CHAPTER IV
That morning before auror training, Hermione sat down at her desk and pulled out a quill and parchment.
Dear Harry,
I know you must be very busy at Hogwarts, what with planning all of your lessons, but Ron and I both would like to see you and Ginny sometime soon. If the times are good for you, why don't we all have lunch in Hogsmead the next time the students are allowed to visit? Send a reply back with Gretchen,
Love,
Hermione
She set down her quill, folded the parchment and placed it in an envelope, which she sealed with canary yellow sealing wax that Mrs. Weasley had given to her for her birthday. She took the letter downstairs and gave it to Gretchen, the owl she had given to her parents a few years ago, to carry letters to and from Hogwarts, telling the tawny owl where to go. When she was finished, she grabbed her coat and her supplies and apparated to Auror Headquarters.
Harry stared at the five teams of eight that he had divided his seventh year double defense class into. The all stood in their groups looking at him curiously. It was mid-October, and Harry had decided it was time he started setting challenges for them.
"All right," he said, clapping his hands together. "What I've done is set up a challenge for you and your teams to complete," he said to everyone.
"We'll be doing this all year, and the purpose is to take everything you've learned since first year, and see if you could use it for real. It will give you all some good practical work."
Everyone looked at him in interest.
"Now each team will have a team leader, and the goal is to get through the challenge with as many completed 'confrontations' as possible," he told them, pacing at the front of the room. "What that means is that when you encounter an object or a being of some kind, you will be responsible for dealing with it in the proper way, if you are unable to, and become overwhelmed, you will be portkeyed out of the challenge and that will count as a failure," he elaborated before continuing. "In real life, one of those failures would mean death or serious injury, so take note of which aspects of each challenge you need to work on. The challenge is only a success if the team manages to pull through with more at least half of your original team. The team with the highest number of successes throughout the one challenge will be the winner. At the end of the year the team that has won the most challenges will receive a reward, just something fun and trivial," Harry added.
"Well that's not fair!" exclaimed someone.
Harry stopped pacing and frowned, eyes scanning the students for the speaker. His eyes alighted on Michael Corner. Harry sighed.
"What do you mean, Michael?" he asked politely.
Michael stepped forward, looking skeptical, irritated.
"Well what it one member of the team members botches something up and costs us the win?" he asks.
Harry sighed again. This kid obviously didn't understand the point.
"I'm afraid you've missed my point entirely Michael," Harry told him.
"The purpose of these assignments is to put what you have learned to the test, yes, but the idea is to be able to test your abilities in a group environment. Key word: teamwork," Harry told him, trying to keep the patronizing note out of his voice. "If a team member happens to 'botch something up'," Harry quoted him, enunciating each word, "as you put it, then your team needs to sit down an find out what part of the way you are working together is costing you. Everyone needs to communicate and work together. Nothing depends on just one person."
Micheal did not look in the least bit convinced and Harry guessed his team would not be winning much until he figured it out. Moving on, he took a piece of parchment off his desk.
"Alright then, team captains are: Ginny Weasley for team A, Colin Creevey for team B, Lana O'leary for team C, Nicolas Irwin for team D, Terry Gomez for team E, Micheal Corner for team F, Christina Hutchinson for team G and Michaela Boot for team H."
When he was finished reading off the team captains he dismissed the class and told then that they would start the first challenge tomorrow. As everyone filed out, Harry turned, waving his wand at the chalkboard eraser to start erasing what he had written and walking behind his desk to organize papers. He heard a noise at the door and looked up to find Ginny standing at the there. She hadn't left with the others. Harry smiled at her.
"Well hello," he told her, straightening and walking over.
Ginny smiled back, without responding and went over to him, kissing him lightly on the lips.
"What's today?" Ginny asked, looking up at him and smiling slightly, with a contemplative look on her face.
Harry thought for a moment.
"It's the twenty-ninth, Halloween is on Friday, why?" he asked her curiously.
Ginny stayed silent, thinking. Then she spoke again.
"How do you feel about a July birthday?" she asked.
Harry looked at her oddly, wondering what she was going on about.
"Well July's always been a nice time for a birthday if you exclude the Durs…" He began.
Ginny shook her head at him.
"Not for you silly," she interrupted with a patient expression, face deadpan.
Harry frowned, looking at her.
"Then what…" He began, and then trailed of, having a sudden thought.
"October, November…" he muttered, "May, June…July…" he said very slowly, staring off into space.
His eyes came back into focus and he looked at his girlfriend's face. His eyes widened abruptly.
"Nine months," he said.
Ginny began to smile. Seeing it, Harry began to smile as well and then to laugh. Ginny grinned at him and squealed as he pulled her into a hug and twirled her around. He set her down after a few seconds, eyes gleaming.
"You're…you're…" he stuttered.
"Pregnant?" Ginny offered impishly.
Harry nodded, and then realized what she was saying.
