Harry's heart was racing as he took a step forward into the kitchen of The Burrow. He called on every ounce of his Griffindor courage to get him through the next few minutes. Hermione swiftly stood, her chair nearly crashing to the ground before George caught it and set it right again. She rounded the table and stared at Harry as he slowly walked towards her. The rest of the family sat at the table, watching with morbid curiosity, nobody dare take their eyes off of the pair unless they miss something.
With a smile Hermione gently took the flowers from Harry's grasp as he offered them to her. "I remembered these are your favourites." he beamed. "Do you have your wand?" Hermione nodded slowly and pulled it from the waistband of her skirt to show him. Harry gently touched the end of his own wand to hers muttering an incantation she didn't recognise and finally blowing over the end of her wand and touching his own to her ears. Hermione frowned at him questioningly. "Japanese translation spell", he gave by way of explanation, "I want you to understand what I'm about to say to Celeste. But not the others." Harry whispered glancing up at the other people around the table. "Celeste, can I speak to you?"
"Of course Mr. Harry."
Taking a her seat back at the table Hermione watched and listened in silence as Harry and Celeste sat on a bench not far away. Harry was part way through explaining how he and Hermione became friends when Ron interrupted her viewing by waving his hand in front of her face. "Sorry Hermione, but I've been saying your name for a few minutes. What's going on?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well, unless I'm mistaken, Celeste is a Parselmouth. And her and Harry are having a chat about something. We," he gestured to those around the table, "have no idea what they're saying."
"Harry's just explaining about the troll." Hermione replied wistfully. Ron grinned at the memory and then grimaced as his mother hit him on his arm and demanded to know what troll Hermione was talking about. Both had the grace to look sheepish in realising they had never revealed anything about the mountain troll they had battled in their first year to their family.
"And since when has Celeste been a Parselmouth?" Ron questioned, eyebrows disappearing into his hairline. Hermione had returned to watching Harry and Celeste in conversation. He was now explaining where he'd been for the past two weeks and his recent trip to Hogwarts. Teddy Lupin was as much a mischief maker as his parents and was in need of some appropriate retribution. What Headmistress McGonagall hoped would be Harry seriously reprimanding his godson into behaving for the rest of his time at school had actually turned into the perfect chance for Harry to show him how to access some of the secret passages and tunnels still within the walls of the castle. One day, Harry had vowed to himself, he would teach him about those that lead out of the castle grounds too. For now, inside ones were enough for a first year attempting to thwart the ever elusive Mrs. Norris. Harry was actually still surprised the caretaker's best friend was still alive, he didn't think cats lived that long. Mrs. Figg's cats never lasted that long. That Harry was aware of. Unless they were part Kneazle like Hermione's Crookshanks. But Harry hadn't seen anything of Crookshanks since he had returned to Britain. He'd made a mental note to ask one of the Weasley's about Hermione's missing familiar. He didn't want to upset her if he asked and it turned out the animal had died or gotten lost.
"Erm..." Hermione began, unsure of what she dare say to Ron without giving anything away, "she used to talk in her sleep when she was a toddler. Spoke Parseltongue before she learnt English. She scared the life out of Nacissa when she heard it first time." Ron's eyes glazed over as he imagined the look of polite horror on Narcissa Malfoy's face at hearing the hissing sounds for the first time in years. Ron took a moment to commend the older witch for not running for the hills at the thought of Voldemort returning in the form of this dark haired, green eyed child little girl. He understood the pureblood mother's desire for grandchildren. He'd been hounded enough by his own mother. But with life as a busy Auror and lack of a partner to mother said grandchildren, Ron didn't see that becoming a reality any time soon. He had enough siblings to keep her focus away from him; for a while at least. Ron was pulled from his thoughts by Harry and Celeste returning to the table.
"Stay for dinner Harry?" asked Authur Weasley.
"Yes, of course, stay for dinner Harry. I'll get you a plate", Molly Weasley was already half way into the kitchen as she spoke.
"Oh, that would be delightful Mrs Weasley, thank you" Harry responded.
"Oh my dear boy, how many times have a told you? Call me Molly"
"Thank you Molly. How are you all?"
"We're good thanks," piped up George, "Where've you been Harry?"
"Hogwarts," Harry gave as way of explanation. "Needed to get away for a bit; clear my head."
"Three weeks is a long time to be gone without word Harry, we thought you'd upped and left again without telling anyone. Hermione's been heartbroken." Harry took a few bites of his dinner before responding; considering his next words carefully.
"Has she Molly? Because I haven't heard anything from her. She knows where I live, yet she hasn't called on me. No-one has." They all had the grace to look sheepishly down at that comment. "You see Molly, Authur, everyone, I'm a little annoyed at Hermione at the moment. And I think she knows that don't you Hermione?" Hermione hadn't looked up from her plate. She couldn't bear to make eye contact with anyone, let alone Harry. "Will you look at me Hermione?" She shook her head, silent tears crawling down her cheeks. "Hermione" his tone left no room for interpretation, he was angry and she knew why.
