Day One
Monday, June 5th, 2000
Harry was expecting to have to wake up early, and he was used to it, so when Sage's cries rang out at 6:00 A.M. Harry barely groaned. Barely.
Still, he stood and walked across the hall to the nursery and picked the babe up before heading downstairs to the kitchen.
“I know, I know. You're all hungry and wet and sleepy, but I'll fix it. Get you some formula and a change and everything will be as right as rain.”
Sage, of course, didn't respond, but Harry was unbothered as he spelled a pre-made bottle warm.
'Thank goodness for magic.' Harry thought as he sat down at the table, turning a chair backwards to give more space, and positioned Sage to 'eat'.
Harry didn't really know what to do for the time that it took for Sage to finish the bottle, but he did know that it was important for babies to hear a lot of talking and rhyming, so figured the nursery rhymes and simple songs he learned in early primary school would be best.
Sage really didn't seem to mind what Harry did as long as it got them fed and changed, but by the time the baby was done with their bottle, Harry was getting done with nursery rhymes. Still, it would feel weird to just stand their silently as he got the newborn ready for the day. Even more so because this would be Sage's longest feeding/changing of the day as Harry decided to change their clothes every twenty-four hours, in the morning.
“Alright, bud, here we go now. I gotta brush your gums so when your teeth come in they won't be rotten and so you won't get a yucky gum infection. After that I'll change your diaper, get you new clothes, and put you back to bed.”
Sage just stared, but Harry was more than happy with them just being quiet, not crying that was. Of course, them crying was good because it allowed him to know they needed something, but he already knew and at this point it would just break his heart, and ears.
“You'll have to get back up in a couple hours, though....I know, I know, how rude. But, you'll be hungry and need a changing then. You can go to sleep afterwords, but again, only for two, three, hours. That's basically how the next three to six months are going to go. Sleeping all day, but waking up every couple hours to eat and whatever.”
Sage blinked in 'response' making Harry chuckle. “Oh, yeah, I bet that's quite confusing for you. You see, your brain and body are both growing super fast for your first year which means you need lots of sleep and food for energy. Unfortunately those two tend to clash. Can't eat cause you're sleeping, can't sleep cause you're eating. It'll sort itself out later though, once you start eating real food a few times a day instead of bottle I don't even know how many times.”
Harry kept the one-sided conversation up until Sage was completely ready for the day, completely ready to go back to sleep that was. Still they looked cute in their Winnie the Pooh romper and faux jeans with feet.
Existing was obviously tiring for Sage because Harry didn't even make it through a lullaby before the babe was fast asleep, at 6:30.
Harry technically could have gone back to sleep at this point, but why bother? Instead he went back to his room to get ready himself.
A black tee-shirt, jeans, and black ballshoes were pulled on, hair was combed, teeth brushed, the works before Harry made his way back to the kitchen to have his own breakfast, then do a bit of cleaning.
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11:30 A.M.
“Here's the deal, champ. Some people say that it's important to take babies out for fresh air and socialization, plus so I can get exercise. Others claim that it'll only lead to illness and should be avoided at all costs until you're at least six months, if not a year or two. I didn't leave my house until I was over a year old, then I was trapped in a different house for another five years. Neither of those ended up well, I'm starting therapy for a reason, so out we go. And if you do get sick medicine exists. If you get too sick for medicine, well...I'm already in therapy, so....” Harry whispered to Sage, who had just fallen asleep, as he pushed them out the front door.
Harry and Sage lived in a pretty secluded area so there was no where for them to go like a park or beach. Sage would, of course, have those experiences as they got older, but Harry thought it easier to just walk around down the road for the time being. Well, except when they were visiting family, Sage could go to parks and such then.
Harry sort of expected their walk to be dull, it was just walking and pushing along a sleeping newborn in a stroller, after all. But, it was actually quite nice to look at the trees and other plants around him, smell the warm air, feel the gentle breeze on his face. Harry never really went outside enough, especially not just for the joy of it, but he was still surprised to realize he had spent half-an-hour walking, including his way home.
Harry would have stayed out longer if he could, but he knew it was important for him to eat lunch, especially with the malnutrition he faced his whole life. Besides, if Sage continued how they had been that morning, they would be waking up within an hour or so of Harry finishing his lunch and he didn't want to be out when it happened.
Even still yet, lunch was a welcome relief from the day. He was just a twenty year old(well, basically) sitting alone eating lunch and thinking about his friends coming over. He didn't have to worry about chores or Sage or fame, he could just exist....It was nice.
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3:00 P.M.
“Alright, you two can see Sage, but be quiet. They still have an hour or so to sleep and I don't want to prematurely interrupt it.” Harry warned before leading his best friends up the stairs and into the room they weren't allowed to see the day before.
“Aw, Harry, they're so precious.” Ron whispered, both for Sage, but also in awe....He was really a godfather, an uncle!
“They really are.” Hermione agreed, just as emotional, but better at hiding it.
Harry let his friends look at his baby for a little while longer before he decided it was time to leave the three day old alone. Still, even as the friends sat at the kitchen table, the talk of Sage didn't cease.
“I can't wait to see what they'll be like when they're older.” Ron was still being uncharacteristically quiet, some what overwhelmed by the simple fact of Sage existing.
“They could be anything, anyone.” Harry agreed, a strange feeling of nostalgia, but for the future, coming over him.
“I wonder how similar to you they will be.” Hermione looked at Harry. “Nature VS. Nurture and all that.”
“Not too similar I hope. I mean Gryffindor, quidditch, sassy, that's fine, but....Well, it's not even about my abuse or other trauma, I just don't think I want them to be the kind of person who sneaks out an illegal dragon in the middle of the night, y'know.”
“I just hope they're not the kind of person who gets caught sneaking out an illegal dragon in the middle of the night.” Hermione disagreed, only half-joking.
“And if they do end up like us in that regard?” Ron asked, more genuine than his friends in the moment.
Harry shrugged, matching Ron's serious energy. “Sage will Sage. Not my job to mold or correct that, I just have to try and make them a good person, and that's about all I can do....I love them unconditionally, and, hey, both of our dragon escapades were for good reasons, so....Well, I supposed it'll be fine.”
“What will you do if they don't end up a good person?” Hermione wondered. “Like if they're a bully or something?”
“I'll do my best to stop that from happening, or lead them a different way if it does, but, like I said before, I can only do so much. Sage is the one who has to decide what kind of person they want to be, I just need to give them a good base so their structure doesn't fall down, so to say.”
“Why did having a child make you so much more metaphorical, philosophical, whatever?” Ron laughed, but also expected an answer.
“I've always loved metaphors, and it's impossible to escape philosophy.”
“Okay, Dumbledore.” Hermione playfully rolled her eyes making the boys laugh.
“If you two don't stop, I swear you'll be taking care of Sage at four, no help.” Harry threatened, but it wasn't very effective since he was still giggling a little.
He loved his friends.
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10:00 P.M.
Harry knew he would have to get up in an hour to take care of Sage, but he didn't care. He had always been fast at falling asleep, so would get most of the hour anyway. Besides, he would need to get used to sleeping in one and two hour increments at least for the next six months.
Harry wouldn't have cared even if Sage woke him the second his eyes closed, to be honest. There was just something about the kid that made him want to give them everything at his own expense....That was probably babies survival mechanism to make parents love them and not abandon them, but Harry really didn't feel like thinking about science and neurology and whatever else right now.
He was happy to do this for Sage, but he was happier to do it with sleep, so it was about time his brain shut off.
If only he could stop thinking about his baby.