Previously on a A very Black plan: Harry thought back on the first meeting he had with Hermione in which he realised he loved her. Harry Potter was in love with Hermione Granger. After their moment alone together they went to train with the rest. Harry discovered he loved duelling with Hermione at his back. She was a vicious monster on the field and he thought it was awesome.
Shortly after that Harry got the notice of the wards that Hedwig's eggs were hatching. Three chicks came out of the three eggs and Hedwig couldn't be prouder of her first nest. Harry meanwhile was a bit horrified at how ugly baby birds were.
The meeting with Tonks went well. She became a full member of the House of Black. There was a slight issue when Tonks smelled the fish served at luch and they found out that Remus was a bigger arse then they ever thought. He got Tonks pregnant and didn't handle it well. At all. Tonks decided to keep the baby with the support of her mother and Harry.
After the walk with his friends Harry went to find Tonks so that he could take her to her new home. He hoped she'd like it there with him and the House Elves. The Elves, at least, couldn't wait for more people to take care of. They were so excited to learn that Tonks would be living with them. When they learned she was pregnant, they just about burst from happiness.
He was glad they liked it. Tonks would need all the help she could get.
Harry was sure that there would be an adjustment period since they were basically strangers to each other. He might have met her a few times last year while she came to Grimmauls Place for Order meetings, but that didn't mean they knew each other well. It would help that Tonks was now an official member of House Black in Magic. He could feel her basic needs like he could with all members of House Black which was handy when you didn't know each other well.
When he found Tonks, she was sitting on a bench looking out on the pond on the grounds with a hand covering her still flat belly. It was a beautiful spot and Tonks looked peaceful sitting there on the bench in between two big flower filled pots and looking out on a lily pond.
Harry walked up to her and asked her if she wanted to leave now. Tonks turned to look at him and told him, "Hiya Harry! Good timing, you have. My mum just left after checking up on me and my little beansprout," With a besotted look to her belly she continued, "Did you wanna go home now?"
Beansprout, Tonks had named her baby beanspout. Hopefully that was just a temporary nickname and not the actual name of the baby. Wizards had strange ideas of what were good names. Harry had found some mentions in the books that Sirius left him of his father thinking about naming him Elvendork.
Thank Merlin for his mother. If not for her he would probably have ended up being named Elvendork Quidditch Bambi Potter or something. Hadrian [Harry] James Potter was a perfectly good name.
Harry wanted to ask her what Andromeda had told Tonks in her check-up but he wasn't sure if he should. What was normal in these situations? But he was still curious and they were family now so he dared to ask, "Is everything alright with you and the baby, Tonks?"
He really hoped it was alright to ask her that. What if something was wrong? He didn't want to overstep and upset her as he really didn't know what to do with crying woman, one just had to ask Cho. Merlin, that were some awkward moments in the short relationship he had with her. Not to mention her jealousy of Hermione, Cho'd probably be happy to know she was right back then. Harry might not have had he same feelings back then as he had now but they weren't that far of looking back on it.
To his relief Tonks lit up at his question and started to talk excitingly, "Everything is fine with me and the baby. I'm eight weeks pregnant and my mom told me that the morning sickness should stop after the first trimester. So only four weeks to go with puking my guts out everytime I smell something that doesn't agree with me. And soon she will be able to tell me if I will have a boy or a girl. I can't wait! " Tonks hair had turned a bit green but with the last part it turned back to her usual bubbly pink.
Harry tried his best to look sympathetic at her puking out her guts bit. He was very glad to be a male at that moment.
Tonks stood up and Harry had to grab her arm so that she didn't fall over. Tonks grumbled that the baby upset her balance but Harry was pretty sure that she had balance problems before the whole pregnancy thing. Tonks clumsiness used to set the Walburga's of quite often. Harry was still glad he had gotten rid of that horrible portrait. The other portraits in that hallway had also thanked him for getting rid of the screeching harpy that used to be Lady of House Black.
