The Unbreakable Vow
by
Ash Darklighter
It all belongs to JK Rowling and I thank her for her inspiration – There are no galleons to be made from me. This little story is my first Harry Potter fic. It is AU and of course comments are welcome. My thanks to Tad and Mona for their help.
Part 21
Nancy Bain lifted her head from the box she was packing as the old-fashioned bell above the shop door tinkled brightly. The door opened and a vaguely familiar young man, dressed in jeans and a tee-shirt, walked through the doorway, holding the hand of a dark-haired, pale-faced girl. For a moment she couldn't think where she'd seen him before and then she remembered. He'd been in the previous day and had bought one of the boxes containing what had probably been her grandmother's useless old books.
"Hello," Nancy said, her face creasing into a smile. "Back again?"
"Hello," Harry said with a polite smile, as he pushed open the shop door. Ginny, after a cursory glance at the dilapidated exterior, followed him inside.
"Yes, I'm back," He said cheerfully. "I think I told you yesterday that I love old books. To be honest, my lunch hour wasn't nearly long enough to browse properly so I decided to come back today before you closed the place for good." He glanced at the girl by his side and a proud smile crossed his face. "This is my wife, Jenny."
Ginny smiled. "Hello. Gary's been going on and on about this place since he got home yesterday, and what a shame it was that you had to close it down." She glanced at the man by her side with fond exasperation.
"I'm glad to be able to finally do it," Nancy said frankly. As the couple moved further into the shop, their hands clutched tightly together, she mentally shook her head. They were married! They didn't look old enough to be out of school. She had to be getting old. "I'm more than ready to retire and I can't compete in today's market."
"It must be difficult," Ginny murmured sympathetically.
"It's not been easy for the last couple of years," Nancy said with a sigh. "But I managed. Have you been married long?"
"Two years," he admitted with a fond glance at the dark-haired girl by his side. "We were the proverbial childhood sweethearts."
"I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be with," Ginny admitted, looking at her young husband with an adoring smile.
"I don't suppose anyone else would put up with me," Harry mumbled, his face colouring.
"No, maybe not," agreed Ginny with a mischievous smirk. "You can be hard going sometimes."
"Thanks," said Harry. "I love you too."
Ginny chuckled. "I love old books and wondered if we could have a proper look at some of the boxes Gary was looking at yesterday."
"Go on," Nancy said with a smile. "It's through in the back room. If you don't mind, I'll need to keep sorting through these." She indicated a large pile of what amounted to several hundred books.
"Thanks," Harry said.
They disappeared into the back room, the door swinging behind them. Nancy chuckled. She would give them at least an hour and then check to see if they were alright. She could tell that they were really interested and the thought of not trusting the pair never entered her mind. Maybe they might want to help themselves to a tea or a coffee. She pushed open the door. They already had their heads immersed in a couple of dusty black books.
"The kettle's in that cupboard," she said. "Help yourself."
"That's really kind of you," Ginny said, lifting her eyes from a large book bound in faded burgundy leather.
Nancy chuckled, as she observed Ginny's eyes flitting from one box of books to another. "I can tell that you'll be here for a while. You have that look about you."
Harry laughed, his eyes following his wife as she pulled another book from a box and began carefully turning the pages. "You could be right. Perhaps you might like to throw us out around closing time?"
"I think I can do that." Nancy gave them a final nod before returning to the main shop area and losing herself in her work.
Harry waited until the door swung closed again. "Well?" he said softy.
Ginny lifted her delighted face to Harry. "You were right," she cried. "This place has some brilliant books. They'd look great in our library – even the non-wizarding ones."
"It's not much of a library," he said.
"Not yet," his wife returned evenly. "But one day it will be."
"Have you found any more wizarding ones?" Harry asked as Ginny picked her way through a pile of books stacked on a shelf at the back of the room.
"No, but that mean to say that there aren't any. Give me a chance. We've only been here for five minutes," she said exasperatedly. "If there are any wizarding books here we'll find them." Ginny moved to where the door was slightly ajar and peered through the narrow gap. "She's taking a stock inventory or something. She has her glasses on and the computer running. I would suggest you go now."
"I agree." Harry adjusted his rucksack and checked he had his Invisibility cloak and the Marauder's Map.
"Be careful," she instructed. "And don't do anything stupid."
"Who me!" Harry exclaimed quietly.
"Philosopher's Stone, flying car, Basilisk…" Ginny ticked the list off on her fingers. "I'm saying it again. Be careful. Your son is asking you to think before you do anything."
"My son, or daughter, is a blob. He or she can't speak yet."
"If he could, that's what he'd say," Ginny retorted completely convinced that they were having a son. "Be careful, Dad. Leave the reckless Gryffindor at home."
Harry nodded, the expression on his face grave. "I promise, Ginny-love that I'll be careful and I won't be long."
"You'd better not be long or else there'll be trouble. I'll be waiting." The words were threatening but the expression on her face was anything but. She was worried and scared that something would go wrong.
"I won't be long," he reassured her again. "I find Poppy and if she's not there I call for Dobby. I give him the envelope with the letter and the portkey and come home. It's simple." He kissed her. "I want you both to be safe – I'm just making extra sure of it. My parents gave their lives for me and I would do the same for you and the Blob - although I don't plan quitting the mortal realm yet. I have a dark wizard to vanquish permanently first." Harry reached into his pocket for his Floo powder, took a deep breath and enunciated clearly as he ducked and stepped into the fireplace. "The Infirmary…Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."
In the blink of an eye he had left the dusty old bookshop and was stumbling from the fireplace into Poppy's empty office. Glancing up at the portrait on the wall, he was relieved to find that it was vacant, its inhabitant taking the chance to visit other parts of the castle whilst the mediwitch was away.
"Poppy!" he called quietly. There was no reply. She could be at the far end of the ward but the whole place spoke of sterility and emptiness. She wasn't here. He needed to check the Marauder's Map before he went any further.
Harry couldn't take any more chances with the way that his luck normally held out and knew that the picture's subject could return at any time. The moving portraits around the castle could, and did, pass information to the headmaster. Harry grabbed the Marauder's Map and his father's Invisibility cloak from his rucksack and, with another look around the office, he swiftly pulled the cloak over his head.
"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," Harry chanted in a whisper. The Marauder's Map began to take shape in front of his eyes. It always amazed him how creatively sophisticated this piece of magic was. He scanned the parchment swiftly but there was no sign of the mediwitch anywhere in the castle. She was not at Hogwarts at this particular time.
"Damn!" he swore quietly. He now had no choice but to get Dobby involved and the elf could be unpredictable at best and behave in a manner completely insane at worst. But on a positive note, Dobby was completely loyal to Harry and had kept his secrets before.
