's what he was doing.
Em let go of the nipple and gave her trademark contented sigh. Harry smiled and fitted her onto his shoulder, burped her then cleaned her up and dressed her in one of her new sleeper outfits that Hermione had picked out. He brushed her curls and laid her in her bassinet, conjured up some fairies to amuse her and slipped out of the room.
Harry took a deep breath and clapped his hands together. He was nervous. All the people he cared about would be descending on his flat shortly, to meet his daughter. He knew they all cared about him and surely wouldn't judge him but it was still a momentous, not to mention nerve-wracking, thing to spring on people.
"Hello, this is my illegitimate daughter. Isn't she lovely?"
Two journalists would be at the gathering, in the persons of Parvati Patil and Ginny Weasley - who worked for rival papers - and he would be giving them official press releases. He knew he could trust them, but he was worried nevertheless. The press had never been kind to him and he didn't want Emerson to grow up to their harrassment just because she was his daughter.
"But it's not like I can control the press now, can I?" he said aloud.
"Talking to yourself, Potter? A sure sign of impending madness, that," drawled a silky voice from behind him and Harry spun around to the sallow, hook-nosed face of his former Potions Professor.
"Not that that would surprise you, would it, Severus?" Harry replied, his eyes twinkling as he walked up to shake the other man's hand.
"Precisely. So what's the purpose of this meeting?" Snape asked, sniffing the air as if expecting to smell the reason.
Harry grinned. "Patience is a virtue, Severus. Remember that."
"Remember what?" came the deep baritone of his best friend.
Harry smiled again. "Ron. Good to see you, man!" He hugged his best friend but before he could say anything else, more and more people had apparated into his living room and he went around hugging, shaking hands, pecking the odd cheek. Soon everybody was there and once everyone had a drink in hand, Harry stood in front of them all as they sat about his living room, looking out on those he trusted and cared about most in the world.
There were Ron, Hermione (and Ian, to Harry's annoyance but what could he do? The man was dating Hermione, even if Harry wished it weren't so), Arthur and Molly Weasley. There were Bill and his wife Fleur, Fred and Angelina, George and his Muggle wife, Nina, Dean and Parvati, who were dating, Ginny, Susan Bones (Harry didn't usually socialize with her but he thought it was the nice thing to do to invite her after the enormous favor she'd done them. As far as he knew, nobody else knew about Emerson besides himself, Susan and Hermione). Also in the group were Remus Lupin and his wife Tonks, Oliver Wood and Katie Bell, Professors Snape and McGonagall and Draco Malfoy. Yes, Harry was on good enough terms with Malfoy to have him in his home. Malfoy had been a huge asset to the Light Side during the Second War and while he and Harry would never be best mates, they could at least get along now.
"So what's this big news you have for us, Harry?" asked Mr. Weasley.
Harry met Hermione's eyes and she gave him an encouraging nod. He thought she was beautiful, but he wished Ian didn't have his arm slung over her shoulder in such a possessive way. The slimy git. Harry wanted to punch him, but of course not, so instead he took a deep breath and looked away.
"First off, thank you guys for coming on such short notice. Like I said in the invites, there's something really important I need to tell you all."
Harry smiled mentally at the immediately worried expressions that sprang to more than a few faces. Some things never changed. He hastened to reassure them. "Oh, it's nothing really bad. I just wanted to tell you personally before you hear it somewhere else and get the distorted facts that the press so loves to put out about me. No offense Ginny, Parvati."
"None taken," Parvati said while Ginny smiled at him. Harry had long got the feeling that contrary to her claims to the opposite, Ginny had never fully gotten over her crush on him. Which was too bad; she was a lovely girl, really, but he just wasn't interested. Never had been. Harry got the feeling that Malfoy fancied her, though... hmm.. maybe a little matchmaking was in order.
"I know!" Dean Thomas said suddenly. "You're gay!"
Harry snorted over the laughter. "You wish, Dean. No, let me cut to the chase. I know I just put out a statement to the contrary but-" he paused then hurried on. "I'm quitting Quidditch."
Stunned silence greeted him. In any other situation Harry would have laughed at their expressions; they all looked completely bamboozled. With the exceptions of Hermione and Susan, of course. And Snape. Harry doubted anything could faze the Hogwarts professor.
Parvati gasped. "So the article was right afterall!"
"No, it wasn't. At the time that it came out I had absolutely no intention of doing anything of the sort. And I'm not quitting for the reason that piece of junk stated either. But since the article came out, something, or rather someone has happened."
