The Secrets In-Between Them by Ravenpuff



Summary: Shortly after the Battle of Hogwarts Harry leaves Ginny again to finish off the last of Voldemort's regime. Ginny moves on with her life with a secret. After a chance encounter reunites them they're forced together again. Can they find a new path forward?
Rating: PG-13 starstarstarstarhalf-star
Categories: Post-DH/AB
Characters: None
Genres: None
Warnings: None
Challenges: None
Series: None
Published: 2020.10.11
Updated: 2020.10.29


Index

Chapter 1: Prologue
Chapter 2: Chapter One
Chapter 3: Chapter Two
Chapter 4: Chapter Three
Chapter 5: Chapter Four
Chapter 6: Chapter Five
Chapter 7: Chapter Six
Chapter 8: Chapter Seven
Chapter 9: Chapter Eight
Chapter 10: Chapter Nine
Chapter 11: Chapter Ten
Chapter 12: Chapter Eleven
Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve
Chapter 14: Epilogue


Chapter 1: Prologue

Author's Notes: This is literally my first fanfiction ever. I'm very open to feedback but writing this primarily for my own mental health Update: The Prologue and Chapter One have been reposted with edits. Many thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story and for being so kind and welcoming with advice.


It had been nearly three months since anyone had seen The Boy Who Lived, five months since the battle of Hogwarts and the end of Voldemort’s reign, and one month since Ginny Weasley had begun her job at the Ministry of Magic. The Wizarding world had finally begun to heal. Shops in Diagon Alley were reopening, muggle born Wizards were slowly coming out of hiding, and Ginny was walking down a quiet street in the early London fog, eager to get to work.

No one in her family was surprised she didn’t return to Hogwarts for her final year, opting instead to home study for her NEWTS and pass them at the end of the summer. The thought of returning to a place with so many unhappy memories motivated her more than anything, and she received top marks in Muggle Studies, the History of Magic, Charms, and Transfiguration. She scraped by in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but she had no interest in a career that had anything to do with Dark magic - defending against it or otherwise. Instead, Ginny had found another role to play.

The atrocities committed under Voldemort’s reign were only just beginning to come to light. Thousands of displaced Muggle-borns and so called “blood traitors” had been displaced, there were significant damages left to repair from the Battles of Gringotts and Hogwarts, and no one seemed to know how to move on. Ginny believed in her heart that if she helped heal this broken world she may be able to heal herself. She only felt a bit guilty that her father and his connections through the order had gotten her this job - assistant prosecutor for the Commission for Justice at the Ministry. After everything she and her family had been through she was just happy to have a path.

Despite arriving early at the Ministry Ginny found it in a flurry of activity. Everyone seemed to be working early and staying late. Kingsley Shacklebolt’s appointment as Minister of Magic had brought a sweep of changes and everyone seemed to be scrambling to prove they were on board. Ginny often felt a pit of disgust at their actions. It was the same as when Voldemort had taken over – all they cared about was saving their own skin. As she stepped into the lift on her way to the office she felt a sudden wave of nausea hit her and she grabbed the side to steady herself. Without warning her mind drifted back to the last time she saw Harry Potter.

“You’re leaving again.” It wasn’t a question. He had the same look the last time he’d broken up with her.

“Ginny...” he replied, silently pleading with her to understand.

“Why can’t you just be happy? Voldemort’s gone why do you have to go looking for trouble?”

He grabbed her gently by the arms. “I don’t go looking for trouble.”

“It finds you.” She finished his sentence. There was no point arguing, she knew.

“Ginny, Fred, Remus, Tonks, Mad Eye, Dumbledore... they all died for something. If we don’t hunt the rest of them down, if we let that darkness grow and come back... what will it all have been for?”

“You don’t have to leave!” Anger flashed inside of her now. “You can stay. Be an Auror, go hunt Death Eaters, go after as many as you like but then come back home. Come back home to me.”

“I’m sorry, Ginny. I never should have started things up again with us. I should have known as long as any of them are out there they’ll come for me. They’ll come for the people I care about. They’d do anything to get their hands on The Boy Who Lived, to kill me and everyone I care about and prove I was just a pawn. At least this why I can find them first and keep you safe.”

“What about Ron?” She asked. “And Hermione? My mum and dad? What are you going to tell them?”

“Hermione is going to work with Kingsley. Ron is going to work with George, help pull him out his grief. Being on the road... it didn’t suit him and he knows him. Your parents will understand.” There was a silence between them holding everything they knew but didn’t want to say. “Would it be easier if I told you that I don’t love you?” He asked.

“I’d know it was a lie.” He pulled her in and kissed her softly on the forehead. She closed her eyes, forbidding the tears from falling.

“Goodbye, Ginny,” he said, and then he was gone.



Ginny’s heart fell at the memory. She pushed the regret from her head. Focus, she said to herself. Focus. She knew there was no changing the situation she was in. It would be several weeks after he left that Ginny realized just how much Harry left of himself behind, how deep and painful his departure would be, leaving her to forge a way forward on her own. There would be no loving reunion in the Gryffindor common room this time, no hope that when the war was over he would come back to her. It was time to accept what is and move on.

Ginny arrived at her desk and sat down, pulling a quill out of her desk. Her father buzzed around giving orders to his staff. It was strange seeing him in this role. He’d spent so many years content to play a small role at the Ministry, known but un-ambitious. Now he was Secretary on the Commission for Justice, tasked with helping the world move forward; he seemed to thrive in the role. Ginny knew he needed the work to keep him from being swallowed by the loss of Fred. She looked down at the stack of paperwork in front of her. “Petition for the Seizure of Assets: Lucious Malfoy, Narcissa Black Malfoy, Draco Malfoy.” She dipped her quill in ink and began.

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Chapter 2: Chapter One

5 years later:

Harry Potter awoke in his tent with a start. After five years the memories still filled his head with dreams - dreams of the loss and the disaster the war had wrought on him. They no longer woke him. He’d grown used to them - Voldemort’s constant reminder of the internal scars he left behind. Harry did not wake from a nightmare today but by instinct, at sunrise, as he had done every day for the last five years. He let his mind wander briefly to the start where it began those years ago in Knocturne Alley, with the only person left he could think of as a mentor.

When Harry entered the bar, The Dragonshire, he grew even more confused. Why had Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic, summoned him from The Burrow so late? He had been lying in Ginny’s bed when the message arrived. He’d snuck in from Ron’s room when the rest of the house was asleep - and they had both worried the house would notice the noise of his Patronus coming from her room. Why Kingsley would ask him to come to Knocturne Alley was beyond him. He saw Kingsley waiting for him in a quiet booth in the back.

“Kingsley,” Harry greeted him. “Why are we meeting here?”

“The last place Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet would think to look for Harry Potter is a seedy bar in the back of Knocturne Alley.” Harry had to admit he had a point. The Daily Prophet had looked for him at every funeral, every memorial, every dedication in the last two months. They were like moths to his very unwilling flame.

“How are you, Harry?” Kingsley asked.

“I’m as good as anyone else, I imagine.” He was still wondering what they were doing there.

“Harry, I’ll cut to the chase. I owe you that. Death Eaters everywhere are looking for you. The ones who were loyal to Voldemort - the true believers - they are regrouping. Determined to gather strength and continue his mission. Killing you is high on their priority list.”

“Someone’s trying to kill me. Great. What else is new?”

“Harry - I’m asking for your help.”

“My help?” A small bubble of anger grew inside of him. “I died, Kingsley. Haven’t I done enough?”

“I thought you had your sights set on being an Auror.”

“That was before I spent a better part of a year wandering the countryside, half starved, destroying Horcruxes. I was hoping I’d earned some time off.”

“Harry, I wish I could tell you we lived in a world where people got what they deserved.” There was no pity in his eyes, no apologies, only truth. “Nobody wanted this war, Harry, and nobody deserves to be asked what you were asked to do, but you are who you are.” Kingsley spoke with a candor Harry was not accustomed to after years of Dumbledore withholding so much information from him. “Harry, if the Death Eaters catch you and kill you, it would be the loss of our world’s greatest symbol of hope. The Ministry is going to have to hide you away, place you under every protection, and we are already stretched thin.”

“And the alternative is... what? What do you want from me, Kingsley? To agree to your protection? Not put up a fight and put my life one hold?”

“On the contrary, Harry,” Kingsley replied. “You’re seventeen, you’ve proven you can look out for yourself. I want you to go with my team of Aurors and hunt every last one of them down.” Harry sat speechless. This is not what he was expecting. “Harry, here’s the way I see it,” Kingsley’s bluntness continued. “Like it or not, you’re a figure in this world. You don’t want to join the Ministry and play politics, and to be honest, your security detail would be a nightmare. We can shut you away, but you’ll be miserable and if the Death Eaters find you they’ll proudly proclaim they pulled you from hiding where you were too cowardly to face them. Hunt them down - at least then if they kill you you’ll have gone down fighting, and the wizarding world will know you’re still fighting for them.”

Harry already knew deep down what he was going to do, but there was still something he didn’t understand. “Why does the wizarding world care what I do?”

Kingsley looked taken aback. “Please, Harry, you’re smarter than that. We need to move forward. These people, they need someone to believe in. When they see you fighting for a better world they’ll want to fight for it too.”

Harry sighed. “Okay. When do we leave?”



Harry threw the covers off and headed for the bathroom in his tent. His shirt off, he saw the long scars that ran down his arms and torso, battle scars from the hexes and curses that had been thrown at him, to match the scars inside from each loss and death he’d seen since the war began. Every scar had a story to tell. He sighed looking at himself in the mirror, thinking to himself it had been a long five years.


With his tent packed and his wand out, he met his squad at the rendezvous point. He’d only been commander for a year but they had grown well together, developing a bond that was difficult to explain. They had all served with each other on other squads here and there before coming under Harry’s command and they had grown to rely on each other in a way only someone who’s fought alongside another in war would understand. They slept in tents for long months on the road, spent endless months on tedious work infiltrating and detangling the network of Voldemort’s curses. They’d taken curses for each other, and buried their friends together. This time there was a new anticipation in the air. After five long years of hunting and fighting they were here, in this field outside a quiet rural town, only an hour from London, prepared to take out the last known Death Eater.

“Alright”, Harry said, preparing the customary speech a commander gives before leading his men into battle. “I want this tight and I want this fast. Dolohov is alone and he knows it. Everyone one else is either dead or in Azkaban, but that makes him even more dangerous. He has nothing left and he’s not afraid to be reckless. Jones, Cattamore, I want you in first to check for jinxes and traps. Followed by Craymore and Turson, I want you to have their backs. I’ll bring up the rear with Smith and we’ll bring him out. I want constant vigilance. I want every single one of you here home with your families tonight, understand?”

“Yes, sir,” they all responded in unison, and together they Disapparated.

They arrived at Dolohov’s hideout. a shack in the back of town. They didn’t need to get around the Fidelius Charm this time; there was no one left to be his Secret Keeper. As they moved towards the shack Harry felt the nerves pop up in his stomach and his heart beat faster. Focus, he said to himself. Focus. He pushed the nerves aside. Jones and Cattamore waved their wands and the door came crashing down. No sooner had they run inside did flashes of light erupt from all sides. Craymore and Turson dutifully ran in after.

“Protego!” They shouted, putting up defensive shields around the men. Harry approached last.

“Come out, Dolohov!” He shouted. “There’s nowhere else to run. You don’t need to die here today”.
Dolohov came charging out, his wand pointed directly at Smith and in an instant, a flash of green light came flying towards him. Instinctively, Harry pulled them both down. An image of Smith’s three-year-old daughter flashed through Harry’s eyes and before he could even think, he was on his feet, his wand in the air. “Avada Kedavra” he yelled and Dolohov, a look of shock etched on his face, fell to the floor.

The men let out a sigh of relief. Turson pulled Smith up, Cattamore and Jones had some cuts from the traps; Jones instinctively began healing spells. Harry sent a Patronus to the Ministry, telling them they needed to dispose of a body and search the shack. “Craymore, go check outside, make sure no Muggles saw the fight. If they did, wipe their memories.” Craymore nodded and was off. Harry looked around, a strange feeling overcame him. It wasn’t regret or guilt, Harry had used the Killing Curse before. After watching so many deaths and injuries he knew now what he didn’t when he was a teenager - that it was sometimes necessary to kill your enemies before they killed you, or worse. He knew no Death Eater would give him the courtesy of Stunning or Disarming first and he’d watched too many people die at their hands to hesitate to kill when necessary. But, Dolohov was the last of them.

Those who followed Voldemort in hopes of gaining power or protection were easy. Many had turned themselves in and ratted each other out to get reduced sentences in Azkaban. But the true believers, those who desperately wanted a world where pure blood wizards could rule and Muggles served - they went into hiding. Plotted their next moves and terrorized Muggles when they could. Some of them hoped Voldemort would come back again and reward them for his loyalty. Others hoped they’d replace him. Harry and the other Aurors hunted every last one of them down. What will I do now, he wondered, now that Dolohov was gone?

Craymore arrived back in the shack - “We’re all clear, sir.”

Harry nodded. Cattamore and Jones were still bleeding. “Can you two Apparate?”

Jones nodded. “Looks worse than it is, sir. The Auror healers will patch us up.”

“Alright, back to the Ministry. Get your reports in and get home to your families. You all deserve the night off”. Craymore, Turson, Jones, and Cattamore Disapparated.

Smith hesitated. “Sir, I... thank you.”

“Don’t mention it, Gerald,” Harry responded, addressing his man by his first name. “Any one of you would have done the same for me.” Smith nodded and with a pop, Disapparated back to the Ministry. Harry looked around the shack, still unsure of the strange feeling inside of him. He would wait until the clean-up crew arrived and then return himself to debrief with Arthur Weasley, Kingsley, and Graven, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It would be good to see Arthur again. It had been months since he’d been at the Ministry, but when he was there they tried to get lunch and catch up.

Harry walked around the shack while he waited. It was a decrepit little thing. Dolohov, the last of a wealthy pure blood wizard family, had all his money and property seized by the Ministry, much like the other Death Eaters, to pay for the damages caused by the war. He obviously ran here in haste, prepared to put up one last desperate stand. It was one room and a bathroom, and smelled of mildew and mold. The bed sagged. A lone couch sat before a crumbling fire. So, this is how your legacy ends, Harry thought, addressing the memory of Voldemort inside, your last supporter barely able to put up a fight. The last of Voldemort’s dark, twisted mark was gone. Not with a bang but a whimper.


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Chapter 3: Chapter Two

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading.


Ginny arrived home from a long day at work, The Daily Prophet tucked under her arm. Her mother would be excited to see it. “Dolohov Dead: Harry Potter and Team of Aurors Defeats the Last Known Death Eater.” Despite it being years since Harry Potter has stepped through the doors of The Burrow, her mother still considered him a son. She followed all his success, through The Prophet, her father, and Ron, and she beamingly told everyone she knew of the brave young man who used to spend summers at her home.

