"Is she okay?" Harry asked looking at the doctor.
"Your wife is fine, Mr. Potter. Don't worry."
"And the baby?" Fleur asked, raising her head slightly.
"Well... it's actually the baby. Congratulations, you're having a boy."
"Really?" Harry asked excitedly. They knew that having a child wasn't impossible, but with Fleur's Veela blood, the chances were more in favor of it being a girl. Well, Harry didn't care too much. He would love all of his children.
"Yes. And he's fine, growing up without problems."
Fleur smiled and squeezed Harry's hand, who returned the gesture before kissing his forehead.
"I think that, with this news, Belmont might be more excited than I am."
"Dad's already too excited about Zenobia."
Harry nodded before looking back at the doctor.
"Thank you very much."
"It's my job. You don't have to thank me," the doctor smiled before standing up. "You can get up now, Mrs. Potter."
Harry helped Fleur a little. Her abdomen was already quite swollen, so some movements were now more difficult.
"Zenobia might be just as excited as daddy."
"She's probably a little upset. She has to attend classes in a week, and the child will probably be born when she's at Hogwarts."
"I just hope she doesn't get into trouble. She can be too stubborn about some things."
"She'll be fine. Minerva is strict enough to stop her with some things," Harry replied.
Fleur just nodded.
. . .
"Potter, Zenobia," Neville Longbottom called, looking towards the first years. He smiled as a blonde, green-eyed girl walked towards him. You could tell how nervous she was as she sat down and the hat was placed on her head. She heard some murmurings as well, but decided to ignore them. Her father had told her not to pay too much attention to the things other people might say about her or her family.
"You take after your father, child," the hat commented quietly. "There's a great deal of courage, but matched by a desire to prove yourself. You want to prove to your father that you're just as great as he is. You do have a good head for studying, too, though."
"Mmm... Difficult, very difficult."
Zenobia blushed slightly as she heard the hat say this, especially the part about her father.
"What do you think of Slytherin? You could learn to use your intelligence and cunning to carry out your ambitions. But on the other hand, Gryffindor would help you not to back down from problems. Either way, they're both good houses for you."
"Can I choose?" Zenobia muttered, a little surprised.
"Oh, of course you can. Like I said, either house would be fine."
"Gryffindor."
"Mm, that's fine. Since you've made your choice, you're going to Gryffindor!"
Zenobia took off her hat as she stood up and set it down on the stool.
"Thank you, Mr. Hat."
"Ah, you're welcome, girl. Go and become the person you want to be."
Zenobia smiled as she heard the cheers from the Gryffindor table. She walked over with a smile and sat down, looking around the table curiously. She also listened intently to the sorting of the other children, especially Roxanne Weasley, George Weasley's daughter with Angelina Johnson.
Although as she was one of the last, and also raised with a father like George, it wasn't too hard for the hat.
"Gryffindor!"
Roxanne jumped happily and ran towards Zenobia.
"Hello, Zenobia!"
"Roxanne. It's great to be in the same house," Zenobia said with a smile. They were both friends, although Zenobia had moments when she couldn't stand her friend's overly cheerful personality.
"I thought Cecilia would come too."
Roxanne sat down without losing her smile.
"She's still younger than me, though only by a few months. Uncle Fred tried to talk to the Headmistress, but she still hasn't been accepted. She'll be coming next year."
"I see... It's a shame."
"We welcome all new students," Minerva suddenly began to speak and everyone listened attentively. Despite her serious, almost stoic face, she was a little afraid inside. She had already had the chance to meet the children of her previous students, and while Zenobia Potter could somewhat control Roxanne's personality, she knew that both of them could end up causing some trouble.
She still remembered a talk she had with Harry, who had told her that she could have several Potters and Weasleys in her years as Headmistress. She had simply responded with a sarcastic 'magnificent'.
"I don't even want to think about when there is a boy from each family."
. . .
Harry smiled as he saw Albus Dumbledore slowly approaching him.
"You're so old, but you still do dangerous things. Aren't you afraid of dying?" Harry said as he raised his hand to float Albus' wheelchair, which was already floating as it climbed the stairs of the astronomy tower.
"Ohoho... this old man is already close to his next great adventure, Harry. I'm not afraid to leave."
Harry set Albus down and walked over to stand behind him and slowly move the wheelchair until it was near the edge of the tower. He looked a little more carefully and couldn't help but feel a little sad at the sight of the old headmaster. It had been more than eleven years since he graduated, and Albus was only getting older. His hair and long beard had been trimmed a lot. He didn't really look bad, but he was a lot more wrinkled than before.
"By the way, did you break the Elder Wand?"
Harry's eyes showed a bit of pain at that question. Every time they saw each other, Albus asked him the same thing. Harry already realized that he forgot a lot of things. It didn't feel good to see the old headmaster slowly losing certain faculties.
There was a time when he was quite angry with Albus, but after confronting him, the old man tried to remedy his mistakes. Harry never really hated him, especially because he was an important part of his life, especially in the first years of Hogwarts. And he also understood what he had been through all his life.
"It's broken, Albus. Don't worry."
"That's good. It can be very bad if it falls into the wrong hands," Albus said quietly as he looked at the night sky. They were both silent for a long moment.
"Right, the house elves are very happy."
"Thank Dobby. He was the one who suggested the idea of bringing the house elves from the imprisoned families. Although I was also thinking of giving them some work in my shops."
"Speaking of shops. Did you happen to bring some of that wonderful lemon mousse?"
