Only the Beginning
Chapter 8
Only the Beginning
Hermione exited the Minister of Magic's office both encouraged and discouraged. Her team in the Department of Experimental Magic office had found in an ancient tome, a charm that would possibly eliminate Harry's parasite. The danger was that once loose, there were no guarantees they could contain it. The essence would be free to inhabit someone less powerful and they'd be back where they started.
She knew her talk with Harry about it wouldn't go well. "I sacrificed my entire childhood for this cause," he argued. "I cannot believe that you'd want that sacrifice to be in vain…"
"That isn't it at all…I want you to be free at last. I want you to be able to live with that horrible creature gone forever."
"I won't take that risk! I am strong enough to control him.
"Harry, please consider it…" Hermione begged. "There's no guarantee that will happen…"
"Is there a guarantee it won't?" he asked. When she shook her head to indicate a negative response, he said, "Then I won't do it!" His tone let her know that the conversation was over.
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Hermione arrived home from work a few weeks later in a horrendous mood. It was one of those, 'We're going to fight-You pick the topic' sort of moods. It was a good thing that Mee Tao was visiting her grandparents.
Harry was charming various knives to chop vegetables and meat for dinner. He was also practicing his magic by using less focus. Hermione watched as he glanced from the pitcher of butterbeer to the table. The pitcher flew across the room and landed exactly where he'd intended. He closed his eyes and attempted to return it to the counter. The flagon seemed to lose interest and crashed to the floor midway.
"Harry!" Hermione shouted. "Be more careful. If Mee Tao was home, she could get hurt…"
"If Mee Tao were home, I wouldn't be practicing in the kitchen…" Harry countered with a smile. "I'll clean it up."
"No, I'll get it," she snapped. "You'll only make it worse…"
"Er…alright…" Harry agreed reluctantly. In the almost six months they'd been married, they'd never had a serious argument. Considering her apparent mood, Harry feared that could change tonight. He went back to his cooking and left her to clean up the mess.
Hermione went to change for dinner when she'd finished cleaning up the spill with a few charms. Returning to the kitchen, she stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips. "I thought you were going to finish charming the room for my office…" she complained.
"I will, love. I just got home myself and started dinner. I was going to work on it after…" he explained.
"I'd like to start organizing and decorating in there this century, Harry. You said last night that it would be done by the time Mee Tao gets home. It's just like you to promise to get something done and then skive off until there's no time to do it right."
"That stuff is very easy for me. I'll have it done by bedtime tonight. Better?"
Hermione walked into the drawing room and spotted a collection of packages. "What's all this now?" she demanded returning to the kitchen.
"I did a bit of shopping during lunch today," he answered. "Trying to get a head start on Christmas, you know…"
"You can't possibly mean to give them all of that?" she snorted. "You'll spoil them…"
"And what's wrong with that?" he asked as he slid the stew back into the oven.
"Christmas is about choosing the perfect gift for someone you love, not bombard them with so many presents that they don't know where to turn…"
"Well, I wouldn't know about that, would I? I must have just walked into a store and said, 'I know nothing about my children, can't really remember their names, come to that. Just give me twelve of each of your best sellers…that should be sufficient. I can't be bothered to know even how many I've fathered, so…'
"Technically, you haven't fathered any, but…"
"Thanks for pointing that out, Hermione. I tend to forget…." Harry growled. She gasped as he looked at her; his eyes flared into a deep angry red.
By the look on her face, Harry immediately knew what had happened. "I'm going into the office for a bit. Enjoy your dinner." With that he stomped out the door.
Draco Malfoy found him in the practice room on his knees begging, interspersed with feeble cries of 'Riddikulus' as boggart-Hermione ridiculed him and threatened to take Mee Tao and leave. "Riddikulus!" Malfoy called waving his wand. With a loud crack, the boggart changed into Lucius Malfoy. He waved his wand once more and the elder Malfoy disappeared in a puff of smoke. Harry stayed on his knees and began sobbing, his face pressed into his palms. "Want to talk about it?" Malfoy asked softly as Harry's sobs faded. Harry remained silent. "I don't want to guess. I received the signal that you were here, which by the way interrupted a lovely dinner with a witch that…Anyway; I don't want this to be a wasted trip."
"I was so angry with her…" Harry began.
"By 'her', I assume you mean Granger…"
"It's Potter now," Harry corrected.
"Whatever…" sneered Malfoy. "Now, what happened?" Harry swiped his hand across his nose and told Malfoy about breaking the pitcher. When he'd finished, Malfoy looked at him puzzled. "This is what caused you to lose it? That must be some flagon…"
Harry rolled his eyes at his associate. "No, that isn't all; it's just all I want to tell you."
"See here, Potter. I came down here to help you," explained Malfoy. At Harry's disbelieving glare, he added, "I could have written this up tomorrow just as easily. I thought maybe you needed me. Obviously I was wrong." Malfoy stood and headed toward the door.
"I'm sterile…." Harry stated which effectively stopped Malfoy in his tracks.
Malfoy spun in place to face him. "What did you say?"
"I said I'm sterile. I got hit with the Infecundus curse…" Harry admitted.
"Who would use a curse like that?" asked Malfoy incredulously. He walked over to sit beside Harry in the floor.
"Who do you think?" asked Harry as if he couldn't believe Malfoy had to ask.
"But, you've got kids…you've gotten…." Malfoy trailed off as he fitted the pieces of the puzzle together. "Merlin's Beard! Why didn't you tell anyone?"
Harry raised an eyebrow at the other man. "Would you?"
"Of course not! I w…Ah, I see your point. Well, isn't this a day for the record books. Saint Potter has the same male insecurities as the rest of us mortals," Malfoy chuckled.
"We were arguing over the presents I bought the kids and she threw it back in my face. I couldn't believe…"
"Of course she did," interrupted Malfoy.
"What?" asked Harry. "Why would she do that?"
"She apparently was spoiling for a fight and you wouldn't cooperate, so she upped the ante. She wanted a reaction so she pushed the envelope…"
"What are you talking about? You're mixing metaphors all over the place…"
"We'll talk about my grammar later, Potter. Here's the way I see it…she comes home in a snit, I'd guess PMS, but I don't want to go there. She is looking for a sparring partner and there you are, except you won't play along. You give in to her and that makes it worse. I'd wager she knows more about you than anyone else on the planet. Am I correct?"
"I don't have any secrets from her…"
"So there you are. She needs a knock out punch and you've given her the ammunition she needs to force you to lose control. It's a fact of married life. She hits you at your weak point and it gets her more of a reaction than she bargained for. She gets scared that she went too far. You are here sniveling over the Voldie-eyes you hit back with and both of you are probably sorry for the whole thing…"
"Why would she do that?" Harry asked again genuinely.
Malfoy snorted, "You've obviously never had 'make-up sex'…" When Harry opened his mouth to speak, Malfoy held up a hand and added, "No, don't…I don't want to know. The thought of Granger and sex in the same thought process is enough to give me nightmares…"
Harry smiled. "Thanks, Malfoy."
"Don't mention it. Besides, if there's anyone who knows about ammunition being used against you, it's me. I grew up with it and learning to defend against it. What you need to do is take away its power to hurt you. 'Harry Potter shoots blanks'…Big bloody deal! The rest of the world sees you as some sort of stud muffin with about twenty-seven kids…"
"It's six," Harry corrected.
"Whatever…The point I'm trying to make is that it can only hurt you if you let it. I'm sure Voldie chose that curse because it would hurt you the most. You have to keep your defenses up and, for Merlin's sake, quit wearing your heart on your bloody sleeve. Your abandonment issues are out there for anyone to see….Now, go home and have wild make-up sex with…" Malfoy made a disgusted face. "…Granger and don't let me see you at the office tomorrow unless you've got hickeys all over your neck. Don't bother coming in otherwise…"
"We don't do that..." Harry stated.
"My God, what a prude…"
Harry grinned evilly. "I prefer that she bites…."
"Teeth marks, then," Malfoy groaned and mumbled. "Bloody hell, I'm going to have night terrors for a month over this…"
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When Harry walked in the door, Hermione flung herself at him. With her legs wrapped around his waist, he staggered to lean against the counter. "I'm so sorry, Harry. I don't know what came over me. I shouldn't have said that and I truly don't know why I did," she sobbed into his neck.
"I'm sorry I got so angry. It's the truth, so I shouldn't have lost control…"
She cried for a bit longer as they talked things out. Between kisses she assured him that she loved him and would never leave him. He assured her that he would work harder at keeping his temper.
When she started nipping at his neck and ear more than kissing, he carried her up to bedroom. Laying her down gently, he vanished their garments, making her stare at him wide-eyed. He began to kiss his way up her body. She stopped him and pulled him up to where she lay. "You first, this time," she whispered as she straddled his body. She leaned into him and began nipping at his chest. He nearly lost control in an entirely different way as she closed her teeth carefully around his nipple. She smiled at his sharp intake of breath and moved lower.
About an hour later, as Harry was dressing, he spotted himself in the mirror. Intrigued, he went closer and examined the red teeth marks on his shoulder, neck and chest. "Malfoy will be proud…" he said under his breath.
"What did you say?" asked Hermione not believing her ears. "Please, before I have you committed; tell me how Draco Malfoy could possibly enter your mind right now…"
Harry reddened as he laughed. "When you put it like that…He met me at the office earlier and we had a long talk. In summary, I was to come home and make up with you. If I didn't, I'm suspended again. That's all…"
"Malfoy...talked to you…about us…I'm sorry, Harry, I just can't see that happening. I know you have to be nice to him because of work and all, but what could he possibly have to say that would influence you?"
"He can see more than it seems. He nailed our argument dead square and sent me home for make-up sex."
"What did he say?" she asked hesitantly.
"Basically that you weren't trying to hurt me, you were just looking for a sparring partner. I wouldn't give in, so it escalated to something nasty…I have decided that next time, you should just maybe let me know and I'll challenge you to a duel or something or some other 'winner take all' activity. I'm sure I can think of more pleasurable contests…"
Over a reheated dinner, Hermione confessed to one of the reasons for her bad mood. The curse making Harry sterile was nearly an Unforgivable. It couldn't be blocked and it certainly couldn't be reversed. Harry accepted the news without emotion. He knew it was a long shot and wasn't bothered. "Besides, you'll officially be Mee Tao's Mum in a few weeks, that's good enough for me. If later we want something different, then we'll talk again," he said.
As they talked, Harry turned away from her occasionally and mumbled, 'shut it' under his breath. She figured the voice was particularly forceful tonight with the roller coaster of emotions Harry had experienced. She handed him his cigarettes and fixed him a drink before joining him on the porch.
"I wish we could do something about that…" she consoled him. "We just haven't come up with anything you'll agree to…"
"I'm not risking him being released, Hermione. Just drop it, okay? I'm fine."
"There's truly no other way, Harry…" she pled.
"Then that's the end of it, then, isn't it? It's not that bad really…"
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Harry arrived at work the next morning to find Malfoy sitting at his desk. "Let's see it, Potter…" he said.
"No way!" Harry said. He couldn't believe Malfoy was even asking.
"That's the deal, remember? Don't tell me. You are above using making up just to get a little. What is it…Saturday nights only?" Malfoy taunted.
Harry swore and unclasped his robe and began working the buttons at the top of his shirt. Malfoy grinned.
Neville knocked once before opening the door. Upon seeing Harry in what seemed to be the process of disrobing, he mumbled a confused, "Oh sorry!" as he backed out.
"No, Longbottom, you'll want to see this, too," said Malfoy. Harry's face bypassed red and went straight for purple. "Our Harry here had a bit of trouble last night while arguing with his wife. I met him here and long story short, he has to prove that everything is better now. I'm waiting, Potter…"
"I'll just…I'll just…take your word for it, Draco," stuttered Neville. Harry smiled his thanks. Once he and Malfoy were alone again, Harry pulled the collar of his shirt down and turned to face Malfoy.
"Good Lord!" Malfoy exclaimed upon seeing the marks. "You weren't kidding!"
Harry refastening his clothing, he said, "May I get to work now?"
Remus entered the office. "Oh, sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt…"
"You aren't. Just a little guy talk…" said Malfoy. "It seems Harry here got lucky last night…"
"Seeing he's recently married, I wouldn't find that to be news…" Remus answered.
"So, Malfoy," said Harry, "any developments with that witch you were bragging about?"
"I could lie, you know," said Malfoy, his smirk fading.
"No you wouldn't," replied Harry. "Your pride would never allow you to lie about that when you know I didn't."
"Smug bastard…," mumbled Malfoy as he left the office.
Harry and Remus shared a triumphant grin before Remus stated the reason for his visit. "The foundation is all set up and rolling. Now that the Ministry is funding a majority of your operations, you should have plenty to use to fund this endeavor."
"That's wonderful news, Remus!" Harry beamed. "I can't wait to tell Hermione about it!"
"The counselors are all in place and the word is spread."
"I won't be linked to this, will I?" asked Harry, concerned that if it were known, then he'd get the publicity rather than the center.
"No, it is designed just as you'd planned. No one even asked where the money was coming from actually…" Remus answered. "St Mungo's was just pleased to receive the help."
"Well done, Remus. You can expect that bonus we talked about…"
"I don't want another bonus, Harry. You pay me too much as it is…besides I get to earn a living doing the work I enjoy…"
"You wouldn't happen to want to repeat that "Pay me too much" part in front of Malfoy, would you?" Harry teased. It was a known fact around the office that Malfoy found himself grossly underpaid. He may have forfeited his family's riches when he joined the side of the Light, but he never lost the wealthy attitude.
After a busy day at work, Harry rushed home to be with his family. Mee Tao and her grandparents were arriving shortly. Harry raced to get the toys into the attic prior to their arrival.