When Ginny walked through the front door she smelled the steak and kidney pie her mother had been making for dinner and breathed deeply the scent of home. It had been a long five years slowly working her way from assistant to junior prosecutor, then to lead, slowly trying and imprisoning every Death Eater who had willingly joined Voldemort’s side. More challenging was deciding who amongst the Ministry who collaborated with his regime was worthy of prosecution and who could be granted clemency, as it would be impractical to throw the entire Ministry in Azkaban. And so they slowly gathered evidence, built cases, made hard decisions, and tried to find justice. And now, with the last of the Death Eaters gone, maybe they could move to other things. Imagine, Ginny thought to herself, prosecuting petty theft and tax evasion. She snorted at the thought. She wanted, for just a minute, to relish the moment of peace before....


“Mummy!” A tall, skinny, five-year-old boy with dark and disheveled hair jumped into her arms.

“Oh, hello, my love,” she responded, planting a kiss on his forehead. “How was your day?”

“Uncle George let me help degnome the garden!” He exclaimed.

“Did he now, and why wasn’t he at work with Uncle Ron?”

“Took the week off,” Ginny’s mother, Molly, replied. “He wanted to take some time away, before...” Molly’s voice caught in her throat. She didn’t need to finish. The five year anniversary was coming. There would be another ceremony, another memorial, the reading of the dead. Ginny shivered. Second May was a difficult day for her family, but this year it was bound to be a bigger affair than usual. Her entire family would go to the service and stand in front of the monument built to the fallen and listen to speeches, give empty smiles to well-wishers, and insist they were fine when all of them would really be dying inside. Ginny would push away the image of Fred’s empty eyes and the blood of her friends and then they would gather back at The Burrow for a private dinner to remember Fred.

“What’s that?” Molly asked, pointing to the Prophet. Ginny handed it over. “Well, would you look at that!” Molly exclaimed. “It’s finally over.”

“Is it?” Ginny asked, skeptically.

“Maybe now...” Molly started.

“Mum, not now,” Ginny snapped back.

“But Ginny, it’s over. Don’t you think it’s time to...” One look from Arthur silenced her.

“Mummy, who is that?” The little boy asked of the picture on the prophet of Harry, looking stoic as he entered the Ministry.

“No one, honey. Just an old friend of your Uncle Ron and I.” Satisfied with the answer, he ran off, content to play with his toys until dinner. Ginny avoided Molly’s piercing look and busied herself setting the table.




The memorial was as solemn as ever. Headmistress McGonagall began the ceremony, speaking to the many students lost, the potential they had, and the sacrifices they made. Kingsley spoke of the progress at the Ministry, the new era that came with the end of the war, and the hatred and darkness they’d stamped out. Colin Creevey’s brother, Denis, read the names of the fallen this year and Molly gave a sob when Fred’s name was read. George’s eyes showed sadness and a loss that came only when thinking about his twin. Ginny prepared to leave, expecting this to be the end, when Kingsley came to the stage.

“Thank you, Denis,” he said, “and now, on the fifth anniversary of the battle of Hogwarts, please welcome Harry Potter, who would like to say a few words.” There were gasps in the crowd and a smattering of applause. A flank of five Aurors broke apart and Harry came out from between them, pulling the hood of his cloak down to reveal his face. He looked so much older than twenty-two, his expression solemn and sad. Ginny’s breath caught in her throat.

She looked angrily at her brother, Ron. “Why didn’t you tell me he would be here!” she demanded through gritted teeth.

“I didn’t know!” Ron shot back. “I swear he didn’t say anything the last time we met for drinks at the Leaky Cauldron.”

A nervous shiver ran through Ginny as she looked around, trying to find an exit. He never came to this memorial. It’s too public, too exposed. She needed to get her son and leave before he saw them. Ginny had been carful, calculating for five years, ensuring she and Harry Potter were never in a room together. Her brother and his girlfriend, Hermione, and Harry kept in touch, meeting when they could for drinks, but Harry avoided crowds. He didn’t go to parties or family dinners. He was rarely at the Ministry and worked in a different department nowhere near hers. He was easy to avoid.

Harry spoke about sacrifice and fighting for the greater good. He talked about making choices between what was right and what was easy. Ginny barely heard a word. As soon as he finished and the crowds began to disperse she set off for her son. She thought, briefly, back to a scene at The Burrow five years ago.

She sat around the kitchen table with her mother and father and her brothers, Percy and Ron. Everyone had a grim look in his eye. Kingsley was there, too, as well as Hermione. Her father had a look in his eye she had rarely seen before, a mix of anger, sadness, and disappointment.

“Tell that boy to get back here and do what’s right,” Arthur demanded to Kingsley.

“Arthur, please,” Molly said in a calming voice. “That boy? This is Harry we are talking about. Our Harry. Ginny just needs to talk to him and they will work it out.”

“Arthur, I don’t know where he is,” Kingsley saidHe and his squad left five days ago. They only contact their handlers until the mission is over. I couldn’t find him if I wanted to.”

“He won’t be gone forever,” Ron interjected. “When he gets back he’ll reach out to me and I’ll tell him to talk to Ginny.”

“No.” Ginny said, firmly. The family looked at her. “No.” She repeated. “Harry can never know”.

Hermione gave her a knowing look. “Ginny is right.”

Ron looked incredulous. “Hermione! You know what he said to Lupin. You know how he feels about this. He would never forgive us. Any of us.”

“Ron,” Ginny looked at him, trying to keep her voice steady. “You know why Harry left. He wanted to keep everyone safe. Imagine if someone found out about this. Imagine if the Death Eaters found out about this. Imagine what they would try to do. Harry would do the noble thing. He would come back. We would probably get married, and we’d hide for God only knows how long.”

Kingsley looked at Arthur, his old friend and they seemed to communicate something silently between them. Everyone’s resolve seemed to collapse, everyone except for Ginny.

“It’s decided then,” Ginny said. “No one will know. If anyone asks we’ll say I had a boyfriend and he died at the battle of Hogwarts and I don’t like to talk about it. That’s the end of it.”

“That’s the end of it,” Hermione echoed.


Ginny found her son playing with Hagrid in near his hut at the edge of the forest. Hagrid was wearing his nice suite - the hairy one he only wore to occasions requiring formal wear. “Thanks for keeping an eye on James, Hagrid,” she said gratefully.

“Oh, it’s no bother. You know I hate those ceremonies. So stuffy.” By stuffy she knew he really meant sad.

“Hagrid let me touch a baby unicorn!” James exclaimed.

“A baby unicorn? Not a baby dragon?”

“Now, now... I’m turning over a new leaf. Getting a bit too old to keep up with all those creatures.”

Ginny reached up on her tippy toes as high as she could go. Hagrid leaned down and accepted her kiss on the cheek. “I hope to see you soon, Hagrid, but we have to be going.” Ginny was eager to get out of there before she was seen.

“Stay! Stay for a drink, Ginny. I haven’t seen you two in ages.”

“Really, Hagrid, we have to get going. You know, the family dinner and all. But I’ll send an owl. I’ll see you soon!”

Hagrid was resigned. “Alright, alright.”

Ginny gathered James in her arms and held him close, carrying him out of the hunt. As soon as she crossed the threshold he wiggled out of her arms, eager to walk on his own.

“James! Don’t get too far ahead of me!” She called after him as he ran off. She went after him, over the hill back up to the school and stopped with a start. There her son stood, looking up at a tall man with untidy black hair just like his. He was flanked on each side by the five Aurors from before, who looked much more like personal body guards. They all looked between Harry and James, bewilderment on their faces.

“Mummy look!” James shouted. “It’s the man from the paper.” Harry looked at Ginny with a mix of shock and confusion.

“Honey,” Ginny approached Harry and James and bent down to meet his level, “this is your Uncle Ron’s good friend, Harry.” She was determined to salvage this, to exchange pleasantries and get out of there.

“Hi! I’m James!” Ginny’s precocious son reached out his hand to shake Harry’s, always eager to meet a new friend.

“James?” Harry looked at Ginny with his eyebrows raised, his eyes piercing into hers.

“My son,” Ginny confirmed.

“It’s nice to meet you, James. I like your name. My father was named James.” James beamed, excited to hear the comparison. “How old are you, James?”

“Four!” James exclaimed. Ginny could see the wheels in Harry’s brain turning, doing the math in his head. The body guards murmured to each other, picking up on the obvious tension. James looked up at Harry, oblivious and excited about meeting someone famous.

Ginny was panicking. “James, honey, we have to go. We have to get to dinner; Grandmum won’t want us to be late.” She gathered James in his arms and pushed between Harry and the body guards.

Harry turned, “Ginny!” he called after her.

Ginny turned and could not read what he was thinking. “I have to go! It was nice to see you!” And with that she and James hurried off.

Back to index


Chapter 4: Chapter Three

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story.


Harry stood almost frozen to the spot. His squad continued to murmur around him. Jones spoke first. “Sir... that boy...”

“Looks just like me.” Harry finished his sentence.

“Who was that woman?” Cattamore asked.

“My ex-girlfriend,” Harry mumbled, still trying to make sense of what he he’d seen. There was no point hiding anything from his squad. They had been through too much and spent too much time together for secrets.

“Well, she’s quite pretty,” said Craymore, seeking to break the tension. Harry felt as if the ground was moving underneath him. He felt unrooted and fought to bring himself back down to earth.

“Sir,” Jones voice sought to ground him. “We were going to see Hagrid, your friend.”

“Right,” Harry answered, grateful they did not ask more questions.

Harry had not planned on coming to the memorial today. He had avoided public gatherings for his safety and everyone else’s. If a Death Eater knew he would attend, it was too easy to attack when everyone’s guard was down. With Dolohov finally gone Kingsley had asked him to come. Still he hesitated. He hated giving speeches and was afraid to face the families of everyone lost to the war. He knew that they all died for something bigger than him, but even five years later Harry remembered Voldemort’s voice and couldn’t shake the feeling that they all had died because of him. Most of his squad had families who’d been affected by the war in the war in one way or another. They were grateful to Harry for ending it, but he was grateful for them for not showing it, for treating him like any other commander. But they stepped up for him today. “We‘ll all stand beside you,” Jones had insisted. “And if anyone attacks, we’ll be there”. Harry knew they were coming as more than his backup, but they all let each other believe it was all about physical protection, rather than address the unspoken bond between them. Harry thought of the last summer he and Ginny spent together, the last time he’d held her in his arms.


They had returned form the Battle of Hogwarts to The Burrow. Harry’s own home at Grimmauld Place had yet to be searched.. He spent with summer with the Weasleys, doing whatever he could to help them through their grief. The night after the battle, in the Gryffindor common room, he’d seen Ginny. Unable to sleep he came downstairs and saw her sitting by the fire, tears sliding silently down her face. Without a word he sat next to her and locked his hands in hers.

She looked into his eyes and kissed him. He didn’t try to fight it. He didn’t have the energy to fight it. All he knew was that the war had left holes in him. Sirius, Dumbledore, Dobby, and now Lupin, Tonks, and Fred. Ginny seemed to make the holes smaller. She swung herself on top of him and he pushed his tongue into her mouth. His hands slid down her back and up her shirt. She grabbed his hair. Briefly his senses came to him and he pulled away.

“Ginny... we should stop. We shouldn’t do this here.”

“Why?” Ginny asked breathlessly.

“First of all, anyone can come down. Second, I don’t want you to regret anything.”

“Harry,” Ginny sighed, “I didn’t know if you were going to come back. I thought you were dead. My brother is dead. Just... stop. Just, please. Just...for once…” her voice trailed away.

Harry understood instinctively what she was trying to say. The year had been brutal. Harry didn’t know everything she’d endured, but knew it couldn’t have been easy at Hogwarts and in hiding. He closed his eyes. He thought of his time away, remembering Hermione’s screams from the Cruciatus Curse, Dobby’s final moments, the hungry sleepless nights in the tent, and just hours ago watching Voldemort’s snake, Nagini, kill Snape. He thought of his own death. He opened his eyes and saw Ginny staring into him. Her blazing gaze made him almost forget it all. He wanted to forget for a while. Against his better judgement he gave in.

He followed her to the first year ’ boy’s dormitory. Its occupants had all left in the evacuation and it was quiet. Empty. As he moved inside of her, he felt almost normal, almost peaceful. After, when he held her into his side he wished they could stay like that forever and forget everything else. Back at The Burrow he longed for that feeling. Hermione left for Australia to find her parents, leaving Ginny the sole occupier of her room. He slipped in every night when everyone else went to bed. If Ron noticed, he kept quiet, perhaps because he understood. Harry and Ginny used each other to numb the pain and loss they felt. They thought for a moment they could find a path together, and then reality brought it all crashing down. Harry couldn’t imagine, though, that she’d be so angry and hurt to keep something like a son from him. She must have known he’d put everything aside for them, that his first duty would have been to his family.


When they arrived at the hut Hagrid beamed. “Is that Harry Potter?” He exclaimed. “I didn’t know you were coming!” He stepped away from his door to allow Harry and the other Aurors in.

“It’s good to see you, Hagrid,” Harry embraced him around his middle, the highest part he could reach.” They exchanged pleasantries and small talk until Harry finally cut to the chase. “Hagrid, Ginny was here before me, with a little boy.”

“James,” Hagrid acknowledged, “a sweet little thing.”

“Hagrid when did Ginny have a baby?”

“Oh, well, he’s about four now, isn’t he?” Harry looked at Hagrid intently and he seemed to read his mind. “I guess she had some fellow from school, died in the Battle of Hogwarts. She doesn’t talk much about him to be honest.”

“Hagrid,” Harry wasn’t buying it. “His name is James. He looks just like...” Hagrid cut him off.

“You leave well enough alone. That girl, her whole family, they’ve been through enough. Don’t need you turning up to dig up bones.” Harry’s squad shifted uncomfortably. It was clear people were keeping things from their commander. It was clear what those things were.

“It’s just, I’ve had dinner and drinks with Ron and Hermione loads of times. Been here to see you loads of times…would have thought someone would have mentioned a new addition to my adopted family,” Harry persisted, not letting the subject drop.

“Harry,” Hagrid implored, “imagine how it looked for them, right after the war. Their daughter, barely of age, pregnant and going to work at the Ministry. They didn’t hide her away, but no one was quick to advertise it.”

Harry still didn’t buy it. This was unusual for Hagrid. He was the worst at keeping secrets. Perhaps he was just too sober to loosen his lips. It was no matter. “I must be going now, Hagrid. I’m late for a family dinner at The Burrow.”


Back to index


Chapter 5: Chapter Four

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story.


There was an uncomfortable tension back at The Burrow, more so than usual on this day. In some ways it was a welcome change- an awkward tension versus a sad and unspoken one.

“Do you think he knows?” Ron asked for the hundredth time.

“I already told you everything that happened. I don’t know. It doesn’t take a genius though to figure it out.” Ginny was exasperated.

“Bloody hell, Ginny! What am I supposed to tell him next time we have dinner?”

“Just stick the script, Ron. Boyfriend, Battle of Hogwarts, out of wedlock pregnancy. Shame on the family, etcetera. Eventually, he’ll drop it and move on.”

“I don’t know, Ginny.... when we came up with this plan we didn’t expect... I mean, he looks just like Harry. Other people are going to start figuring it out. They knew you two were close.”