He checked the map for possible threats – which to Harry consisted mainly of Snape and Dumbledore. He doubted that Percy Weasley would be at Hogwarts. The dot representing Snape showed that he was in his dungeon lab. Harry thought that the Potions Professor would probably be completing his brewing for the term to start. As for the headmaster, it was too much to hope that he would be out of the school. But Dumbledore was in his office pacing back and fore, which was far enough from the infirmary to allow Harry to relax a little. It left the coast clear.
He folded up the map and put it in his pocket. If the infirmary office door was locked he would be really stuck. He wasn't even sure if he would be able to perform any magic to get out into the ward itself. He thought he could manage a simple spell by now – he'd felt a prickling sensation when his emotions were heightened. But he didn't want to risk damaging his progress and drawing attention to his magical signature. Using the Floo was dangerous enough. One member of the Potter family was already having to contend with unexpected accidental bouts of magic. They didn't need another.
"Dobby," he hissed as loudly as he dared. "Dobby! It's me, it's Harry Potter. I need your help."
Suddenly there was a loud crack in front of him and the eccentric House Elf appeared, eyes round with amazement. "Harry Potter has returned to Hogwarts," he squeaked. What can Dobby do for Harry Potter, Sir?"
"Dobby," Harry began and then stopped, thinking hard. "You can see me…underneath the cloak?"
"Of course Dobby can. House Elf magic is strong."
The elf was wearing a maroon jumper that Ron had shrunk by mistake – or so he'd told his mother, mismatched coloured socks and one of Hermione's knitted hats. The incongruity of the ensemble made Harry smile. He checked to see if the infirmary portraits were watching and pulled the cloak from his head but left it across his shoulders when it appeared that they were not.
"You is not ready to come back, Harry Potter," said the elf sagely.
"I know and I'm not coming back yet but I need to see Madam Pomfrey. I need her help and its urgent." Or it would be in about eight months time, he thought. He held out the envelope containing the Fred and George created portkey. "Could you give this to Poppy and not tell anyone that I was here. Please," he entreated. "Even if Dumbledore questions you. I know I haven't the right to make you do anything as you're a free elf but…"
"Dobby promises," he said as he reached out, his long spindly fingers closing around Harry's letter. "Harry Potter not even need to ask. It is not time for you to be found." The bulbous eyes assessed the young man taking in the worry on his face. "You is happy where you is."
"I am happy," Harry admitted. "Happier than I've ever been. But the Muggle world is not where I belong."
Dobby's face was serious. "I can feel your magic now." Dobby smiled happily. "It is coming back. Stay safe, Harry Potter."
Harry's green eyes narrowed suspiciously. "You know where we are staying. Don't you?"
The elf smirked slyly. "Dobby would never tell. The Professors they asked and asked but Dobby not tell where Missis Wheezy-Potter and Harry Potter, Sir, is hiding. I is a free elf but work for Harry Potter and Mrs Wheezy-Potter."
"Thanks," Harry whispered. "When all this is over you can come and work for me all the time."
"Dobby accepts."
Harry managed to smile at the little creature. "Give the note to Poppy, please and I'll be back soon."
"Back?" The elf looked worried. "No, Harry Potter, not coming back yet. Not time."
"I may need to return to see and speak to Madam Pomfrey," Harry explained patiently.
"Dobby will deliver the message to Healy-witch. He will explain." He suddenly pricked up his ears and looked scared. "Professor Dumbles is coming. He knows stranger is in castle. Castle know you are a friend, so she let you in and will let you out. Best get home to Missis Wheezy-Potter. She be getting worried." And with a soft pop, he vanished.
Harry took one look at the doors to the infirmary and swallowed. Stuffing his cloak back into the rucksack he dived into the office muttering swear words under his breath and as he glanced down at the map in his hands, he heard the voice calling out, "Hello!"
Harry grabbed the packet of Floo powder from his pocket and spoke hurriedly. "Babble's Books." With a flash of green fire, he disappeared once more from the wizarding world.
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The famous twinkle in Albus Dumbledore's blue eyes had seriously diminished in the three years since Harry Potter had disappeared. There was relief and joy that Voldemort had somehow vanished again and pleasure that the Boy Who Lived had once more been the cause but it was mixed by the sobering realisation, certainly by Dumbledore and most of those in power, that the situation was a temporary one. Voldemort would undoubtedly be back. The current Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour, certainly believed that to be the case and had even managed to intimidate Percy Weasley into submission. That boy had shown so much promise and his stupidity had caused so much trouble and pain. Albus firmly believed that if Percy hadn't tried to separate Harry from Ginny by betrothing her to Draco Malfoy, they would still have both Ginny and Harry where they could see them.
The pompous Weasley brother was not ready and waiting to take over as Minister of Magic but working as a junior minister in the Department of Magical Transportation. This new position would delay his ambitious plans for some time and he knew it. Percy spent most of his spare time hounding the wizards in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to declare Harry Potter a criminal and have him arrested on sight. But there had been no sight of Harry for three years and the Ministry, having learned a few things in the intervening years since Harry's fifth year at Hogwarts, was not going to declare their possible saviour a criminal.
And Dumbledore wondered what had happened to the green-eyed boy he'd condemned to such an uncertain future. He'd lost Harry's trust and deservedly so. Harry had chosen to escape rather than follow the plans Albus had made for his safekeeping. Wherever he was - even with Voldemort gone, he was in danger and without his magic… He closed his eyes and tried to push away his guilt and his pain.
Voldemort's followers had not gone away. They'd merely retreated into the background; plotting, planning and biding their time.
The headmaster heaved a tired sigh. Yes, he'd manipulated and meddled but it had all been for the greater good. What he'd failed to see was that it hadn't been good for Harry and the boy had finally rebelled. He stared at the silver instruments displayed throughout the office. The ones monitoring Harry were still and silent. Harry was lost to his gaze and Albus was aware that most of it was his own fault.
The wards at Privet Drive had been strengthened but Harry hadn't returned to complete the warding. It left the Dursleys in an awkward position. Dumbledore had persuaded them to move to an Order safe house where they could be guarded properly. It would be many years before they returned to their home.
Voldemort was not gone forever and Dumbledore knew it. He could already have returned to life although Snape, still attending the occasion meeting of Voldemort's followers that were still free, had had no warnings. The Potions Professor's mark had faded a little since Harry's disappearance but was still visible on his left forearm if anyone cared to look.
Wondering what the Death Eaters were currently up to without their master would have to wait. There were only a couple of weeks left before term started and Albus was awaiting the return of the staff to the castle after the long summer holidays. Trelawney was already here, but she rarely left the confines of her turret room and Severus… He preferred to remain in his dungeon brewing potions for the year ahead and researching other scholarly pursuits. He was currently brewing a batch of Skelegrow as the infirmary went through a lot of that particular potion when the Quidditch season started.
