Chapter 14

<<<<<<<<<<Harry Potter>>>>>>>>>

Harry walked out of the gates of the castle, grimacing at the destruction the battle had caused. It would take a lot of time and effort to repair the damage done to Hogwarts. He took a deep breath, enjoying his solitude, no longer surrounded by people who were constantly praising him. He had come to realise over the course of his life that fame was very fickle. When he had first defeated Voldemort back in 1981, people celebrated, but no one cared that Albus Dumbledore had left him to rot at the Dursleys to be broken and abused for years to come.

Thinking about that day reminded Harry of another orphan whose family had been destroyed by the Death Eaters.

"Winky!"

The elf appeared before him. She smiled brightly and asked, "What can Winky do for Master Harry?"

"Winky, I want you to go to the Burrow, the home of the Weasleys, and bring me my godson."

Harry then paused. Mrs Weasley had not come to Hogwarts for the final battle and he wasn't sure if she was informed about her husband's death. For all he knew, she could already be at Hogwarts, having been summoned by her children.

"He's with Mrs Weasley," he continued, "but in case she's not home, check the Great Hall here at Hogwarts. I don't want to enter the castle again. Wherever she is, inform Mrs Weasley that you are my house-elf and that I'll be taking care of Teddy from now on."

Winky nodded and a few minutes later, she brought the crying baby to him. The three-month old infant was wrapped securely in a light blue blanket. His face was puffed up and the tear stains on his little cheeks revealed to Harry that his godson might have been crying for quite some time.

Swallowing, he murmured, "Any problems?"

The elf shook her head. "No, Master Harry," she replied. "Billy Weasley had little master with him in the Great Hall. Once Winky explained to him who she was and that Master Harry wanted to take care of little master, he didn't complain."

If Bill had Teddy, that meant Mrs Weasley was here, having been informed about Arthur's death. Guilt gnawed at him for leaving, but he couldn't stay here anymore.

Harry gently took the infant from Winky, carefully supporting the child's head with his arm. Teddy continued to whimper, but he was no longer bawling; he was probably tired and sleepy. Balancing Teddy in one arm, he extracted Gryffindor's sword from his belt where it had been stuck and handed it over to Winky, instructing her to keep it safe at Potter Manor.

"Don't worry, Teddy," Harry whispered to the baby, gently rocking him to sleep. The child's eyelids slowly drifted shut at the soothing movement. "I won't let you grow up alone and unloved like me. I won't make the same mistakes that all the adults in my life did when I was a baby. I may not be able to bring your parents back, but I can ensure that you are not an orphan. I will do everything in my power to keep you safe and happy, this is a promise."

He placed a kiss on his godson's forehead. With a near silent crack, Harry Disapparated from the gates of Hogwarts.

<<<<<<<<<<Harry Potter>>>>>>>>>

"Is it possible?"

"Of course," answered Ragnok. "Blood adoption is usually done to infants who are less than a year old. Yours was the only ritual we've performed where the person being adopted was an adult."

"Good," said Harry quietly.

He knew that it would seem distasteful to some, but Teddy was better off not having to deal with Remus' stigma as a werewolf. He had decided not to reveal the child's parentage to anyone, even the goblins. The members of the Order of the Phoenix would know; that could not be helped, but no one else outside the Order could know that Teddy was Remus and Tonks' child. He had simply told the goblins that he was the godfather of the child, and that Teddy was the son of a family friend who had died during the Battle of Hogwarts.

They were interrupted by a subordinate goblin who spoke to Ragnok in low tones. The aged goblin frowned. "It appears that this child's birth was not registered with the Ministry of Magic, Mr Potter-Black."

"I know," Harry nodded. "The Ministry was already compromised when he was born and his parents did not feel the need to attract the wrong sort of attention by making his existence public. Is it possible to register his birth now? With me being listed as the father?"

Ragnok looked thoughtful. "You might encounter problems with the Ministry, if you plan to adopt him without declaring his birth parents' identity."

Harry shook his head. "That won't be an issue," he stated. He could always ask Kingsley for help, who was currently the Interim Minister of Magic.

"Then we can proceed," the goblin said. "Just decide on the name soon as the registration process has to be completed before you can leave the bank."

Harry nodded. It would take a few hours for Teddy to be fully adopted and that was enough time to come up with a name. He allowed the goblins to extract some of his blood and followed them to the ritual chamber. He stayed with Teddy throughout the duration of the ritual, thinking quietly.

