Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

For The Sake Of A Name	By : Bickymonster Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female Views: 52498 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any concepts or characters associated with it. I am not making any money from this this story.

Chapter List
- 40
- 41
- 42
AN: I present to you all, chapter 41.
This happened quicker than I expected but Erotes has being giving me some minor problems, which does mean this story has gotten more attention than it might have otherwise. I even think I know what I am doing with chapter 42.
In the meantime, please do come and chat with me on facebook. If you would like to be friends with me there, then there is a link on my Profile page.
Enjoy.
Thank you, as always, to my brilliant beta, AchillesTheGeek.
Warnings and disclaimers apply as always

Previously:
She was not quite sure what it had been that had set Remus on this downward spiral. Possibly just being lonely rattling around by himself in that big, old, empty house. Whatever the cause, the talk of increasing werewolf legislation, that was now being reported every day in the Daily Prophet, was doing nothing to help him. According to Arthur, Umbridge was behind it and that fact just made Molly all the more furious that that woman was being set loose upon Hogwarts. She worried for her children, and for Harry, Draco and Orion; she had a sinking feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better.
But there wasn't anything to be done about that just now. For the present, she was going to have to talk to Sirius about Remus, and soon; they just couldn't allow Remus to carry on this way.
-#-
Harry and Draco were mostly used to being tired now; it was pretty much inevitable when you were the parents of a three month old. But the weekend taking care of a sick Orion, who was now slowly recovering from his cold and ear infection, had left them completely exhausted. The potions that the nurse had prescribed were definitely helping; their son's fever was down and he didn't seem to be in too much pain, he was even managing to nap lots, on and off. Despite that, neither Harry nor Draco was sleeping well; they were simply too worried about their baby boy.
Sirius was doing a little better at least and had insisted several times on watching Orion so that Harry and Draco could get some sleep; but every time one of them, usually Draco, would wake up within an hour, feeling a desperate need to check up on the poorly little baby boy.
Sirius sighed when heard footsteps come out from Harry and Draco's bedroom, where he had sent the pair of them nearly two hours ago after Draco nearly collapsed from exhaustion. He was almost impressed that they had managed to sleep for as long as they had; it was longer than they had gone any other time this weekend.
"Go back to bed, Harry," Sirius said, without even looking up from his book. He already was sure that his godson wouldn't listen but he had to say it at least, had to try.
It was about nine in the evening on Sunday. He was lying, partially propped up with some cushions, on the sofa; Orion was cradled against his chest with one hand and with his other Sirius was holding a book on the Hex and Curse deflection spells that he was planning to start teaching to his fourth years in a couple of weeks time.
"How is...?" Harry started to ask through a yawn and Sirius smiled; while he wanted his godson to get more sleep, he was also proud of what a protective father he was proving to be.
"Orion is just fine," Sirius assured him, closing and putting aside his book as he looked up at his godson. "Actually, he is a lot better, I think. I didn't even have to give him any more potions and his fever seems to be all gone."
"That's good," Harry said groggily, coming over to them and leaning over the back of the sofa to place a kiss on the top of Orion's head. "I think you're right; he looks peaceful," he said as he ran his fingers through Orion's soft brown hair.
"Harry?" asked Draco's sleepy voice from the doorway to their bedroom.
"Go back to bed, Draco," Sirius droned, though he smiled at Harry as he said it and there was no insistence in the words.
Harry chuckled a little and smiled at his godfather. "Sorry, love," he said, looking over his shoulder and taking in the sight of his sleep-ruffled wife. "I didn't mean to wake you but I just..."
"...Had to check on Orion," Draco finished for him affectionately, stepping up next to him and wrapping an arm around her husband's waist.
"He's doing much better," Sirius told her as she opened her mouth to ask. "I was just going to finish my chapter and then try putting him into his cot, so that we could all get some sleep." He gestured to the now closed book on the coffee table, which honestly was quite a boring read; he was certainly in no hurry to get back to it now that he had put it down. "Madam Pomfrey would have my neck if I actually do fall asleep in class tomorrow, after the warning she gave me yesterday morning. And before you start apologising, the two of you aren't allowed to sleep in class any more than I am."
