A/N First off I want to thank Melissa Ivory for assisting me with one key question Also a word about Chapter #'s. AS everyone knows the Head Maintainer at Fanfiction.Net has decreed that all Multipart stories be marked together. Therefore this is FF.N Chapter 12 (Chapters one and two were posted as one file and I took down the opening author notes) Sequentially it's Chapter 13. It will be known as Chapter 13 (14) though because I at least look at 13 as unlucky especially as a date when it falls on a Friday. Because of the pivotal nature of this chapter I had considered skipping 13 in the sequence only I had few responses to a small (Not on Fanfiction.Net since Polls are not allowed according to regulations as handed down by the Head Maintainer) but amongst the few authors on my IM list (Note Brigade701 is not my IM Screen Name I'm not revealing what it is.)
Harry Potter and the Moral Dilemma
Chapter 13(14)
Birth of a Heroine.
(Another A/N those of you who are avid readers of my series should be able to figure out what is on tap for this chapter).
IF you were to look around you could see the trap door in the Center of the floor and the plush armchairs and other pieces of furniture on the floor of the circular room at the top of one of the towers. Eventually several students among them Ginny Weasley came through and sat down.
(Yet another A/N Since my copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban came from the Public Library back when I started this series some of my descriptions of this room will be way off)
Ginny grabbed a seat over by Leslie and Colin. Eventually Professor Trelawney walked in.
"Ah Ginny, My inner eye tells me that middle of next month you will experience great pain," the professor told her.
"Ok thanks for telling us," Ginny said.
"Ginny, any idea what she might be referring to?" Colin wondered.
"Colin, it should be obvious," Leslie said. "Trelawney is probably referring to Ginny's baby being born."
"You really think that's what it is?" Colin wondered.
"Colin, take into consideration that's the most likely possibility besides my estimated due date is around that time," Ginny said.
They spent the day on a very complex lesson on mind melding as a way of exploring a person's mind. Such an act was long thought of as a dark art and as such it was made illegal by the Ministry of Magic. That evening Ginny lowered herself into a couch by the other members of her group, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ashley, Leslie, Lucy, Kelly, and Colin and his brother Dennis. She took the time to tell the others about what Trelawney had said.
"Ginny, if it does happen then all it will be is a coincidence. Divination is a very inexact branch of magic. Dumbledore doesn't even have full faith in Trelawney's abilities. I admit there is certainly enough evidence to show she is capable of accuracy but in my opinion all it will prove to be is one big coincidence," Hermione said. "Take into consideration she is constantly predicting Harry's death and yet he is still alive."
"No matter what you say Hermione I still think she was predicting my baby being born," Ginny said.
"I admit I know nothing about Divination but I agree with Ginny," Kelly said.
Hermione glared at her cousin's best friend.
That night Harry wrote a few owls.
Dear Remus and Sirius
Current estimates show that the newest addition to the Potter Family will be born middle of May. It would be nice if you two could be on hand for a birth. I know my dad would have wanted to be here.
Harry and Ginny
Dear Mrs. Weasley
Barring complications the baby most likely will be born Middle of May. It's strange back in September it seemed like a long time and yet it will be here soon as you know it. I'm actually looking forward to being a father as I am sure you are looking forward to being a grandmother.
Harry
Harry then went and sent Hedwig to Sirius and Remus and he Borrowed Pig to send the owl to the Burrow.
Two days later Pig showed back up and did a little dance for the people near him at the Gryffindor Table during lunch.
Harry
I was glad to receive the owl containing the update on Ginny's condition. If you can still arrange it I'd like you and Ginny to spend Easter at the Burrow.
Molly
Ginny sat down next then and Harry showed her the owl. She felt that a visit to the Burrow for Easter would be a smart move.
The time leading up to Easter was busy so it went quick. The night before the students left Harry, Ginny, and Myrtle boarded a carriage and headed for Harry's house. Myrtle was going to float on over and Harry and Ginny had figured on Floo Powdering.
"Harry I wonder if the Floo Powder is a good idea," Ginny said.
"Well neither of us is allowed to Apparate so we probably should take the Knight Bus in that Case," Harry said as he extended his Wand Hand. A Sudden Pop was then heard and the Triple Decker Bus appeared. The Door opened and the driver looked there way.
"Why hello Neville," He said teasing Harry.
"I'll explain later," Harry told Ginny. Stan the Red headed conductor then walked up to them.
"So where to?" Stan asked.
"The Burrow, you know where that is?" Harry asked.
"Sure, we can have you there in no time," Stand said after Harry paid for two beds and a deluxe bathroom. The reason for the two beds is instead of seats the Knight Bus had beds on each level. Stan gave them beds close to the Front.
