Chapter IV –Moving In–
Chapter IV
–Moving In–
Monday, 3 April 2000
LV’s POV
Voldemort entered the Meeting Room as the Hospital Board’s Members were guided inside by the Aurors and sat down. They all knowing that this was Voldemort’s attempt at keeping their names clean until proven otherwise. Eventually, as the Hospital Board’s Members were freed after proving innocent one after another, Harry arrived with the Malfoys and Auror Scrimgeour.
“Could you have changed robes at the very least? You are bathed in blood.” Voldemort reprimanded and the younger male looked down at himself only to gape. “You did not even notice?”
“Sorry.”
Voldemort huffed and was unsure if to groan in anger or if to pull the other into a kiss.
“Narcissa.” He called instead and the Witch showed Harry the amount of change of clothes she had brought from her sister’s cottage. Harry left with her into Voldemort’s office. “My apologies for this, but after two Rebels, one of them part of the Board, we had to make sure.”
The Hospital Board’s Members all nodded understandingly.
“Completely reasonable, Minister.”
Harry returned somewhat cleaner and gave Voldemort his stack of scrolls for the meeting. Voldemort sat down on his seat while the Aurors left with the Rebel member of the Hospital Board. Harry returned to Heir Draco a wand and accepted his own back from Rodolphus alongside the agenda. He opened it and Voldemort just knew from Harry checking his own wristwatch and bit of the lips that they were way behind schedule. Harry glanced at Bellatrix with a questioning look, who moved to stand behind Voldemort and only then Harry left the room.
–MoMsL–
HP’s POV
Harry entered the cafeteria in a hurry.
“Lockdown is over?”
“Wait until the Aurors say so.” Harry argued and the Waitress nodded. “Eleven Hospital Board’s Members and the Minister. I need something that can pass as a snack but that will substitute the Minister’s lunch break.” He pleaded. “Attack or not, he won’t forgive me for being way behind schedule.”
The Witch nodded with a soothing smile and quickly turned on the oven before quickly setting up several dishes.
“What about brunch served alongside a glass of water, wine and lemonade?”
“You are an angel!” Harry agreed and quickly served three jars.
When it was ready he picked the three trays, one over his head and went to the lifts. Before he even arrived, it opened to show Lawyer Yaxley and Unspeakable Rookwood.
“For the Minister?” Harry hummed affirmatively and two trays were picked, as he entered the lift. “You always do this alone?”
“It’s my job.” Harry agreed and they arrived the last floor. They left and went to the Meeting Room. The two men leaving the trays inside and then returning to the lifts to go back up, for their own floor. Harry entered and set up the foods in plates in a serve yourself kind of way, before serving the Minister his own plate and glass of red wine. “Sir.”
Minister nodded while several Hospital Board’s Members stood to go get their own plates and to the others still seating, yet the man didn’t touch his meal. Harry was wondering if he had picked the ones he didn’t like, until Mrs Malfoy forced a plate into his own hands and he realized that the Minister was waiting for him to food test the food first to prove it wasn’t poisoned. After Harry’s first bite, Minister started eating. Harry leaned against the wall as he ate. Bellatrix was on stance so he didn’t need to worry about bodyguarding the Minister, the meeting was not his area of expertise (for that He had Mr Malfoy and Rodolphus Lestrange) and he needed to calm down after the messy morning he had right after two days coma.
–MoMsL–
“How do you feel?”
“Dead tired, Sir.” Harry replied truthfully, knowing the other preferred it.
Minister nodded.
“Let’s call it a day then. Narcissa has already told me that the two rooms for you and Edward have been readied.”
Harry frowned confused.
“Sir?”
“You are sleeping at my house.” Minister agreed. “Don’t worry, you can argue at home all you want about your work and boss without repercussions.”
Harry gaped after the man.
“But Sire…”
“I swear that I don’t bite… unless of course that is something you are into. I won’t do anything you aren’t comfortable about. You have your own wing, which you share with Edward. One wing has three rooms, a private bathroom and a common room where usually is an office. I believe that Narcissa has turned the third room into the office and the common room into couches and the playroom for Edward. This way you two can avoid me while in there. Of course: eating is still in the dining room.”
Harry stuttered and couldn’t find a good enough reason to argue to that, principally since he didn’t have the stomach to go to the cottage for Teddy to start asking forGran. He followed the man out the office and towards the lifts.
“Thank you for taking me in, Sir.” He eventually agreed as they entered the lift.
“I like you, Harry. You do your work extra well. Without me needing to tell you my meal preferences you already were doing better on your first try than someone I’d need to say it for an entire month. You have raw power like I only saw before in both Dumbledore and myself. Which is a big praise for me to give. You do wandless magic without even realizing it. And earlier you apparated inside the Non-apparating Wards of the Ministry of Magic.” Harry looked at the older as they arrived the floor to pick-up Teddy. “You could be anything and yet you wanted to be an Auror.
