Search:

SIYE Time:4:42 on 29th March 2024
SIYE Login: no


Faith
By potterfan2008

- Text Size +

Category: Post-OotP
Characters:Harry/Ginny
Genres: Angst, Drama, Romance
Warnings: Disturbing Imagery, Extreme Language, Intimate Sexual Situations, Rape, Violence
Story is Complete
Rating: R
Reviews: 40
Summary: The summer after his godfather’s death was the worst in Harry’s life for many reasons. An event so horrifying takes place causing him to question if he should even go on, but in the end all it takes is Faith to pull through and find the good in the dark.

This story is based on ‘The Unknown Light’ by Someryn and the idea was used with her permission. This is about rape and the aftermath so do not read if the subject matter offends or upsets you. There is no slash and Ginny is not raped.


Hitcount: Story Total: 17916; Chapter Total: 3902
Awards: View Trophy Room




Author's Notes:
Thank you to my betas StephanieO and seekers_destiny as well as Mark my Brit picker. After debating back and forth with Mark the best placement for Harry's house, I've placed it in JKR's hometown of Yate. I'd also like to mention the name I gave the baby. Faith, I thought was appropriate and Irene does indeed mean peace - she is named after my sister. Thank you again for all of the reviews and encouragement I have received and thank you for the Silver Trinket Nominations. I have to say I truly didn't expect that for this story.




ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter


Harry had no idea how long he sat there staring at the letter in his hand. A baby? How in Merlin’s name was he supposed to take care of a baby? Oh God, what was Ginny going to say?

He looked at the tiny baby in a mixture of awe and horror. She was so tiny. If Bellatrix was to be believed she was almost three months old. He was thankful she was still sleeping. She had little wisps of black hair and had been merely wrapped in a rather filthy blanket.

Realizing he needed help, he called out, “Dobby!”

Dobby appeared within seconds. “Harry Potter, sir…” The little elf trailed off when he realized what was sitting on the bed next to Harry.

“I need help, Dobby,” Harry said in a shaky voice. “I need…well I don’t really know what I need. She needs clothes and nappies and I guess bottles.” He started to panic as reality set in. “I don’t know what babies eat or what to feed her or anything.”

“Dobby can help,” the elf said softly. “Dobby will be back in a few minutes.”

It ended up taking almost thirty minutes, but Dobby returned with nappies, wipes, a few outfits, blankets, and bottles with formula. Harry eyed the supplies with escalating panic. “Dobby, I don’t know what to do with a baby.”

The elf eyed the young man compassionately. “Harry Potter, sir. Dobby can help. Harry Potter, do you want your Wheezy girl?”

“Ginny?” Harry thought about it. He would love to see Ginny, but would she hate him? Oh my God, what would she think about the baby? Would she believe that Harry wanted to….have sex with Bellatrix? He recalled with a sinking feeling Ron’s disbelief that a man could be raped.

“Harry Potter, sir, Miss Ginny can help you,” Dobby said breaking into Harry’s thoughts.

Taking a deep breath, Harry realized he would finally need to face the repercussions of that night last summer. “Dobby, could you get Ginny and Kingsley and bring them here? Please.”

Dobby bowed, “Of course.”

Harry paced the room as he waited. The plea kept running through his mind begging for Ginny to believe him and not hate him.

A pop heralded their arrival.

“Harry,” Ginny said cautiously.

Looking up Harry pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight before greeting Kingsley. The Auror had used the time to survey the room. He eyed the baby with undisguised curiosity. With a wave of his wand, the Auror transfigured some of the rubbish laying around the room into two chairs.

“Harry, what is going on?”

Harry sank down onto the bed and stared at his hands. In a halting voice, he told them about the night Bellatrix visited him the year before and ended with his finding the baby that morning. He gestured towards the note which Kingsley picked up. When he finished his story, Harry found he couldn’t look at either of them. He waited with his head bowed for their reaction.

A soft hand gently lifted his chin. “Sweetie…” She wrapped her arms around him. “Baby, I wish you’d told me. I knew something bad had happened, but I didn’t know what it was.”

“I-I was afraid you would h-hate me,” he whispered. “I didn’t want to, honest. It-it was h-horrible. She cast some spell to immobilize me and there was nothing I could do.”

“I don’t hate you,” Ginny said. “I love you. I love you very much and nothing will change that. I’m not my idiot brother, I know you didn’t want to do this. What can I do to help?”

“Y-you want to help?” Harry couldn’t believe his ears.

“I want to help.”

“Harry,” Kingsley said compassionately. “Damn, I knew something was wrong, but I never thought…How did she get in here?”

Harry shrugged. “I have no idea. She came by herself and just…you know. She left right after.”

“So she didn’t harm you per se,” Kingsley mused. He looked over at the little elf. “Dobby, is that why you cast the extra charms for Harry? Bellatrix was the evil witch you mentioned over Christmas.”

