Disclaimer: HP is not mine.

Thank you for all your lovely reviews. I am sorry for being so late with this chapter, but well, at least it's here. And you know that? It's my birthday today, so I'm even more happy to post this chapter today.

Chapter 7

Revelations

Three days later…

When the elderly witch entered the living room, Teddy realized – with not just a touch of relief – that all their problems would be solved. "Professor McGonagall!" he exclaimed, as glad as he had never been before to see her.

When she gave him a stern look, he felt like covering her with kisses. "Professor Dumbledore told me a story that sounded really weird," she said.

\

Ted could not stop grinning. "Did he mention something about a broken Time-Turner, a travel in time and… a crazy James Potter?"

"Yes," she confirmed, "that's exactly what he said."

"I suppose you're here to help us with mending the Time-Turner?"

"Yes, that's why I'm here. Although I feel that the whole lot of you has not been punished enough, I think I'll leave your detention in the hands of those who have authority over you." She sighed heavily. "I don't know why I was surprised, I really don't know. I've never got anything but trouble with Potters, Lupins and Weasleys and it has been this way since James and Remus first set foot in Hogwarts in 1971. I don't know why I expected that one day, it's just quit."

She looked so stern and disapproving, and familiar that it was comforting. Teddy felt that finding their way back would be possible and that, in fact, it would happen very soon. Minerva McGonagall always, always had her way, especially when it came to thinking and finding a solution out of thin air. And they really needed an unexpected solution. Because Ted remembered a little detail about Time-Turners that he had been carefully hiding from the children: that Time-Turners worked only one way. Backward.

–––––––––––––––––––––

The next morning…

Late in the morning, Mrs Weasley was rereading a letter in the kitchen. Behind Ginny's casual chatter, she felt the fear, anger and desperation that had taken over Hogwarts. There was nothing she could do to help her children – even Dumbledore couldn't. She had slept poorly, dreaming of death, murder… and the last Christmas of the first war, the last time she had been with her brothers. Would it happen again? Could their family survive? Arthur? All her children? Could she bear to lose a loved one again? Would she have to?

The door opened and Victoire entered the kitchen, yawning widely and rubbing her eyes. "Good morning," the girl said.

"Good morning, dear," Molly answered. "How are you?"

"I'm slee – slee-pyyy," Victoire answered, fighting off another yawn. "Good morning, Kreacher," she said nicely. "I'd like bacon and eggs, please."

The old house-elf looked at her as if she were his mortal enemy, but started doing what she had ordered him anyway, muttering about half-breeds and disgrace and, oh, what would have his beloved mistress said, if only –

"Oh shut up!" Victoire snapped. It was hard to believe that this malicious creature was the same good-natured Kreacher who had secretly given her sweets, when Harry and Ginny had taken her to their home for babysitting. "I've got a terrible headache," she complained and her grandmother immediately poured her a cup of tea to make her better.

For a while, the two of them sat in the kitchen. No one talked – they were just enjoying the silence and peace in the house. Wait – silence and peace? Victoire's head snapped back. "Where is everyone?" she asked.

Molly smiled. "Some of them are degnoming and some others are cleaning," she said. "Everyone is as far from you as possible. I wanted you to have some sleep."

Victoire smiled with gratitude. Ever since they had gotten here, normal sleep had not been an option for her, so she was glad that she had had the chance to relax the last night. "Where is Teddy?" she asked and tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear, before it had had the chance to fall in her tea. Doing so, she left her cheek bare and the red scrapes on her soft fair skin stood ugly in the sunlight. Molly looked at them.

"You never told me what happened," she said.

"It's true, I didn't."

Victoire had no intention of doing so now. The very idea of her mother being jealous of her over her father seemed ridiculous; she really couldn't bring herself to discuss it with other people. There was a silent agreement between her, Louis and their father not to mention about what had happened in Bill's apartment.

"Are you sure you don't want me to heal the scrapes and bruises?" Molly asked.

"No, but thanks anyway." Victoire knew that there was nothing dangerous in such small healing and yet she was not quite sure, although she knew that her grandmother was an expert in this.

But Molly Weasley was am expert in some other areas, too. "When is your baby due?" she asked calmly.

Victoire gasped slightly, but then relaxed and smiled. "In seven months," she answered. "But you cannot tell anybody!" she added quickly. "I haven't told anyone yet, not even Teddy. It's a secret."

Molly stared intently at this strange girl from the future, at the spitting image of the young woman that she didn't like or love, and she suddenly saw that here, right in front of her, sat an alternative to death – a part of her that would keep living after the war, despite the war. The clashes of family life, the adaptation and forgiveness that were an inevitable part of it, the tears and laughter – all that would keep existing, no matter what Voldemort and his Death Eaters would do. And she would owe it partly to the insufferable French girl that Bill was so firmly set on getting married to. But no matter how much Victoire looked like her mother, she was a part of Bill, too, a part of Molly.

