Harry Potter and the Daoimear de Dan and other Stories.

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Ruairi House, Windermere. 31st July 2000.

Ruairi House was usually quiet and peaceful, surrounded as it was only by the hills and trees that overlooked the tourist trap of Lake Windermere. Today, however, it was anything but quiet and peaceful. Today was Harry Potter's twentieth birthday and everyone wanted to celebrate. Gifts had been arriving at the house all day and guests were pouring into the house.

At first glance, though, it wasn't clear if it was a birthday party or one of those American-style baby showers that was all the rage now for rich British Muggles. There were at least three pregnant women, one newborn baby and a whole cluster of small children roaming around. If Harry was irritated by his birthday party being overrun by children, he didn't show it. On the contrary, he seemed to revel in playing with the children. Perhaps it was the sight of his wife sitting drinking lemonade from a glass resting on her pregnancy-swollen belly that inspired it. She caught his eye and grinned up at him.

"Harry!" called Ron, waving a Quaffle. "Impromptu game of Quidditch?"

"All right," he said with a broad smile.

"Charlie's going to be the other seeker," Ron told him as Harry grabbed his Firebolt.

"The famous Gryffindor seeker Charlie Weasley?" asked Harry. Ron snorted.

"Right, because you're not in the Quidditch history books or anything, Mr Youngest Player in a Century."

"True."

"Don't remind him!" called Hermione. "He'll get a big head."

Harry grinned back, but felt a slight pang somewhere in his gut. His getting a big head had been his undoing and the reason Hermione hadn't spoken to him for two months. Ron seemed to notice his pause and hit him in the arm.

"Come on Potter. You're got to prove yourself against the great Charlie."

***

The game went on for over an hour before Harry finally caught the snitch only a second ahead of Charlie. All exhausted, they trooped back to the house. Molly and Ginny had prepared a birthday lunch for Harry and the table had been laid out in the garden. Hermione was already sat down with Maura, Ron's wife Deanna and Percy's wife Penelope, talking quite predictably about childbirth. The Quidditch players trooped over to the table. Only Angelina, a professional player, wasn't thoroughly tired.

"It seems so much harder now," said Harry.

"He's an old man of twenty," Bill said in a rather mocking tone. Harry and Hermione exchanged a worried glance, for this idea was yet another reason they had lived apart for two months.

"Be fair, he hasn't played a real game since before he defeated Voldemort," said Ron.

"And I've never been up against a seeker as good as Charlie. I had to make do with Malfoy."

"Hey!" the same Malfoy shouted indignantly as he settled his wife Fleur (another pregnant woman) down in a chair at the other end of the table.

"Hey yourself," snapped Ron. "Why is he here anyway?"

"Because I invited him, Ron," said Harry in a firm tone designed to discourage arguing. They all began tucking into the food and chattering happily, mostly about Quidditch and babies.

Hermione got up from the table and bolted into the house as fast as a woman eight months pregnant could manage. Harry shared a concerned look with Ron before jumping up. Maura, however, pushed him back into his chair.

"I'll go," she said forcefully. Before he could respond she had already stomped across the garden and gone inside.

***

Maura had been watching Hermione for some time and had a sneaking suspicion that she knew what was going on. She went inside and found a locked bathroom door.

"Hermione?" she asked in what she hoped was a soothing voice.

"What?" Hermione called through the door.

"You all right?"

"I'm fine."

"OK. No problems with contractions at all?" asked Maura in a casual voice. The door opened and Hermione stood there looking sheepish and rather wan.

"How did you know?" she asked.

"You've been grimacing every thirty five minutes. And I'm guessing that your waters just broke." Hermione nodded. "Mind telling me why you haven't told anyone?"

"Well, I thought it was backache and... I don't want to spoil Harry's birthday party."

Maura looked stunned. For such a clever woman, Hermione made some curious decisions, she thought. Maura gave her a stern look.

"I'm going to get Penelope," she said. Hermione looked as if she wanted to object, but another stern look silenced her. Maura went back outside and spoke quietly to Penelope, who dashed inside. Maura then turned to Harry, who looked petrified.

"Looks like you're going to be a dad sooner than you thought," she said with a grin. Harry went very pale and then bolted inside.

"You can look forward to this, Ron," added Maura. Ron looked at Deanna, who smirked, and then he went as pale as Harry. Everyone laughed.

"It's nothing to worry about," said George confidently, cradling his month-old son in his arms. His wife Jade gave him a particularly dark look.

"What?" he asked. "It didn't hurt that much, did it?"

"How would you know? You passed out the first time I screamed," she said. Everyone directed their laughter towards George now. A moment later, Harry emerged from the house a little calmer than before.

"Hermione says we should all stay and carry on celebrating my birthday," he said.

"Is she going to be all right? Shouldn't she head off to Artemis House?" asked Ron. Harry had booked a room for Hermione at the premiere magical maternity hospital.

