Hopes and Wishes

Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoat Books and Warner Bros. Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.


Chapter 15: Magical Mayhem

“James and Lily’s…?” Lucius gasped quietly.

A sharp nod of Severus’ head was all the confirmation that he needed.

“How?” he questioned next.

“Summarised, Harry’s guardians were deemed… unsuitable to adequately take care of another child in addition to their own.” Again it was Severus giving Lucius the answers he needed; the tightness of his face and ice in his eyes conveying more than mere words could.

“I expect to be informed of all of the particulars at the earliest opportunity.” Lucius responded knowingly.

The discussion was soon interrupted by Remus’ quiet chuckling. Turning to look at him, the two men caught sight of their respective children. The boys’ enthusiasm for their delicious treat had overtaken any knowledge of table manners that they may have possessed.

Both boys had ice cream smeared all around their mouths and on their hands and fingers. Draco had a big blob of cream on his nose and Harry had somehow managed to spread ice cream up to his eyebrows, not to mention the miniature chocolate frogs jumping through his hair.

Severus was, himself, horrified by the state that Harry was in but the horror was soon replaced by amusement, however, when he caught sight of the expression on Luc’s face.

Lucius had been trained from an early age that Malfoys always presented a respectable front to the rest of the wizarding world. Although he had tried to instil the same rules into Draco, he had not beaten them in, as had been his father’s preferred method. For an instant, he reconsidered his refusal to use this method but the thought was dismissed almost before it had begun.

Abraxas Malfoy had been a cold, hard man and Lucius had hated him. He was by no means soft on Draco, but Lucius knew that his son loved him and he was determined to do nothing to permanently damage their mutual regard.

Lucius cleared his throat loudly and pointedly. Draco’s gaze shot up to connect with Lucius’ stern visage and his shoulders sagged somewhat. It was nothing, however, to Harry’s reaction; his spoon clattered to the table and he shrank back in fear. He knew what happened when grown-ups got angry and he could sense that this man could be very scary when he got angry.

Lucius did not, at first, notice how Harry had reacted to his implied rebuke. The deathly silence around the table soon brought his attention to the small figure huddling into himself and trembling with fear.

Remus tried to put a comforting hand of Harry’s shoulder but Harry instinctively flinched away from the possible threat.

“Harry…” Lucius started to say but paused, unsure of how to continue.

“Harry. You are not in trouble Harry.” Severus stated firmly. “Luc was just reminding Draco not to eat so quickly. He’s been eating so fast that he’s got ice cream everywhere.”

“So’s Harry.” Draco pouted, annoyed that he was being singled out. Noticing that his new friend seemed upset, Draco continued “Don’t worry, Father will just wave his wand and we’ll be clean again. My Father is exceptionally good at magic.”

Trying to lighten the mood, Remus conjured a mirror and showed Harry what a state he was in.

“Look at you, mucky pup.” Remus chuckled “You’re as messy as Draco. Anyone would think you had a pond on your head with all of the frogs hopping about!” Saying that, Remus deftly caught one of the aforementioned frogs and quickly popped it into his mouth.

Harry looked at Remus for a moment or two, carefully reading his expression, before a hesitant smile slowly appeared.

Wishing to correct his earlier mistake, Lucius tried again to reassure Harry. “I’m sorry Harry.” He said in his softest voice. “I didn’t mean to frighten you. Would you like me to clean you up too?” He asked, indicating the once more pristine Draco.

Harry shot a quick look at Severus and, at the reassuring nod he received, timidly nodded his own head in assent. Lucius swished and flicked delicately, murmuring tergeo and Harry was, once again, beautifully clean.

“Much better!” Lucius remarked kindly to Harry, smiling and asking “It didn’t tickle too much did it?”

Harry shook his head and shyly half smiled at the blond man. He was being nice at the moment Harry thought, but he wasn’t ready to trust the man yet. He knew from experience that grown-ups could be tricky.

“We had better be going Draco” Lucius stated, starting to rise from his seat. “It was nice to meet you Harry” Lucius smiled before continuing meaningfully “I expect to see you all at the Manor soon. Say goodbye Draco.”

“Goodbye Harry, it was nice to meet you” Draco parroted obediently, grinning at his new friend “Goodbye Remy, Uncle Sev.”

Remus reached down and picked Harry up, settling him securely on his hip. “Clothes and then toys I think” he stated decisively “See you soon Draco, Lucius” and nodding, he started to walk towards the nearest children’s clothing store.

“I will be in touch.” Severus said to Lucius before patting Draco’s shoulder and following after Remus and Harry’s rapidly retreating forms.
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Magical Mayhem was a store that Remus had first enjoyed browsing through nearly 4 years ago. An excited James Potter had first dragged his long-suffering friend in there soon after he had learned of Lily’s pregnancy. It had been all Remus could do to stop James buying the entirety of the shop, barely managing to control his friend’s over-the-top impulses until Lily had arrived to save the day. Lily had later confided to Remus that she had called in a favour with Alastor Moody at the Auror Office to ensure that Sirius was kept busy for the afternoon. She had known that her darling husband would be a handful on his own and was certain that the wizarding children’s shop was unready for the holy terror that the combined forces of James Potter and Sirius Black would have unleashed.

