FicWad

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, etc.; J.K. Rowling and other people do.

ADDITIONAL DISCLAIMER: All fanfic ideas, spells, characters, and plot devices mentioned in this story I came up with on my own unless otherwise mentioned, in which case, they have been borrowed by the authors and their own stories, who will also be mentioned, cited and credited properly, since they have so generously let me refer to them and use them. Furthermore, I don't own anything relating to /Stargate/, /Star Wars/, /Batman/, /The Lord of the Rings/, or iPods, even though such things are mentioned here.

CONTENT WARNINGS: I'd rate this "PG-13" (or "T") for references to marriage and childbirth. You know what I mean, right?

SPOILER WARNINGS: This is a "sequel" or "side-story" of sorts to my fic "The Heir of Gryffindor" (or, more specifically, the Definitive Version). However, as I'm still writing and re-writing it at the moment, I'm keeping details vague so that they don't give anything away. Voldemort's dead, Dumbledore has been replaced by McGonagall (either dead or retired), Harry has married Ginny, Ron has married Hermione... all in all, it's one of those OBHWF (One Big Happy Weasley Family) scenarios.

NOTES: Oh GEEZ, I've wanted to write this for literally years. It's just my hand at trying one of those fics where we see the next generation of Potter and Weasley kids. I wanted to put this in the sequel to the First Version of "The Heir of Gryffindor" ("The Ascendant of Gryffindor"), but that never happened... I was going to put this in the sequel to the Revised Version of "The Heir of Gryffindor" ("The Pride of Gryffindor"), but I never got that far... and generally, I seem to have more patience with one-shots and stories than longer, multi-chaptered stories. And so, here it is at last. Pretty much without a plot, but I hope that whoever reads this enjoys it nonetheless. On a final note, I named it such because I wanted the word "Gryffindor" to be in the title so that people knew it was associated with my "Heir of Gryffindor" fic, and I hope I named it well.


/Children of Gryffindor/

By Quillian

(formerly kraeg001)


This fanfic is dedicated to...

/Alara Moonrunner// for beta-reading this./

/Vgamermoon// for beta-reading this./

/Draco664//, whose fic "Snape's Worst Nightmare" inspired me to write this, and who graciously allowed me to write in Potter triplets named James, Sirius and Remus (although my version of them is somewhat different from his)./

/Khadon//, who provided great feedback when I ran these ideas by him some time ago./

/SarahtheBardess//, who offered great ideas and great feedback for this, and who also named one of the Weasley kids after me in her own fic "Home At Last."/

/Mary-d1//, whose fic "Molly's Apron Strings" was also an influence for this./

/SnowyBlackOwl// (a.k.a. DuchessCarlyle) who tossed in a few ideas of her own./

/Valmon//, whose fic "Where have you been?" was the first Harry Potter fanfic I ever read and has inspired me since./


"Now remember, boys," Harry Potter told his three sons, "Behave properly and be noble."

"Yes, Dad," all three Potter triplets chimed at once, "We'll be on our best behavior."

Harry smiled and shook his head. His three boys sure were something, alright.

Eleven years ago, he and his wife Ginny Potter became the proud parents of James, Sirius and Remus Potter. The three of them had Potter black hair but with hints of Weasley red, but not as messy as their father's, and they had dark green eyes which did not have quite the same bright degree as their father's eyes.

"I bet they can't last a week without doing something wrong," said their sister, Rachel Potter, as she stuck out her tongue. She was three years younger than her brothers, and definitely took after her mother, with her flaming red hair and dark brown eyes.

"Rachel Lily Potter!" Ginny scolded her, with her hands on her hips and an annoyed expression.

"Uh-oh," said James.

"Middle name," said Sirius.

"Not good," said Remus.

"And you three, wipe those smirks off your faces," said their father, now looming over his sons like a hawk.

It was September 1, and families were seeing off their children from Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters. The rest of the Weasley clan was elsewhere, doing something or another with their own individual families.

"This is the last time you'll all be seeing each other for a few months," Ginny said in a softer tone. "Can't you enjoy these last few moments together?"

All four Potter children looked at each other and mumbled apologies as they hugged each other.

"That's better," Harry said with an approving smile.

"Oi, Harry!"

With a grin, Harry turned around to see his brother-in-law Ron. Right behind was his own family: His wife, Hermione, and his children, Minerva ("Minnie"), Albert, Liam, and Matilda ("Mattie"). Minnie was the triplets' age, Albert was Lily's age, Liam was younger than them at the age of five, and three-year-old Mattie was being carried by Hermione.

As the various children greeted their respective aunts and uncles, Harry said to Ron, "How time passes, huh? Our children, their first year..."

"A bunch of soon-to-be Gryffindors," Ron said with a grin.

"You're so sure that James, Sirius, Remus and Minnie will all be Gryffindors?" Harry said a bit skeptically.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, mate, nothing against the other Houses... I guess it's just too hard to imagine Weasleys being in any other Houses but."

"Yeah, I know what you mean... so, you already gave them the obligatory speech to be on their best behavior?"

"Oh yes... don't go picking fights with trolls, don't go messing around with cursed books... you know, the kind of stuff we got away with."

Harry laughed. "Will probably make them only want to do it more, but good thinking."

"That's just what I told them: /Just because we could do it, doesn't mean you can do it/."

"If you say so, Dad," Minnie piped in cheerfully. She was truly a unique composite of her father and mother. She had auburn hair and a smattering of freckles on her face, and while her hair wasn't as bushy as her mother's, it did have a wavy quality to it. While Minnie liked to read, she didn't have any qualms about jumping on a broomstick at the right time and joining in with her cousins.

Looking around, Harry saw the rest of the Weasley clan. There was Bill and Fleur with their children, the twins Adam and Helen, plus their younger sister Diana.

There was Charlie and his wife Anna with their son Jason and their daughter Darcy. Years ago, Viktor Krum introduced Charlie to a friend of his from Durmstrang, the young Anna Petrova, who was from Russia. Charlie and Anna soon fell in love, and as they say, the rest is history.