Suddenly Dumbledore stiffened. One of the odd little silver machines on his desk began to whiz rapidly round and round. "What is it?" he asked aloud. He walked towards the window and as he looked out at the lake he placed his hands against the stone wall. It seemed to shudder against his palm as if it was taking a giant breath. "Who is it?" Albus was attuned to the castle in all its moods and this felt different. The castle was almost a living thing and could still surprise him from time to time.
Someone unexpectedly had entered the castle but there had been no protest from the building nor had she raised her defences against the intruder. One could not apparate in or out of Hogwarts but there were fireplaces open for Floo travel or a specially prepared portkey could be used to access areas within the castle wards. Portkeys were normally issued by the Ministry or another figure in authority. Therefore, the visitor had to have come by Floo. He stared at the device and noted the configuration of the spinning discs.
"The infirmary!" he murmured. Poppy Pomfrey, the mediwitch, had gone to her sister's for the weekend. So, the hospital wing was empty. Who would want to visit her? Was it someone who was badly injured and needed her care? Why come here and not go to St. Mungos? "Hogwarts, you have a visitor," he declared. "Can you show me who it is?"
The wards gave a hum and then a shiver and finally relaxed as if in welcome but that didn't make things any clearer to the headmaster.
"Adalric!" Albus said abruptly turning to the portrait of a pompous looking wizard dressed in a gaudy waistcoat and a powdered wig. This was peculiar. He'd never known the castle to react quite in such a way before. "Someone has flooed into the castle to see Poppy, possibly requiring urgent medical attention. Could you check with the portraits in the infirmary and see if they can tell you what is happening?"
"Of course, Dumbledore." The wizard got up out of the chair he'd been painted upon and could be seen making his way through the paintings.
"Baron!" He called softly and the ghost of the Bloody Baron materialised through the wall.
"Headmaster?"
"Have the ghosts seen or heard anything unusual today?"
"No."
Dumbledore frowned. He was missing something. "Come with me," he instructed. "I'm going to the infirmary." He opened the door to his office and headed down the stairs. The gargoyle moved aside and closed behind him. In his office, a strange looking device which had been dormant for three years began sluggishly to spin. It had once been used to monitor the well-being of Harry James Potter.
Dumbledore sped along the empty corridors towards the infirmary as swiftly as he could, unaware of the interesting development currently taking place in his office. As he approached the large double doors to the infirmary, he heard a faint pop.
"Hello!" He swished and flicked his wand and the doors opened. The infirmary was empty. The sound of the Floo activating directed his footsteps to Poppy's office, only to find it deserted – green flames in the fireplace dying away to nothing.
"Who was it?" he shouted urgently and a curled piece of parchment floated out from the Floo. Albus Dumbledore smiled smugly until he read the word. The piece of parchment read 'Identity unknown'. Someone, who wanted their identity to remain a secret, had accessed the school. Possibly to see Poppy or more worryingly, to get into the building. He would have to upgrade the security for the coming term. He hadn't had to do that since the second rise of Voldemort. "Destination!" he barked, the usual twinkle absent from his eyes and another piece of curled parchment floated out from the Floo. Albus caught the parchment in shaking fingers and read aloud, "Destination unknown."
The school had granted the mysterious visitor anonymity and the headmaster could only wonder why.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Ginny, anxiously waiting at the bookstore, heard a rattle, then a rumble and finally, heralded by a large cloud of soot, her husband was ejected from the fireplace. He landed on his rump with a thud, exhaling noisily as if all the air had been squeezed from his lungs.
Ever prepared, Ginny pushed a tissue into his hand, pointed at his sooty face and tipped over a large pile of books which went crashing to the floor.
Harry quickly rubbed the tissue over his face, coughing to clear the soot from his lungs and was able to face a bewildered bookshop owner when she threw open the door.
"I knocked over some books," Harry muttered sheepishly.
"I told him to stay away from that stack but…" Ginny grinned conspiratorially, he never listens to me."
"I do so," Harry retorted.
"And then he fell over trying to stop something that had already happened."
"She's laughing at me," he said gloomily.
"Do you blame me?" Ginny returned cheekily. "I'll make him pick them up, don't worry."
Nancy chuckled at Harry's put upon expression. "I think most of them are going to the recycling centre. In other words, I'm dumping them. Did you see anything that you liked?"
Ginny pointed towards another pile of books. "These please. I found a lovely illustrated book of fairy tales."
Harry's eyes, brown because of his contact lenses, brightened. "For the baby," he whispered to his wife. Ginny's eyes sparkled back at him. "No, for you, you prat. Of course for the baby."
Nancy pointed at a large sturdy cardboard box. "Put what you want in there," she said.
"Thanks," said Harry, hoping that he'd managed to get most of the soot off his face. They could explain away some of the grime because these were all old second-hand books and collected a lot of dust but he couldn't go around town looking like a chimney sweep. That particular Floo may have been forgotten about but as a result, it hadn't been cleaned in years.
Ginny paid Nancy while Harry picked up the box of books and heaved it to the car. "I wish I had a Featherlight charm for this," he wheezed, convinced that his lungs were still clogged up with soot and Floo powder.
"Not a good idea," muttered Ginny, pointing the key at the car. The boot clicked open.
"I know it's not a good idea. I'm just hoping that I'll develop an impressive set of muscles that will make you love me even more than you do already."
Ginny's smile lit up her face. "That's not possible, Harry. I couldn't love you more than I do and I think the muscles you have got now are fine."
Harry's heart melted into a pile of gooey mush. Merlin, he loved this girl.
"Well," Ginny said, coming to her senses. Such displays of sentimentality were more the province of her brother Ron when he'd been seeing a witch by the name of Lavender Brown. Ginny had promised herself that she'd never be so nauseatingly cute but Harry was… well, Harry was worth doing anything for. She loved him and there was nothing more to say. "How did you get on?"
"Wait till we're out of the open," he answered quietly.
She pressed her lips together but nodded and hurriedly unlocked the car. It would only take one mistake and they could be caught.
Harry dumped the box in the boot and stretched his arms, letting the muscles relax. "Anything interesting?"
"One or two things. I suspect you got the interesting books yesterday," she said.
"Depends on what you term 'interesting'." he returned evenly.
xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Harry slowly drove the car carefully up the private lane to their house. The trees parted and the cottage came into view bathed in the early afternoon sunshine. He had loved this house from the moment he had seen the photograph. This was a place in which to live with the one you loved, raise a family and grow old comfortably. It was home but it wasn't yet truly safe.
"Home," he breathed.