"Why don't you let us put him down and then you can head off to bed," Harry suggested, already lifting Orion up carefully and cuddling the sleeping boy against him.
"He is already asleep, Sirius, is it hopefully won't be difficult," Draco pointed out when Sirius went to object. "And like you said, then we can all get some sleep," she suggested.
It was a relief to feel that Orion's temperature felt normal as she cupped her son's tiny face in her hand and ran her thumb over his forehead. Maybe she would be able to sleep without waking up in a panic about Orion now, she was really tired after all and she could easily see that Harry wasn't faring much better; even Sirius, who had managed almost a full night's sleep the night before, looked tired.
"Okay, agreed," Sirius said, swinging his feet to the floor and pushing himself up from the sofa. "But if he doesn't go down easily within the next half an hour, then bring him back to me so you two can get some sleep."
"Sirius..." Harry started to protest; Orion was their son, he was their responsibility, and it wouldn't be fair to keep Sirius awake all night caring for him.
"Harry!" he retorted sternly.
"Half an hour," Draco agreed, guiding Harry towards their bedroom before he could start actually arguing with his godfather; that would achieve nothing other than putting them all in a bad mood and wasting precious minutes which could be spent sleeping.
"Yes, okay I promise," Harry agreed with a frown, "half an hour, though I don't think he is going to even wake up when we lay him down."
"I hope you're right. Sleep well," Sirius called as he headed for his room, but Harry and Draco were already absorbed in checking on their little boy as they carried Orion back towards their bedroom. He didn't really mind; he loved to see the three of them together, it was one of the great joys of the life that he shared with them.
Once inside their room, Draco closed the door and they both headed for Orion's cot; Draco leaned on the side of it as Harry lowered the three month old onto the mattress. Their son's little clenched fists reached up for them, opening up as though trying to grip on to his father; but, despite the little whine that escaped his throat, he didn't wake.
"I don't want him to ever be unwell again," Draco said sadly, as she trailed a hand gently over Orion's head. "It nearly broke my heart; I kept waking up thinking he was just going to have stopped breathing or that his fever would be out of control..."
"I know; me too," Harry said, pulling Draco into his arms, her ear over his steadily beating heart. "We both know this won't be the last time he gets sick though," he pointed out. "I am very glad he is well again though, not least because we both really need to sleep," he added with a chuckle that Draco could hear rumble in his chest.
"Take me to bed, Mr Potter," she said, with a soft smile on her lips.
"With pleasure, Mrs Potter," he replied, picking her up. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, her head on his shoulder, and Draco was sure she must have fallen asleep there, in her husband's arms, because she didn't remember Harry laying her down on their bed.
-#-
"What did you have to talk to the girl Weasley about?" Daphne asked as she took a seat next to Pansy at the breakfast table on Monday morning.
"I hardly see how that is any concern of yours," Pansy replied a bit snappishly, looking up from her poached eggs and toast to glare at the other girl.
She was more than a little irked that she had been seen talking with the Gryffindor girl, apparently they needed to be a little more selective about when and where they were meeting. But it had been worth it, to have gained such an ally; surprisingly they both seemed to have the same agenda, if they could only figure out some way to make it happen.
It was going to take time, not least because they needed to make sure they were not implicated in any of it; that was the only way they would be able to reap the rewards of their scheming. Everything would, of course, be for nothing if they ended up being held responsible; there would be no gain, and they would certainly lose face and possibly even, in the worst case scenario, end up in Azkaban.
"I just never thought I would see you lower yourself to associating with Blood-traitor riff-raff such as her," Daphne said dismissively. It was no skin off her back if Pansy wanted to destroy the remainder of her tarnished reputation.
"It is simply a mutually beneficial understanding, nothing more," Pansy insisted. And that much, at least, was true; she had no interest in... socialising... with the red-headed bint, that was certain.
-#-
"... do you think they will let him finish school?" Crabbe asked Goyle as the two of them took seats at the table across from the two girls.