There was Percy and his wife Penelope with their daughters Elizabeth and Catherine and their son Eric. Percy still walked with a bit of a gait from his injuries in the Second Voldemort War, and over time, he had learned to reintegrate with his family again, and soon Penelope returned to him. While Percy still may not have been the Minister of Magic as he had once aspired to be, he still made significant improvements in the Ministry and the rest of the Wizarding community in Great Britain.

There was Fred and his wife Jessica with their twin sons Benjamin and Jacob and younger daughter Agatha, and there was George with his wife Michelle with their twin daughters Amy and Fran and younger brother Felix. Fred and George had become quite successful in the joke shop business, but they were also careful to make sure that they were not too successful. After all, they did not want to put some of their role models like Gambol & Japes or Zonko's out of business. A few years after Voldemort's final downfall, they met a pair of American witches who were close friends to each other. They worked in the magical entertainment industry in America, and so they could appreciate Fred and George's talents. Fred and Jessica's twin boys and George and Michelle's twin girls were born within a few days of each other, and the "pseudo-twins" Agatha and Felix were actually born on the same day.

At the center of it all, surrounded by their many grandchildren, were Arthur and Molly Weasley. Both of them now had some grey mixed in with their red hair, but they still had the same loving spirit as they did years ago when they were still raising children of their own.

Now that all the luggage was securely on the train, they were all talking before it was time to go. However, something then occurred to Arthur at that moment.

"Picture time!" he declared, whipping out his Muggle digital camera.

"Oh, Arthur," Molly sighed.

"Okay..." Arthur said, preparing it. He had become quite adept at using some Muggle technology. "First years, second years and third years... get together in front of the train..."

The other adults and children on the platform gave them a sufficient berth for the Weasley patriarch to take the picture. Adam, Helen, Jason, Elizabeth, Ben, Jake, Amy, Fran, Minnie, James, Sirius and Remus all gathered together.

After taking a couple of pictures, Arthur said, "Thanks, kids. Carry on."

However, just then, the whistle for the train sounded.

"Hurry, dears, you don't want to miss the train!" Molly exclaimed.

There were last-minute good-byes as the children hugged their parents and pre-Hogwarts age siblings before they all jumped onto the train.

The Potter triplets hung out the window to say good-bye to their father, mother and sister.

"Be good, stay safe, have fun, and study hard!" Ginny reminded them above all the noise.

"Remember what we talked about!" Harry added.

"Send me a Hogwarts toilet seat!" Rachel chimed in.

"Rachel!" her father said, sounding surprised.

"Don't worry, we will!" her older brothers responded.

"Boys!" her mother admonished them.

"Just kidding..." they called back as the train rounded the corner and went out of sight.

"I hope they are," Harry said, "more for their sake."

"I wonder where they got that idea," Ginny said aloud.

"I told them about my first year at Hogwarts and what happened on the train before it pulled out of the station," Harry admitted. "All I did was tell them what the twins said."

Ginny put her hands on her hips and gave Harry that look.

"Gin," he said to her seriously, "when have I ever, and I mean /ever/, encouraged our kids to deliberately do any sort of mischief?"

She sighed. "You're right. Come on, not much else to do here. Let's go home."

All the other families got the same notion, and a few at a time, they went back through the barrier which separated the magical platform from the rest of King's Cross.


On the train, the nine Weasleys and three Potters spread out over a few compartments.

There were Bill's twins, Adam and Helen. Both of them managed to inherit some of their parents' good looks and still look unique. Even though they were only third years, Adam was tall and handsome like his father while Helen was willowy and beautiful like her mother. It did not take a genius to guess that they would be heartbreakers in a year or so. Adam enjoyed learning about ancient cultures while Helen enjoyed writing poems and songs, sometimes in English and sometimes in French.

Jason was more stocky than lanky, and often got much exercise by going through the woods outside his family's home. He was the type to enjoy the outdoors and learn about animals, both magical and non-magical, and not necessarily just about dragons.

Elizabeth (or "Lizzie" as her cousins sometimes affectionately called her) was one of the more studious types, but also played some casual Quidditch now and then, although she was nowhere as into the sport as some other members of her immediate or extended family were. While her parents had been prefects and Head Boy and Head Girl in their year, she wasn't already hoping to get the position, although her siblings and cousins all privately thought that she would do a good job if it came to that.

Ben and Jake and their female counterparts Amy and Fran were quite unique in their own way. While they were fun-loving and enjoyed entertainment, they were not trouble-makers like their fathers. In fact, sometimes they preferred peace and quiet to their fathers' chaos. When they mentioned how nice it would be to be prefects eventually, their fathers looked aghast while Grandma Molly laughed herself sick. However, it was their younger siblings, the "pseudo-twins" Agatha and Felix, whom people often had to be careful around.

After settling into his seat, Adam took out his Audiocube (a magical device similar to Muggle iPods and other mp3 players and looked similar to a Rubix Cube), took out the wireless headphones which were magically linked to his particular Audiocube, and began playing the main theme from that not-so-old Muggle television series /Stargate: SG-1/.

"Playing it again, is he?" Lizzie asked from across the compartment, who could hear the riveting music with her sharp hearing even though Adam didn't have it on so loud. She was currently reading a translation of Cicero's /Orations/, and was currently engrossed in a vivid account of how the ancient Roman statesman denounced Catiline and his co-conspirators in the Senate.

"Oh, you know how Adam liked that show for how it used ancient civilizations," Helen said as she scribbled lines of poetry on her magical tablet.

Jason just hummed something to himself as he played with a small model of a Hungarian Horntail.

The compartment door opened, and they saw their two pairs of identical twin cousins.

"Have any of you seen Minnie or the triplets?" Amy asked them.

"Yeah, they just vanished," Fran commented.

Behind them, Ben and Jake were carrying a small stack of books, some of them novels and others comic books. Their older cousins could make out such titles as Star Wars: Shadows of the Empire or /Batman: Child of Dreams/.