"I'll put on the kettle and make us a late lunch," Ginny murmured with a faint smile at the expression on Harry's face. All she wanted to know was what had happened at Hogwarts but Harry had rightly refused to say anything until they'd got home. Keeping secrets had become a way of life for them.
"Good idea, sweetheart," Harry said. "I'm feeling peckish but first, I'll empty the car and get these books dumped into the study."
Ten minutes later they faced one another across the kitchen table, each clutching a large mug of tea, their untouched sandwiches before them.
"So, what did Poppy say?" Ginny asked nervously.
"I didn't see Poppy," Harry said regretfully. "She wasn't in the castle. However, I did manage to contact Dobby. He agreed to deliver the portkey."
His wife's face fell but she tried to hide her disappointment. "You do trust Dobby and he will do it…won't he?"
"Of course I trust Dobby," Harry chuckled as the memory came. "He only tried to kill me back in second year because he thought it would keep me safe."
Ginny arched an eyebrow. "That is so reassuring," she said dryly.
"I thought so," Harry said with a smirk. "Dobby promised that he would give the message to Poppy without anyone else knowing about it."
Ginny took a careful sip of her tea. "So now we wait."
"Now we wait." Harry shrugged. "Ginny…"
"There's something else," she said shrewdly. "I know you too well, Harry Potter. You might as well tell me everything now."
His wife didn't miss a thing. "I…er, only just missed meeting Dumbledore."
Ginny's eyes narrowed and Harry could see her thinking furiously. "You didn't go walkabout."
Her husband swiftly shook his head. "No," he protested, his voice rising. "I did exactly what we discussed. I never left the hospital wing."
"Then, how did Professor Dumbledore know that you were there? Did the portraits give you away?"
"Dumbledore couldn't have known that I was there. I'm pretty sure of that. I didn't do any magic. The portrait's inhabitants weren't present in the infirmary while I was there. I don't think I saw any movement until the split second before I stepped into the Floo. I suspect it would be nigh well impossible to gauge my identity…"
"Are you certain?"
Harry shrugged.
Ginny bit her lip worriedly. "The headmaster must have some sort of warning system in place."
"I would say that it's very likely. He should have something like that in place. It's a school, damn it! Something he seemed to forget when we were pupils there. Quirrel, Barty Crouch Junior…"
She wrapped her hands around her mug of tea and frowned. "Dumbledore didn't know that Sirius was actually in the castle in your third year."
"No, not until Sirius inadvertently attacked Ron while he was looking for Pettigrew," agreed Harry. "I suspect Dumbledore's improved security since then and, remember that Sirius used the secret passages from Hogsmeade to get and out of Hogwarts. I'm quite sure that the headmaster might not know everything about the castle but he knows more than anyone else alive. But as I said before, Hogwarts is a school for children. Alright they are magical but they're not test subjects in the war against Voldemort."
Ginny sighed. "Yes Harry. But…"
Harry shrugged. "I went to Hogwarts by Floo."
"True." Ginny stood up and began clearing away their dishes. "So Dumbledore monitors the Floo system."
"It would make sense. I heard his voice," Harry said softly. "I wanted to go and see him. I wanted to see if he was sorry for what he'd done to me, to you…to us."
Ginny walked to him and put her arms around him. "Dumbledore was only trying to do what was right. We know who the real culprit is."
"Yes. Voldemort!" Harry spat the name with hatred. "How much time do we have, Ginny, before the bastard comes back from the dead and decides to look for us?"
"The longer the better. We've had three years..."
"It's not enough." He noticed that she'd placed her hand gently on her stomach. "History won't repeat itself," he declared vehemently. "I'll make sure of that. With you and our child, I want an entire lifetime."
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Poppy Pomfrey returned to Hogwarts late on the Sunday evening after a pleasant weekend spent with her sister. It would be her last real break until Christmas. The start of the new term was only a week away and she had a lot to do before the children arrived back.
"Good morning, Poppy," Albus greeted her as she slid into her chair at the end of the staff dining table the following morning. "How was Dillys?"
"Very well."
"Is she still at St Mungos?"
"Yes." Poppy's stern mouth relaxed into a smile. "She's been there for almost twenty years. In fact, she was promoted recently and is now in charge of the Accidental Spell Damage ward."
"Good for her. She was always a most able and talented healer," he said warmly. "Poppy, would it be possible for you to come to my office immediately after breakfast? There's something important that I need to discuss with you."
"Certainly, Albus," she replied, assuming that it would be information about the new school intake.
"This won't take long," the headmaster assured her as he escorted her past the gargoyle and up the spiral staircase.
"I suppose it's about the new intake," Poppy said briskly, settling herself into the chair opposite the headmaster's.
"No actually, it's not. We will have to talk about the new students next week once I get the full details from Minerva but…"
"Details!" Poppy's eyebrows rose. "You aren't expecting any werewolves this year?"
"Sadly, no." Dumbledore's eyes dulled in disappointment. "The werewolf community still like to educate their own. Remus Lupin has done a lot of good there. But they're not ready to fully integrate. It's still too dangerous." He steepled his long fingers together. "I wanted to speak to you on another matter."
Poppy looked surprised but relieved at the lack of werewolves attending the school during the coming term. "Oh, what?"
Dumbledore picked up his wand and with a quick flick, two steaming hot cups of tea materialised in front of them. Poppy picked up the cup and took a sip. "Perfect," she declared.
He smiled. "I do my best," he said gently. "I must speak to you about something far more worrying than the new school intake. While you were away, someone broke into the infirmary. When you arrived back last night did you notice anything missing or out of place?"
"No," the mediwitch said, looking worried. "But I'll do a thorough check when I return. It looked exactly the way that I left it. All the dangerous potions are locked away and protected."
"I did have a quick glance around myself, but I couldn't see that anything had been disturbed. They came and went by Floo. I may have to close down Floo access to the hospital wing."
"You cannot do that, Albus," Poppy exclaimed. "I need to be in contact with places like St Mungos and the apothecaries." She shook her head, the white starched cap on her head wobbling alarmingly. "Moving a seriously ill patient from one side of Hogwarts to the other in order to use the only open Floo in the school will not do. In fact I was planning to pop into St Mungos tomorrow. They have a couple of experimental potions they've been trialling very successfully in the treatment of Dragonpox. We are due for another outbreak."
The headmaster sighed. "I shall have to rethink that idea."
"Yes, you will," Poppy said tartly. "Someone could have been hurt and thought of coming to me first. It's extremely possible that an Order member might come here before trying anywhere else. I'm certain there are spies for You-know-who at St Mungos and at the Ministry."
"Yes, they are still there," Dumbledore agreed wearily. "I did consider that an Order member might have been injured and discretely checked with St Mungos." He shook his head. "All our personnel are well and accounted for."
