Friday Afternoon

"What do you mean, dear?" Lily's kind green eyes searched his own for meaning.

"Lily, get behind me," James muttered under his breath, and drew his wand.

"No, not like that! I'm your son, I just…I just didn't grow up in here. I grew up outside. I only got in last night."

"Last night? But Dumbledore cast the spell last…wait, how long has it been?" His mother pushed past James to inspect Harry further. His father just stood there, dumbfounded.

"Uh, eighteen years? Give or take a few months."

"But…how can we be sure it's really you? Tell us something only the real Harry would know!" James leaned in close. "What's your…" he struggled for something to ask. "…birthday?" James smirked, pleased with himself. Harry repressed a smile himself. He was pretty certain most any wizard alive today knew when his birthday was, not that his dad would know that he was incredibly famous.

Lily pushed him out of Harry's face, annoyed.

"Don't be stupid, James. Dumbledore told us he put about a million wards on this basement. Only someone with good intentions can enter, and even then it reveals any concealment spells they have in place. This is our boy, so just calm down."

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." James slumped back onto the couch. "Ok kid, tell us everything. Was Sirius just a shit dad or a really shit dad?"

"No, Sirius…um, Sirius didn't raise me." Harry choked back sudden tears.

"Ah, so it was ole Lupin then! He was probably a better choice anyway. I bet he didn't let you get away with anything!" James laughed boisterously.

"Let him talk, James," Lily muttered kindly, putting an arm around Harry. "Tell us everything, Harry."

"Well, once you guys went underground, Voldemort attacked. It seemed like you had both been killed, but…look, it's a whole thing that I don't really pretend to understand anymore, but basically I survived when Voldemort tried to kill me, and since then, I've had this scar." Harry lifted his messy fringe to reveal the lightning bolt that had plagued his existence since that fateful day.

"That's wicked," whispered James as he leaned forward to get a closer look.

"Oh my god," said Lily as she rolled her eyes. "Our son just told us he survived an attack from You Know Who and you're concerned with how 'wicked' his scar is?" Harry laughed, and continued.

"Anyway, after that, I was sent to live with Aunt Petunia," he said, cringing. Lily's eyes widened, and James eyed her cautiously, as if she were a bomb capable of going off any second.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Lily said, trying to remain calm.

"I lived with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon until I was eleven, well, I guess, technically longer, but I usually found a way to avoid them over the summer," he grinned.

"Merlin, Petunia. Did she treat you well at least?" James asked hopefully. Lily remained silent, practically steaming.

"Uh…Do you consider sleeping in a closet under the stairs for ten years, being treated well?"

"You can't be serious?" His dad responded, suddenly ashen. "That's completely barbaric! Merlin, I'm so sorry Harry."

"It's fine really, dad, it was a long time ago now. I haven't even talked to them in years."

"Harry," whispered Lily tightly. "That kind of behavior is in no shape or form 'fine'. I knew she hated me, but she's actually become a monster. It must have been all those years with that fucking dickhead, Vernon. She's not my sister anymore. You deserved so much better, Harry." She finally looked up at him. "And where was Dumbledore during all of this? Surely if he knew you were being mistreated, he would have gotten you out of there. Why weren't you with Sirius, like we decided?"

"That's a really long story. Dumbledore was actually the one who brought me to Petunia's." They were both silent for a long time.

"When we get out of here, I'm going to have a long, long talk with that man. He almost would have been better off dropping you off with You Know Who!" She was shaking, and sparks were spitting from her red hair as she spoke with anger. Harry thought it might just be time to change the topic to something a little lighter.

"You don't actually have to say that anymore, m-mum," he stumbled a bit over the unfamiliar word, and adjusted his glasses. "He's dead."

James whooped in delight, and Lily simply sat there, open mouthed.

"Are you sure? He's extremely tricky. He's disappeared before, and we thought he was dead, but he's always come back," she finally replied cautiously.

"No, I…I'm about as certain as you can be that he's dead in the ground. Buried him myself," he said smugly.

"How?" James was almost exploding with excitement.

"Well, it's quite a long story, do you guys want to hear it all now? It's…" he trailed off, thinking of the those he had lost. He cleared his throat and smoothed his hair. "It's not very pretty, to say the least. And to be honest, I was kind of hoping to break you guys out of here sometime soon. Preferably before the memory rest happens tonight."

Sunday Afternoon

Ginny emerged from the bathroom, having pulled herself together as best she could. Mrs. Tonks had popped by the Burrow to drop Teddy off with Ron and Hermione for the afternoon, and sad as she was, that little boy had a way of making her see the good in life.