"Nope, haven't seen them," Jason said, looking up from his dragon model.

"Well, I'm here," Minnie said as she walked into view with her Hogwarts robes already on. "Can't say the same for those three goofballs, though."

A small explosion echoed from a few rooms down, and Minnie's eight older cousins all gave each other knowing looks. Quickly yet neatly putting their stuff down, they all went to see smoke coming out of a room and heard three ragged voices from inside.

"Nice going, really!"

"Oh, like your idea was any better!"

"If this is your best idea so far, then I can't just wait until next year when you want to bring a broomstick so you can fly outside the train!"

"Fly outside the train?" Minnie yelled incredulously. "Are you all nuts?"

The smoke cleared up somewhat, and all three Potters turned to see Minnie angrily stalking towards them. They actually looked quite comical, with dust all over them and their hair sticking up even worse than their father's.

"Scourgify!" she yelled, instantly cleaning all three of them up. "Not even a half-hour into the ride and already you're causing trouble!"

"It was only one of Filibuster's Fireworks, Min!" Sirius yelled back. He was often the most temperamental of the three. "/One/! Besides, you make it sound as though we were stockpiling them!"

"Come now, Minnie," said James, the smooth-talker of the group. Clapping a hand on his cousin's shoulder, he said, "Why don't we find you a nice book to read?"

Minnie swatted her cousin's hand away. "You always cause trouble like you're walking chaos or something! You never seem to read anything!"

"You know that's not true," Remus said, looking a little affronted. Out of his three brothers, he was often most inclined to just read something.

"Really, must you all fight like that?" said a dreamy voice from behind them.

They all turned around to see a round-faced first-year girl with dirty blonde hair and a dreamy look on her face. It was Flora Longbottom, Neville and Luna's daughter and oldest child.

"It will be too long a ride if you all keep bickering like this the entire way," she said philosophically.


Back at their modest home in Godric's Hollow, Harry, Ginny and Rachel walked through the door and put their coats away. Rachel sprinted up to her room to go do something while Harry and Ginny shared a smile.

"Ah, peace," Harry said dreamily.

There was a thud from Rachel's room, as she apparently had tried to carry something heavy off a shelf.

"Well, more so than usual," Ginny commented with a smirk.

Rachel came downstairs with a few Muggle movies in her hands. "Mum, Dad, you remember how you said I could watch these with my friends today," she said excitedly.

"Of course, dear," Ginny said. "Just remember to be safe and be back before dark."

"Other than that... carry on," Harry said with an approving smile.

Rachel lit up with a bight smile, hugged her parents, and dashed out the door.

The village which the Potters lived in, Godric's Hollow, was primarily a Muggle village. This was the real house where Harry and his parents lived before that fateful night when Voldemort came along; the house which he attacked them in was just a safe house on the other side of town. Harry didn't think he'd want to live in that other house anyway. Harry and Ginny brought up their children in something of a "mixed" setting, neither entirely Muggle nor Wizarding, so that they knew about magic, but could keep quiet about it and act like perfectly normal Muggles to the rest of the world.

Before Ginny could make a move, Harry swept her up in a loving embrace with a "Come here" and kissed her passionately. She maneuvered them over the couch and sat them both down as they continued to do so for another few minutes, just to enjoy how they had the house all to themselves for a little while.

They spent a few minutes in silence after that, enjoying the peace and quiet. Ginny snuggled with Harry while he absent-mindedly stroked her hair.

"All seems to have gone by in a flash, hasn't it?" Ginny said suddenly.

"Since what event, love?" Harry asked.

"I dunno... since everything. Maybe the end of the second war, since we got married, since we first had children..."

"I know what you mean. I still find myself thinking of my seventh year at times... good thing I was able to vanquish Voldemort at the end of my sixth year, so at least then I was able to have a Voldemort-free year. I know Dumbledore enjoyed that year, to be Headmaster of a peaceful year at Hogwarts before he finally retired."

"You both deserved it for all the things you did for everyone."

"As far as I'm concerned, the best reward I could have gotten was being able to live a normal life after all that... or at least as normal as possible."

"Well, our wedding was able to go peacefully, right?"

Harry smiled as he remembered that. "One of the happiest days of my life..."


/THEN.../

Harry and Ginny stood at the altar, where Dumbledore served as the master of ceremonies. Harry was dressed in a magnificent green robe while Ginny wore a beautiful cream-colored dress.

Ron stood off to one side near Harry as the best man while Hermione was the matron to Ginny (Harry and Ginny had been the respective best man and bridesmaid at Ron and Hermione's wedding). Arthur had already walked his daughter down the aisle, and was now sitting next to a silent Molly who had a few tears of happiness running down her face. The rest of Molly's sons, now all grown up, were sitting with their respective wives. There were also their friends from Hogwarts, and members of the Order of the Phoenix. Some people from the Ministry were also there (Harry was almost done with his training as an Auror).

Harry and Ginny exchanged rings and their vows to each other, and there was that final kiss which sealed their union.

There was a wedding photographer who took various shots of everyone during the wedding and during the celebration, where people ate, drank, danced, and were happy. There were no annoying reporters: Harry had come to a truce with the press and told them he would allow descriptions, pictures and such to come out.

Harry hadn't danced much since the Yule Ball in his fourth year, but he had practiced, and Ginny was impressed with him.

As the joyous day finally wound down, Harry and Ginny saw everyone else off, who congratulated them as they departed.


/NOW.../

Ginny smiled as she remembered that.

"And then of course, there was also our wedding night..."

Harry flushed a little as he remembered that...


/THEN.../

Harry and Ginny entered the bridal suite at a nice Muggle hotel.

"Nice, isn't it?" Harry said cheerfully.

"I love it," Ginny said with awe.

Harry took off his shoes and relaxed his feet as he walked over the bed and sat down.

"What a long day," Harry said, stretching his arms. "Enjoyed it, though." He stifled a yawn; it had been a long day, after all...