The mediwitch replaced her cup on to her saucer and got to her feet. "I'll do a thorough inventory. I need to do that before term begins anyway as Severus is anxious to complete the brewing for the infirmary. He's already begun on the Skelegrow. If there's something out of the ordinary I'll let you know."
For the next few hours Poppy checked and rechecked her supplies. She found a couple of things she thought she'd lost but otherwise everything was as she had left it and she lost no time in informing Albus of the fact. By late afternoon, she was well through her tasks for the day and was rewinding a pile of bandages when a soft pop alerted her to the arrival of a house elf. She turned and viewed the strangest sight she'd seen in a long time. "Can I help you?" The elf was dressed in a maroon jumper a pair of mismatched brightly coloured socks and had several knitted hats balanced on top of his head.
"I am Dobby," the peculiar looking elf announced.
'Dobby', thought Poppy. She'd heard of a 'Dobby'. "How can I help you?"
"Madam Healy-witch is too good to help Dobby," the elf almost sobbed, bowing low. "I came to give you this." He bowed again and presented her with a Muggle-style envelope.
"Tell no one of this." The elf's bulging eyes fixed on her with a painful intensity. "No one," he repeated. "I will return and help if you need me."
"What!" Poppy ran her fingers over the crisp white paper. "Who could be writing to me Muggle style?"
The elf almost smiled as he hopped from one foot to another in his nervousness. "Open it quickly," he advised. "The headmaster be watching and must not see this. Tell no one and give me job to do."
"Job?" Poppy was at a loss. She didn't have any jobs that might require a house elf unless... "Could you deliver a list of potions to Professor Snape?"
"Dobby not like greasy hook-nose but will do it for good witch who looks after Dobby's friends." He pointed a long bony finger at the letter, "Read it."
Thoroughly bewildered Poppy walked through to her office and retrieved the piece of creamy parchment lying on her desk. "Give this to Professor Snape," she said. And with a sharp crack the elf disappeared as soon as he'd grasped the parchment from her fingers.
Poppy retired to her office and stared at the letter now lying on her desk. Who could be writing to her? Who would a house elf consider to be a friend? Suddenly it all became clear and she fumbled to open it, tearing at the envelope in her hurry with clumsy fingers. Out of it fell a single golden galleon and a letter.
Dear Poppy,
I'm sure you're surprised to hear from me after all this time but I desperately need your help. The enclosed galleon is an unauthorised portkey. It should be difficult to trace but not impossible. The need for secrecy in this goes without saying, so use it with care. I need your advice and your help in a situation I know little about. It's not life threatening but it is serious. No one else must know about this.
The galleon will transport you to my current location. If you doubt this letter, I thank you for the supplies you set up for me when I left and glad that you cured my headache. If you have any spare vials of Pepper-up I would be grateful.
I am awaiting your visit and the password is 'Gillyweed'.
H.
The scrawled initial at the bottom of the letter confirmed her suspicions. Harry Potter needed her help. It all fit. Harry had been close to an elf by the name of Dobby and it must have been Harry who had flooed into the infirmary yesterday. Harry had used Gillyweed during the Tri-wizard tournament during the second challenge. To Poppy, it was more proof that the letter was genuine and a sense of relief filled her. He was alive and it seemed as if he was well.
A sudden pop announced the reappearance of Dobby. "You must destroy letter," he said firmly.
"I agree. We can't have this falling into the wrong hands." With a flick of her wand the letter began to burn and disintegrated into ashes in the fireplace. Poppy replaced her wand in her pocket and ran her fingers over her starched white apron.
"You must go now," instructed Dobby.
"No," she said thoughtfully. "I'll go after supper. The headmaster will expect me to be there. Not being there would make him wonder where I was especially after the break-in. He may send someone to find out."
Dobby smiled toothily. "Mistress Healy-witch is wise."
Poppy managed to contain her unrest throughout the meal and escaped as quickly as she could back to the infirmary. There was no telling what kind of trouble the boy had got himself into this time. Every year she'd had to patch him up after one scrape or another. Picking up the galleon and a bag of medical supplies that she'd prepared, she murmured, "Gillyweed." The usual feeling of being sucked through a narrow tube found her stumbling in front of a two-storied stone cottage built around a courtyard and surrounded by trees.
She had no idea where she was. She just hoped that Harry Potter would open the front door and readied her wand just in case her welcome was less than friendly. As she moved lights switched on leaving her feeling very exposed and then, the front door opened revealing a familiar figure.
"H…Harry. Is it really you?"
The man moved forward and drew her into a warm hug. "Poppy, it's good to see you. Ask me some questions that only I could answer."
"Harry Potter," she said with a shake of her head as she surreptitiously checked him over for any injuries. "You did that in your letter." She held up the bag she was carrying. "Some supplies. I'm glad you're okay. You are alright?"
"We're both okay," he replied.
"Both…" Confused, Poppy allowed herself to be led into the house. "What's wrong?"
Harry grinned. "Nothing really."
"Nothing…then why?" The mediwitch knew there was something more going on here.
"Madam Pomfrey," a voice said.
"Poppy, I'd like you to meet…my wife." He couldn't help it; the pride entered his voice as soon as he mentioned his wife.
Poppy couldn't say anything for a few seconds. "Your wife! Ginny… Ginny Weasley? You married Ginny?"
A slim, dark haired young woman walked forward and grasped Poppy's hands tightly. "It's good to see you and it's Ginny Potter now."
"You did help her escape," Poppy said faintly, staring at the girl. What had happened to her hair? What had she done with the glorious colour denoting a member of the Weasley family?
"Of course I did," answered Harry. "I wasn't going to let her marry Draco Malfoy. She married me instead."
"That I did," said Ginny with a grin.
"But Ginny…your hair."
"Weasley red is a bit distinctive. We didn't want to draw any more attention to ourselves. You'll notice that both Harry and I have altered our hair colour a little and Harry's wearing brown contact lenses."
Poppy gaped at them as her brain finally caught up to what she was hearing and seeing. "What about the Malfoy contract?"
Harry shrugged. "What about it? It hasn't seemed to make any difference to us. But we married in a Muggle church ceremony. It may have blocked us from marrying if we'd gone through a wizarding ceremony."
"That shouldn't make any difference," Poppy said. "You were betrothed to Draco Malfoy in a magical contract. These are usually binding and it wouldn't matter what kind of ceremony you attempted. I'm by no means as expert but it wouldn't work."
"So you're saying that we're legally married despite the contract." Harry breathed a sigh of relief. They'd married under their assumed names but when they'd checked the paperwork later on, the documents had magically altered to their true identities. Thank Merlin that the goblins were on their side.