George leaned against the kitchen counter, an almost gleeful glint in his eye, loving the drama that was filling the house. Ginny was slightly grateful that her plight could pull the attention away from his pain.

“Ginny, they war is over. The Death Eaters are gone. Why don’t you just tell him the truth? What else do you have to fear?” Molly asked looking up from the cooking.

Ginny didn’t answer. She didn’t owe them an explanation. “Stick. To. The. Script.”

There was a tap at the door. Ginny looked through the window and her heart sank again. What was he doing here?

Molly ran to the door and opened it, an unusual spring in her step for this day. “Harry, dear! What are you doing here?”

“Well, you said I was always welcome for Weasley family dinner. I thought it was time to come and to pay my respects to Fred.”

“You are, you are! Always welcome, come in, please get comfortable.”

“Mum!” Ginny grunted, incredulously.

Molly conveniently didn’t hear her. “Sit down, we are about to eat! James, get down here for dinner!”

“Coming, Grandmum!” James quickly appeared in the kitchen, his eyes widened when he saw Harry. “It’s you again! The famous boy!”

“It’s me,” Harry responded. “I brought you something”. From his pocket he produced a stuffed Snitch and presented it to the boy.

“What do you say?” Ginny asked as James turned to run off with it.

“Thank you!” James exclaimed.

“Do you like Quidditch?” Harry asked.

“Yeah. Mum says I’m too young to fly, but Uncle Ron said he’ll teach me when I turn five. He said I can be a Seeker like my dad!”

“Your dad was a Seeker?” Harry looked back at Ginny with that same raised eyebrow as before. Ginny wished she could disappear. “Who did your dad play for?” Harry asked. James simply shrugged.

“Sit down, sit down,” Molly interjected to the crowd, levitating over several hot plates. Ginny couldn’t help but notice the continued shift in the Weasleys’ air as they ate, making small talk and catching up with Harry. Harry, however, kept his eyes focused on James, as if intent on soaking in as much as he could of the small child.

George, over dessert, stood for a toast. Clinking his glass with his spoon, he said, “Well, if there ever was a time I wished that my dear brother Fred, who loved mayhem and awkwardness of all kinds, were here, it’s now. I can’t help believe he’s looking down at all of us, laughing with delight. To Fred.”

The Weasleys, Hermione, and Harry all raised their glasses. “To Fred!” Harry looked and Ginny. Ginny closed her eyes as rage flew through her. If there was any more proof that something was amiss, George handed it right to him. Hermione stood to help clean the dishes. Ginny averted her eyes and stood to do the same until she felt a firm but gentle hand grab her arm. She looked up. Harry’s green eyes burned into hers. Without saying anything he led her into the garden.

When they were outside he continued to stare into her, refusing to ask the question whose answer he already knew. Ginny looked back. Stubbornness emerged from within her and she refused to avoid his eyes. She would face this as she always had, head on. “Where are your body guards tonight?” she asked.

“They aren’t my body guards, they’re my squad. They came with me today to support me.”

“I didn’t know you were going to be there or...” Ginny’s voice unexpectedly caught in her throat.

“Or what, Ginny?” Ginny knew he wanted her to tell him without him having to ask.

“Ron told me you were promoted last year. Congratulations,” Ginny tried to deflect.

Harry didn’t say anything. He looked at her intently, waiting.

Ginny tried to make sense of this man standing before her. In some ways he felt just the same as he’d always been. The same boy she’d known since she was ten. In others he was different, almost colder, more guarded. She fought the urge to blurt out everything, to jump into his arms and cry. No matter how many years went by or how much he’d changed, Harry was always going to be Harry to her.

“Hagrid mentioned you’d had boyfriend,” Harry stated nodding into the kitchen, obviously referencing James. Ginny wondered if they’d taught interrogation skills in Auror training. “Funny, you never mentioned him all those times we were together alone in your room.” Ginny still stayed silent. “Tell me, when is James’s birthday?”

“Harry, if there’s something you want to ask me, just ask it.”

“Ginny, if there’s something you need to tell me, just say it.”

Ginny sighed and sank to the ground. It was no use to try and keep it from him. “What do you want me to say? You left me, again. Ran off to hunt Death Eaters. You’d already been gone a month when I figured it out. I felt so stupid. We were both so lost and broken. We didn’t think to be more careful...”

“Ginny, how could you? How could any of you? Ron and Hermione, all those days they looked at me at a pub or across their table at dinner, looked right into my eyes knowing this and just....”. He looked angry like Ginny had never seen, clearly feeling betrayed on the deepest level.

“Harry, I told them not to tell you. I swore them all to secrecy. Even Kingsley and Hagrid.”

“Kingsley and Hagrid?! Did literally everyone in the wizarding world know I had a child except for me?”

“Harry, no, that’s it. My family, Hermione, Hagrid, Kingsley. No one else, I swear it. Harry, I was afraid. You said they were after you, the Death Eaters... you’d just run off to fight them. By the time I knew about him you were already long gone. Even Kingsley didn’t know where you were.”

“Don’t you know I would have come back for you? I would have stayed here for you - for both of you.”

“Harry, I had to protect him. What would the Death Eaters have done if they found out you had a child, hmm? Where’s the first place they would have come? You left to keep us safe, I wanted to keep him safe.”

Harry’s face softened. “I would have kept you safe. We could have left the country. Gone into hiding.”

Ginny didn’t say anything. She didn’t have the words to make him understand. Harry’s face suddenly had a new layer sadness Ginny had never seen before, even after all they’d been through and all they’d lost. He sank down to sit beside her and put his hand in hers, a solemn tenderness replaced the anger. They were quiet for a while. “What do you expect me to do now?”

Ginny didn’t know how to answer him.

Harry and Ginny sat for a while, their hands intertwined, before Ginny finally answered him. “I don’t know.”

“You can’t expect me to just go back and pretend I don’t know and this conversation never happened.”

“You can’t expect to just waltz back in there after five years and tell James you’re his father.”

Harry paused. “I have a lot of questions. The least you can do is answer them.” Harry took Ginny’s silence and permission. “What does he know about me?”

“Not much. He’s still young and doesn’t ask a lot of questions. He knows you played Seeker, he knows you fought in the war with my brothers. He’s never asked why you aren’t here, so I never told him.”

“Who takes care of him when you’re at work?”

“My mum. It’s been good for her. It gave her something to focus on after the war.”

“Are you... do you need... your family has never been...” Ginny grew angry, knowing where this was going.

“No, Harry. My family has never had a vault filled with gold at Gringotts, but we’ve always had what we need. I work, I pay our way. We don’t need your money.”

Harry’s face grew hot with embarrassment. He never knew how to navigate the financial differences between himself and the Weasleys. “I’m sorry, Ginny. It’s just I’m his father. I can give him everything, I should be helping you. You shouldn’t have been doing this on your own.”

“I was never alone,” Ginny shot back.

Harry sighed.” I understand this is complicated, but you can’t just cut me out of his life, not now that I know the truth.”

Ginny pondered this for a moment. If there was one thing she knew about Harry Potter it was that when his mind was made up about something it was impossible to convince him to change course. “It’s getting late. You can help me put him to bed.”

When Harry and Ginny returned inside, a hush fell over the Weasleys that could only indicate they were being talked about. Molly had a hopeful look in her eye while Arthur was simply stoic. Ginny nodded at her mother, communicating silently what her mother had already guessed. Molly jumped to her feet and threw her arms around Harry. “Oh Harry! I’m so glad to have you back. I hope this means you’ll be coming here more often. For the record, I always wanted to tell you.”

“Mum!” Ginny snarled, horrified.

“I told you,” Ron said to Hermione, “he’s the favorite. Ditches her only daughter twice, leaves her pregnant and after five years comes back to a welcome like the prodigal son.”

Harry shot Ron and Hermione a look. “I’ll deal with you two later.”

George looked absolutely gleeful at the unfolding drama.

“Enough! James, bed.” Ginny called James from the living room where he was playing with his stuffed Snitch and together the three of them went up the stairs.

James’ room was in Ron’s old room. The walls had been painted a soft blue and small bed sat in the corner. Stuffed animals, toy brooms, and little enchanted trinkets littered the floor. A small dresser held a stack of books. “James, my friend wanted to help put you to sleep tonight,” Ginny explained at Harry’s presence.

“Read me a story.” James looked right into Harry’s eyes, bluntly demanding what he wanted in ways only a small child could. Ginny grabbed a book from the dresser. “The Tales of Beetle in the Bard.”

“Not this one, of all the books,” Harry pleaded.

Ginny shrugged. “It’s his favorite.” James changed into his pajamas and crawled into bed, listening intently to the story Harry read about Babity Rabbity.

“I’m thirsty!” he exclaimed when it was over.

“No, you’re not,” Ginny replied with a look that indicated she’d been here before.

“I’m hungry!” The boy insisted.

“No, you’re not.”

“I want another story!”

“Goodnight, James.”

“James,” Harry interjected, “I think I’ll come tomorrow and see you again, is that alright?”
James looked positively delighted. “But you have to be good and go to sleep for your mum.”

James nodded and grabbed the small stuffed Snitch Harry had bought him and pulled it into his side as he prepared to drift off to sleep.

Harry and Ginny started down the stairs, Ginny with a look of resignation on her face. “I suppose I won’t be able to keep you away, will I.”

“Of course, you can’t,” Harry looked incredulous. “Ginny, I want to be there for everything from now on. I’ll come every day.”

Ginny snorted and paused on the way down the stairs. She had no idea where this sudden hopefulness was coming from. “Harry, half the time no one even knows where you are. You’re off hunting Death Eaters, sleeping who knows where. How is that fair to him? You can’t make promises to him you can’t keep.”

Harry knew he was right. Even with Dolohov dead he was still an Auror. There were still criminals and dark wizards to chase down.

“Other Aurors have families, Ginny. Smith has a three-year-old daughter.”

Anger flared inside of Ginny. “You stood in this very house five years ago and told me we couldn’t be together because you had to run off and finish what you started,” she hissed. “That it wasn’t safe for us to be together. And now you have a son and all of a sudden lots of Aurors have families?”

She could tell Harry knew there was truth in what she said.

As angry as he was at everyone for keeping this from him, he could clearly see the complications in front of him. “Ginny, I won’t stay away from my son. I get it. I won’t promise him anything. I won’t tell him anything until we figure it out, but you won’t keep me from him.” He grabbed her hand in his and gave it a squeeze.
Ginny’s heart sped up at the simple touch and feelings she’d pushed down for years rose back to the surface. She wondered if he felt it, too.

“Goodnight, Ginny.” And with that he turned and proceeded down the stairs.

Back to index


Chapter 6: Chapter Five

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story.


Chapter Five
Harry slid into his cubicle at the Ministry the following morning with a cup of coffee in his hands. He’d taken to indulging in a Muggle coffee shop every now and then when he was in town and today he desperately needed the caffeine. He’d slept poorly that night as his mind tried to come to terms with the news. I have a son, he had said to himself over and over again. His emotions were in a coaster from disbelief to fear to anger. His friends and the Weasleys had kept this from him for years. How could they possibly justify it to him?

Harry needed a distraction. Work in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement had been slow with Dolohov finally dead. He had been relegated to desk work for the time being, catching up on five years of unfinished paperwork. He wondered if Ginny was in court today. Arthur had kept him updated on her career over lunch when they were able to meet. Harry was always happy to know she’d taken a job in the Commission for Justice; it was almost as if they were working together from afar. Harry knew it was painstaking work for her. Voldemort didn’t exactly keep records of his followers and their injustices and the effort to hold them accountable was monumental. Ginny and her team had to rely on victims and their families coming forward, find the right Death Eater or Snatcher to prosecute, and build a case. Harder still was convincing everyone to testify while they were still terrified Voldemort could return. Harry was curious how this all played out in front of the Wizengamot and decided to take his chances. He slipped out of his cubicle and headed down to the Level Ten courtrooms.

Luck was on Harry’s side when he arrived, mid-trial. Ginny sat at the front of the room with her team. A young man and his attorney sat opposite them. His attorney was addressing the court.

“Ladies and gentlemen of the court, my client was not some mastermind of Voldemort’s regime. He was a low level Snatcher. He was swept up in fear and joined for his own protection. The Commission for Justice promised my client that in exchange for his cooperation and testimony they would be lenient in their sentencing request and now they are asking for fifteen years in Azkaban. He has already served three waiting for trial. We are requesting the Wizengamot release him, on probation, with time served.”

Harry was taken aback. Time served? He was sure the Snatcher deserved far more than the fifteen years the Commission was asking for and wondered how many other witches and wizards got off easy in exchange for cooperation.

Ginny rose to speak. “Ladies and gentlemen, opposing counsel would like you to believe that this man was low level and caused minimal damage during his time as a Snatcher. We have evidence to the contrary, and would like to ask Mathilda Magshot to read her victim impact statement.”

The victim statements had been Arthur’s idea. He had read about them being used in Muggle courts and thought it may help people feel more empowered to come forward. A young girl seated behind Ginny’s team stood, tears already starting to pool in her eyes. Harry thought he recognized her from his time at school. She came forward and took a deep breath. Harry could tell it was taking all of the courage she had to do this. She turned to face the young man and his attorney.

“You killed my mum.” The young man looked down, his face emotionless. “She was Muggleborn and you killed her when she was on the run. I was fifteen when Voldemort took over the Ministry and I begged my mum to go into hiding, but she didn’t yet. She was a Healer at St. Mungo’s, you know? She said she had patients and they needed her and she would be okay. I still remember when she dropped me off at the Hogwarts Express that fall and I was terrified that it was the last time I was ever going to see her.” She paused as the tears began to fall. “Your lot went to St. Mungo’s, demanded records for all the patients and all the employees and that’s when she took off. I don’t know where she went or where she hid but you found her, didn’t you? You found her and you killed her.”

The young man still didn’t look up. Harry was angry. The least he could do was look this young woman in the eye and face what he’d done.

“I still don’t understand,” she went on. “That’s the hardest part. I ask myself every day why, I can’t get over it. What did she ever do to you? What did she ever do to him? My mother healed people, she’d never hurt anyone. Why did you all hate her so much?” Mathilda’s voice began to rise as the young man continued to look down. “Are you even sorry?”

He looked up at her finally. Harry saw regret etched on his face. “I am sorry,” he said. “I am. I wish I could take it all back.”

“Well, you can’t.” Mathilda and he stared at each other for a while. They were both young, they were all so young, but in moments like this they all seemed so old.

Ginny rose and put her hand on Mathilda’s shoulder and Harry could tell Ginny had probably spent hours with her preparing her for this testimony. He saw her whisper something in her ear that only made her cry harder. She nodded and sat down. Ginny turned to address the court. “Mr. Tuck has cooperated with the prosecution team and his information was valuable to us. It is for that reason and that reason alone that we are not requesting a life imprisonment in Azkaban. The prosecution rests.”

“Very well,” the Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot said. “If the defense has nothing further than we will deliberate and vote.”

Harry left the courtroom. He felt sick to his stomach and didn’t want to hear the verdict. He found a quiet corridor and tried to steady his breathing and push his anger down. He wished there was a Death Eater left he could find and curse.

How could Ginny do this every day? he asked himself. How can she look at these victims and criminals and not go mad?