He had already decided to change his godson's name from 'Ted', but to what? It had to be something that could be shortened to Teddy, as the child was already responding to that name. The only choices he could think of were Theodore, Edmund and Edward. He kept going over the names in his head for an hour before settling on the one that he liked best.

Harry was hesitant to change Teddy's middle name from 'Remus', but the paranoid part of his mind kept thinking that it was a dead giveaway, especially since it would be public record that Teddy was adopted. What if someone made the connection? After much deliberation, he came to a decision.

Edmund Harrison Potter-Black. That would be his son's name.

<<<<<<<<<<Harry Potter>>>>>>>>>

Two hours later, Harry picked up the sleeping infant now registered as Edmund Harrison Potter-Black, formerly Ted Remus Lupin, and Disapparated from Gringotts. When he arrived at his destination, guided by the Potter signet ring, he was greeted by a pair of large metal gates. They opened at his touch after the enchantments recognised him as a Potter. Carefully tucking the baby in his arms, Harry walked towards his new home.

He was extremely glad that his ancestral home had been under a stasis charm. Who knew what state it could be in after seventeen years? Grimmauld Place was barely habitable!

After a few minutes of walking along a grassy path, a beautiful and expansive mansion made of light brown stone came into view. Harry smiled when he saw Potter Manor for the first time. From what Sirius had told him back during the summer before his fifth year, the mansion had been damaged during the first Voldemort war, when Death Eaters had attacked it to murder his grandparents, Charlus and Dorea, which was why James and Lily had shifted their residence to the modest collage in Godric's Hollow. After renovations were complete, the couple had decided to place the ancestral manor under a stasis charm, as James had still been haunted by the deaths of his parents at his childhood home. Lily too had preferred to stay in the village, which was why the mansion lay empty for close to two decades, even if it was perfectly preserved.

It was clear that, anticipating his arrival, Dobby and Winky had worked to bring life to the manor. The large fountain that stood at the entrance of the building was active, a few droplets of water falling on Harry as he walked past it, bringing a smile to his face. He wished he had ten pairs of eyes to simply look around and admire both the exquisite architecture of the mansion and the stunning beauty of the surrounding grounds.

As he stepped into the entrance hall, Harry was in awe of the splendour the interior of the manor offered. The marble floor gleamed under the rays of sunlight streaming from the windows. Rich cream and gold colours dominated the walls. After casting a point-me spell, he proceeded towards the master bedroom.

The bedroom was very large and spacious, with an expansive four-poster bed, a sofa set and other pieces of furniture. The balcony off the bedroom afforded a breathtaking view of the lake situated on the grounds. Harry gently placed Teddy on the bed and climbed in after him. While it was still before noon, he was way too exhausted to explore the manor like he wanted to. He felt his eyelids slowly becoming heavier, so he knew it wouldn't be long before he was lost to slumber.

Thanks to the ritual, he knew that Teddy wouldn't wake up for a while. He could already see that the bone structure and other distinguishing features on the infant's face had changed to match his own. While Harry's own adoption had not changed too much of his original looks, Ragnok had warned Harry that younger the child, the more powerful the ritual would be. Clearly, that was true. The child's natural appearance seemed to make him look like a miniature form of his adopted father.

The lingering guilt in blood-adopting the boy and changing his name remained, but he knew that had he not done so, Teddy's future would have been anything but happy. Even though the child wasn't a werewolf, and had instead inherited his birth-mother's Metamorphmagus trait, most people would still treat Teddy like a pariah due to Remus' condition.

Remus and Tonks may not agree with Harry's decision, but he was the child's godfather, and it was his duty to ensure Teddy's happiness. And this was the only way he knew in order to secure the baby's future.

He gently kissed Teddy's forehead as he drifted off to sleep. The toddler snuggled into Harry's hold and smiled as he inherently recognised the magical presence of his new father.

<<<<<<<<<<Harry Potter>>>>>>>>>

Back at Hogwarts, Molly Weasley was inconsolable when she found out about her husband's death; she was weeping brokenly. Thankfully, Percy had finally grown a spine and had apologised to his father before the battle, but that didn't make him feel any less guilty. Fred and George had blank expressions on their faces as they stayed with their mother, not speaking a word. Bill, Fleur and Charlie were helping with the repair work. Ron, Hermione and Ginny were searching everywhere for Harry.

The Ministry of Magic, on the other hand, was going through a thorough cleaning. Kingsley was leaving no stone unturned as he did his best to make sure that all the people who were accessories to Voldemort's reign were arrested, waiting to be tried by the reinstated Wizengamot. The holding cells were full and not for the first time did he wish that he had Amelia Bones around to take care of the chaos that had gripped the government.