“Yes, sir. The evil witch was able to get to Harry Potter, sir, so Dobby fixed it,” the little elf explained.

“Dobby was wonderful,” Harry said with a slight smile for the little elf. “He took me to Hogwarts so I could get cleaned up and he healed me and brought me potions. He’s been brilliant about this whole thing.”

Dobby beamed under Harry’s praise.

“Where the hell was the Order guard?” Ginny asked. “I thought someone was watching him all summer.”

Kingsley looked uncomfortable for a moment. He sighed. “Tonks was rather upset with…well she was upset that she was injured and she was upset on Remus’s behalf.”

“She blames me for Sirius’s death, doesn’t she?” Harry said softly.

“I’m afraid so, kiddo,” Kingsley replied gently. “Well, she did, I don’t think she does anymore. She’s had time to think about it and Albus talked to her quite a bit. She was supposed to be his guard and she…well she would come by once or twice and check on everything and leave.”

“That bitch!” Ginny fumed.

Despite the seriousness of everything, Harry had to smile at Ginny’s defence of him. He reached out and tugged the end of her hair. “Thank you, love.”

She smiled at him despite her anger at Tonks. Harry turned to Kingsley. “What should I do? I have no clue what to do.”

“Let’s get you out of here,” Kingsley said. “We have your new safe house ready, we just planned for you to be here to recharge the wards and gain the last bit of safety from living with your aunt. Obviously this place isn’t as safe as we thought it was.” He looked at Dobby. “Can you pack up Harry’s things and bring them to the house I showed you?”

“Yes, sir.” Dobby looked over at Harry. “Is that okay with you Harry Potter, sir?”

“That would be great, Dobby,” Harry said.

Dobby quickly packed everything up and popped away. He returned quickly. “All done, Mr Kingsley.”

“Excellent,” Kingsley said. He looked over at Harry. “I’m going to side-along you and the baby and Dobby will bring Ginny.”

Gingerly picking up the basket, Harry grabbed onto Kingsley’s arm. A moment later they were standing in a rather large room. Harry set the baby down gently. Looking over at Kingsley, he asked, “Is it safe for her to sleep so much?”

“If it is alright with you, I would like Madam Pomfrey to take a look at her,” Kingsley said. “I’m also going to have her establish parentage.”

Harry nodded. He looked around and Kingsley said, “Why don’t you explore the house while I go find Poppy?”



Soon after Kingsley left, Ginny and Dobby appeared.

“Sorry it took so long,” Ginny said. “I asked Dobby to take me home first so I could tell Mum I was with you and I wanted to get a few things.”
She held up two books for Harry to see. One was titled What to Expect Your Baby’s First Year and the other was The Wizarding Book of Baby Names, both of them looked well worn.

“These have been in the sitting room forever,” Ginny explained. “I’m sure there are newer books, but I figured they would be a good start. I used to love to look through the baby name book to find names for my stuffed animals.”

Harry smiled, “Thank you. I guess I do need a name for her. Kingsley went to find Madam Pomfrey. I wanted to look around, but I didn’t want to leave her alone.” He looked over at Dobby. “Would you mind staying with her while Ginny and I look around?”

“Of course not, Harry Potter, sir. Dobby would be happy to watch the baby Potter.”

“Thanks,” Harry said as he reached out for Ginny’s hand. “I wonder where we are.”

“I don’t know,” she said as they left the large living room. They found a formal dining room, a large kitchen, a small bathroom and a study on the same floor. Climbing the stairs, they found three bedrooms and another bathroom. The top floor had two bedrooms, a bathroom, and another study. They discovered a basement with a large living room, one room set up as an office and another bedroom. The house was sparsely furnished and most of the furniture was rather mismatched and some of it was rather worn.

The sound of voices attracted their attention and they returned to the living room where they found both Madam Pomfrey and Professor McGonagall had come back to the house with Kingsley. Madam Pomfrey was already examining the baby while the other two were talking in low voices.

“Is she okay?” Harry asked.

Madam Pomfrey nodded briefly. To Harry’s relief, she had no pity in her eyes, just compassion. “She will be.”

Harry and Ginny walked over to them. The baby was awake and looking around. Harry gasped when he saw her eyes. “She has Sirius’s eyes.”

“She does,” Ginny agreed as she gently reached out to touch the baby’s head. She silently gave thanks that Harry could see his godfather in the baby, not Bellatrix.

“What about all the cuts?” Harry asked as he looked at the multitude of cuts on her chest, back and abdomen.

“I believe Bellatrix was trying to bind the baby,” Madam Pomfrey said with disapproval in her voice. “That is a very old, pureblood tradition. It didn’t work in the old days and it doesn’t work now.”

