Disclaimer all characters, settings, etc, are the copyright of JK Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishing
The Grey haired old Lady
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Chapter 9 Another witch.
I spent all of my free time with Ginny during that short period of time before she had to go off to a School called Hogwarts, I think we have found something that will last for the rest of our lives, well at least I hope it does. I went with the Potter's to see Ginny off, she was crying a little when we kissed goodbye. I almost cried myself but managed to hold back the strange choking feeling I got as she walked away from me.
I arrived home feeling really miserable, told my mum I was going to my room and made my way upstairs. I flopped on my bed before I noticed that the large picture of Mrs Potter was empty. I wondered where she might be, then decided she must have gone to visit someone. As I looked at the picture of an empty chair I remembered Mrs Potter's words about not trying to do any magic. I remembered the look of disappointment she had. There and then I made a decision and reached into the drawer of my bedside cabinet and took out the wand. I spent hours over the next one or two weeks, where ever I went, what ever I was doing, as soon as I was alone, I kept trying to perform a spell. Time after time I failed, yet I could not stop myself trying, each time I failed to concentrate.
It was a couple of weeks after Ginny had gone off to start Hogwarts, I had been missing her so bad I decided to try to distract myself with my old friends, finding them a little boring as all they talked about were computer games I left them and headed home, I had just arrived home from a visit to my friend Greg's house, when I found my mother sitting in the kitchen looking as though she had seen a ghost.
"Are you ok mum?" I asked wondering what was wrong.
"I should have known it would catch up with me one day," mum said.
She was making me wonder what she was talking about, I sat down opposite her. The thought entered my head that maybe she and dad had rowed and dad had left home, I dumped that thought almost as quick as it had arrived, mum and dad never argued, they had over the years worked out a system that worked well. Mum told dad, dad agreed, and they did it together, what ever it might be at the time, it was a simple system they both accepted.
"Mum what ever is wrong? You are making no sense," I said. Then wished I had kept my mouth closed as mum gave me a look. One of those where you know you just stepped over some invisible line and dropped your self up to the neck in the deep end.
Mum stared at me, she had a new scared look I had never seen before, a strange sort of miserable, guilty, frightened but regretful sort of look.
"Accio wand," she said, my wand came flying over from somewhere near the sink. I almost fell from my chair as open mouthed I watched it soar straight to her hand.
"Mum you are a witch," I said my voice full of admiration and surprise.
"Andy, I want you to promise me, you will never tell your father, I don't want him to know about my family."
I could not take in what I was hearing and as for what I had seen, I must have imagined it. I looked about the room, looking for some other way that the wand had reached my mother.
"I had an idea when that picture arrived. Does she talk to you, do you know who she is?" mum asked.
"That's Mrs Potter. The grey haired old lady I told you about. That was her wand. I was given the wand when she died. The picture was another gift, one I never expected, and yes she does talk to me," I told her.
"Andy, tell me she's not The Mrs Potter. Not Mrs Harry Potter." Mum looked even worse as tears began to form in her eyes.
"As a matter of fact she is, and Ginny is her great grand daughter," I answered again.
"Your girl friend is a witch then, not only a witch but a Potter," mum seemed to be about ready to crack up or something.
I was getting more and more confused. My mum was a witch yet she had not wanted us to know. Now she was near to tears because my girlfriend is a witch, I had to know what was going on. "Mum, what's going on, what are you so upset about, if you are a witch it should not bother you that my girlfriend is one as well." I wondered just at that point if I really wanted an answer.
"Oh Andy, I am so sorry. I hope she doesn't hold it against you," mum said as she started to cry her shoulders shaking.
Now I was getting worried, what was it that Ginny might hold against me, was it bad enough for her to dump me?
"Mum will you tell me what on earth you are talking about?" I almost yelled.
Mum sat sobbing her shoulders still shaking. I watched her and a thousand thoughts rushed through my head, none of this made any sense to me, asking mum questions was only confusing me more. I got up and walked around the table and put my arm around her shoulder, when she had finally calmed down I told her that what Ginny and I shared could not be taken away, no matter what the reason.
"I hope you are right son, I hope she will be as strong as her great grand mother was," mums shoulders shook as she thought of something. I still had no idea what it might be.
"Do you want a cup of tea making?" I asked gently.
Mum looked at me then gave the wand a quick flick and a pot of tea appeared, just as it had done when Mrs Potter served tea. I have to admit I was impressed, my mum could do magic, we both had a cup of the hot brew before mum spoke again.
"Would you go up to your room and ask Mrs Potter if I can talk to her please?" mum asked.
Finishing my tea I did as mum asked. Mrs Potter was almost as surprised as I was when I told her what had happened down stairs.
"Well you nip down and tell your mum she can talk to me when ever she wants too, nothing can be so bad that she has to hide her gift," Mrs Potter told me.
Arriving back down stairs I told mum what Mrs Potter had said. I wondered if I would be allowed to be there when the two women had a talk. I was now anxious to know why mum had said the things she had, I wanted to know why mum was worried about what Ginny thought.
Mum whisked the cups into the sink with the wand, then turned to me, "shall we go up then?"
I felt relieved I was being invited; I was going to find out what it was all about. I resisted the urge to rush my mum as we walked up to my bedroom. Mrs Potter was sitting in the huge armchair when we walked into the room; both my mother and I sat on the bed.
Mrs Potter was the one who broke the silence, "Andy has told me you are a witch and that you wanted to talk to me," she studied my mother as she spoke.
I just sat quietly trying to be inconspicuous and listened as they talked together.
