His Real Mother

Middlesbrough

Moving to Middlesbrough from Aston Villa was tough on Gabby, she was a widow and mourning her husband once she'd had her memory of James restored by her teammates who had shown her the happy photographs and home videos of her and James with Harry as a baby. Gabby hadn't stopped searching for Harry ever since, he would be five years old now and Gabby wanted her son home with her where he belonged.

Gabby still wore her wedding ring on her left hand to show she was a married woman albeit a widow and grieving mother "Gabz, take a look" Mark Schwarzer nodded to where a little boy was left wandering in the Riverside "you lost, kiddo?" Gabby almost took a step back in shock "Mama?" Harry looked up in hope at his mother, Gabby's blue eyes filled with tears as she nodded and held her arms out for her son.

Although only five, Harry remembered what his mother looked like and he knew Lily Evans wasn't his mother. He didn't have green eyes like her, but to see his mother was Gabby Southgate, one of Middlesbrough's best defenders, was the best he could ask for. His tears soaked the red jersey she wore, but all Gabby cared about was that she had her son back "three years I've been looking for you, kiddo" she hiccuped.

Many of her old National teammates had retired by 2002, but she was still playing football for England, though she was planning for the 2004 Euros to be her last as a player for the team. She was getting too old now, Harry walked to where his mother's teammates were getting ready and the entire Middlesbrough team cheered seeing the reunited mother and son, Gabby showed Harry the photograph she always kept of her, James and him just so she could find him "that's Dad?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, you look so much like him, but you have my eyes" Harry was surprised to be given a Middlesbrough kids kit by his mum "just so you can walk out with me and watch me play" on the back was Harry 5, she had gotten it made in case she had found Harry once again. Taking his Mum's hand as she finished tying the laces of her boots, Harry walked out beside his Mum onto the pitch of the Riverside.

Gabby proudly wore the captain's armband around her left arm as the match began once the kids were on the sidelines watching "so, Gabby Southgate is your mum?" One asked "yeah, I got taken from her by someone who hated her because she married my late Dad" Harry said "you're lucky, you got to go home to her" the girl said "what's your name?" He asked "Hermione Granger."

Although losing the game, Gabby went home in high spirits as Harry talked to her about his new friend who lived in London with her godfather "John's goddaughter? I remember him bringing Hermione to St George's Park once after the poor girl lost her parents in an accident" "who's John, Mum?" Harry asked "John Terry, he plays for Chelsea" Gabby had a long running battle with Chelsea's owner, Roman Abramovich, who wanted her to play for them, but she always curtly refused to.

If she had to choose between Middlesbrough and Chelsea, she would stay with Middlesbrough, though they were struggling with the Premier League. As talented a defender as she was, Gabby followed her heart on the pitch instead of her Manager's instructions, José Mourinho would constantly lose it with the English woman.

Getting home, Harry wandered around the huge living room that was in the grade 2 manor home Gabby had, it was passed to her since she was James' widow and his titles in the magical world went to her even though she was a non-magical "Mama, is that..." Gabby smiled as James' portrait began crying tears of joy at seeing their son safe with his mother again "hello Harry" James choked, smiling at his son.

Gabby was smiling as Harry played with the toys she had gotten for him as a baby while on the phone to Jamie Redknapp "sure, Teddy and I can see what we can do" Jamie assured her, Gabby couldn't contain the relieved smile and joy in her voice "Redders, I'll owe you and Teddy for life" Jamie laughed gently "so long as Harry's with his actual mother, Gabby" he assured her. But Gabby had the hunch Dumbledore knew what Lily's family had done and that Harry was back with his actual mother. Harry was playing with one of Gabby's footballs she kept in the living room "just like when you were a baby" she smiled "huh?" Gabby sat on the carpet with Harry on her lap and put on some of the tapes she had of her, James and a happy baby Harry "you used to love playing with my football boots, Sirius bought you a toy broomstick for your first birthday, but you were more interested in my boots and the footballs I kept" Gabby explained as a much younger Gabby was laughing on the screen with James at Harry playing with the Villa ball Gabby had been given when it was her birthday and her captain gave it to her.

"Do you miss him, Mum? Dad" Gabby choked back tears, but Harry knew his mother was upset "every day, Harry. James died so me and you could live, but then you were taken from me by Lily and I had my memory erased until my teammates could help me restore them" she said, wiping a few stray tears from her face. It was getting to nine at night and Harry was beginning to get very sleepy on Gabby "come on, kiddo. Bed, I've got a few days off and I can take you over to Liverpool and see Uncle Robbie" "Robbie?" "Your godfather, if something happened to both me and James, you would have gone to Sirius, Robbie or your dad's friend, Alice Longbottom. She's got a son your age" Gabby said, carrying Harry upstairs and changing him into a pair of Aston Villa pyjamas "night my sweet boy" she kissed him as she tucked Harry in "night mum" he mumbled, Gabby went to put the light out "Mum?" "Yeah?" "Will you ever like someone again like you did with Dad?" Gabby paused in the doorway with a delicate hand on the lightswitch "maybe one day, Harry. Just not now. I'm still grieving your Dad" she said "night, honey. I'm in the bedroom straight down the hall if you get nightmares" she said, knocking the light out.

"So, I heard you found Harry" Teddy Sheringham was saying on the phone to Gabby as she was sat in bed reading with her phone mashed between her ear and shoulder "yeah, turns out every time I was in London, I was close to him. When Vernon Dursley abandoned him at the Riverside, I was furious at how my son was treated. But even more angry that Lily claimed Harry was her son" Gabby was saying "yeah, I heard Dumbledore's planning on finding where he is and taking him back to them" Teddy said "over my cold, dead corpse he can do that. If that happens, Harry goes straight to Robbie" "so you never heard what happened to Sirius?" Gabby confirmed she didn't know "got flung in Azkaban for supposedly betraying James and you" Gabby was beyond confused "Sirius knew Gary was our secret keeper, but he also knew Gaz was tricked into betraying us though Evans" Teddy knew it was hard on the Middlesbrough skipper, but Gabby Southgate wasn't a woman to cross whenever someone got her angry "Gabby, the entire Premier League's behind you keeping your son" Gabby was touched even though most teams fans couldn't stand the sight of the other "thanks, Teddy."



It was only a month later when Harry was at school and Gabby was on her way to training when Alan called her "he knows, Gab. He knows Harry's back with you" Gabby swore as Mark looked at his captain "right, that's it. I need to face him in court for kidnapping and manipulation, Alan" "kidnapping we can do, Manipulation's harder, Gabz. He's got a lot of power in the Government" Gabby sighed "Harry's my son and Middlesbrough love him. I'm not losing my son again, Alan."