“I don’t understand,” Harry said. “Bellatrix said something about that in the note she left. What does that mean — bind the baby?”

Madam Pomfrey sighed. “Imagine you have a young lady who was cheating on her husband and became pregnant. She would try to bind the baby to her husband to so he might accept the baby. They try to use blood and…well it’s more grey magic than black magic, but they try to use magic to force the husband to accept the baby. I believe Bellatrix tried to do this with You-Know-Who, but it didn’t work. The baby will be fine. She’s healthy, she’s been well fed and I’ve given her baby potions. She is most definitely your baby. I verified her parentage.”

She gestured for Harry to sit down and once he did, she handed him the baby. Over the next hour she patiently instructed Harry how to feed and burp the baby, how to change her, and basic safety concerns. Harry was incredibly grateful to her and he was very happy Ginny was there and asked questions as well. Madam Pomfrey told him what to expect the baby to do.

“She is about eleven weeks old, is that correct?”

“I think so,” Harry replied.

“She should probably sleep for six or seven hours at a night, but she will most likely still wake up during the night. Most babies her age will nap once or twice a day, but do most of their sleeping at night. She weighs about 5.6 kilos which is about average, she might be a little on the small side, but she looks good.” The older witch looked sternly at the young couple. “Babies will sometimes cry for no real reason and it can get very frustrating. Normally when babies cry you feed them and change them and they are good, but other times they just cry. The most important thing is if you get frustrated, put her in her cot and walk away.”

“Walk away?” Harry asked in confusion.

Madam Pomfrey nodded. “Sometimes parents get very frustrated with their babies and they might take their frustrations out on the baby.”

She saw understanding flood Harry’s face. “I’m not saying I think you would do that, I just want to warn you. Sometimes babies just cry and it doesn’t mean you are a bad parent or you are doing something wrong.”

“Okay,” Harry replied. “I…my aunt and uncle never wanted me. I want to make sure that she never feels the same way.”

“She won’t,” Ginny said firmly.

“What…I don’t know the right words or anything, but is there some way to make sure legally that Bellatrix doesn’t get her hands on the baby?” Harry asked hesitantly.

“That is an excellent idea,” Professor McGonagall said, speaking up for the first time. “I believe the note she left shows her intent and we can terminate her parental rights.” She knelt down next to Harry where he was sitting holding the baby. “Harry, I know this is a lot to handle all of a sudden on top of everything else you have to handle. If I could offer a suggestion — don’t make any rash decisions. Take some time and honestly think about how this will affect you and her.”

Harry smiled. “I will, I promise.”




Once Madam Pomfrey left, Professor McGonagall and Kingsley sat down with the young couple. The baby was once again sleeping in her basket, but this was a normal sleep, not spell induced.

“I’m sure you may have wondered where you are,” Professor McGonagall said. “This house is just outside of the town of Yate. It is in the West Country not too far from Godric’s Hollow. We’ve been adding protections and wards.”

“Who owns the house?” Harry asked.

Professor McGonagall and Kingsley exchanged a look. She answered. “Actually it is yours. Sirius purchased it the spring before he died. I believe he bought it with an eye to living here with you. Because he’d just purchased it, we didn’t find the paperwork right away.”

Harry had to blink away tears determinedly. Sirius had really wanted to live with him. “He bought this for us?”

“He did, lad,” Kingsley spoke up. “He really wanted for the two of you to be a family.”

Harry stood abruptly and strode out of the room. Ginny smiled apologetically at the adults and followed him. She found him in the largest bedroom on the top floor. Both of them had decided it was their favourite bedroom.

He was leaning against the wall looking out the window. Slipping her arm around his waist, she leaned against him. He pulled her into his arms as sobs wracked his body. “He really wanted me.”

“I know, love,” she said soothingly. She stayed there in his arms for a few minutes letting him draw comfort from her. Once he’d calmed down, she guided him to the stairs and the two of them sat on the top step.

“Sweetie, this is a lot that’s been dumped on you at one time,” Ginny began. “Don’t get mad at me, but are you sure you want to keep the baby?”

He was silent for a minute and she could feel the tension in his body. “I do. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I wish it was different and I really wish she had a different mother, but I was serious I don’t want her to not be wanted. I know it’s going to be a lot of work and we’ll have to change our plans a bit, but I do want to do this. She…she’s so little and she needs me. She needs me to be there for her and protect her from Bellatrix.

“I’m going to ask Dobby if he’ll help me. I know I can’t do this on my own. I mean, I don’t even have furniture, but I want to turn this house into a home. We can use this house as a base while we find the last of the Horcruxes and once Voldemort is gone we can live here full time. I think Bellatrix expected me to be angry or disgusted, but that little baby…I don’t see Bellatrix in her. She is my daughter and I could never hate her.”

Ginny smiled gently. “I think that sounds wonderful.”

“I don’t…I don’t know how to say this without sounding like a total prat,” Harry began. Ginny giggled and he relaxed for the first time in several hours. He leaned against her and said, “I don’t want you to think that because you’re my girlfriend that I’m expecting you to take care of her, but she’s mine and….”

“I want to help you take care of her,” Ginny broke in. “But yes, I’m not going to change all the dirty nappies or be the only one to get up in the middle of the night.”

“No,” Harry hurried to reassure her. “I don’t expect that.” He looked at her shyly. “I…you said before…I’m trying to say I love you too. Thanks for being here with me.”

“You’re welcome and I love you,” Ginny smiled. “You know what we need to do? We need to find that little girl a name.”

The two headed downstairs and Harry seemed surprised that Professor McGonagall and Kingsley were still there.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to walk out, I just…I needed some air.”

“That’s okay,” Kingsley answered. “I know this has got to be a lot on you.”

“Bellatrix didn’t do any kind of tracking spell on the baby or anything, did she?” Harry asked suddenly.

“No, she didn’t,” the Auror replied. “That is a very good thought and I checked her before we left Surrey. I’ve been talking to Minerva and we think it would be best to magically hide her identity. It wouldn’t be forever, but it would prevent Bellatrix from sending an owl to the baby and finding out where you are and it would prevent anyone from finding out you have a child. I can only imagine what Scrimgeour would make of that news.”

“Okay,” Harry said. “That’s a good idea.”

“If you want to pursue the idea of terminating Bellatrix’s parental rights, I will meet with my brother who is a solicitor,” Professor McGonagall said. “I imagine he can push it through very quickly with the note she wrote, not to mention the circumstances of the baby’s conception.”

Harry agreed and the professor left to talk to her brother. “Kingsley, I will need to get some furniture, especially some baby furniture.”

“Have you looked in the Potter family vault?” Kingsley asked. “I know they put much of the contents of your parent’s house in the vault.”

“The Potter family vault? No,” Harry said. “I’ve only seen the one vault with my money for school.”

“You should see the vault,” Kingsley said. “I’ve been thinking, I believe you should ask Dobby to be your elf. That way he can’t be forced to reveal any of your secrets. Minerva says he is a free elf who works at the school.”

Harry’s eyes widened. “Hermione would kill me if I own a house elf.”

Ginny started laughing. “You would be in so much trouble,” she said in a sing-songy voice.

“Why?” Kingsley asked curiously.

“She thinks they’re slaves and it’s not right to keep them slaves. She is trying to free all of the Hogwarts elves,” Harry explained.

Kingsley nodded. “I’ve heard other Muggle-borns voice the same opinions. Elves have a very complex society and very few of them wish to be free. But you will notice I said ask Dobby. I think he would do it and he would be honoured to do so. With the task you have coming up I think you will need help watching after your daughter.”

Harry looked over at Ginny. “I think you should,” she said honestly. “I don’t agree with Hermione’s crusade. She’s never asked the elves what they want and she’s never really talked to any of them except Dobby and Winky. Dobby would be thrilled to help you.”

“Let me think about it,” Harry said. “I probably will, but I want to think about it first.”

“Okay,” Kingsley said. “Do you want to go see the vault? Dobby can watch the baby.”

Harry laughed. “That sounds good, then we can find a name so we can stop calling her ‘the baby’.”

Kingsley used his credentials to allow the three of them to Floo directly to the lobby of Gringotts. That was not a privilege offered to many people. Soon they were racing down the tracks on the cart. Harry and Ginny both enjoyed the ride while Kingsley just seemed to endure it. They landed near the bottom of the vaults. There was a square off to the side of the group of vaults and chained inside the square was a large, pale dragon.

Harry gasped. “Hagrid would love to see this.”

“Charlie, too,” Ginny agreed. She giggled. “They would both try to free it.”

The three humans were guided over to one of the large vault doors. Griphook, the goblin who accompanied them, said, “Place your hand on the door and state your full name.”

Stepping up to the door, Harry said, “Harry James Potter.”

The doors rumbled and opened to reveal a vault much larger than the vault Harry was used to seeing. The first room was filled with trunks of treasures, jewels, and coins. On the walls were various pictures, painting, swords, and other objects d’art. Harry spent a few minutes looking at the items in that room.

He looked up at Griphook. “Can I have a trunk sent to my house?”

The goblin nodded. “Show me the box and I will send it. Which house do you want it sent to — the one in London, in Godric’s Hollow, or Yate?”

“Yate,” Harry said a bit shakily as he realized how much he’d inherited. Ginny squeezed his hand and he leaned down and kissed her quickly.

“Thank you for being here,” he said in a quiet tone. In a louder tone of voice, he indicated the trunk for Griphook who touched the box and said something in Gobbledegook. The box glowed for a moment before disappearing. He also scooped golden coins into two bags. One of the bags he tucked in his pocket, the other he asked Griphook to exchange for Muggle money.

The group moved further into the vault and discovered a second room filled with boxes of clothes and furniture. There were even two full suits of armour in the back of the room. Harry gasped in amazement.

“This is amazing,” Harry said. Tugging on Ginny’s hand he led her into the forest of furniture. Towards the centre of the chamber they found a bedroom set that was made of dark wood and was in good condition. The bed was a large sleigh bed and there was a chest of drawers, wardrobes, and nightstands to match. He indicated to Griphook he wanted the set.

“Harry over here,” Ginny called. She had wandered a bit further into the chamber. She was standing in front of a white cot, changing table, and chest of drawers. She showed them to him. “These are perfect.”

Harry agreed and those items and a rocking chair were sent on to the house. Kingsley had been looking at the boxes and he called to the couple. They headed over to see what he was looking at. He was standing in front of a box labelled ‘Harry’s baby clothes.’ Harry’s eyes widened. Cautiously he lifted the box top and found blankets and other assorted baby clothes. Most of them were blue and green, but Harry figured that right now it was most important to have clothes not the colour. They could get new clothes later.

That box joined the others and the three of them headed back to the house. Dobby had already arranged Harry’s room and the nursery on the top floor and was feeding the baby when they returned. Harry volunteered to finish feeding her and burp her.

He sat down with the baby and Ginny was near him reading names out of the baby book. They soon discovered that they had fairly similar taste in baby names. Harry considered continuing the trend of flower names, but between Petunia and Pansy the flower names had been rather tainted. He didn’t want to use his mother’s name — at least not for this baby. It just didn’t seem right.

“Wait,” Harry said. “Go back a minute. Faith. I like that name.” He looked down at the baby in his arms. She had her eyes open and was looking back up at him. “Do you like the name Faith?”

She made a few noises and Harry looked over at Ginny. “What do you think?”

“I like it,” Ginny said firmly. “It’s kind of symbolic. We have faith everything will turn out well.”

“Exactly,” Harry said with a smile. “Okay, Faith.” He thought for a minute. “Didn’t you say one of the names meant peace?”

“Irene means peace,” Ginny said after flipping through a few pages. “Actually there are several names that mean peace — Concordia, Inga, Irene, Malina, Salome, and Selima.”

“I like Irene the best,” Harry said after he considered the options. He tested the name. “Faith Irene Potter. I like that.”

“Perfect,” Ginny said as she leaned over and kissed the baby on top of the head. “She is very pretty.”



“Are you sure you don’t want me to do this by myself?” Minerva McGonagall asked Kingsley compassionately.

Shaking his head, Kingsley took a deep breath. “No, Minerva. I appreciate the thought, but I need to talk to her myself.”

“Okay,” Minerva replied.

Together the pair crossed the lobby of the building and headed for the lift. Kingsley was momentarily surprised how well Minerva operated in the Muggle world until he realized that she made many visits to incoming Muggle-born students. She was simply dressed in a dark green blouse and a pair of black trousers. Kingsley doubted that anyone would be able to spot her for a witch if they didn’t know her.
They arrived on the fifth floor and headed to the back flat. Kingsley knocked on the door. It took just a moment and the door opened.

“Wotcher! Kingsley, Minerva, come in.” Tonks looked radiant with her bubble gum pink hair. She’d recently found out she was pregnant and it was obvious she was thrilled.

The bubbly Auror led the older pair into her small breakfast nook. Remus stood when he saw them. After exchanging greetings, Remus poured tea for everyone and set a plate of scones and thick cream on the table.

Kingsley looked over at Tonks. She looked like the same bright, friendly girl he’d known for many years now. “Tonks, we are here to ask you some difficult questions.”

A frown graced her face. “Has something happened?”

Minerva nodded. “Have you had any contact with your Aunt Bellatrix in the past year?”

“What?!” Tonks looked appalled at the thought. She looked between the two of them and realizing they were serious, she replied, “No, I’ve never had any contact with my Aunt Bellatrix.”

“May I see your forearm?” Minerva asked.

Tonks simply pushed her sleeves up and showed her unmarked arms.

“What the hell is this about?” Remus asked angrily. It was Tonks who laid her hand on his arm. “Let them ask their questions. That’s how we will find out what’s going on.”

“Last summer, Albus spoke to you about your dereliction of duty when you were supposed to be guarding Harry,” Minerva commented.

Blushing, Tonks nodded. “I was angry with the boy. He had the means to contact Sirius and he didn’t. Instead he leads five of his friends into danger —it’s only luck none of them were more seriously injured. His actions led to Sirius’s death.”

“Dora,” Remus sighed. “I don’t really think it was his fault.”