"Dunno," Goyle replied with a shrug, as he filled a goblet with juice and handed the jug to his friend. "Doubt they'll let him back here while either of the Potters is still here."
"Yeah, but he still doesn't get out much before we're all done here anyway," Crabbe pointed out to his friend, who nodded in understanding, as he piled four sausages and several fried eggs onto his plate. "And I wouldn't choose to come back here, if it was me."
"Who are you two talking about?" Pansy asked, looking up to glare at the pair of them; though secretly she was rather glad that the arrival of the two boys had curtailed her conversation with Daphne; it had been headed in a very unpleasant direction which she was particularly keen not to continue.
"Theo," Goyle told her as he started to pile his plate up as high Crabbe's.
"What even happened to him?" Daphne asked, her curiosity piqued; she had heard that they hadn't sent him to Azkaban for what he had done, but she hadn't bothered to follow what had happened to him other than that. No-one in Slytherin talked about Theodore Nott anymore, they didn't want to be associated with someone who had been so disgraced; and no-one outside the house cared enough to ask.
"My Father told me that he was put on house arrest for two years and that they snapped his wand," Pansy informed the other girl, before turning back to the two boys, an expectant look on her face as she waited for them to explain why they had been talking about Theo.
"Well, he's almost half way done, isn't he," Goyle said as though it should have been obvious. "We were just saying that it must be pretty boring being stuck at home for two years."
"Better than in Azkaban," Pansy pointed out sharply; she was still half surprised they didn't throw Theo into the prison, particularly given that it had turned out that Draco was married to Potter, and pregnant with his child, at the time. "And besides he deserved it, that idiot."
"You are hardly one to talk, Pansy," Daphne retorted. Truthfully she felt a little sorry for Pansy, the girl had lost the future that she had believed was hers and was now more or less being sold off to the highest bidder. But that didn't make Pansy's obsession any less of a weapon worth using against her. "The way you yearned after Draco, even after he became a she, was way weirder than Theo just trying to get his leg over."
"I had no problem with Theo going after what he wants," Pansy informed Daphne, pushing away her plate and getting up to leave. "It was the getting caught; that was where he lost my respect."
As she walked away she could feel the eyes of the others on her back; but her mind was elsewhere and she felt a smile twitch on her lips at the realisation that she and Weasley had another potential ally if they were patient enough.
-#-
Remus groaned as he rolled over onto his other side in bed, trying to get more comfortable. He could see the sunlight trying to push its way around the edges of the thick, heavy curtains that hung over his bedroom window. His mouth was dry and felt revolting; he cracked one eye open enough to glare half-heartedly at the empty bedside table where he was really hoping to see a glass of water.
"Kreacher," he called, his voice rough and catching in his throat, making him cough. "Kreacher," he called again rather more insistently when the elf didn't appear.
There was a popping sound a moment later. "What can Kreacher be doing for the filthy half-breed?" the elf sneered from across the room, as though he didn't want to risk getting too close to a werewolf.
"You can watch your manners and get me a glass of fresh room temperature water," Remus instructed. The house elf had been so much more tolerable when Draco, or even Sirius, was around to enforce some degree of respect from him; but with Remus alone in the house, Kreacher didn't even try to pretend to hide his insults and slurs.
"Of course, Kreacher lives to serve," the house elf said insincerely, before vanishing with a pop.
A second later a glass of water appeared on the bedside table and Remus forced himself to sit up in bed enough to be able to reach it; downing half of it in one go. Placing the glass back on the bedside table, he tipped his head back and closed his eyes; the water had made his throat and mouth feel better, but it had done nothing for his pounding headache nor his churning stomach.
He felt like an idiot; he always felt like an idiot lately. He knew what he was doing to himself and he hated it, yet at the same time he couldn't seem to make himself stop. He was just so angry at himself for being angry at the world; he felt like a petulant child sulking about things that no-one could change.
It wasn't as though Sirius and the Potters didn't want him around, it was just simply not practical and he would see his best friend in a few weeks, on the full moon. He had agreed to visit Molly and Arthur a couple of times at The Burrow, but he always felt like an imposition and when he inevitably failed to shake off his dour mood, he would feel guilty for bring that down upon them.
