Chapter 46
The house was engulfed in muffled chaos. Albus and James cried incessantly, their sounds echoing through the living room as Luna and Harry tried, unsuccessfully, to calm them.
"I... I don't know what else to do," Luna whispered, her voice trembling with exhaustion and despair. She held James in her arms, trying to position him to nurse, but the little one refused, crying even louder.
The last few days had been a struggle. Luna had tried everything to get them to nurse, but nothing worked. The children cried all the time, and she felt increasingly desperate and guilty. Harry stayed by her side, trying to help, but the truth was that none of the lessons they'd learned from books seemed to be working.
“Maybe it’s best to ask for help,” Harry suggested, holding Albus in his arms while he fought off his own exhaustion.
“I don’t want anyone to know,” Luna murmured, averting her gaze. “It’s humiliating.”
Harry looked at her, surprised. “It’s not humiliating to ask for help, Luna. Molly would understand. She’s raised seven children, and... she likes you. She won’t judge.”
Luna hesitated, looking at James and Albus crying, and realized they were more important than her pride. “Alright... call her.”
Harry got up and went to the fireplace. A moment later, Molly Weasley appeared, stepping out of the Floo with her warm and confident presence.
“Oh, my dears,” she said, quickly assessing the chaotic scene. “You two must be exhausted.”
Luna tried to say something, but her voice failed her. She looked at Molly, vulnerable, as if she was about to break down. Her hair was disheveled, dark circles under her eyes, and her blouse was stained with milk the babies hadn’t drunk.
“It’s alright, dear,” Molly said, approaching her. “We’ll figure this out together.”
“We’ve tried everything, but they’re not nursing properly. They... they must be starving,” Harry said quietly, as if afraid to hurt Luna’s feelings.
Molly sat beside Luna, patient and with a reassuring smile. “May I help with James?”
Luna hesitated but handed her son to Molly. Molly adjusted the baby’s position with expert movements and gently explained, “Sometimes it’s just a matter of positioning. See, hold him like this... tilt your breast slightly so he can latch better.”
Luna followed Molly’s instructions, her movements hesitant but determined. The position wasn’t very different from what she’d been trying, but after a few moments of crying, James finally began to nurse.
Luna gasped, the relief evident as tears streamed down her face. “He’s nursing.”
“Of course he is,” Molly said with a warm smile. “You just needed a little adjustment. You’re doing a wonderful job, Luna.”
“Bring Albus,” Molly requested of Harry.
“It might hurt more, Luna. You could nurse one at a time,” he suggested with gentle concern.
“He’s hungry, and now that I know how to position him, it hurts much less,” she countered.
Harry walked over to her and placed Albus in her arms, with Molly’s help to position him.
Both babies began to nurse, and Harry and Luna sighed with relief. Luna shook her head, her shoulders trembling with silent sobs. “I feel like I’m failing. I don’t know what I’m doing. Look at them—they’re starving.”
Molly placed a firm, comforting hand on Luna’s shoulder. “You’re learning. Your motherhood was born alongside them, which means all of you are just a few days old. You’ll start to learn from them, and they’ll learn from you.” Molly gently stroked Albus’s tiny head. “And remember, all mothers go through this. It’s not weakness to admit we need help, especially when we’re raising such precious lives.”
Harry, standing beside her, gently wiped her tears. “I’ll make some tea for you both,” he offered, kissing her forehead before heading to the kitchen.
Luna knew that kind of intimacy was dangerous for her heart, but she was so vulnerable (they both were) that it was comforting to receive it.
As Harry went to the kitchen to prepare tea, Molly and Luna remained alone with the babies. Silence fell between them for a moment, until Molly spoke softly:
“He’s doing very well, isn’t he?” Molly asked.
Luna nodded, a mix of gratitude and pain in her expression. “He’s incredible with them.”
Molly studied her, choosing her words carefully. “And he cares about you.”
Luna sighed, her gaze fixed on the babies. “He’s here for the babies. That’s all. He’s... kind. He feels it’s the right thing to do.”
Molly tilted her head, watching Luna closely. “Are you sure about that? Because, Luna, the way he looks at you... it’s not just duty. There’s something more.” She paused. “And it’s not easy for me to admit that, especially since my daughter has always been in love with him.” Molly’s voice was gentle.
Luna remained silent, biting her lower lip. Finally, she murmured, “I don’t want to fool myself. I’ve settled for so little before... I can’t do that again.”
Molly smiled gently, but there was firmness in her voice. “Dear, knowing what you deserve is a powerful lesson. But sometimes, when we’re so used to being strong on our own, we forget that we can let ourselves believe someone genuinely cares.”
Luna stayed quiet, reflecting on Molly’s words.
“And you?” Molly asked softly. “What do you feel for him?”
Luna hesitated before answering, almost in a whisper. “I love him. I always have. But I don’t want him to stay with me out of obligation. I don’t want to be a burden.”
Molly squeezed her hand again. “You could never be a burden to him, Luna. And maybe he needs time to understand his own feelings, but make no mistake—you’re very important to him.”