He was proud of the work he’d been doing as an Auror and he had made his own share of difficult choices, but he was suddenly acutely aware that Ginny was the brave one. At least he could do his part with a wand. She, on the other hand, did her part with her brain. After he’d calmed down he headed for the lift. He’d no sooner turned the corner when he saw Ginny embracing Mathilda who was crying in her arms.

“You were so brave, Mathilda. So brave. Your mum would be so proud of you.” Walking in on this intimate moment made Harry feel uncomfortable. He felt like an intruder. He was wondering if there was another way back up when the girl looked up and noticed him.

“You’re…you’re Harry Potter,” she seemed shocked when she noticed him. Ginny gave him a look that was clearly meant to ask what he was doing there.

Harry moved toward the lift and put a knowing hand on Mathilda’s shoulder. “You were brilliant in there.” Mathilda was speechless as Harry moved into the lift.

On the way back up Harry pondered about what he had seen. Ginny looked so confident, so sure of herself, so determined. His mind flashed back to the Battle of Hogwarts when he watched her comforting an injured girl crying to go home. It seemed there was a side of Ginny Weasley that had always been there that perhaps he had never fully appreciated.

Back to index


Chapter 7: Chapter Six

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story.


Ginny left the Ministry alone. Although she and her father usually traveled home together, he was caught up today, leaving Ginny to walk to the Apparition point by herself. She opted to walk to a point further away from the Ministry than usual, hoping that an evening stroll would help clear her mind. The events of the last twenty-four hours had left her confused and frustrated. She wondered if it had been foolish to believe she could keep James from Harry forever. Obviously, he would come back eventually, expecting to reconnect with the Weasleys. He didn’t exactly have other family to spend time with. Doubt crept into her mind but she pushed it aside. She’d done what she thought was best for herself and her child. She wouldn’t apologize for that.

Ginny breathed in the London air as she walked through the streets. She enjoyed watching the Muggles going about their business. Perhaps it was growing up with Arthur Weasley as a father but she found their habits fascinating. She slowed and watched a pair of lovers standing outside a restaurant, clearly quarreling over something silly, when a strange sensation came over her that sent a shiver down her spine. She looked around. Was she being watched? She didn’t see anyone that she recognized and no one seemed to be paying her any mind. She kept moving, and the sensation followed her. She tried not to look behind her, tried to stay focused on moving forward, but became keenly aware of her wand tucked into her waistband. You’re being silly, she told to herself, but felt relieved when she reached the Apparition point and, with a pop, left for home.




When Ginny arrived she wanted more than anything to crawl in bed with James and enjoy one of their evening cuddles. The courtroom had been exhausting and Ginny certainly didn’t appreciate having to see her ex-boyfriend everywhere all of a sudden. She was dreading that he was coming over for dinner tonight. She walked through the door to see her mother beginning the meal. Molly looked thrilled to be seeing Harry again.

“Mum, I’ll do it,” Ginny said. Her mum could take the night off cooking and entertain Harry instead.

Ginny grabbed knife and began chopping onions and carrots. Molly knew better than to ask why she wasn’t using magic. The feeling of the knife chomping through carrots and onions soothed her. She was in a frightful state when Harry arrived and she could feel his hesitation to talk to her. Molly caught him first. “Harry, dear, come here. James and I are in the parlor.” Harry obliged. Ginny’s mind wandered to the court room as she threw chunks of beef into the stew. The lousy Snatcher had been given ten years. Better than freedom, but far better than he’d deserved. Ginny wished she could put the whole lot of them in Azkaban and throw away the key but the Commission never would have gotten anywhere if some of the Snatchers and Death Eaters didn’t have a reason to cooperate. This compromise was just one of many hard decisions they’d made.

Right on cue, George and Ron came through the front door. George frequently came by for dinner but Ron usually ate at home. “Where’s Hermione?” Ginny asked.

“Girls night with Luna,” Ron responded. There was no way he’d be able to cook a meal for himself. He was useless in the kitchen.

Harry heard the visitors arrive and came into the kitchen. He tensed when he saw Ron. Ginny wondered if there was another reason Ron had come by. “Hey, mate,” Ron said, trying to sound nonchalant.

“Ron,” Harry replied coldly. His face grew cross.

“Look,” Ron said, “Hermione, she’s… she wants me to get this patched up between us all, doesn’t want it to drag on.”

“Does she now?” Harry responded.

“Let’s get drinks at the Leaky Cauldron tomorrow night. Just hear us out.”

“I’m seeing Teddy tomorrow.” Harry spent Saturdays with his godson when he was in town. “It would have to be the day after.” Ron nodded. Ginny felt bad that this had affected Harry and Ron’s friendship, but she knew they would work it out. The two were like brothers. Nothing could keep them apart for long.

After Arthur finally arrived, the Weasleys and Harry gathered around the kitchen table for their meal. Despite the tension between Ron and Harry they managed to catch up nicely, and Harry looked like he wanted to learn everything he could about his son’s life — his friends, his toys, how he spent his days with Molly Weasley. Ginny stayed quiet, wishing the day would just end and Harry would leave. He was her first and only love and she had spent ages putting her feelings for him behind her, focusing instead on her work and her son. She had a built a life for herself out grief and she was proud of it. Seeing Harry Potter brought up feelings she would prefer not to have and it took all of her spare energy to push them back down. Despite her sullenness Harry stayed to help put James to bed.




Afterwards, the Weasley kitchen was mysteriously empty. Ginny’s stomach sank as Harry sat at the table, clearly expecting to talk. Ginny sighed; she needed a drink. She crossed to the pantry and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of firewhisky. It was stronger than what she’d normally drink but she sensed she’d need it tonight. There was no getting out of this. She sat at the table opposite Harry. “What were you doing in the court room today, Harry?” She asked.

“I was curious,” Harry responded. “I didn’t know your team would be there, that was just a coincidence.”

Ginny was skeptical. “Harry, please don’t make things harder than they need to be. We’ve both moved on. I don’t want…”

“I don’t want to get back together with you Ginny.” An uncomfortable feeling moved through Ginny. She was embarrassed to admit that she’d thought he’d still had feelings for her. “How long did the bloody Snatcher get, anyway?”

Ginny looked away. “Ten years.”

“Ten years?” Harry was furious. “He killed a woman and he only got ten years in Azkaban? I thought using an Unforgivable Curse was unforgivable!”

“And just how many Unforgiveable Curses have you used since you became an Auror?” Ginny shot back. She knew the unwritten rules of the Auror Department. Harry fell silent. “What did you think, Harry, that Voldemort would die and all of his followers would just end up in Azkaban forever?”

Harry knew she was right. “How do you do it all day, Ginny? How do you look at all of them, make deals, knowing what they did?”

“Sometimes I get angry,” Ginny sighed. “Mostly, I just feel sad. Voldemort was awful, but the Wizarding World made it a lot easier for him to rise power. I try to look at James. He reminds me why we do it. I want to build a better world for him.”

Harry remembered why he was there. “Right. James. We need to come up with a schedule. Now, I get along fine with your family, so I think it’s best for everyone if we spend holidays and James’s birthday together.”

Ginny raised her eyebrows in surprise. Harry was being presumptuous. “Is that so?” she responded.

“Yes. But when I’m home, when I’m not on the road, I want James to stay with me at least one day a week.”

“Excuse me? You think I’m going to let my son come stay with you every week?”

“It’s only fair, Ginny. Frankly, I think it’s more than fair. It doesn’t have to be right away. We can wait until he gets to know me better, obviously after we tell him the truth and he feels more comfortable with me.”

Ginny’s head was spinning. The whiskey was starting to cloud her mind and everything was coming on way to fast. She pushed the remaining firewhisky away. “Harry, this is just too much. He doesn’t even know you.”

“He doesn’t know me because you didn’t let him know me, Ginny. You can’t punish me for leaving you by keeping my son away.”

White hot anger pierced through the fog in Ginny’s mind. “You think I’m trying to punish you? Really, Harry? Don’t you know me better than that?”

Harry looked like he’d regretted saying it. “I’m sorry. That wasn’t fair. But Ginny, be reasonable.”

Ginny knew Harry would not let this go. “Where would you even stay? Don’t you live in a tent most of the time?”

“We would stay at Grimmauld Place. I’ll set up a room for him there. It’s different now; Kreacher actually did a lovely job with the renovations.” Ginny couldn’t help but laugh. She had a hard time seeing Kreacher as an interior decorator. Harry sensed her skepticism. “You and James can come over and stay with me tomorrow night. I’ll prove it to you.”

Ginny put her head down on her arms. She wasn’t sure if it was shared history or he’d just become a good negotiator, but Harry was quickly wearing down her resolve. She wanted to put up one last fight before giving in. “You know, Harry, after you left I had really counted on never seeing you again.”

Harry laughed, “And now you can’t get rid of me.”

“Fine,” Ginny grumbled, “we will come tomorrow night. I’m going to Diagon Alley to run some errands. James can come with me and you can pick us up outside that ice cream shop you like.”

Harry beamed. It stirred feelings in Ginny and once again she pushed them aside. “I’ll be there at five.”

Back to index


Chapter 8: Chapter Seven

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story.


Chapter seven
Harry loved the feeling of flying through the air, flipping in circles and rolling upside down. Teddy Lupin giggled with delight, secured to Harry’s broom with a harness made for toddlers. Harry wondered if Ginny would let him bring James next time. The thought made his heart soar. Thoughts of Dark magic, Unforgiveable Curses, or Death Eaters, and Horcruxes were constant companions of Harry’s mind, but whenever he was on his broom he found a way to put it all aside. It was the only time he felt his mind was clear, but today even his broom couldn’t clear his mind.

It had pained Harry to tell Ginny he didn’t want her back last night because it was a lie. The truth was he’d never stopped loving Ginny Weasley and he had never stopped thinking about her. He spent every cold night alone thinking about her, remembering what it was like to hold her in his arms, and wondering what their lives would be like if things were different. If only she’d told him the truth about James, maybe they would have spent last night together in a little cottage, curled up on the sofa, drifting off to sleep after a long week. Butterflies filled Harry’s stomach at the thought of sweeping her into his arms and carrying her upstairs, laying her on the bed and slowly undressing her.

Harry tried to push thoughts of Ginny beneath him aside. Things weren’t different. Ginny had kept James from him and he had sensed that telling her how he truly felt would only make it harder for him to get close to James now. Ginny was the gate keeper to his son and it was best for everyone if he focused on what he wanted most of all. It would be a secret he’d have to carry with him forever. He knew he would never get over Ginny; he would never love anyone as much as he loved her.

Harry also knew that it seemed to be his destiny to be alone. What he wanted didn’t matter; people who got close to Harry had a habit of getting hurt, and that was obviously why Ginny had kept James away from him. Her decision confirmed everything he already knew about himself. She knew that he would bring trouble into their lives and so she shielded their son from him. He wondered if this is why Mad-Eye Moody and Dumbledore never married. In all the time Harry had known either of them, neither had mentioned someone they loved in that way.

After years of being kept up at night, Harry was past sadness or anger about the way his life had turned out. None of it had been fair, but it was what it was. So much of hunting Horcruxes, fighting Voldemort, even defeating death itself seemed to be based on luck. Sometimes Harry wondered if it was fate — he seemed to avoid death, capture, and all sorts of nasty outcomes for it to be from chance alone, even with Dumbledore pulling strings from behind the scenes. There seemed to be some unspoken force shaping Harry’s life that demanded he live it alone.

Harry wondered if he was being selfish by trying to get close to James. Had Ginny not gotten pregnant on accident he probably never would have had children. He thought of all the moments in his life that he had longed to talk to his father and his resolve grew. Regardless of the danger, James needed to know Harry. He deserved to have a father. Harry intended to keep his relationship with James out of the press and thought it best not to change his name. He would stay “James Weasley” and everyone could continue hearing the story Ginny had cooked up. Teddy’s giggles snapped Harry out of his thoughts and he saw the sun shifting in the sky. He realized it must be close to four and he needed to get Teddy back. “Hold on, Teddy!” he shouted as he turned the broom about. Teddy giggled even louder.

When the pair walked through the threshold of the house, Teddy’s grandmother, Andromeda, greeted them in kitchen and invited Harry to stay for dinner. “I wish I could, Andromeda, but I’m due to meet Ginny in an hour.”

“At least stay for a quick cup of tea, then. Teddy, go wash up.” Never one to risk crossing his grandmother, Teddy raced off while Harry settled down at the kitchen table. Tonks waved her wand at the tea pot and it began to steam.

“Earl Grey or chamomile?”

“Earl Grey”, Harry responded and he sat back, a sudden tiredness washing over him.

“So, you and Ginny, hm?” Andromeda pried.

“It’s not what you think. We, well...” Harry didn’t know how to explain it without telling Andromeda about James. He trusted her but was unsure if it would upset Ginny and he sensed he was already skating on thin ice.

“You found about James, did you?”

Harry looked up from his tea. “You knew?”

“They didn’t tell me, if that’s what you’re wondering, but it wasn’t hard to figure out.”

Harry put his face in his hands. “How does everyone in the Wizarding world know about my son but me?”

“I wouldn’t say everyone. The story they gave doesn’t really add up. They said she had some boyfriend back in Hogwarts but the whole family had been in hiding since Easter. And then as soon as I saw him come out of Ginny I said to myself, well, that’s a Potter if I’ve ever seen one. I think they were counting on people not asking many questions.”

“You were there when he was born?” Harry asked.

“Well, she needed a midwife, didn’t she?” Harry knew that Andromeda had worked at Saint Mungo’s in the delivery ward. He should have guessed it would be her to deliver James. He suddenly felt overwhelmingly jealous she’d gotten to see him born. “The thing is, Harry, James doesn’t go too many places. He comes over here to play with Teddy, and over to Luna and to Neville’s, the memorial every year, but no one is really paying attention there. People haven’t asked many questions.”

“Luna and Neville’s?” Harry Interjected.

“His godparents.” Andromeda nodded. Godparents. His son had two godparents. Of course Ginny would have selected some but Harry was further stung he’d had no say in yet another major part of his son’s life. Harry looked up at Tonks and she seemed to read his mind. “I’m sorry, Harry. I assumed Ginny had reasons to keep this from you. It didn’t feel like my story to tell.” Harry was suddenly confused. If Andromeda had figured it out, then Harry was sure Luna and Neville had. If Ginny wanted to keep the secret from the whole world then why would he pick such close friends of his? Why were so many of the people he trusted most willing to keep this from him?

“Thanks for the tea, Andromeda. Please give Teddy a goodbye hug for me.” He stooped down and kissed Andromeda on the cheek, and turned out the door. The late spring air filled his lungs as he set off for Diagon Alley, knowing there was another difficult conversation ahead.

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Chapter 9: Chapter Eight

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story.


Ginny and James arrived at Diagon Alley Saturday morning by Floo powder. James was giddy to be spending a day out with his mum. He spent most of this time at The Burrow or the homes of close friends, so this was an extra special treat. He was even more excited at the prospect of a slumber party with his mummy’s famous friend, Harry Potter. If only he knew the truth, Ginny thought to herself as he ran around the house grabbing everything he “needed” for a night away. Ginny had charmed a small tote so that it could fit pajamas and a change of clothes for her and James, managed two breakdowns after telling James he could not bring every toy he owned, and barely had time to feed either of them before realizing they were running late.


