Categories > Books > Harry Potter > A Reason to Live
Now What?
Harry just stared at the man. "Rich, look I know nothing about kids, I work in a bar. I can't keep her."
Rich just smiled. "You work at Buck's bar and grill. You're 30 years old. You have a BA from Georgia Tech. You moved to the states when you 19 for college, applied for citizenship and was approved at 24, and you've never been in any trouble. I ran a through background check on you before I made the offer."
Harry just shook his head. Never had he been more glad than he was now that he had been meticulous when he set up his personal records in the muggles systems. "I won't be 30 for another month." was his reply.
"Will you at least agree to foster her for a month? If it's too much for you then someone from the state, probably me, will come get her. You know the details of the case and it would be best not to involve anyone else for awhile. If this was a professional hit, the fewer people that know she is alive the more likely she is to stay that way." Rich knew Harry would end up keeping her, even if Harry didn't. He could see it in the way he held her.
Harry thought it over. He knew nothing about kids, and this little one was still in dippers. He had always wanted children, but he had always thought they should be Ginny's as well. Having a kid around would wreck havoc on his life as well. He would have to change shifts at Buck's, or maybe even quit. No more smoking and a drastic cut back on his drinking. What little of a love life he had now was as good as gone as well. He looked down at he little girl in his arms. She was sound asleep, had two fistfuls of his shirt and her head turned into his chest. He sighed. He had known when he picked her up that he was stuck. "Yeah, yeah I'll keep her. It'd be cruel to keep her for a few weeks then send her away, so I'll...I'll keep her."
As Harry finished talking the little girl loosened her grip and woke up. She rubbed her little eyes and yawned. Look up at him she giggled, and then wiggled around so she was sitting on his lap facing him. She reached up and pulled his glasses off and promptly began playing with them. Harry snorted and let her. He didn't really need them anymore anyway. His magic had long since corrected his eyesight. They were little more now than a security blanket of sorts.
"Wonderful" Rich smiled, glad he had been right. "I have the preliminary forms with me. Those will let you take her home now. All you have to do is sign here... and here, here, here and here. If you could come by my office sometime this week we'll get the rest out of the way. Here's my card." Harry signed the forms and took the card. Just as he was about to bid Rich good bye he heard a Crack and the little girl started crying.
Harry quickly handed the forms back to Rich and shifted the little girl in his lap. She had broken his glasses at the nose and scratched her hand in the process. He took the broken pieces of his glasses away from her and waved a good bye to Rich, who nodded and walked away.
The little girl was sobbing and Harry softly began to sing. He held her hand in his and gently rubbed over the scratch until it disappeared. The child quieted to a small sniffle and looked down at the pieces of Harry's glasses. Harry held the two pieces together and closed his fist around them. "Watch" he told her. "Hocus Pocus" he silently repaired the glasses then opened his hand. "Good as new" he told her. She smiled at him and reached for them. He handed them to her. "Now be careful and don't break them again, ok?"
The child happy, Harry headed home. He was the most powerful man alive. He had fought and won a war. How hard could raising a child be?
***
Harry paid the man and got out of the taxi in front of his apartment. The little girl on his hip, he made his way inside toed off his shoes and went to his bedroom. Harry placed the little girl down on his bed then rummaged around in his chest of drawers until he found an old shirt and surreptitiously shrunk it before heading back to the bed. He glanced at the clock on his night stand, 8:28 am. "Alright, sweetie lets you and me get a couple hours sleep then we'll see about getting us some food and you some stuff."
He took his glassed away from her and placed them on the bedside table. Pulling off her socks he noticed she only had one shoe, where the other one had gotten to he had no idea, then pulled her little jumper over her head. He was about to put the new shrunk t-shirt on her when he thought to check her diaper. Upon finding it in dire need of changing, he opted for using a magical quick fix seeing as he had nothing else to put on her. Harry deciding he was in too deep to try to do this alone made a quick mental note to call Tom, he had two girls, he could help. That reminded Harry that he was supposed to close at the bar tonight.
Harry tucked the girl into his bed and walk to his desk where the phone was. He quickly called Buck's to talk to Jim.
"Buck's Bar and Grill, this is Rick. What can I do for you?"
"Rick, it's Harry I need to talk to Jim."
"Hey, Har. Jim ain't here right now, watcha need?"
Harry sighed and glanced toward the bed. The little girl had crawled out from under the covers and was reaching for his glasses again. He was a little shocked that the child had let him put her down that easily. She had steadfastly refused to leave his arms since he picked her up in the ally, but when he had placed her on the bed she had let go easily and had stayed fairly quite. He still didn't think she would let him leave her sight yet, and in fact she had not taken her eyes off of him since he put her down. But for the moment she seemed content to play with his glasses and watch him.
"Rick I can't work tonight. Something major happened to me on the way home last night. I know this is shit timing with Todd off all week and Tom having the girls, and I'm really sorry, but this was life changing for me. I need a few days to cope."
"Damn man, what happened?" Rick asked when Harry had finished.