Unfortunately, one person had slipped through his fingers. This person wasn't present at the battle but had only heard whispers. Thinking that the extremist pureblood faction still held power, Dolores Umbridge entered the Great Hall of Hogwarts with a superior expression on her face, flanked by two of her most faithful Aurors.

"Where is Harry Potter?" she asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.

Headmistress McGonagall boiled with rage when she saw the toad again. She knew the atrocities this woman had committed under Voldemort's reign of terror and her hand twitched towards her wand. Several others in the Great Hall palmed their wands as well, unknown to the Senior Undersecretary.

"Why?" spat McGonagall.

Umbridge puffed out her chest importantly. "He is under arrest for the murder of several upstanding purebloods –"

That was all she said before she and her two Aurors were blasted off their feet by no less than ten different stunners at the same time. The three hit the wall in the entrance hall and dropped to floor with a heap, unconscious.

"Oh dear," said McGonagall in a mock concerned voice. "It seems the toad has finally croaked."

People chuckled as she bound Umbridge and the two Aurors. She had to call the D.M.L.E. to arrest them. Merlin knows the woman's crimes were numerous.

<<<<<<<<<<Harry Potter>>>>>>>>>

"Where's Harry?" exclaimed Hermione. "I want to know how he found the rest of the Horcruxes. What if he missed something? Maybe –"

Ron and Hermione were outside, searching for their friend, surrounded by various witches and wizards who were in the process of restoring the castle. The damage done to Hogwarts could not be repaired easily. McGonagall was thinking of cancelling the second term so that they could open again next September. After all, it would take a long time for things to get back under control. Reopening the school was not a priority at the moment as there were too many orphans and injured people to deal with.

"I don't know," said Ron bitterly. "Did you see the way he ignored us? It looks like fame has finally gone to his head, the git!"

Hermione shook her head in frustration. "Honestly, Ronald," she snapped. "Grow up, will you? Fame is not the issue. Harry said that he destroyed all the remaining Horcruxes, including the locket. How did he do that? He doesn't know how to cast Fiendfyre and he clearly didn't have access to Basilisk venom. For that matter, how did he destroy the diadem? Did you see how he did it?" Not waiting for a response, she continued. "And what if he missed something? A Horcrux that was overlooked? That's why Dumbledore wanted the three of us to work together. If Voldemort isn't really dead, that could prove to be a huge problem for us!"

Ron had the decency to look slightly abashed. After a minute, he spoke.

"Do you think it's really him, though?" he asked curiously. "The Harry I know would never kill anyone, including Death Eaters. He cast the Killing Curse on You-Know-Who, for Merlin's sake! And he looks different too!"

"Who would want to impersonate Harry and kill Voldemort? No, it was definitely Harry. He found the diadem, didn't he? But how did he know it was there? How did he get rid of the locket? What about Hufflepuff's cup? Nagini? Don't tell me he destroyed them all just after we left! None of us had a clue as to where they were and how to destroy them! And from where did he get Gryffindor's sword?"

Ron was startled. "Oh, yeah!" he blurted out. "That goblin said that after Ginny tried to steal it, it was placed in Gringotts! And at the time, we didn't know where the real sword was!"

"So how did he get it?" Hermione muttered in frustration. There were so many questions for which she had no answers! And damn it, she needed answers badly!

The two of them simply stood in silence, letting the cold Scottish breeze ruffle their hair. They heard footsteps and Ginny Weasley came up to them and demanded, "Where's Harry? Dad's been killed and Mum's in a right state! How can he just run off like that?"

"I know!" Ron spat angrily. "The git vanished right after the battle. Does he care that Dad died? After everything we've done for him, is this how he treats us?"

"You know how Harry is," Hermione sighed, shaking her head sadly. "He probably believes it is entirely his fault. Unless we make him talk about it, he'll keep it bottled up until he explodes. I was trying to make him talk about Sirius's death last year, but he never listened to me! But this time, it's going to be much worse. I think we should stick to him once we find him and make sure he tells us everything."

"We'll wait for him," said Ron. "He has to come back here sometime."

<<<<<<<<<<Harry Potter>>>>>>>>>

Daphne Greengrass sighed tiredly as she finished patching up another injured student. There were hundreds of wounded patients that required her attention, but thankfully, the critical ones were all taken to St Mungo's. Since she was one of the few people who had apprenticed under Madam Pomfrey before applying for Healer's school, she was qualified to take care of the broken bones, cuts and hexes. The reversal and treatment of various dark curses, however, were handled by Madam Pomfrey and other professional healers.