Harry and Tonks calmly walked back to the Manor so that they'd say goodbye to Gran and the rest and then he called for Dobby.
Dobby popped in looking a bit sad so Harry asked worriedly, "Dobby? What's wrong? Are you alright?"
Dobby answered with fast dropping ears, "Dobby be having hard talk with Tessy today. Dobby be really liking Tessy. Tessy be very pretty and smart and good at cooking but Tessy be courted by another Elf too. Tessy be liking other Elf more than Dobby and Dobby not be sure what to do."
Harry must have looked a bit confused as Tonks explained to Harry that female Elves got courted by multiple male Elves so that the female could chose her mate out of them. Dobby nodded along with Tonks explanation and said, "Missy Tonks be right. It be females choice. Tessy be very pretty so Dobby be stupid not to think she be noticed by other Elves, Longbottom Elves."
Harry patted Dobby on his head and said, "Oh Dobby, I'm so sorry. Are you sure that Tessy likes the other Elf more? Maybe she likes you better if you give it some more time. Did you talk to her about it?"
Dobby nodded looking miserable. Harry and even Tonks looked upset for the Elf in front of them. Sad Elves were truly pitful things. While Harry hadn't loved how Tessy treated his friend, he didn't like to see Dobby so upset. Not to mention that Harry wondered how it would work with any future offspring. Where would they have lived?
He'd hoped that Dobby and Tessy could become a good couple together but that didn't seem meant to be. Poor Dobby. So Harry asked his friend, "Shall we go home, Dobby? Maybe you can check on the owlets for me? Hedwig wouldn't mind you coming close to her and her chicks and it might cheer you up."
Dobby nodded and took both Harry's and Tonks hand and popped away. They popped into the living room of Grimmauld Place where they could smell the delicious scent of Kreacher cooking dinner. Harry was a bit worried about Tonks but she seemed fine with the smells wafting out of the kitchen. Good, it couldn't be good for a person, pregnant or not to lose their stomach contents to often.
He asked Dobby to take Tonks to her new room so she could take a nap like she'd wanted to do before dinner was ready. It must be exhausting to be pregnant. Tonks new room was on the second floor where the guest rooms were. If Andromeda and her husband agreed to move to Number 12, Grimmauld Place then they would stay on the same floor as their daughter.
Dobby went to check up on Hedwig and her chicks. The chicks were looking better every day now that their feathers started growing. Harry was glad to say that they were almost looking cute now. They hadn't been named yet but that would soon be happening. Hedwig was a good mother and she was taking very good care of the three owl chicks.
It was a hour later that Tonks came stumbling back in the living room looking a bit more rested then before. Since Tonks had been a bit stressed lately, her mother had adviced her to take a lot of relaxing naps. Tonks needed to be as relaxed as possible while carrying the baby.
Harry had, in that hour, been making the Animagnus revealing potion that he'd need in just a bit more then a week. It would now need to simmer for that time until the Mandrake leaf would fall lose from the roof of his mouth. Then the leaf would need to be added to the potion, stirred a few times more and then he could finally drink it.
In the book Sirius had left for him, it was discriped as falling asleep. One then would fall asleep and start to dream about about the nature area where their animal liked to live in the wild. A forest or a river or mountains, something like that.
Then he'd have to find and actually befriend his inner animal. It was a part of him so he'd just have to accept whatever it was to make the transormation later in the process go as smoothly as possible. It could take months or in some cases even years before someone was ready to try and turn into their animal. Harry hoped it wouldn't be so long. He needed the advantage in this war.
When he was able to turn into that animal he'd have to deal with some new instincts and habits. Like Sirius's dog-like laugh or his fathers habit to stomp his feet when angry. It depened on how close you were with your animal. How long you stayed in that shape.
He couldn't wait to find out his own Animal form. He hoped he was something cool like a bird or perhaps a stag like his father. Or maybe a dog like Sirius. And Harry loved that he'd get to do it together with Neville. Harry was planning to give Susan and Hermione a leaf too. And maybe Luna, Fred and George too when he could meet with them. Neville would start brewing his own potion in a few days since he was a bit later with putting the Mandrake leaf in his mouth. Was it bad of Harry to hope that Neville's form would be a duck?
