Birthday Surprises Chapter 27
Usual disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Please. Wish it were mine though. Ah, if only. Lolly, xxx.
Ok, just a really quick note for now cos I don't have much time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'll reply to each of you in the next chapter. Well, enjoy...
*********************************************************************
The next few minutes was spent in silence, with Hermione running through spells that had been cast by and on Harry. She winced as she felt the pain of the nurse healing his nose. She went back further, remembering when each spell was cast, all except for one. She gasped in horror, finishing the spell abruptly.
"What is it?" Harry asked, looking slightly concerned.
"Who visited you in the hospital wing last year? Remember, after Malfoy cursed you behind your back?"
"Who visited me? Umm.you, Ron, Ginny, Professor Dumbledore, a few other Gryffindors. Why?"
"I have to go and speak to professor Dumbledore - I'll speak to you later."
"Hermione, what's going on?"
"I'm not sure." Hermione said, rushing from the room. She collided with Ginny on the staircase.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.
"I have to speak to professor Dumbledore. Quite urgently." Hermione said. Her surprise was melting away and anger began to take its place. The headmaster knew and he hadn't told anyone! Not even Harry!
"I'm coming too." Ginny said. You look as if you'd fall into the wrong grate." She and Hermione ran down to the kitchen fireplace and threw in a pinch of floo powder.
"We'll go together." Ginny instructed. "One, two, three, Headmaster's office, Hogwarts." They disappeared in a roar of flames, just as Harry entered the room. He sat down on the sofa and waited for them to return, his mind running over horrible possibilities.
***
"How could you!?" Hermione yelled at the headmaster - she was angrier than she had been when she had slapped Malfoy.
"My dear, please sit down."
"No! I want to know! How could you do that to him - without even consulting him!"
"It wasn't an easy decision." The headmaster sighed, "But it was necessary."
"Necessary? And tell me, just who made you God?"
"Miss Granger, please."
"No - did you even think about Harry in all of this? Before you decided to go and make some carbon copies of him?"
"What?" Ginny asked.
"The triplets are Harry's. But Harry has no idea because they took his DNA while he was unconscious."
"Professor Dumbledore?"
"I am afraid Miss Granger is right - the Ministry thought it.impractical.to lay the worlds hopes on Harry alone, thinking that if Harry died, his children would have the power to end Voldemort as well."
"Do they?"
"No. But the ministry didn't know that."
"Do they have a mother, or are they just...clones of Harry?"
"They do have a mother."
"Who?"
"I cannot tell you."
"Did she carry them? Or did you just steal her DNA as well?" Hermione screamed.
"Miss Granger, please. Shouting at me will do no good. What is done is done, and cannot be undone. I have no power to overturn the decisions of the Ministry."
"No, but you could have had the common decency to at least inform Harry of what was happening, instead of just dumping them on him for the summer. And what happens after the summer? You take his children back off of him again?"
"Hermione, Harry's going to look after them here too. He's head boy, and has his own room. They'll still be in his care." Ginny murmured. She was in shock - Harry was a father and he didn't even know it.
"What? How do you know?" Hermione asked, visibly deflating as she looked at her friends' downcast expression.
"Remus told me. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but.well, doesn't seem so important anymore, does it?"
"No." Hermione agreed. "So, Professor Dumbledore, are you going to tell Harry?"
"I wasn't planning to."
"Well if you don't, I will." Ginny said. "Harry deserves to know. He's had enough lies."
"Very well, I will escort you back to the Burrow. We will tell Harry together."
"Thank you." Hermione said, her voice still slightly icy. "Oh, and who else knows about this?"
"No one. The minister for magic, and us."
"That's it? How did you manage to keep it quiet? Hold on - you never mentioned the mother."
"No, she doesn't know either."
"Unbelievable." Ginny muttered. "So why didn't you send them to their mother to look after? Is she still at school too? A little too immature?"
"I can't answer any of your questions, I'm afraid." The headmaster answered. "The truth is, I'm not even sure myself. As far as I know, someone did a test to see whom Harry was well matched to, and they took it from there. I really have no idea."
"Right."
Usual disclaimer: Not mine, don't sue. Please. Wish it were mine though. Ah, if only. Lolly, xxx.
Ok, just a really quick note for now cos I don't have much time. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, I'll reply to each of you in the next chapter. Well, enjoy...
*********************************************************************
The next few minutes was spent in silence, with Hermione running through spells that had been cast by and on Harry. She winced as she felt the pain of the nurse healing his nose. She went back further, remembering when each spell was cast, all except for one. She gasped in horror, finishing the spell abruptly.
"What is it?" Harry asked, looking slightly concerned.
"Who visited you in the hospital wing last year? Remember, after Malfoy cursed you behind your back?"
"Who visited me? Umm.you, Ron, Ginny, Professor Dumbledore, a few other Gryffindors. Why?"
"I have to go and speak to professor Dumbledore - I'll speak to you later."
"Hermione, what's going on?"
"I'm not sure." Hermione said, rushing from the room. She collided with Ginny on the staircase.
"What's wrong?" Ginny asked.
"I have to speak to professor Dumbledore. Quite urgently." Hermione said. Her surprise was melting away and anger began to take its place. The headmaster knew and he hadn't told anyone! Not even Harry!
"I'm coming too." Ginny said. You look as if you'd fall into the wrong grate." She and Hermione ran down to the kitchen fireplace and threw in a pinch of floo powder.
"We'll go together." Ginny instructed. "One, two, three, Headmaster's office, Hogwarts." They disappeared in a roar of flames, just as Harry entered the room. He sat down on the sofa and waited for them to return, his mind running over horrible possibilities.
***
"How could you!?" Hermione yelled at the headmaster - she was angrier than she had been when she had slapped Malfoy.
"My dear, please sit down."
"No! I want to know! How could you do that to him - without even consulting him!"
"It wasn't an easy decision." The headmaster sighed, "But it was necessary."
"Necessary? And tell me, just who made you God?"
"Miss Granger, please."
"No - did you even think about Harry in all of this? Before you decided to go and make some carbon copies of him?"
"What?" Ginny asked.
"The triplets are Harry's. But Harry has no idea because they took his DNA while he was unconscious."
"Professor Dumbledore?"
"I am afraid Miss Granger is right - the Ministry thought it.impractical.to lay the worlds hopes on Harry alone, thinking that if Harry died, his children would have the power to end Voldemort as well."
"Do they?"
"No. But the ministry didn't know that."
"Do they have a mother, or are they just...clones of Harry?"
"They do have a mother."
"Who?"
"I cannot tell you."
"Did she carry them? Or did you just steal her DNA as well?" Hermione screamed.
"Miss Granger, please. Shouting at me will do no good. What is done is done, and cannot be undone. I have no power to overturn the decisions of the Ministry."
"No, but you could have had the common decency to at least inform Harry of what was happening, instead of just dumping them on him for the summer. And what happens after the summer? You take his children back off of him again?"
"Hermione, Harry's going to look after them here too. He's head boy, and has his own room. They'll still be in his care." Ginny murmured. She was in shock - Harry was a father and he didn't even know it.
"What? How do you know?" Hermione asked, visibly deflating as she looked at her friends' downcast expression.
"Remus told me. I wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but.well, doesn't seem so important anymore, does it?"
"No." Hermione agreed. "So, Professor Dumbledore, are you going to tell Harry?"
"I wasn't planning to."
"Well if you don't, I will." Ginny said. "Harry deserves to know. He's had enough lies."
"Very well, I will escort you back to the Burrow. We will tell Harry together."
"Thank you." Hermione said, her voice still slightly icy. "Oh, and who else knows about this?"
"No one. The minister for magic, and us."
"That's it? How did you manage to keep it quiet? Hold on - you never mentioned the mother."
"No, she doesn't know either."
"Unbelievable." Ginny muttered. "So why didn't you send them to their mother to look after? Is she still at school too? A little too immature?"
"I can't answer any of your questions, I'm afraid." The headmaster answered. "The truth is, I'm not even sure myself. As far as I know, someone did a test to see whom Harry was well matched to, and they took it from there. I really have no idea."
"Right."