"Your are?" he asked incredulously.
Ginny began to laugh again, nodding.
Harry yelled and swept her up into another hug, planting a kiss on either cheek, and then on her lips. Upon hearing this news, another idea has sprung into his head and taken root.
"I can't believe it," he whispered when he had calmed down, staring down at her wonderingly.
"When?" he asked.
"I went to Madam Pompfrey this morning…don't worry she'll won't tell anyone," Ginny hastened to say when she saw Harry's expression slide to one of concern.
"It's three weeks along," Ginny finished breathlessly.
Harry stared at her for a few seconds. She looked flushed and happy, but there was something else. He cocked his head, expression turning serious.
"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.
Ginny's smile faded slightly. She clasped her hands in front of her, they were shaking ever so slightly.
"I'm…nervous," she confessed; her smile slightly strained.
"I'll bet," Harry agreed.
He placed his hand on her shoulders, rubbing her arms lightly with his thumbs.
"I'll be here," he told her solemnly.
Ginny's shoulders hitched, and she bit her lip. Harry knew what she was thinking.
"I know I can't really relate, it must be scary, but I'll do anything I can. Okay?" he asked.
Ginny looked as though she felt a little better. She nodded. The bell rang, signifying the beginning of the next class, so Harry wrote her a pass (they chuckled over the absurdity of it), kissed her on the cheek and went back to organizing his desk as Ginny flew out the door to charms, feeling a little more confident.
Ginny walked into the great hall that evening to find Harry, and some of the other teachers just putting the finishing touches on the great hall. Fittingly, the weather outside was bleak and rainy, with the full moon just rising over a particularly grim-looking cloud. The climate was reflected on the hall ceiling, the occasional lightening bolt sending a blast of bright light jetting across the room, lighting up the jack-o-lanterns the floated up above and casting menacing shadows on the walls. As per tradition, live bats fluttered haphazardly around the room, swerving and ducking and releasing tiny squeaks. Other students began to file in, murmuring appreciatively, jumping as there came the howl of a werewolf from out of nowhere. That had been Harry's idea, to add a creative touch to this year's Halloween feast. He smiled at Ginny when her saw her walk in, and lit the last jack-o-lantern. Ginny took her place at the Gryffindor table, chatting amiably with Lana, and waited for the feast to begin. There was the ping of spoon on goblet, Professor McGonagall's way of letting everyone know that the headmaster was about to speak.
"Welcome everyone one, to yet another Halloween at Hogwarts," Dumbledore said loudly. "I know you are all anxious to fill your stomachs with everything imaginable, so I will not hold you any longer," he smiled at all of them and raised his hands.
"Let the feast begin!"
There was suddenly the loud clamor of conversation and the clinking of utensils on plates and serving bowls. When Ginny had served herself more than she thought she could possibly eat, she sat down and applied herself to the meal with enthusiasm. Lana leaned over and spoke quietly to her.
"Did you tell him?" she asked in a whisper.
Ginny swallowed some of her roast lamb and gravy and nodded at her friend. The giggled together and began whispering about babies and plans and other boring sorts of things that Ginny didn't usually allow herself to get caught up in. Colin watched them, rolling his eyes and stuffing his mouth.
"Girls," he scoffed to his brother next to him.
Dennis grinned through no longer crooked teeth. Several girls of his age sighed at that smile. Dennis Creevey was no longer the awkward younger brother of Colin Creevey. At sixteen he had turned into quite a lady-killer.
Colin was forced to roll his eyes at that as well, and went back to his food.
Up at the staff table Harry also ate the food with enthusiasm, swallowing his usual Halloween apprehension along with his roast carrots. Something always happened on Halloween in Harry's opinion, but he was determinedly thinking on the positive side. As the night wore on, Harry grew bored of the adult conversation at the staff table, and excused himself, earning a glare from Snape. Although he had been invited to call his ex-potions professor Severus, Harry would always think of him as Snape. It was inevitable. Harry made his way down from the front table, over to the Gryffindor table. When Ginny saw him, she and Lana made room for him on the bench smiling happily. The Gryffindors were used to Harry coming to visit by now, and had managed to separate, Harry-Ginny's boyfriend, and Harry-Defense professor, into two different people. Harry slipped his arm around Ginny's waist, and tickled her stomach lightly. Ginny jumped, slopping a little pumkin juice, and turned to him glaring.
"How's this one?" he asked in her ear in a low voice, placing the hand around her waist on her flat stomach.
Ginny flushed bright red at his gravelly tone and wriggled in his grip. She pressed her forehead to his, smiling.
"Shhh!" she scolded.
Harry chuckled and released her, settling for laying a hand on her thigh under the table. Ginny shot him a venomous look that was nevertheless good-humored and continued her conversation with Lana. His hand left her leg abruptly, and Ginny turned to him curiously. When she saw his expression she trailed off and then halted what she had been saying. Harry had his hand clutched to his forehead and had turned very pale, his jaw set determinedly against whatever was causing him such pain.
