A/N: I'VE JUST COME BACK FROM THE CINEMA – I'VE SEEN THE MOVIE!!!!!!!!
IT WAS SIMPLY WONDERFUL!
There were only a couple of things that I didn't like:
Voldemort didn't look frightening enough Firenze was ridiculous Ron and Hermione shouldn't have uttered Voldemort's name James Potter seemed to be too old to be Harry's father Quirrel's death was a bit too brutalApart from these the film rocks! I don't care for all the critics, I loved it – gonna watch it again on Monday!
And now to your reviews: thank you, thank you, thank you for all the compliments! Love ya all!
I guess I shocked you with Dumbledore, huh? *glad to hear, lol – it seems I'm really a sadist…*
teacherchez: even if the baby had been a boy, he couldn't have been called Hagrid, because "Hagrid" is the groundkeeper's FAMILY name! You wrote you didn't want my story to be over. Sorry… but everything has to have an end… (I'm thinking of either a sequel or a totally different story which I'll write next summer)
Super saya-Jin Gotan: you wrote: "The moon race. Figures Hermione and Ron go there. They'll see Harry, he'll come back to Ginny and Lily. There." – Well, it won't be this easy…
Ariana Black: your guess about Millicent was a close one :-)
Cloudzi: I fear I didn't get it: what do you mean by telling your friends about my fic 4th and 5th hour??? Did you mean lessons at school??? (If yes, then LOL! You must have been very bored during those lessons… just like me at politology – I always start drawing Harry pics instead of listening to the teacher… naughty, naughty me!)
Nikkianna: no, it wasn't Harry's mum that Neville saw in his dream. He saw the future, not the past.
Hermione Gulliver: I'll read your fic as soon as I can.
Genesis: you won't be disappointed :-)
Rodi: corny??? No way! I HATE too corny things! Yuck! The true-love-shit won't be sappy at all – though it will awaken emotions, I'm sure, but it won't be mushy (I was even ashamed of myself when I wrote chapter 3 – the one in which H and G conceive the baby… it got way too sappy!)
Anigurl88: "What if that werewolf was Lupin??" I'VE FAST FALLEN OFF MY CHAIR when I read this! Just imagine! Lupin!!!! With no teeth!!! LOL! No, it wasn't him. *giggling madly*
VeRyWiLdWiTcH: ((Um, isn't it a bit tiresome to write your name with always having to change captial and non-capital letters???)) You were worried that Lily might never meet her daddy. Oh my!!! Do I seem so cruel??? Do I???
princesswitch: your guess was right :-)
RonWeasley'sGirlfriend: thanks, I also thought that last chapter was my best – so far (but my fave chapter is the final chapter.)
pschan_88: you asked why Ginny wasn't going to the run. First of all: the Ministry gave the school only two tickets, and Herm wanted to take Ron. Number two: Ginny wants to be with her daughter now. Number three: *um, changed my mind, I'm not telling this yet…*
Amen: some complications… sure! You can count on that!
dudette: yeah, I used Laura Ingalls Wilder's name! (without Wilder.) Btw, I loved Almanzo (Laura's hubby) – so hot!
Isis: I haven't read the Little house books, but I've seen every episode of the series (some episodes more than once…)
Zenon Lee: Singapore? Oh my, that's far away!!! Is it very hot there? I think it's stupid to watch the movie without reading the book. You asked about Harry's missing NEWTs, and your guess… might be right… ;-) Did you want a boy??? Then you are the only one here, cause all my other reviewers wanted a girl. (When my mom read my fic for the first time during the summer, she was sure I'd give Harry a boy and she was quite surprised that he had a daughter).
obi_ewan_maul_lover: you asked why Ginny wasn't at the feast. Well, maybe she was there, but had nothing interesting to say :-)
Shaun Wilson: a sequel… maybe. But I think I'd rather write a totally different story. I'm really not sure yet – I have a very vague idea for a sequel, but the idea for the totally different fic is also vague. I'll choose, but not yet. (You can be sure of one thing, though: I WILL write another HP fic.)
Echo2588: Korea? Cool! It must be a very exotic place! You asked whether you missed something about the Moon Run. No, you didn't. No one else (besides me and four other people) knows what the Moon Run is – you'll get to know it in the next chapter.
LilBit: I hope you did well on your exams! I had three during this week, but the most difficult ones are yet to come.
Anna: about Lockhart: well, certainly you'll see him again – twice, to be exact. (He is one of my favourite characters, after all!) I don't know whether he'll continue to write books… maybe he will, but he will be honest for a change *lol, can't picture an honest Lockhart!*
Gwen Fifortry: Harry only made up his composition about Snape dying and himself dying. Of course Trelawney took it for granted (she always thought Harry'd die soon). In fact Sybill made only one right prediction in my fic – well, almost right. ((Should I write a sequel, I might kill off Snape and erect a monument to his memories, though… I'm not sure yet. I like Snapey and I hate killing off people.))
