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Category: Alternate Universe Characters:Harry/Ginny Genres: Drama, Romance Warnings: Intimate Sexual Situations, Violence Story is Complete Rating: R Reviews: 410 Summary: The summer after the Chamber of Secrets was hard on everyone. How come no one can remember what happened? Prior to starting his seventh year at Hogwarts, Harry realizes he is missing some memories from his second year. Together with Remus Lupin, Harry sets out to discover what happened. He hopes to find out about that pretty red head he has been dreaming about as well. Hitcount: Story Total: 353596; Chapter Total: 9575 Awards: View Trophy Room |
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Ginny started to relax slightly. Being in the Chamber with both Harry and Bill made it a bit less scary. She still didn't like it, but she was proud of herself for being able to face her fears. She chanced another glance over at the huge green snake, glad that it's creepy yellow eyes were gone. While she didn't remember everything that happened while she was under Tom's control, she did remember those yellow eyes. The thought of her younger self walking calmly alongside that monster before it went out to hunt her friends chilled her. As the group stepped back into the main chamber, she turned her attention back to the sword. The Sword of Slytherin was not as beautiful as the Sword of Gryffindor, but it was still a beautiful piece. The iridescent stone was mesmerizing. She reached out and touched the beautiful stone. Harry turned towards her and for a brief second he had a smile on his face. She felt the change in his emotions, before she saw the pain sweep through his face. His knees buckled and she dimly saw Bill and Remus reach out to steady him. His screams were terrifying to Ginny. She knew how strong Harry was and realized how much pain he must be in for him to react to strongly. His pain seemed centered in his scar. As Ginny watched helplessly, his scar turned flaming red and looked very painful. The skin around his scar seemed to swell up and suddenly his scar burst open and blood started pouring out of the gaping wound. Ginny knelt beside him and moved to put her hand over the scar, when a black mist rose up out of the wound. Bill gasped and pulled her hand away. Brother and sister watched as the mist dispersed in the dank, musty Chamber. As the mist vanished, Harry suddenly stopped screaming. Ginny watched as he reached up to his scar and slowly pull his hand away. He looked at his hand as if he couldn't fathom why it was covered in blood. Reaching out towards Ginny, he seemed to be confused. Before anyone could say anything, Harry passed out. Bill gently lowered him to the ground and Minerva ran her wand over him. Looking up at Ginny she said, “He seems to be okay, but we need to get him to the Infirmary. I want Poppy to take a look at him.” “What happened?” Ginny asked, never taking her eyes off her husband. Kneeling next to him, she reached out and gently took his hand, pulling it up to her cheek. “Tergeo.” Minerva cleared the blood off of his forehead. The wound remained open and red, but the bleeding slowed. “What was that mist?” Ginny asked. “It...it felt evil.” “Could he have been a Horcrux?” Bill whispered softly. “What?!” Ginny looked at her brother in horror. “How could that be?” She turned to Remus as though asking him to prove her brother wrong. He knelt on Harry's other side. Reaching out he smoothed Harry's hair away from his wound. “I-I don’t know. That could be. I've been working with Harry on discovering the remaining Horcruxes. We believe that Voldemort had planned to make his final Horcrux with Harry's death, so he was one short. What if when he killed Lily and James, his soul was so...damaged that a portion of his soul broke off? Harry was the only living being left in the house. I think Albus may have thought this was likely. He left very detailed notes on the possibility of the fragility of Voldemort's soul.” “So, Harry's been living with a piece of Voldemort's soul in him?” Ginny asked tears in her eyes. “I think so.” Remus said sadly. Minerva cleared her throat. “I realize this is important, but we need to get Mr. Potter to the Infirmary.” Looking at Ginny she asked, “Do you know how to get out of here?” Ginny looked up at her blankly for a moment. “Get out of here?” “Ginny.” She looked up at her brother. “Do you know how Harry planned to get out of here?” She shook her head and returned her eyes to her husband who was very still on the cold stone floor. Exchanging a glance with Minerva over Ginny's head, Bill put his hand on his sister's shoulder. He was afraid she might be going into shock. “Sweetie, how did you get out of here last time?” “F-Fawkes.” She whispered. A flame burst overhead as Fawkes appeared in