Alright, he didn't really want that but could you imagine the look on Neville's face? It would be brilliant. But no, Neville would be something big probably. Something good. Like a badger, bear or moose or something.
Soon he'd talk to Hermione and Susan about becoming Animagi together. He just wanted to do the first steps with with his godbrother. After that, he would talk to the girls.
Since Tonks was now awake and dinner was ready to be eaten, Tonks, Harry, Dobby and Kreacher went to sit down at the dining table. It was nice to have the new member of his family eating with them. He had a cousin now. A cousin that was actually nice to him. Tonks seemed to like their habit of all of them eating together. House-Elf and human together at the dining table as family.
It was after dinner that Tonks and Harry were still sitting in the dining room while drinking some tea. Harry had asked the Elves to give them some privacy since Harry wanted talk about a sensitive subject with Tonks.
Harry took a deep breath and started with, "I know that this will not be an easy conversation but I really need to talk to someone about it and you had the most contact with him recently. I don't know him very well but I just can't imagine my parents being such good friends with Remus if this was the way he always behaved. It just doesn't make much sense," Harry continued with, "So, Tonks, what do you know about werewolves?"
Tonks was surprised at the question but looked thoughtful. After a while she said, "We had some extra classes about them in Auror training and there they said that werewolves need a pack, a strong Alpha and that they need to accept their inner wolf if they ever wanted to be stable in their transformations, not hurt themselves while turned. Because otherwise problems like that will occur. Do you think that's is why Remus behaves the way he has lately?"
Harry nodded with some hesitation. He'd read the same thing about werewolves in the Hit Wizard book Sirius left him. He told Tonks what he thought had happend with Remus, "I think that when my parents died, Remus lost both his Alpha and his whole pack with their loss and what happened to Sirius and Wormtail. I also think that that whole generation of Light Wizards considered Albus Dumbledore to be their leader. For Remus he was also the man who let him get an education as a child, a rarety for werewolves. Albus Dumbledore might be the Leader of the Light to most people in Magical Britain but to a werewolf? A werewolf not in a pack? He is the Alpha of Magical Britain."
Tonks was listening carefully and he took a moment to sip his drink before he continued with, "Now what does it do to a werewolf to lose their pack in a single night? The only thing he had left after that night was a baby. So he turned to the Alpha he knew from his childhood and of the Order of the Phoenix, the Alpha of the whole country. Do you think a mentally unstable wolf would abandon the packs cub if that Alpha commanded it?"
Tonks was nodding thoughtfully and replied with, "I think you are right, but that doesn't excuse him, you know that right Harry? He lost almost all his anchors, yes and so he leaned on the one he still had, Albus Dumbledore. Yet it's all his own choice. He doesn't accept his wolf and he still hasn't found a stable pack in those fifteen years. He is just a loyal lapdog now." Tonks looked sad with her conclusion. She'd really hoped that Remus would come around. She'd wanted a father around for her baby.
She could have handled a rejection but the way he treated her was just cruel. Telling her he wanted a relationship with her and then just completely ignoring her. He'd seemed to be disgusted when she had told him about the baby. Like her baby was some abombination just because the father was a werewolf.
That's when Tonks had decided it was enough. This man was not going to be around her baby with that toxic mindset. She might want a father for her baby but only if he could be a good father to her child. Her baby would be happy.
She would make sure of it.
Harry, knowing Tonks was right about it being Remus own choice, carefully asked, "Do you think we can do anything to help him? In the Muggle World you can get help if you have a mental illness. Does the Wizarding World have anything like that?"
He had to at least try if the man was ill. For the man his parents had once loved.
Tonks shook her head and said, "No, not really. Saint Mungos has a ward where the mentally ill go but it isn't a place you go to to get better. It is just somewhere to keep them away from the normal people. And werewolves wouldn't be allowed in the hospital anyway." She looked a bit angry at that and her hair got a few red highlights through her normal pink hair.