"Indeed," Ginny said with a grin. "I'm going to go get changed, okay?"

"Sure thing," he said, not catching the tone in her voice. Sleepiness was slowing down his mental functions.

As she went to the bathroom to change, Harry (now not thinking all that straight) stripped down to his T-shirt and boxers and lay down. He spent a few minutes contemplating how soft and comfy the bed was before he finally dozed off.

Ginny then sauntered out, wearing a nightgown that clung on to her every curve. She had been hoping to knock Harry dead with it. However, then she saw her newlywed husband lying motionless on the bed.

Walking over to him, she saw that he was sleeping already, and looking quite tired, too.

Ah well/, she thought with a smile. /Let him sleep. Perhaps another night, then.

Sitting down next to him, Ginny saw just how peaceful he looked when he was asleep, in sharp contrast to when he had been tense during some waking moments of his life or when having bad dreams or nightmares.

Turning off the lights, she snuggled in bed next to him and pulled the covers over them.

"Good night, Harry, my love," Ginny whispered in his ear.

She could have sworn he smiled in his sleep.


/NOW.../

"Oh, come on, Gin," Harry said in his defense.

"Don't worry, Harry, I never was angry at you over that. However, the rest of the family thought it was funny, once they heard about it."

"But not as bad as Ron and Hermione's wedding night, though, right?" Harry asked with a smirk.

Ginny burst out laughing when she remembered that.

Ron and Hermione had gotten a bridal suite in a different Muggle hotel after their marriage, and they were certainly ready to consummate their marriage. However, after Ron went to the bathroom to "freshen up," he accidentally locked himself in. Then, to further complicate matters, Ron tried to magic his way out with the wand, only to completely bust up the lock on the door so that it couldn't be opened on either side. Hermione had to call at the front desk to get someone up to fix the door and let poor Ron out. She had been fuming so much that by the time he got out, she was too wound up to want to consummate their marriage that particular night.

"Then, of course, there was that fiasco where my sisters-in-law had to get used to living with my older brothers," Ginny went on, remembering that...


/THEN.../

Within a few months of Harry and Ginny's marriage, there was a problem with the other six Mrs. Weasleys. They had discovered a serious problem about that generation of Weasley men, something which was making their marriages uncomfortable.

They were still attached to Molly's apron strings.

Fleur, Anna, Penelope, Jessica, Michelle and Hermione had all heard their respective husbands say, more than once, "Mum doesn't do it like that." Needless to say, they were not happy. Even though the Weasleys were by no means spoiled like some other people, Molly's sons were just too used to her wonderful cooking and other household talents. And now, seemingly all at once, Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George and Ron were doing it.

Even though Harry had occasionally been spoiled by Molly Weasley, he was not afflicted with this particular condition either, so Ginny was immune to having to deal with that.

So, whenever their husbands were at work, Mrs. Potter invited her six sisters-in-law over to her house, where they would conspire to find some way to break the men of their habit.

However, Harry came home early one afternoon, and when they realized that they could be found out, Ginny quickly caught Harry and pointed her wand at him.

"Nice to see you too, honey," Harry said, opting for humor in this particular situation.

"You are not to repeat anything to /anyone/," Ginny said warningly.

"About what?" Harry asked blankly.

"It is fine, Ginny," Fleur said in heavily-accented English, with the other women behind her. "Harry is noble. We can trust him."

"Fleur's right, Ginny," Hermione added.

Ginny lowered her wand and explained the situation to Harry. Harry looked amused at the situation.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, I understand what you're saying. It's just that, well... of course I'll keep it secret, but if I do... well?"

"Yes, dear?" Ginny said sweetly.

"Can I watch what happens to them?"


/NOW.../

Harry laughed, remembering all the various incidents which his sisters-in-law did over the next week. His brothers-in-law finally caved in, and since then, none of the six "Weasley Wives" heard those words again.

"Although," Harry added, "I seem to recall a certain incident of our own, less than a few days after that..."

/THEN.../

Harry was installing a bookcase when Ginny came in to admire his handywork.

"Mmm," she murmured approvingly. "My nice, strong husband doing work around the house."

Harry blushed at her flirting. "Thanks, Ginny." He continued his work as Ginny came in to inspect it closer.

Then she frowned. "Dad doesn't do it like this."

Harry dropped the hammer in shock.


/NOW.../

"Did not!" Ginny shrieked with laughter.

"Oh yes you did," Harry said, grinning.

"If you say so," she said with a sigh.

"You bet."

"Well, don't get me wrong, you certainly did a good job either way."

"Thanks. It was nice to have our own house for a couple of years... you know, before the kids came along..."


/THEN.../

A bed-ridden Ginny gave another scream of agony as she clutched her very pregnant belly. "HARRY!" she yelled.

"Coming!" he shouted as he thundered up the stairs. "OW!" he yelled; apparently, he wasn't watching where he was going, as he apparently ran headlong into the doorpost. Rubbing his forehead, he hurried in and closed the door behind her.

"HARRY," she shouted at the top of her lungs, "YOU'D BETTER GET IN HERE NOW, YOU PIECE OF-"

"SILENCIO!" Harry shouted, sparing anyone outside from hearing Ginny's profanity.

"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, YOU GOT ME PREGNANT, HARRY!" Ginny yelled.

"I didn't hear you complaining," Harry muttered so quietly that even he couldn't hear it.

There was a crack and Dobby appeared.

"Dobby help Mrs. Potter!" the nervous house elf yelled. However, even he was keeping his distance.

"What are you smiling about, Potter?" she hissed.

"You look beautiful."

Ginny snorted; even though she couldn't see herself in the mirror, she knew that her face was sweaty and her hair was a mess. "No I'm not," she groaned.

"No, Ginny, you really are beautiful, you're about to give birth to our first child."

Ginny began to smile a little before her face contorted in agony and she gave another scream of agony.

Meanwhile, Harry noticed two particular strings crawling in under the door.