the Chamber. The phoenix flew in circles around the top of the Chamber before he slowly landed next to the group. Bill pulled back to let Fawkes edge his way closer to Harry. Ginny watched silently as the bird gracefully cocked his head and watched his wizard. A thick pearly tear pooled and fell onto Harry's forehead. Ginny watched in fascination as the redness and swelling around Harry's infamous scar disappeared. The scar however remained intact. Fawkes waited at Harry's side until his eyes fluttered open. Ginny smiled as she suddenly felt a rush of awareness from her husband. A low soothing song filled the chamber before Fawkes disappeared in a flash of fire. The group gathered around Harry sighed in relief as he looked around. He focused on Ginny, concern crossing his face as he realized tear tracks were trailing down her face. He reached out for her, gently cupping her cheek with his hand. “What happened?” His voice was hoarse from screaming. Bill and Remus exchanged a glance over his head before Remus responded, “We think that you may have been made into a Horcrux.” Harry stared at his godfather in confusion. How could he be a Horcrux? He couldn't fathom what that even meant. “What?” Shakily, Remus described what had happened and the black mist that rose from the open scar. “We think that his soul was so fragile by the time he tried to kill you that it just fractured when his killing curse hit you. You were the only one left alive so we think that fragment latched on to you.” A sick feeling rose up in him as Harry considered the ramifications of carrying a piece of Tom Riddle around in him. “I-is that why I can see into his thoughts?” “I think so.” Remus said, “We have never really been able to explain why you have such a strong connection to him.” Sitting up slowly, Harry asked. “Does this mean I won't see his thoughts anymore?” “If that is what caused it, I would say no.” Remus said. Unconsciously, Harry reached up to his scar. It no longer felt as inflamed and prominent as it had. Another thought occurred to him. He looked up at the stone serpents wrapped around the columns. “Am I still a Parselmouth?” He grimaced as everyone except Ginny flinched as the guttural hissing filled the chamber. “That answers that question. I guess I'm still a Parselmouth.” Taking Remus's proffered hand, Harry pulled himself up. He pulled Ginny into his arms and kissed her on the top of her head. “Are you okay?” She looked up at him. “Me? I'm fine. You're the one I'm worried about.” “I just want to go home.” “I would feel better if Poppy or Andromeda looked at you.” Remus said. Harry made a face, but agreed to visit the Infirmary. As the group made their way back to the tunnels, Bill asked. “Did you have a plan for getting out of here?” “Sort of.” Harry hedged. “Sort of. What does that mean?” Harry didn't respond, but continued down the tunnel until they had reached the base of the chute. He placed his hand on the wall and reached out to the magic imbedded in the walls. Closing his eyes he felt the warmth of the school's magic wash over him. He sent an image of what he wanted and after a moment he heard the sound of moving stones. Opening his eyes, he found a staircase had risen from the chute. With a smile he gestured for the others to climb on the staircase. ____________________________ ________________________________________ ______ When Harry woke it was dark outside. He looked around the darkened bedroom in confusion. The events of the afternoon came rushing back — the Chamber, the Horcrux. He had somehow managed to spend only an hour in the Infirmary, before he convinced Madam Pomfrey and Andromeda he would be fine and recuperate much better at his own house. He raised one hand to his head, to touch his scar. It was weird, it didn’t bother him at all. After over three years of a constant ache in his head, it was strange that it did not bother him at all. Kissing Ginny lightly on the forehead, he gently untangled himself from Ginny. He tucked the blanket around her before he pulling on his jeans and making his way downstairs. A flutter of white caught his sight as he entered the kitchen. “Hey, Hedwig.” Harry said quietly as his old friend settled on the table in front of him. “What do you think of the new house?” Reaching over, Harry scratched her head. He regarded his owl for a moment before he said, “I don’t know what to think, Hedwig. Bill and Remus think I was a Horcrux. I still can’t really wrap my head around that. Part of Voldemort’s soul has been living in me for almost sixteen years. How is that possible?” Hedwig’s intelligent amber eyes followed her owner as he stood and walked over to the cold pantry and grabbed a butterbeer. He rolled the cap towards his bird who caught it in her beak. “What do you think, girl? Is that why I was so angry over the past few