"For now let's just say that I inherited a kid. She not quite two yet and I'm way in over my head. I'll tell you guys more later, but I need at least a week to get stuff settled."
Rick sighed. "Wow, that's heavy. You're right about this being shit timing, but we'll manage. Take care of whatever you need to. You should get a hold of Tom."
"He was my next call. Thanks Rick, I owe you."
"Yeah you do. Later."
"Bye." Harry hung up the phone and rubbed his face. He glanced had the girl then walked over and flopped down on the bed. "I'm beat, what about you?" The girl crawled over to where he lay and climbed up so that she was sitting on his stomach. This made him painfully aware of his dire need to pee.
Harry moved the child off his bladder and rolled onto his side facing her. "Are you gonna yell at me if I leave you here and go to the loo there?" he asked pointing to the door off to the side.
She just started to climb on him again. He laughed, moved her off again and stood up. "I'll be really fast, I promise." He turned to go. The second her got out of her line of sight she started to cry. He'd known she would, but there was no help for it. He hurried about his business, but moments after she started to cry she stopped again. This just served to make him move faster to see what was going on.
When he returned to his room it was to see the girl and Hedwig in a staring contest, both trying to figure out what to make of the other. Harry's laugh drew both sets of eyes to him. Hedwig looked affronted that Harry would acquire a small human without consulting her or at least giving her warning first. And the little girl didn't know whether this was a new toy to play with or something to be afraid of.
Harry held out his arm and called Hedwig to him. She immediately took flight and landed on his arm. "Hed this is..." he trailed off realizing that he had no idea what her name was. Hedwig gave him an exasperated look. "Well, I found her in an ally and she's all alone now so we're keeping her. I'll name her later."
He walked over and sat on the bed, putting Hedwig on his knee. He held an arm out to the girl and she slowly came to him. "This is Hedwig." He told her, holding on to her wrist and slowly running her hand down Hedwig's wings. "You have to be very gentle with her, ok."
He helped her pet Hedwig a few more times then spoke to his familiar. "Hed it's been a long night and we're going to take a nap so you're on your own 'til dinner." Hedwig cooed and gently nipped had his finger to show her acceptance of the situation. "Thanks, Girl." He said as she flew out of the room.
Harry turned to the child, picked her up and stood up. He placed her in the bed and tucked her in again. "You'll share with me for now and I'll get you a bed later. Now go to sleep." He pulled the covers up over her and took his glasses away again. Then set about getting ready for a nap. The girl fidgeted around for awhile until Harry turned the lights off and flopped down on the bed. Then she settled down and went to sleep.
Harry just stared at the man. "Rich, look I know nothing about kids, I work in a bar. I can't keep her."
Rich just smiled. "You work at Buck's bar and grill. You're 30 years old. You have a BA from Georgia Tech. You moved to the states when you 19 for college, applied for citizenship and was approved at 24, and you've never been in any trouble. I ran a through background check on you before I made the offer."
Harry just shook his head. Never had he been more glad than he was now that he had been meticulous when he set up his personal records in the muggles systems. "I won't be 30 for another month." was his reply.
"Will you at least agree to foster her for a month? If it's too much for you then someone from the state, probably me, will come get her. You know the details of the case and it would be best not to involve anyone else for awhile. If this was a professional hit, the fewer people that know she is alive the more likely she is to stay that way." Rich knew Harry would end up keeping her, even if Harry didn't. He could see it in the way he held her.
Harry thought it over. He knew nothing about kids, and this little one was still in dippers. He had always wanted children, but he had always thought they should be Ginny's as well. Having a kid around would wreck havoc on his life as well. He would have to change shifts at Buck's, or maybe even quit. No more smoking and a drastic cut back on his drinking. What little of a love life he had now was as good as gone as well. He looked down at he little girl in his arms. She was sound asleep, had two fistfuls of his shirt and her head turned into his chest. He sighed. He had known when he picked her up that he was stuck. "Yeah, yeah I'll keep her. It'd be cruel to keep her for a few weeks then send her away, so I'll...I'll keep her."
As Harry finished talking the little girl loosened her grip and woke up. She rubbed her little eyes and yawned. Look up at him she giggled, and then wiggled around so she was sitting on his lap facing him. She reached up and pulled his glasses off and promptly began playing with them. Harry snorted and let her. He didn't really need them anymore anyway. His magic had long since corrected his eyesight. They were little more now than a security blanket of sorts.
"Wonderful" Rich smiled, glad he had been right. "I have the preliminary forms with me. Those will let you take her home now. All you have to do is sign here... and here, here, here and here. If you could come by my office sometime this week we'll get the rest out of the way. Here's my card." Harry signed the forms and took the card. Just as he was about to bid Rich good bye he heard a Crack and the little girl started crying.
Harry quickly handed the forms back to Rich and shifted the little girl in his lap. She had broken his glasses at the nose and scratched her hand in the process. He took the broken pieces of his glasses away from her and waved a good bye to Rich, who nodded and walked away.