"Fred and George" he muttered. He quietly tip-toed over to the door, and then suddenly swung it opened, so that it hit Ginny's twin brothers in the head. Two identical voices exclaiming "Ow!" only confirmed it.

Just then, Molly Weasley came along, and with incredible strength, she pulled them up by the scruffs of their necks. "SHAME ON THE BOTH OF YOU!" she yelled as she literally threw them out. Arthur walked past his defeated sons and hurriedly closed and sealed the door behind him.

"Oh, my baby's having a baby!" Molly said as she rushed over to her daughter.

Ginny reached out and took Harry's hand with a grip like an iron clamp. "Don't let go!" she yelled.

"Oh, I don't think I could even if I wanted to," Harry said through gritted teeth, wincing in pain and how tightly she gripped him.

Outside, the six other Weasley couples anxiously waited with their own infant children in a living room which was getting crowded.

"Really, did you have to go do that?" Ron said as he held a baby Minnie, who was only a few months old.

"We wanted to try out our new and improved version of the Super Swear Scribe," Fred said, holding up a device with three slots for numbers.

"Yeah, we had to make it a triple digit model after Hermione cursed more than a hundred times and our invention blew itself up because it couldn't get past 99," George added. "Didn't know you had it in you, Hermione."

Hermione narrowed her eyes dangerously at her twin brothers-in-law, and they got the hint and shut up. "Serves you right for trying that as I was GIVING BIRTH!" she shouted.

"Shh, 'Mione," Ron said soothingly as he awkwardly hugged her with one arm (after all, he was still holding their very young daughter).

And so, the twelve Mr. and Mrs. Weasleys and their infant children waited anxiously for a few hours.

In the relative silence, the sound of the door slowly opening sounded louder than it normally would. All the adults looked up to see Harry walk out, wearing a peculiar expression on his face.

"Well?" Ron asked impatiently. "What happened, mate?"

Harry had a goofy grin on his face that was steadily growing.

"Another pair of twins?" Bill asked, hoping to supply words for their brother-in-law who was currently unable to speak.

Harry shook his head.

"Triplets?" Hermione supplied.

Harry nodded, fighting back his laughter.

There were shouts of exclamation, and Harry's six brothers-in-law all clapped him on the back. Harry led the other adults into their room, where Ginny was cradling one of them in her arms, Molly was holding up another and Arthur was playing with the third.

"A dozen grandchildren," Molly said with a laugh. "I can't believe it."

"Three sons all at once," Harry quipped. "I can't quite believe it either."

"What do you want to name them, Harry?" Ginny asked.

Harry walked over and received his firstborn son from his wife. "Well... I dunno about what I wanted to name them. I had a few ideas, though..." he said absentmindedly as he held his son and realized just how tiny he was.

"I'm listening," Ginny said with encouragement.

"Well... there are three of them... I dunno, I guess James, Sirius and Remus were the names I had in mind," Harry admitted. "Sounds a bit silly, I know."

Ginny looked at him thoughtfully. "Actually, no it doesn't, Harry. I think they're wonderful names."


/NOW.../

"Well, to be fair, I didn't know what you or some other people might think of me naming them after some of the worst mischief-makers at Hogwarts before Fred and George came along," Harry said in retrospect.

"Well, to be fair, since they have Potter and Weasley traits in them, I don't think it would have mattered if we had named them something else," Ginny said with a smile. "Of course, there was also watching them grow..."


/THEN.../

"It's red."

"It's black."

"It's red."

"It's black."

"Red."

"Black."

"Red."

"Black."

"I'm telling you, it's red, dear."

"Fine, it's the reddish black I've ever seen."

Ginny playfully smacked Harry on the arm as they sat at the kitchen table at the Burrow. It was some months after the Potter triplets were born, and Ginny's parents were currently playing with little James, Sirius and Remus while the proud parents of the children were currently discussing the color of their children's hair.

"Anyway," Harry said, "I was just wondering what we should do."

"About what?"

"About... well, you know... unsavory types of people. The kind who might go after our children for whatever reason. I just don't know what to do, Ginny. On the one hand, I want them to have as normal a childhood as possible, considering the circumstances... on the other hand, I also want them to be able to defend themselves, and that might hinder their ability of have such a normal childhood..."

"Harry," Ginny said, taking his hand and holding it reassuringly, "I'm sure we'll figure something out. We can do it together."

Harry smiled with what looked like relief. "Yes, I'm sure we will."


/NOW.../

"And so we have," Ginny said. "We've done well, Harry. You've also certainly taught them all well. I wouldn't be surprised if they could pass third-year exams by the end of the year."

"Why, thank you, dear," Harry said with a flashy grin that could have rivaled even Gilderoy Lockhart's.

"Of course, your sons have also been troublemakers, even without any encouragement from either of us..."


/THEN.../

Harry and Ginny were asleep in their bed when someone woke them up.

"Mummy? Daddy?" their five-year-old daughter Rachel asked, sounding worried and on the verge of tears.

With a snort, Harry woke up and turned on the lamp. "Rachel?" he said groggily as his eyes adjusted to the light.

"What's the matter, love?" Ginny said, also waking up.

"They're gone," Rachel said in a half-whisper.

Now Harry was more alert, with his Auror training kicking in. He jumped out of bed and got out his wand. "Who's gone, Rachel?" Ginny asked.

"Jamie, Siri and Remmie," she said, almost too quiet to be heard.

"Stay here," Harry said as he took a look around. Even when dressed in a T-shirt and lounge pants, it was hard not to take him seriously.

Harry inspected every corner of their home, and finally went down to the store room for his Potions and other things. It was there he noticed an empty vial of Animagus Testing Potion lying on its side.

He narrowed his eyes as he quickly deduced what it was. "Well, then..."

Stalking back up to his room, where Ginny was comforting Rachel.

"The vial of Animagus Testing Potion is empty," he said flatly. Ginny narrowed her eyes as she quickly figured it out too.

