Birthday Surprises Chapter 23
Usual disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Please. Wish it were mine though. Ah, if only. Lolly, xxx.
"Harry? What are you doing?" Hermione asked. She looked in and saw Harry feeding one of the triplets. He put a finger to his lips to shush her. She crept forward, gazing down at the two bright green eyes that belonged to the small child who guzzled milk greedily from the bottle that Harry held. Harry gently teased the bottle away for a moment, handing it to Hermione as he tenderly burped the baby.
"Where did you learn all this stuff?" She asked in surprise - she had seen parents doing this, but would never have known had she not.
"I guess I picked most of it up. Besides, Aunt Petunia watched all these baby programs on the telly."
"Oh."
"Ok, spit it out. What's bothering you?"
"I just...well..." Hermione trailed off, sitting down beside Harry.
"What?" Harry asked softly, nudging her gently with his foot. Hermione looked down, her eyes filling with tears.
"I'm scared." She admitted quietly. Harry put the baby back into the cradle before putting his arm around her.
"It's ok to be scared, you know."
"Are you?" She challenged. Harry thought for a moment.
"Yeah. I'm scared that you or Ron, or any of the other Weasleys are going to get hurt through association with me. I'm scared that more people will die because Voldemort is turning on the DA, and I'm scared that Voldemort's wrecking more lives, innocent lives."
"I'm scared of everything - Voldemort, school, even Malfoy, for goodness sake! I mean, what if Ron's right? What if Dumbledore has made Malfoy head boy?"
"Well that's one thing you don't need to worry about - Malfoy isn't going to be head boy."
"He isn't? Oh, that's good." Hermione said, looking incredibly relieved.
"No, he isn't. I am, though."
"You are? Oh Harry, that is wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"
"You want to know one more thing that I'm scared of?"
"What?"
"That Dumbledore's giving me all of these opportunities to prove myself so that I don't go to face Voldemort."
"Harry, mate, you want to know what I'm scared of?" Ron asked, walking in.
"Go on then." Harry said, as Hermione stared at him in horror - obviously she didn't want him to face Voldemort either.
"I'm scared that you'll go off without thinking and get yourself killed. I know you hate it, but you are pretty damn important."
"I think I should tell you something." Harry said quietly. He wanted to solve Ron's fear right away, even if it did create a new one.
"Is this what you were talking about earlier?"
"Yeah. Actually, can you go and get Ginny?"
"I'm here." Came a small voice. Harry smiled and shook his head as Ginny came around the door.
"Well, you might want to make yourself comfortable." He said. Ginny sat down beside Hermione, looking mildly curious. "
Oh, wait a minute - Ginny's fear first." Ron said. Ginny shot him a deathly glare before looking into her lap.
"My fear...my fear sounds really, really selfish. I just...I'm scared that...that Voldemort's going to use me again." She finished quietly. She looked up to see understanding in Harry's eyes. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before standing up.
"Well, I know why Voldemort wants me so badly." He murmured.
"You do? Since when?"
"The end of fifth year - the night Sirius died. Dumbledore told me."
"And all this time, you didn't think to tell us?"
"No. It wasn't exactly easy for me to accept. I had to think it through before telling anyone."
"But you're going to tell us now?" Hermione asked, following him with her eyes as he paced the room.
"Yeah."
"Well?" Ron demanded. Harry sat back down, tapping his foot restlessly.
"Trelawny made a prediction - remember in third year she predicted that Pettigrew would escape and Voldemort would rise again?"
"Yeah, I thought you were crazy for believing her." Ron nodded. "Where is this...?"
"Dumbledore told me that that was the second real prediction she had made - the first one was also to do with Voldemort."
"And you." Ginny stated.
"Yeah. It's the reason Sirius died. More or less, anyway."
"Are you gonna tell us what the prophecy says or not?"
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord..." Harry continued reciting the prophecy, watching as his friends stared at him in horror. "It was made a while before I was born." He said, turning his attention to the sleeping babies. Hermione was gripping the half-empty bottle as if her life depended on it.
"But...you can't have been the only baby born at the end of July. And it didn't specify the year." She argued. Harry shook his head sadly.
"Hermione, it's me. It has to be. No one was sure at first - but Voldemort chose me. He chose me when he tried to kill me. He chose me when he gave me this scar - he marked me as his equal."
"But if they weren't sure..."