NFGrl: Harry is in India.
ssj5: no, only 34 (or 35) chapters, not 36. I might divide the last chapter into two parts, because it's way too long.
Lucretia: Harry is in Calcutta. What happened to Draco??? Well, he got sacked and went home. Lupin is probably in Asia now, but NOT in Calcutta. He might have come back to Europe, I don't know. Just let him wander around the world, he isn't needed yet. Yet…
Thorn: thanks for correcting me, it's always nice to get to know new things. Sometimes I really mix up British and American English – though I always try to stick to British English. (But I have read so many American books – at least a dozen of the Star Wars series – that I've learnt way too many American words, and I'm not always able to tell whether they are used in British English as well.)
D2: no, I didn't expect him to be there for the birth either *lol, did I say I didn't expect him???* You asked where Voldemort was. Well, he is lurking somewhere nowadays, but not for long, I promise!
Rab: oh, what are you saying there??? Is it really more enjoyable to read fanfics than studying??? *my, I would never have thought! A big LOL!*
Pudadinging: Remus and Sirius will also see Lily soon.
K-K: I'm not revealing anything, sorry…
Mental Patient: I'm NOT Rowling in disguise, I assure you. Harry meets Lily soon.
veronik: I'm happy it was worth reading :-) of course Voldie is planning bad things…
Jen: no, Neville wasn't dreaming about Lily.
Julietta: Dumbledore isn't with Remus and Sirius. No, they cannot track Harry's way from Egypt, since Abysmal sun-Amun has absolutely no idea where he had gone (he doesn't even presume it was Ravin who talked Harry into going to India.)
stargirl: Ginny and Neville??? No way, sister! (reading in computer class? I also do it at school, lol)
All right, this chapter is a link between the birth and the Moon Run – I wanted to show you a bit of Weasey family-get-together.
Enjoy!
Chapter 28
Back at the Burrow
The Hogwarts Express arrived at platform 9 ¾, and stopped with puffing funnel.
"We're here." Hermione sighed, her voice revealing how sad she was.
"Hey, chin up! You'll be back in September!" Ron reminded her, lifting Pigwidgeon's cage and stuffing Wendelin into his bag.
"Yeah…" she nodded, gathering Crookshanks into her arms. "But it won't be the same: I'll be teaching, not studying."
"Look at the bright side of it," the boy said, "you won't have to put up with Snape's bullying."
Hermione furrowed her brow. "Do you think he'd be better a colleague than a teacher? I'm not that optimistic."
"Then why have you taken on the job? Go and teach Muggles at Oxford!"
Ginny entered their compartment with Lily in her right arm and Hedwig's cage in her left. "Guys, time to get off!"
"Dad, Aunt Marge's train is delayed." Dudley told Vernon Dursley, standing on platform 9.
Suddenly a bunch of youngsters appeared from the wall between platform 9 and 10.
"The students from the crazy school." Vernon murmured, knitting his eyebrows. "Good that we don't have to care for Harry anymore."
Dudley nodded, fixing his stare at the secret entrance of platform 9 ¾. As though he had been waiting for someone – someone else than Aunt Marge.
He was shaken out of his reveries by a rumbling voice:
"Neville! You little imp! You're gonna play Quidditch for England!"
A plump boy with beaming face nodded and let the yelling man pulled him into a bear-like hug.
"Hey, Algie, you are throttling our little hero!" and old woman cut in. "Come here, Neville, let Granny give you a big kiss!"
"Geez, Gran…" the boy wiped his face after the enthusiastic kisses of the old witch.
Vernon heard another voice:
"Look, Arthur, they are here!"
Two red-haired people burst forward (almost knocking over the stout Mr. Dursley), to greet an also redheaded boy and a redheaded girl holding a red-haired baby.
"Ginny!" the small, plump woman yelled, gathering the girl and her baby into a warm embrace.
Mr. Dursley recognised the mother of Harry's best friend in the woman, who was eagerly hugging the girl and the child, cooing and giggling.
"Foolish folks." Vernon grunted, directing his gaze back at platform 9.
Two other redheaded boys arrived, patting the younger boy on the back, then turning to the girl.
As he caught a glimpse of the twins, Dudley jumped behind the back of his father.
"Wow, Gin, what a beautiful little girl you have!" one of the boys said admiringly. "Hey, Harry made a good job!"