That was a warning sign Andromeda had told him about. Red hair was anger. Apparently Tonks had often walked around with fire truck red hair in her toddler and teenage years.
Tonks continued with, "The only thing I can think of is that either Dumbledore dies and Remus finds a new Alpha who is willing to take him in their pack, or Remus finds a new Alpha on his own with his own free will. But then you still have the problem of Remus not accepting his own wolf. Not the mention the damage he has done to the people around him. What Alpha would accept him knowing that?"
Harry agreed with that. How do you get a man to accept himself if he hasn't been able to do that in the last thirty years? Was it not his own responsibility? The man was an adult.
But there was still some hope, Remus was alright with a stable pack when Harry's father was alive. Remus still didn't accept his wolf back then from what he heard, but he was stable. So, the man could actually be a normal member of the communtity with human pack members.
Harry wondered if Remus strange behavior counted as evidence that Dumbledore was getting unstable? Did Wizards even get dementia and if so, how would that affect Remus?
Harry told Tonks about his thoughts but she didn't seem hopeful. The truth was that they couldn't do much about either of the men. They could speculate but any more than that was just that, specualtion.
He was glad they had this converstion. Remus was important to the both of them in a way and they wanted him in their lives. But only if he wasn't a danger to the both of them. Tonks had already kind of written him off but if he could be in her baby's life in a healthy way, she would allow it. Maybe.
Still, they agreed to start looking in the library for something that could help Remus. Althought Harry had also kinda written him off already. It wasn't like he knew the man very well to begin with. To Harry he was just a good DADA teacher and the last link to his parents. That was the only reason he was even trying anymore. For Sirius and his other parents.
Harry thought that he would like living with Tonks in Grimmauld Place. It was like he had an older sister living with him. He could feel Tonks in his connection to members of House Black and it was a great thing to feel. He was never alone now.
Tonks went to the library to start looking for something that could help Remus and Harry went to the owlery to check on Hedwig and her chicks for himself.
Hedwig was just feeding her chicks when Harry came up the owlery. It was not a pretty sight but he was glad to see that Hedwig seemed a very good mother. Especially since this was her first nest. One never knew with an animals first nest.
After Hedwig was done feeding her chicks, Harry came closer to the nest, casting a warming charm on it. She hooted at him and flew over to land on his shoulder. She rubbed her head against his cheek and Harry scratched her head. He cast a warming charm over the nest again so that Hedwig could stay with him for a little while.
He'd missed her. Now she had chicks she couldn't be with him as often as he was used to. But these little moments were nice too.
Harry told her all about his day and that Tonks was now living here with them. Hedwig hooted approvingly. Harry got the feeling that she was happy that there was another human living with him. A human that she approved of.
He also told her about what Andromeda said about how his health was getting better and that maybe she and her husband would move in here with him too. Hedwig seemed to like that as she started grooming his hair.
Harry talked about how his training was going with Neville, Susan and Hermione and how he liked that they were getting closer. He babbled some more about Hermione and how he didn't know what to do anymore. Should he tell her about his feelings or just leave it be? What if she didn't like him back? He was so glad that he had more friends now, he didn't want to mess it up.
He had some good friends now. Better friends even, friends he could be himself with and who supported him no matter what. Also friends who told him he was being an idiot when necessary. Maybe, maybe it was time to talk with them about what he should do about Hermione. Perhaps would Susan and Neville know about what he should do about his feelings.
Hedwig seemed to agree with that spoken out loud thought. It was nice that they could talk again for a bit or Harry talked and Hedwig either hooted at him or gently pecked him if she disagreed with something he said. Harry hoped that the chicks would grow soon so that they, and Hedwig could be around the house with him.
But now it was time for Hedwig to go back to her chicks and Harry needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow he would call Effy the Potter House Elf and ask her to take him to Potter Manor.
He couldn't wait to see it.