Play Date Chapter 3 - Interlude

Teddy was having a rough day. As was Harry. Bill had surprised Fleur and Victorie with a trip to France to visit family. That meant that they weren't able to meet for their usual playdate. There was also the fact that Harry had no idea how this new development impacted his relationship with Fleur.

Harry tried to keep his godson happy. When that didn't work, he settled on distraction. Andromeda was a life saver. Time with grandma was just what Teddy needed. It also allowed Harry to get some boring Lord Potter work done that he had been putting off.

He kept his seat in the Mot. It was important to keep an eye on the laws that were being put through. Harry wasn't going to let something like the last war start brewing again. Those he could deal with, even if it was a headache. The daily grind was just mind numbing.

Harry was responsible for not only the Potter and Black lines, but the revived Perevel bloodline. Apparently, gathering the three Hallows had met the criteria to activate the family magic. The really fun part was that since he claimed the titles of Lord Potter and Lord Black he couldn't turn down Lord Perevel. Luckily, the holdings and wealth had been absorbed by the Potter line years ago. Still, two noble households and all their holdings was enough for him to consider changing his name and moving to Canada. No one would think to look for him there.

It boiled down to him having a lot of paperwork. He had hired a team of solicitors to keep things running smoothly, but there were still things only he could sign. It turned out that both families owned a large amount of land, both commercial and residential. The first thing he did upon finding that out was drop the rent on residential plots to the minimum allowed by law. Yes, there was a stated percentage that rent could not be lowered beyond.

At some point, Harry had fallen asleep. It wasn't until he felt the door activating that he woke up. Andromeda stepped through holding a fussy Teddy. His hair was black with streaks of gray in it to mirror his grandmother. It didn't have the same voluminous curls she did, showing he was running out of energy.

"He's been asking for Vic all day." Andromeda said as she put Teddy down.

The little guy stomped and stumbled over to Harry. He climbed up in his godfather's lap. The little guy was asleep when his head touched Harry's chest.

"They're visiting family in France." Harry explained. "Thank you for taking him. He needed some time out of the house and I had some paperwork to do. Remind me why I didn't name you Lady Black?"

"Because I'm not crazy enough to accept." Andromeda said with a smile. "Any word when they will get back?"

"I'm not sure." Harry adjusted Teddy as he spoke. "Three more days, I think. Maybe a week."

"Are there any other kids his age to invite to visit?" She asked.

"Not that I know of." Harry replied. "Fred, Angelina and George's son, just turned one.

"Not that I know of." Harry replied. "Fred, Angelina and George's son, just turned one. He's the closest in age that I can think of. Muggles aren't an option until Teddy has more control."

Andromeda gave Teddy and Harry a kiss on the forehead before leaving. Teddy woke up for a moment when the lips touched his forehead.

"Da?" The little boy asked blearily. "Want Vic."

"I know, Teddy." Harry replied.

He carried his godson upstairs and put him to bed.

~§~ PD ~§~

Harry woke up the next morning to the sound of his name. He sat up, trying to figure out where it came from. Teddy didn't call him Harry, but the wards hadn't activated. A minute or so of groggy searching uncovered the culprit.

His mirror. The name that appeared was Fleur, but it wasn't her voice.

"Hello?" Harry answered.

The smiling face of a young woman giggled at him. She looked almost exactly like Fleur, except she was a few years younger.

"Such a sight, 'Arry." Gabrielle said through giggles. "Your hair."

It didn't escape him that her accent only appeared when she said his name.

"Thank you." Harry said flashing her his roguish smile. "I worked on it for hours."

He held out his hand, summoning his glasses. A moment later he took another look at the mirror. Gabrielle was holding the sleeping form Victorie. She also appeared to be in his waiting area for his door.

"To what do I owe the pleasure?" Harry asked.

"Tori has had a hard day and night." Gabrielle explained. "She has been asking for her ''Di-Di' since they arrived."

"Teddy missed her too." Harry said with a sigh. "I'll be right down once I find my pants."