“It wasn’t,” Kingsley spoke up. “Harry never opened the package with the mirrors until after Sirius’s death. He didn’t want to do anything that might cause Sirius to be caught and put back in Azkaban.”

“Oh,” Tonks looked surprised. “I didn’t know that.” She looked from Kingsley to Minerva. “I am sorry that I didn’t guard Harry as I should have. I’m not sure what this is all about.”

“I’m trying to understand your thought process,” Minerva said.

Tonks shrugged. “I admit it wasn’t my finest hour. I was angry with Harry. Sirius was dead, I spent time in St. Mungo’s, and Remus lost his best friend again. I didn’t want to waste my time watching the most protected boy in Great Britain. I checked on him several times, but he was fine and he had wards protecting him.”

“Did something happen?” Remus asked.

“One night last July, Bellatrix Lestrange made her way past the wards and entered the Dursley house. Because of Harry’s extremely poor treatment at the hands of his so-called relatives, the wards allowed her in because she wasn’t there to ‘hurt’ him.” Minerva said in an even tone. She looked up and speared the younger witch with a look. “Bellatrix raped him repeatedly intending to bear Voldemort an heir.”

“What?” Remus looked horrified. Tonks stared at her former professor in horror. “No, no, no. Albus said nothing happened.”

“He never knew,” Kingsley said. “Harry never told anyone until he arrived home a few weeks ago and found a baby on his doorstep.”

Tonks jumped up from the table and the sound of retching and vomiting filled the little flat. A few moments later a pale and teary Tonks reappeared. Remus stood and pulled her down in a chair next to him.

“Is Harry okay?”

“He is trying to raise a baby while he is still a child himself on top of the fact that he is being hunted by the worst Dark Lord in centuries,” Minerva replied acerbically. “How do you think he is?”

“I didn’t know,” Tonks said. “I promise, I didn’t know. You can give me Veritaserum or whatever you need to do.”

“I believe you,” Minerva said after a moment. She had considered using Veritaserum, but it’s use during pregnancy was not recommended.

“Does he hate me?” Tonks asked almost fearfully.

Kingsley shook his head sadly. “No, he doesn’t blame you at all. He doesn’t understand why anyone would bother to guard him in the first place and he even said he was glad no one was there because Bellatrix would have killed them. I believe he also felt that in some cosmic way his rape was a just punishment for Sirius’s death and I have to say that makes your behaviour more reprehensible to me. That poor boy thought it was only fair that he suffer because he got his godfather killed.”

Tonks bit back a sob. “I am so sorry. I didn’t realize.”

“You didn’t realize because you didn’t want to,” Kingsley shot back. “He was hurting so badly and you just brushed him aside. I’m sorry you and Remus were hurt, but you are both adult members of the order. That poor boy who we are all pinning our hopes on was maligned and denigrated by the press and Ministry, ignored by the Headmaster, and tortured by Umbridge for a whole year. When Albus and Severus discovered that Harry could see into Voldemort’s thoughts they never bothered to explain to him what these dreams he had about the Department of Mysteries meant. They didn’t explain about the prophecy. Instead they left him to flounder on his own.

“I listened to him one night try to justify himself. He felt so guilty for not understanding what was going on. Snape the bastard was no help. Harry tried to tell him, but while the bastard checked to make sure Sirius was safe he never told Harry. He went to the Department of Mysteries with only the best of intentions. Can you imagine how different things would be if only one person had talked to the boy?”

By the time Kingsley ended his tirade, Tonks had completely dissolved in tears. Remus held her in his arms, but he looked shaken as well. Minerva watched the young woman with compassion.

“Tonks, I needed to make certain you understood the consequences of your actions. I don’t know how many people will learn of Faith’s existence and while I can understand your actions not everyone will."

The shaken Auror nodded. A smile played around Kingsley’s mouth. “A word to the wise — keep away from Ginny Weasley. Harry might not blame you, but Ginny certainly does.”

“I am truly, truly sorry,” Tonks said. “Please make sure they know that.”

“I will,” Minerva promised.



Almost a month later, Harry felt he was managing okay some of the time, but other times he felt he was the absolute worst father in the world. Luckily Faith was a good baby. She didn’t cry a lot and she loved to fall asleep with her father rocking her. Harry really wished that Ginny could just stay with him, but he was happy that at least she could visit almost every day.

Harry still hadn’t told anyone outside of the original four, but he knew that time for coming clean was rapidly approaching. He’d exchanged letters with Ron and Hermione, but he hadn’t been able to bring himself to tell them about Faith or even that he was no longer at his relatives’. He was waiting to tell them in person because he really didn’t know how they were going to take it.

Dobby had been a huge help for Harry. Harry had followed through on Kingsley’s suggestion and asked Dobby to be his house elf. The excitable little house elf was only too happy to join Harry’s family. Dobby suggested that Harry ask Winky to join them as well. Winky had been trained in childcare and would be a huge asset to Harry. Happy for the help, Harry had both elves join his family.