"I think your marriage is definitely legal. In the Muggle world it obviously is and that should follow through in the wizarding world." A thought occurred to the mediwitch, the Malfoy contract could be more insidious than merely preventing Ginny's union with anyone else. "Do you still have your magic, Ginny?"
Harry and Ginny exchanged a look. "I do," said the young witch although I haven't used it for three years." She shrugged. "I'm happy with Harry – I don't want to be found unless it's safe for me and it's been interesting living as a Muggle. But something's happened – something important."
"That's partly why we needed to see you," Harry said. His eyes followed Ginny as she moved to the kitchen and switched on the kettle. "She's been performing accidental magic."
"What!" Poppy levelled a critical look at Ginny. Perhaps the non-fulfilment of the Malfoy contract had affected her magic after all. "What has been happening?"
Ginny poured the boiling water from the kettle into a large ceramic teapot. "I'm pregnant," she said softly in a voice filled with wonder. "We're having a baby."
"Merlin!" breathed Poppy, subsiding into a squishy brown leather armchair. If the pair of them didn't have enough troubles to be going on with this just melted the last cauldron. "I assume it's magical?"
"We think so." Harry set out milk, sugar and biscuits. "We don't know anything about wizarding pregnancies. Even Ginny doesn't."
"My mother only told me not to sleep with a wizard until I was married. Perhaps she didn't want to talk about pregnancies because she'd had so many herself."
"I don't think that was the reason," said Harry. "She was protective of her little girl."
Poppy gave them both a very dry look. "I should think that any child between Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley would be magically powerful. I'm not sure if I still want to be at Hogwarts when this child gets anywhere near the school. A child with your combination of genes could only be magical…and troublesome."
The Potters grinned at one another. "We said something very similar when we found out and remember, it has Fred and George as uncles. Our kid is doomed to be trouble and we wouldn't have it any other way."
Poppy pulled out her wand and began unshrinking bottles. "I didn't know what kind of emergency you were asking me to, Harry. So I brought several types of remedies." She fixed Harry with a stern look. "Unfortunately I didn't consider that pregnancy might be the problem."
"It's not a problem," Ginny and Harry said together. "We want this baby very much."
Poppy's fierce gaze softened. "I'm sure that you do. Stand up, Ginny." She picked up her wand again and began aiming it at Ginny's still flat stomach. The tip of the wand shone briefly with a golden light. "Yes, you're definitely pregnant and it's due in late April or early May."
Harry handed Poppy a large mug of tea. "I'm really going to be a Dad," he whispered, awe colouring his voice.
"Yes, you are. Congratulations," Poppy murmured, brushing a tear from her eye as Harry embraced his wife. "And a very good one, too, I would imagine. However, you have other things to think about first."
"What things?" Ginny asked.
"What kind of magic are you performing?" Poppy asked briskly, the complete professional.
"Levitating objects mainly. And I changed the contents of my sandwich yesterday."
"You didn't tell me that one," said Harry, who had thought he was being helpful by making lunch.
"I do like cheese," Ginny said with a chuckle. "I just fancied tuna and mayonnaise more and when I bit into the sandwich it was made from tuna and mayonnaise."
"Oh!" There wasn't much more Harry could say as his cheeky witch winked at him.
Poppy took out her wand again and waved it in an intricate pattern and suddenly small silver lights danced around Ginny's head.
"What does this mean?" asked Harry.
Poppy rummaged in her bag and pulled out what looked like a thermometer, sticking it in Ginny's mouth. "It means that every pregnancy is different but you are certainly experiencing the effects very early."
"And…" said Ginny.
"Your baby will be strong magically." She flicked her wand once more and the lights disappeared into Ginny's body. "I'm placing a protective band around your baby which will restrict your bouts of accidental magic. Oh, don't worry, Harry. It's quite common," she snapped as he opened his mouth to say something. "It dissolves naturally as soon as the child is born."
"Okay." Ginny sat back, relieved.
"Everything appears to be progressing as it should despite the early manifestation of its powers."
Ginny looked down at her stomach. I might have guessed," she said. "I knew you were going to be trouble, Blob."
Poppy laughed "You are only just pregnant. I would go and see a Muggle doctor."
"But I'm a witch," Ginny protested.
"There's not a lot more difference, to be honest," murmured Poppy. "We all have the same equipment. Only when they say a woman is glowing in pregnancy, it sometimes happens that a witch will actually 'glow'."
"I don't want to go phosphorescent," cried Ginny indignantly. "Muggle mothers don't do that and I can't go to a doctor if that happens."
"It may not happen in your case," the mediwitch soothed.
"Yeah, right," said Ginny with a groan. "What are the odds?"
Harry grinned. "If it happens we'll deal with it…away from Muggle doctors."
Poppy shrugged. "If it does happen, it will only last for an hour or two. It should occur at exactly six-sevenths of the pregnancy."
"Six-sevenths!" Ginny exclaimed. "Mum never said anything about that."
"It's a strange number but it has been documented in several of the works by the noted Victorian midwife, Melinda Childs, and in the twentieth century by the current head of midwifery at St Mungos. Now, while I remember," she mused, "there are potions that will help Ginny nurture a magical baby."
"It's too dangerous…" Harry began.
"Potions can be made without magic," Poppy said. "Natural homeopathic remedies have been used for centuries – some were invented by wizards for the use of Squib family members."
"No foolish wand waving," quipped Ginny.
"Quite," said Poppy.
"We found some magic books in a shop in town," said Harry. "The owner is closing up and this box belonged to her grandmother. She hadn't looked at the books - wasn't fond of the old woman. But said that apparently in her day, she had a reputation as a wise-woman."
"Then her books should have exactly the things that you and Ginny will need."
Harry went through to his study and raked through the box of books returning with a couple of thick volumes. "Would these do?"
Poppy looked at the titles and smiled with satisfaction. "Perfect," she declared. "Natural Home Remedies by Adela Southernwood' and 'Potions for the Wellbeing of the Familie by Rowan Sylver'. This one is very good and I don't think any of the modern treatises have managed to supplant it. Ignore the stuff about goat's livers and toad's intestines and you should do very well. She marked several pages. The recipes I've marked all use ingredients you can get in Muggle shops. I also suggest you start growing your own herbs."
"Thank you, Poppy. We have a small herb garden but it contains plants we might use in our cooking." Harry glanced at his watch. "I'm not hurrying you away but…"
"Yes," Poppy said with a sigh. "If Dumbledore discovers that I've left the castle…" She frowned and levelled a quelling look on the young man in front of her. "This was a very risky endeavour, Harry. They are still looking for you both."
"Ginny was performing bouts of accidental magic," said Harry simply. "It could have led to our being discovered anyway. I'm not risking her or the baby. We trust you and both of us felt that it was worth the risk."