"Rachel," she said calmly, "Go back to your room and stay there. I promise we'll be back with your older brothers."

Rachel nodded. "'Kay," she said as she went back to her room.

With a look and a nod, Harry and Ginny knew what to do. The next moment, an African lion and a Bengal tiger rushed out the room.


As the rest of the village slept, three other wild cats raced through Godric's Hollow. A leopard was in the lead, while a panther and a cougar raced behind that.

For minutes that seemed like hours to them, these juvenile big cats ran through the village, feeling wild and free.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, they rushed into the woods to truly enjoy this new experience.

Barely a few moments in, however, there was a snarl and a blur, and suddenly, the cougar was gone without a trace.

The leopard and the panther looked at each other worriedly, and sniffed around, looking for any trace of their comrade.

Suddenly, there was a growl, and both of them saw something striped moving stealthily towards them.

In a split second, they were off again. The two cats ran for their lives, hoping to outrun their quarries.

Barely a minute later, there was a flash of something large, and the panther was gone too.

The leopard ran faster than ever before, running faster and faster...

...Only to run smack into a furry beast even bigger than himself.

This beast had a golden hide, wild black mane, green eyes that almost seemed to glow... and a distinct scar in the shape of a lightning bolt on its forehead.

A moment later, the leopard turned back into a scared young pajama-clad eight-year-old James Potter, who scrambled backwards to get away from the lion whom he knew all to well.

The lion trotted forward, and in mid-stride, turned back into Harry Potter, who wore a bathrobe, slippers, and an unhappy look on his face.

"What were you doing?" he asked his son with a hard edge in his voice. "Even better, what were you thinking?"

At that moment, an equally scared Sirius and Remus entered the clearing with Ginny right behind them, still as a tiger. After she transformed back, she took out a Portkey which would transport all five of them back to their house.


/NOW.../

"Oh, did they ever get it," Ginny said with a smirk.

"Yes, but I seem to recall your daughter being equally mischievous," Harry responded with an equal smirk.


/THEN.../

The triplets had been grounded for a month for their stunt. Although neither Harry nor Ginny would say it out loud, they hoped that James, Sirius and Remus enjoyed their brief times as a leopard, panther and cougar respectively, because it would be quite a while before they could do so again.

It was a few days after that eventful night, when something most unexpected happened.

That morning, their three sons all came downstairs uneasily, wearing their socks and underwear, and nothing else.

There was an awkward moment before Harry finally spoke. "Forgetting something, boys?"

"Our clothes are gone," James said, exasperated and speaking for all three of them.

"Well, I don't know what happened to them," Ginny said, turning towards the kitchen cabinets. She opened them, and suddenly, a bunch of clothes fell out.

There was another awkward moment, after which Harry spoke again. "Cooking clothes again for breakfast, Ginny?" Harry quipped. "That's an awful lot of clothes, too... or should I invite over our relatives so that there will be enough for everyone?"

Ginny snorted and shot Harry a look. Handing the clothes over to her barely-dressed sons, she said, "Here you go, dears."

With a round of "Thanks, Mum," they all trudged back up the stairs with big bundles of clothes in their arms which they could barely see over.

Then there was a muffled giggle, and Ginny strode over to one of the lower cabinets to find a giggly Rachel hiding in it, stifling herself as best as she could.

"Rachel," Ginny said delicately, "Care to come out of there and explain exactly why you're in there, giggling?"

Rachel slowly climbed out and blushed as she tried to explain herself. "Well, you see..."

"I'm listening," Ginny said with her hands on her hips.

"They got me worried the other night, so..."

"Okay, stop," Ginny sighed, "I think I can see where this is going. I'll deal with you later, but don't worry, I won't tell your brothers it was you."

Looking down, both ashamed and relieved, Rachel whispered, "Thank you, Mum."

With that, she scampered out.

Ginny plunked herself down in a chair and sighed again. "They're only eight and five and already, and they're already causing trouble..."

Harry shrugged, and then started taking his shirt off.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Ginny nearly exclaimed out loud.

"Well, they're allowed a brief reprieve, so..."

"Harry, please just put your shirt back on, now you're acting silly," Ginny said.

"Oh, come on, nothing you haven't seen before," he muttered in a conspiring tone.

"Harry!" she muttered, starting to blush as she put her hands to her face.

"Fine, don't worry, I was just joking," Harry chuckled as he straightened himself out.

Ginny sighed but managed to smile a little. "There's that 'nature versus nurture' argument I've heard about... in the case of our children, I'm beginning to think it might just be hereditary..."


/NOW.../

"Who knows?" Harry said mock-philosophically. "Maybe it's hereditary, maybe it isn't... but who knows?"

"Well, I do know that, as fun as it may have been, we've spent enough time reminiscing the past several years," Ginny said while smiling. With that, they both went off to do other things.

Some hours later, Ginny found Harry and told him, "I should probably get dinner started."

"Here, let me help," Harry said, getting up to go to the kitchen. He and his wife often split the cooking duties, since both of them had so much experience in culinary skills.

Rachel came back to the house just in time to help set the table. Together, they sat down and began to enjoy their dinner when Rachel suddenly said something.

"I wonder what they're doing at Hogwarts right about now."


The train had pulled into Hogwarts, and the students were escorted to the lake by Hagrid.

"First years, first years follow me!"

The Potter triplets and Minnie split off from their older cousins and claimed a boat all to themselves for the traditional crossing of the lake.

Soon enough, they were all out of the boats and at a door. After Hagrid knocked on it a few times, it opened to show a pale man with slick black hair and a hawk-like visage.

"The first years, Professor Snape," Hagrid said dutifully.

"Thank you, Hagrid," Snape said in a cold voice that made a few people shudder. Hagrid nodded and walked off.

"Well, come in before I have to invite you in," Snape said in an oily tone. There was some rush as the nervous first-year students followed him inside.