years? I wish I knew. I don’t know how to feel about this.” A low hoot came back at him, Harry smiled. He extended his arm towards Hedwig who hopped onto it. Standing, he walked towards the window that overlooked small garden in the back. “So what do you think of this house? Pretty amazing, huh? Can you believe it is all ours? We can do whatever we want.” Harry brought his free hand down and scratched Hedwig’s feathers. “No one threatening to boil you or lock you in your cage, you are safe here.” He gestured to the set of perches he had installed on either side of the large window. “No more cages for you unless we are traveling. You have your own perch and you can fly anywhere you want. I set a special charm on the window, you can fly in or out anytime you want, no one else.” Harry laughed at the proud look on his owl’s face. “That’s right, just for you. Remus helped me find the spell and we’ve set it just for you.” Hedwig hopped up onto Harry’s shoulder and ruffled his hair with her beak. He laughed and turned back towards the interior of the house. “Guess what?” “I have something to show you.” Harry said with a smile. He navigated around the island in the kitchen and walked into the hall, just past the bathroom. Turning he gestured to the cupboard under the stairs. Harry had pulled the door off of the cupboard and turned it into an alcove with shelves. Smiling up at his bird, Harry said, “No one will ever get locked up in this house.” Hedwig hooted softly and Harry laughed, “I know, isn’t it great. Look, the shelves light up and I want to get some pictures to put there. We have a bunch of wedding pictures — my parents, Bill and Fleur, Remus and Tonks, me and Ginny. Remus found some pictures of me and my parents and me and Sirius as a baby.” The pair moved off into the study where Harry continued giving his pet owl a guided tour of their new home, careful to point out the many differences between this new home and their old one. Neither of them saw Ginny who was standing in the shadows of the first floor landing, tears in her eyes as she listened to her husband talk to his owl. ____________________________________ ______________________________________ Bill listened with interest as Ivan reviewed the procedure for the students’ expected arrival on Tuesday. It was the first staff meeting he had ever attended and he had not been sure what to expect. Ivan Fedorov was an organized and seemingly well prepared administrator. After reviewing the plans, Minerva took over. Conjuring a large blackboard, she guided them through the process of working out the class schedules. Bill had never taken into account all of the intricacies that went into planning class schedules. Time had to be made for each class and ensure that none of the core classes conflicted with the others. Pairing of the houses was also carefully planned. It took the group almost four hours, but in the end all of the classes were planned. With a flick of her wand, Minerva made copies of the overall schedule for all of the professors as well as each professor’s class schedule. When that was done, Ivan stood up. “I want to thank everyone for all of their hard work. I realize that it has been very difficult for all of you. You have lost many of your colleagues — two of them have been killed and several others have been lost to the new Ministry policies. I believe that we can all work together and have an excellent school year. Our new Head Boy and Girl have met together and I believe they will work together to watch over the students.” Horace Slughorn cleared his throat. “May I ask what accommodations are being made for Mr. Potter? It is quite unusual to have a married couple attending school.” “A room has been created for Mr. and Mrs. Potter at the top of the Gryffindor tower. I have spoken to Mr. Potter about the importance of proper behavior and not letting others use their rooms.” Ivan explained. “I don’t believe there should be any issues with that. I plan to address the matter on the first day of school at the welcoming feast. I’m afraid if I don’t say anything, it could lead to all sorts of rumor and speculation.” He looked around the room. “Are there any other issues that anyone would like to bring forward?” No one spoke, so Ivan said, “Thank you everyone. That will be all.” As the faculty rose from the table, Ivan called out. “Bill, could you stay for a moment?” After the rest of the staff left the room, Ivan closed the door with a flick of his wrist. “I understand that Mr. Potter was here yesterday and he took ill, is that correct?” Bill stared at Ivan, his mind racing. He knew Harry didn’t want anyone knowing about the Horcruxes and no one knew about the Chamber of Secrets. “Yes sir, he was visiting me and my wife. He got a bad headache while he was here and his wife wanted Madam Pomfrey to