Hi! I'm feeling unmotivated and I have no idea what to write to this chapter and the next one will probably be the last chapters for a while. If you guys want to see anything just let me know cause it'll help me. Thanks!
"Harry, he's so cute. I'm literally going to die."
Harry had a lazy smile on his face as he listened to Rose coo over Jamie. It was his first Halloween, and they went all out. The house was decorated with classic Halloween decorations, and they had plans to go trick or treating in a nearby muggle village. Rose decided that Jamie would have to dress up, so he was wearing a very convincing Yoda costume from the Star Wars movies.
"He's the best Yoda ever," Rose said. Jamie giggled as Rose tickled his belly. As almost eight months old, Jamie was crawling everywhere and he was more vocal than ever. While he couldn't talk, he definitely would let you know what he was thinking. Rose had broken down into tears multiple times when she thought about how old Jamie was getting. Jamie would just giggle while Harry tried to hold back his own tears.
"I'm a pretty amazing Han Solo," Harry said as he held his arms out to the side for Rose to see his costume. "And you're a pretty amazing Leia."
"Well, thank you," Rose said, grinning at her husband. "We better be amazing after how long it took me to make these costumes."
"Tillie doesn't like hers," Harry noted. Rose made Tillie an R2-D2 costume, but the cat just hissed and clawed it off. Potato, however, very much enjoyed her Chewbacca costume.
"Tillie can get over herself," Rose said in a baby voice, using her wand to fix the costume before shoving it back onto the very large cat. Tillie hissed and scratched Rose, but her hand was red for a few seconds before healing. "You should know by now that scratching me does nothing."
Tillie let out an angry meow and jumped off the couch, running away to hide. Potato barked happily and ran after her, thinking that they were playing. Jamie started clapping his hands in amusment, loud laughs leaving his mouth.
"What do you think our parents will wear?" Harry asked.
"Dad, Sirius and Moony will probably do matching costumes while Mum, Lily and Tonks do something fun," Rose guessed.
"Do you think they'll be okay?" Harry asked softly. "My parents? I know that it's not their first Halloween back, but it's the first time they haven't had to worry about a war."
"I think they'll be okay," Rose said after a moment of thinking. "They had years to accept what happened to them on Halloween. Plus, they were the ones who organized this, so I don't think they'll be upset."
"I hope not," Harry mumbled. Rose kissed his cheek lightly and let him lay his head in her lap. Jamie, who was propped up with pillows in the seat next to Rose, started playing with Harry's glasses.
"Hey, those are mine," Harry laughed as he lightly pulled the glasses away.
"I think he needs glasses," Rose admitted, pushing some of Jamie's curly hair back. "I've noticed that he's been squinting a lot."
"I wouldn't be surprised," Harry said, giving up and letting Jamie play with his glasses. His eyes were closed anyways as he let Rose run her hands through his messy hair. "The Potter men always wear glasses."
"Gla!" Jamie said happily, shoving the glasses at Rose.
"For me?!" Rose gasped overdramatically. Jamie giggled as Rose accepted the glasses, placing a kiss on his nose to distract him so she could put the glasses where he couldn't see them. Harry quickly grabbed a real toy to distract Jamie before he could realize that he wasn't getting the glasses back. Jamie let out a happy squeal and started playing with his plastic keys.
"So easily distracted," Rose said with a small snort.
"We've gotten pretty good at this whole parenting thing," Harry said. "We should write a book."
"That sounds like way too much work," Rose replied, scrunching her nose up in disgust.
"Yeah, probably," Harry agreed. Rose made sure that Jamie was looking away and slid Harry's glasses back on. Jamie's eyes went wide as the fireplace was suddenly green. He let out a happy squeal when he saw Lily and James emerge from the flames.
"Oh Merlin help us," Rose gasped. James was dressed as a stag with fake antlers that almost touched the ceiling because of how big they were. Lily was wearing a fake witch outfit, complete with a purple witch hat.
"How is my favorite grandson?" Lily asked in a baby voice. Jamie giggled and held his arms up to be grabbed. Lily scooped him up and covered him in kisses.
"I see you went with Star Wars," James noted.
"I see you went with stupid," Rose replied. Harry and Lily both held back laughs as James looked offended.
"I thought I looked good," James said.
"You look very convincing, but the antlers barely fit in the house, and you weren't very original with the idea," Rose explained.
"I told him that he should've gone as a robot," Lily said. "But he wouldn't budge. I decided to be a little ironic with the witch costume."
"It's cute," Rose told her. Lily responded with a smile as she put Jamie down on the floor so he could play with his toys.
"How are you?" Harry asked, trying to not sound anxious.
"We're good," James said. "We've actually been meaning to talk to you, and this is the perfect time since no one else is here."
Rose and Harry shared an anxious glance as both Lily and James looked nervous.
"Remember when we said that we were thinking of adopting?" Lily asked, her voice soft. Harry nodded. "Well...We've fallen in love with this little girl, and we want you to meet her."
"Her name is Catherine," James added. "Her parents died during the Battle of Hogwarts and she's been in a muggle orphanage since then."
"When...when could I meet her?" Harry asked, his voice tight.
