Miscalculation - Chapter 14

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NOTE: In all of my stories, Alastor Moody survived the war.
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Physically, he was somewhere in the mid to late twenties. Mentally, he would turn fifty this year. Just not on his birthday. Time travel was complicated. Would his birthday technically change if little Harry was born on another date? These thoughts helped distract him from the nerves that were making him bounce his leg hard enough to rattle the table.

It had been a day after their initial conversation that he received an invitation to meet with Lily in a private room of The Three Broomsticks. He wasn't sure if it was just her. It would make sense for her to bring someone to be safe. Who would she bring? Sirius and Remus were more James' friends. Who was hers? Was she close to Alice Longbottom? The woman was just as pregnant as she was, so that wouldn't be a good option. He realized how little he actually knew about her. Everything he had heard was about his father. The only thing he knew about Lily was that he had her eyes and that she was smart. Oddly enough, it was Moody that had the most stories about her. Harry had memorized the few bits of information.

Harry jumped when someone knocked on the door. He leaped to his feet and waited for it to open. An attractive blonde woman with rather fluffy hair stepped in first. She gave him a critical look as she moved further into the room. Lily entered a moment later. A bright, but shaky smile crossed his face as she closed the door behind her. He had said that James was invited as well. They both knew it was a polite addition that neither of them really wanted.

"Harry," Lily greeted him.

Harry hurried over and pulled out a chair for her. She gave him a small smile as she took a seat. The blonde woman took a step back out into the hall.

"She's not joining us?" Harry asked.

"No," Lily replied. "James hired her as a bodyguard for me."

"From me," Harry stated. "I can't get mad at that."

Lily shook her head. She motioned for him to take a seat nearby. He did so a bit quickly. Lily gave him a little smile at his eagerness.

"I've always wanted to talk to you," Harry said softly.

Lily reached out and squeezed his hand. Harry felt an entire life-time of emotion hit him. The years of bedtime that he wished for her to hold him. Every day he wanted to hear her voice. He wasn't the least bit surprised when he felt tears streaking down his face. Lily stood and motioned for him to do the same. When he did, she motioned for him to hug her. Harry would have broken down into full-body sobs if not for the awkward shuffle they had to do around her belly. He was glad that he didn't want to ruin his first hug with his mother by crying all over her.

What little composure he had shattered when he felt one of her hands start to gently rub his back. Lily hummed a soft melody as he cried. The song clicked with a memory he had lost years ago. It was one he heard in his dreams. Harry would have sworn that he wasn't an emotional wreck, but the evidence proved otherwise.

He wasn't sure how long it took for him to regain his composure. At some point Lily had transfigured the table into a wide, comfy couch. He was laying on it with his head on her lap and her running her fingers through his hair as she hummed. Baby Harry was kicking the back of his head like a fiend.

"Looks like you're jealous," Lily laughed.

Harry chuckled as he sat up.

"Sorry about that," he wiped his eyes as he spoke. "I don't know where that came from."

Lily stared at him flatly for a moment. Harry nodded at the unspoken statement.

"Thank you," he whispered.

"Are you still planning on taking over the world?" Lily asked.

"Back to business, eh?" Harry gave a dry chuckle. "I never planned on taking over the world, just fixing our little part of it."

"Killing Voldemort and his followers hasn't done that?" Lily asked.

"Not enough," Harry sighed. "Voldemort was powerful, but he would have never made it to power without support. The entire system is broken. I have no idea what killing him will do to the timeline. It might slow down the death of the country, or it could set it to self-destruct in some other way."

"You're just a ray of sunshine," Lily sighed.

"Thanks," Harry flashed her a sly smile. "Really think about it. How did he get so much support so quickly? He promised non-humans a better life, told the Purebloods he'd handle the muggle-born problem, and the Ministry was fine to just let it build. The 'light' side of things don't really want things to change, they just want to be able to sleep better at night. They'll make a little noise but don't put up too much effort unless it impacts them. Think about it, how much did your husband care about the treatment of Muggle-born witches until he met you?"

"Your husband?" Lily countered. "That's a bit cold."

"Calling him dad sounds like I'm mocking him and using his name is just weird," Harry replied shrugging. "That and he doesn't seem to like me all that much."

"He's just worried," Lily said. "Our time is almost up."

Harry nodded. He wiped his tears away.

"Sorry I spent most of it crying on you," Harry gave a forced smile.

"I needed the practice," she gave him a real smile as she rubbed her belly. "Promise me you won't make any moves until we speak again."

Harry sighed.

"I won't make any overt moves," Harry said.

Her gaze hardened a touch.

"I have parties to attend, hands to shake, and babies to kiss," He added with a laugh.

"Fine," Lily rolled her eyes. "You might look like James but it's like talking to myself."

"I will take that as a compliment," Harry preened.

Lily started to stand. Harry hopped to his feet and helped her to her feet.

"Thank you," Lily kissed him on the cheek. "Be careful, Harry."

"Please go before I start crying again," Harry let out a shaky breath. "I swear I'm not this emotional."

"Clearly," Lily laughed. "I'll owl you to schedule our next meeting."

"I look forward to it," Harry opened his arms for a hug.

Lily stepped in, turned her belly to the side, and wrapped her arms around him. They parted all too soon. Harry waited for her to leave before he collapsed on the couch. He would need to change it back before he left, but that was a problem for then.

Harry let his mind drift as he rested on the couch. It was tempting to transfigure one of the chairs into a golem to act as an impromptu therapist. He definitely needed one after that meeting. The thought had been a passing muse, but it would probably do him some good to get some therapy. He'd have to adjust the details and skip the gruesome parts.

There were still some things he wanted to do for selfish reasons. Seeing a younger Dumbledore really made him want to fight the professor. It was a morbid curiosity to see who was better. People always compared him to Dumbledore, that or they claimed that he was Dumbledore's apprentice. The problem being that he couldn't just stroll up to the professor and start casting. A friendly duel wasn't what he wanted either. Harry wanted a real fight.

That was the good thing about Moody. Mad Eye treated every fight as a real threat. Harry was tempted to see how he stacked up against a younger Moody. The desire wasn't as strong considering he had fought him many times through the years. Moody didn't believe in coddling his trainees. The only spells that were off-limits for him were the Unforgiveables and that was only because the old bastard didn't like using them. Fighting a younger Moody would be interesting, but Harry already knew the tricks, tells, and tactics. Hell, the Older Moody had more years and experience which made him even more dangerous. Never underestimate an old person in a profession where most die young.

It wouldn't be a fight even if he could get Dumbledore into a real duel. The Death Stick wouldn't work against him. A wicked smile crossed his face. The Hallows. He could challenge Dumbledore for possession of the wand. It would not recognize him as the owner unless he won it in a real fight, or if he stole it, which wasn't nearly as fun. Did he want to do it in public? No, that was a little too Dark Lord. Plus, he didn't want people to know that the Hallows were actually real.

Harry stood, changed the couch back into a table, and left the private room. He smiled at buxom barmaid as he went up to his room. Once this was all done he would like to settle down and have that family he had always wanted.

"Once this is finished," Harry whispered to himself.