"Do they think that we're together?" asked Ginny quietly. "I did say to my mother I was leaving without telling Harry but I don't know if she believed me."
"I believe that your family does think you're with Harry, Ginny. Percy and Ron have been very vocal about efforts to find you."
"That would be Ron's way," agreed Harry. "A lot of shouting but possibly little action." He looked ashamed. "Perhaps I'm not being kind to Ron but I grew up and he didn't."
"Percy has been extremely angry but people are tired of his whining. You are the Boy Who Lived and Percy cannot compete with that. The Twins and Bill are less angry but have continued to quietly search for you both. I think they hope that you're safe and are glad that you're not married to Draco Malfoy. They want you back where you belong, Ginny."
"I want to be with my family," Ginny admitted. "But Harry is home for me now. I need to be where he is."
"I said to the Twins that I had a plan that might help Ginny but I didn't say that it would work. They never asked me anything else. I suspect they knew not to." Harry looked pensive. "What you don't know others can't find out from your mind, isn't that right?"
Ginny nodded. "I told my mother I was going to leave for a bit but she was still in St Mungos back then. I doubt she would remember what I told her. Luckily, the Aurors couldn't question her at the time because of her condition and by the time, they could…" Ginny sighed. "I had gone. I miss her very much"
"Your mother is doing very well and is almost back to her old self," said Poppy, glad to give good news. "She misses you very much but I think she remembers some of the things you told her the day you escaped."
"I'm glad," whispered Ginny. "I wouldn't want her to worry too much about me."
Poppy nodded. "The Malfoy's have kept very quiet but are still lobbying behind the scenes for political power. I think they're secretly ashamed that you preferred to run away rather than marry into the family. In fact, Bill gave an interview to Xenophilius Lovegood…"
"From The Quibbler? Luna's father!" exclaimed Ginny.
"Yes. Bill gave an interview stating that was why you had run. His account of Percy trying to gain advancement in the Ministry by forcibly allying Ginny to someone she didn't want anything to do with did not show him in a good light. Scrimgeour moved him to a lesser position in the Ministry and Percy knows it. Hermione's been appointed as Percy's assistant."
"Scrimgeour wouldn't want Percy taking over his job." Harry chuckled darkly. "And I wonder who is observing who. Is Hermione watching Percy or is Percy watching Hermione?"
"It's a little of both I would expect," said Ginny. "Ron will be watching both of them because actually Hermione and Percy are quite well-suited in temperament if not inclination."
Harry nodded. "I can't see relations between Percy and the rest of the family improving any but Hermione will try and attempt a reconciliation. Bill punched Percy on the nose, the day that I left and Percy, who has little but his pride to cling to, thinks the rest of the family still look down on him and hopes one day to prove them wrong."
"Bill is well-respected member of the wizarding community. He's now working permanently at Gringotts in this country. He said that he was not going to leave his family without protection again and I think he blames himself partly for Ginny's situation."
"It wasn't his fault," said Ginny. "He is well?"
Poppy smiled. "He and Fleur are both well. Ron got a job in the Department of Magical Games and Sports. Your whole family are well, Ginny."
"That's good to know," Ginny said softly. "I wish that you could tell them something about us but you can't."
"What about my disappearance?" Harry asked curiously. "What story have they cooked up to explain that?"
"Dumbledore and the Ministry said that you were in a safe place undergoing special training."
Harry snorted derisively "They've accepted that Voldemort will return again."
"Scrimgeour has and he's the Minister."
"Well, that's more than Fudge ever did. I hope they're doing something constructive about it," said Harry.
"I know that Auror training has been tightened up and more recruits accepted. Bill told me that some of the more prominent of the darker families are being carefully watched."
Harry fidgeted with his wedding ring for a moment, twisting it round and round his finger. "How is Remus?"
Poppy gave the young man a sympathetic look. "Better than he was. I'm not going to lie to you and say that he wasn't hurt badly by your disappearance or angry that you left without telling him. He's come to accept why you did and admits that he understands even if his feelings were hurt. He's grown very close to Tonks."
"She always liked him," said Ginny thoughtfully.
"But he kept pushing her away," added Harry.
"He's like someone else I could mention," muttered Ginny, with a glare at her husband. "Thinks that pushing them away keeps them safe. It doesn't."
"Tonks will be good for him," Observed Harry. "He needs someone."
"Could you check Harry's magic?" asked Ginny. "He thinks he can feel it but doesn't want to chance using it yet."
"It's been three years. I would think it could be five or as much as ten before everything works properly again. However if you're already sensing things, it could return earlier than I thought."
"I knew the Floo in the old bookshop was still active. I could feel it. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck."
The mediwitch waved her wand over Harry and a small tube formed in front of them. "Well, this should be interesting."
Thetube began to fill with swirling colours and the three wizards watched with amazement as the colours began to settle almost like a rainbow however interspersed with the colour was areas of a dark inky black.
The mediwitch's eyes widened in surprise. "Well, I…I don't know what to say."
"Is it good?" asked Harry.
"Much better than I dared to hope for. But you need to be patient a little longer."
"We're not going anywhere. We're safe here for the moment," Ginny said quietly. "I'm not taking my baby back to the wizarding world to find that it would belong to Malfoy or something stupid like that. He might do it harm."
"I need to be fit to protect my family." Harry's chin tilted. "I'm not back to full magical strength yet. I couldn't face a first year in a duel."
"Oh, I think you could but…" Poppy watched the colours in the tube swirl around a bit more.
"But not a Death Eater," he finished. "And they're the ones I need to be able to face."
Poppy vanished the tube. "I agree. You're not ready for them, yet. We're quite sure that You-know-who hasn't returned but the headmaster thinks that it cannot be long before he does. I've brought some more magical strengthening tonic to speed up the process but I can't do anything else. The only real cure is time." She didn't say that it was possible for time to run out – she didn't need to. "I suggest both of you take it. There's enough for several months. Possibly up until you give birth, Ginny."
The Potter's nodded.
"Will you come back when it's my time, Poppy?" Ginny asked in a small voice. "Normally I would have had my mother with me but…"
"Of course if you really want me to be there but…"
"We do," said Harry.
"What about friends?"
"I don't have any really close friends that I trust enough to tell that I'm a witch on the run…"
"What about Caroline?" asked Harry.
"Gave birth two weeks ago," said Ginny wistfully. "I haven't seen the baby yet. "I still say that we can't risk it."
Poppy leaned over and grasped Ginny's hand giving it a squeeze. She should have realised that the young couple really were on their own in this. "Of course I will. Don't worry about it."
"How are we going to manage it?" Harry asked. "If Ginny's going to be levitating the hospital staff or something during labour…"
"Harry Potter!" Poppy Pomfrey chuckled. "That doesn't happen."