"If you're up for it, we're going to be in the same neighborhood as the orphanage," Lily said. "She could join us for a little bit. We've become good friends with the caretaker there, and so she lets us take Catherine out all the time."
Rose grasped Harry's hand and gently ran her thumb over his. He was staring at his lap with an unreadable look on his face. James and Lily both looked anxious until Harry looked up and sent them a small smile.
"I'd love to meet her," Harry finally said. Lily let out a sigh of relief and James let out a cheer.
"Does anyone else know?" Rose asked.
"They know that we've been hanging out with Catherine basically everyday, but they haven't met her," Lily answered.
"We wanted you to meet her first," James said to Harry. Rose noted that Harry still looked a little uncomfortable and upset, but he was more happy for his parents than anything else.
"If you decided to, how soon would you be able to adopt her?" Harry asked.
"We actually have already put in the paperwork," Lily admitted. "So a month at the most."
Harry muttered a small 'oh' while Rose grinned brightly at them.
"I'm really happy for you," Rose told them.
"Thanks," James replied, his eyes glancing to his son. The atmosphere grew awkward until the fireplace lit up again. Sirius, Marlene, Sebastian, and Arabella all stumbled out.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me," Rose groaned. Sirius was wearing a dog costume that looked ridiculous while Marlene was wearing a bumblebee costume. Sebastian was wearing a dinosaur costume and Arabella was wearing a princess dress.
"Rose doesn't like our costumes," James said to Sirius, who let out an offended gasp.
"Our costumes are great!" Sirius said. Rose just snorted in amusement and moved to sit on the floor next to Jamie, her back on Harry's legs. Sebastian and Arabella had gone to him immediately and were playing with his toys as well.
"They look ridiculous," Marlene said. It was obvious that she was on the same page as Rose.
"I just won't walk with you if that's how you're going to act," Sirius responded.
"Please don't walk with me," Marlene said, sitting down next to Rose to play with Jamie. Sebastian crawled into Marlene's lap and started handing Rose multiple toys as he talked too fast for anyone to understand. Rose would just place all the toys back where Jamie could reach them, but Sebastian didn't seem to notice.
"Where do you reckon Moony is?" James asked. The question was answered when the fireplace went green again and the family of three stepped out.
The room was silent as the Lupin family and the younger Potter family gasped at each other. The Lupin's were wearing the exact same costumes as Rose, Harry and Jamie.
"I'm not changing," Harry and Remus said at the same time.
"Me either. I look hot," Rose and Tonks said at the same time.
"Looks like you have a problem," Lily said.
"I thought you were going as a werewolf!" Sirius whined.
"No, that's stupid," Remus responded, causing Sirius and James to start pouting.
"Moony, my favorite godfather and Jamie's favorite grandfather," Rose said pleadingly. "Are you really going to ruin Jamie's first Halloween by wearing the same costume?"
Remus sighed heavily. One look at Rose's puppy dog eyes and he knew that he was going to have to change.
"Fine," Remus said. "We'll change. None of us really like Star Wars anyways."
"Then why'd you wear it?" Harry asked.
"Cause it was the only costume for three people we could find," Tonks explained as she transfigured her white dress into the famous Marylin Monroe dress. She squeezed her eyes shut and turned her hair blonde.
"Moony, come on," James pleaded.
"Do I have to?" Remus asked.
"Yes," Sirius and James said at the same time. Cursing under his breath, Remus transfigured his Han Solo costume into a werewold costume. Everyone burst out laughing at how ridiculous the three men looked.
"What about Teddy?" Tonks asked. The boy, who was dressed as Yoda, was sitting next to Arabella and playing with Jamie's toys.
"Bird!" Teddy answered excitedly. Tonks grinned and used her wand to turn his costume into a bird costume, feathers and all. Teddy let out a happy shriek and clapped his hands, the toy that he was holding falling and hitting Jamie in the forehead. Jamie immediately started wailing. Teddy's eyes grew wide and he slapped his hand over Jamie's mouth to muffle the sound, but it only made him cry louder.
"Moony, remind me to never let Teddy babysit," Rose joked as she scooped up Jamie, gently running her hand over his forehead until he didn't feel anymore pain. Jamie's sobs slowed down to light whines and hiccups. Rose placed a small kiss where he had been hit by the toy and smiled at his red cheeks.
"Is it weird that I sometimes forget you're a mum?" Sirius asked.
"No," Rose said with a shrug. "I sometimes can't believe that I'm a mum, and I pushed him out of me."
The large group didn't linger much longer. They apparated into a small alley and started walking to the muggle neighborhood.
"Did you two ever get your apparating licsense?" Tonks asked.
"No," Harry admitted sheepishly. "I keep forgetting."
"Harry always apparates me cause I still don't really know how," Rose admitted.
"You should get on that," Remus said. "The Ministry hates people who don't get licenses."
"They saved the wizarding world, Moons," James said with a snort. "I doubt the Ministry will ever hate them."
Remus just rolled his eyes, not being able to respond before Teddy stumbled and almost fell. Remus grabbed him before he ever realized that he was going to fall. Teddy just giggled happily and cuddled into his chest.