"Hermione, listen to me. The prophecy was about me. I'm not pleased about that, but it's fact. I can't change it and neither can you, no matter how hard you try and rationalise it. So there you go Ron, at least you know that when the time comes, and I go to face Voldemort, you can rest assured that I will have thought about it - I've hardly thought about anything lese for an entire year."
"That isn't exactly comforting, Harry." Ron muttered.
"No. I don't suppose it is."
"Are you scared about this?" Ginny asked. She hadn't heard him say anything about him being scared that Voldemort would kill or hurt him...
"You want the truth? No lies?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded a little hesitantly. "No. Voldemort can do what he likes to me. This is what I was born for - the entire purpose of my life."
"So what, are you saying that there's no point in living if Voldemort's not alive?"
"No, I didn't say that - I'm just saying that Voldemort can't hurt me. Not unless he hurts you guys."
"And he knows it." Ginny murmured.
"Yeah. He knows exactly how to get to me. And has proved it." Harry shuddered, remembering the pictures that the deatheater had left for him.
"What do you mean?"
"The deatheater that came to Privet drive - they left pictures."
"Who?" Ron asked in a trembling voice.
"Katie, Lee, Susan, Ernie and Zacharias." Harry muttered. "Every member of the DA that they've killed so far."
"Was it awful?"
"Awful isn't quite the word I'd use, but yeah, they were."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I was thinking that we should have a memorial for them. The DA."
"That's a good idea." Ginny said. She bit her lip, thinking of all the members of the DA that could be next - she knew the same thought was going through Harry's mind.
"Yeah. We're still carrying on, aren't we?"
"The DA will still be there for anyone who wishes to attend." Harry shrugged. Ginny thought that sounded a very Dumbledore-ish thing to say.
"Good - it makes it feel as if we're doing something useful." Hermione said. Harry nodded in agreement, still looking slightly preoccupied. She followed his gaze to the cradle and felt her heart lurch - unwittingly, the headmaster had given Harry even more motivation to face Voldemort.
"I have to go - there's something I need to do." She mumbled, her throat obscured by fear.
"Ginny, I would appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about this." Harry said, his green eyes snapping onto her as she left the room.
"I won't. I promise." Ginny mumbled, fleeing from his gaze.
Usual disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Please. Wish it were mine though. Ah, if only. Lolly, xxx.
"Harry? What are you doing?" Hermione asked. She looked in and saw Harry feeding one of the triplets. He put a finger to his lips to shush her. She crept forward, gazing down at the two bright green eyes that belonged to the small child who guzzled milk greedily from the bottle that Harry held. Harry gently teased the bottle away for a moment, handing it to Hermione as he tenderly burped the baby.
"Where did you learn all this stuff?" She asked in surprise - she had seen parents doing this, but would never have known had she not.
"I guess I picked most of it up. Besides, Aunt Petunia watched all these baby programs on the telly."
"Oh."
"Ok, spit it out. What's bothering you?"
"I just...well..." Hermione trailed off, sitting down beside Harry.
"What?" Harry asked softly, nudging her gently with his foot. Hermione looked down, her eyes filling with tears.
"I'm scared." She admitted quietly. Harry put the baby back into the cradle before putting his arm around her.
"It's ok to be scared, you know."
"Are you?" She challenged. Harry thought for a moment.
"Yeah. I'm scared that you or Ron, or any of the other Weasleys are going to get hurt through association with me. I'm scared that more people will die because Voldemort is turning on the DA, and I'm scared that Voldemort's wrecking more lives, innocent lives."
"I'm scared of everything - Voldemort, school, even Malfoy, for goodness sake! I mean, what if Ron's right? What if Dumbledore has made Malfoy head boy?"
"Well that's one thing you don't need to worry about - Malfoy isn't going to be head boy."
"He isn't? Oh, that's good." Hermione said, looking incredibly relieved.
"No, he isn't. I am, though."
"You are? Oh Harry, that is wonderful! I'm so happy for you!"
"You want to know one more thing that I'm scared of?"
"What?"
"That Dumbledore's giving me all of these opportunities to prove myself so that I don't go to face Voldemort."
"Harry, mate, you want to know what I'm scared of?" Ron asked, walking in.
"Go on then." Harry said, as Hermione stared at him in horror - obviously she didn't want him to face Voldemort either.
"I'm scared that you'll go off without thinking and get yourself killed. I know you hate it, but you are pretty damn important."