He was starting to wonder why he had bothered coming back to England at all; of course he had come back for his few remaining friends, but he felt useless. He was failing at making a life for himself and the few enquiries that he had motivated himself enough to make about employment had been swiftly rejected.
He forced his eyes open and tried to ignore the churning nausea in his belly; he really needed to stop drinking so much. Today he would try to stay sober, he would do all he could; he would get out of bed, go downstairs and eat something, apply for a few jobs and then maybe pay a visit to Molly. He was going to do it; he was going to turn his life around.
Remus shuffled forward on the bed and swung his legs to the floor. He had to take a moment to ease his dizziness as he stood, but he was soon heading for the door and down the stairs, all the way to the kitchen. He didn't even have to ask before Kreacher placed a plate of food in front of him.
And then he couldn't. He sighed and rested his head in his hands, crying quietly; he couldn't do it. He couldn't even make himself eat he realised, pushing the plate away and resting his head on his folded arms, on top of the table. He would just close his eyes for a few, maybe take a short nap; maybe he would be able to do something after that.
-#-
Harry really was trying very hard to pay attention to what Professor Flitwick was telling them, but, despite a comparatively decent night's sleep, he was still exhausted and unable to stop yawning. He loved his son very much and he was fairly sure there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for Orion, but he really did wish that he could have gotten some more sleep.
"You alright, mate?" Ron asked, looking at him with concern as Harry's mouth stretched wide with yet another yawn that he covered with his hand.
"Yeah, just kind..." Harry had to stop to yawn again, rubbing at his eyes to keep himself awake, "... kind of tired," he finished, giving Ron a wry smile.
"Really...?" Ron said sarcastically. "I would never have figured that much out."
Harry rubbed at his eyes again and tried to focus on what Flitwick had written on the board, but honestly he wasn't sure he had heard a single thing that the man had said. He was hoping that Orion would like the idea of a nap this afternoon while he would be looking after him; though, on the other hand, hopefully their son was letting Draco sleep at the moment, which would likely mean the little boy would be wide awake for him later.
"...could all bring your essays up to my desk," Professor Flitwick said and Harry groaned at the idea of having to get to his feet and walk the length of the classroom.
"Give it here, I'll take it up for you," Ron said with exasperation as he snatched the piece of parchment from Harry's hand. "How you found time to do this homework and yet not enough time to sleep I have no idea," he said, as he stacked it with his own.
"Draco and I took turns to take care of Orion and do our homework," Harry explained, dropping his head onto the desk.
As Ron went to put the parchment on Flitwick's desk, Hermione appeared at his side, having seen that he hadn't moved up to the front. "Harry, did you not do the essay?" she asked sounding truly scandalised at the very idea.
"Ron's handing it in," Harry told her, his voice coming out a little muffled from where he was leaning on his folded arms.
"Oh, good," Hermione said sternly, feeling a little bad for not having more faith in her friend as she sat down on Ron's empty chair. "Are you alright?" she asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.
Harry managed to turn his head, still leaning on the desk, and smile at her. "Just tired, Hermione," he explained. "Orion wasn't big on letting any of us sleep this weekend; I am just glad it wasn't during the week, that probably would have killed us."
"Surely he slept, though; couldn't you have slept when he did?" Hermione asked, looking confused.
"Yeah, for a little while, but he never slept long and even when he did me and Draco were too worried to actually stay asleep," Harry explained. "He is our son, Hermione, I just love him so much and seeing him in pain like that..."
"He's all better now though, right?" Ron said as he came back to their desk, patting Harry on the shoulder.
"He seems to be," Harry told them, his relief all over his face and in his voice. "He was all huffy chuckles and wriggly limbs this morning," he told them happily, sitting up because they really should get to the Great Hall for lunch.
Umbridge was still causing problems for anyone who didn't show up often enough and sit at the correct tables and honestly Harry had too many other things to be thinking about to be worrying about that too. Plus he didn't really want Orion at the Slytherin table, even if it was with Draco, so he wanted to be there to take over the care of their little boy.