"You know you can't eat things that sweet," Harry snorted.
"What Minerva and my doctors don't know doesn't matter in the end, right?"
Harry couldn't help it, he laughed out loud.
"I always thought you had a funny streak. But not that you would stop hiding it in your later years. Hahaha! Minerva would probably have given you the look!"
Albus simply smiled as his old eyes twinkled a little.
"Hey, Harry..."
"Yeah?"
"After all the things that happened, do you think we could really become friends?"
Harry looked at Albus with a bit of disbelief.
"Well, our ages are pretty far apart. But I don't think it matters that much when it comes to friends. And I've considered you a friend ever since I finished off Voldemort."
"I'm glad. I'm really glad to hear that."
"I didn't want to go into my next adventure with that unknown."
"...", Harry didn't say anything, but frowned.
"Tell me honestly, Albus," Harry spoke seriously after thinking about something. "How much time do you have left?"
"Ah... this is probably my last night."
"And you were still using magic?!"
"Using a little of the magic I have left is nothing. Especially when I'm dying. I wanted to talk to you in my final moments."
Harry turned the wheelchair around and knelt in front of Albus.
"Are you really not afraid?" His green eyes locked onto Albus' older, duller blue eyes.
"Afraid... I don't think I'm afraid of death. Although I might be afraid of meeting certain people. Yes, I think that would be scary."
Harry frowned slightly before shaking his head. He reached into his clothes, near his neck. Albus saw with curiosity that Harry had a necklace with a stone on it. And Harry's hands slowly moved around his necklace, causing the gem to spin and then float out of the necklace.
"What is that?" He asked with obvious curiosity.
Harry simply took the stone and grabbed one of Albus's older hands. He placed the stone in his hand before squeezing it with both of his hands.
"Spin three times while thinking of those people. And at the end, say the words Ostendo Mortem."
"Mmm... is this stone so special?"
"You're scared, Albus. I can't let a friend go to death in that fear. That's why I'm giving you this this time," Harry said seriously. Looking at the old headmaster, he stood up.
"I'll give you some time alone. It'll be a little further down."
Albus simply watched Harry emerge from the top of the tower. His hand opened and he looked down at the small stone. Several faces and names flashed through his head as he began to spin the stone in his hand.
"Ostendo Mortem."
"Mm?" Albus didn't feel anything, nor did he see any kind of glow. However, when he raised his head to call Harry, he froze in his chair. His eyes didn't move as tears began to cloud his vision.
"You're so old already, but you cry like a little boy," the figure in front of him smiled as his voice caused both joy and pain in Albus's old heart.
"A- A-...", Albus couldn't say his name. His voice trembled as he tried to stand up.
"Easy," the figure immediately came closer, tightening his hands on Albus' shoulders, preventing him from getting up.
"Remember that you can't walk, brother."
"A- Ariana... How?... It's not possible."
"That young man gave you the resurrection stone, Albus," a hand touched his shoulder from the side, drawing Albus' attention.
"Father?"
"Hello, son. It's been a long time."
"The stone... But the stone... only brings echoes. You can touch me!"
"The hallows aren't that simple, dear."
"Mother too...", at this point, Albus could barely control himself. Not only his sister, his father and mother had also come.
"Each one has unique uses and conditions," Kendra Dumbledore said softly as she moved closer and hugged her son.
"The stone has the word resurrection on it, but it cannot bring dead people back to life. However, it can help us have our spirits travel here and also interact with the summoner."
Ariana nodded with a smile. Albus could only see that smile as his heart pounded. He rarely got to see his sister with that kind of expression.
"In order to use the stone in that way, the activation spell and being close to death are needed. Only then, can we interact with the world of the living. Or more specifically, the one that activates the power of the stone."
"I'm sorry... I... I'm so sorry. I should... I should."
"Easy," Percival Dumbledore pressed his hand on his son's shoulder.
"You made mistakes, but you were not a bad man, Albus. In fact, I am proud of you. Headmaster of Hogwarts, Warlock, even Mugwump supreme. You accomplished great things, son."
Ariana gently took her brother's hands. Albus looked at them and felt a small warmth as well.
"Brother. The doubt that has eaten away at your mind and heart... you need not worry any more. It was not you, and neither was Aberforth."
"I see... that is... good. I really did not want to do it. I did not want to be responsible for your death," Albus said softly, letting his tears fall slowly down his cheeks.
"No good brother would want to hurt his sister."
"It is time, dear," Kendra whispered lovingly.
"Already?"
"Don't you want to? Many people are waiting for you," Percival replied. "The Potters. The Longbottoms. People you've helped throughout your life, and more. Many more."
"You need to rest. Everyone needs a long rest before their next adventure," Ariana said seriously.
"And you, dear brother, need a lot of rest."
"It's okay. I think I need that rest," Albus smiled at his sister. She smiled back more forcefully before he took a step back. At that moment, Albus noticed that he was standing once again in his life. He looked back and saw his body sitting in the wheelchair. His eyes were closed, but a peaceful smile adorned his wrinkled face.
Kendra and Percival Dumbledore each placed a hand on their son's back.
"Come on."
"Yes...", Albus smiled tightly, feeling as if something was sucking him away before he disappeared with his family.
The astrology tower was completely silent for several minutes until Harry climbed back up and walked slowly until he was standing in front of Albus. A sad expression appeared on his face as he took the stone from Albus' hand.
"Rest in peace, friend."
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