look him over.” Ivan didn’t respond immediately, but continued to watch Bill. “Okay. I don’t believe you have told me the whole story, but that is okay.” “Is there anything else, sir?” Bill asked respectfully not commenting on Ivan’s response. “Not at this time.” Ivan replied. “If you need anything, please let me know.” Ivan watched the younger man leave. He knew there was more to the story than he had been told, but he wanted the younger man to trust him so he did not try to force anything else from him. Glancing at his watch, he wearily made his way up the spiral stairs to his private library. From there he accessed the door that led to his private chambers. He couldn’t help but smile as he walked in the door. The aroma of shkembe chorba filled the rooms, the garlicky smell welcoming him home. His private apartment was one of the many surprises that Hogwarts held for him. At Durmstrang, he had been lucky to get one large room he’d had to divide into living and sleeping areas. Here at Hogwarts, he had several spacious rooms including a small kitchen that had delighted Peggy. “I’m back!” Ivan called out as he shed his black robes, hanging them next to the door. He moved towards the kitchen and greeted his wife. Peggy Fedorov was a short, slightly plump vivacious dark-haired woman. She had supported her husband’s decision to move to her mother’s home country in search of a better life. She smiled as Ivan joined her. “Hi, love. How was your meeting?” With a wave of her wand, Peggy sent the food into bowls and then onto the table. The two of them sat to eat and Ivan told her about the meeting as they ate. Peggy listened to her husband describe the meeting and the other professors. She knew he was a bit nervous about how he would be received by the other staff. Anyone following Professor Dumbledore would be scrutinized, but to come in as a complete unknown Ivan was under scrutiny not only from the staff and parents, but the Ministry as well. “I am amazed at how well Minerva managed the meeting. Everyone got along and there were no fights. I remember how vicious the fighting could get scheduling classes at Durmstrang.” Peggy laughed as she remembered how upset he would become after those meetings. “Did you find out anything more about Mr. Potter’s adventure here yesterday?” Ivan shook his head. “No. Bill simply said that he had a headache and his wife wanted Madam Pomfrey to look at him.” “But you don’t believe that.” Peggy stated. “No, I think there was something more, but I can’t imagine what that might be.” Ivan replied. “I caught a glimpse of them and both Mr. and Mrs. Potter had a good amount of blood on their clothes. I walked down the hall from which they had come and all that is down there is an out of order girls' lavatory.” “Don’t worry, love. You will figure it out, I have faith.” Peggy said. She glanced around the room as she put away the left overs and sent the dishes to the sink. “Have you decided what you will do about...?” Ivan shook his head as his wife trailed off. “No, I want to trust Bill, but I’m still not sure. It is a lot to trust him with.” “What about Mr. Potter?” Peggy asked. “From all I’ve heard, he might be ideal person to help us. I was thinking we might approach him and his wife together.” “I’ll consider it.” Ivan replied. “We still have a bit of time.” “Not much.” Peggy warned. “Classes start in less than a week.” ________________________________ ________________________________________ __ Harry looked around Remus’s new classroom. The renovation of Grimmauld Place was complete and Harry was touring the new and improved home. “So what do you think, cub?” Remus asked as he almost bounced in excitement. “Dora and I finished putting my classroom together last night.” “It looks great, Remus. You have worked really hard on the house.” “It was a group effort. Without everyone helping last weekend, I don’t think we could have finished this in time for the students to arrive.” Remus replied. “So you want to see the bedrooms?” At Harry’s nod, Remus led him up the stairs to the third floor. The third floor was the girls’ floor. Hermione had chosen the paint and furniture for her own room, but the group had decided how to redo the rest of the rooms. Mandy’s room was very similar to Hermione’s, while Emma, Laura, and Rose would be sharing the bigger room. Hermione and Sarah had decorated the bigger room in Hufflepuff colours of yellow and black as the three younger girls were all Hufflepuffs. The bathroom had been enlarged with separate shower areas and private toilets. The second floor was the boys’ floor. The Creevey brothers’ room was decorated in red and gold with a set of bunk beds. It had been decided to put the other three in the same room and give the last room to Professor Flitwick. “So when are they others getting here?” Harry asked as