Witch Daughter

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters, though I wish I did. They are all property of J.K. Rowling and her business associates.

2: June 1998

"I think it is about time I go get my parents," said Hermione when she finished breakfast at the Burrow.

"So, you intend to go to Australia?" asked Ron.

"How else can I do it?" she asked in exasperated tone.

"I'm coming with you," said Harry.

"And I'm coming as well," added Ron.

"And I won't be left behind this time," chimed in Ginny.

"Slow it down, please!" said Hermione. "I'm the one who sent them there and it's my responsibility to bring them back. This has nothing to do with any of you!"

"Well, it does with me!" insisted Harry. Hermione shot a dirty glance at him but neither Ron nor Ginny noticed it.

"Wherever you go, I go" said Ron. Hermione had to smile at that.

"Fine," she said. "Let's go upstairs and discuss it. There are a few things you should know before we go."

They all crammed into Ginny's room. Hermione sat on her bed, Ron and Ginny were sitting on the other bed and Harry was leaning on the door, keeping it closed, after casting a privacy charm on it.

"You must swear that nothing I tell you now will ever escape your lips," demanded Hermione.

Ron and Ginny swore. "What about Harry?" noticed Ron. "Why doesn't he swear?"

"He already knows what I'm going to tell you," explained Hermione.

She reached for a book that lay on the night table, took a photo which was hidden between its pages, looking at it lovingly, and then turned towards her audience, showing the photo. "It's all about this girl, Lillian," she said softly.

"What do you mean?" asked Ron.

"Who is she?" asked Ginny.

"Let me tell it my way, please," said Hermione.

She sighed gravely before she started talking again. "Do you remember how I looked during our third year? I was fat and ugly and..."

"No, you were not ugly and not really fat," intervened Ron.

"Anyhow – I felt that way," continued Hermione. "I thought no boy would ever be interested in me..."

"But I was!" exclaimed Ron.

"And you had a very peculiar way of showing it," retorted Hermione, "but that is not the point. I FELT that way, whether it was justified or not."

She took a deep breath and continued.

"Harry was staying at the hospital wing after the dementor incident, when he fell from his broom. I visited him one evening and he was asleep. I noticed he had an erection and... well... I'm not proud of what I did... I used him to get my only chance at having sex, as I thought back then."

"Wow!" said Ginny, her eyes sparkling.

"You did WHAT?" asked Ron.

"I... well... I abused the fact that he was asleep and having an erection to... have my way with him," confessed Hermione, her face reddening.

"So – you shagged him!" said Ron, disbelief in his eyes.

"Yes... I did, and he didn't even know until I told him," said Hermione.

"And when was that – the next day?" asked Ron, still trying to keep cool.

"No. I told him a few months ago, when... when you weren't with us. He found this photo and started questioning me."

Ginny gasped suddenly, holding her hand to her mouth. She looked at the photo, at Hermione and at Harry repeatedly, not daring to say a word.

"I still don't understand," stated Ron. "So – you shagged Harry without him knowing. What does that have to do with that photo?"

Hermione looked at the photo once again before answering "Lillian is my daughter. She is staying with my parents in Australia."

Ron seemed overwhelmed. He moved his mouth but no words came out. He was looking at Hermione and she couldn't tell if he was just confused or really hurt. Ginny started crying and Harry moved immediately to be with her.

"Please don't cry, Ginny. This has nothing to do with you," he said, trying to comfort her.

"It has everything to do with me!" cried Ginny. "You are now going to marry the mother of your child and leave me alone once again!"

"No, Ginny. If I want to marry anybody it is you. I'm not in love with Hermione and she is not in love with me," assured her Harry.

Ginny tried to hold back her tears. "So – do we still have a chance?"

"I really hope so," responded Harry, wiping her tears away.

Ron seemed to have heard their conversation, but it was still hard for him to comprehend.

"Are you going to marry Harry?" he asked Hermione dumbly.

"No. We both agreed it would not be wise and would only make everybody miserable. Harry loves Ginny. He would not be happy with me."

"And who do you love?"

"You should have known by now!" retorted Hermione.

It took Ron a few more minutes to figure everything out, but eventually he said "You told us because you thought it might change the way I feel about you or the way Ginny feels about Harry, didn't you?'

"That's part of it. I didn't want you to find out about Lillian when we are in Australia. I've hidden her long enough from my friends and I don't want to hide her anymore. I might present her as my sister to others, but you three should know the truth, even if it only shows how stupid I once was."

They all went silent, each trying to understand the consequences of the new revelation. A short while later it was Ginny's voice which broke the silence. "So, when are we leaving for Australia?"