Madam Pomfrey had checked in with them at least once a week to see how he was doing. Professor McGonagall’s brother had been able to terminate Bellatrix’s parental rights leaving Harry as Faith’s sole parent. Harry had even written his own will making sure to take care of both Faith and Ginny. With her permission, Ginny was named as Faith’s godmother and the person to whom Faith’s guardianship would go to if something happened to Harry.

His room was now decorated in a red and gold Gryffindor theme and Faith’s nursery was pink with flowers on the walls. Honestly Faith was spending most of her nights in Harry’s room. He had a bassinet set up next to his bed so she could sleep in either room. To his relief, her cuts had healed and left just thin scars in their place.

A tapping noise attracted his attention and he smiled as he let his owl inside. “Hi, girl.”

As he removed the letter from her leg he chatted easily with the bird. Hedwig, for her part, was rapidly becoming very attached to Faith. Faith was still working on tracking with her eyes, but her eyes always lit up when she saw the pretty white bird.

Harry,

Happy birthday, love!! I can’t wait to see you later today. Mum has been cooking her heart out all morning and is certain that you are starving to death. No matter how much I reassure her, she won’t believe me until she sees you.

I hope Faith did well sleeping last night. I miss you so much and I really wish I could just live there with you. Mum is asking a lot of questions, I don’t know how much you want to tell them, but it might be the day to explain what’s going on.

Mum’s had us working like house elves getting ready for this wedding. Everything’s been scrubbed and polished, I swear it doesn’t look like our house anymore. Fred keeps saying if getting married is this much work he wants to elope. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but I’d find some way of keeping mum drugged.

Hermione arrived yesterday. I’d hoped that they might have come to their senses and confess they like each other, but I guess that would be too much to ask for. Don’t worry, everything will be fine!

I love you,

Ginny


Harry couldn’t help but smile at Ginny’s letter. He was looking forward to seeing all of the Weasleys, but he was very nervous about leaving Faith for potentially a day or two. Dobby and Winky had reassured him that they were perfectly happy to watch her and they had both assured him their previous families had trusted the house elves to watch the babies. Somehow, knowing their families it didn’t really reassure him.

Ginny had convinced him to leave Faith with the elves for a few hours one afternoon as a trial run. It had been a lot of fun. They had gone shopping for both Harry and Faith. Ginny had to restrain Harry from buying the whole toy store, but he had still left with a large bag. That outing had worked well, but this could be even longer.

He was hoping that once he told his friends, he could tell Mr and Mrs Weasley and he’d be allowed to bring Faith to the Burrow. Ginny didn’t think it would be a problem, but Harry was well aware that not everyone welcomed unknown babies into their house.

Glancing at his watch, he realized that it was time to get ready. He showered and changed into some of the clothes that Ginny had picked out for him and went to find Dobby. It still amazed him how seamlessly the elves had integrated into his little family. They did all of the grocery shopping and had chosen clothes for both him and Faith. While he knew Hermione was going to be upset, he thought house elves were wonderful.

He headed up to the nursery and found Dobby rocking Faith. Harry knelt down next to the rocker and kissed his daughter on top of her head.

“Daddy’s leaving for a while, Faith,” Harry said softly. At first he’d felt rather stupid talking to the baby, but Madam Pomfrey assured him that it helped her. Now he found he rather liked it. Faith always looked around at the sound of his voice.

He lifted her out of Dobby’s arms for a moment and cuddled her. “You be a good girl for Dobby and Winky. Hopefully, Daddy will come back and get you in a little while.”

He kissed her again and gave the baby back to Dobby. “I’ll be at the Burrow. Please come get me if you need me and if you need to leave here, if it seems dangerous, bring her to the Burrow. Okay?”

“Yes, Harry Potter, sir,” Dobby reassured him. “We will take good care of baby Faith. Do not worry.”

“Thanks, Dobby,” Harry replied before heading to the Burrow.

He Apparated to the Burrow. Kingsley had arranged for Harry to take his test early and he’d had his license since March. That was something else his friends didn’t know. Kingsley had thought it important for Harry to have a way to escape if he needed and he’d started training Harry to Apparate just after Halloween. Ginny was the only one of his friends who knew any details of his training.

As he started walking towards the door, the door flew open. Harry smiled as Ginny ran towards him. He had just enough time to brace himself when she jumped into his arms. He had to swing her around so they wouldn’t fall over.

“Happy Birthday, love,” Ginny said before she pulled him down for a deep, passionate kiss. Harry lost himself in the sensations that Ginny so easily evoked. Sometime later, Harry pulled back and Ginny reluctantly dropped her legs from around his waist.

He squeezed her hand. “That’s already made it my best birthday ever.”