“Of all things…
“I like you, Harry. I like working with you and I like you as a person. Still, if being an Auror is really what you desire, then I’ll bring them to court. It’s illegal for them to refuse you a chance at applying to the job either it be because of lack of Magical Core’s colour – being a Sentient – or because of the being a relative to a child of a Creature.”
Harry hummed. They arrived the kindergarten and Minister knocked on the door. The head teacher opened and smiled.
“Heir Potter, your Lord and the Minister are here to pick you up.” She called and Harry could hear his godson’s eager shriek. “He’s been calling for you all afternoon since the lockdown stopped. Me and the Lasses almost went to call you twice.”
“Next time you can bring him down to the office, unless we warn you previously that we will be out.” Minister argued with a smile.
Teddy crawled in their direction at all velocity and Harry leaned down to pick him up. Once they arrived the atrium, Harry let the Minister side-apparate the three of them into the entrance of his own house. They were guided to a dining room where dinner had already been set up.
“House-elves?”
“No lover and with my job?”
Harry didn’t argue. Most Purebloods had House-elves. Even the ones who worked from home.
–MoMsL–
Harry’s eyes grew at seeing Teddy’s drawing on a frame on the wall, with name and date. Not long beside it in a vitrine was a fork. Harry didn’t need to read to know it was the one he had done on his first-day working for the man.
“I see you’ve stumbled into my private office.” That only made Harry stutter and turn towards the entering man. “Edward is asleep.”
Harry signalled the fork and drawing.
“Why?”
“I’ve told you before. I like you.”
Harry frowned. He looked directly at the man’s red eyes which were watching Harry’s every movement with the usual black-darkness. Lust… not anger.
“Since when have you been wanting to bed me?”
“You know when.”
When Harry had showed up his own magic before the Minister himself. Since the fork.
“We’re both men… the public… Teddy… I’d like to have more children one day… not to mention: you are my boss!”
“Like I told you earlier: I won’t do anything unless you permit it.” Shyly Harry nodded. “It’s late and, after your two days coma, today was too much of an effort for you.”
Harry blushed.
“Good night, Sir.”
Minister nodded and Harry left towards the bedroom he’d been assigned to. Oh boy… Bellatrix was so killing him when she realized!
–MoMsL–
Tuesday, 4 April 2000
Harry glanced at the woman unsure as she arrived the office. Bellatrix frowned at the way Harry was avoiding her.
“What?” She snarled as the Minister went to the loo.
“He declared himself… I swear I didn’t know! Or did it on purpose… or…”
Bellatrix groaned.
“You actually needed Him to spell it out for you?” She asked and Harry turned even redder, did everyone know but him? “He’s been tracking your every move since you first arrived. Didn’t take long for me to understand that He wants you.” Harry lowered his head embarrassed. “Just do me a favour and don’t lead Him on. If you two date, you need to be certain it is what you want. I’m not talking because of the publicity but because of Him.”
Harry nodded. Even he knew better than to break the Minister’s heart.
–MoMsL–
Sunday, 16 April 2000
Harry smiled sadly as Teddy ate his breakfast eagerly. Minister entered the dining room and nodded back before setting a gift box besides Teddy, which mumbled thankyou.
“You didn’t need to.” Harry argued as the man sat at the head of the table.
Teddy looked at his cereals and then his gift, before looking at Harry pleadingly. Harry nodded and the boy pushed the food away before trashing the wrapping paper. Teddy opened the lid and looked at the blue wolf plushy with a happiness that left Harry heartbroken. Teddy wouldn’t remember his biological family. This was all he knew and would remember.
Teddy stood and run off to go play with his new plush while Harry returned his attention to his food, knowing that the House-elves would watch over the birthday boy.
“Here.” Harry frowned but accepted the locket, which Minister opened to show a picture of Harry’s parents wedding with Sirius’s behind them on one side, on the other side’s picture was Tonks and Lupin at their own wedding with Andromeda behind them. “It was the best I could find of them in a way they’d be all together.”
Harry closed the locket and looked at the S on it.
“This is your Family jewellery.” Minister nodded. “Sir…”
“I don’t trust anyone else with my life.”
Harry looked at the necklace again. All he had done was a fork!
“I am not good with dates.” Minister looked back from the newspaper. “I say all the wrong things. I’ll probably mention a friend or spend it talking about Teddy.”
Minister smiled amused.
“I’d appreciate to hear about any friend you have since we never really even hinted at anyone before. And Edward… we already spend the days talking about him. Won’t be much of a difference. Besides: Accepting you means all of you. All of you includes Edward and possible future ones.”
“Sir…”
“Being in love with someone with a child means that I have to accept that the child is first place even to me.”
Harry blushed, both knowing that Teddy was Harry’s first and second thought on everything.
“I… possible future ones?”
Minister laughed.
“Your train of thoughts always amuse me.” Harry turned deep red. “You said the other week that you want more children.”
Harry gaped.
(TBC)