Finally two months later, they had everything finalised. The English ministry had tried their hardest to get Harry to stay, but Harry had politely declined seven times and left them with "I'd rather be working there in November, anyway. No snow." With that, Harry had magically cleaned out his desk, said goodbye to his fellow aurors, and had left England two weeks later with Hermione and their kids.
They had quietly gone through a Wizarding adoption process to make Henry and Sarah legally Harry's children, and to their relief, the Daily Prophet hadn't caught wind of it. When Hermione had submitted two applications for Henry and Sarah to attend the Sydney Grammar School, she proudly wrote `Henry Arthur Potter' and `Sarah Louise Jane Potter'. The Headmaster of the school had contacted them within a fortnight, and had scheduled a meeting with Harry and Hermione for the following week.
To their surprise, Alice, their nanny, had declared that she would too, move to Australia so she could help Hermione with James and Lily while she was still on her maternity leave. Harry had purchased a spacious home outside the city with seven bedrooms, but had made plans to knock out a wall and combine two rooms to make a large combination room of library and offices for Hermione and himself. Sarah was completely thrilled to find out that there was a pool in their backyard; like most of the homes in their neighbourhood had, along with a slide and a large, spacious green lawn.
Harry had started working the ministry, and Hermione silently noted that he seemed far happier working with his former colleagues again. It had confirmed her suspicions he had missed living and working there than he had let her believe. The International Relations department had graciously welcomed the infamous Hermione Granger into their department, and had immediately placed her in the research division, and it immediately became something she enjoyed. It was a welcomed change from working in her bookstore, which after some heavy negotiating had become a division of Flourish & Blotts.
It was obvious that Lily was Hermione's daughter. She looked uncannily like both Sarah and Hermione had as babies, and the only thing that she bared resemblance with her father was her emerald green eyes. Harry wasted no time doting on his new little girl. He was overjoyed with her sheer presence in his life. James adored his baby sister. She was a new, fascinating thing for him to hold and prod at. Harry made sure that none of their children felt neglected in any way. It was obvious he was trying his hardest to be a good husband and father to four children and run a department at the Ministry of Magic.
x-x-x-x-x
On the day he and Hermione were to meet with the headmaster, Harry had been running behind on everything. Between being stuck in a board meeting that he really had no concern about and getting home to meet Hermione, he had told her he would have to meet her at the school, and she reluctantly agreed.
The only good thing that seemed to come was the weather. He enjoyed the constant sunshine and warmth. He had been so nervous that Henry and Sarah would have trouble adjusting to a new country and climate, as like he was, were English born and bred. If they were discontent living in Australia, they did not show it in front of their parents. They had even become friends with a few of the children in the neighbourhood, a few of whom were already attending the Grammar school.
Harry knew he was going to be late by the time he appearated into the foyer of his home. As usual, James came bounding out of the sitting room to meet him. Harry picked up his son, said a quick hello to Alice before bounding off up the stairs to change out of his ministry robes. He threw his robes carelessly on the floor and stepped into his closet. He set James down on the large ottoman that was in the centre and quickly changed into a pair of kakis and a white button down shirt and slid into a pair of comfortable shoes. He picked up James again and bounded back down the staircase. He handed his struggling son over to the nanny and quickly climbed into his car. Harry backed out of the driveway and sped off down the street. He glanced at the illuminated clock on the dashboard and gently pressed the gas pedal a little harder with his foot.
Finally, fifteen minutes later and almost a half-an-hour late, Harry pulled the car into a vacant parking space and clambered out of his vehicle. He locked the doors quickly and jammed the keys into the pocket of his trousers and jogged up to the main entrance. He ran his fingers through his shaggy hair and straightened his posture and slowly entered the building. He silently followed the signs that directed him to the back of the building towards the administration. He was fully aware that a few members of the female staff had their eyes on him and he quickly dropped his gaze to the floor as he heard whispers of "whose father is he?" and "I've never seen him at any of the PTA meetings".
Harry pushed open the door to the office and the serious looking woman behind the desk looked up immediately.
"Can I help you?"
"My wife, Hermione Potter is already here. I'm supposed to be meeting with the headmaster."
"Ah. Mr. Potter, we weren't sure if you were going to show. Right down that tiny corridor and Headmaster Freedman's office is the first door on your right."
"Thank you, miss," said Harry gratefully as he turned away from her and disappeared down the corridor. He soon found himself staring at a highly polished ancient oak door. He balled his fist up into a ball and knocked. He heard shuffling from the inside.
Seconds later, Harry was face-to-face with a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair and a kind face. "Harry Potter, I presume?"
"Yes sir. I'm assuming you're Headmaster Freedman?"
"Yes, yes I am. Come in. Your wife refused to let our meeting begin until you arrived."
"I'm dreadfully sorry about my lateness," said Harry as he took his place beside Hermione, "I was stuck in a seminar at work … you know how they are in the government buildings … won't let anyone leave until they've had their say…"
"You work for the government?" inquired Freedman conversationally.