She laughed as they neared the Burrow. “Good!”

As they entered the house, Harry found himself pulled into an embrace by a familiar bushy-haired witch.

“Happy birthday, Harry!” Hermione said. “I’m so glad you’re here! I hope you don’t have to stay at your aunt and uncle’s much longer.”

Ron gave Harry an awkward one-armed hug. “Happy birthday, mate. Glad you are here, these two have been driving me nuts.”

“Ron!”

Harry had to laugh at how put out Hermione sounded. Before he could say anything, Mrs Weasley pushed the kids out of the way. “Harry! Happy birthday!”

She hugged him and looked him up and down. “You look good. Why don’t you kids go outside until lunch is ready?”

The four of them headed out to their favourite talking spot in the back garden. As they walked, Harry could see what Ginny meant. The back garden was spotless with no weeds or gnomes in sight. The grass was neatly trimmed and there were some new bushes planted near the large white marquee that Harry assumed was for the wedding. He’d noticed the front of the house was also picked up — no more rusting cauldrons or old boots.

As soon as they sat down, Hermione started talking. “I’ve done quite a bit of research and I’ve been planning what we should do -”

“Hermione,” Harry tried to interject, but Hermione glared at him sternly.

“Don’t interrupt,” Hermione reprimanded him. “I’ve managed to get some potions together and I’ve been sorting through our school books. I hope you brought your trunk, Harry. We’ll need to go through your things and see what we need.” A thought seemed to cross her mind. “Ginny, you should probably leave. You shouldn’t know what we are planning in case you are questioned later.”

“What?!” Harry and Ginny yelled in unison. Hermione seemed unfazed by their anger, but Harry cut off anything she might say.

“First of all, Ginny is an integral part of this,” Harry said with an angry look at Hermione. “Second of all I need to tell you something that changes all of our plans.”

When neither of them said anything, Harry took a deep breath. Ginny reached out for his hand and he took it gratefully. “This starts last summer. One night last July, Bellatrix Lestrange came to my house-”

“What?!”

“Bloody Hell!”

“Harry, why didn’t you say anything? This is big, you need to tell-”

“Hermione, stop,” Ginny said firmly. “Let him tell you his story.”

Somewhat abashed, Hermione subsided. Ron was just staring in shock. Harry continued, “I was already asleep and she immobilized me before I was even awake. She gave me some potions and forced me to swallow them. Then, she…she…she raped me. It went on for hours…”

He trailed off as bile rose up in his throat. He tried swallowing and when that failed he gently pushed Ginny away and turned and vomited. Ginny ran her hand down his back and glared at her brother and Hermione, silently warning them not to say anything. Ron was very pale staring at Harry in shock. Hermione had her hands over her mouth and tears streaming down her face.

When Harry was finished, Ginny vanished the sick. Hermione looked like she wanted to say something about Ginny’s use of underage magic, but the look on Ginny’s face silenced her.

After a few moments of silence, Ron asked, “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Why?” Harry laughed bitterly. “You want to know why? After hearing you laugh about and mock the other men who were raped you really think I was going to say anything to you? Please. I didn’t even want to think about it, much less talk about it.”

“What did Professor Dumbledore say?” Hermione asked hesitantly.

“I never told him,” Harry said simply.

“Harry, that’s dangerous. If she can get into your house once, she can get in again. You have to tell someone,” Hermione burst out.

“Are you interested in what I am trying to tell you?” Harry asked. “This is very hard for me and you really aren’t making it any easier for me.”

“I’m really sorry, mate,” Ron said. “You know I talk before I think. I’m really sorry, both for what happened and that I was such a prat you couldn’t talk to me.”

Harry nodded with a small smile. “Thanks.”

He closed his eyes and dropped his face in his hands. He’d known it would be difficult, but he’d hoped it wouldn’t be this difficult. Finally he looked up and said, “The morning after I arrived back at my relatives, I went for a morning run and came back to find a baby had been left on my doorstep. I have a daughter.”
Reviews 40
ChapterPrinter
StoryPrinter




../back
‘! Go To Top ‘!

Sink Into Your Eyes is hosted by Grey Media Internet Services. HARRY POTTER, characters, names and related characters are trademarks of Warner Bros. TM & © 2001-2006. Harry Potter Publishing Rights © J.K.R. Note the opinions on this site are those made by the owners. All stories(fanfiction) are owned by the author and are subject to copyright law under transformative use. Authors on this site take no compensation for their works. This site © 2003-2006 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Special thanks to: Aredhel, Kaz, Michelle, and Jeco for all the hard work on SIYE 1.0 and to Marta for the wonderful artwork.
Featured Artwork © 2003-2006 by Yethro.
Design and code © 2006 by SteveD3(AdminQ)
Additional coding © 2008 by melkior and Bear