Great Hall, Hogwarts, 5/10/1993, 08:38
Harry was feeling particularly tired right about now. He had fallen behind on his weekend homework and had been forced to stay up well past midnight to get his work caught up for his classes today.
The end of the year was drawing nearer and their professors were trying to cram as much work in as they could in the last remaining weeks of term.
The exams were a little less than three weeks away and most of the professors felt the need to remind them of this fact at the beginning of every lesson.
On a more positive note, the final quidditch match of the year would take place the weekend after next and Harry felt good about Gryffindor'schances of securing the house quidditch cup this year. Gryffindor was in second place in the points standing just behind Hufflepuff. However, Hufflepuff had already finished their season out last week and Gryffindor still had one game yet to play. so that would soon change.
"Are you daydreaming, Harry?" Susan asked from her place to his right.
"I was just thinking," Harry muttered before taking a deep drink of his breakfast tea.
"Hm, you had that glazed look in your eye that you always get in history of magic," Susan said, giving him a knowing smile.
"You're in a good mood," Harry muttered.
"Why shouldn't I be?" Susan asked.
"It's Monday and we have herbology first thing," Harry pointed out.
"Believe me, I know," Susan said losing a bit of her pep at his statement.
"So why are you in such a good mood?" Harry asked between bites of his breakfast.
Before Susan could answer, they caught movement overhead and looked up to see hundreds of owls gliding silently into the hall with letters, packages, and rolled-up newspapers clutched in their talons.
Harry could tell something was amiss when those students that had subscriptions unrolled their papers. They all had the same looks of shock and horror as soon as they read the headline.
"Something's wrong," Susan muttered as she pointed toward the head table.
Harry looked toward the staff table and saw the same looks of worry and horror etched onto the professor's faces with the exception of Professor Peverell who read his own paper with a look of annoyance and didn't seem to be surprised at what he was reading.
"Something big must have happened," Harry muttered as he read the headline on Alicia Spinnet's copy of the Daily Prophet as she lifted it to turn the page.
Attack at Montrose Stadium! Forty-Seven Injured, Six Dead!
Underneath the headline was a black-and-white photo of a quidditch stadium that was on fire with a ghostly grey dark mark floating hundreds of feet above it.
"Sirius was at that game!" Susan gasped as she read the front of Alicia's copy of the paper.
"I know but he was there with Professor Peverell and Peverell looks okay," Harry pointed out though now he felt a pang of worry for his godfather.
Before Susan could reply, Hermione took a seat across from them looking very troubled.
"Your godfather is in the paper," Hermione said softly.
"H-he was?!" Harry stammered feeling his stomach tighten with worry.
"He wasn't hurt. He and Professor Peverell actually captured the death eaters who attacked the stadium," Hermione hastily explained.
"Oh," Harry said feeling relief wash over him.
"But the attack at Montrose isn't the worst part," Hermione admitted.
"What else happened?" Susan demanded her voice sounding much higher than usual.
"The ministry prison was attacked and all of the inmates escaped," Hermione said sounding alarmed.
"That isn't possible, the prison was protected by a fedelius charm," Susan exclaimed in a tone that betrayed her disbelief.
"According to the paper, one of the prisoners managed to destroy the wards over the prison from the inside," Hermione explained.
"This is bad," Harry muttered.
"I bet Auntie is going spare over this," Susan sighed as she pushed her half-finished breakfast away.
"Sirius will be too," Harry said giving Susan a knowing look.
Harry was saved from any further conversation as the bell rang and students began to make their way to their morning classes.
As Harry and Susan began walking to the greenhouses, Harry wondered when these attacks would stop. They had been going on for years now and only seemed to get worse as time went by.
Sighing Harry followed his classmates into greenhouse three, making a note to contact Sirius tonight and see for himself that his godfather was okay.
Carfax Abbey, Near London, 5/10/1993, 21:49
Merula's eyes snapped open and she saw red velvet inches from her face. She was lying on her back in a cushioned box and if she really thought about it, she felt quite comfortable.
She could tell that she was in complete darkness but she could see as clear as she would have been able to see in daylight. This confused her slightly but at the moment she had more pressing matters to attend to like where the hell she was?!