Ginny stared down at the list of potion ingredients, books, owl food, and other supplies her mother had crafted for her. She was to leave the packages with George at his shop and he’d take them back to The Burrow when he went for dinner. She was overwhelmed at the thought of getting it done in time while dragging a very easily distracted child in toe. She let herself imagine for a moment James running off to the broom shop with Harry, happy to entertain their son while she got the shopping done. Although it pained her to admit it, it would be nice to have another parent for back up every once in a while.


Miraculously, the pair made it all the way through the Gringotts, Flourish and Blotts, and The Apothecary, before James spilled or broke anything in Eeylops Owl Emporium. Getting a bit antsy he started running around before bumping into a shelf full of owl food and spilling it all over the floor. The shopkeeper gave an exasperated sigh and waved his wand, clearing up the bird feed while Ginny gave an apologetic look. In that moment, she remembered why she seldom ever let James go shopping with her. She left for Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes in a cross mood that had more to do with exhaustion than any actual anger towards her child.


Ginny was nearly out of patience as they traveled down the street, James stopping every few seconds to marvel at some store front or some trinket left on the ground. Ginny was trying to hurry him along when she felt it again, the strange shiver going down her spine. She looked around. “James, come on, hurry up,” she said, suddenly eager to get him out of the public view. She gently pushed him along towards the shop and tried to shake the feeling out of her head. They had nearly arrived when she looked behind her shoulder and spotted what looked like a young man Ginny recognized. She stopped and stared for a moment, forgetting her desire to get James off the street. She could have sworn she’d seen him before, but she couldn’t quite place him. He was standing across the street, looking into a shop window. Had he been following her.


“Mummy? What’s wrong?” James was pulling on her hand.


Ginny shook her head. She was being paranoid. “I’m sorry, love. Let’s go.”


“Hello, sister!” George shouted from the top floor as they entered the shop. “Here to drop off Mum’s stuff before you run off to snog your boyfriend?”


“George!” Ginny yelled back. Her face was hot with embarrassment and people were starting to stare.


“Now, now, don’t try to hide it,” George said with a wink. “We all know you’ll always be sweet on him.”


Ron appeared from a back room. “Here, Ginny,” he said taking the bags. “I’ll put that stuff in the back. You’re going to be late.”

“Yes! Don’t want to be late!” George shouted down at her. “Maybe if it goes well he’ll finally make an honest women of you, restore some honor to the family.” Ginny was thoroughly mortified as she left the shop and headed for Florean Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlor. Everyone in Weasleys Wizard Wheezes turned to watch her leave.

“Mummy?” James asked. “What’s snogging?”


“Nothing, James. It’s a game grown-ups play.”


James seemed to ponder this. “How do you play snogging?”


“I’ll tell you when you’re older.” James rolled his eyes. He hated getting left out of the grown up talk.


When Ginny and James arrived at Florean Fortescue’s, Harry was waiting out front. He looked nervous and Ginny guessed he was feeling lot of pressure on this night going well.


“Harry!” James shouted. Harry bent down and lifted him into a hug.


“Hello, James, how was your day?”


James recounted his many adventures in the various shops around Diagon Alley as Ginny turned to return to the Leaky Cauldron.


“Mummy, what about ice cream?” James pleaded.


“Not today, James,” Ginny replied “not before dinner.”


“Aww, come, Ginny,” Harry said. “Just a small one? It’ll be my treat.”


“Yeah, come on, Mum?”


Ginny did not like the feeling of being outnumbered. “Fine. The smallest one they have.”


James, Ginny, and Harry proceeded into the shop and settled at a table after Harry bought three small cups of ice cream. James looked deep in thought for a moment before saying “Harry, are you and mummy going to play snogging tonight?” Harry snorted while Ginny turned red with a new wave of embarrassment.


“What?” Harry asked, clearly trying not to laugh.


“Uncle George said that you and mummy were going to play snogging tonight and if you did a good job she’ll be honest again.”


Ginny wished with every fiber of her being that she could disappear.


“Well, I guess we’ll just see how the night goes, won’t we?” Harry gave Ginny a look that made it very clear he was enjoying this.


“What if mummy’s bad at playing snogging?” James asked, looking concerned.


“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about that, James,” Harry said, “Mummy was always very good at playing snogging.”


James looked satisfied with this answer. Ginny wondered if she could die from embarrassment. She could kill George. And Harry. And just about anyone else who crossed her just then. “I think it’s time to go.”


“But I’m not done with my ice cream!” Harry exclaimed.


“Trust me,” Ginny responded, “you are done with your ice cream.”


Harry looked as if the whole exchange had been worth losing out on the last few bites and the three set off for the Leaky Cauldron.





Harry, James, and Ginny took the Floo to Grimmauld Place. Ginny could hardly recognize it. The floors, paint, and wall paper had all be changed. So had the furniture and the kitchen was completely redone. She couldn’t hide her surprise.


“I told you,” said Harry, “Kreacher has quite the knack for decorating. Come on. I’ll show you around.” Harry took James and Ginny upstairs and pointed out the various rooms. “You can sleep in here,” Harry said to Ginny, arriving at a simple but tastefully decorated room. “Bathrooms right over there and James...this is where you’ll sleep.”

Harry opened the door and James gasped. The room was covered from top to bottom in painted Quidditch players. They raced around the walls, tossing a Quaffle back and forth. Beaters smashed their clubs into Bludgers while a Sneaker raced after a Snitch.


“Gryffindor colors?” Ginny asked, noticing they were all in red and gold.


“James,” Harry asked, “what team do you like?”


“The Chudley Cannons!” James squealed.


Harry took out his wand and taped the wall. Suddenly the uniforms changed to the Chudley Cannons. James squealed with delight.


“Harry how did you get this done so quickly?” Ginny asked. Harry shrugged. “It was all Kreacher. Speaking of, we better get downstairs. He’ll be mental if we’re late for dinner.”


Before they arrived at the kitchen Ginny could smell something amazing. Kreacher was standing at the oven, checking a delicious looking roast. James giggled at the sight of him - he’d never seen a house-elf before. “Your ears are floppy!” James exclaimed.


“Kreacher is a house-elf. Kreacher serves Master Harry. Kreacher serves Master James.” Kreacher took a long bow to James.


How is this the same Kreacher that I met eight years ago, Ginny wondered?


James giggled at being called Master. “Do you like to play games?” James asked.


“Kreacher will learn games if Master James wishes it,” Kreacher responded. Kreacher did not seem to enjoy the idea of playing games with a four-year-old.


“Thanks, Kreacher, I can take it from here,” Harry dismissed his elf.


“If you wish,” said Kreacher. And he disappeared down the hall.


“You still have Kreacher?” Ginny asked. Harry wasn’t the type to hang on to a servant.


Harry shrugged. “I offered to free him after the war but he looked devastated. I’m still not really used to it, but let’s be honest, where would he even go? He’d rather be here than serving at Hogwarts.”


Ginny knew he was right. Dobby was an anomaly among house-elves asking to be paid. “I don’t love the idea of James being called ‘Master’.”


“I’ll talk to him. He can stick to just James, alright?”


Ginny nodded. She had to admit the house-elf had exceeded her expectations and the food looked far better than anything Harry would have put together. “Should we eat?” she asked and they tucked into the meal.

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Chapter 10: Chapter Nine

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story.


Ginny looked exhausted after a long day in Diagon Alley. She must have been tired because she let Harry tuck James in alone. After James was sound asleep Harry returned to the kitchen to find Ginny looking uneasy. “What’s wrong?” Harry asked. “Is being here really that bad?”

“No. It’s not that, really. Actually, you’re doing much better than I thought you would.”

“Thanks for the confidence in me.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean it like that.” Ginny really did look sorry. “I just, something happened at Diagon Alley today, I just can’t get it out of my head.”

Harry led her to the table. Kreacher had laid out tea and cakes for them. “What is it? I want to know.”

“I just keep getting this feeling that someone is watching me. I felt it on the way home from work the other day. Again, in Diagon Alley. I saw this boy near George and Ron’s shop and I swear I recognized him but I just couldn’t place him.”

“Was he following you and James?” Harry was concerned. Over his years at Hogwarts and being and Auror he’d learned to trust instincts.

“No, he was just looking around at the shops. I’m just being paranoid.”

Harry wondered if he should put a tail on Ginny. Jones or Smith were both good at being discrete. They could trail her back and forth from work and Harry could hang around on the weekends. How mad would she be if she found out? “You don’t think someone has figured about James? Someone dangerous?”

“Figured out that he’s your son? I doubt it. Hardly anyone knows.”

“About that, Ginny,” Harry started thoughtfully, unsure of how to broach the subject, “I’m not sure you’ve been keeping this secret as well as you thought.” Ginny just stared at him. “You told Hagrid, God knows why you thought that was a good idea. Andromeda figured it out, I’m sure Luna and Neville did too if they are his godparents. Other people must be suspicions.”

“Well, I couldn’t very well lock him up at The Burrow, could I? He needed to get out sometimes.”

“It’s just, for someone who was so scared for his life you sure made some interesting decisions.”

Ginny looked offended. “I did the best I could, Harry.”

“Did you?” Harry could feel himself becoming accusatory, although he didn’t mean to. “I just don’t buy it, Ginny.”

Ginny looked taken aback. “Buy what?”

“You say you wanted to protect him from Death Eaters, you kept him from me to keep him safe, but then you give him my father’s name? You tell him his father was a Seeker and you pick two of my closest friends to be his godparents? He looks just like me and anyone who’s ever known me would easily figure it. Seems a bit reckless, don’t you think?”

Ginny recoiled, looking called out. “Harry…I…”

“Ginny, I’ve missed four years of his life. The least you could give me is the truth.”

Ginny took a deep breath. She seemed to be weighing her options very carefully. “You couldn’t have done it.”

“I…what?”

“Harry, after the war you were... different. You were…broken. You think I didn’t hear the things you’d cry out in your sleep? You think I didn’t notice the way you always had your hand near your wand, always watching your back? You found me in the common room that night and I could just see the pain in your eyes. I thought that summer that, just maybe, you could heal. I thought maybe I could heal you. I was a foolish sixteen-year-old girl, I know that now because the first chance you had you left again and by the time I knew I was pregnant you were long gone. All of a sudden, I knew that it was just better that way. You could work out whatever you had to doing what you love best - finding trouble.”

Now it was Harry’s turn to feel called out. “That’s not fair, Ginny.”

“Isn’t it? You honestly want to tell me that you would have felt better in hiding with me? That you wouldn’t have gone mad there, you wouldn’t have felt trapped missing all the action, and resented me?”

“Ginny, I would have…”

“You would have done the noble thing, Harry,” she interrupted him. There was no anger in her voice. Her tone was matter of fact. “You would have begged my parents for forgiveness for getting me pregnant so young, you would have married me, and I’d lie next to you every night and listen to you cry out in your sleep and walk around on eggshells. I’d lay there and wonder if there was somewhere else you’d rather be and how miserable you were staying behind while other people did the fighting.”

“I never felt trapped by you.” Harry was stung.

“But I wasn’t enough for you, Harry. A life with me wasn’t enough. I loved you more than anything, I would have gone anywhere with you, but you left and you told me it was over and I believed you and I listened to you and I did what I had to do.”

“Ginny, I was trying to protect you. I loved you, too.”

“I know you did.” Ginny rose and brought her teacup to the counter. “But I wasn’t that eleven-year-old girl you pulled out of the Chamber of Secrets, Harry. I wasn’t a child anymore. I fought in the same war you did. You said you were protecting me, but you know that you were running from everything so you didn’t have to face your pain.”

Harry knew on some level she was right. His work as an Auror had brought him a purpose he’d been longing for but Ginny’s presence had brought him a comfort he didn’t think he deserved. He had wanted more than anything to keep her safe and believed that responsibility fell on his shoulders alone. Seeing her now, the mother of his child, he wondered how he could have so little faith in her. He watched her leaning against his counter, her arms folded over her chest, and suddenly he felt something shift between them. Barely thinking it through, he had a sudden urge to take a chance. “You said you loved me.” He rose from the table and took a step towards her.

“What?”

“You didn’t say you love me, you said you loved me.”

“It’s over, Harry. I won’t keep you away from James. You’re his father, you know about him now, that’s done. I care deeply for you, and I want you to be happy. You can be there for everything, but we were over the day you broke up with me five years ago.” Her body took a stance anyone else would take as unwavering resolve but Harry knew her better. He had no right to do what he was about to do, but something inside of him was pushing him forward, almost without his control.

“You’re lying,” He said.

“Har...Harry.” Her voice faltered.

Despite all the training he had as an Auror, Harry never improved at Legilimency but he didn’t need it now. He knew in his soul that she still loved him. And he knew he’d been a fool to leave her.

“You’re lying. I know you are. You still love me.”

“Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“You keep saying that,” Harry said softly. Harry moved towards her and she pushed herself against the counter. Her eyes never left his as he approached her and he could hear her breath growing more ragged.

“You. Love. Me.”

Ginny was silent. The tension between them only confirmed what Harry already knew. He came as close to her as he could while still meeting her eye and before she could say another word his lips were on hers, pushing into her with the hunger Harry had been living with for five long years. She didn’t try to fight it and in one swift movement he grabbed her by her legs and lifted her into a seated position on the counter. Her hands found his back and pulled him into her. Her tongue entered his mouth and his breath and heart sped up. He wanted to lose control in her.

He grabbed half of her shirt in each hand and pulled, ripping it in half. She gasped as his hands found her breasts. She cried out as he gently squeezed them. He pulled his own shirt over his shoulders. Suddenly his senses came to him for a moment. He looked into Ginny’s eyes and she seemed to understand that he was asking her permission. She nodded and before either of them could change their minds Harry lifted her in his arms and carried her to the living room. He laid her down before the fireplace and positioned himself over her, pulling the rest of her clothes off as quickly as he could.

Ginny reciprocated, unbuttoning and pulling his trousers down his hips. He shook them down the rest of the way. Before long they were both naked and Harry’s mouth began to wander. He wanted to taste every inch of her body. He wanted to remember her scent and her taste. He would bottle it if he could. Ginny moaned softly if he found a particularly sensitive spot and Harry tried to log it. He wanted to remember everything she loved.

“Harry, please,” she said suddenly and Harry looked up. Her eyes were pleading with him. “Please, I want you.”

Harry obliged. He moved slowly, he could tell from a flash of pain in her eyes that she hadn’t done this in a while. His eyes met hers and he silently pleaded with her to tell him what she needed. He felt completely lost in her eyes. It was enough to undo him. When it was over he collapsed on top of her, breathing quickly. After a moment, he rolled off of her and pulled her into his side. He watched her face; her eyes were closed and she looked relaxed. Harry tried to let his mind stay calm for as long as possible.

Harry didn’t know how long it had been until he heard a knock on the living room door. “Master Harry, young Master James has awoken.” It was the familiar voice of Kreacher, he sounded close to tears. “Master Harry, he’s calling for his mother. Kreacher tried not to disturb you and comfort him but Kreacher does not know how to comfort this child.”
Poor Kreacher, Harry thought, wondering how long it had been since Kreacher had been around kids.