"Yes," said Harry confidently, "I work with the head of National Security."
"As in you're one of his assistants?"
"No. I'm one of the head coordinators for security… We're a quiet organization that's a small division from the Australian Government. You could say we're almost like our own government in our own little way."
"Does your job take you away from your family?"
"No sir, it doesn't. I can be with my family as much as I want, especially now. It's a blessing to have it."
"And you, Mrs. Potter?"
"I work for International Affairs … I'm the same as my husband. I'm off on maternity leave at the moment, but when I return, I'll have enough time to help Henry and Sarah with their homework and support them in their schooling, as will Harry."
"How many children are in your household?"
"Four," answered Harry, "Henry, nine, Sarah, seven, James, 22 months, and Lily, about two and a half months."
"It says in your application that you recently adopted Henry and Sarah."
"Yes," said Harry, "Henry and Sarah were Hermione's from a previous marriage. Their father hasn't been around, and after a lot of consulting between Hermione, the children and I, we thought it would be the best thing to do."
"I see," replied Freedman as he made a note on his paper. "And for security reasons for the children, could we have the name of their birth father in case he was to contact our school?"
"Ronald Bilius Weasley," responded Hermione, "he is aware that he isn't allowed contact with his children unless supervised."
"James and Lily are yours, Harry?"
"Yes, sir. There's no reason why Ronald would want to contact them. They are far to young to attend school, anyway."
"Well, I've reviewed Henry's test scores from the past few years that he's been home schooled, and it's apparent that he's very intelligent, and would fit in well with the school. Sarah also passed her entrance exam with flying colours. We'd be proud to have them in the Sydney Grammar School."
Hermione let out the breath she'd been holding and looked at Harry lovingly. "Thank you, thank you so much, Mr. Freedman," she said appreciatively.
"No, thank you, Mrs. and Mr. Potter. If you could kindly bring Henry and Sarah in at your earliest convenience we'll get them set up with a uniform and timetable."
"Hermione or I will probably place a call into the office tomorrow with a time suitable for all of us," said Harry as he shook his hand and silently led Hermione out the door.
Harry smiled as he felt Hermione slip her hand in his as they walked towards their designated vehicles.
"I'll see you at home, love," said Harry, pressing a kiss to her forehead.
"I love you," she whispered against his lips before she brushed hers against his.
Harry smiled and gave her hand a small squeeze and unlocked the door to his car as she slid into her own. Sighing, Harry slowly slid his key into the ignition and turned on the car and backed out of his parking space and onto the freeway.
x-x-x-x-x
"Harry, wake up," Hermione whispered as she sat down on her husband's side of the bed, which he was currently half hanging off of. She glanced at the clock. It was nearly three am.
"No," he groaned, shifting his position so his back was facing her.
"Harry, it's important, please." She continued, resting her hand on his lightly freckled shoulder.
"Are the kids okay?" he asked groggily as he struggled to sit up.
"They're fine, love. I just fed Lily. She went straight to sleep."
"What's going on then?"
"Promise me you won't be mad."
"Nothing's broken, is it?"
Hermione laughed and shook her head as she slid further onto the bed beside him and drew her knees up to her chest. "Promise me you won't be mad."
"I promise," he said honestly as he smiled faintly at her.
"I'm pregnant," she blurted out.
Harry's head immediately dropped into his hands.
"Hermione we-"
"Just had Lily, I know."
"Are you sure?"
"I've known for a week."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I-"
"We're going to have five fucking kids!" he said loudly as he climbed out the bed and began pacing the room. "Five Hermione, five!"
"I know that-" she said helplessly.
"Lily's not even three months old, Hermione!"
"I know that, Harry!" she said, raising her voice slightly, "I didn't get here on my own, in case you've forgotten."
"I'm sorry," he said finally as he gathered her in his arms. "I'm just surprised."
"I am too. I mean, we were trying to have Lily, this one, is well, so unexpected…" she whispered as he gently laid her on their bed and sat down beside her.
"We want this, right?" he asked her seriously.
"I suppose one more couldn't hurt."
"Five…" he whispered hoarsely into her hair as she held onto his neck tightly.
"I know, Harry," said Hermione soothingly.
"I've been married for nearly three years, and I have five children. How is that even possible?" he asked her finally.
"Two are mine, and we shag far too much," replied Hermione as she idly ran her fingers through his hair.
"I love you," he whispered as he slowly brought her body flush against his.
"I know you do," she responded kissing the side of his rough jaw, "and all five million of our children."
"Mum!" shouted Henry from the other side of the door.
Hermione scrambled away from Harry and quickly wrenched open the door to see a tousled-haired Henry.
"Yes, darling?"
"Grandma Molly's calling in via floo downstairs," he yawned.
"Come on, Henry, I'll walk you back to your room. Harry, go see what Molly needs."