An hour later the Knight Bus dropped them by the Burrow. Molly walked out to meet them.
"Oh it's you. I wondered who was arriving on the bus," Molly said. "Whoa Ginny you are getting big."
Ginny went pink at her mother's teasing remark.
"The clowns are inside along with your father and Percy," Molly added.
They then walked inside.
"Ginny, how are you doing?" Fred asked.
"Pretty good actually. It's kind of nice to get home to the old home," Ginny said.
"I'm sure, we haven't seen you since you slipped off for Harry's house back in August," Arthur added.
Myrtle had slipped in during all this and went looking for a decent bathroom. George showed her the way to Arthur and Molly's private bathroom.
"Harry for your information we used a few profits from the twins joke shop along with a loan from Gringotts to add a small suite of rooms to the house," Molly said. "One is a room for you which really we should have added years ago along with a room for our future grandchild."
"You didn't have to Mrs. Weasley I could have just slept in Ron's room like I did all those summers I spent here," Harry said.
"Yeah but it probably beats all those years you spent with those Awful muggles," Mr. Weasley said. "It almost doesn't surprise me how often you've accidentally used magic there. Let's see the hovering charm, the engorgement, charm, the slicker charm (A/N a charm to make something as slippery as ice. While this wasn't in a book I figured I would slip it in.)
"What I should have used was a weight loss charm on Dudley," Harry said.
"Now now Harry Weightus Reducto is not a charm to be used lightly. The Ministry has seen many cases of people overdoing it with that charm and taking too much weight off Although I agree your cousin would be a good candidate for that charm there is the matter of his being a muggle and the fact that magic is not supposed to be used around about Ninety nine point ninety nine percent of muggles," Arthur said.
"The exception of course being Muggles like Ashley Kline who know of our world," Harry said.
"Yes Ashley is one of the few exceptions. At least if she gets into a bind she was use Ringus Unitus to get out of the bind. Especially if she encounters You Know Who," Arthur said.
When it was bedtime Molly showed Harry to his room on the ground floor. Harry's room almost looked like an expansionary charm are been used on it since it almost looked bigger then the entire first floor of #4 Privet Drive.
"This is definitely a nice room," Harry said. "It's almost better then either my room at the Dursleys or even the room Ron and I sleep in at Hogwarts."
"That was the idea," Molly said. "Arthur and I wanted it to be better then you were used to.
"Let me say this Mrs. Weasley you two were successful," Harry said.
A short time later Harry heard a scream that sounded like Mrs. Weasley. Myrtle came barreling through a short time later.
"What happened?" Harry wondered as he looked toward Myrtle with one eye open and the other closed.
"Ginny's mom found me in their bathroom. Used to ghosts as she is she obviously isn't used to them in her own house," Myrtle said.
"Probably not," Harry said as he closed his open eye and went back to sleep
The next morning Harry headed out to the kitchen for breakfast. He noticed Ginny sitting off to one side.
"I slept in my old room. This will probably be the last time I sleep in there. Next time I come here I will most likely be in the same room as you," Ginny said.
"Ginny, any idea what you are going to do for a Dress?" Molly asked.
"I was just going to wear my dress robes. They should fit somewhat by then," Ginny said.
"Ginny, I almost feel you should have a real dress to wear for your wedding," Molly said.
"Mom, my wedding is approaching fast. Not as fast as my child but still approaching fast. There might not be time to get a dress Besides if we started now the dress wouldn't fit properly come the actual wedding. If necessary I can just have Hermione Transfigure one of my better dresses into a wedding dress She is the best when it comes to Transfiguration," Ginny said.
Molly shook her head at the thought of using Transfiguration to make a wedding dress.
"Harry, you have anything special on your docket today?" Percy asked as he apparated in for breakfast.
"Not really Percy, why is something up?" Harry wondered his wand in his right pocket on his Black School Robes.
"I had arranged with my division chief for you to if you so desired visit the Ministry this week for a day," Percy said. "You could look at it as great experience for after graduation."
"Ah what the heck, just let me know where to get off the Floo network," Harry said.
"Oh that's right you haven't learned to Apparate yet," Percy realized.
"Who hasn't learned yet?" Arthur asked as he walked in wearing a pair of faded brown robes.
"Harry hasn't," Percy said.
"I'm sure if we spoke with the proper people we could arrange for Harry to take some lessons on apparating at least over his holiday," Arthur said.
"I'll talk to someone at the Ministry today," Percy said.
"What's the rush it's not like I need that skill at Hogwarts I can't even Apparate onto or off the grounds?" Harry wondered.