they settled into the kitchen. “Everyone will be arriving on Saturday. They will all be coming through King’s Cross, I’ve rented a large van and I’ll be picking them up.” Remus explained. “Can you be here at noon to get everyone through the Fidelius?” Harry nodded. “Not a problem.” “So how is your new house coming?” Remus asked. “Great.” Harry said with a smile. “Ginny and Fleur have been planning and directing Bill and I around. We’ve gotten the bedrooms and kitchen done up. The gym is done. I think we are going to wait on most of the rooms until Christmas.” “That’s great.” Remus said with satisfaction. ______________________________________ ___________________________________ M olly hurried down the lane towards the house her brothers shared. She felt a bit guilty because for all of her good intentions, it had been over a month since she had seen them. They had come over for Percy’s third birthday celebration and she had been able to share the happy news that she was expecting again. She worried about her brothers. She wasn’t sure exactly what they were doing, but she knew they were somehow involved in resisting You-Know-Who. While Molly certainly did not support You-Know-Who or his activities, she was worried about the consequences of openly defying him. As she stepped out from the tree lined lane, Molly stared in horror at the ghastly green skull and snake hanging in the sky over her brothers’ house. She stumbled towards the door, her heart banging in her chest. The door hung crookedly off the frame, only one hinge was still attached to the frame. Belatedly Molly pulled her wand and cautiously pushed open the door. It looked like a storm had ripped through the house. The furniture was ripped and torn, pieces strewn all over the room. Spell blasts had hit the wall and plaster was crumbling off the wall. Picture frames were cracked and some had fallen onto the floor. Pushing through into the kitchen, Molly froze in horror. There was blood all over the place. With her eyes, she followed a spray of blood as it arched across the ceiling. Looking down, she traced the path of blood as it led towards the back door. As she stepped into the kitchen to follow the blood, she saw them. Her brothers still had their wands in their hands. It was obvious they had fought hard. Molly fell to her knees next to her brothers, kneeling in their blood. She could tell they had been tortured. Fabian was covered in cuts, one particularly deep cut ran from his shoulder to his groin. Gideon’s left hand was missing, it appeared to have been ripped from his arm. On closer inspection, Molly realized they were both covered in bite marks. A scream ripped out of her throat and she lost her battle and vomited on the floor next to her brothers. Molly woke up gagging and shoving the blankets aside, she ran for the bathroom. After emptying her stomach, she sat shakily on the edge of the tub. She hadn’t had that nightmare in years, but it hadn’t lost any of it’s horror. Molly didn’t remember much of the days following her brothers’ deaths. Arthur had arranged the funeral and taken care of the boys. It wasn’t until her healer told her she was worried that she might lose the baby that Molly started taking better care of herself. It had taken Ron’s birth to really help Molly let go of some of her grief. She had chosen Ron’s name because it had been Fabian’s favourite name. He kept telling her that she should name one of her children Ronald, so to honour him she did. Rousing herself, Molly splashed cold water on her face and pulling on her dressing gown headed down for the kitchen. She entered the silent kitchen and automatically put on a kettle for tea. It was times like this she really missed her own kitchen. Walking over to the large kitchen window, she waited for the water to boil. Finding her brothers was truly the worst moment of her life, she could still remember the smell of blood and the burnt smell of spellfire mixing in the air. But however horrible that was, Molly knew that if it was one of her children it would be infinitely worse. Arthur’s words of earlier in the week came back to her. Was she really loosing Ginny? Had she already lost Percy? Molly mechanically poured her tea and stirred in the sugar. The thought of missing out on Ginny’s pregnancy was almost physically painful. When Ginny was born, Molly was so excited to finally have a girl. She had envisioned teaching her daughter to cook and knit. After so many rough and tumble boys, she thought Ginny would be a delicate flower. Ginny quickly dispelled those thoughts. She would much rather be flying than cooking and she was anything but delicate. To Molly’s surprise, she realized that the daughter she had was much better than the daughter she had imagined she wanted. She enjoyed watching her feisty daughter trying to keep up with