"Oh, Mrs. Tonks, I thought you'd left already," Ginny said as she reentered the family room.

"Actually, I was hoping to speak with you and Harry for a moment. Unless it's a bad time?" She looked around for any sign of him. Ginny breathed deeply, forcing it all back down for now.

"No, it's fine. He's…out at the moment, but I'd be happy to talk to you." She kneeled next to Teddy on the floor, and smiled at Hermione, who left them alone to talk. Ginny smiled easily at the toddler, and pulled him into her lap.

"Well, I was hoping to talk to both of you, but…that's fine. I don't need an answer today anyway. I know this is a large request, bu I wanted to ask if the two of you would consider adopting Teddy." Ginny had been bouncing him on one knee, and stopped suddenly. The little boy fussed until she began again.

"Wow…I suppose it's always been something Harry's thought about, and I'm certainly not opposed…but what makes you want to give him up?"

"I don't want to give him up at all. It's just that…I'm far too old to take care of a rambunctious toddler like Teddy. Just the other day, I bent to pick him up, and my knee went out. If I hadn't been able to catch myself on the sofa, I'd have dropped him! He needs young, strong people to look after him. And besides, I appreciate all the help Harry's given me already, but I can't afford to take care of him the way he deserves. I can't work, because I'm looking after him, and I can't afford a caregiver since I'm not working." A tear escaped her over-bright eyes, and she quickly dug in her handbag for a handkerchief.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Tonks. If Harry knew, I'm sure he'd want to help you more financially. And we're happy to help with Teddy any time, you know that."

"I do, but…he needs more than me. I can't be everything to him. Please just consider it. I wouldn't ask, except that Harry's his godfather. I would have asked sooner… but I know he needed to recover, poor dear. Just think about it, Ginny. I have to get going, but thank you for hearing me out."

Ginny smiled weakly at her as the older woman left the room. Her head swirled after their conversation. She wanted to take Teddy. She loved the little boy beyond measure. But on the other hand, she was just barely of age. They weren't even married yet. And truth be told, on many different levels, she knew both she and Harry weren't ready. Now that her own baby was gone, Ginny was caught between two worlds. One were she was completely heartbroken, and one where, to her horror and shame, she was beginning to feel relieved. Even acknowledging it know made her almost nauseous. She'd loved the baby for almost two months, and now she had the audacity to be glad it was gone? She sat there, beating herself up until Ron walked in, carrying Teddy.

"Ginny! What happened? I thought you were watching Teddy, but I found him out in the garden? What's wrong with you?" he demanded, and almost immediately recognized his mistake.

"I don't know, Ron! Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a mom!" Ginny wailed as she broke down in tears. Rom gently set Teddy down on the sofa and put an arm around Ginny awkwardly.

"Oh Merlin, I'm sorry Gin. I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean that. You didn't do anything wrong." He patted her back helplessly.

"No, I'm useless! All Harry wants is kids, and I can't give him that. I'm not ready for this, Ron. It's too much."

"You can say that again…" he muttered. "Gin, that's nonsense. You and I both know you are the absolute opposite of useless. This is just a hard situation. Hey," he said softly, helping her get to her feet. "Do you remember that lady we all had to see after the war?"

She sniffed, and turned to look a him. "Dr. Albright?"

"Yeah, she said we would talk to her if we ever had anything we needed help with. I think it might be a good idea to give her a visit. What do you think?"

"Yeah, ok."

A few minutes later saw Ginny set up next to the revered telephone. Hermione had procured the therapist's number from her beaded purse, and the kitchen was forcefully evacuated by Mrs. Weasley to give Ginny some privacy.

Ginny remembered the last time she'd spoken to the doctor as she carefully dialed the numbers and waited for the phone to be picked up. Dr. Sarah Albright was a kind witch, mid 40's, who had seen an opening in the wizarding community that needed filling. After completing her schooling at Hogwarts, she had gotten her degree in psychology and set up shop as the wizarding world's first therapist. Many witches and wizards discarded her as a muggle-loving quack, and she slogged on with her small stream of patients despite not turning much of a profit. After the war, she had been inundated with new clients, but always had time to help the saviors of the wizarding world. Harry, in particular, was a rabid fan of Dr. Albright. As much as Ginny was tired of hearing how great she was, she did have to admit that calling her was just the right thing to do in this situation.

"Hi, Dr. Albright? This is Ginny Weasley. Do you have some time to talk?"