"Harry, perhaps this isn't the place to do this, not in front of Celeste as well"
"No Ron, this is exactly the place. And I want Celeste to hear this too. I am her father after all." The lack of response from anyone around the table was all the confirmation he needed that he was the last to know. A beast rose in his chest that Harry fought to control and keep from coming to the surface. This would need a little delicacy, not something he usually observed. Drawing a deep breath and remembering some of those meditation exercises he'd learnt from the Buddhist wizards in Tibet, Harry turned towards Hermione a few seats down. "You see Ron; 2 weeks ago I learnt about this charming little secret that it seems I am the last to know about. I wonder Ron, how long have you known Celeste is my daughter?"
Ron Weasley felt he must look like a goldfish with his mouth opening and closing as it was. He may have matured and changed over the years, but he was still wordless occasionally. This was one such occasion. How did he tell Harry that he'd known since he'd had hold of that tiny little baby in his arms whilst healers rushed around Hermione's bedside trying to save her losing too much blood? How did he admit to anyone why he hadn't said a damned thing in nearly 11 years? It would have only taken an owl to get Harry back here, in the bosom of his adoptive family with his little girl in his arms and Hermione by his side. Ron felt responsible in that moment, and perhaps he should; but then again, he wasn't the only who knew by the looks of it. Not a single person was surprised at Harry's declaration. Ron knew no-one was that good an actor to fake it; the Malfoys maybe, but never the Weasleys; they wore their hearts on their sleeves.
"Erm... I think, perhaps, that Celeste shouldn't be here for this" Arthur Weasley, always the calm voice of reason, "Celeste my dear, would you like to come with me to feed the chickens?" The girl jumped at the chance to leave the table without finishing, even she knew something was bubbling under the surface and didn't want to be there to witness it.
Ron's attention was brought back to Harry by him clearing his throat after Arthur and Celeste had left the house out the kitchen door.
"I've had my suspicions for a while; you've just confirmed them though."
Ron's voice was so soft George wasn't sure he'd heard correctly. Ron had had suspicions for a while and kept them to himself? Gorge was mildly impressed at his youngest brother's ability to keep that to himself. Then again, George was also intrigued about this troll Hermione had spoken about. They'd kept that one quiet; he briefly wondered what else had been kept secret and made a mental note to inquire later. He figured Ron was the one to ask, Harry was in a raging mood and Hermione had a habit of keeping tight lipped about things George found interesting.
"So, are you telling us Ronnikins; that you have known Celeste Granger and Harry Potter are father and daughter for a while?"
Ron clearly didn't feel the need to hold anything back now and told the whole room of his suspicions soon after Celeste was born. About how he didn't care that Hermione had had a child with someone else, and if the baby had been ginger or even fair headed, he would have proposed on the spot and raised the child as his own. As it was, Celeste had been born with the darkest of dark black hair and, although her eyes were Hermione's chocolate brown colour when she was born rather than the vivid emerald green they would grow to be, Ron could already see the similarities between the little girl in his arms and the best friend who had left the country months earlier. Ron spoke of his heartbreak, anger and betrayal when he'd realised what had happened; why the dates didn't add up; why Hermione had turned to Malfoy of all people instead of him and his family.
Hermione kept her head down throughout all of Ron's speech, listening to his heartbreak from so long ago. She knew then she'd have married Ron if he'd asked; would have built a life with him and the Weasleys and Celeste. She also knew she couldn't lie any longer. This was her fault this had all happened. She had made her bed, and now she had to lie in it. She waited for Ron to finish before she spoke again.
"I'm sorry Harry," it was barely above a whisper, but it filled the whole room. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you; that all it would have taken was an owl to let you know you'd left me at the airport carrying your child." Her voice got stronger with each word, her head lifting as she spoke. "I'm so very sorry Harry".
"Did you know?" Molly asked. Everyone startled when she spoke; she'd been so quiet, they had forgotten she was there. "Did you know when Harry left you were pregnant with his child?" Hermione shook her head slowly. "So, when you found out you were pregnant and came skulking 'round here claiming Ronald for yourself and convincing him to look after you, what did you think was going to happen? We let you in Hermione! We let you into our family, we were so excited to be welcoming the next generation of Weasleys, especially so soon after the war. But Ron saw through your lies; and I am glad he did! Now, I would like you to leave and take Celeste with you. It's not the girl's fault but I don't want to see either of you again. You have used us for years Hermione Granger and I will not allow it again. I shouldn't have let you back into our family when I did, that was clearly a mistake. I wonder what else important you are keeping from us all!"
Hermione was stunned, she knew Molly Weasley had a temper, but she hadn't expected her to throw her out. And to say she didn't want to see Celeste again either cut right to the bone. Hermione looked from face to face for support. No-one spoke. George looked uncomfortable, Ron embarrassed, Harry just looked shocked and annoyed, but Molly looked thunderous. Hermione realised she could never call this place any sort of home ever again. Accio-ing her bag, Hermione stepped out from the table and through into the kitchen without saying another word.
Stepping out into the unexpectedly bright sunshine of mid-September, Hermione could see her daughter and the man who she respected as a father and had one day thought would become her father-in-law closing the door of the chicken run in the far corner of the garden. She quickened her pace to meet them; smiling at Celeste as she got there. Arthur's eye told Hermione all she needed to know without saying a word. How can the man who has raised the Weasley twins not know what was going on, all the secrets and lies and heartache. Taking Celeste's hand and giving Arthur a small smile and a nod, Hermione turned into the blackness of apparition.