"Yup. Pity that he isn't here to see his masterpiece!" the other guy agreed. "May I hold her, sis?"
"You'd only drop her, George." the girl smirked.
"Meeee?" her brother yelled. "I'm the best father-substitute in the whole wizarding world!"
The girl seemed to contemplate his words. "If you promise that you won't feed 'modified' milk to her, then you may hold her." she gave the baby to the boy. "But if my daughter turns into a canary, I'll strangle you with my own hands, George!"
"Oh, Arthur, isn't she perfect?" Mrs. Weasley sighed, ogling Lily. "What do you think, Mr. Dursley?"
"Huh?" Vernon turned around. He was hoping that the crazy folks wouldn't recognise him.
"The baby." Molly smiled. "My granddaughter."
"… nice child." Vernon growled.
"Nice? Angelic!" Molly said, enraptured. "Your great-niece is a little fairy!"
"My… great-niece?" Vernon gasped.
"Yes." a brown-haired girl replied. "Harry's daughter."
Mr. Dursley glanced back at his son, who didn't seem surprised at all, just afraid of something. "Harry… that… that… no-good, worth-nothing…" Vernon began, but no one seemed to pay attention anymore.
A stout girl walked past them, giving Dudley (who was still hiding behind the back of his dad) a meaningful look. Dudley turned red and smiled at her.
No one, but Hermione noticed it.
* * * * *
Back at the Burrow, a huge sheet hanging between two trees greeted them, with the text Welcome Lily! written on it.
Ginny had to smile. "Like she knew how to read."
"She'll know it soon." Fred asserted, enthusiastically tickling the baby's stomach. "And she'll learn how to play Quidditch, and transform her professors into slugs, and…"
"Fred!" Molly scowled at him. "She is only two weeks old!?"
Fred shrugged and continued tickling his niece.
"Don't do that if you don't want her to cover you with her breakfast." Ginny admonished, happy that her family loved her child so much.
In the hall, Percy and Fleur greeted them, the French girl with a radiant smile.
"'elcome back, Ginny." she hugged her. "Oh, ze little phrincess!" she yelled, rushing to Fred. "May I 'old her? Pleaze?"
Fred reluctantly handed the baby to his sister-in-law, who seemed absolutely taken with Lily. She started to rock her gently, humming something that no one understood. Soon the youngest Weasley was fast asleep, thanks to the French lullaby.
"Hello, Perce!" Ron greeted his brother, who only nodded, not showing the slightest happiness to see Ron again. As for Ginny, he seemed to be directly annoyed about her arrival.
The girl's smile faded as she noticed Percy's sullen expression.
"Don't take it to your heart." Fred grinned, pointed at his aloof brother. "He's had a hard week. Split up with Penelope, got a new boss in the person of Ludo Bagman… you know how much Percy despises Ludo."
"I've made cordon bleu an' bouillabaisse." Fleur reported.
Ginny saw the horrified look on Fred's, George's, Percy's, Molly's and Arthur's faces.
Fleur, however, didn't seem to notice it. "Vairy dhelicious." she declared.
"So, Hermione is taking you to the Moon Run?" Mr. Weasley asked, trying to swallow a chunk of stone-hard cordon bleu.
Ron nodded with rumbling stomach. He wasn't brave enough to taste Fleur's cooking. (Neither were the twins.)
Percy made a wry face and tossed some bouillabaisse into his mouth. Always the gentleman…
"And when is that race going to take place?" Molly turned to Ron.
"8th July."
"In a week, then." Arthur nodded. "Are you going to apparate?"
"Sure." Ron smirked. It had taken him lots of problems to learn apparating. Hermione, of course, managed to learn it in a weekend. For Ron it was extremely troublesome. First time he tried it, he turned up in the Shrieking Shack, instead of on the square before Dervish and Banges. Students, who were interested in this kind of magic, needed to learn it as an additional subject in Hogsmead on weekends, since it was impossible to perform in Hogwarts (as we all know from Hermione, who was still the only student at the whole school who had read Hogwarts, a history.)
"And where's Bill?" Ron asked.
"He's in Egypt with Sirius." Mrs. Weasley replied.
"What are they doing there?" Ron wondered. "Bill isn't working for Gringotts in Egypt anymore, is he?"
"No." Molly shook her head. "It's… it's about Harry."
Ginny looked up from her plate that was still full of bouillabaisse.
"What is with Harry?" she asked with an expression of hope.
"Harry was seen in Cairo about two months ago." Arthur replied.
"Cairo?" Ginny frowned. "What the hell could he be doing in Cairo, when he had family duties here?"