"Harry?" Ginny asked concernedly.
He did not respond, but gasped and balled his hands into fits, panting slightly.
"Harry what's wrong?" Ginny asked loudly.
Conversation around them stopped, and people at the table looked up from their food to see what the commotion was.
Harry stood up abruptly, and stumbled over the bench, doubled over slightly. It took every bit of his will to keep from crying out at the pain lancing through his skull. It felt like someone and stabbed a blade through the bone in his forehead and was trying to pry his skull in half. He looked up through a haze of pain, eyes searching for the headmaster, as terrible images flicked across his vision. He dimly heard someone shouting his name, but the voice seemed very far off. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn, not to Dumbledore, but to another person at the staff table. Where everything else was blurry, Harry saw Trelawny as clear as day. She stood, swaying slightly, her face pale and drawn, and then, to Harry's horror, she spoke, not in the usual airy dreamy voice that she used in class, but in a terrible, harsh, deep voice, that carried with deadly accuracy to every corner of the room.
The Father plots against the LightBut his vision entails his own demise
He wishes a vessel that will win the fight
An heir that will keep his conquests alive
On the eve of All Hallows, comes forth the Son
Born to the one who wishes victory
Possessed of a power shared only by one-
Unborn, but destined to determine history
Two prophesies in time have I spoken
One has taken place
The second so far, remains unbroken
The third upon thee I grace
Expect a fourth in the time ahead
Again concerning the child of Light
The fate of the Father will have been said
And the fate of the world will be in sight
The pain in Harry's head dissipated as fast as it had come and he fell to his knees on the floor, breathing harshly. When he had gained control of himself, he looked up, to find everyone in the room staring at either, him, or Trelawny, who was being supported by Hagrid and now looked very ill. Harry looked up at Dumbledore, who face was unreadable, and the turned to Ginny. She was no longer trying to help him or get help, but was sitting on the bench, pale as a ghost, staring at Trelawny in horror, hands clasped over her mouth. Harry stood up and turned, eyes traveling from confused gaze to confused gaze as he looked around the room. No one was whispering, no one was screaming or panicking, they merely watched him. What was wrong with everyone? Harry wondered. Why weren't they panicking by now? His eyes narrowed, and then it dawned on him. None of them had heard the prophecy. They had only seen Harry collapse, Trelawny fall into a weird trance, and Ginny suddenly begin acting very strange. They had not heard the prophecy. From the looks of it neither had Dumbledore, but he seemed to have a good guess. Harry got up unsteadily. He was sweating profusely and although his breathing was less erratic his still felt as though he had been hit by a steam engine. He went to Ginny and stroked her hair.
"Are you alright?" he asked her.
"He's been born," she murmured.
People around her shot odd looks in their direction.
"Yes I'm afraid he has," Harry whispered.
When she refused to budge after more coaxing, he picked her up, catching Dumbledore's gaze as they left the hall to tell him they needed to talk. He carried her to his rooms, and shut the door behind him, dimming he lights and lighting a fire in the hearth with a little wandless magic. He carried her to the bedroom and laid her down on the bed gently. She looked terrified, and sat up, propping her back against the backboard.
"What are we going to do?" she asked in a whisper, looking at him for answers.
Harry removed her shoes and his own and crawled up on the bed next to her, pulling her into a cuddle.
"There isn't anything to do," he said. "We never did have any more information except that Voldemort was creating an heir. We couldn't tell how or since when, only that it was happening. From the looks of things he's been planning this longer than we thought. Nothing changes, we just continue with our lives, I'll bet he's not going to want to risk the life of his son until it is older, so deatheater activity will probably decrease for a while."
"The son is born already," Ginny murmured, as though she didn't understand. "Ours still has eight and a half months!"
Harry nodded, and kissed the top of her head. This seemed to bring her out of her distraction because she turned and buried her head in the crook between his neck and shoulder and hugged him tightly. Harry hugged her back.
"Voldemort is older than me by several generations isn't he?" Harry asked
"The age doesn't matter, it is the power residing within us that makes us enemies. I have the power to defeat him, and he has the power to defeat me, and it's for that reason that I am marked as his equal," Harry told her quietly. "It's the same for our child and his. Born to the one who wishes victory
Possessed of a power shared only by one-," Harry quoted.
"Unborn, but destined to determine history," Ginny finished. "History repeats itself," she whispered, but she seemed to have come to terms with the idea, and no longer looked so panicked.
Harry nodded. She would be fine, and so would he, and they would continue their lives as usual, until such time as their child was born, and after that, they would wait. They sat there, for a long time, holding each other and thinking their own thoughts. When Harry roused himself from his trance he looked down to find the woman he loved sound asleep. He smiled, and lifted her very delicately to lay her down, slipping the covers out from under her and covering her with them. He undressed, and went to sleep as well.