But even the concern about where she was came secondary as there was a more pressing matter on her mind. At the moment, all she really cared about was how very hungry she felt and how much she longed to fill her stomach but to do that she had to get out of this box.
Pushing against the velvet wall she was surprised at how easily it gave way, swinging upward like a door. Merula instantly knew what this box was, it was a coffin!
Hastily she sat up noticing there were two sections to the coffin's lid. The section she had just opened had uncovered her head and torso but her lower half was still concealed under the second section of the lid. The room she was in was pitch-black but just like inside the coffin, she could see quite well. The room was small and had a low arched ceiling made of stone with tough-stone walls coated in a thin film of water. The room smelled strongly of mould and decay, but for some reason that scent strongly appealed to her.
As she opened the lower section of the coffin's lid and freed herself from her confinement, Merula noted that she was completely nude. Shrugging that thought off for the moment, she climbed out of the coffin noting it was set on an intricate wooden stand, necessitating her to hop down to the dirt floor of the cellar-like room the coffin rested in.
"She felt her bare feet sink into the soft cool earth as she picked up a tantalizing sound very close by.
Thump-thump*
That sound stirred something primal inside her that had her literally salivating as she looked around the room to find the source of the noise.
Thump-thump*
It didn't take her long to find where the sound was coming from. Besides the coffin she had woken up in, there was only one piece of furniture in the room. In the very centre of the room was a highbacked armchair.
Tied securely to this chair was a man that she recognized from her time at Hogwarts, Jeremy Fawley. She took a moment to appreciate his nude form even as her feet carried her towards him almost of their own accord.
"Wh-who's there?!" Jeremy called out into the pitch-black room, the terror in his voice causing excitement to build in Merula's stomach.
As she got closer, she could clearly make out the dark mark on his forearm and her excitement was replaced with burning rage.
Merula moved forward without conscious thought and roughly grabbed his head in her hands before biting into the side of his neck in one violent motion.
Jeremy let out a gurgled scream of surprise but she barely heard it as she succumbed to her instincts and fed on his glorious lifeblood, savouring the salty-iron-flavoured warmth that flowed into her mouth, helped along by his rapidly pumping heart.
After a moment he stopped fighting against her as his heart began to slow and the flow of blood tapered off. When she was certain she had drained every last drop of blood from him, Merula released her jaws from his flesh savouring the last drops of blood on her tongue, her fingers still carding through his blond hair.
As she looked at his lifeless form, Merula once again saw the tattoo on his forearm and thought about the betrayal of her former master, the reason she had lost her magic!
With a violent twist of her hands, Merula snapped Jeremy's neck with a sickening 'CRACK' and then in one clean motion ripped his head off of his shoulders before hurling it across the room.
Merula watched it roll across the floor before coming to a stop against a wooden door. Almost as soon as her eyes fell upon the door, it swung open causing the head to roll across the floor again
"My my, you are a strong one aren't you?" Daciana mused as she stepped into the room and noticed the headless corpse still tied to the chair.
"You turned me?" Merula asked as she approached the blonde.
"Technically Bethany turned you, I just joined her in her feeding," Daciana corrected.
"And was she part of his plan to steal my magic?" Merula asked coldly.
"No. He offered you to her when he realized that her fighters would not be able to participate in the attack yesterday," Daciana answered, seeming to be unbothered by Merula's anger.
"He tricked me into becoming sacrificing my magic and I will make him suffer for that if it is the last thing I ever do," Merula vowed her eyes alight with malice.
"And so you shall but first, perhaps we should find you some clothes," Daciana suggested.
"Where are my robes?" Merula questioned.
"I removed them before I put you to bed this morning," Daciana admitted.
"Why am I not surprised?" Merula muttered, not that concerned with her modesty at the moment.
"Your robes were filthy and that is a brand-new coffin," Daciana defended.
"Where am I, exactly?" Merula asked finding the last statement amusing for some reason.
"Carfax Abbey. I hope you like your accommodations?" Daciana questioned.