Fred grinned suggestively. "You got a girl, Harry?"
Harry grinned back. "As a matter of fact, I do."
Oliver looked horrified. "And you're quitting because of her?!" Upon Harry's nod to the affirmative, Oliver regarded him as if he were insane. "No offense, mate, but what're you doing with a girl like that - who doesn't understand what Quidditch is to you?"
"Unlike me," supplied Katie, with a slight smirk.
Harry knew he shouldn't but he couldn't resist. He caught Hermione's eye again and she ducked her head, obviously trying not to laugh. "Ah, but she's gorgeous, Oliver! I can't imagine my life without her."
"But from what you just said this happened after the article, which was barely a week ago!" That was Ginny, who sounded dismayed and devastated. Malfoy's brow furrowed.
"Yeah and she's changed my life already. See just what a hold she has over me?"
They all exchanged varying degrees of concerned looks and Harry had to bite the inside of his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
"Harry." He looked up at Hermione, who shook her head and he grinned at her.
"I think I'd better bring her out. I'll be just a minute." He went into his bedroom and gazed at his daughter who was still sleepily swiping at the fairies. He picked her up. "Hey, sweetheart. We're ready for you. Show them that dazzling smile of yours and they'll fall head over heels too, ok?"
Emerson grinned up at him and Harry grinned back. "Yeah, that one." He gave her a quick kiss and carried her out into the living room. "Ok, here she is. The girl who has stolen my heart in a few short days and has me completely wrapped around her left pinkie."
He observed the dropped jaws and goggled eyes of the roomful of people and everyone just stared at them in silence for a long moment. Emerson kicked her little legs and yawned as if to say "These are your friends? Not exactly a lively bunch, are they now?"
Malfoy was the first to recover. "What're you doing adopting a kid, Potter?"
"Ah, but she's not adopted, Malfoy. She is my daughter. Can't you see the resemblance?" He held Em's face up to his and she grabbed at his glasses. "Not Daddy's glasses, Em."
Hermione came up to them and held out her arms. "Hey, Sweetheart."
Harry handed Emerson to her and watched as everyone crowded around to get a good look at his daughter. She looked around at them with her lovely green eyes, so like his, examining their faces. Suddenly she reached out and grabbed Ron's hair and squealed. Everyone's faces softened, though Malfoy smirked too.
Ron disentangled her little fists from his hair and gazed at her in awe. "Wow, Harry."
Harry took her from Hermione and sat down facing everyone again. "So here she is. Her name is Emerson."
"Em-uh..what?" That was Ron, but he obviously wasn't the only one with that particular question in mind.
"Emerson. Her mother named her that and I decided not to change it," Harry explained.
"Who is her mother?" asked Ginny, looking upset.
He smoothed Em's curly head before answering. "I'll get to that. But she is 100% biologically mine. We already did the Patrius test at the Ministry. She's almost 4 months old. Isn't she lovely?"
The baby yawned again and squirmed, blinking sleepily. She buried her face in his shirt and fussed. "That's Emerson-speak for 'I'm really tired but I don't want to go to sleep yet so I'll just whine for a bit.' " Harry translated.
Hermione jumped up again, her eyes shining. "I'll put her to bed."
He kissed the baby before handing her over and watched Hermione take her to his room. Turning back to his friends, he sighed. "Let me start from the beginning. I met her mother, Julia, last year at the International Quidditch Conference. Remember, Oliver?"
Oliver frowned for a few seconds then brightened. "Oh yeah. That girl you were joined at the hip with the whole weekend. The one from the American contingent. Her captain couldn't stop raving about her. She's a brilliant strategist."
"Obviously they were joined at more than the hip- OW!" George quipped, earning himself a firm jab in the ribs from his wife, Nina.
Harry blushed. "Well, anyway. After the conference, she went home. Dallas, Texas and I didn't hear from her again until last week when someone dropped Emerson off."
"What do you mean someone 'dropped her off'?" asked Angelina
"I mean literally rang my doorbell and left her on the steps."
Once again aghast faces regarded him.
"How could she do that?!" cried Ginny, who seemed determined to be upset.