her older brothers. The last year before she started at Hogwarts was hard on Ginny. She hated being home alone, but she and Molly did have some wonderful talks. For Molly that was the last year before everything fell apart. With a sigh, Molly got up and walked over to her knitting bag. She sorted through her skeins of yarn before deciding that varying shades of green would be the best choice. Picking up her knitting needles, she started on a baby blanket. She couldn’t let her first grandchild be born without knitting a baby blanket. ______________________________ ________________________________________ ____ Several hours later, Molly had fed her family and was sitting in Muriel’s sitting room working on the blanket for Ginny’s baby. A knock on the door caused her to look up. “Bill!” Molly put down her knitting and stood to hug her oldest son. “How are you doing? I’m surprised to see you here. I thought you would be at Hogwarts, hard at work getting ready for the school year to start.” Laughing, Bill kissed his mother on the cheek. “I have been, Mum. Trust me, we’ve been working like crazy trying to get ready for the kids. I’m actually really excited about teaching. I’d never thought about teaching before, but now I can’t wait. I’ve been working on my lesson plans and designing classes, it has been a great challenge.” Settling back in her chair, Molly watched Bill sit down on the couch closest to her. She smiled as she listened to her son. She was so proud of how well he was doing for himself. “So what do you think of the new Headmaster?” “I like him.” Bill replied as he helped himself to the tea and biscuits sitting on the low table in front of him. “He’s nothing like what I expected. He’s very organized and he seems genuinely interested in the kids. I was afraid he would come in and make sweeping changes and enforce the horrible Ministry way of thinking. He isn’t. He made it a point to talk to each of us and ask about our plans and our teaching background.” Molly nodded. “I’m glad to hear that. I have to say I’m a bit worried about Ron and Ginny. I’m glad you and Charlie will be there to keep an eye on them.” Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Bill replied. “Don’t worry, Mum. We’ll keep an eye on all three of them.” She merely nodded, not commenting on his obvious inclusion of Harry. “Mum, I wanted to talk to you.” Bill sat forward, twisting his napkin in his hands. “Did you hear about the run in between Percy and Fleur and Ginny?” Molly stilled. “No. What happened?” “He was just mouthing off. He alluded to the articles about Harry and Fleur.” He smiled. “Ginny set him straight — told him off. When I got there…I lost my temper with him.” He risked a look over at his mother. To his relief she looked concerned and she was listening to him. He continued. “This bill…it really has me worried. I know that I am not affected by the bill as it is right now, but I don’t know it will stay that way. I’m a bit concerned that the next Ministry decree will confine me for the duration of the full moon.” Bill felt his anger rise again as he thought about his confrontation with his brother. “I mentioned that to Percy and his only comment was that I couldn’t have children with Fleur anyway — it is against the law.” Molly blinked away the tears that she felt building up. How could Percy have gone so wrong? “I’m so sorry, love. I…I spoke with your father. Percy will not be welcome in our home. I have to be honest, I kept hoping that he will realize that what he is doing is wrong, but now I am not holding out hope.” “I’m glad to hear you say that.” Bill said. He looked over at his mother and a wave of compassion swept over him. He couldn’t imagine have one child pitted against the others. “I understand that Ginny told you her good news.” Molly nodded stiffly. “Yes, she did. I…I still am not thrilled that my sixteen year old daughter is pregnant, but I am trying to be happy for her.” “I hope you mean that, Mum.” Bill replied. “She is very happy and Harry is thrilled. He voiced the same concerns that you did about Ginny, but he also pointed out that Ginny will be a wonderful mum. He is taking such good care of her.” Looking up at his mother, Bill continued. “Mum, I wanted to talk to you in person.” Molly looked up in concern. “What’s wrong, Bill?” “Nothing is wrong.” Bill said gently. “Actually I have some wonderful news. Fleur is pregnant, she is due at the end of May — two weeks behind Ginny.” “Oh Bill, that is wonderful!” Molly jumped up and hugged her son. “I am so happy for you.” A look of concern crossed her face. Bill nodded at her, “Exactly. We know that the Ministry would not approve of her pregnancy. Kingsley has made her a Portkey that will take her to her parents’ house in France if she feels threatened.” “Thank goodness.” Molly breathed. “How will she