"It is quite comfortable though the dirt floor could become a problem if coffin cleanliness is such an issue," Merula quipped as she wiggled her toes in the soft dirt, idly noticing that her toenails had grown back after the ritual.
I will have a rug brought in to cover the floor but your native earth must be in contact with your skin upon your awakening, or that's how the vampire who sired me explained it," Dacian shrugged.
"So what do we do now?" Merula asked as she walked with Daciana into the corridor.
"Now you get to meet the rest of the coven," Daciana smirked.
"I met them back in Romania," Merula pointed out as they turned a corner and stepped into a room.
This room was very similar to the one she had just left. Though this room was lit by a dozen candles and the dirt floor was covered in a fluffy Persian rug. Just like in the room she had woken up in, there was a wooden stand with a coffin set up in its centre, though this room also contained a large wardrobe.
"This time you'll meet them as a fellow vampire. But first, let's find you something to wear," Daciana said as she walked over to her wardrobe.
"Do you have anything that will fit me?" Merula asked noticing how much taller Daciana was than herself.
"I am pretty sure I have something that will fit you," Daciana assured her as she opened the wardrobe and began pulling out clothes.
"Something in black if you don't mind," Merula opined.
"Sorry darling, black is my colour but I think green would suit you quite well," Daciana said before pulling out a set of emerald-green day robes and offering them to her companion.
An hour later Merula exited the washroom dressed in the robes Daciana had provided her feeling much better, though walking in the ridiculous high-heeled shoes the blonde vampire had given her was taking some adjusting to.
She wasn't sure how she felt about Daciana at the moment but Merula knew that for the time being, she needed her help.
Merula entered a drawing room where a group of women were gathered chatting softly as a fire burned in the grate. Doing a quick head count which was really appealing to her for some reason, Merula counted eleven women, not including herself. As one, the group of women turned in her direction, almost as soon as she stepped into the room.
"Ah Merula now that you have gotten cleaned up, I want to introduce you to the rest of the coven.
"You already know Alana, then we have Sophia, Margaret, Annabelle, Meredith, Jolene, Brittany, Fiona, Samantha, and Angelica," Daciana said gesturing to each woman as she said their name.
Merula had met all of these vampires at one point or another during their initial talks back in Romania but she had only really interacted with Daciana and occasionally Alana.
All of them looked to be in their early to late teens and most of them were brunettes or had ebony hair like her own, making Annabelle and Daciana stand out as the only two blondes in the room. They were all very pale, their skin resembling fine porcelain though when she looked down at her hand, Merula realized that her own complexion had lightened considerably since she had been turned, so that could be a side-effect of becoming a vampire.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Merula said giving them a slight bow of her head.
"Please have a seat, I think it best that you hear this too," Daciana said, indicating an empty seat next to a girl Merula remembered was named Samantha.
Merula quickly took a seat and looked at Daciana expectantly, wondering what it was she had to say.
"Now, as I was saying before Merula arrived, we are going to cut our ties with Bethany. She has become too involved with Voldemort's movement and is no longer thinking with the best interest of the coven in mind," Dacians said, her soft voice easily carrying throughout the cavernous drawing room.
"Are you sure this is wise?" Alana asked earning Daciana a questioning look from several of the others.
"I am. Bethany is starting to make agreements outside of the coven which is why Miss Snyde is joining us this evening," Daciana admitted.
"This could be beneficial to our plans," one of the ladies to Merula's right pointed out.
"I agree, as long as she is on his side, he will leave the village be," a dark-haired woman Merula thought was named Fiona opined.
"My thoughts exactly. This will make an agreement with Dumbledore much easier for us to reach," Daciana said looking very pleased.
"That is if he is still open to working with us after recent events," Alana pointed out.
"I don't see why he wouldn't be. There haven't been any vampire attacks since mid-Febuary when we began negotiations with him," Daciana shrugged.
"You will just have to meet with the pink-haired one again and find out where he stands after the most recent attack," Alana chuckled.
"Wait a minute, you don't mean Nymphadora Tonks, by any chance?" Merula asked, thinking of the only person with pink hair that she knew of.
"We do indeed," Daciana said, looking amused at Merula's reaction.