As he was carrying the last load, panting with effort, Hermione turned up. "Why didn't you just use magic?" she asked. "Now you're all sweaty…"
"Imagine that," Harry said with a smirk, "I have an hour to kill and in need of a bath…"
"I don't suppose you need someone to wash your back…" she offered flirtingly.
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Mee Tao squealed with delight when she saw her adoptive mum and dad. The Inoh's brought gifts. Hermione received a gorgeous blur silk dressing gown, while Harry got cases of various rice based liquors.
"Everyone needs to feel normal, Mr. Potter, " Mr. Inoh had told him.
After seeing their guests off and seeing Mee Tao to bed, Hermione noticed Harry was acting oddly. He seemed to be bursting with energy and deliriously happy. "Is there something wrong?" she asked when they reached their bedroom.
"No, not wrong," he answered. "I do want to talk to you, though."
"What about?" she asked.
"I did something for our half year anniversary and I hope you are pleased. The Ministry is now paying us for the work we do and people all over the wizarding world have sent galleons to me as thanks or whatever. I don't want the money and I don't need it. Plus," he said with a grin. "I've got the small fortune you are saving me in child support every month."
"Harry, you can't send it back. That would hurt their feelings…" she advised.
"I know. That's what Remus said, too. So, what I've done is create a foundation. All of the extra money goes there. It will fund scholarships for children who can't afford Hogwarts, counselors so that witches and wizards will have the same access to help as Muggles, and a few other things. I've named it The Trio Foundation in honor of our friendship, the three of us."
Hermione had tears in her eyes. "I'm speechless. Where did you come up with the idea?"
"From you…" he replied. "Talking to that doctor showed me that we don't have many of the options Muggles do and I wanted to even it out a bit. St Mungo's supports it and agreed to hire to fill the counselor posts. It should be fully functional by summer."
"It's a wonderful thing you are doing, Harry Potter. You are such an amazing man…"
"Well, I do have ulterior motives, as well. I've inherited an enormous amount of books I'll never read, plus Malfoy's collections, Dumbledore's, The Black's…How would a 'Library and Research Center for the Magical Arts' grab you?"
Hermione squealed and leaped off the bed to blind him in a nest of curls. "You did that for me?"
"I'd do anything to make you happy," he replied. "I figured if you wanted to join the research team, you could; or if you just wanted it to be a hobby…The thing is, Hermione, it won't be able to be traced back to me easily. I didn't want my name attached other than as a supporter."
"Why not?" she asked. "You deserve the recognition."
"I don't want it, though. I get more than enough recognition, I think."
"I think it's wonderful. I think you are wonderful. Thank you."
He tightened his arms around her. "I just want you to be happy."
"Oh, I am, Mr. Potter. I certainly am."
Shortly after Mee Tao turned four, Hermione felt the distinct stirrings of wanting another child. In her heart, she knew she wanted to go through the experience of motherhood from the beginning. She had discussed it at length with her husband; however no decisions had been made.
Harry wasn't pleased that Hermione had offered him up as a guinea pig for the Research Center for study on that particular curse, but he agreed to the testing anyway.
An exhausted Hermione had arrived home late to find her daughter in bed and her husband working in the library. "Can I get you something?" he asked after greeting her properly.
"No, I just want to talk," she said slumping into a chair.
"Want to talk here or I can conjure more of those jet thingies in the bath…" he offered.
"That sounds wonderful…just don't make it too hot this time, please," she said.
Once in the warm water, Harry snuggled into her chest. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked, knowing they would be having another baby discussion.
"I don't know how to say this…" she whispered with an uncharacteristic hesitant tone.
"Just say it…you can talk to me about anything…" he encouraged.
"Harry…I just…Harry…"
Harry rose to look at her scared expression and began to feel nervous. "Just say it…What are you afraid of?"
"I'd never betray you, Harry. You know that, right?" she asked tentatively never looking him in the eye. He nodded anyway. "Remember when the Center told us two years ago that the chance of us having a baby is nearly a trillion to one?"
Harry grinned widely as he worked out what was coming. "Yes..." he said attempting to hide his enthusiasm in case he was wrong.
"Harry…it's just…I…just say it, Hermione" she told herself aloud. "….Harry, I'm pregnant…" She timidly raised her eyes to his. The relief she found from the tears and the joy in his eyes made her feel foolish that she'd been so scared. "We're going to have a baby," she said with pride and elation before embracing him.
"Why were you so scared to tell me?" he asked at last.
"I thought you'd think that since you are supposedly sterile and I wanted a baby so very badly that I must have cheated…It's only natural to think…"
"That never crossed my mind…" he reassured her.
"Why not? I'm not sure I could be so trusting if the situation were reversed…"
"It's simple," he said as he beamed at her. "I believe in magic…"
Finite