Unofficial Portkey Archive

A/N: Here's the next chappie of The Reasons to Live…hope u enjoy it!

Disclaimer: Although it'd be really really awesome if I was J.K. Rowling…I am not…*sobs*. I'd rather own Daniel Radcliffe and Tom Felton…and Sean Biggerstaff (nummy) than the characters, though!! Hehe…

Reunions and Introductions

Hermione bit her lip as they sat in a chair, Hermione on Harry's lap, looking at Ron and Luna. Harry had placed them both on the bed and they were still blacked out.

"Do you think they…fell asleep?" Hermione asked worriedly as they looked at their faces.

"I…don't think so…they were pretty shocked…" Harry whispered as he leaned his head on Hermione's shoulder.

"Well, the only thing we can do now is wait, I guess. I'm going to go get something to drink. Butterbeer?" Harry nodded as he looked on at Ron and Luna, thinking has it really been eleven years since I saw them last? It seems like just yesterday…Right then Tammy, who Harry had begun to think of as `mini-Luna' jumped on his lap from where she was sitting on the floor playing with a wizarding chess set.

"Uncle Harry," which she called him at Hermione's insistence, "Why is Mummy and Daddy still sleeping? They did that all last night!" Harry smiled at her as she got settled onto his lap and said,

"Well, Tammy, your Mum and Dad were very surprised to see me, so they went into another kind of sleep. They fainted." She nodded as she snuggled into Harry's arms and yawned,

"Ohh. I see. They making me tired too, I gonna take nap now." With that she rested her head on Harry's arm and fell asleep. He smiled at her sleeping head and brushed a tendril of hair out of her eyes. Hermione, who had seen the whole scene, smiled at him from the doorway before walking over with a butterbeer and whispering,

"Quite the charm you've got there, Potter." He smiled at her and said,

"She's sweet, huh?" Hermione sat in another chair after she handed a butterbeer to Harry and whispered,

"The sweetest. Also the wildest. I can't believe you got her to sleep in the daytime." Harry smiled proudly at that when Ron woke up with a yell, turning to Hermione and saying,

"Herms, I had the weirdest dream ever." With that she bit her lip and whispered,

"Shh, you'll wake her." She pointed to Tammy lying in Harry's arms and Ron's head turned to Harry. With a whimper he fell back to the bed. Hermione looked at him, thinking he had fainted again, but his eyes were wide open as he said,

"Harry? You're…alive?" Tammy squinted her eyes open and smiled at Harry before putting her thumb in her mouth and reaching her other arm over to Ron. He picked her up and set her in his lap where she fell asleep again and Harry said,

"Well…yeah. Before you say anything, let us tell you the whole story." With that Harry and Hermione switched off telling parts of the story of why Harry was gone and why he was back, etc. etc. Luna woke up a little after they started, putting her arms around Ron's waist and her head on his shoulder as she listened to the rest of the story. At the end both of them were staring at Harry and Hermione in awe. Luna had a peaceful smile on her face and Ron's mouth was wide open before he said,

"So…so you're back then? For good?" Harry smiled at him and said,

"I never truly left, Ron." He smiled at him then and said,

"Well, it's good to have you here, mate. Got any food, Herms?" She coughed slightly and said,

"Ron, you just find out your best friend is practically back from the dead, and all you can think about is food?" Ron put a hurt expression on his face and said,

"Well, there's lots of stuff going on in here," he pointed to his head, "I'd rather just ignore all that and go back to the way things used to be." Tammy woke up and yawned, seeing her mum awake and moving to her lap. Luna smiled and brushed through Tammy's blonde hair with her hand while saying with her head tilted,

"That sounds pretty good to me, you guys." Hermione smiled and said,

"Yeah…that does sound good, Harry. How about it?" Harry smiled and said,

"Thought you'd never ask, Mione!" With that she stood up and put her empty butterbeer bottle on a coaster on a small table, before walking over to Harry and giving him a kiss on the cheek. He growled and pulled her onto his lap tickling her sides as she giggled and said,