"I don't mind, 'Arry." She purred his name.

Harry ended the call. A quick flick of his wrist summoned a fresh outfit. Another motion hit him with a quick cleaning spell. It wasn't as effective as a shower, but it would do for now. He made it to the door and opened it. Gabrielle breezed inside. Victorie was still asleep on her shoulder.

"It has been so long, 'Arry." Gabrielle pouted. "No letters, no calls. Did you forget about me?"

"Gabrielle." Harry sighed. "It's impossible to forget about you. I wrote you last week. Aren't you still supposed to be at school?"

"It is vacation." She replied setting the sleeping child on the couch.

Her eyes locked on Harry. They were wide, dialated, and had a gold sheen to them. Harry adjusted his stance, shifting his feet to an angle to create a smaller target. His wand was still in his room. Thankfully, he was quite adept at wandless magic. Too many times being helpless had made taught him a lesson.

"Gabrielle." He said slowly.

"Cette coquina. Elle savait que tu etais a moi." Her voice was somewhere between a growl and a screech.

"You'll wake up Victorie." Harry hissed.

That seemed to snap her out of his. Her eyes shifted back to their natural blue. The claws on her hands faded away. She stole a glance at her niece to see the little girl still asleep.

"What was that about?" Harry asked.

"You smell like her." Gabrielle spoke sharply as she got closer to him. "I knew something was different about her when she arrived. I did not think it was you."

"I'm confused." Harry said.

"You fucked my sister." Gabrielle poked him in the chest as she said each word. "Non, more than that. You bred my sister. I can smell her on you."

Harry sighed. There was no use denying it.

"Why did it take you so long to smell it?" He asked.

"Victorie." She answered. "Her scent is one of family, the brood. Much as you smell now."

"And Bill?" Harry asked.

"Bill." She mocked. "Bill. Underneath all that dust and dry air, he smells like any other man."

"Not family?" Harry asked, he didn't want to admit that he felt more than a little proud at that.

Gabrielle snorted and rolled her eyes. She stared hard at Harry for a few long moments in silence.

"There is only one thing to do." Gabrielle crossed the space over to him. "You must breed me."

"You want me to sleep with you?" Harry asked.

"Non. Breed me." She began to undo her pants. "Sleeping with you would accomplish nothing."

"I wouldn't say that." Harry grumbled. "No, wait. Why do you want me to breed with you?"

"Fleur knew you were mine." She hissed. "If you breed with me now, I can still claim you as my mate since she is married to another."

"Gabrielle." Harry said taking a step back. He took a breath. "Gabby, listen to me."

She paused.

"I never agreed to be your mate." Harry tried to sound as steady as possible.

She rolled her eyes.

"I claimed you as my mate." She repeated. "Stated my intention. You know." She waved her hand in the air. "Called dibs. I get first shot at seducing you. She made her choice with Bill."

Gabrielle copied Fleur's much stronger accent from years ago. It was spot on.

"We can't." Harry said.

"You love her?" Gabrielle asked sharply.

"Yes." Harry replied without a thought. He blinked. "Oh, fuck, I love her."

Gabrielle growled.

"But that's not the only reason." Harry quickly followed it up.

She stared at him, waiting. Harry motioned to the couch behind her. She turned to see Victorie wobbling upright. The little girl looked at her auntie with a goofy smile. Her eyes shot open wide when she saw Harry. All drowsiness was gone. Victorie hopped off the couch and rushed over.

"Di-di!" She yelled holding her arms out as she approached.

Harry scooped her up. Gabrielle's jaw dropped.

"Di-di." Victorie agreed with a nod. She snuggled against him. "Where Eddy? Di-di scramble eggs?"

"She calls Teddy 'Eddy'." Harry explained. "I think she's calling me daddy."

"Merde." Gabrielle whispered.

~§~
Should Harry hook up with Gabrielle?
Should he stay faithful to Fleur?
Should he change his name and move to Canada?