Ginny moved to get up but Harry pulled her back down. He kissed her softly. “Stay,” he said. “I’ll go.” He gathered his clothes and left for the kitchen to collect his shirt.


When he arrived in James’s room the boy was sitting up in bed, clutching a teddy bear to his chest. “Where’s my mum?” he asked.

“She’s down stairs. She’s…a bit busy. She asked me to come see what you need.”

“I’m scared,” James said. “It’s too dark here.”

“Did you have a bad dream?” Harry asked. James nodded yes. “Do you want to tell me about it?” James shook his head no. “You know, James, I used to have a friend who would say something to me, he would tell me that happiness can be found in the darkness of places if you only remember to turn on the light.” Harry waved his wand and the ceiling above James illuminated with a bright moon and stars. It cast a gentle glow about the room and shooting stars flashed across the ceiling. Nice touch, Kreacher, Harry thought. For someone who seemed so uncertain of children he had a good instinct. “Better?” Harry asked. James nodded his head yes. “Do you want me to stay with you until you fall back asleep?”

“Yes, please, Harry.”

Harry lay next to James and he threw himself over Harry’s chest. Love that Harry had never felt before filled him up. He thought of Ginny laying naked downstairs and his son falling asleep in his arms. For the first time since Harry could remember unhappy thoughts were far from his mind.

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Chapter 11: Chapter Ten

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for beta reading this story :)


Ginny awoke naked in Harry’s bed and worried instantly if James would find her there. She thought about sneaking down the hall to the room Harry had set up for her. She wanted to avoid answering uncomfortable questions from her four-year-old. Ginny wasn’t sure how she felt about the night before. Was it regret or shame or just confusion? They had made love twice more before she’d fallen asleep, too exhausted to put her pajamas back on. Harry’s skills had improved significantly since they’d last been together, and she didn’t want to know who he’d been practicing with. She rolled over to wake him and tell him she was going back to her own room but found he was gone. What time is it? She wondered. She got dressed and left the room and heard familiar giggles coming from downstairs.

Ginny went to the kitchen and saw James at the table and Harry standing with his wand in the air. Someone, probably Kreacher, had made pancakes in the shape of dragons and unicorns and Harry was levitating them in the air, putting on a show. James looked to be loving every moment of it until he saw Ginny. “Mummy!” He got up and jumped in her arms. “We have pancakes.”

“I see that,” Ginny responded, planting a kiss on James forehead. Harry moved towards her. Ginny gave him a look that made clear he was not to touch her in front of James. This situation was already complicated enough as it is. Harry settled for grabbing her hand.

“James woke up an hour ago. I wanted to let you sleep; you seemed…tired.” Harry looked far too pleased with himself and his performance. Ginny glanced at James. He was caught up in his pancakes and too young to notice what was going on in front of him.

“James, go get dressed,” Ginny commanded and, for once, James was up the stairs like a light. Harry grabbed Ginny by the back of her hair and pulled her into a kiss. Ginny’s mind folded in on itself for a moment until she came to her senses and pushed him off. “Not here,” she said.

“Upstairs?” Harry asked.

“Not anywhere! Harry last night was a…”

“Don’t tell me it was a mistake,” Harry was pleading with her.

“Harry, it was…”she struggled to find a way to tell him that it could never happen again. They had gone into dangerous territory.

“No more lies, Ginny, please?”

“I’m not lying to you, Harry, I’m trying to tell you how I feel.”

“No, you’re not.” Ginny could tell he was frustrated. “You’re trying to keep secrets again. You’re trying to hide how you feel and what you want. If this is going to work we have to be honest. If we decide we can’t be together, then fine. But please don’t lie anymore.”

“Harry, the truth is I don’t know how I feel.” That was as close to the truth as she could get. The real truth was that she felt a thousand things all at once, and they were crashing into her at the same time, spinning her head in circles and making her feel disoriented.

“That’s fair. Do you want to know how I feel?” He reached for her hand again. “I feel calm. Ginny, I never feel calm.” Ginny studied him for a minute unsure how to respond. “Ginny, I lied when I told you that I didn’t want to be with you the other day.”

“Now who’s keeping secrets?” Ginny asked.

“Ginny, I didn’t believe I deserved you or any of this. After everything that’s happened and everyone I’ve lost, I just decided that I was meant to be alone.”

“And now?” She wasn’t sure she was ready for the answer.

“Now, I just don’t care. I watched you sleeping last night and asked myself what it was all for if I was going to be miserable my whole life.”

“That’s…unlike you.” Harry was never the type to think of himself first. He always saw his sacrifices as something he did for other people — his family and his friends, never for himself or his own future.

“Ginny, I’m not perfect. I don’t think that all of our problems will go away. I still have nightmares almost every night. I still wake up wondering when everything we’ve built will come crashing down again, I’m still terrified to be happy because I don’t want to lose it all again. But I think together our family is worth fighting for.”

“Harry, it’s not my job to make you happy. It’s not James’s is either.”

“I’m not asking you to, Ginny. I’m just asking for a chance to make this work. We don’t have to tell him, we don’t have to tell anyone. We can keep it between us as long as you want just give this family a shot. Will you at least think about it?” Harry persisted.

Ginny just wanted the conversation to end. “Fine, I’ll think about it.”

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

It was dark when Harry walked into The Leaky Cauldron. He nodded at Tom, the bartender. Ron, Harry, and Hermione always met there when they got together because he opened a room for them in the back, somewhere they could stay away from reporters and prying eyes. Ron had already arrived and ordered Harry a drink. “Where’s Hermione?” Harry asked.

“She’s working.” Ron had a look that led Harry to believe Hermione was not working, but wanted the two of them to work this out alone. Ron was a terrible liar. “Harry, look, I just wanted to say I’m sorry. I should have told you, I just-“

“Ron,” Harry interjected. “I know. It’s okay.”

“It’s…what?” Ron was perplexed.

“It’s okay. I wanted to thank you, for looking out for them.” Harry was being earnest. “I know that it couldn’t have been easy for you, and you were just looking out for your sister. I’m sure the first time we had drinks after James was born you wanted knock me out cold.”

“Well,” Ron chuckled, “I did tell you to stay away from her.”

“And I didn’t, and I got her pregnant instead.”

“Harry, we just wanted what was best for everyone. Ginny, she needed someone who could be there, not physically but mentally, you were just…”

“Broken?” Harry cut in. Ron Nodded. “That’s what Ginny told me. She said I was broken.”

Ron looked confused, “You’re not….Harry. Don’t tell me….” Harry looked away sheepishly. “Harry, what is wrong with you two? How many times do you have to go down this road before you realize it’s a bad idea?”

“Ron, I know you just want to protect her sister…”

Ron laughed. “Ginny? Trust me. Ginny doesn’t need me to protect her. She doesn’t need anyone to protect her. It’s you I’m worried about.”

“Me?” Harry sputtered, “What are you on about?”

“Oh, come on, mate. Look I get it, you’re the Chosen One, you defeated Voldemort, you died…” Ron was ticking Harry’s accomplishments off on his fingers.

“Yeah, thanks for reminding me.” Harry was annoyed.

“All I’m saying is you always had the weight of the world on your shoulders, and since the war ended it’s always kept you…a bit walled off. And Ginny, she’s just not going to put up with that. I don’t want to see you get hurt.” Harry was at a loss for words. There were so many things he couldn’t explain to anyone, even his closest friends, even if he wanted to. He owed them his life, but there were some things about being Harry Potter that just made him feel alone. Ron pressed on, “Harry, you’re the best man I know. I wish you could just find a way to be happy. Lord knows you’ve earned it.”

Harry continued to stew in silence. There were so many things he wanted to say, to Ron, to Hermione, and most of all to Ginny, but he didn’t know how. There were so many things he kept inside because he feared if he let one of them out, the door would burst open and he’d never be able to close it again. He wanted to tell Ron that without him and Hermione he would be dead or lost to the darkness that lived inside him for sixteen years. He wanted to tell him that he thought he was meant to meet him and his family on Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters his first day at Hogwarts because without them and the love they gave him he never could have defeated Voldemort. Most of all he wanted to tell Ginny that when he died and he met Albus Dumbledore, he had a choice, and when he chose to come back it was her that he thought of first. He wanted to tell her that with every unspeakable thing he did as an Auror it was to make the world safer for her. He wanted to tell her that when he left her five years ago he said he was protecting her from Death Eaters, but really he thought he had to protect her from himself. Harry didn’t say any of that, though.

“Ron,” Harry started, “I don’t think I’ve ever told you how lucky I am that you’re my friend.”

Ron rolled his eyes, “Don’t get all mushy on me.”

“I mean it,” Harry tried to look at him in a way that would make him understand. “Thank you. For everything.”

Ron nodded. He tipped his glass to him. “Let’s get a burger,” he suggested. Together the two friends sat and caught up and Harry thought how happy he was to be home.


After dinner Harry had to see her. He didn’t know if she would even let him the front door, but he had to try. He had fought Death Eaters and Voldemort and come back from death itself and now he was going to fight for his family. When Harry reached the front door of The Burrow nearly all the lights were off. He tapped on the front door and Ginny answered wearing her pajamas. “Harry, what are you doing here? It’s nearly half past eleven!”

“Is it really that late?” Harry sputtered, “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize I just…I wanted to see you.”

Ginny rolled her eyes and stepped aside. “What was so important that you couldn’t wait until tomorrow.”

“I…” Harry’s voice faltered. He hadn’t actually prepared anything to say. “I just wanted to see you, that’s all.”

Ginny looked to the sky and sighed. “Harry, you can’t do this. You can’t just come here whenever you want to try and convince me to be with you.”

“Ginny,” Harry grabbed her by the hands and led her deeper into the burrow, “I’m sorry. I don’t want to upset you, honest. I just can’t stop thinking about you.”

Ginny rolled her eyes, “Stop it.”

“I mean it. Ginny, I love you.”

“Harry, stop saying that. You’ve told me, I get it, I know. It doesn’t change anything.”
“Doesn’t change what?”

“Doesn’t change the fact that you have a nasty habit of walking out on me when things get a bit too close.”

All of a sudden Harry understood. He had broken her heart twice.

“I know I hurt you, Ginny. I should have trusted you more, I should have had more faith in us. What can I say to you to help you understand… I won’t make that mistake again.”

“Promise me that I’m not going to spend another night awake crying over you.”

Harry pulled Ginny into him. “I can’t promise you that. I’m sorry, but I’m still Harry Potter. I’m still a stubborn pain in arse. I’m still an Auror and I don’t know what the future is going to hold. But I promise that I’m all in this time, and whatever happens we’ll face it together.” Harry kissed her; she didn’t push him away this time. He wove his fingers through her long hair and pulled her into him as close as he could and relished the warmth of her body against his.

After a while Ginny pulled back, but this time she kept her face close to his. “If I let you stay the night you have to be gone before anyone wakes up.”

“I promise your parents won’t catch us,” Harry panted, still breathless from the kiss.

“Harry, I’m a grown woman,” Ginny snapped. “I don’t need to sneak boys out of my room. I don’t want James to see you.”

Harry was sad not to be able to see his son in the morning, but he knew he was still playing by Ginny’s rules. “I’ll be out before he even knows I was here.”

“And this doesn’t mean I’ll get back together with you.”

Harry smiled and put his hands on either side of Ginny’s face. “For now I’ll be happy with tonight.”

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

When Ginny awoke the next morning Harry was already gone. As he promised, every trace of him being there had vanished with him, save for a note left on her pillow. “Ginny, your mum caught me in the bathroom. She knows. I love you. Harry.”


How succinct and thoroughly unromantic, she thought. Surely Molly was delighted at the prospect of Harry and Ginny spending a night together. She would do just about anything to have Harry as a proper son. Ginny lay in bed thinking about the night before. She thought of Harry’s hands running down her sides and up her legs, she thought of his lips kissing down her stomach and on her neck, she thought of the feel of his face pushed next to hers as he moved on top of her. She regretted asking him to leave so early.


Ginny dressed and proceeded to the kitchen where she found her mother waiting eagerly for her. She tried to ignore her gaze at first, desperate to avoid the conversation they were about to have.


“Well?” Molly asked expectantly.


“What, Mum?” Ginny tried to play it cool.


“You’re not going to tell me anything about a certain someone who stayed the night last night?” Molly was giddy.


“Stop, Mum,” Ginny shushed, “I don’t want James to overhear you.”


“Oh, come on, Ginny!” Molly squealed. “Are you two back together?”


“We’re not... I don’t know what we are. He wants to be. I don’t know if it’s such a good idea. Lord knows if he’ll take off again and then what are we going to tell James?”


“Ginny, you two deserve to be happy,” Molly sighed.


“I am happy, Mum. I have to get to work. I’m already late.” Ginny knew her mother wanted a long talk about all of this, but that was the last thing she wanted to do.


Molly looked disappointed not to have gotten more girl talk out of her daughter. “Alright, alright. Take this to your father”. Molly handed Ginny a bagged lunch. “He forgot it when he left early this morning.”


Ginny obliged and took the bag. She and Arthur didn’t have the heart to tell her that they usually ate out together for lunch every Monday. “Give James a kiss for me. I think he’s out chasing gnomes in the garden.”


Ginny decided to take the long route again and Apparated a few blocks away from the Ministry. It was a beautiful day and she needed to clear her mind. She had to admit the weekend had been a fantasy. Despite their history, Harry was a wonderful father. Ginny’s family had been wonderful and supportive since James was born, but she was still a single mum. A family outing for ice cream and waking up next to her son’s father gave her an idea of what life with Harry could be like. If he can stick around this time, Ginny thought. Harry was a kind, giving, and selfless person but his stubbornness had a way of ruining his own happiness. She desperately wanted to believe he could be the man she needed him to be.


When Ginny arrived near the Ministry nearly everyone was already inside. She realized the walk had taken longer than she thought and she had gone from being a little late to very late. She approached the women’s bathroom to change and go down when she saw him again, the boy from Diagon Alley, leaning up against the side of a building. She stopped. He was staring at her this time. She stared back, desperately trying to remember how she knew him.


The boy smiled a very creepy and unnerving smile. Then, several things happened almost all at once. First Ginny remembered how she knew the young man. Second, as the realization hit her she reached for her wand. The young man, however, had reached for his own. Before Ginny could raise her arm to defend herself the world went black.

Back to index


Chapter 12: Chapter Eleven

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for being such a wonderful beta reader


Harry was seated in his cubicle at the Auror office when Arthur Weasley approached him. “Harry?” He looked nervous.

“Arthur, what can I do for you?” it was unusual for Arthur to meet Harry here.

“Harry, Ginny and I meet for lunch on Mondays and she didn’t turn up today. I asked around the office and they said she didn’t come in today. Molly said she left at quarter to eight. I thought maybe you know where she is.”

“I don’t, Arthur, Harry responded. “Maybe she forgot about lunch and went down to the library today?”

“Harry, she never forgets,” Arthur insisted. “And she wasn’t in the library when I went to look for her.”