"I think I should tell you something." Harry said quietly. He wanted to solve Ron's fear right away, even if it did create a new one.
"Is this what you were talking about earlier?"
"Yeah. Actually, can you go and get Ginny?"
"I'm here." Came a small voice. Harry smiled and shook his head as Ginny came around the door.
"Well, you might want to make yourself comfortable." He said. Ginny sat down beside Hermione, looking mildly curious. "
Oh, wait a minute - Ginny's fear first." Ron said. Ginny shot him a deathly glare before looking into her lap.
"My fear...my fear sounds really, really selfish. I just...I'm scared that...that Voldemort's going to use me again." She finished quietly. She looked up to see understanding in Harry's eyes. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before standing up.
"Well, I know why Voldemort wants me so badly." He murmured.
"You do? Since when?"
"The end of fifth year - the night Sirius died. Dumbledore told me."
"And all this time, you didn't think to tell us?"
"No. It wasn't exactly easy for me to accept. I had to think it through before telling anyone."
"But you're going to tell us now?" Hermione asked, following him with her eyes as he paced the room.
"Yeah."
"Well?" Ron demanded. Harry sat back down, tapping his foot restlessly.
"Trelawny made a prediction - remember in third year she predicted that Pettigrew would escape and Voldemort would rise again?"
"Yeah, I thought you were crazy for believing her." Ron nodded. "Where is this...?"
"Dumbledore told me that that was the second real prediction she had made - the first one was also to do with Voldemort."
"And you." Ginny stated.
"Yeah. It's the reason Sirius died. More or less, anyway."
"Are you gonna tell us what the prophecy says or not?"
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord..." Harry continued reciting the prophecy, watching as his friends stared at him in horror. "It was made a while before I was born." He said, turning his attention to the sleeping babies. Hermione was gripping the half-empty bottle as if her life depended on it.
"But...you can't have been the only baby born at the end of July. And it didn't specify the year." She argued. Harry shook his head sadly.
"Hermione, it's me. It has to be. No one was sure at first - but Voldemort chose me. He chose me when he tried to kill me. He chose me when he gave me this scar - he marked me as his equal."
"But if they weren't sure..."
"Hermione, listen to me. The prophecy was about me. I'm not pleased about that, but it's fact. I can't change it and neither can you, no matter how hard you try and rationalise it. So there you go Ron, at least you know that when the time comes, and I go to face Voldemort, you can rest assured that I will have thought about it - I've hardly thought about anything lese for an entire year."
"That isn't exactly comforting, Harry." Ron muttered.
"No. I don't suppose it is."
"Are you scared about this?" Ginny asked. She hadn't heard him say anything about him being scared that Voldemort would kill or hurt him...
"You want the truth? No lies?" Harry asked. Ginny nodded a little hesitantly. "No. Voldemort can do what he likes to me. This is what I was born for - the entire purpose of my life."
"So what, are you saying that there's no point in living if Voldemort's not alive?"
"No, I didn't say that - I'm just saying that Voldemort can't hurt me. Not unless he hurts you guys."
"And he knows it." Ginny murmured.
"Yeah. He knows exactly how to get to me. And has proved it." Harry shuddered, remembering the pictures that the deatheater had left for him.
"What do you mean?"
"The deatheater that came to Privet drive - they left pictures."
"Who?" Ron asked in a trembling voice.
"Katie, Lee, Susan, Ernie and Zacharias." Harry muttered. "Every member of the DA that they've killed so far."
"Was it awful?"
"Awful isn't quite the word I'd use, but yeah, they were."
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, I was thinking that we should have a memorial for them. The DA."
"That's a good idea." Ginny said. She bit her lip, thinking of all the members of the DA that could be next - she knew the same thought was going through Harry's mind.
"Yeah. We're still carrying on, aren't we?"
"The DA will still be there for anyone who wishes to attend." Harry shrugged. Ginny thought that sounded a very Dumbledore-ish thing to say.
"Good - it makes it feel as if we're doing something useful." Hermione said. Harry nodded in agreement, still looking slightly preoccupied. She followed his gaze to the cradle and felt her heart lurch - unwittingly, the headmaster had given Harry even more motivation to face Voldemort.
"I have to go - there's something I need to do." She mumbled, her throat obscured by fear.
"Ginny, I would appreciate if you didn't tell anyone about this." Harry said, his green eyes snapping onto her as she left the room.
"I won't. I promise." Ginny mumbled, fleeing from his gaze.