"Great," Merula sighed a dark look crossing her features.
"I take it you are acquainted with Nymphadora?" Alana asked with interest.
"We were in the same year at Hogwarts but we didn't get along very well," Merula shrugged.
"You should be careful in your interactions with her. The one who calls himself Reaper watches over her," Alana warned.
"If the rumours are true, the Reaper is her uncle," Merula pointed out.
"I really would like to meet that man," Daciana pouted.
"He was my teacher at Hogwarts. Professor Peverell was a fair teacher. He is a pleasant enough person, though he is a bit obsessed with magical creatures," Merula said with a small chuckle.
"What sorts of magical creatures?" Alana questioned looking just as interested as Daciana.
"He specializes in serpents but he was good with all of the creatures he showed us in class," Merula shrugged.
"Perhaps he would like to study a vampire," a girl Merula thought was named Brittany giggled.
"That would be unwise, his wife is a very powerful witch," Merula warned.
"We're aware but this conversation has gotten off topic," Alana said sounding annoyed.
"It has. Does anyone have a reason that we should not sever ties with Bethany?" Daciana asked and looked around the room expectantly.
"What about the triplets, they are residing in the village?" Margaret asked sounding conflicted.
"I will send word of our decision tonight and leave the choice up to them," Daciana answered after a moment of thought.
"In that case, let us call a vote," Alana said before continuing, "All in favour?"
Merula raised her hand with the others thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad. At least in the coven, her voice mattered as opposed to being a death eater where she was treated as nothing more than a tool to accomplish the dark lord's goals and then disposed of when it was convenient for him.
Merula knew that there were some downsides to being a vampire but after the ordeal she had just survived, she was more than willing to give this coven a chance.
"Things could be worse," Merula thought to herself as Daciana brought up the final order of business, dinner.
Quidditch Pitch, Hogwarts, 5/22/1993, 13:35
Harry was starting to get frustrated with his counterpart, she wasn't actually trying to find the snitch, she was just marking him and got in his way anytime Harry spotted it!
Harry was sorely tempted to fly into her the next time she pulled that stunt. Luckily at this point, the snitch catch was irrelevant anyway. The Gryffindor chasers were ahead by a hundred and eighty points and the lead just kept growing.
Harry was currently circling the pitch high above the other players with Chang not that far behind him. Harry was debating trying a technique he had heard about professional seekers using to trick their competition into flying into the pitch. Harry's decision was made for him when he spotted the golden ball flying a hundred feet below him moving parallel to Cho as she followed behind him. Harry was starting to wonder if the snitches had a sense of humour as this wasn't the first time he'd seen one basically hide under another seeker's nose.
Harry knew he couldn't make a run at the snitch directly as Cho was much closer to it than he was. Taking a deep breath, Harry veered to his right and went into an almost vertical dive accelerating so fast his eyes began to water and his vision blurred. Cho took the bait and chased after him as he began to plummet toward the earth.
She was soon on his tail as he dove through the line of play, weaving in between the Ravenclaw beaters, causing the larger of the two to miss the bludger he was swinging at. Harry heard a sickening crack and didn't have to look back to know the Ravenclaw beater had been hit by his own bludger. Harry slowed down slightly so he was blocking Cho's view of the pitch below and braced himself as the ground got ever closer.
With a hard pull on his broomstick, Harry pulled up at the last second, his boots gouging out sections of turf as he shot vertically before veering hard to the left in a corkscrew motion.
Looking over his shoulder, he was pleased to see Chang was too slow in pulling up, the tip of her broom catching the ground and flinging her end over end across the pitch much to the dismay of the Students in the Ravenclaw section of the stands.
"AND POTTER EXECUTES A FLAWLESS WRONSKI FEINT TAKING CHO CHANG OF RAVENCLAW OUT OF THE GAME, THAT'LL TEACH HER TO MARK HIM! AND I DO BELIEVE POTTER HAS SEEN THE SNITCH!"