get care? St. Mungo’s won’t be able to treat her will they?” “No, they won’t. Alicia Wood is a healer and she is also pregnant.” Bill explained. “She will be keeping an eye on both Ginny and Fleur…and Tonks as well.” “Tonks is pregnant?” Molly breathed in amazement. “Andromeda must be thrilled.” “She is.” Bill replied with a smile. “Remus is alternating between terror and being thrilled. He is so excited about the baby, but he is worried about Tonks. Her baby is also being threatened with the Ministry rules, so she also has a Portkey to France.” “That is good.” Molly settled back in her chair. “It will be nice that Fleur and Ginny will be there for each other.” “They are happy about it as well.” Bill laughed. “They are already having me and Harry running around helping them decorate — they get along really well.” “That’s wonderful. I am so happy for the two of you.” Molly said happily. “Two grandbabies — I need to get knitting. I had already started a blanket for Ginny’s baby. Now I have a few more to make.” ________________________________ ________________________________________ __ Narcissa looked up as her guest was ushered into the drawing room. “What happened with Potter?” “I don’t know.” Her guest replied. “I’ve heard several rumors. The official story was that he had a headache and the little wife wanted him to visit the Infirmary.” “But you don’t believe that?” “No, I don’t know exactly where they went, but I heard rumors about the Chamber of Secrets.” “The Chamber of Secrets?” Narcissa was surprised. “What in Merlin’s name could they want in the Chamber of Secrets?" “I don’t know. Potter, his wife, Bill, Lupin, and McGonagall all left together and when they showed up in the Infirmary Potter and his wife were covered in blood. The others were dirty and covered in slime. I don’t know what they wanted down there, but that is what I heard.” Narcissa looked pensive. “I will share this information with my husband and he will tell the Dark Lord. He will know if there was anything to be obtained in the Chamber of Secrets.” “I also heard that the little wife is pregnant.” “What?” Narcissa looked shocked. “I thought…I made that potion myself. It should have rendered him sterile.” “I thought he didn’t get all of the doses.” “He didn’t, but I would still think…” Narcissa trailed off not sure what she wanted to share with her guest. “No matter, that will certainly change some things.” She looked expectantly at her guest. “Anything else?” “No, ma’am. I will let you know if I hear anything.” ____________________________ ________________________________________ ______ Dean smiled as he looked around the room he was to share with Justin and Kevin. Turning around he caught sight of Harry. “Harry, mate, this is brilliant!” Harry smiled. “Thanks, I’m glad you like it. As I said at the train station, the house belonged to my godfather. Remus and his wife have worked really hard on getting the house all cleaned up.” Kevin looked up from his bed where he was putting out a picture of his parents. “D-do you live here?” “Not anymore.” Harry replied easily. “My wife and I just bought a new house. Remus insisted that we keep a room here. We have my godfather’s old room up on the top floor.” Once everyone finished putting away their belongings, they all met up in the sitting room. Remus smiled as they boys joined them. Ginny was talking to Hermione and Mandy, while the three younger girls were talking quietly. The Creevey brothers were thrilled with their room and happy to be in the home of their idol. Clearing his throat, Remus said. “Welcome all of you.” Everyone quieted down and turned to face the older wizard. He turned slightly as a pink-haired Tonks joined them. Sliding his arm around her, he said. “First I would like to introduce my wife, Tonks.” “Wotcher! I’m Tonks or I guess Mrs. Lupin if you prefer. Until recently, I was an Auror, but they did not agree with my choice of husband, so I am currently unemployed. I will be providing security as well as helping Remus with his classes.” The students went through and introduced themselves to Tonks and Ginny. Once the introductions were out of the way, Remus gestured for them to sit down. “I wanted to set some ground rules. We will have classes Monday through Friday, we have worked out a schedule that we think is fair. The classrooms are on the first floor with the Potions’ lab out in the underground shelter. I will be teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ancient Runes and acting as de facto Headmaster. Professor Flitwick will be teaching Charms and Transfiguration. My mother-in-law, Professor Tonks, will be teaching Potions and Herbology. She will be here on Wednesdays as she is working as a healer she cannot be here full time. Any questions so far?” Mandy raised her hand. “I understood we would be able to