Harry’s skin started to crawl. “Arthur, I haven’t seen her since this morning. Where else could she be? Did you check the Records Department?”

“Harry, I checked everywhere,” Arthur’s face had changed from nervous to terrified.

Harry’s head started to spin. He felt ready to vomit. Someone must have found out about us. He didn’t want to think about what they could be doing to Ginny, what they would do to her to get to him. He had to focus. “Arthur, we have to act quickly. I need a picture, a picture of Ginny, now.”

Arthur reached into his wallet where he kept photos of all his children and pulled out the one of Ginny. She was holding James and smiling, laughing at the camera and waving James’s little arm. It was a few years old but would do the trick. Harry waved his wand over the photo and muttered an incantation. It froze, resembling a Muggle photograph.

“What’s that for?” Arthur asked.

“We can’t show the Muggles outside a moving photograph,” Harry responded, curtly.

He reached into one of his desk drawers and rummaged through several Muggle badges until he located the one for Metropolitan Police Department. “Arthur, let’s go. We have to move.”

Harry and Arthur took the lift down to the Atrium of the Ministry and Apparated out to a quiet ally on the street. Harry tried to keep his focus on the task. Whoever took her knew she was coming into work today. She thought someone had been following her; they must have been steaking her out. She would have Apparated and walked directly here. He looked around, where would he have waited for her? There was the coffee shop, the one Harry often stopped at, that had large windows and a view of most of the street. He’d start there.

He entered and went straight to the clerk, badge and photo out. “Excuse me, I’m Inspector Potter, Scotland Yard. I’m looking for a missing woman, didn’t turn up for work in the neighborhood this morning. Have you seen her?” Harry showed her the picture.

“That’s the lady that collapsed outside this morning,” the clerk responded, looking unconcerned.

“Collapsed?”

“Yeah, ‘round half nine or so.” She saw the resemblance between Arthur and the photo. “Oh, you poor thing, she’s your daughter? You must be worried sick. Don’t worry. Nice young chap said he’d see her to hospital. Got her up and took her to get checked out. She’s probably still there.”

“Who was the boy?” Harry asked.

“I don’t know. Didn’t seem like they knew each other.”

“What did he look like?” Harry barked.

“I don’t know, medium height, white skin, dark hair,” the girl looked like she was getting uncomfortable.

“That description isn’t especially helpful.” Harry was getting angry now.

The girl looked confused. “I told you just check the hospitals. It’s only been a few hours since they left.”

“Do you have security cameras?” Harry demanded.

“No…but the convenience store across the street, they might.” The girl looked like she may cry.

Harry and Arthur thanked the clerk and started off again. Harry arrived in the convenience store and went up to the clerk, his wand concealed under his jacket. “Imperio,” Harry whispered. The clerk wordlessly collected the video from his security camera and let Harry and Arthur into the back room. They were in luck. The camera had caught Ginny, walking towards the Ministry. The tape was grainy, but it was clearly her. She stopped for a moment and then collapsed on the ground. There was a commotion of Muggles, probably trying to call for an ambulance, when a young man approached and knelt over her. He said something to the crowd and they dispersed. Then Harry saw it: A small wand peaked out of his jacket. Ginny rose, her eyes glazed over. She held onto the man and he took her off out of view of the camera.

“Do you recognize him?” Arthur asked.

“Not at all,” Harry replied but he had an idea. “We have to get back to the Ministry.



Harry and Arthur entered a quiet, often overlooked corridor in the Ministry of Magic. At the very end was a wizard sitting at a desk, reading The Daily Prophet with his feet on the desk. Above him an infinite number of orbs with swirling silver memories were suspended in the air.

“Harry, what are we doing down here?” Arthur questioned as they approached the man. “I already told you Ginny doesn’t come down here.”

“I’m going to run my memory of the security camera against the Auror memory files. If this boy is connected to a Death Eater he may be in one of the records from our cases.” Harry responded briskly.

“What makes you think he’s related to a Death Eater?” Arthur looked skeptical.

“I highly doubt it’s a coincidence he turned up a week after I found out about James. Hello, Kevin,” Harry acknowledged the man as the pair reached the end of the corridor. The two knew each other well. “I need you to run this memory against my memory records of all my cases and all the Aurors who worked on cases of all of Voldemort’s Death Eaters.”

Harry tapped his wand to his temple and pulled out the silvery memory of the security film, placing it in a vile Kevin was handing to him. Kevin waved his wand over it. Nothing happened. “Sorry, Harry,” Kevin said. “There’s nothing in there.”

“What about a partial match?” Harry pleaded. “Maybe he’s related to someone in there?” Kevin waved his wand again. Nothing.

“Kevin,” Arthur interjected, “Don’t the prosecutors keep their memory files down here, too?” Kevin nodded in response. “Why don’t you try running it against Ginny’s memory files from her cases? Ginny Weasley, from the Commission for Justice.” Arthur shrugged at Harry, “It’s worth a shot.”

Kevin waved his wand again. Harry heard a clanking sound as the orbs moved around, re-arranging themselves for a single silvery memory. Kevin caught it and inspected it. “It’s a short one, about two years old.” He handed it to Harry. “Remember it’s a copy so it might not be very clear.” Harry took the memory to the Pensive sitting in the corner of the office. He pulled the memory out and poured it inside. He jumped in after.

He was in a courtroom. Ginny was with her prosecution team, a woman sat opposite of them. The Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot was speaking. “Rhonda McMillin, on the counts of conspiring to commit crimes against Muggles, the counts of committing two Unforgettable Curses, and the crimes of collaborating with Voldemort, the Wizengamot finds you guilty and sentences you to ten years in Azkaban prison.”

Behind the woman Harry saw the boy from the video. He looked about fifteen. An older boy who looked like he must be a cousin or brother stood beside him, and on the other side an older woman, maybe a grandmother. When the trial was over the older woman looked at the two boys. “Shamus, Andrew, let’s go.” The three turned to leave and that was it. The memory was over and Harry was back in the Records Department.


“Shamus and Andrew McMillin,” Harry proclaimed. “Kevin, what records do we have for them?” Kevin led Harry and Arthur through a door, attached to the main room, and they entered a long corridor filled with filing cabinets. Kevin waved his wand and two files came flying out of one of the cabinets.

“Kevin and Shamus McMillin, seventeen and twenty years old, address is Number Thirteen Lockshot Way, London. That’s where they lived when they were at Hogwarts, at least. Looks like they lived with their Grandmother after their parents were sent to Azkaban. Don’t know if they’re still there. No photos on file.” Harry had an address. He didn’t know if they’d be there but it was a place to start.

“Arthur,” Harry pleaded, “go home. Get Molly and James and go somewhere safe. Take them to Neville’s. I’ll send you a Patronus when I get back.”

“Harry,” Arthur look indignant, “I’m coming with you. That’s my daughter.”

“Arthur,” Harry pleaded “I’m bringing backup, I won’t go alone but you need to keep James safe. I promise I’m going to bring her back.” Harry needed to focus on the task, he couldn’t worry about his girlfriend’s father or wonder who was keeping his son safe.

Arthur nodded solemnly. Harry took another deep breath, preparing himself for what he was about to do.



A few hours later Harry Apparated into a quiet alley a few blocks away from Lockshot Way along with Jones, Smith, and Craymore. It was a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of London. As they walked to the McMillin residence Harry tried to push his nerves aside. His boss, Graven, hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of him leading this mission. Harry had spent the better part of an hour trying to convince him and Kingsley that he should be the one to recover Ginny. By the time Harry had finished in the Records Department news of Ginny’s disappearance had spread and Graven wasn’t thrilled to hear his employee had gone rouge and started the investigation without filing any reports.

“Sir, I can’t sit behind and wait for someone else to do this. I have to go get her. We’re wasting time,” Harry had insisted to Graven. Kingsley sat quietly in a chair in the corner of Graven’s office looking lost in thought.

“Potter,” Graven responded, “This is a high profile case. A Ministry official, especially one from that department, going missing? I’m surprised The Prophet isn’t already banging down my door. I can’t afford anyone to mess this up because they couldn’t keep their head on straight. You should have come to me straight away, before you went running around London trying to find her with Arthur Weasley!” Graven’s face was growing red. “Not to mention that she and your son are missing from your employee records! I had to find out from Minister Shacklebolt!”

“Well, if it makes you feel better, Graven, I would have loved for Kingsley to mention my son to me too,” Harry retorted.

Surprisingly, given Harry’s insubordination and the severity of the situation, Kingsley chuckled in the corner. He stood and crossed to Graven, clasping a hand on his shoulder. “I think Harry has earned the right to manage this but,” He looked firmly at Harry, “if you start to lose it out there you put Jones in charge, understand?”

“Understood,” Harry nodded.


Harry’s heart was pounding as the four Aurors arrived at the McMillin house. Harry paused briefly out front, steadying himself. There was a space in Harry’s mind where he went when he needed to forget who he was and focus on what he needed to do. During the darkest moments of the last five years Harry packed himself up and put himself inside that space so he didn’t have to feel or think. He used it to block out distractions and focus on his mission. He sensed he would need that space today. Harry did not know what he would find inside of number thirteen, Lockshot Way, but he knew that this man would not make his son a motherless child.

Harry stepped onto the stoop and took his wand out. Smith, Jones, and Craymore had come with him and did the same. “Silencio,” he whispered, casting a Silencing Spell around the house. He didn’t need Muggles to hear what was going to go on inside. He tapped the door knob, “Alohamora.” The door opened easily.

Harry was uneasy. The house was too easy to enter. He nodded his head towards the members of his squad who accompanied him, they heard the soft music of a radio coming from the parlor. Jones and Smith checked corners and behind doors while Craymore followed behind Harry, ready to have his back. A young man sat on the sofa, eating what looked like a sandwich.

“Hands up!” Craymore shouted and the man jumped to his feet. He was one of the two brothers from Ginny’s memory, but not the one from the security tape. “Are you Shamus or Andrew?”

“Shamus!” the man cried. He looked terrified. “I don’t want trouble, I promise, I haven’t done anything.”

“Where’s your brother?” Jones demanded.

“I don’t know!” His eyes shifted uncomfortably and Harry sensed he was lying. “I haven’t seen him.”

“Don’t. Lie. To. Me.” Harry’s voice was threateningly quiet. “Where is your brother?”

“I told you I don’t know!” Shamus looked terrified, but Harry’s instincts still told him the young man was lying.

Harry pushed himself further back into the space in his mind as he pointed his wand at Shamus. He could tell the boy wasn’t going to cooperate easily. Harry was terrible at Legilimency, but hoped that if Shamus was frightened and caught off guard he could pull it off.

“Legilimens!” he shouted. Instantly, he found himself in the suspect’s mind and began shuffling through the young man’s memories of his brother. It didn’t take long before Shamus cried out in pain and wrenched his gaze from Harry’s. It was no use.

“Where is your brother?” Harry demanded again.

Shamus glowered at Harry and pulled his wand. “I’m not telling you.”

Expelliarmus! Harry yelled and Shamus’s wand flew from his hand. Harry gave Craymore a subtle nodd, sending a signal only the four Aurors would understand. Craymore and Harry moved closer to Shamus, who now stood defenseless.

“Why don’t you let me at him, boss? I’m sure I can get him to talk.” Craymore’s voice was smooth and ominous.

“Now, now, let’s give Shamus a chance to think about this,” Harry turned to Shamus, “This is my friend, He’s another Auror. We’ve been through quite a lot together.”

Craymore pulled his wand out and began to twirl it between his fingers, menacingly. Craymore was excellent at playing the bad cop. “He’s pretty good at getting information out of people,” Harry continued He’s gotten some of Voldemort’s most powerful Death Eaters to cry for their mummies. Now, I want to ask you one more time, where is your brother?”

Shamus stood silently, trying to hold his resolve. “There are a few pretty nasty curses I could throw at him, boss,” Craymore chuckled. “Remember what I did to Rowle?”

Harry nodded, “I heard he was never the same after what you did to him. Doesn’t have to end like that for you, Shamus, if you just tell us where your brother is.”

Shamus still didn’t speak, but it looked to Harry like his resolve was about to break. Harry just had to push him a little further.

Harry nodded to Craymore, who raised his wand, “Cru-

“Okay! Okay!” He relented. “Our gran had a little cottage, about a mile outside of Hogsmeade. He probably went there. It’s down a quiet road just outside of town if you’re coming in from the north.”

“Is there a Fidelius Charm on it?” Harry asked.

“Of course not!” The man was crying now. “My brother is barely out of Hogwarts, do you think he knows how to do that?”

“Shamus,” Harry crouched down so his face was close to Shamus’. “If I find out you’re lying to me I will come back here…”

“I’m not lying to you, I promise! Just please don’t hurt him. My brother, he’s messed up, just please don’t hurt him.”

“Craymore," Harry barked, "stay here. Call a crew to sweep the house for evidence and then take Shamus back to the Ministry for processing. Jones, Smith, you’re with me, let’s go.” Jones and Smith nodded and the three Apparated out with a pop.



Back to index


Chapter 13: Chapter Twelve

Author's Notes: Ongoing thanks to Arnel for being such a wonderful beta reader :)


It was dark outside when Ginny regained consciousness. Her head was spinning and she tried to find her bearings. She remembered only flashes of the last several hours. She remembered standing outside the Ministry, the world going dark, she remembered the boy standing over her, and the voice inside her head telling her to get up and go with him. The Imperius Curse didn’t last long, and when Ginny began to snap out of it he Stunned her again. That was the last thing she remembered. Ginny’s head was pounding. She felt dizzy and nauseous.


Slowly she opened her eyes. She was in a parlor on the floor. A sofa and arm chair surrounded her. Her hands and feet were bound, but there was nothing gagging her or preventing her from speaking. She could make out the shoes of someone sitting nearby. She let out an involuntary groan. The boy got up and stood over her. “Well, good morning Sleeping Beauty,” he said in a sinister tone.


“I remember you,” Ginny replied.


“Do you now?’ the boy taunted, “And what do you remember about me?”


He was still bending over her, twirling his wand in his hand. Ginny could see her own wand tucked inside his pocket. “Your mum and dad,” Ginny responded. “I remember trying them. They’re in Azkaban now.”


The man kicked Ginny in the ribs and she let out a yelp of pain. “They are thanks to you. Got ten and twenty years, didn’t they? Spent every last sickle we had trying to defend themselves.”


Ginny remembered only pieces of his parent’s case. They had joined with Voldemort’s cause during the second war, but they weren’t especially powerful or important. She thought the boy must have been young when his parents started up with him. Ginny noticed that whatever curse he’d used to bind her hands was weak. The knots felt loose and she wondered if he was distracted long enough if she could wiggle out of them, “You’ve been following me,” she stated.


“Been following you for a long time. Been steaking you out at the Ministry. Got lucky when I saw you in Diagon Alley.” His face twisted into a creepy grin. “That’s when I found out ‘bout your little boy.”


James. He knew about James. “I’m sorry,” she pleaded. She needed to keep him talking.