Harry tuned out Lee's commentary as he flew after the tiny golden ball, quickly pushing his broom as fast as it would go. The snitch began to flee, zigging and zagging so that he was constantly having to lean one way or another to stay in line with it. This snitch was like the others he'd chased, it seemed to prefer to fly low to evade a pursuer. This snitch was flying so low that his knees kept scrapping the pitch as he tried to get close enough to snatch it out of the air.
Realizing his constant contact with the pitch was slowing him down, Harry pulled up slightly and leaned forward so his chest pressed into the broom handle. This helped tremendously as he was soon flying above the snitch though he was still having to weave continuously to keep it where he wanted it.
Reaching down with his right hand, Harry swiped wildly and was rewarded when felt the cold metal ball clutched in his palm. He briefly registered that he had caught the snitch but he didn't have time to think about it for very long as he was forced to make a sharp right turn to avoid flying headlong into the Slytherin stands.
"AND POTTER CATCHES THE SNITCH FOR THE THIRD TIME THIS SEASON! GRYFFINDOR WINS WTH FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY POINTS TO A HUNDRED AND TEN RAVENCLAW! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I DON'T EVEN HAVE TO DO THE MATH TO TELL YOU THAT THE GRYFFINDOR HOUSE QUIDDITCH TEAM WILL BE THIS YEAR'S HOUSE CUP WINNERS!
Harry couldn't fight the smile on his face as he heard Lee's words and was assaulted by the triumphant roar coming from the Gryffindor stands. Harry was brought back to the present as a body slammed into him followed by another and another as his teammates wrapped him in the centre of a mid-air group hug. Harry was further caught off guard when he landed and the chasers each gave him a kiss on the cheek, making his face feel like it was on fire.
The next hour was a
blur as Dumbledore presented a teary-eyed Oliver Wood with the House Cup, Oliver passed it around before the team posed around the cup so that Professor McGonagall could get a photo and then she took the cup away to place it in the trophy case inside her office.
By the time the awards ceremony was complete, a good portion of the school had left the stands leaving just the Gryffindors and a handful of students from various houses left in the stadium.
Harry was walking with his teammates toward the locker rooms when he was spun around and wrapped in a bone-crushing hug causing him to drop his broom. Harry returned the hug without conscious thought, easily recognizing the familiar scent of her perfume filling his nostrils.
"You were amazing, Harry," Hannah beamed as she loosened her grip and looked up at him though not letting go of him completely.
"Thanks, I have wanted to try that move for years," Harry admitted, very conscious of how close they were to one another.
"I just wanted to congratulate you," Hannah mumbled before she stood on her tiptoes and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before she let go of him and practically sprinted back towards the castle.
Harry just stood there with a goofy smile on his face as he watched her disappear before another voice caught his attention.
"You'll forgive me if I just congratulate you with a pat on the back?" Draco said, giving him a wide grin.
"Y-you saw then?" Harry stammered, his face feeling very hot.
"Yep, I sure did," Draco beamed.
"Bugger," Harry muttered as he leaned down and picked up his broom.
"Don't worry, I'll save it for blackmail later," Draco assured him.
"Wonderful," Harry muttered.
"Seriously though, congratulations that Wronski feint was very impressive," Draco said before slapping him on the back.
"She was getting on my nerves, I had to get her out of the way before I went after the snitch," Harry admitted feeling quite proud of himself.
"Well from what I overheard, she'll be in the infirmary overnight," Draco beamed.
"Oi, Potter hit the showers, we have a party to get to!" Harry heard Olver bellow from the doorway of the locker rooms.
"Looks like I got to run," Harry chuckled.
"Go on, I'll catch you tomorrow in the library," Draco said before turning to head up to the castle.
"I'll be there," Harry called to Draco's back before heading to the locker rooms to get cleaned up so he could go up to the afterparty.
Peverell Manor, 6/6/1993, 17:29
Harry and his family were just sitting down for dinner after an eventful day at the beach. Harry would admit that a day at the beach was a lot more special when they couldn't go there everyday.
.
The last month had been hectic, to say the least. Between the attacks on the quidditch game and a mass break out from Mearns Castle where just about every death eater that was in ministry custody had escaped, the wizarding world was in a state of chaos.