"I'm really glad to hear that, Harry," Hermione said earnestly, squeezing his hand briefly before going back to her table, which was the one behind his and Ron's, to pack her books away. "I said I would meet Luna in the library quickly, so how about I will meet you both in the Great Hall," she suggested, as Harry and Ron also started to pack away their things.
"Sure," Harry agreed, not missing the way Ron's face scrunched up into a frown, though he kept his back to Hermione so that she wouldn't see. Hermione looked a bit concerned by the way Ron was avoiding looking at her but apparently decided it was a discussion for another day as she swung her bag onto her back and headed for the door. "Okay, what was that about?" Harry demanded, turning to his best friend the moment Hermione was gone.
"Hermione and Luna, they have this whole study buddy friendship thing going on. It's... weird," Ron said, throwing his quill without looking at it and pulling the bag over his shoulder and leading them towards the door.
"As weird as that might be, I was more talking about your reaction," Harry explained; if he wasn't very much mistaken Ron was actually jealous.
"It's nothing," he said a little grumpily hurrying ahead out of the classroom. He didn't want to talk about it, particularly not with Harry.
Harry was his best friend, sure, but he never wanted to imply that Harry should feel guilty for spending time with his wife and son, and Ron was certain that no matter his intentions that that was how it would end up sounding. He just missed the way things used to be between the three of them and without Harry it seemed they were drifting apart.
"Hey, it obviously isn't nothing," Harry said, as he jogged to catch up with Ron, putting a hand on the red-head's arm to slow him down.
Ron turned to glare at his friend. "I just miss how things used to be sometimes, okay?" he told Harry a bit impatiently.
Harry released his grip on Ron's arm, looking hurt and a little stunned. He wasn't really sure what to say to that; he supposed there were moments when he wished things were more like how they used to be, when they were simpler, but he also loved his family and wouldn't give them up for the world.
Ron sighed. "I didn't mean... Harry!" he called out, as his best friend turned to leave and he was relieved when Harry waited. "I understand that things change, and I am not complaining about you spending time with your family, but I just miss you; and now Hermione's spending all this time with Luna... Can we just go get some lunch and forget I said anything?" he suggested. He didn't want to fight over this and he knew it would be easier when Orion was a bit older.
"I miss you too," Harry admitted, turning back around and giving his friend a wry smile. "I miss both you and Hermione, but between school and Orion... You know that you are both welcome in Draco's and my rooms, right?"
"Yeah, I know, I just..." Ron seemed to run out of words and shrugged his shoulders.
"I would really like it if you came over to our rooms," Harry told him as the pair of them started walking towards the Great Hall. "Perhaps not tonight because both Draco and I are so tired, but later this week?"
"I'd like that," Ron told him.
"Good," Harry said, smiling happily. "So... what's going on with Hermione and Luna?"
-#-
Harry and Draco were both in Herbology and Sirius was rather enjoying the time with his honorary Grandson to recover from the troublesome second year Gryffindor and Slytherins he had been teaching that morning. Thankfully the fifth year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws he had that afternoon were one of his favourite groups of students, the majority of them studying hard for their OWL exams that they would be sitting in less than a year.
Sirius was sat on the sofa with Orion on his lap, the little boy leaning back against his chest; he was holding a book open for them both to see. It was a baby book, with thick pages and large bright pictures of animals that all moved and made noises when you opened the page to them.
"That's a cow, Orion," Sirius told him as he turned the page to reveal a picture showing a herd of cattle eating grass and mooing. Apparently it was hilarious, because the three month old boy gave a squeal of delight as he reached his hands out, grasping as though trying to catch the animals right off the page.
"Well he certainly sounds like he is doing better," Molly said happily as she stepped out of the fireplace and into the room, smiling at how happy Orion sounded. She had been so worried when she had had a letter over the weekend from Harry informing her that the little boy had developed an ear infection.
"He has bounced back a lot quicker than we have," Sirius told her, as he looked up at her. "We are all still tired and in need of sleep, but now he just wants to play all the time."