Harry wasn't laughing. "It could."
Poppy stopped laughing at the worried look on Harry's face and reconsidered. "Oh! This is your child we're talking about, isn't it." She sighed. Anything was possible where Harry and Ginny were concerned. "I will make arrangements to be here."
"I couldn't tell Ron and Hermione that I was leaving," Harry said suddenly. "They'd have gone straight to Dumbledore."
"You don't know that, Harry."
"I do – even if they didn't mean to they would have told him everything. Their Occlumency shields wouldn't have been strong enough. Even if they'd said nothing at all, the first time he'd met them after I left would have been enough. He could have learned everything."
"Will the baby's name appear on the Hogwarts school register?" Ginny asked.
"I was told by Hagrid that my name had been down to attend Hogwarts since I was born," Harry added.
"We don't want to wake up one morning and find that Twiglett Beetle Potter is wanted by the Ministry of Magic for existing."
"You're calling your poor baby that?" exclaimed Poppy looking scandalised.
"No, at the moment. He's Blob."
"Or Blobette," chipped in Harry.
Poppy shook her head. "I could tell you…but I won't."
"We're having a boy," Ginny declared stoutly. "I just know it."
"She's developing Trelawney like abilities as her pregnancy progresses," Harry said with a smirk.
Ginny glared at him. "Do you want to be in the spare room tonight Harry James Potter?"
"No dear," he said looking chastened. "See how she treats me, Madame. I'm henpecked." He lifted his head and winked.
"You're content, Harry and it shows." Poppy looked at her watch and gave a little gasp. "Merlin! Look at the time. I've been here for nearly two hours."
"The galleon will take you back to us when we need you. Fred and George cleverly keyed them to my presence. Hermione rigged them to vibrate in her pocket. He fished out a similar looking one of his own. I change this one and yours will react no matter how far away we are. One of us will risk a single spell."
Poppy agreed. She was going to have to mask the magical signature of this child at birth otherwise Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix might very well guess the location of it's parents. "I notice that you haven't told me where we are."
Harry's face remained serious as he replied, "And I'm not going to."
"It's for the best." Poppy gave both of the young Potters a hug. "Take care of Ginny, Harry. See that she eats properly."
"He's already fussing worse than my mother would."
"Then you're in good hands." Poppy picked up her bag and stepped out into the courtyard, grasped the galleon and said firmly. "Hogwarts infirmary." With a pop, she was gone.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Eight months later, Poppy returned to the cottage surrounded by trees when Ginny Potter went into labour.
"What did you tell them?" asked an anxious Harry, ushering the mediwitch into the house.
"That an Aunt on my father's side had had a series of funny turns and refused to go to St Mungos. I have a large extended family even Albus is not exactly aware of how extended. Very useful for excuses such as this. Aunt Millicent has had several funny turns of late but my sister usually deals with her tantrums. How is she?"
Harry automatically glanced up the stairs. "Scared and excited but calmer than I thought she would be."
"That's at the moment." Poppy gave the young man a knowing smirk. "But she'll be fine."
"You were right about the glowing."
"Oh, that's wonderful," Poppy said. "How brightly?"
"She was pretty bright for an hour or two," Harry admitted. "I don't think we slept that night at all and we didn't leave the house for several days after that. You said 'a couple of hours,'" he muttered. "…lasted a lot longer than that. But we saved money on our electricity bill."
"Goodness," beamed Poppy. "It just shows how much a part of magic you are. Your mother experienced similar problems with you, Harry."
"She did!" he exclaimed. "You could have told us."
"I didn't know about it until I reviewed your medical history," murmured Poppy. "It's always best to be prepared. It was reported that Lily had a standard birth with you and I know that all seven of Molly's pregnancies passed without a hitch."
"Sounds good."
"It doesn't always follow but Ginny is young and healthy and I'm not expecting any problems. Speaking of Ginny…where's my patient?"
"Upstairs." Harry led the way. "She's been having contractions for a while but they've been quite far apart. They've just begun speeding up." He pushed open the bedroom door. "Hey, Ginny-love. Poppy's here for the main show."
"Good evening, Ginny," said the mediwitch cheerfully, pulling her medical bag from her pocket, unshrinking it and placing it on top of the chest of drawers. "I see that things have finally started moving. But we could still be a while yet."
"Finally," Ginny managed with a gasp. "They tell you it's painful. They didn't tell you that it was this painful."
Poppy smiled sympathetically and began running her wand across Ginny's swollen abdomen. "What did you tell your doctor?"
"We haven't told him anything yet," said Harry. "Ginny did say that she wanted to deliver at home but it was considered to be too much work for the medical services – we would probably have had to have the midwife staying here and I was reluctant, just in case anything 'magical' happened. Ginny's a week late as it is. If nothing had happened by next Tuesday they would have taken her in to hospital and induced her."
"I didn't want that," Ginny said breathlessly. "I did spend a week literally glowing. You were right on that one. Plus, the levitating objects phenomena hasn't stopped. If anything its just got worse."
She bent over breathing hard as another contraction hit her and as she did so, a vase shattered on a shelf close to the bed. "See."
"We were going to wait until the baby was born and then say that it came too quickly before we could get to the hospital. It's at least a half hour drive from here."
"Just relax, Ginny." Poppy glanced across at her patient. "If that's possible." She pulled out several small dishes from her bag and laid them at points around the bed. Each dish contained a small amount of what looked like herbs. Lifting her wand she murmured a soft incantation causing the herbs to burn leaving a fine powder.
"What…" Harry began but subsided at Poppy's expression.
"Go and hold Ginny's hand, Harry and stay with the runic markings once I've drawn them. This baby is part of you both," she directed. "Good." Using her wand, Poppy began to draw runes on the wooden floor at various points around the bed, chanting as she did so. Once she'd finished she looked at the young couple. "This should keep the baby safe. His magic is contained within the family. When he is ready to be known his name will appear on the register at Hogwarts and at the Ministry."
"Thank you, Poppy," Harry whispered gratefully. "We'll never forget this."
Ginny grinned. "You said 'he'. I knew we were having a boy."
"I'm having a son!" Harry exclaimed, his smile wider than Poppy had ever seen it. He wasn't wearing his contact lenses and the famous green eyes shone with happiness behind the familiar spectacles. "I love you, Ginny."
Poppy, wiping a tear from her eye wondered how anyone had thought to part these two. They belonged together.
Five hours later, James Arthur Potter was born and two pieces of parchment, one locked in a desk in an elegant study and the other shoved in a drawer in a messy family room, faded into blankness.
The quill, which marked the entries in the register of births at the Ministry for Magic and at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, twitched and then stilled.
23