The only positives that Harry could think of were that the death eaters he and Sirius had apprehended were actually pretty big fish and were wanted for the attack on Amelia last fall.
Harry had also managed to solve the mystery of what had killed the second death eater at Montrose stadium. From what Narcissa had told him, the man had tried to grab Carina and incurred the wrath of Citrine. That death eater was the first person on the British Isles since Myrtle Warren to be killed by the stare of a basilisk.
Harry had neglected to clue the ministry in on this fact. He was actually quite pleased with the explanation that they had come up with. They believed that one of the nan's accomplices killed him by mistake while firing blindly through the mist Harry had created.
This meant that Citrine's true capabilities had not been revealed to the wider wizarding world though everyone in the immediate family was very aware that Citrine now had grown into her death stare.
The two death eaters who were captured were currently being held under heavy guard. Harry suspected that they would be going through the veil after their trial. The minister in particular was livid after this recent attack and the ministry had few options on places to imprison them on a long-term basis.
If Harry were being honest with himself, he would admit that he was pleased with this outcome. Before their escape, the captured death eaters were out of his reach. But now they were out in the wider world again and he could deal with them as soon as an opportunity presented itself. The downside was Voldemort's ranks had swelled but truthfully the only one he'd freed of value was Markus Mulciber, the rest were little more than muscle.
Harry was pulled back to the present as he heard the "whoosh' of the floo coming from the drawing room down the hall. The other occupants of the room turned in time to see Tonks enter the dining room.
"Wotcher, Peverells," Tonks beamed when she realized how much interest her arrival had caused.
"Tonks, I hadn't expected to see you until tomorrow," Harry said as he gestured to the empty chair to his right.
"Where is your uniform?" Iggy asked with interest.
"I'm off duty until September little cousin," Tonks shrugged as she took the offered seat.
"Have you seen Andromeda yet?" Bella asked giving her niece a pointed look.
"I tried to visit her. Dobby said that she and Aunt Cissa went to see a show in London," Tonks said as she helped herself to some roast chicken and potatoes.
"What show did they see?" Carina asked after taking a dainty sip of her juice.
"No idea, I figured I would come by and visit you lot while they're out," Tonks said before taking a massive bite of chicken.
"And you've been eating the slop they serve in the academy mess tent for the last year and you wanted real food," Harry smirked.
"Well there is that," Tonks agreed after swallowing a mouthful of potatoes.
"So where are you going to be staying?" Bella asked as she eyed her niece speculatively.
"My parents' house in Reading," Tonks said sounding a bit sad.
"Has it been warded?" Bella asked in a much softer voice than Harry had ever heard her speak to Tonks in.
"I had it warded over Easter with the money I inherited from Great-Uncle Artie," Tonks said.
"Have you told Andi?" Harry asked warily.
"It was her idea. She said I could stay there if I didn't want to stay at Aunt Cissa"s this summer," Tonks admitted.
"Well make sure Charlie doesn't trash the place," Harry said in a casual tone as Tonks took a big drink of her juice.
*Cough*
"H-he *Cough* w-won't," Tonks sputtered, causing the twins to laugh as she sprayed the table in pumpkin juice.
"I hope not," Harry said as he waved his wand, vanishing the juice.
"You did that on purpose," Tonks muttered over the twins' laughter.
"I couldn't resist. So any idea who you'll be working with next year?" Harry asked with interest.
"Alastor Moody, he's retiring but he agreed to work one more year mentoring an auror and he chose me," Tonks beamed.
"Before Harry could comment, Bellatrix got his attention as she gasped loudly and spilt her glass of juice.
"What is it, Bella?" Harry asked as he looked over at his wife in alarm.
"I think it is time," Bella said breathily.
"Time for what?" Iggy asked dumbly.
"Time for your new brother or sister to arrive," Harry answered as he looked over at Tonks.
I'll go track down Aunt Cissa," Tonks nodded getting a grateful nod from Harry.
Thirty minutes later, Harry had gotten Bellatrix comfortable in one of the drawing rooms and the kids had gone to their room for the time being.
Harry was starting to feel panicked as he hadn't heard anything from Narcissa yet and this was one area he had no experience in.