"You are so naive, sister." Percy interjected. "What could Harry be doing in Egypt? Well, surely not thinking of you and your child… do you know how many harems are there in Cairo?"
"But Percy!" Molly snapped.
"I'm just being rational, mum." Percy shrugged. "If someone starts down the dark path, darkness will rule his whole life. Harry's case is very similar: he got you, Ginny, but realised that you weren't enough to satisfy his enormous libido, so he looked for more chicks, and Cairo was the best place to do so."
Ginny's face turned red with fury. "You are evil-minded, and… and…"
"…impotent." George added.
"Hold your tongue!" Percy howled, jumping up from the kitchen table.
"Take it easy, Perce!" Fred chuckled. "You'll manage it next time!"
"Next time? What next time?" George sneered. "Penny won't give the bigheadboy another chance!"
Percy slapped his spoon into his plate with such a force that the soup splashed out of it, covering the table, Molly and Arthur's face, and the floor.
"I'm not going to take any more of this!" he bellowed and dashed out.
"Now you see why he was so morose when you arrived with the baby." George said. "Sour grapes."
Ginny gave him a questioning look.
"He wasn't capable of what Harry was." Fred explained.
"Ah…" Ginny nodded, barely able to hide her smile. Her stare met Fleur's who seemed to be struggling with the same urge of laughter.
Mrs. Weasley wiped the bouillabaisse from her face, to reveal a shocked expression.
Seeing it, neither girl managed hide their amusement anymore. Soon the whole kitchen was filled with laughter.
Molly blew her nose. "Poor dear Percy… he never told me."
"Why, mom, did you think he'd tell you something like this?" Ron grinned.
"He is right, Molly." Arthur nodded. "Men are too proud to… well, ya know."
"I hope we won't have to be ashamed of you, too, Ronnikins." Fred said.
"But Fred!" their mother scowled.
"Just kidding, mom." George answered. "Ron is a real man, isn't he?"
Ron blushed and seemed not to notice Ginny's wink.
However, it didn't avoid the twins' attention.
* * * * *
"The Potion of Eternity is almost ready, my lord." Wormtail bowed before Voldemort. "Only the last ingredient is missing."
"Ah… the last ingredient…" the dark lord's mouth tucked into a satisfied smirk. "Where is the last ingredient at the moment, Wormtail?"
"In Ottery St. Catchpole, My Lord." Wormtail replied. "When should we fetch it?"
"In a week, Wormtail. The boomslang has to boil for another week, and then, only then can the last ingredient be added."
"I know, My Lord. And what about Potter? He isn't found yet."
"Oh, don't worry, my servant." Voldemort smiled. "We'll take care of him later… after I've gained immortality."
"Why only then, my lord?"
"Why?" Voldemort frowned. "You are such an ignorant fool, Wormtail! You know that only Harry Potter can hurt me! He, only he can be my undoing! That is why I've always wanted to get rid of him. But, if I'm immortal, not even he can harm me."
"I see, my lord. So first, we've got to get the last ingredient, then perform the ritual, and only after that look for Potter."
"Glad to hear that you got it." Voldemort nodded. "You are almost as slow on the uptake as Crabbe and Goyle… But at least you've got more sense than Malfoy… you'd never try to conceal anything from me, would you?"
Wormtail flinched from the dark lord's penetrating stare. "Of course I wouldn't, my lord." he bowed.
"Good…" Voldemort smiled. "Soon I'll be immortal, and no Harry Potter will stand in my way!" his vicious cackling filled the dark room, almost causing Nagini get a heart attack.
* * * * *
At the same moment, a boy in India almost fell from his broomstick. He gripped it tightly, fighting the unbearable pain on his forehead. He turned the Rocket 3000 downwards, and somehow managed to reach the ground without passing out.
"What happened?" his coach, Mr. Ravin asked.
"I don't… know." the boy panted. "My forehead started to hurt so badly… I almost fainted."
"You've just overworked, kid. Rest a bit."
"No… I'm fine… got to train…" the boy mumbled, massaging his forehead.
"Okay, you may continue training, as soon as we've found a proper name for you."
"A name? Why?" the boy raised his eyebrows.
"Why… why…? Because all competitors have a name! Some of them play under their real names, others under pseudonyms. We have to find one for you."
"An Indian name?" the boy suggested.
"Not by all means." Ravin shrugged. "Your name has to mean something powerful, quick or the like. We'll think of it, right? The winner of the Moon Run has to have a victorious name… a name fit for a man who'll get a real fortune… five thousand galleons – not a bad amount of money, is it?"
"Yeah… and the two thousand galleons given to the coach aren't bad either, huh?" the boy asked sarcastically.
"Clever boy." Ravin smiled. "Very clever."