"Alright," responded Harry as he untangled himself from the sheets and climbed out of the bed. He grabbed a t-shirt off the floor and yanked it over his head. He silently watched as Hermione lifted Henry into her arms and silently walked out of the room. Sighing, Harry ran his fingers loosely through his hair and exited the bedroom. He quickly peered into James's room, and his son was still sound asleep.
Harry rounded the corner on the stairs and saw indeed that their sitting room was bright with flames dancing off the wall. Sure enough, in the grate Molly Weasley's head was floating amongst the flames as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
"Hello, Molly," called Harry as he stepped into the sitting room and sat down in the chair across from the grate.
"Lovely sitting room, Harry," she commented.
"Hermione's work." He replied.
"I see. How's Lily?"
"Amazing. She just went back to sleep, I'm sorry." He explained.
"What time is it there?"
"Nearly three thirty am."
"Merlin, Harry I apologise-"
"It's alright, Molly. Hermione and I were up with the baby. It's quite alright."
"Hello Molly," said Hermione as she slid onto Harry's lap. He flashed her a brief smile.
"Hello Hermione. How're you?"
"I'm coming along nicely, thank you. It's just been so hard trying to lose the post-baby weight…"
"I gave up after Fred and George," she laughed, "I knew it was hopeless."
Hermione laughed nervously. "Well, Lily is my forth…"
"Are you two going to have any more children?"
Harry glanced at Hermione and shook his head. "We're fine for now. We've got our hands full…"
"How are Henry and Sarah?"
"They love it here," replied Hermione honestly. "Sarah loves the `constant summer' in November. They'll be starting at the local Grammar school in Sydney soon, then they'll be sent off to Hogwarts."
"Will you move back to England for them to do so?"
"We haven't really discussed that yet," said Harry, "we'll probably deal with it when the time comes. What will most likely happen is that we'll come home for the holidays so the kids can see their families. We felt horrible taking Henry and Sarah away."
"We all understood that you needed to go, Harry dear," said Molly seriously. "So much had happened … it was almost like one of those muggle soap operas that Helen watches…"
"Yes," agreed Hermione. "It's lovely here. The weather is so beautiful, and the people here are absolutely wonderful. "James is just growing so fast … he's almost speaking perfect English with the books Harry and I have been reading him…"
"A true Granger."
"Yes," laughed Harry.
"I should get going to bed… I apologise again for my timing…"
"It's quite all right, Molly, it was wonderful to hear from you," said Hermione honestly.
x-x-x-x-x
They were determined to make Helena and Ingrid's second birthday a low-key affair. Harry and Hermione had taken the week off of work and pulled Henry and Sarah out of classes so they could take a small family vacation in Melbourne. The past years had been good to them; Harry and Hermione were in a state of shock when they had found out from a healer that they should prepare for two new additions to their family, instead of one. Harry more so than Hermione, as he then realised he had to raise six children before the age of thirty five, as he so seriously put it in his rant on the way home in the car while Hermione glowed with sheer adoration and pride.
It was also then Harry decided to be placed under a temporary infertility charm until he and Hermione decided for some crazy reason, they wanted another child, and this suited them just fine.
When Hermione went into labour in early July, Harry nearly died when the healers informed them that there were complications with their pregnancy, and there was a chance one of their children might not make it. Harry could be heard shouting profanities at their healer to do something or he would experience something few before him had witnessed. Terrified, Healer Anderson did the best job he could at explaining to Harry that he would do his best to make sure both babies came out healthy and alive.
Finally, at half past two am, Helena Rosalyn and Ingrid Harriet Potter were brought into the world, safe, healthy and alive, and Healer Anderson's life spared. Hermione had determinedly made Harry write a detailed letter of apology to Healer Anderson saying that he had over reacted and had donated an undisclosed amount of money to the hospital to show his appreciation for bringing Helena and Ingrid into the world safely.
Lily had grown to look more and more like Hermione every day, and had even been `blessed' with the same bushy hair as her mother and sister. James, on the other hand, was a tiny replica of Harry, down to the last out of place lock of jet-black hair on his four-year-old head. Harry spoiled all of his children more than necessary, and he knew Hermione disapproved of it, and it was apparent that he didn't care the least bit. He had plainly put it to her one day, as they were his children too, and he could spoil them if he felt like it.
And it was now Harry believed that his life was complete. He had a wife that loved him, and he loved her, and a family he adored. Finally, he believed, he could move along.
AN: I know the ending came a lot sooner than expected, and I admit, it came upon me too
Thank you so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so so much to everyone who has supported me and urged me to write more. Thanks to everyone who reviewed to the story. I replied to almost all of the reviews at the beginning of the story, but as it progressed, I kinda slagged off because I was partially lazy, and overwhelmed with more reviews than I'm used to receiving (I also write on ff.net).
I started writing this story in mid-June 2006 because it was a welcomed difference from studying for my final exams in high school. I finally got the guts to post it on fanfiction.net in late August, and I have never regretted a moment of it.
So I guess, without further ado, I close `Move Along'.
-->