"Ah, stop! Harry, stop! Stop or I'll never kiss you again." She looked at him with a smirk and he stopped quickly. Luna laughed quietly and said,

"It's good to have you back, Hermione." Hermione looked at her with a confused expression and said,

"I think you're a bit confused, Loon. I wasn't the one gone for eleven years!" Luna looked at her with a thoughtful expression and said,

"You practically were, Herms. You weren't the same." Harry hugged Hermione around the waist and whispered,

"I'm sorry, Mione." She swatted him on the shoulder and said,

"Oh, Harry, it wasn't your fault." They moved their heads to kiss but right when they touched Ron `ahemed' and they moved away, both raising their eyebrows at him. He looked at them and said,

"People here. Hungry people." Hermione glared at him and looked at her muggle watch, saying,

"I suppose we can make some sandwiches for lunch. Luna, want to help me in the kitchen?" She nodded and set Tammy back in Ron's lap, saying,

"Don't wake her up. She's actually sleeping before 10 o clock at night!" Hermione smiled proudly and said,

"All Harry's doing, by the way." Harry smiled slightly and Luna looked at him and said,

"I'm amazed, Harry. I think that's the first time that's happened since she was a baby!" He shrugged and Luna and Hermione walked into the kitchen to make the sandwiches.

"Wizard's chess?" Ron smiled and picked up the set from the floor, moving the small table between the bed and the chair they were sitting on and setting up the pieces. They started playing and talking, both feeling kind of awkward and yet kind of…the same.

"How's parenting treating you?" Harry said as he moved his rook. Ron smiled happily as he ruffled Tammy's hair and said,

"Better than you could imagine. Maggie and Matt are amazing, and Tammy here is wonderful. I love it." Harry smiled at this and said quietly,

"I'm sorry I missed out on your kids growing up. I'm even sorrier that I missed out on Lily growing up." Ron smiled grimly and said,

"She's a great kid, Harry. I'm sure you'll be just as much of a father to her once you meet her then if you'd been here her whole life. Parenting is hard, but so rewarding," he leaned forward and whispered, "Luna and I are trying for another. Her cousins are all twins and triplets, so who knows, we could have another pair of twins." He smiled happily and Harry smiled at him, saying,

"That's wonderful, Ron. I'll get to be here for another kid of yours." Hermione and Luna walked in right then with a plateful of sandwiches and Harry and Ron moved their chess game to make room for them. They all grabbed one and ate quickly. Well, Ron grabbed two.

*************

"Today was fun. I enjoyed being with Ron and Luna and Tammy." Harry said as they sat down after the Weasley's left. They had stayed for supper and headed home when it was getting late.

"Yeah, it was. I can't believe they're having another kid. Wonder if this one will get both of their genes instead of just one person's." Harry laughed at that, having seen a picture of Maggie and Matt. Hermione leaned in to kiss him but right as their lips touched she pulled away and said,

"Oh! Dumbledore said we could go to Hogwarts tomorrow. He also said he knew you weren't dead." She smirked slightly at his and he chuckled quietly, saying,

"Sure he knew. Now, where were we?" Hermione leaned in and whispered,

"Right about here." She kissed him and before long their tongues were in a fierce battle. They both stood up and didn't break the kiss for a while until Hermione pulled away and said.

"It's late." Harry nodded and said,

"Yeah, we should be heading to bed I guess." Hermione smiled slightly and said,

"You didn't let me finish, Harry. It's late…but I'm not tired." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to their bedroom. Right before they entered it Harry looked into her beautiful chocolate eyes and said,

"Mione? Are you sure?" She smiled at him and worried her bottom lip with her teeth before saying,

"Yes, Harry. Now kiss me before I change my mind." He swooped in and before long they were wrapped up in a passionate embrace. They stumbled into the room.

