Disclaimer: See Prologue.
Author's Note: This is a short little interlude of a chapter to tide you all over until after the long weekend. Enjoy!
Second Chances
Chapter 3: The Sum of His Desires
Harry found himself in an unfamiliar little house. He glanced around, surprised at how odd it felt not to have Sirius beside him- somehow- during this particular part of this vision. Sirius had said, though, that he would still be able to send Harry out of the vision world and Harry was hardly in a position to argue, this being a realm of magic no living person could know.
Looking around, he could see that little kids lived here, in the scattered pencils and children's books on the table plus a pair of tiny children's shoes.
Then the front door opened and he saw himself walk in, looking a little tired, it's true, but with an indefinable air of something about him which Harry couldn't quite identify.
His other self had just hung up a light summer cloak and called out, "I'm home," when Harry heard the sound of childish running feet and a gleeful cry of "Daddy!"
Before Harry had time to even try to mentally adjust to the idea of seeing himself as a father or indeed had time to do anything other than catch his breath, a little girl with long, rather bushy, brown hair, who looked to be about five, ran into the room. His other self swooped down on her with a laugh, lifting her up as he asked, "How's my little princess Emily doing?" and kissing her on the tip of her nose, before setting her down.
And Harry suddenly knew what it was in the very air with which his other self moved, looked, now. It was happiness, the simple and yet profound contentment of one who is safe in the knowledge that he returns home to the dearest things in life to him…
The little girl promptly took the other Harry's hand and began leading him out of the room towards another room. "Mummy, Daddy's home!" she announced to the unseen people in the next room and then in the same tone looked back at her father to declare with all the pride of having been elected Ruler of the World, "I finished reading my book today and then I helped Mummy teach Andy how to count to 20."
Harry hardly heard his other self respond in a tone of properly impressed pleasure, "Did you really?". Harry followed behind, staring in helpless fascination at the little figure of his daughter-his daughter!-as she walked on, studying every detail of her body from the sturdiness of her little legs, her hands as she confidently grasped that of her father, her hair, so like Hermione's he smiled in spite of himself. He hadn't been able to see her eyes and wondered whether her eyes would be brown, like Hermione's, or if she'd inherited his own green ones. There was so much innocent cheerfulness in her voice as she prattled on and he felt his throat close up and his eyes sting with involuntary tears, filled with an emotion he wasn't quite ready to put a name to.
He had a daughter! Or his other self did… He could have been a father!
They had entered the other room, a little quasi-play room and children's classroom, where Hermione looked up and another little figure broke away from Hermione as she tried to neaten his clothes, to attach himself to his father's leg.
Laughing, his other self detached his little son, lifting him up and settling him on his arm. "Has Andy been a good boy today?" he smiled into the little boy's face so close to his own-close enough that Harry could see, with some emotion, the resemblance between them.
The little boy nodded. "Uh huh."
Harry watched as he put little Andy down after a quick kiss on the forehead and a "That's my boy", letting him run off to join Emily in giggling at the antics of some plastic figurines of circus clowns and animals, charmed to perform on their own.
"And how's Emily and Andy's mummy doing?" the other Harry asked in a softly teasing tone, kissing Hermione on the cheek and sliding his arm around her waist.
"Emily and Andy's mummy is doing fine," Hermione smiled into her husband's eyes.
Harry couldn't help but notice that even though Hermione looked rather weary, she was also beautiful-more beautiful than he'd ever seen her somehow-with the added maturity and warmth that motherhood had given her.
Watching the cozy little family scene, Harry was pierced with pain, a mixture of love and loss and longing and regret, so profound and so poignant he wondered how he could remain standing. And he suddenly knew that in dismissing Hermione's confession of love that fateful night 7 years ago, he'd also dismissed this-this living fantasy of all he'd ever wanted in life…
Oh God, what he could have had if he hadn't been such a monumental, colossal idiot! Harry had never hated himself more than at that moment.
He was pulled from his painful thoughts by the sound of a knock at the front door and was spared his curiosity as to whom it might be when Emily and Andy promptly lost interest in the circus figurines and ran to the door with twin cries of "Nana and Grampa!" as his other self and Hermione followed, after ending the charm placed on the circus figurines so they resumed their inanimate state.
The door was pulled open by Emily and Harry recognized with something like a shock, Hermione's parents. They looked older, of course, than he remembered but were otherwise very little changed. They were greeted with obvious excitement by Emily and Andy and affectionately by himself and Hermione.
Mr. Granger smiled down at Emily as he asked, "Are we all set to go then, love?"
Emily nodded. "Yes, I am!" as Hermione quickly and quietly summoned two small children's backpacks and helped Andy put his on before letting Emily take hers.
Mrs. Granger hugged her son-in-law and then her daughter and Harry heard her say, "You two have a good time tonight."
"We will. And thank you for letting Emily and Andy stay with you tonight," his other self answered.
Mr. Granger waved a hand dismissively. "Oh, no need to thank us. If you didn't ask us to take them every once in a while, Clare's liable to kidnap them just so she can indulge them to her heart's content."
The little group of adults all laughed and Mrs. Granger gave her husband a look of smiling reproof. "As if you're any different, Doug," she teased.
Mr. Granger grinned. "I never said I wouldn't be aiding and abetting your kidnapping."
Hermione chuckled, kissing her father on the cheek. "Thanks, anyway, Dad."
His other self knelt in front of Emily to say, "You be a good girl for Nana and Grampa and take care of Andy, okay, love?"
"I will, Daddy."
He then turned to Andy, ruffling the little boy's already untidy black hair. "Be good and Mommy and I will see you tomorrow."
And after another few minutes of goodbyes, the door closed behind Emily, Andy and the Grangers, leaving Harry and Hermione alone.
Hermione turned into his arms with a little sigh. "Well, Mr. Potter, 24 hours of freedom from the children begins now."
He smiled. "Finally. I can have my wicked way with you."
Hermione laughed softly and kissed him long and lingeringly.
Harry averted his eyes, envying his other self so fiercely he could taste the bitterness in his mouth.
"Mm, happy anniversary, Hermione," Harry heard his other self say, softly, when the kiss finally ended.
"Happy anniversary, darling," Hermione responded and then asked after a pause, "Can you believe it's been eight years?"
"Eight years… and every year has just been better than the last one."
Harry saw Hermione smile and then begin to tug his other self toward the stairs. "I think it's about time Andy had a little sister or brother, don't you?" she asked with a meaningful little smile playing on her lips.
And the last thing Harry heard before the little house faded from around him was his other self saying, "I knew I loved you for a reason."
To be continued…