“Oh, you’re sorry, are you? You ruin my life, ruin my brother’s life, and now you’re all tied up and you’re sorry?” He was growing agitated, pacing around the room. “Do you have any idea what my life was like because of you? My family became pariahs. Nobody wanted to be associated with us in case your lot found out. Thought they might be guilty by association. I barely made it through Hogwarts.”


Ginny was close. The knots were getting looser. It was easier to move her hands. “I’ll do anything you want. Just let me go.”


“Anything? You’ll do anything I want? I’ll tell you what I want.” He leaned over her again. His face was sinister. “I want to kill you. And when I’m done I’m going to kill your son and everyone else you care about.”


The boy’s threats to James sent a primal rage through Ginny. In an instant, she pulled her hands out of the remainder of her binding and propelled herself head first into the boy’s stomach as hard as she could. He fell to the ground winded. She grabbed his wand from his hands. “Accio wand!” She caught her own and severed the restraints on her legs. Everything around her faded away as she focused solely on the boy in front of her. He lay at her feet, the sinister look in his eye had changed instantly to fear.


“Don’t you dare threaten my son,” she roared. She raised her arm into the air, ready to attack, when she felt a hand on her wrist, pulling her wand back down.


“Ginny, no!” It was Harry’s voice.


“Let go of me, Harry! Let go of my wand!” Ginny yelled.


“Ginny, he’s down. He doesn’t have his wand. It’s over.” Harry didn’t disarm her, but he kept his hand on her wrist.


“Get out of my way, Harry!” She screamed, trying to pull her wrist out of Harry’s hand.


“Ginny,” Harry implored, “look at him. He’s only seventeen.”


Ginny didn’t care. “He threatened our son!” She was ready to lunge on the boy and attack him with her fists if she had to.


“Ginny,” Harry’s hands were around her waist, pulling her back into his chest. He whispered into her ear, “Ginny, once you go down this road it’s not so easy to come back.”


Harry’s words softened her. She composed herself. Harry nodded towards two Aurors Ginny had only just noticed.


“Stupify!” one of them yelled and the boy was knocked out.


“Jones, get another crew out here to sweep for evidence,” Harry ordered. “Smith, get that kid to the Ministry for processing. Ginny, I’m getting you out of here.”


Tears began to fill Ginny’s eyes. Harry turned her around and looked at her face. “You were brilliant. I saw everything, you were so brave.”


“Harry,” Ginny choked back her tears, “where’s James? Is James alright?”


“He’s with your parents at Neville’s. Come on, I’m taking you home.”





It was nine o’ clock at night when Ginny finally arrived back at The Burrow. She didn’t realize she’d been kidnapped for nearly nine hours. “Where are James and my mum and dad?” she asked Harry.


“I just sent a Patronus, they should be back any minute. Sit down.” He pushed her down on a chair at the kitchen table. He took the one next to her. She was shaking.


“Harry, I know that boy. He’s the one who’s been following me, I -“Ginny fought to hold back her tears.


“Andrew McMillin. You prosecuted his parents. I know.” Harry put his arm around Ginny’s shoulders.


“Harry, I’m sorry, I should have been more careful,” Ginny was trying to breath, trying to calm herself down. She focused on Harry’s arm around her shoulders; she tried to let his touch ground her. “If you hadn’t come I don’t know what I would have done.”


Harry took her face between his hands. “You are the strongest, most courageous, most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, Ginny.” He kissed her. Tears of relief, and shock and fear fell down her face.


“Mummy!” The kitchen door open and James ran inside. Immediately, Ginny pulled away wiped her eyes.


“James!” She ran to him and scooped him into a hug. She held him as tightly as she could to her chest, wishing she never had to let him go.


James looked as if he’d been sobbing for hours. “Mummy, where were you? Grandmum said you were missing. I wanted to wait in case you came back, but she made me go to Uncle Neville’s!”


“It’s ok, honey, I was just a little lost. I’m fine now.” Tears began to fall again and she couldn’t hold them back.


“Don’t cry, Mummy,” James raised his hand and clumsily wiped the tears from Ginny’s eyes.


Harry approached the pair. “James, why don’t we let Mummy go upstairs and change. We can go sit in the parlor and you can tell me everything about Uncle Neville. I haven’t seen him in a long time, you know?”


James smiled to see Harry again. “You know Uncle Neville?”


“Do I?” Harry took the small child into his own arms. “I once watched Uncle Neville kill a snake.”


“You did! Tell me!” James squealed.


Ginny shot Harry a look of thanks as she slipped upstairs and into the bathroom. There, away from Harry and their son she allowed herself to break down. She cried for the events of the day and the loss of safety she felt. She cried for her son and the terror that had coursed through her when he was threatened. And a small part of her cried for that seventeen-year-old boy who was a child himself when his mother left him to follow her dark path.


After Ginny composed herself she changed into fresh pajamas and her dressing gown and went downstairs. She found James in Harry’s lap on the sofa talking animatedly about the many special plants Neville had shown him. Ginny curled up next to Harry and laid her head on his chest. Harry moved an arm away from James and wrapped it around Ginny.


James looked confused. “Harry, do you love Mummy?” Ginny looked up, unsure how he would answer.


“James,” he said, “I’ve loved your mummy since I was sixteen.”


James thought a moment. “Do you love me?”


Harry used the arm wrapped around James to pull him as close as he could. “I love you more than anything in the world.”


James gave a small smile. Ginny realized her son was far more perceptive than she gave him credit for. “Mummy, I want to sleep with you tonight.”


Harry carried James up to Ginny’s bedroom and laid him in the center of the bed. Ginny gingerly pulled off his clothes and slid in next to him. Harry knelt beside her and kissed her forehead. “I should get going,” he whispered.


He stood up to leave but Ginny caught him by the arm. “Stay,” she whispered back.


Harry studied her for a moment and then removed his trousers and shirt. He slid in next to James and held Ginny’s hand over his head. James’ legs and arms shot out as he took up far more space in the bed than someone that small should need. Together, entangled in bed as one family, the three of them fell asleep.

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Chapter 14: Epilogue

Author's Notes: Thank you everyone who has read this story to the end! I hope you've had as much fun reading it as I've had writing it. If you have left me a review on this story please know how honored I am that you have taken the time not only to read my story but provide me with your thoughts. Although I haven't responded to all of them please know how appreciative I am!


On Christmas morning Harry awoke in his bed at Grimmauld Place. Ginny lay on her side sound asleep, surrounded by pillows, her belly just starting to pop out. Harry’s heart was pounding and his breathing ragged, as it almost always did when he woke up these days. Breathe, he told himself. Breathe. Slowly his breathing became more regular and his heart began to slow. Harry shifted quietly towards Ginny, desperate not to wake her. He lay his hand on Ginny’s stomach. She’s still here. They’re all still here and they’re safe. You’re safe. Harry wished he could say that his growing devotion to Ginny and James had chased the nightmares from his mind but that was far from the truth. If anything they had grown more intense now that Harry had more to lose. He often questioned if he was making the right choice for his family, and he struggled to fight the urge to retreat, but every morning he saw Ginny next to him and chose to have faith.


It was too early to feel his son or daughter move or kick, but he needed these moments and tried to hold on to every detail. As his fear subsided Harry chuckled at the memory of learning Ginny was pregnant again five months ago, after only two months back together. She freaked out a bit at first, but Harry was over the moon. Deep down he knew they both wanted this from the start. Neither of them was ignorant to contraception spells or potions but they never discussed any of them when they entwined themselves every night. Ginny would have learned her lesson from the first time.


After they were pregnant again it only made sense to officially live together. Harry loved thinking about those first nights when she and James moved in to Grimmauld Place. James had taken to calling Kreacher “floppy,” and from what it seemed, Kreacher had grown to care deeply for James, despite his early misgivings about childcare. Harry and Ginny never told James that Harry was his father, but at some point he just began calling him Daddy and they just let it all develop naturally. One day when James was older they would tell him the whole story. Ginny and Harry had long, busy days at work and caring for James, and the baby seemed to take an extra toll on Ginny. At night, however, they retired often to their room to continue reacquainting themselves with each other’s bodies until they were ready to collapse from exhaustion. Harry never tired of being inside of Ginny or feeling the warmth of her body underneath his. On Sundays they went to The Burrow to see Ginny’s family and play Quidditch. Secretly, Harry was looking for a house with a large back garden.


Ginny’s eyes slowly opened and she gave a sleepy groan. Harry leaned in to kiss her, and then her stomach, and then he rested his chin on her belly button. “Good morning, beautiful,” he said with a certain look in his eye.


Ginny snorted, “Hardly.”


The truth was Harry was captivated by her body like this. He had missed so much with James he was ecstatic to see it all. He loved watching her belly get bigger and had never felt more turned on. “I’ll prove it to you,” Harry responded suggestively.


“Oh, we don’t have time for that,” Ginny snorted. As if on cue Harry heard a door open down the hall. “Three....two...one.... and....”


“It’s Christmas!!” The four-year-old boy burst into the room and jumped onto the bed. “Mummy! Daddy! It’s Christmas!”


“It’s Christmas, yay,” mumbled Ginny, still half asleep.


Harry took James into his arms, “James, let’s go downstairs and ask Kreacher to get started on Christmas breakfast. Mummy and the baby will be right behind us.”


“Floppy! Floppy!” James called for Kreacher as they walked towards the stairs.





With cinnamon buns and coffee the two parents watched their child open his Christmas gifts. He got his usual jumper from his grandmother and a box of child friendly Weasleys Wizard Wheezes from George and Ron. Hermione had given him a set of children’s books which Harry had hoped would replace The Beatle and the Bard. Harry had to admit he went overboard this Christmas, buying James his first broom, much to Ginny’s chagrin. He couldn’t help it. He had so many missed Christmases to make up for. Harry’s thoughts turned to Ginny’s present tucked inside the tree, a simple emerald ring he’d found in the Potter vault at Gringotts. He wasn’t even sure who it had belonged to, but thought Ginny would appreciate the sentimentality.


Harry had brought up marrying her several times, but she always said it wasn’t necessary, just a big to do. We already live together with two kids, what’s the point? She’d say. She didn’t fully understand how much it meant to Harry, after so many years feeling alone, to have a proper and official family. Harry had hoped that if he properly asked her over Christmas lunch, in front of their son and with a new child growing inside her, she wouldn’t be able to refuse him. The thought made his heart flutter hopefully.


“Floppy! Floppy!” James cried out after opening all his gifts, and Kreacher appeared.


“Yes, James?” It had taken months for Kreacher to finally agree to drop the master.


“He comes to Floppy now?” Ginny asked. And Harry shrugged. The two seemed to form a bond Harry didn’t fully understand.


“Floppy! Merry Christmas!” James handed Kreacher his Christmas gift. He had insisted on wrapping it himself. It had been encased several times in sparking paper and nearly half a roll of tape was used to secure it.


It was a framed picture James had drawn of the two of them standing under a Christmas tree. Kreacher looked up and looked ready to cry. “Thank you, Mas….James,” his voice seemed to tremble. “Kreacher must keep working on the Christmas lunch.” James threw his arms around Kreacher. Harry knew that the gift meant a lot to both of them.


Harry sat back on the sofa and allowed himself to feel happy. Thoughts of darker days always threatened to creep in, but Harry tried pushed them aside. He still kept his eyes on the door and his hand near his wand, but that was a habit he felt would probably never die. He looked at his wife and unborn child, his son playing on the floor, and he knew that this was worth fighting for.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Number twelve, Grimmauld Place was quiet as Christmas night passed. James had gone to bed early after a long day and Ginny and Harry spent the remainder of the evening curled up by the fire in the parlor. Harry nuzzled his nose into Ginny’s hair and she could hear his breath in her ear. “Do you remember our first night in this room?” he whispered. Ginny blushed at the memory.

“Are you asking for a repeat?” She asked.

“I wouldn’t mind,” Harry pulled her closer, “but I was just thinking, it feels like it was years ago and just yesterday at the same time.”

He’s not wrong, Ginny thought to herself. It had only been seven months since Harry had come back into their lives and the time had flown by, but at the same time her world was completely different. Ginny looked down at her left hand and noticed the gleaming emerald snug on her ring finger. “I hope I didn’t put you on the spot, when I asked you to marry me,” Harry turned her face to look at him.

“Well, you did,” Ginny answered honestly, “but I forgive you. You were clever, getting James involved.” Ginny had to smile thinking of it. Harry had put James up to asking Ginny over Christmas tea if she wanted to marry his daddy before getting on one knee and proposing.

“Ginny,” Harry’s voice was serious now, “I want to marry you more than anything, but this isn’t something I want you to do just to make me happy, or because you think it’s the right thing to do, with James and the baby.”

Ginny touched her forehead to Harry’s, “Why is me wanting to make you happy such a problem?”

Harry pulled away, “I know this isn’t exactly what you dreamed our happily ever after would look like.”

Ginny smiled. “Well, there’s still time for that. When I was eleven we were going to live in a huge castle in the country, we were both going to be famous professional Quidditch players, and you were going to bring me breakfast every morning.”

Harry chuckled, “If a castle and breakfast is all it takes…”

Ginny nestled her head under his chin. “I didn’t expect that you’d leave me to fight a war, or we’d lose Fred, or that I’d get pregnant at sixteen. But I did and we’re here now, and I think we’re happy.” Harry was quiet for a while, giving Ginny time to reflect on the last several months. She wasn’t sure exactly what inspired her to let Harry back into her heart. As she watched him become a father to James and return to her each day, or when she held him as he cried out from the nightmares that haunted his nights; there seemed to be a steadiness about him that had never been there before. The two had developed more than a romance, but a partnership they’d never had before.

Finally, Harry spoke, “I know you didn’t expect me to get you pregnant again so soon.”

Ginny smiled, “It’s not like I wasn’t an equal part in that, you know. I got myself pregnant as much as you did.” Something about being with Harry made her want to forget about the consequences of what they did each night. She wouldn’t be surprised if there were a few more Potters still to come. “Harry, you didn’t trick me or trap me into being with you again. And you didn’t trick me into agreeing to marry you today. Do I see the point of a big fancy ceremony? No. But this is obviously very important to you and I’m willing to compromise.”

“It’s only important to me because-“

Ginny turned and cut him off with a kiss. “I know.”

“Ginny…” he started again. “I promise I — “

She put her hands up to his lips, shushing him. “I know.” The truth was there wasn’t a reason that she that she had let him in again, or that she’d let herself get pregnant, or that she’d moved her and James to Grimmauld Place, or even that she’d accepted his proposal today, not one she could consciously identify. The truth was everything just felt right, and good, and happy and she believed that they deserved it. There was something about their history, and their children, and their love for each other than made her want to be here. The days weren’t always easy and their problems weren’t completely gone, but it seemed they had something worth fighting for.

Harry stood up and reached his hand out to Ginny, “Dance with me?” He asked.

“Harry,” Ginny rolled her eyes.

“If we’re going to get married, we have to dance. We may as well start practicing.” Ginny hesitantly placed her hand in his. He pulled her up and wrapped his arms around her, swaying clumsily around the living room.

“We’re terrible at this,” Ginny remarked.

Harry looked deep into Ginny’s eyes. She stared back, wishing for him to understand.

“It doesn’t matter,” Harry replied, keeping his arms wrapped around her. “We’ll practice.”

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