Part of the Year Long Scavenger Hunt ([E14] Write about one of Harry's children finding out about his less-than-pleasant childhood) on HPFC.

Sugarcoated

"Mum, what is this?"

Ginny's eyes widened; she flew around the table and grabbed the dangerous object from James' hand.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, gripping it tight.

"It was in the closet, in dad's old trunk. Why, what is it?" James' eyes sparkled with mischief, even more interested in it now than he had been before.

Ginny sighed. "It's a basilisk fang."

James' eyebrow furrowed. "A what?"

Holding out her wand, Ginny levitated a book from the living room shelves into her hand and fingered through the pages. When she landed on the one she wanted, she turned the book around and showed it to her eldest son.

"Woah," James said, skimming the page's description. "But… why does dad have one of its fangs?"

Ginny smiled crookedly. These memories for her were violent, unpleasant things, but she knew her firstborn. His reaction would be worth it in the end.

"In your dad's second year, my first, one of Voldemort's horcruxes was brought into the school. You see, someone had snuck it into my schoolbooks. It was a journal which, if you wrote in it, would talk back to you. I had no idea who Tom Riddle was at that point in time. The more I wrote in it, the more power it held over me. I did things… vile things. The last thing it made me do was open the Chamber of Secrets at the school and lock myself in. All the while I was down there, the horcrux fed off me so that it could become corporeal. Tom Riddle wanted your dad to rescue me so that Tom could kill him."

"Ugh, mum… this sounds, you know, like, romantic…" James distaste showed clearly on his face.

"Far from it, love. Your dad saved me because he was brave and no one else knew how. It wasn't because he loved me."

"Well, I cared for you, didn't I?"

Ginny and James turned around to see Harry standing in the doorway to the kitchen. He smiled.

"Dad, what about the basilisk? Mum won't tell me."

"I was getting there, darling."

"Let your mother finish the story."

James made a grunting sound.

"When your dad entered the Chamber, Tom commanded the basilisk to kill him. The eyes of the monster alone could kill, but your dad got a little surprise." Ginny smiled as her son's face lit up with interest. "A phoenix appeared with the Gryffindor sword, and the phoenix, well…"

She looked back at Harry, who waved her on.

"The phoenix clawed out the basilisk's eyes."

James' eyes widened and he whispered, "Wicked."

"The monster could still hear your dad, but he was too smart for it. He stabbed it with the sword through the roof of its mouth. And that was that."

"Hold on!" said Harry and James in unison.

"You can't stop there!" James continued. "What about the fang?"

"You haven't even gotten to the best part," said Harry. Ginny was smirking. "Alright, if you won't tell it. When I stabbed the basilisk, one of its fangs stabbed me back. I thought I was done for, but the phoenix flew over to me and its tears healed my bite. Then it flew your mum, your Uncle Ron and I to safety. That's the end."

James' eyebrows furrowed and he looked like he was in deep contemplation. Harry and Ginny looked at each other, then back at their son.

"Did this actually happen?" James asked skeptically.

"How else do you think I got this basilisk fang to kill horcruxes with?"

James mischievous smirk reappeared. "That's the coolest thing I've ever heard."

Harry chuckled and Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I have to tell Albus dad killed a giant snake. That'll drive him batty."

James bounded out of the room after calls of protest from his parents. Ginny sighed and placed the fang on the table.

"Your son," she said, "is far too much like you."

Harry had been smiling, but that smile faded quickly. "And my other son?"

Ginny's expression turned to one of concern and pity. "Everyone has their own path, Harry," she said, giving him a half-smile. "Albus will find his. Being in Gryffindor is not a requirement for being a good person, as you well know."

As Harry made his way to find James before he could tell his brother about the basilisk, Ginny wrestled with herself. She wasn't sure if she was sugarcoating Albus' situation or not. She hoped fervently that she was not.