*************

They woke up late in the morning in a tight embrace, their legs tangled together, Hermione's head resting on Harry's bare chest. She opened her eyes and smiled before looking up into those intense emerald orbs. He smiled at her and whispered,

"Did you sleep well?" She kissed his chest and whispered back,

"Better than I have in years. Last night was…" She rambled off and Harry said quietly,

"Amazing?" She tilted her head and said,

"Nah. Better than amazing. Spectacular." They smiled at each other and he leaned down for a quick kiss. He looked at the muggle alarm clock that said 11:00 and then at the wizarding clock that was flashing `get up you sleepyheads!' He laughed quietly and said,

"Definitely. What time do you want to head to Hogwarts? It's already 11." Hermione stretched and said,

"Probably around lunchtime, noon will be good." She looked up to Harry's eyes with a concerned expression and said, "Are you scared?" He thought for a moment before saying,

"Kind of. But I'm mostly…excited." She smiled at him and said,

"That's good. We should get ready, Harry. You take a shower and I'll go make us some toast or something." He mock saluted her as he stood up and said,

"Yes Ma'am!" She sat up in bed, giggling, and said,

"Go, sailor, before I drag you back into bed with me!" He smiled at her and walked into the adjoining bathroom, closing the door behind him. She shook her head with a smile and put a robe on, before walking to the kitchen.

*************

Lily sat in her beauty desk, complete with a mirror and plenty of drawers (all the girls were provided with one), and slowly brushed out her long curly hair. `It's quite curly, isn't it?' Her mirror commented as Lily worked through a tangle.

"Yes, curly and unmanageable!" She said the last word as she yanked the brush through the tangle, smiling triumphantly and then wincing, "Ow." `It's like your father's then, being unmanageable.' With that Lily leaned forward and said,

"You knew my father?" The mirror chuckled and said, `I talked to a different mirror that knew him. I just know that he could never manage his hair.' Lily smiled at that and said,

"Yes, well, he's dead now." She continued brushing through her hair as the mirror said quietly, `Is he?' For some reason, the way the mirror said that made Lily annoyed and confused. Being done with her hair, she threw the brush down and stood up, saying,

"Yes, he is!" She slipped her robe on over her clothes and put her black shoes on, looking at her reflection quickly in the mirror. She patted her wild hair and looked into her emerald orbs before smiling slightly, pleased, and walking out the door. She was the last one out of the dormitory and her friends were waiting for her in the common room. Matt smiled as she came down and said quietly,

"You look nice today, Lils." She smiled at him and blushed, saying,

"Thanks, Matt. Er…you too." He blushed back and Maggie and Emma both linked their arms into Lily's, Maggie saying,

"On to breakfast?" Lily's stomach growled and she laughed, saying,

"Yes, please!"

All through breakfast and her first class, History of Magic, Lily was distressed. The way the mirror had said that, `Is he?' in that thoughtful tone just…bugged her. Was the mirror just finding out he was dead, or was it questioning that he was dead? It's just a stupid mirror, I shouldn't let it be getting to me! She thought as the class ended. She quickly took down the notes of what was for homework smiling. She started to lunch, no longer distressed over what the mirror had said, and happily chatted with Emma and Maggie.

When she reached her table, Dumbledore walked up to her and said,

"Lily, if you could come with me, please. Your mother's here. Oh, you can bring a sandwich up to my office." She had told her friends about her mother coming and they had formulated many ideas as to why, Lily's favorite being she had an evil twin that her mother was finally telling her about. This was Matt's idea. They all smiled at her now as Lily prepared a sandwich. Matt nodded as if Dumbledore was proving his idea right, and Lily smiled, shaking her head.

She followed after the headmaster, taking a bite out of her turkey sandwich and heading to his office. When they got there, Dumbledore said his password quietly, and it sounded like he said `peanut butter gumdrops'. Lily raised an eyebrow at this but followed him onto the staircase and into the office.

*************

Harry bit his lip as he heard the stairs moving and looked toward Hermione worriedly. She smiled slightly as if to reassure him and said,

"Maybe it's better if I explain the situation first. Maybe she won't faint then. If she sees you right away she might." Harry nodded in understanding. People did tend to faint when they saw him, with an exception of Dumbledore and Tammy. He smiled at Hermione before moving beyond a corner, out of sight from Dumbledore's desk.