"You have to learn someday," Percy said.
A Short time later Harry Floo Powdered over to the Ministry of Magic Building Percy was waiting for him.
"This here is the Department of International Magical Cooperation. My office is here in this stuffy room," Percy said.
Percy then took Harry on a tour of the building about an hour in he showed Harry were the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office was which was where Arthur worked. The bulk of the Afternoon was spent at the Magical Law Enforcement Department. The Chief there explained about the various types of people who worked there. The Hitmen, the Aurors, the Standard Officers. AS Harry was leaving that area an aged wizard in fairly well kept brown robes walked out.
"Oh Ah excuse me Percy but I'd like to talk to Mr. Potter alone," the wizard said.
"Sure, Harry will you be able to meet me at the Magical Transportation Management Office when you are done?" Percy wondered.
"I should be able to," Harry said.
Harry then followed the wizard into a fairly subdued area.
"Mr. Potter, forgive me I'm Dantelus Danforth I'm the Director of the Magical Intelligence division. You graduate from Hogwarts at the end of June don't you?"
"Yes I do. Why were you wondering?"
"My office is involved in keeping a very close eye on events in the wizarding world. One thing we do is insert trained intelligence gathering wizards and witches nto pockets of Dark Arts Practicing witches and wizards. We even have Voldemort's forces infiltrated," Dantelus said.
"Mr. Danforth, you surprised me I only know of a handful of wizards who feel safe using Voldemort's name," Harry said.
"Mr. Potter, you possess various pieces of equipment useful in intelligence gathering don't you?" Dantelus wondered.
"Yes I do. I have an old invisibility cloak of my dads, I possess an old Marauders Map that my dad and his friends once made and used for mischief making, and I even own a sneak-o-scope," Harry said.
"That will prove perfect Mr. Potter. You see Mr. Potter my reason for mentioning all this is I'd like to recruit you for after you graduate," Dantelus said.
"I'll think about your offer and let you know once I get the results of my NEWTS back. Also Mr. Danforth I hope you realize but I am scheduled to get married on the last day of my Hogwarts Career," Harry informed him.
"Yes I am well aware of it. The Director of Magical Intelligence knows all and reveals little," Dantelus said. "Do you have an Apparating License yet?"
"No Percy and his dad were going to make arrangements so I could take a few lessons over my break from school," Harry said.
"I see," Dantelus said. "If you run into trouble have the people in the office that regulates it call me. Same with the Misuse of Magic office after you become an animagus more specifically an unregistered animagus."
"Mr. Danforth, isn't it illegal for an Animagus to be unregistered?" Harry asked.
"Technically yes but things work differently in this office. We keep a separate registry of the animal form of our agents who become Animagi so they can do their duties. We simply neglect to tell the Misuse of Magic office of the identity of our officers," Dantelus said.
Harry spent the better part of his Holiday learning to Apparate. On the last day of his lessons he was given a test and he passed it without difficulty. Ginny though didn't know he was learning to Apparate. She found out though after He Apparated back to the Burrow.
"Harry you scared me. I didn't expect you to just pop into place," Ginny said.
"Sorry my love but I wanted to surprise you," Harry said.
"What have you been up to all break?" Ginny wondered.
"Just taking some lessons," Harry said. "I even managed to get my license on my first try."
"Which license not your apparating license," Ginny said.
"Actually yes," Harry said.
AN hour later Harry put Ginny on the Knight Bus with Myrtle and he then apparated back to his house where he used the tunnel to return to Hogwarts.
The next few weeks were crazy since Harry had a ton of studying to do. So much in fact that he cut back on the Quidditch Practices to One night a week and an hour on the weekend. He had his usual homework to do along with studying for the NEWTS to do since they were rapidly approaching.
Ginny was also busy with last minute things before the baby came and her term paper to finish.
One day in the Middle of May Ginny woke up feeling like a normal day.
"Well so far I'm not feeling great pain so maybe Hermione is right and Trelawney is a phony,"
Later that day Ginny had Divination. She sat down as usual with Leslie and Colin. Trelawney was lecturing on a few other methods of mind melding which were just as illegal as the ones they had studied so far when She started to feel pain coming on.
"Help Somebody," Ginny screamed.
"Ginny, what's wrong?" Colin wondered.
"My abdomen it hurts?" Ginny complained.
"Where exactly?" Leslie wondered as she started to feel around. Leslie managed to feel something as she worked. At the same time she felt it Ginny screamed again.
"Colin, get Madame Pomfrey, McGonagall, Dumbledore, Harry, and Ron in that order. Ginny is having contractions and that's why she is in pain," Leslie ordered.