"Are you guys ready?" Lily asked nervously as they approached a large house. Rose could see a sign on the gate, but Jamie distracted her by pulling her hair before she could read it.
"I'm so excited," Marlene exclaimed. James and Lily both sent her nervous smiles as they rang the doorbell. The door was immediately thrown open by a little girl.
"Hi!" The girl shrieked, jumping into James' arms. He spun her around and placed a kiss on her cheek before handing the small girl to Lily for them to greet each other. The girl was small for her age but was obviously smart as she started rambling to Lily and James. She had tan skin and wide brown eyes that showed a childlike innocence. Her long brown hair was tied into a braid that almost reached the floor. She was wearing a witch costume, just like Lily.
"She's been waiting by the door all day," a woman announced as she came to the door, a soft smile on her face.
"Well, that's good," James said. "Lils and I were practically jumping from excitement that she finally got to see you again."
Catherine giggled and hid her face in Lily's witch dress. After talking to the woman for a few moments, the large group left to start trick or treating, Catherine walking in between Seb and Ari.
"She's perfect for you," Sirius said to James, quiet enough that the kids couldn't hear, but loud enough that everyone else could.
"She really is," James agreed, a bright smile on his face.
"What do you think, Harry?" Lily asked.
"I think she's great," Harry replied. "She fits right in."
Lily and James both let out sighs of relief as Harry finally sent them a true smile. Rose grinned at him and squeezed their interlocked hands.
"Let me see James," James practically demanded. Rose rolled her eyes but handed her son to his grandfather as they approached the first house.
"I wanna ring the bell!" Sebastian announced, pushing Arabella out of the way. Catherine blinked at him in surprise and moved to hide behind James' legs.
"Well, how adorable are you!" An elderly woman said as she opened the door.
"Candy, please!" Sebastian and Arabella said in unison, holding their bags up. Teddy squirmed in Remus' arms until he was finally put down, holding his back open too. With some nudging from Lily, Catherine inched forward until she was back next to Sebastian, holding her bag up too.
"Well, of course!" The woman said, placing several candy bars in the bags. She then turned to James. "And what about for your son?"
"Harry, do you want candy?" James asked, sounding a little confused.
"No, the baby," the woman explained. "I know he's too young for candy, but it's an excuse for you to eat some."
"Oh, sorry, but this is actually my grandson," James explained.
"We're his parents," Rose added. The woman's eyebrows went up and a distasteful look covered her face.
"And I'm sure that you give the bastard to the grandparents enough that he'll be calling them his mum and dad," the woman spat. "You're too young to properly raise a child."
"Oi! Don't call my son that!" Harry said defensively. "And mind your own business."
"If not, I'll shove your foot so far up-"
Rose's threat was cut off by her dad placing a hand over her mouth. While she knew that many people didn't think she was old enough to have a kid, no one had ever said it to her face. Anxious thoughts immediately filled her head.
"We'll be going now," Sirius said, his voice dripping with fake kindness. The woman slammed the door in their faces.
"I thought that she was going to be nice," Tonks said, trying to break the obvious tension that had filled the air. Rose and Harry let out awkward laughs.
"Let's just go," Lily said calmly, but Rose could tell that she was also angry. The kids didn't seem to be bothered at all as they walked down the street, but the adults were all quiet. Once Jamie was almost asleep, James gave him back to Rose, who strapped him to her chest so she didn't have to worry about carrying him. Neither Rose nor Harry talked for another ten minutes.
"Excuse me?"
Rose and Harry both looked down when Catherine grabbed his pinky lightly.
"What's up?" Harry asked kindly.
"Are you gonna be my big brother?" Catherine asked. Harry looked between Rose and his parents with shock on his face. After an encouraging nod, he finally responded.
"Yeah, I am."
Catherine smiled brightly and held her arms up so Harry could pick her up. He grinned and placed her on his hip.
"You're pretty," Catherine said to Rose with a small giggle.
"You're prettier," Rose complimeted back. Catherine giggled and blushed.
"Is that my nephew?" Catherine asked, pointing at the sleeping baby strapped to Rose's chest.
"It is," Harry confirmed. "Maybe you can meet him when he's actually awake soon."
"We can arrange that," James spoke up, a grin on his face as he watched his kids interact.
Catherine spent the next few minutes rambling to Harry and Rose, asking them questions and telling them about her life. A bright smile stayed on her face until they came back to the orphanage.
"Do I have to go?" Catherine asked, sending James and Lily puppy dog eyes.
"I'm sorry, but I promise that we'll take you to lunch tomorrow," James said as he grabbed Catherine from Harry. Lily had already rung the doorbell and it was opened by the same woman.
"Did you have fun?" She asked. Catherine nodded and motioned to be set down. Catherine hugged everyone as James and Lily talked to the woman. Catherine saved them for last and she gave them the biggest hugs.
"Bye Mum, bye Dad!" Catherine said, practically bouncing into the orphanage, the director not far behind.
"Did she just-?" James asked. Lily nodded and choked out a happy sob.
"Our strange family keeps getting bigger and bigger," Sirius said with a small laugh. None of them would have it any different.