"Calm down, Harry, Bella will be just fine," Bellatrix soothed.
"I am calm," Harry lied.
"You've been pacing for the last ten minutes," Bella chuckled before wincing in discomfort.
"Alright, I'm losing my mind here," Harry muttered as the fireplace filled with green flames and a worried-looking Narcissa entered the room clutching a healer's bag.
"I came as soon as I stopped by the manor. How are you, Bella?" Narcissa asked as she made her way over to her older sister.
"I've been better," Bella grunted as a particularly painful contraction tore through her abdomen.
Harry couldn't hear what Narcissa said next over the 'woosh' of the fireplace as Andromeda appeared in another burst of green flames followed a second later by Tonks.
"I found them and you wouldn't believe where they were!" Tonks exclaimed giving her mother an incredulous look.
"This is hardly the time, Nymphadora," Andromeda admonished, her face flushing in embarrassment.
"Where?" Bella asked looking intrigued despite the situation.
"A strip club, the whole room was full of naked blokes wearing bowties!" Tonks exclaimed, her own face flushing slightly.
"It was supposed to be a girls' night out," Narcissa said looking unabashed as she offered Bella a tiny vial of purple-coloured potion.
"I remember this stuff," Bella muttered before drinking the potion down quickly.
"Yes well it is quite useful and prevents an extended period of labour," Narcissa said as she transfigured the couch Bella was laying on into a bed with stirrups.
"You're going to deliver the baby here?!" Tonks exclaimed.
"Indeed. Now pay close attention, Nymphadora, this could be you if you and the Weasley boy are not careful," Narcissa quipped before she began waving her wand over Bella's lower region.
"Or if you forget to take your contraceptive potion for a week," Bella added in a breathy voice as her stomach glowed a soft blue.
"Excellent, I believe my nephew is ready to come out," Narcissa nodded as she knelt on the floor between the stirrups.
The next hour was just as surreal as the first time Harry had watched Bella give birth though this time there wasn't as much screaming and threats of castration, much to his relief. The process was also sped up as there was only one child this time and Bella was much more relaxed than when the twins were born.
Hardwin Odysseus Peverell was born at eight twenty-one and had quite the set of lungs on him. He was currently nursing while Harry sat beside the bed that Narcissa had transfigured the couch into.
"He's a cutie but I'm not sure I want one of my own if I have to go through all of that," Tonks muttered looking a bit shaken.
"Well you certainly put me through an ordeal during labour," Andromeda muttered shooting her daughter a look of amusement.
Before Tonks could reply, Narcisa reentered the room and led the twins over to the other side of Bella's bec so they could meet their new brother.
"He's so little," Carina gushed as she looked at the newborn in wonder.
"What's his name?" Iggy asked looking just as amazed as his sister.
"Hardwin Odysseus Peverell," Harry said as he gestured for the twins to come closer.
"Can I hold him?" Carina asked hopefully.
"Maybe in a bit, he's very delicate right now," Harry mused.
"And very hungry," Bella added sounding amused.
"Oh no, I just realized he inherited my hair," Harry muttered as he saw the tuft of hair on Hardwin's' head sticking up in the back just like his and Iggy's always did.
"It's cute," Bella cooed as she began to burp Hardwin.
Harry couldn't help but feel happier than he had felt in a very long time as he looked upon his youngest child sleeping in his mother's arms.
The war was far from over but his family had just gotten a little bigger and he vowed to himself to finish this war off and soon. He knew it would take a lot of work and a fair amount of luck but one way or another he was going to put an end to Voldemort so little Hardwin never had to experience what he had growing up. The twins had already seen more than he would have liked them to especially considering what happened a few weeks ago but he promised himself that Hardwin would never have to go through that.
Hundreds pf miles away at Riddle Manor, Lord Voldemort felt a chill run down his spine that gave him pause. He wasn't sure how he knew it, but in his bones, he knew something had just happened that did not bode well for him.
."Perhaps it is time to create my last anchour," Voldemort mused before taking a deep drink of his brandy and glancing over athis familiar curled upin her basket by the fire.