Finally taking a break after working constantly for twelve hours, Daphne walked out of the Great Hall. She watched with satisfaction as Dolores Umbridge and her two Aurors were escorted out of the school by members of the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol. That woman was a nasty piece of work. Hopefully, she would be punished for her crimes.

That's when she caught sight of the nasty gash of Professor McGonagall's face.

"Let me take a look at that, Professor," said Daphne softly as she moved towards the headmistress.

The Transfiguration teacher shook her head distractedly, already moving towards the Great Hall. "It's fine, Miss Greengrass. It's just a scratch. I have a lot of work to do and don't have time for –"

"This place is contaminated with dirt and dark magic, Professor," Daphne interrupted, already scanning her teacher's face with her wand. "You don't want to have an open wound. It could lead to an infection."

Having diagnosed the nature of the hex that had caught McGonagall in the face, Daphne began muttering incantations under her breath, with her wand pointed at her teacher's cheek.

McGonagall smiled faintly. She usually didn't like many Slytherin students due to their open bigotry and disgusting behaviour – Severus, a bigot himself, being their Head of House for so many years hadn't helped matters any – but she genuinely like Daphne. She, along with Padma Patil, was the top student of their year. Many were under the impression that Hermione Granger was the best, but they were mistaken. While no one could dispute that Hermione was very talented, she tended to recite what was written in books, while Daphne and Padma chose to explain the concepts in their own way; their papers were a joy to read. Their practical work too had differences. Creativity was a key aspect in magic, and that required broadmindedness and imagination, two qualities that, much to McGonagall's dismay, Hermione Granger lacked. Hermione's practical work was flawless, but dry and repetitive. Daphne and Padma, on the other hand, had practical work that always brought something new to the table.

Hermione never knew this because they never gave a merit list at Hogwarts. There was no need to publicise other people's marks, was what the staff believed, so not many knew about Daphne's achievements.

McGonagall never played favourites, but if hypothetically, there ever was a list of her most favourite students in a deep corner of her mind, Daphne Greengrass would definitely be on it.

"How is your father, Miss Greengrass?" asked McGonagall softly, after the girl had finished healing the cut.

Daphne remained stoic as she lowered her head, staring at the floor. She was silent for a few moments as she tried to control the tears that were pooling in her eyes.

"He's dead, Professor," she answered in a cracked voice. "He didn't make it."

About a month back, Daphne's father, a member of the Wizengamot, had been tortured extensively by the Death Eaters for refusing to join Voldemort and supply the outrageous amounts of money and resources for his campaign that they had demanded from him. Lord Cyrus Greengrass had tried to remain neutral during the conflict, but no one could do so under Voldemort's regime. Daphne also suspected that it was Draco Malfoy who had urged the Death Eaters to attack her father. The blond boy had been furious that she had dared to reject his advances. Apparently, her kicking him in the balls for refusing to sleep with him, not to mention trying to protect the various younger students in the school from the Carrows, was not acceptable behaviour, and her father had paid the price for it.

"I'm so sorry, Daphne," said Professor McGonagall, smiling sadly at her.

"It's okay, Professor," she muttered, quickly wiping the tears away with her hand. "The healers had already informed me that any chance of recovery was slim to none. At least he wouldn't spend the rest of his life like the Longbottoms. He may have been a very strict disciplinarian, but he was still my father. With him gone, I don't know how long it will be before my stepmother decides to throw me out of the house."

That's when Daphne felt a gentle hand on her shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly.

"Don't worry, Daphne. If you need help, my door is always open to you," said Madam Pomfrey warmly. "Don't think we haven't noticed how much you helped the younger students over the past few months. Quite a few of them told me stories of how you protected the first and second-years during detentions with the Carrows. You did it even after you were caught and tortured. Not only that, but you helped students across all four Houses. That exhibits your strength and character. Harry Potter's speech really struck a chord around here, but in my opinion, people badly needed it."

Daphne nodded, lost in thought. She never expected the Gryffindor Golden Boy to defend the Slytherins. She could understand why McGonagall had told her Housemates to leave, as many of them did support Voldemort's goals. It would have been unwise for them to have started fighting each other inside when Voldemort was a threat. Harry Potter having nearly been a Slytherin himself was a shock to everyone. Daphne had always thought he was a tactless idiot, but after last night's battle, her opinion about Potter had changed drastically.

Taking another deep breath, Daphne returned to work. There were still more wounds she had to tend to.