"That's children for you," Molly said with a chuckle, taking a seat on the sofa next to them and accepting Orion onto her lap. But it seemed that he wasn't done reading, because he continued to reach for the book in Sirius' hand, making little whining and protesting noises; Molly quickly took the book and opened it to a picture of a Crup which was bounding around the page letting out little happy yelps.
"He really likes that book," Sirius said with grin, as Molly turned over the page to show Welsh Green Dragon. "So what do we own the pleasure of your company to? Just checking up on us?"
"Well I did want to see how this little guy was doing," she admitted, hugging Orion to her as he patted one of his small hands against the fire-breathing Dragon that was storming about the page. "But I also wanted to talk to you about Remus."
"What about him?" Sirius asked with sudden concern; he hadn't felt right about letting his friend go back to Grimmauld Place alone but he had thought that he would be okay until the next full moon at least.
"I am really worried about him. He's drinking, Sirius," Molly told him bluntly; there was no point beating around the bush on the issue.
"We all need a drink now or then," Sirius said dismissively; honestly he had expected to hear something much worse than that from the concern in Molly's voice.
"Sirius, I'm not talking about the occasional nightcap," she explained. "He's seriously depressed from what I can tell; he isn't looking after himself at all. We've had him over for dinner a few times, but he never stays long and always refuses to stay over. It's as though he thinks we don't want him around."
"I knew letting him move back there on his own wasn't going to be a good idea," Sirius said with a sigh; he just wished that his friend could be there at Hogwarts with them, but, particularly with Umbridge around, that would just be a bad idea. That woman had some serious issues with werewolves from what he had heard, and she had enough of a vendetta against Harry and Draco without adding Remus into the mix.
"I have been doing what I can, but I am not sure what else to try. I think he needs to spend some time with you, Sirius," Molly said sternly.
Harry was like a son to her, and therefore Sirius had become family by extension; she was more than happy to do everything she could for Remus, largely for their sakes, but when it came down to it, she would never have that same bond that Sirius had with him. She really did want to help him though; Remus was a good man.
"How do you suppose I do that, Molly?" Sirius demanded a little impatiently. "Between teaching and taking care of Orion, I hardly have a lot of free time; and I need to be around for Harry and Draco too."
"I'll come here some evenings, stay with Harry, Draco and Orion, and then you can go over to Grimmauld Place," Molly suggested.
"It's worth a try," Sirius agreed with a sigh, resting his head in his hands; it was going to be exhausting, but he would do what he could for his remaining friend. "I just hope he will let me help him."
“Good,” said Molly approvingly, glossing over the dejected tone in Sirius’s voice. “Well, there’s no time like the present; how about I come over this evening? I can bring a casserole or something for you, if you would like to take something share with him.”
"I am taking care of Orion this evening while Harry and Draco have potions," Sirius told her quickly. He almost winced at how much of an excuse it sounded like; was he really that worried about having to try and help his friend through his depression? Sirius quickly reached the conclusion that, yes, he definitely didn't feel comfortable about it.
Molly, however, was having none of it. "Well then, I will get to enjoy some delightful one-on-one time with Orion this evening; I might even bring Arthur over to keep us company," she suggested sounding quite enamoured with the whole plan.
Sirius looked up at her, rather shocked. He didn’t know how she could be so positive; but here she was trying to do the very best for Remus. What sort of friend was he, if he didn’t do the same? He wasn't sure that he was up to the task of really helping the werewolf, but he reminded himself that he was a Gryffindor and that meant he was supposed to be brave. Who knows, maybe it would be fun.
“Yes,” he smiled, a new determination coming into his voice. “Yes, I think I’d like that.”

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Please do take a moment to review and give me your thoughts, it would mean the world to me. (As always I will happily respond to any and all review posted when I post the next chapter, like I have below)
Review responses:
ChaosLady - Thank you
Gruffard - Yes, Umbridge is evil, but she does have her reasons too, they are just not as clear as Lucius' yet. :D
Delia Cerrano - Remus really is struggling, but Molly and Sirius will do what they can. And yes, Umbridge is pretty loathsome.
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For The Sake Of A Name