Remus’ reminiscences were cut short by Harry’s reaction to his first glimpse of a wizarding children’s store; Magical Mayhem certainly lived up to its name. Like many of the premises along Diagon Alley, the store looked deceptively small from the outside but was positively huge when one stepped inside. Everywhere you chose to look, there were explosions of light, colour and sound. The clothing section had both traditional wizarding wear and also the magical interpretation of muggle-style clothing. A rainbow of coloured t-shirts, each bearing different animals, growled, hissed and roared, their animated images hopped, ran and flew across each garment.

The shoe section was no better, with the shoes jumping, skipping and dancing all over the place. The most amazing section by far, however, was the toy department. Things whizzed and banged, colours flashed and signs proclaimed each of the current ‘must have’ toys.

Harry was overwhelmed to say the least; the words ‘clung on like a limpet’ had never been more appropriate. Remus jostled him gently, whispering calming words and stroking his hair. Severus had soon caught up with them and he too huddled close to Harry, using his body as a shield against the chaos surrounding them.

The soothing tone of Remus’ voice soon penetrated the haze of panic that had engulfed Harry. He gradually became conscious of the warm bodies on either side of him and awareness of his surroundings finally returned.

“Are you okay now little man? Shall we go and get your new clothes?” Harry’s grip tightened but he nodded his head in agreement; if he said no now, they may never let him again.

The selection of clothing passed in a blur for Harry; the Sales Witch had had pounced on them as soon as they had begun to look at the array of clothing available.

Seeing Remus’ preoccupation with comforting Harry, the witch had tried to engage Severus in the selection of garments. Severus’ reaction had been predictable and somewhat savage to say the least. It had only been thanks to Remus’ quick decision to hand Harry to Sev followed by his most charming and puppyish cajoling that had stopped the young witch from fleeing in fright. Severus’ abrupt change of attitude when faced with an arm full of Harry had also helped to convince the Sales Witch that Severus was not about to commit murder there on the shop floor.

Outfitting Harry finally accomplished, Remus turned his eager gaze towards the toy department. Sev started to reach out a calming hand towards Remy but it was too late; the werewolf was off. His excited bounds landed him in the bustling mêlée of the toy department in seconds. Another eager Sales Witch, scenting an easy mark, had soon engaged Remus in conversation.

“… no toys at all you say?” Severus heard the witch exclaim as he and Harry finally caught up. Severus quickly occupied himself with reassuring the little boy in his arms once more. It had not escaped his notice that Remus was more excited by the prospect of the toy department than Harry was. The werewolf’s amber eyes glowed with glee and enthusiasm as he slowly perused the array of toys on offer.

Harry had once again reclaimed his habitual position within the safe confines of Sev’s arms, his tiny hands clinging tight to Sev’s robes and his face buried in the crook of Sev’s neck. It took several minutes for Remy to notice the lack of reciprocal enthusiasm from his compatriots but he did finally spot Sev’s raised eyebrow and Harry’s wide-eyed look of bewilderment. Laughing at his own folly, Remus sidled up to the silent pair and kissed Harry on the cheek.

“I’m starting to rethink the name cub; you look more like a baby lemur clinging on like that than a baby wolf.” He turned his head to treat Sev to the same affectionate kiss on the cheek but was soon disabused of this notion by the expression on Sev’s face. Obviously their new foray into parenthood had not yet mellowed the taciturn man enough to allow even the most innocent of public displays of affection.

“I think that our little man is a bit overwhelmed Remy. Why don’t you choose a few items and we’ll come back at a later date to view things properly?”

Smiling with anticipation, Remy quickly stole another kiss from Harry and turned, hands rubbing together, to contemplate once more the treasure trove in front of him. “Give me 5 minutes.” He called over his shoulder before diving forward with purpose.

Remus wasted no time in recruiting the assistance of the Sales Witch and they eagerly attacked the selves in front of them. Wooden blocks were quickly banished into the awaiting shopping kart, swiftly followed by action figures, an animated set of Mexican jumping beans, a toy wand and the obligatory roaring lion. More to appease his lover than through true enthusiasm, Remus also made sure to include a First Potions kit. Recalling a conversation with Poppy, Remus also added a selection of bath toys, his favourite being the whale that not only swam, but also spouted water through it’s blowhole at regular intervals.

All of this activity was completed in record time and Remus had everything packaged, shrunk and paid for just as his five minutes were up. The reeling Sales Witch sat down abruptly and watched as the whirlwind that was Remus waved cheerfully and escorted his family from the shop.


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It was decided, upon their return to Hogwarts, that it was most definitely nap time for Harry. Correctly deducing that Remus was still far too excitable to be able to settle Harry down for his nap, Sev banished him to the living room with strict instructions to unpack and organise the mountain of toys he had purchased. Sev, meanwhile, helped Harry to change into his green pyjamas, spelled Teddy into the same, and tucked them both into Harry’s soft bed.