Lily smiled when she saw her mother. She set down her sandwich on Dumbledore's desk and ran to give her a hug. Hermione clutched Lily to her and said,

"It seems much more than a few days since I saw you last. How's school going?" Lily stepped back and said,

"It's going good. I've told you most of everything in my owls, though, not much more to tell. Why…er…why am I here? I don't have an evil twin that you've been hiding from me, do I?" Hermione laughed slightly at that and said,

"Definitely not, Lils. I'm actually here to…well…tell you something…about your father." Lily's mind quickly flashed to the mirror, saying `Is he?' but quickly pushed it out of her thoughts. Hermione bit her bottom lip before saying,

"You might want to sit down, Lily." Lily sat down and looked at her mother with a confused expression.

"What's this all about, Mum?" She said, putting her legs under her as she settled into the squashy armchair. Hermione breathed in and out quickly before saying,

"Well, Lily. Your father…well…your father is…is alive." She looked at her daughter worriedly but Lily's expression was frozen with her eyes wide and her mouth slightly open.

"Lily? Lily?!" She quickly moved her hand in front of Lily's eyes while Lily jumped and said,

"OH, sorry, Mum. I sort of blacked out for a second there. I actually thought you said that Dad was alive." She laughed a little before seeing her mother's truthful expression and stopping. "He's…alive?" Hermione nodded slowly and said,

"Before you say anything or get mad, let me explain it to you. I got plenty mad for the both of us, believe me." Hermione sat down in a chair opposite Lily and explained to her the whole story, having memorized it by now. When she was done Lily had an expression on her face quite like Ron's when he heard the story.

"So," she swallowed, "He's gonna be like…my dad now? He's going to live with us and stuff?" Hermione bit her lip again worriedly and said quietly,

"Why don't you ask him yourself? Harry, you can come out now." Harry walked into sight and Lily looked at him silently. Before she could say anything, though, Harry walked towards her and kneeled so he was at her level.

"Before you say anything, Lily, I want to say some things to you. I know I was gone for your whole life so far, and I'm beyond sorry for that. I'm not going to pretend that those eleven years never happened. But I'm hoping I can become your father, even though I was gone all those years. It kills me that I wasn't here to see you grow up, and I want to make it up to you. So…will you be my daughter?" Lily smiled slightly and softly said,

"You're eyes look like mine." Harry nodded slowly and said,

"Just like your grandma's." They looked at each other for a second before Lily smiled broadly and said,

"Yes, I'll be your daughter!" Harry smiled at her happily and then said tentatively,

"Can I…hug you?" Lily smiled shyly and nodded, before Harry picked her up and hugged her, spinning his daughter…his daughter around as she giggled happily. He stopped spinning and they continued hugging. Lily whispered softly,

"It's good to have you back, Dad." He smiled and set her down. They both looked to where they heard a huge sob and saw Hermione, a bright smile on her face and tears falling down her cheeks. Her family moved to hug her and she smiled at both of their happy faces.

"What's wrong, Mione?" Harry said as he hugged her and Lily tightly. She smiled broader at him and said,

"I'm just so happy!" They all laughed and moved away from each other as Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Although I hate to break up this…reunion…of sorts, Lily will be late for class. I'm sure you'll have plenty of time with your father over the next years, Lily." She smiled at Dumbledore and turned to her father, saying,

"How about it, Dad? Promise you'll stay with us forever, so I can have lots of time with you?" He smiled at her and said,

"I'll stay forever, Lils. I promise." All three of them hugged again before Lily headed to her next class with a promise to owl them once a week at least. I have a dad! Lily thought as she walked out of Dumbledore's office.

Harry turned to Hermione and kissed the tip of her nose, saying,

"I have a daughter, Mione. A daughter." Hermione laughed at him and pulled him in for a kiss, before saying,

"You sure do, Mr. Potter. You sure do."

A/N: I know you guys probably want a longer chapter but this was practically seven pages! And that's a lot for me! So hope you enjoyed it, sorry if you thought it was cheesy at the end, but OH WELL! Please review, and I suppose you can flame. But do it nicely. I'm pretty busy with my play right now, but I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible! Promise!

-Emily

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