The little girl was sobbing and Harry softly began to sing. He held her hand in his and gently rubbed over the scratch until it disappeared. The child quieted to a small sniffle and looked down at the pieces of Harry's glasses. Harry held the two pieces together and closed his fist around them. "Watch" he told her. "Hocus Pocus" he silently repaired the glasses then opened his hand. "Good as new" he told her. She smiled at him and reached for them. He handed them to her. "Now be careful and don't break them again, ok?"
The child happy, Harry headed home. He was the most powerful man alive. He had fought and won a war. How hard could raising a child be?
***
Harry paid the man and got out of the taxi in front of his apartment. The little girl on his hip, he made his way inside toed off his shoes and went to his bedroom. Harry placed the little girl down on his bed then rummaged around in his chest of drawers until he found an old shirt and surreptitiously shrunk it before heading back to the bed. He glanced at the clock on his night stand, 8:28 am. "Alright, sweetie lets you and me get a couple hours sleep then we'll see about getting us some food and you some stuff."
He took his glassed away from her and placed them on the bedside table. Pulling off her socks he noticed she only had one shoe, where the other one had gotten to he had no idea, then pulled her little jumper over her head. He was about to put the new shrunk t-shirt on her when he thought to check her diaper. Upon finding it in dire need of changing, he opted for using a magical quick fix seeing as he had nothing else to put on her. Harry deciding he was in too deep to try to do this alone made a quick mental note to call Tom, he had two girls, he could help. That reminded Harry that he was supposed to close at the bar tonight.
Harry tucked the girl into his bed and walk to his desk where the phone was. He quickly called Buck's to talk to Jim.
"Buck's Bar and Grill, this is Rick. What can I do for you?"
"Rick, it's Harry I need to talk to Jim."
"Hey, Har. Jim ain't here right now, watcha need?"
Harry sighed and glanced toward the bed. The little girl had crawled out from under the covers and was reaching for his glasses again. He was a little shocked that the child had let him put her down that easily. She had steadfastly refused to leave his arms since he picked her up in the ally, but when he had placed her on the bed she had let go easily and had stayed fairly quite. He still didn't think she would let him leave her sight yet, and in fact she had not taken her eyes off of him since he put her down. But for the moment she seemed content to play with his glasses and watch him.
"Rick I can't work tonight. Something major happened to me on the way home last night. I know this is shit timing with Todd off all week and Tom having the girls, and I'm really sorry, but this was life changing for me. I need a few days to cope."
"Damn man, what happened?" Rick asked when Harry had finished.
"For now let's just say that I inherited a kid. She not quite two yet and I'm way in over my head. I'll tell you guys more later, but I need at least a week to get stuff settled."
Rick sighed. "Wow, that's heavy. You're right about this being shit timing, but we'll manage. Take care of whatever you need to. You should get a hold of Tom."
"He was my next call. Thanks Rick, I owe you."
"Yeah you do. Later."
"Bye." Harry hung up the phone and rubbed his face. He glanced had the girl then walked over and flopped down on the bed. "I'm beat, what about you?" The girl crawled over to where he lay and climbed up so that she was sitting on his stomach. This made him painfully aware of his dire need to pee.
Harry moved the child off his bladder and rolled onto his side facing her. "Are you gonna yell at me if I leave you here and go to the loo there?" he asked pointing to the door off to the side.
She just started to climb on him again. He laughed, moved her off again and stood up. "I'll be really fast, I promise." He turned to go. The second her got out of her line of sight she started to cry. He'd known she would, but there was no help for it. He hurried about his business, but moments after she started to cry she stopped again. This just served to make him move faster to see what was going on.
When he returned to his room it was to see the girl and Hedwig in a staring contest, both trying to figure out what to make of the other. Harry's laugh drew both sets of eyes to him. Hedwig looked affronted that Harry would acquire a small human without consulting her or at least giving her warning first. And the little girl didn't know whether this was a new toy to play with or something to be afraid of.
Harry held out his arm and called Hedwig to him. She immediately took flight and landed on his arm. "Hed this is..." he trailed off realizing that he had no idea what her name was. Hedwig gave him an exasperated look. "Well, I found her in an ally and she's all alone now so we're keeping her. I'll name her later."
He walked over and sat on the bed, putting Hedwig on his knee. He held an arm out to the girl and she slowly came to him. "This is Hedwig." He told her, holding on to her wrist and slowly running her hand down Hedwig's wings. "You have to be very gentle with her, ok."
He helped her pet Hedwig a few more times then spoke to his familiar. "Hed it's been a long night and we're going to take a nap so you're on your own 'til dinner." Hedwig cooed and gently nipped had his finger to show her acceptance of the situation. "Thanks, Girl." He said as she flew out of the room.
Harry turned to the child, picked her up and stood up. He placed her in the bed and tucked her in again. "You'll share with me for now and I'll get you a bed later. Now go to sleep." He pulled the covers up over her and took his glasses away again. Then set about getting ready for a nap. The girl fidgeted around for awhile until Harry turned the lights off and flopped down on the bed. Then she settled down and went to sleep.
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