"Well normally, yes," said Harry. "But Penelope reckons it won't be that long."

"What?" Molly asked, quite bemused. If there was an expert on childbirth in the vicinity, it was her. "She's that far along?"

"Apparently," Harry said through gritted teeth, "Someone has been ignoring her contractions for the better part of the afternoon."

"Why?" asked Molly, now completely astounded.

"She didn't want to ruin my birthday," he said, clearly as astounded as her. "She wasn't even sure if they were real contractions. She's still got a month to go, after all."

"When I had Fred and George," said Molly, "they were early. Just as well really. They kicked more than the others put together. I thought they hated each other. It turned out to be the first prank they pulled."

Fred and George both grinned proudly.

"Well," added Angelina, also the mother of twins. "It isn't surprising with twins, Harry. Although mine were well behaved in the womb."

"Unlike their father," put in Charlie with a grin. A scream rent through the air.

"I'll... uh... I'll be back," said Harry before shooting back inside faster than if he'd been on his Firebolt.

***

When the sun had gone down, Fred, Angelina and their twins excused themselves and went back home. They were soon followed by the Malfoys, George, Jade and baby Paul and Charlie and Romana. Percy, realising his midwitch wife would be busy for some time, returned with Percy Jr. to their home. Eventually only Ron, Deanna, Maura, and Sirius remained and Molly brought Hermione's parents via Floo. Five hours after her waters broke, Hermione gave birth to a little girl. Three minutes later, the baby was joined by her sister.

***

"This is Lilyella," Harry told Ron, pointing to the eldest of the twins, wrapped in a purple blanket and fast asleep in a crib next to Hermione's bed.

"And this is Kathleen," he said, pointing to the younger twin, wrapped in a green blanket and wide awake in her exhausted mother's arms.

"They're beautiful, Harry," said Ron, thoroughly awed.

"Oh that's typical," said Hermione "They share half my genes, I do all the work and he gets the credit."

"Hermione, when I said they're beautiful," Ron said hastily. "I mean it's because they're your daughters. I mean, Harry's no oil painting, is he?" He grinned at Harry.

"Hey!" Harry objected.

"You leave him alone, Ron Weasley," said Hermione, going along with the joke. "I think he's gorgeous."

"Thank you," Harry told her sweetly.

"Blimey," said Ron. "You're both going soft!"

"Yes, we are," said Hermione. "And don't shout. I'm trying to get Kathleen to sleep."

"Sorry. Anyway, we'd better get off home. We'll stop by tomorrow, all right?"

"Yeah," replied Harry.

"Happy birthday, mate." said Ron. "Blimey! This means I've got to get three presents next year."

"Night, Ron," said Hermione with a tired laugh. Ron leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Night Hermione," he replied before heading out of the room.

***

Finally, with everyone gone home, Harry and Hermione were alone with their daughters.

"I bet they'll be brilliant at Quidditch," predicted Harry.

"No," said Hermione firmly. "They'll be brilliant students."

"Can't they be both?" he asked. Hermione snorted.

"Yes, let's pile lots of pressure onto them already."

"You're right," he said looking down at them with a mushy smile. "They're not identical, are they?"

"No. Lilyella's bigger than Kathleen for a start. They both have blue eyes, but most babies have blue eyes when they're born."

"Really? I didn't know that."

"Yes, but you didn't read as many baby books I did."

"Hermione, nobody's read as many baby books as you. Not even Penny when she was training to be a midwitch."

"Well, what did you expect from me?"

"Nothing less, love. Nothing less."

"Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Do you think we're too young?"

"I think it's a bit late to worry about that."

"But..."

"Shh... Hermione, we faced Fluffy when we were eleven years old. We fought a war when we were seventeen. We've been 'too young' for everything. I think age is a moot point. We're going to do fabulously."

"I suppose..."

"Well, I know. We've both been dreaming about this for a long time. Besides, with a mum like you, how can they go wrong?"

"By having you as a role model," she joked.

"I'm hurt, Hermione," he said in a teasing voice. "How?"

"Well, I have never met anyone who's managed to get himself into more sticky situations than you."

"But you're there to get me out of them. What's the problem? Besides, how many other kids have their very own lion to play with?"

"Ron's kid will have a tiger," she said.

"Yes, but Ron's child will also have to deal with that red hair."

"That's true," Hermione yawned loudly. "Can I go to sleep now?"

"Course you can, love." Harry kissed her softly and she settled down in the bed.

"Aren't you coming to bed?" she asked.

"I'm not tired yet," he told her.

"Well, you got out of doing the hard work," she said with a smile and a yawn. "Night Harry."

"Good night, love."

Long after Hermione had fallen asleep, Harry remained awake, watching over his three girls.

*

The End

I'll be back tomorrow with another Tale from the Crypt... sorry, ficlet.