"That secret is so wonderful," she whispered, "it'd be a pity to stay a secret."

Victoire shook her head. "I don't want anyone to know that I'm pregnant now, before the wedding! They're going to think we're getting married because of the baby and not because we are crazy about each other. And I thought it would be better for Teddy to get accustomed to his new status as a married man before knowing that he's going to become a father. Now – " She shrugged. Now, everything was so messed up that she did not dare bring up more changes. Not until she had to.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Forty minutes later…

"What am I to do with this goblet?"

Sirius looked with disdain at the fine silverware. "Just throw it away," he answered, annoyed. He was not angry with the kid, but a whole morning of Molly's bossiness, Kreacher's muttering, his mother's shrieks, and cleaning away family artifacts had turned him quite sour. And James' merry mood was not helping. In fact, it was giving him a headache. I need Moony. Remus would know that he should leave him alone without actually leaving him alone. He knew how to handle Sirius and no matter how much Sirius hated to admit it, he knew that he needed as careful handling as the most dangerous animals in Muggle zoos.

But Moony was not here – well, he was, but it was as if he wasn't. He was in the library, trying to work out a way to make the Time-Turner take their young visitors back to their own time. He's been engaged in this activity for hours, along with Professor McGonagall and Teddy. And Snape. Snape!

No wonder why Sirius was not allowed in the library. At least, he trusted Snivellus to do his best to help them – the slimeball wanted the kids out of here almost as much as they did. He probably can't stand teenagers that he has no authority over. I shudder at the mere thought of what he must be doing to the poor devils at Hogwarts.

"Just throw it away," he repeated. "Throw away everything you want. And don't bother asking."

"All right," James replied cheerfully. "Would you mind if I strangle Kreacher?" he asked. He didn't really mean it – he knew that at the end, the old house-elf would turn out all right, but he wouldn't mind to scare him a little, because he was really getting on his nerves.

"Not at all," Sirius answered indifferently, startling James. Anyway, the kid kept cleaning the carpet and his joyful spirits could not be lowered by Sirius' moodiness.

"Do you know what?" he asked with the air of great mysteriousness.

Sirius felt a sudden pang in his heart, caused by the memory of James – his James – saying the exact same words thousands of times.

"What?"

"Victoire is having a baby!" James announced, unable to keep himself under control any longer. "She and Teddy are going to be parents!"

The old vase in Sirius' hands fell on the floor and smashed into hundred pieces. James grinned, satisfied with the effect of his news. "How do you know?" Sirius asked and flashing another grin, James threw a quick look at the door to make sure that no one was watching, and showed him the end of an Extendable Ear. It wasn't even one of those that Fred and George had managed to save from their mother's purge. James had brought it from the future. "You eavesdropped on them?" Sirius asked and tried to look stern, disapproving and admonishing… without much success.

"Of course no!" James looked insulted. "Eavesdropping on a love couple? No, thanks! They can give everyone a headache. No, I heard when Victoire told Grandma about it, this same morning." He grinned. "We know something so important about Teddy that he still doesn't know, can you imagine it?"

Sirius pointed his want at the porcelain pieces on the floor. "Evanesco!" he said and looked at them vanishing. "Are you serious?" he asked. "Teddy still doesn't know?"

James nodded energetically. "She doesn't want to tell him,' he clarified. "So, we're not telling him either."

"No, we aren't," Sirius agreed, a little taken aback by such readiness on James' side to respect his cousin's wishes.

"But that doesn't mean we're not telling everyone else!" James went on, bouncing on his heels in mad enthusiasm. Ah, well, Sirius thought, things start getting clear.

"I'm going to tell Al first," James started babbling, "and Fred. Not Lily, though – she'll be so thrilled about the baby that she'll run up to Teddy and tell him everything! In fact, I think she shouldn't know at all."

Sirius started smiling a little, his dark mood somewhat brightening. "James," he said, "you'd better listen to a man who's had many years of experience with other people secrets: you have three choices. You can tell no one – the best way of keeping a secret. You can tell everyone… and be prepared for the consequences. Or you can tell a very small number of people and swear them to secrecy. But you cannot tell everyone except for one person; it won't work."

"Oh." James seemed deflated. "Well, I suppose you're right. But I'll find a way!" he swore and following Sirius' earlier advice, he threw away a golden watch that he had found in one of the cabinets. "I like the one Teddy got for his seventeenth birthday better," he commented. "I helped Dad pick it and I – "

"What?" Sirius asked sharply and James looked at him, bewildered. "What did you say?"

James blinked. "What did I say?"

"You said that your father gave Teddy the traditional gift for his seventeenth birthday," Sirius helped him.

Now James realized what he had let slip. He tried to play surprised. "I did?"

"Yes," Sirius assured him, the boy's behavior confirming his worst fears. "Why would your parents give him a watch? Where were his own parents?"