Snape led them to a small room near the Great Hall where the voices of the rest of the students could be heard.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," Snape said, even though his voice sounded a little unwelcoming. "The Welcoming Feast will begin shortly, but before that, you will all be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a highly important ceremony here because, while you come to this school, your house will be something like a family here. You will attend the same classes as the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory, and spend free time in your house dormitory.

"The four houses are called Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff and Gryffindor. Each house has its own unique history and has produced in its own share of powerful witches and wizards. While you are at Hogwarts, each of your successes will earn points for your house, while rule breaking will take them away. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded the honor of the house cup, an event which I am sure you will all look forward to.

"The Sorting Ceremony will take place before the rest of the school in a few minutes... in the meantime, some of you may want to freshen yourselves up."

With that, Snape left the chamber.

Of course, Snape had noticed the four Potter and Weasley children in that year. The triplets looked like quite the mix of Harry and Ginny, while Professor McGonagall's namesake looked like quite the mix of Ron and Hermione.

Likewise, this year's Potter and Weasley kids noticed Professor Snape. They could agree with their parents and aunts and uncles when they said that he had aged gracefully.

A few minutes later, Snape returned for them. "Follow me."

The doors opened up to show a magnificent hall with several candles floating above the tables and the ceiling imitating the starry sky outside in a magnificent feat of trompe l'oeil which no Muggle artist could ever hope to accomplish.

Everyone fell silent as a stool was set up between the first-years and older students, with a patched old hat sitting on top of it.

After a few moments of silence, the brim of the hat opened like a mouth and began to sing.

A year later, again here I sit,
Full of song, charm and wit.
For I am the Hogwarts Sorting Hat,
The legacy which the Founders begat.
You need not fear me,
Because I will leave you be.
All I will do is sing my song,
And then put you where you belong.
There is Gryffindor, in red and gold,
House for the brave and the bold.
There is Hufflepuff, in yellow and black,
House where patience and hard work no one lacks.
There is Ravenclaw, in blue and bronze,
House in which wisdom and learning knows no bonds.
There is Slytherin, in green and silver,
House for those cunning and clever folk to endeavor.
So go ahead, try me on, do not be afraid,
For while sorting, you I shall aid.
I also hope none of you are faint-hearted,
For it is time for this Sorting to get started!

There was applause, and even the first years discretely joined in.

"When I call your name, you will try on the Sorting Hat, and after it sorts you, you will go to your assigned house," Snape addressed the first years. Taking out his list, he called the first name.

Some of the names James, Sirius, Remus and Minnie recognized, while most they did not. However, they certainly did know of one girl named...

"Longbottom, Flora!"

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

However, soon enough, Snape had to call out a few names which still made him wince a little.

"Potter, James!"

As he walked over to the Sorting Hat, a few whispers broke loose. Surely this couldn't be Harry Potter's son!

Ah, I knew I'd have to sort a Potter again sooner or later/, the Hat said amused. /So much like your namesake, too... only one place for you...

Barely a moment after he tried on the Hat, it announced, "GRYFFINDOR!"

The Gryffindor table applauded as they happily accepted Harry Potter's son.

"Potter, Remus!"

Whispers broke out again as a second Potter tried on the Hat.

Well, you're about as complex as your own namesake... minus the lycanthropy, of course... you would certainly be a shoe-in for Hufflepuff... you have some studious habits like some Ravenclaws... but what's this, a little ambition like those in Slytherin? Nah, didn't think that would be such a good idea either... no, you're definitely a...

"GRYFFINDOR!"

Cheers came up from the Gryffindor house once again as the second Potter joined them. But it wasn't over yet...

"Potter, Sirius!" Here, Snape's voice was a little strained, but no one really cared about that.

As soon as this third Potter tried on the Hat, it went straight to business.

What a surprise! Three Potters, all at once... I can see why your father may have named you all as he did... yes, I'd better put you in...

"GRYFFINDOR!"

There was even more cheering as the third and final Potter joined the ranks of Gryffindor.

And with that, the Sorting Ceremony continued.

Soon enough, they came down to the end, and one of the last few students called was...

"Weasley, Minerva!"

From where he was standing, Snape could see Headmistress McGonagall give a distinctive smirk.

However, as Minnie put on the Hat, some chanting could be heard from her eight red-headed cousins... "Gryffindor... Gryffindor..."

"Quiet in the peanut gallery!" the Hat shouted at them, sparking a round of laughter from everyone else. And with that, the Hat continued its task.

Wow, this is unique...

"What is it?" Minnie whispered back, sounding a little worried.

Everyone has qualities valued by all four Houses, just some more than others, and that's where I come in... but your qualities all seem to be in a sort of equilibrium, if you will... but one of them is slightly more than the rest... yes, the qualities which guarantee you a spot in the House of...

"GRYFFINDOR!"

There was even more cheering as this member of the Weasley clan joined her cousins. She got numerous pats on the back from her other cousins as she settled down.

After the last few were sorted, Snape took the Hat and stool away. From their position, the Potters and Weasleys could see Headmistress McGonagall, surrounded by her staff. For the most part, the staff was the same as when their parents were students there, except Defense Against the Dark Arts was taught by a sharp young woman of Italian origin named Bianca Adessi, and Transfiguration was taught by a relatively young man in his thirties called Jupiter Ovidius, whom was one of the crushes of a good portion of the school's female population.

"Welcome to another year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," she announced in her authoritarian tone, which ensured that students would not want to cross her in any way, shape or form. "The Welcoming Feast will commence briefly, but first, I have a few announcements to make. Quidditch tryouts will take place two weeks from now, and anyone both eligible and interested should contact Madame Hooch. I should also need to remind you that there are a couple of thousand or so items now banned by caretaker Arabella Figg, and copies of this list are available to the students. It should also go without saying that the Forbidden Forest is called that for a reason, and no one should go in there.

"If I think of anything else, you will all know... but for now, let the Welcoming Feast begin!"

So started the beginning of their magical education at Hogwarts.


As the students at Hogwarts settled in for the night, so did the Potters. Ginny no longer sang lullabies to Rachel, but she nonetheless hummed a melody for her as she put her beautiful daughter to bed.