Colin quickly left without even asking Trelawney for permission HE was just glad to get out of a class on an illegal form of divination.
"How could you tell Miss Lowdy that your friend was having contractions?" Trelawney wondered.
"I could tell as I was trying to find the cause of her pain that a contraction was taking place," Leslie said.
Madame Pomfrey arrived through the trap door in the floor of the tower a short time later.
"Figures of all the places in the castle for it to happen it had to happen here," Madame Pomfrey complained as she walked over. "Sybil, is there a chance you could move your classes to another area I'd rather not move Miss Weasley right now under the circumstances," She explained as McGonagall and Dumbledore arrived together.
"Poppy, what is wrong?" McGonagall wondered.
"Ginny Weasley went into labor during her divination class," Madame Pomfrey said. "In my opinion the location was the worst possible due to that stupid ladder that Sybil uses to get into her tower instead of a normal staircase."
"Do you require assistance moving her to the Hospital Wing?" Dumbledore wondered.
"Actually Headmaster I was figuring on delivering the baby here. Moving her is not advisable," Madame Pomfrey said.
Colin returned ten minutes later just as Ginny was screaming away to report that Harry and Ron were in Double Potions and Snape was not about to let them leave early but they would be there soon as Class was over. Trelawney reluctantly had called off the rest of that class and moved the rest of her classes to the Staff Room since it had what she considered the proper furniture. The labor process went on for three hours. Harry and Ron managed to arrive in time for the Big moment when a 4¾ kilogram girl entered the world. Myrtle also happened to be there.
"She is so cute," Myrtle said. "Have you decided on a name yet?"
"Yes we have Myrtle," Harry announced. "Amy Lillian Potter. Amy as you suggested and tended to refer to you and Lillian after my mother."
Somewhere in a room it's location not easily known sat a book and a Special Quill. The Quill was seen writing without anyone being nearby. The line it was writing said this.
Amy Lillian Potter May 15th 1998 Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Harry James Potter (Father) Virginia Louise Weasley (Mother)
What the line was was the name of the infant, where it was born and the identity of it's parents.
"Myrtle, your presence here is helpful since someone will be needed to carry the baby to the hospital wing and you are the best option available under the circumstances," Madame Pomfrey said.
"No Problem Madame Pomfrey," Myrtle said as she very carefully picked Amy up and carried her down the stairs and then proceeded to the infirmary. The only obstacle she ran into was Peeves.
"Myrtle, what is that you are carrying in your arms?" Peeves wondered his usual mischievous grin visible on his face.
"Just Harry and Ginny's daughter so scram before I sick the Baron on you," Myrtle said.
"You wouldn't dare Myrtle," Peeves said.
"Don't bet your sickles on that Peeves," Myrtle said as Madame Pomfrey and Ginny approached Ron, Harry, Hermione who had run into the procession in the corridors, McGonagall, and Dumbledore bringing up the rear.
"If she doesn't I will Peeves so watch it you big floating bag of air," Ginny screamed.
Peeves grin changed into a subtle smile at what he had looked at as a compliment. Peeves reluctantly stepped aside but then part of it might have been the fact that Dumbledore was looking rather annoyed with the Poltergeist.
They soon arrived in the Hospital Wing.
"Harry, Ron, Hermione, I suggest you let both Ginny and Amy rest. You can come back tomorrow," Madame Pomfrey said.
"Your probably right Madame Pomfrey," Harry said as he walked away his two comrades following him.
"She must have been in a lot of pain from what Leslie was saying. Looks like Trelawney was correct on that prediction but I still think it was a coincidence," Hermione said.
"Hermione, it's obvious you don't care for Trelawney after all you did walk out on her class third year," Ron said.
Every resident of Gryffindor it seemed was in the Common Room when they arrived.
"Harry, 'mano, how is everything going?" Miquel wondered.
"It's a girl," Harry said. "Amy Lillian Potter."
"Oh man the only thing missing is some cigars 'mano," Miquel complained.
"No Smoking allowed in the Castle you know that Rodriquez," A prefect called out.
Two days later Ginny returned to Gryffindor Tower and Amy made her first post birth appearance there.
"She is so cute Ginny," Ashley said.
"Thanks Ash," Ginny said. "You'll probably end up a good aunt for her."
A/N Well you can tell by the date code that the series is almost completed. I'm going to let you know now that the sequel will be called Hogwarts A New Beginning and It will Chronicle Amy's own career at the Infamous Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Wonder if by the time she is a student they will have fixed the problem of Defense Against the Dark Arts Professors only lasting one year.