Harry sighed. "It wasn't her fault. You see, Julia is dying. Actually, I think she might already be dead." Stunned expressions once again. Oh yes, the revelations are really flowing tonight. "I wrote to her parents but I haven't heard back from them yet so I don't know for sure. Julia wrote a letter explaining why she sent Emerson to me but I still don't know who left her at my door and why they did it like that. Why didn't they contact me or at least stay to explain? I won't know until her parents write back. It makes me angry to think about it, you know? That whomever it was basically just dumped my daughter at my door. What if I wasn't home? Even with all the wards around here, anything could have happened; anyone could have found her."
Professor McGonagall exchanged an appalled look with Mrs. Weasley before turning back to Harry. "And you say you haven't heard from her parents yet?"
"No, I haven't. It's only been a day or two, though, and post takes longer from this distance."
"Can't believe she's dead." Oliver shook his head. "What a waste. And she wasn't bad-looking either."
"Oh, really?" Katie looked at her husband sardonically.
"What? I'm just being honest!" Oliver said, spreading his hands in innocence.
Harry smirked. "Actually, I have a picture." He fished out the snapshot Hermione had found and passed it to Ron.
"Damn, Harry!" Ron sounded almost reverent. "How comes you never told me about her?"
Harry shrugged. "It wasn't a big deal. She was just a fling. If it hadn't resulted in Emerson, you'd probably never know about Julia."
"Some best mate you are," retorted Ron.
Malfoy took the picture from Ron. "Well, good for Emerson that she got her Mum's looks and not yours, Potter."
Harry flipped him off, earning himself a disapproving glare from McGonagall. Yep, some things never changed.
"Hey, didn't she introduce herself by some kinda weird name?" Oliver asked, passing the picture to Fred who raised his eyebrows appreciatively.
"You remembered, huh? She was also called Crying Wind. She's part Native American," Harry explained.
"Ahh. What tribe?" asked Snape, who up to now had been silent.
"The Cherokee."
Snape nodded. "They are expert Potions Masters and are very skilled in ancient magicks. I seem to recall all their children being required to have a tribal name. Does the baby have one?"
Harry nodded. "'Rosewater', although of course I don't know what it means. I'm sure it only translates to that, without meaning that literally."
Hermione came back into the room, smiling slightly. "She's down for the count."
"Thanks, Hermione. Hermione's been.." he trailed off. "I'd have been useless without her this past week."
Hermione blushed prettily, before sitting down beside Ian who promptly draped his arm around her again..
"But why're you quitting Quidditch, Harry?" Mrs. Weasley inquired. "If it's a matter of having someone to look after her, you know we'd be more than happy to."
Harry nodded. "And I appreciate it, Molly, really I do. But I just couldn't bear to be away from her. Not right now, not for awhile. Last week if someone had told me that in just a few days Quidditch would be a distant second on my list of priorities, I'd have asked for some of whatever they were smoking."
Ron laughed. He and Harry had once tried some excellent Muggle ganja, to hilarious results.
"But most of you guys are parents too. I don't need to explain how they just occupy your thoughts, and not just the times when they wake up at 2 AM wanting to play. I love Quidditch, I always will but my heart just wouldn't be in it right now. I'm really sorry, Oliver," he continued.
Oliver seemed to pull himself together enough to nod. "Ah, hell. I understand, mate. I know I'd drop Quidditch in a heartbeat if it were to help Brandon." Brandon was his and Katie's 3 year old son.
Dean snorted. "Bullshit. You'd probably put the kid up for adoption."
"We'll have to train up the reserve Seeker," Oliver said loudly over the laughter. His former housemates were especially cracking up and Oliver glared good-naturedly at them. "We'll also need to pick someone else to be reserve. How long d'you reckon you'll be out, Harry?"
"About 6 months, at the very least. I want to stay home.. get to know her."
"Well can you come in one evening and just help me pick out the reserve?" Oliver looked anxious.
Harry frowned. He knew one evening away from Emerson wouldn't hurt but that didn't mean he was in any great hurry to do that. He knew it was irrational but he was afraid of letting her out of his sight for too long. What if whomever dumped her came back and-
"Harry?" Hermione's voice broke through his musings. "I could watch her for you, of course."
"Or me," volunteered Ginny.
He gave them a small smile. "Just... just let me know when you plan to have the tryouts, Oliver, and we'll see then," he answered somewhat reluctantly.
Oliver sighed. "Fair enough."
"Well, fascinating," Ron said loudly. "But when do we eat?"
And once again, laughter rang through the living room. As Harry watched his friends get up and move towards the kitchen, laughing and chattering, he couldn't help but send up a small prayer of thanks. With them all on his side, somehow, he knew he would be alright.