Harry had a long day ahead of him for the following day, training new recruits and going through paperwork. He was already dressed in a T-shirt and boxers, and was flipping through the latest copy of /The Quibbler/.

As Ginny climbed into bed with him, Harry turned off the light. They kissed each other good night, and they got into comfortable sleeping positions.

To himself, Harry smiled. He truly did have a good life after all.

Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, had helped bring about the end to one of the history's darkest chapters... now it was time to let the next chapter begin.

/FIN/


AUTHOR'S NOTES: About time I wrote this fic! Anyway, I have much I want to explain, so here we go...

Mary-d1 wrote a fic called "Molly Apron Strings" where the "Weasley Wives" talk about how they broke Molly Wasley's sons of their "Mum-does-it-like-this" habit. Ron did it to Hermione, Fleur did it to Bill... Ginny even did it to Harry. However, in one chat with the author, I asked her "Well, what if Ginny was spoiled by something her father did and Harry had to put up with it?" And there you go.

SarahtheBardess wrote a few things with her own version of the next generation of Potter and Weasley children, and apparently, we both thought of Ron and Hermione's oldest daughter being named after Minerva McGonagall, who was in turn named after the Roman goddess of wisdom (Greek equivalent being Athena). What can I say? She and I think very much alike. The scenes for James, Sirius and Remus trying to prank Rachel and vice versa, as well as the thought of Ron accidentally locking himself in the bathroom on his and Hermione's wedding night, and came from ideas from discussions with her.

As for the details of the wedding itself... well, I'm not about to wait for the seventh and final Harry Potter book to come out and take details from Bill and Fleur's wedding.

The new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, Bianca Adessi, is a nod to SnowyBlackOwl (a.k.a. DuchessCarlyle). "Bianca" is her name, and "Adessi" comes from the Italian word adesso which means "now" or "at the moment." A while back, I said to Bianca I'd name a professor after her, and so I have.

Jupiter Ovidius is named after both the king of the gods in Greco-Roman mythology, Jupiter (a.k.a. "Zeus"), as well as the ancient Roman poet Ovid, author of the /Metamorphoses/. However, don't worry, this Jupiter won't be a lecherous skirt-chaser like his namesake.

So, as for the names of the children themselves...

Adam was the name of the first man in the Bible, and Adam Weasley is the first grandson and first grandchild to Arthur and Molly Weasley. Helen was the name of Helen of Sparta in Greek Mythology, who was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the world. (At the same time, "Adam" can also sound like "Adonis," who was the most handsome man in the world in Greek mythology, although he lived generations before Helen did.) Diana was the Roman goddess of the hunt (Greek equivalent was Artemis).

Jason was the hero in Greek mythology who managed to get the Golden Fleece which was being guarded by a golden dragon, without actually killing said dragon. As his father Charlie is a dragon tamer, it seemed like a good idea. I don't know what the origins of the name Darcy are, but it sounds a bit like /draco/, which is the Latin word for "dragon." (Just ask Draco Malfoy.)

Elizabeth shares the same name as Queen Elizabeth I, who was one very powerful and influential lady (my college recently had an exhibition and other things concerning her). Catherine was the name of a Russian czarina. Eric is a name of Scandinavian origin, meaning "king of all he sees" or something to that effect.

Benjamin is also known as "Ben" for short, which sounds like bonus or bene in Latin, which means "good" or "well." Jacob is also known as "Jake" for short, which sounds like "joke." Together, their names can mean something like "good joke." Agatha comes from a Greek word meaning "happy."

Amanda is also known as "Amy" for short. Amare is the Latin verb meaning "to love," and "Amanda" comes from the Latin amandus, -a, -um, meaning "to be loved." Francine is also known as "Fran" for short, which sounds like "friend." Together, their names can mean something like "loving friend," or something to that effect. Felix comes from the Latin felix, which means "happy."

Minnie, obviously, is named after Minerva McGonagall. Albert is a nod to Albus Dumbledore, but while the name "Albus" comes from the Latin word for "white," "Albert" comes from the Germanic name Adalbrecht which meant "bright nobility," composed of the elements adal ("noble") and beraht ("bright"). Liam means "the warrior." Matilda means "strength in battle" from Germanic maht ("might, strength") and hild ("battle").

James, Sirius and Remus were also the names of the Potter triplets in the fanfic "Snape's Worst Nightmare" by Draco664. However, this trio won't be Snape's Worst Nightmare here, and I also made them look more like a mix of Harry and Ginny than something mostly like Harry. Rachel is the same name as this girl from some of Harry's dreams in "The Heir of Gryffindor", and obviously she was named "Lily" after Harry's mother. (Also, just to clarify something... James was born first, then Sirius, then Remus. However, Remus would come before Sirius alphabetically. Hope that clears up any potential confusion.)

Also, I know that there are tons of fics out there where Fred marries Angelina and George marries Alicia or Katie. While I have nothing against those fics, I wanted to do something a bit different, and so I came up with a couple of original characters for Fred and George to marry.

Somehow, I could see any witch or wizard with an interest in ancient civilizations somehow liking Stargate: SG-1/. Don't ask me why, I just do. Also, the /Star Wars Expanded Universe novel Shadows of the Empire by Steve Perry is my favorite SW novel (it details what happened between "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi"). Batman: Child of Dreams is a manga-style Batman book by Kia Asamiya.

Also, yes, I took some things from chapter 12 of my fic "The Number of Fools," ranging from Snape's small speech to the first year students to parts of the Sorting Hat's song.

On one other note: Apart from how these dozen Potter and Weasley children are not in the same year, I also made it so that they were born in an order similar to that of their parents, so Bill's first children are the oldest, then Charlie's, then Percy's, then Fred's, then George's, then Ron's, and finally Ginny's. I know it probably wouldn't work out that way realistically, but what can I say? I did it for the sake of convenience. Besides, this is fanfiction, after all.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this. Cheers!

-Quillian