Luna didn’t respond, but Molly’s words lingered in her mind as she watched Harry return to the living room, offering a cup of tea to Molly.
“Since your hands are busy, can I give it to you?” he asked gently.
“I can wait until they’re done,” she replied.
"I read that breastfeeding makes you thirsty. May I help?" He carefully brought the cup to her lips, and Luna took a sip.
Molly watched the scene with a gentle smile.
When the twins finally fell asleep, the silence that followed felt almost sacred, and Luna and Harry stood side by side, watching the babies.
“They’re amazing,” Harry said softly.
“They are,” Luna replied, almost in a whisper.
Molly observed the two with a discreet smile. “I’ll leave you now. But remember, I’m always here to help.”
After she left, Luna and Harry continued to watch their children, savoring a rare moment of tranquility. Luna felt the warmth of Harry’s presence beside her. He looked at her, his eyes filled with something she couldn’t quite decipher. Perhaps it was exhaustion, perhaps relief, or maybe it was something more—something that began to align with Molly’s words.
“Thank you for calling Molly,” Luna said softly.
Harry only smiled, a smile that held more than he could express in words.
The morning silence was broken only by the gentle sounds of the babies nursing and the occasional rustling of the curtains as the wind slipped through a crack in the window. Harry leaned against the doorframe, watching Luna sit in the armchair by the window. The soft morning light cast golden contours around her, as though she were bathed in magic.
The twins were nestled against her, each nursing on one side. Albus was calm, his tiny hands clutching the fabric of Luna’s clothing, while James, always a bit more restless, kicked his small feet into the air.
Harry couldn’t look away.
The scene was incredibly intimate, almost sacred. He felt something tighten in his chest—a strange warmth, a feeling he couldn’t name. He had seen Luna in many moments: on the battlefield, among books, speaking about magical creatures with contagious enthusiasm. But this… this was different.
Luna was focused on the babies, her silvery eyes full of tenderness. Even with the visible exhaustion in the dark circles under her eyes, she seemed at peace. It was as if, in that moment, her entire world revolved around the tiny bodies she held so securely.
Harry stepped forward, hesitating for a moment before crossing the room. “Are you okay?” he asked softly, as if afraid to break the magic of the moment.
Luna looked up at him and gave a small smile. “I am. They’re hungry today, but it’s good—they’re getting stronger.”
He sat on the floor beside the armchair, leaning his head against the crib. He observed the babies more closely, noticing their dark, shiny hair beginning to form. Every detail of them seemed like a miracle.
“You make it look so easy,” he commented, almost in a whisper.
Luna let out a soft laugh, but there was no humor in her response. “It’s not easy. It’s beautiful, but it’s not easy.”
Harry fell silent, processing her words. He knew how hard she was working, how much of herself she put into every gesture to care for the twins. And yet, she never complained. She simply… did.
He looked at her face, her tired smile, the way she gazed at the babies. Something inside him seemed to shift, as if a fog was beginning to lift. He still couldn’t name what he was feeling, but the doubt that always lingered seemed less substantial.
Harry realized he admired her in a way that went beyond respect or friendship. It was something deeper, more visceral. It wasn’t just that she was the mother of his children. It was who she was—her quiet strength, her patience, her unique way of seeing the world and finding beauty even in the hardest moments.
He knew there was still confusion in his heart. The wounds of the past, the expectations he had always carried, all of it still haunted him. But sitting there, beside Luna, he felt a calm he hadn’t experienced in a long time.
“You’re thinking too loudly,” she remarked, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.
He chuckled, slightly embarrassed. “Sorry. I was just… thinking about how amazing you are.”
Luna tilted her head, her eyes evaluating him for a moment. “I’m just doing what I can. What any mother would do.”
“No, you’re not,” he countered, more serious now. “You do so much more. And… you are so much more.”
She didn’t respond immediately, turning her gaze back to the twins. “I think they make us more, don’t they? They show us what we’re capable of being.”
Harry remained silent, letting her words echo within him. He reached out and gently stroked James’s head, feeling the soft strands under his fingers. Then he looked back at Luna, something different in his gaze—a determination that was beginning to take shape.
“Luna,” he began, hesitating. “I… I don’t know what I’m trying to say. But I know that… I don’t know where I’d be without you. Without them.”
She turned her face toward him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice. But she said nothing, only gave him a small smile, that enigmatic smile that always seemed to hold more than she revealed.
The babies began to finish nursing, and Luna adjusted Albus in her arms to burp him. Harry quickly took James, replicating the movements he had learned from her. They worked together in silence, like a perfectly synchronized team.
When they finally placed the babies in the crib, Luna sat back in the armchair, exhausted. Harry stayed by her side, simply watching their sleeping children.
“They’re so beautiful,” he murmured.
“Yes,” she agreed, her eyes still fixed on the babies.
And in that moment, though the words still escaped him, Harry felt something changing within him. The doubt he had carried for so long was being replaced by something more real, more solid.
Something that, in time, he knew he could call love.
Inspiration for this scene: