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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: 353538; Chapter Total: 9224 Awards: View Trophy Room Author's Notes: Thank you so much to my beta, Jennyelf as well as thank you to everyone who has asked about the story! Thank you!! |
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Ginny made her way down to Hagrid’s old hut. Charlie had taken over Hagrid’s hut and was taking care of various animals, including his dog, Fang. She found her brother out in the pumpkin patch, looking over this year’s harvest. “Charlie!” Standing up, he shaded his eyes with his hand. “Ginny. I was wondering when you were going to visit your big brother.” Reaching out, he gave his sister a one-armed hug. “Why don’t you come in and have some tea?” Charlie led his sister into the large one-room cabin. As Ginny sat down at the table, Charlie busied himself putting on some water for tea and pulling a plate of biscuits out of the cupboard. Looking around the room, Ginny noticed it looked different from the times she remembered visiting during her first year. Hagrid always had smoked meats and all sorts of things hanging from his rafters. Charlie had obviously spent a good deal of time cleaning the cabin. The large bed in the corner of the room was now covered with one of her mother’s quilts and pictures of her family covered the chest of drawers that was on the wall next to the bed. Charlie had installed a small bookcase under the window and a pair of comfortable armchairs complete with footstools near the fireplace. Ginny smiled to see several dragon photos adorning the walls. She smiled up at her older brother as he brought over two cups of tea and a plate of shortbread biscuits. “Thanks, Charlie.” “So how is it going?” Charlie asked. “I don’t know,” Ginny shrugged. “I mean I’m glad to be here and I love being with Harry.” She paused, fiddling with the tea, obviously unsure if she should continue. Charlie watched her. “But...” “But, I miss Beauxbatons and I miss my friends,” Ginny burst out. “I wanted to come back to Hogwarts, but I don’t really know anyone, expect Ron and Harry. All of the people I have met are because of them. I like Demelza, Seamus, and Neville, but I…I miss Aimée and I miss my other friends and even the professors.” By this time, Ginny had burst into tears. Charlie reached out and drew his sister onto his lap. “Ssh, it’s okay.” “I just…I don’t want Harry to think I don’t want to be here with him, because I do,” Ginny explained once she had calmed down a little. “I love Harry and I want to be with him.” “Sweetie, you’re a bit homesick,” Charlie said reassuringly. “That’s perfectly normal. You’ve been at Beauxbatons for four years. Of course you miss your friends.” Ginny calmed a bit and wiped her tears on the handkerchief her brother handed her. He engulfed her in a big hug. “Just tell him. I’m sure he would understand.” Scooting over to sit in her own chair, Ginny nodded. “I know. Overall everything is going well. I like my classes and I really like Professor McGonagall and Professor Babbling.” Charlie laughed. “I didn’t notice a Professor Weasley in that list.” Ginny rolled her eyes. “Of course I like Bill. He’s a really good teacher. We’re learning wordless spell casting, which is really hard. I was a bit worried about having a brother as a teacher, but he’s great.” She started laughing. “You should hear some of the girls. This little twit, Romilda Vane, has the biggest crush on him. Last year she had a crush on Harry and now she has a crush on Bill. It’s kind of funny. I heard some little second years in the girl’s loo going on about hot he was.” She looked over at her brother. “Of course, I’ve heard that you are breaking a few hearts yourself.” Charlie laughed. “It’s really strange to have these girls flirting with me. I mean most of them just giggle, but some of the older girls are quite forward. Bill said the same thing. I wonder if Nadia is having the same problem.” Ginny shrugged. “I don’t know.” “What is she like as a teacher?” Charlie asked. “Flitwick was here so long. It’s hard to imagine someone else teaching charms.” “She’s okay,” Ginny replied. “She knows her stuff and we are learning non-verbal spells in Charms as well.” “Have you heard from Mum?” Charlie asked. Ginny nodded. “She sent me a letter. She couldn’t say much because of the censors, but she’s talking to me again.” “I’m glad,” Charlie said. “In times like these, you don’t want your family divided.” The two siblings spent an enjoyable hour catching up before Charlie had to get ready for a staff meeting. It was their first staff meeting since the school year started and Charlie didn’t want to be late. “Oh, Ginny, you have your second period free on Tuesday, right?” Ginny nodded. “If you want to come down, I’m going over Unicorns with the fifth year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs,” Charlie offered. “Thanks, Charlie,” Ginny beamed, pleased that he remembered. “I think I will.” Together the siblings walked up to the castle. _____________________________ ________________________________________ _ Narcissa looked up as her husband joined her in the breakfast room. She watched his stiff movements and with a wave of her wand, summoned a pain potion and post-Cruciatus potion. She poured him a cup of tea and put together a plate of crumpets and eggs. Without a word, Lucius downed the potions and settled into the chair across from his wife. He closed his eyes briefly. It had been a long night and the Dark Lord had not been pleased with their lack of progress in finding the Sword of Slytherin. To his relief, the potions started working quickly. He smiled at Narcissa. “Your potions are excellent as always, my dear.” Narcissa nodded her thanks. Her potions were a point of pride with her. “Rough night?” As he ate, Lucius told her about his meeting. “The Dark Lord has decided it would be more prudent to delay dealing with Potter until after we have recovered the Sword of Slytherin. He is pleased with the reports he is receiving from Hogwarts. “We visited the Ministry officials suggested to us by Thicknesse and Umbridge,” Lucius explained. He made a face. “Unfortunately, they were correct. They chose not to join our cause, so we were able to make sport of them. Umbridge is becoming a bit of a problem. She thinks a bit too highly of herself and not highly enough of those better than her.” Lucius laughed. “She thinks she is getting closer to getting the Mark, but I would not be surprised if she ends up as a treat for Nagini.” Narcissa smiled. “It would serve her right. I have never liked that woman.” “Dolohov and McNair visited Slytherin Manor last week,” Lucius said as he pushed his plate away. “The Dark Lord was not pleased. They found nothing new on the sword. I have Burke searching for any rare books on Slytherin and any hint of his possessions.” “Has anyone searched the Hogwarts library?” Narcissa asked. “I don’t know if that fool Dumbledore would have left anything or not, but we could have Pansy and Blaise look.” Lucius send his wife a proud smile. “That is an excellent idea, my love. Why don’t you send them a letter this morning?” ___________________________ ________________________________________ ___ Ginny headed down to the common room and was pleased to see Demelza sitting at one of the tables with two other sixth year students. “Ginny, come join us,” Demelza called out. “You remember Jack and Marie, don’t you?” Ginny nodded shyly to the two other sixth year students. Jack was shy and slightly pudgy with a passion for gobstones. Marie was a pretty delicate-looking blonde who Ginny remembered as being a bit of a gossip, but pleasant enough. “Hello.” “We’re working on our Charms essay,” Marie said. “Do you want to join us?” “Sure,” Ginny replied. “Let me get my things.” She hurried upstairs, grabbed her Charms notes and book from her desk and brought them down to the common room to work with the others. They had a two foot essay on the Aguamenti charm due on Monday. Harry entered the common room an hour later and was pleased to find his wife laughing with her classmates. He was relieved that she was making friends as he knew that she was having a bit of a hard time adjusting to Hogwarts. He wasn’t exactly sure what was wrong, but he knew she’d been upset during their first week. When he’d asked, she changed the subject or just distracted him with sex, but he had been concerned. He didn’t want a repeat of her first year. She looked up with a smile as he walked by the table. “Hello, love.” He dropped a kiss on top of her head. “Hello.” He nodded to the others before turning back to Ginny. “I’ve been working out, so I’m going up to take a shower.” When he returned downstairs, he was pleased to find that Ron, Seamus, and Neville had joined the others at the table. He dropped into the chair next to Ginny and reached out for her hand. “So what do you think of the new Charms professor?” Neville asked Harry. He shrugged. “I don’t know. She seems okay. It’s just a little weird seeing someone other than Flitwick in that classroom.” “I know,” Seamus agreed. “She’s nice, but she’s not as good a teacher as old Flitwick was. Your brother is a good teacher. Both of them are actually. They are nice, but they can still get everyone to listen to them.” Ron laughed. “That’s from years of being the older brothers. If they can get the twins to listen to them, they can get anyone to listen.” “Are you taking Care of Magical Creatures?” Harry asked Seamus. “I didn’t think anyone was taking it at NEWT level.” Seamus shrugged. “I was taking Muggle Studies, so I had to pick a different class. Actually most of the class transferred into Care of Magical Creatures or picked up Astronomy. Those were the classes that don’t build on the other years as much.” Harry nodded. “That makes sense. I forgot about Muggle Studies being cancelled. There are just so many changes this year.” “I’m glad that Professor Sprout is still here,” Neville said as he blushed slightly. “I know I’m one of the few people who really like Herbology, but it’s comforting to go into the greenhouse and see her there.” “I feel the same about Professor McGonagall,” Harry admitted. Demelza slammed her book shut. “I don’t think I’m going to get any more work done. Do you guys want to go down for lunch?” “Yes, I’m starving,” Ron said as he stood up. “When aren’t you starving?” Ginny asked with a laugh. It was an upbeat, happy group that headed down to the Great Hall. _______________________________ ______________________________________ Fleur looked around their small sitting room with satisfaction. She had done some shopping in London during the week while she was working and bought some pieces for their quarters. Gringotts had provided her with a secure Floo passage to and from the bank so she was still able to work. “It looks great, love,” Bill said as he entered the room. She smiled and kissed him soundly and soon the two of them found themselves cuddled up on the sofa in front of the fire. After they enjoyed a rather private lunch, Bill sat down at his small desk and grabbed the small diary from the Black house. It had been a while since he had been able to work on the diary, but he felt sure that he had not discovered all that he could from it. He looked over at his wife. She was working on letters to her family. One benefit of working for Gringotts was the ability to send out uncensored mail. It was early evening when a knock came on the door to their quarters. Bill opened the door to find Charlie on the other side. “Hey, lovebirds. I came to see if you wanted to join me for dinner in my cabin,” Charlie said with a smile. Bill looked over his shoulder to see his wife nodding. “That would be great. We haven’t seen much of you.” “I know,” Charlie said. “I don’t know how Hagrid did it all, both teaching and acting as groundskeeper. It’s a lot of work.” After Fleur put her cloak on, the three of them made their way down to Charlie’s cabin. Charlie led the way into the cabin. Fleur was surprised at how clean and homey the cabin was. A tantalizing aroma was drifting over from the fireplace where Charlie had left his stew simmering. The three of them talked about their week while Charlie dished up the stew with thick slices of homemade bread. “Charlie, this is really good,” Fleur said with a note of surprise in her voice. Charlie laughed. “I have lived on my own for a while now. I can’t cook as well as Harry, but I have a few dishes I can make well.” After dinner, Charlie sent the dishes to the sink with a flick of his wand. “Have you heard anything from the outside world?” “I heard from my sister,” Fleur replied. “She met Phoebe Fedorov, who she says is a nice, quiet girl. Madam Maxime was already aware that she was Fedorov’s daughter and has not noticed any untoward interest in the girl.” Charlie shook his head. “I don’t understand why Fedorov told us about her.” Bill shrugged. “Harry thought he wanted to win our trust by sharing information with us. I think that sounds right.” He sighed. “I don’t know what to think about the man. I don’t know if I believe in a reformed Death Eater. I mean Dumbledore believed that Snape was a reformed Death Eater and he was obviously wrong.” “Gabrielle also told me that Professor Richards has been on campus several times since school started,” Fleur said. “He’s acting on behalf of the Order,” Charlie explained. “He’s helped several families escape to France.” “Oui,” Fleur replied. “C'est bon. Gabrielle said that several former Hogwarts students have enrolled at Beauxbatons. Madam Maxime has always maintained that Beauxbatons is open to everyone. I am glad to see that she has been able to provide a home for those displaced souls.” Charlie nodded before turning to his brother. “Are you having any trouble with any of the students?” “I don’t know if I would say I’m having trouble, but I have some students I have concerns about,” Bill replied after consideration. “I was rather surprised that it is not just the junior Death Eaters as Harry calls them. I mean I have gotten attitudes from Parkinson, Nott, and Zabini, but there are a few Ravenclaws I have questions about as well.” Charlie nodded. “I agree. I had to give two third years detention for using the word ‘Mudblood’ and to my surprise, they were both in Ravenclaw. I don’t think that everyone is being punished for using that kind of language. I don’t know if Slughorn or Vector would punish anyone for it.” ________________________________ ______________________________________ It was a beautiful, crisp, cool autumn morning at the end of the second week of school. It was Saturday morning and Harry and Ron were making their way down to the Quidditch pitch to prepare for try-outs. “Perfect weather for Quidditch, isn’t it?” “It is!” Ron laughed exuberantly. Harry laughed. “Thanks for coming down early with me, mate. I know we only have to try out chasers, but I want to see how everyone will work together.” “Makes sense,” Ron replied as Harry opened the changing rooms and headed for the equipment locker. “We’re really lucky we didn’t lose more team members than Dean, due to this stupid law. I heard the Hufflepuff team is down to only two members.” Harry nodded as he grabbed the box of Quidditch balls. “Yeah, I talked to Cadwallader. Unfortunately for him, it’s only him and that prat Smith back. Cadwallader is the captain, but he’s going to have quite a job rebuilding his team.” As the two boys continued out to the field, Harry continued, “All of the teams need to try out new members. I heard that Vaisey and Goyle are the only two Slytherins back on the team. Vaisey will be captain.” Ron nodded. “What about Ravenclaw?” “Michael Corner is captain,” Harry said. “I spoke to him in Charms the other day. He said they only need a seeker.” Stealing a look at his friend, Ron asked cautiously, “What about Ginny? Is she trying out for the team?” “Yeah,” Harry said with a smile. “She’ll make it without a doubt. She’s a great Quidditch player.” “What about…I mean, can she play now?” Ron asked. Harry nodded. “Yeah, she talked to Alicia. She can play for the next couple of months. I mean realistically she’ll probably only play in the first game. What I’m going to do is select a reserve chaser, so that way Ginny can play the first match and practice with the team as long as she feels comfortable. Alicia showed us some special shielding charms to use to protect the baby.” Ron nodded awkwardly. “She’s doing okay, isn’t she?” “She’s great,” Harry said with a smile. “She’s still having problems with morning sickness, but the potions are working a bit better. I have to admit, Seamus’s idea of having a kitchenette in our room was a great idea. I can make her breakfast in the morning and not have to worry about what might be in the food.” “How…how far along is she? I know you’ve told me, but I don’t remember,” Ron asked hesitantly. He was still having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that his little sister was pregnant. Harry rolled his eyes. “Almost nine weeks. She’s due May 15th.” Ron shook his head in amazement. Harry would be a father before the end of the school year. That still didn’t seem real. Of course Ron thought he was getting a better deal as he would be an uncle. “Come on, Ron,” Harry said. “We have twenty minutes before try-outs start. Let’s fly!” The two friends took off, warming up and flying a few laps. They were engaged in a game of tag when Harry suddenly stopped. “Ginny’s on her way down,” Harry called to Ron as he headed for the ground. Harry landed and watched Ginny, Demelza, and Seamus enter the Quidditch pitch. “Harry James Potter!” “Yes, love,” Harry said as she reached him. She was trying to look angry, but her eyes were sparkling. “You…I can’t believe you. You bought me a Firebolt?!” He laughed at the excitement on her face. “I thought you deserved the best broom.” “But I might not even make the team,” Ginny said softly. Harry leaned over and kissed her. “I have faith you will make the team. You are a great Quidditch player and you need a great broom. You and our baby deserved the best broom out there.” “Thank you, love,” Ginny whispered as she reached up and kissed him. “Here come some others,” Demelza called out. Ginny pulled out of Harry’s arms. “I will thank you properly later.” She smirked at him as she crossed the field to wait with the other potential players. Harry watched her walk away with a smile on his face. “Oi, Potter! Quit eyeing my sister. We have try-outs now,” Ron called out. Overall, Harry thought this year’s try-outs went much better than last year. He didn’t know if it was due to Ginny’s presence or if they had learned their lesson from last year, but there weren’t nearly as many giggling girls who didn’t know anything about Quidditch. He was able to eliminate to over half of them after watching them fly. To his disappointment, no one wanted to try out for seeker. Harry had hoped to mentor a reserve seeker during his last year. To his surprise, a third year Michael Wood tried out for keeper. Michael was smaller and more slightly built than his older brother, Oliver. While Michael was good, to Harry’s relief, Ron proved to be better. The chaser position was the most hotly contested. Ginny effortlessly won her spot with the highest number of goals at 18. Harry watched proudly as Ginny scored once again. Demelza easily won her spot back with 10 goals. Natalie MacDonald secured the last spot with Geoffrey Hooper as the reserve chaser. Harry announced the results and listened to the cheers and a few tears at the results. He watched as Michael started to head off the field. “Michael!” Harry jogged over to the younger boy. “You are a great flyer,” Harry told him earnestly. Michael blushed. “Thanks.” “No, I’m serious,” Harry said. “Have you ever played another position?” Michael shook his head. “No, my brother taught me to play keeper and that’s what I usually play at home.” “Would you be interested in learning to play seeker?” Harry asked. “I was hoping to find someone to mentor for next year. You fly well and you are smaller and lighter than your brother. You could be our reserve seeker.” “Seeker?” Michael thought it over for a few minutes. “Could I fly with Ron and be the reserve keeper also? That way I could see which position I prefer.” “That works,” Harry said with a smile. “Come on, we’re going to have a team meeting.” ___________________________ ________________________________________ ___ Harry headed up to his room in good spirits after Quidditch practice. He was thrilled with his new team and glad that Ginny liked her new broom. Stripping off his clothes, he jumped in the shower. Minutes later, he heard the shower door open. Turning, he smiled as he watched his wife join him. Before he could say anything, she reached up and kissed him. Harry pulled her closer to him and deepened the kiss. She entwined her hands in his hair as he kissed his way down her neck. Reaching behind him, Ginny picked up the soap. She danced out of his reach as she lathered up her hands. Gesturing him closer, she spun him around and washed his back, trailing kisses down his spine as she went. After carefully rinsing him off, she turned him around again and captured his mouth in a searing kiss. He tried to pull her closer, but she again pulled out of his hands. “No, I want to do this my way,” she whispered as she reached out for his chest. She proceeded to show her thanks in a way they both enjoyed. Eventually, the cold water compelled them to move. Ginny quickly washed up while Harry washed her hair. They exited the shower to find warm towels waiting for them. Harry gently dried off his wife and wrapped her in a towel before he quickly dried himself and towel dried his hair. Leading Ginny into their room, Harry darkened their window with a wave of his hand so no one could see into their room. As Ginny sat down on the bed, Harry unwrapped her hair. He gently brushed out her hair, drying her hair as he did so. “I love you.” “I love you too,” he said as he pulled her down onto the bed with him. He pulled the sheets up around them as she laid her head on his shoulder. The two of them drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other’s arms. _________________________________ _____________________________________ H ermione drifted toward the picture window in the small study on the third floor that the girls that taken over as a sort of common room. She and Mandy had discovered this room during their first week as it was between both of their rooms. It was a pretty room. A large picture window that overlooked the back garden was flanked on either side by tall bookcases and a marble fireplace took up much of another light beige wall. The room was furnished with a two dark brown sofas that faced each other over a long low table. The fireplace was flanked by two comfortable looking armchairs. Against the wall the room shared with Mandy’s room sat a small card table with two chairs. A painting of Hogwarts dominated the wall shared with Hermione’s room, but the girls had quickly decorated the wall with their own pictures from home. Tonks had helped with the charms that created a collage that depicted the girls’ families and hometowns. “Hermione,” Mandy called out as she entered the room. “Hi, Mandy,” Hermione returned with a smile. She and Mandy had always been friendly, but had never really known each other well. That was one of the benefits of the Grimmauld School -- Hermione was making new friends. Mandy threw herself down on one of the sofas. “I don’t know about you, but I am glad to be back in school.” “Me too,” Hermione replied. “It feels comfortable and familiar, which is very welcome right about now.” “I know,” Mandy admitted. “This summer has been very scary. There were attacks near my house in Telford. Three families were killed, including good friends of my parents. My mum didn’t want me to go back to Hogwarts, even before we found out that I couldn’t. They had looked into enrolling me at the local secondary school before we found out about this school. I think the fact that Professor Flitwick was going to be here is what made them agree.” Hermione nodded sympathetically. “I know. My parents had a hard time believing what was going on in the magical world. It took them meeting Harry and Mr. and Mrs. Tonks before they really understood what was happening. Luckily they were really impressed with Harry. When he suggested turning his godfather’s house into a school…well it just seemed to be the solution we needed.” “I still can’t believe he just opened his house like that,” Mandy said. She snuck a look at Hermione. “You must miss him and Ron. I know you three have been best friends the whole time we’ve been in school.” “I do,” Hermione said. “It’s comforting to be back in school, but it is very strange to be in school without them or even in this house without them.” “Will he be able to do it?” Mandy asked. “Will he be able to defeat him?” Hermione smiled at her new friend. “He will. He will defeat him and we will be able to make some much needed changes in the Wizarding world. Harry has such an amazing vision for the world. Can you imagine a world where your blood status doesn’t mean anything? I know Harry would rather have us learn more about Muggles. He really wants a better world for all of us — wizard, Muggle, elf, goblin. He wants to encourage better relationships between all of the species in our world. That is the world that I want to live in.” ________________________________ ______________________________________ Alicia Wood spun through the secure Floo connection between St. Mungo’s and the Hogwarts infirmary. As she exited the Floo, she knocked the ash onto the small square of carpet. Leaving Madam Pomfrey’s office, she saw her patients waiting quietly for her at the far end of the infirmary. As she approached, Harry held up a hand to stop her. “How did I first make the Quidditch team?” “Professor McGonagall saw you diving after Neville’s Remembrall during your first flying lesson,” Alicia replied. He nodded and she looked at him. “How did Angelina embarrass you in your third year after Quidditch practice?” Harry felt his cheeks redden. “She pulled off her shirt in the changing room.” Ginny started laughing. “It wasn’t funny,” Harry complained. “I had never seen a girl in her bra before and she just pulled off her shirt.” “He was so red,” Alicia confirmed. “It was actually really cute how embarrassed he was.” Closing the gap, she greeted everyone with a hug. Madam Pomfrey had set up a private examination area separated from the main wing by white curtains. There was a bed as well as three comfortable chairs. “Ginny, why don’t you go first?” Fleur said as she and Bill settled down to wait. Nodding, Harry and Ginny followed Alicia behind the curtain. Gesturing to the chairs, Alicia settled into one of the chairs while Ginny lay down on the bed with Harry sitting next to her. “How have you been feeling?” “I’m still throwing up, but the potions seem to be working,” Ginny replied. Waving her wand over Ginny, Alicia nodded. “You’ve gained five pounds since I last saw you. That’s good.” “My other big complaint is the heartburn,” Ginny said. “It is all the time. I tried the potion Madam Pomfrey recommended, but it just made me nauseated.” Alicia nodded and pulled a container from her bag. “This is actually Muggle medicine, but I’ve found that it works a lot better than potions. It is an antacid. You can chew one or two at a time when you feel the heartburn.” Ginny looked over at Harry who nodded encouragingly. “Okay, I’ll try it.” “Have you tried flying?” Ginny nodded and told her about Quidditch try-outs. “Oliver will be thrilled to hear that Michael made the team,” Alicia said as she continued to examine Ginny. “You will probably find that your centre of gravity is off as you gain weight. I’m not saying you won’t be able to fly, but you will have to be careful. Every time you fly, start off slowly to make sure you are secure before doing any real flying.” Ginny nodded her understanding. “Alicia,” Harry began. “Are there potions that could harm Ginny and the baby?” “What do you mean?” Alicia asked. Harry recounted the conversation with Hannah about the potions Susan Bones had brought with her to Hogwarts. “We still don’t know what the potions are,” Harry explained. “They could be more love potion, but they could be poisons or abortion potions. I’m worried that they could slip a potion into her juice.” “There is a common misconception about abortion potions,” Alicia said slowly. “They only work if the drinker wants it to work. Your magic will protect your baby as long as you don’t want to abort the baby.” “Thank Merlin,” Ginny whispered as she squeezed Harry’s hand. Alicia smiled. “Don’t worry. I think you will be fine. Your bond should protect you against love potions. Love potions can’t actually produce love as I’m sure you know. They develop an infatuation or obsession with the target. I think that your bond will protect both of you against any kind of love potion.” Once she finished examining Ginny, she said, “Everything looks good. Are you ready to see your baby?” “See the baby?” Harry asked. “How can we do that?” “It is a spell that shows what is in the womb,” Alicia explained. “You will see an echo of your baby kind of hovering over your stomach. You will also be able to hear the heartbeat.” Harry’s eyes lit up as he looked over at his wife. He had no idea this was possible. He reached for Ginny’s hand as Alicia waved her wand over Ginny’s stomach. He watched in amazement as a shimmery grey shape formed over Ginny’s stomach. It looked like a large liquid filled balloon. Ginny gasped at the same time as Alicia. “What?” Harry asked. “What’s wrong?” He stood up so he could see better. “Nothing is wrong, Harry,” Alicia said gently. She gestured toward the balloon with her hand. “It’s just there are two of them.” “Two?” Harry dropped back into his chair. “Twins?” He looked over at Ginny, who was staring in amazement at the two tiny forms represented by the spell. She turned to look at him. He could see tears in her eyes, but the smile on her face let him know that she was as amazed as he was. Leaning over, he kissed her softly before turning back to look at the babies. “Can we hear their heartbeats?” Ginny asked huskily. With a nod, Alicia twisted her wand. The small enclosure was filled with the sound of two rapid heartbeats. “Harry,” Ginny whispered. “Get my brother. I want him to see this also.” Harry stood on shaky legs to get Bill and Fleur. They looked up when he came around the curtain. “She wants you to see,” Harry said simply. Bill and Fleur come around the curtain and stopped short as they saw the two little forms. “Twins?” Bill said in amazement. Ginny nodded as Harry rejoined her. “I have to drop the charm,” Alicia said regretfully. As she dropped her wand, the noise and shapes disappeared. Bill hurried to his sister’s side. “Twins! Ginny, that’s wonderful.” “Is anything different because she is carrying twins?” Harry asked. “Well, there is more concern with twins because it puts a bit more stress on the mother,” Alicia explained. “She will gain a bit more weight than she would if she was only carrying one baby. There is the possibility of having to go on bedrest toward the end of your pregnancy. And you should expect to deliver a bit early, on average about a month early.” “But they’ll be okay?” Harry asked, concern for his new family obvious in his face. “Everything should be fine,” Alicia replied. “You will need to be examined a bit more frequently than I planned. I will talk to Madam Pomfrey and Healer Reed. We may have Madam Pomfrey examine you once a month and either me or Healer Reed examine you once a month. I let you know what we decide.” “Okay,” Ginny replied. Her expression showed she was still getting used to the idea. “Are they identical twins?” “I’m not certain,” Alicia admitted. “We will do the spell again between seventeen to twenty weeks. We will be able to see the babies better and see the sex of the babies. I was thinking we could do it Christmas week when you are in London, does that okay?” Ginny nodded and the two of them waited outside the curtain, talking quietly while Alicia examined Fleur who was also doing well. The two couples bid good-bye to Alicia and headed down to their respective rooms. When they reached their room, Ginny lay down on the bed. “Are you okay, love?” Ginny smiled. “Twins, can you believe it? I think I’m just in shock.” Harry lay down next to her and gently put his hand on her belly. “It doesn’t seem like there should be one baby in there, much less two.” She placed her hand over his. “I know. I’m scared, but I’m excited also.” They fell asleep with their hands still entwined on her belly, dreaming of their future. |
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