take Arithmancy as well.” “Yes, thank you Mandy. Mrs. Fleur Weasley will be setting a schedule with you, Hermione and Justin.” Remus explained. He paused and took a deep breath, “All of you are aware that I am a werewolf. During the full moon, I will be taking Wolfsbane Potion. There is a secure room in the basement in which I will stay. Either Bill or Charlie Weasley will be joining you during those times.” The younger girls all exchanged a nervous glance, but no one commented. Remus continued. “The top floor is off limits for students. My wife and I have our rooms there as well as Harry and Ginny. The third floor is the girls’ floor and the second floor is the boys’ floor. Professor Flitwick’s quarters will be on the second floor. The kitchen is in the basement, I will warn you that with Harry going back to school our best cook is gone. Professor McGonagall has arranged to have some of the elves bring us some of the food they are serving at Hogwarts.” Harry cleared his throat to get everyone’s attention. “This house is in the middle of a Muggle neighborhood, but my godfather’s family were Dark Wizards, his brother was actually a Death Eater and his cousins are Narcissa Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange.” He broke off as the others started murmuring, he held up his hand. “I am telling you this, because while we have cleaned up the house, we don’t know if there are other surprises in the house. The library has been cleaned up, but there may be some dark works we haven’t found yet. Just this summer we found a secret chamber hidden in the house. We don’t know what else might be hidden.” Exchanging a look with Remus, Harry continued. “Please be very careful. If you find something you don’t know what it is, ask Tonks or Remus. On a lighter note, I had a gym installed in the basement next to the kitchen. Remus, Ginny, or I will be happy to show anyone who is interested how to use the machines.” He broke into a smile, “I know my godfather, Sirius, would be thrilled to have all of you in his house. I will be in touch and if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.” _________________________________ ________________________________________ _ “Harry!” “Out here, Bill!” Bill came out onto the small garden area where the two of them were sitting at the table eating the pumpkin muffins Harry had made for breakfast. He smiled as he stepped out onto the bricked patio. “This is really nice.” Ginny smiled as Harry created a chair for Bill with a wave of his hand. Bill took a seat with a quick thanks. “So what brings you here this morning?” Ginny asked curiously. “Professor Fedorov would like to see the two of you this morning.” Bill said as he helped himself to a muffin. “This morning?” Harry asked in confusion. “We will be there tomorrow.” “I know.” Bill said. “He didn’t say what it was about, but he would like to meet with the three of us.” “Let me run up and change and we can head over now.” Harry said. “Ginny wanted to stop by Hogsmeade and do some shopping.” Twenty minutes later, the three of them headed out to Hogwarts. Harry let them in the gate and they headed towards the Headmaster’s office. “Mr. Potter.” Professor Fedorov stood as they entered the office and shook hands with Harry. Turning to Ginny he said, “Mrs. Potter, I don’t think we have officially met. I am Professor Fedorov.” “Sir, it is nice to meet you.” Ginny replied. “Please sit down.” Professor Fedorov said, gesturing them into the chairs across from his desk. “I asked the three of you here because I have a favor to ask of you.” He began. Looking over at the oldest Weasley, he said, “Bill, I believe you and your brother have investigated me, no?” Bill straightened in his chair. “Yes, sir.” “You found out about my wife and my mother-in-law?” Bill nodded. The headmaster stood and opened the door at the back of his office. He gestured Peggy into the room. He quickly performed the introductions and the five of them sat down. Peggy turned to Harry. “Mr. Potter, my husband and I came to this country in the hope of finding a better life. Durmstrang puts a heavy emphasis on Dark Arts and I believe that the British Ministry for Magic believed that my husband and I shared their beliefs.” “You don’t?” Harry asked cautiously. Reaching out for his wife’s hand Professor Fedorov shook his head. “No. I do not. I came here not to support the British Ministry for Magic, but to provide for my family. I have been watching you and I have been impressed with the commitment the three of you have to each other. That is what I need right now, that commitment to family.” Ginny looked at her new headmaster. “What can we do for you?” Looking over at the younger witch, Peggy took a deep breath and said, “We need your help with our daughter.” |
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