“Sleep well little man. Remy and I will be here when you wake up.” Severus whispered as he kissed both Harry and Teddy on their cheeks.

“Sev’us?” Harry called quietly as Sev turned to leave the room. Severus pivoted on the spot and looked encouragingly at Harry. Harry smiled sweetly at him before closing his eyes and hugging Teddy firmly in his arms.


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Sev exited Harry’s room and quietly closed the door behind him. Remus was packing the last of the toys into the, fortunately, enormous cupboard. Swishing his wand to banish the packaging, Remy wrapped his arms around Sev’s waist, his head resting on his shoulder.

“Alright love?” he whispered against Sev’s neck, the soft puffs of air causing Sev to shudder pleasurably.

“We’re doing the right thing aren’t we Remy?” Sev questioned, unusually hesitant.

“Of course we are. Harry needs us and we need him. I need him Sev; I need to do this for him, for them. I need him just like I need you. We’re a family now.”

Sev held Remus tighter and took his turn to whisper against his lover’s neck. “He’s a little person Rem. When he smiled at me just now… It made me realise… What if… I don’t know how to do this. What if… I didn’t exactly have a good example growing up. What if… What if I… What if I’m like him?

Remus stepped back a pace and took Sev’s face between his hands, raising it so that they were staring into each others eyes.

“You are not like your father.” He stated firmly. “You are going to be a good Dad and Harry is going to love you as much as I do. Don’t you see how safe you make him feel? He already looks to you and he’s only known you for a few days. You. Are. Not. Your. Father!” Remus ended this last statement with a hard kiss to Sev’s tight lips, before enfolding him once more in his arms.

Severus took a couple of deep breaths before finally stepping away from Remus.

“If you have quite finished pawing me?” he sneered, quickly barricading himself once more behind his shield of aloofness. The statement was softened, however, by the warmth in his eyes and Remus understood the unspoken message. Swooping in for a final kiss, Remy murmured “Love you too” against Sev’s lips before quickly escaping to the kitchen. Tea was the cure for a multitude of sins.

A/N:

Sorry it’s been so long. I have no intention of abandoning this story but I am finding it hard to fit in time to write at the moment. It doesn’t help that they have shut my local Starbucks which was my Saturday afternoon writing hotspot every week. It’s over half an hour drive to the nearest one now and the shops near there are frankly naff so I haven’t been bothering. I hope that it won’t be as long until the next update but I’m not making any promises. I hope that this was at least somewhat worth the wait. Please review and let me know if anyone is still reading!

SWMBO 

Review Replies

Lady Laran – Thank you so much for your review; it motivated me to type up the rest of the chapter from my notebook. Aff doesn’t have a story update reminder but I also post on HPfandom.net and if you add my story to your favourites then you will get an email alert.

Jennifer – Thanks for the review and thanks for the heads up about the punctuation. I don’t know what happened but it took AGES to fix!

neko ryuga – Thank you so much for your lovely review. I’m sorry that it’s taken such a long time to get here but I hope you liked this chapter.

Danalou Freebush – Thank you for such a kind review. Christmas was tricky but memories are starting to make me smile now rather than cry. I hope that you continue to enjoy the story.

HentaiZaru – Okay so it wasn’t soon but I have updated, that counts for something right? I have to admit to loving little Harry myself. He needs a whole lot of love and Remy, along with a slightly more reticent Sev, will be there to give it to him!

Hopingforthebest – You are right, I do consider myself lucky. I have lots of happy memories to reflect on now and they are starting to make me smile more than cry. Thank you for such a lovely review.

Mrequecky – Thank you! I hope that you continue to enjoy.

RamblingRiver – You are very welcome; I’m sorry it’s taken such a long time!

DTDY – You can say it as many times as you like my love; I will never get tired of hearing it!

Paganwoman – Thank you so much for your review; it brought me a lot of comfort in a difficult time. You cannot have joy without sadness and in some ways losing him has made me more grateful for the memories that I do have and all of the good times we had together. With love.

WasteOfSpace – Better late than never? Sorry it’s been a while!

Hidecki – Thanks for the review. I think that Harry will have more of a fear of needles than I do (I know I’m a big baby!) The idea has definite cuteness possibilities.

Ladyedgecombe – I hope that your father’s knee has recovered well and that life is a little less hectic for you. I spotted your story the other day and it is on my ‘to read’ list. Unfortunately my reading time has been curtailed recently due to HUGE amounts of work (and the fact that I have discovered Twilight fanfiction too and have to spread my time between far too many websites and try to keep track of what feels like hundreds of stories that I am in the middle of) Thanks for the review and I hope to return the favour soon.

Inusesshy – Thanks for the review. I got my information regarding Fang from the HP Lexicon. I don’t know if the filmmakers consulted that when casting ;-).