Disclaimer: I'm getting really sick of writing disclaimers. If you still don't know who this all belongs to, just take a peek at my eleven previous disclaimers.

Chapter Twelve: In Which the Team Embarks and Misses an Unexpected Development


Andrew and Harry watched Ginny go, one hand on her stomach. Andrew glanced at his top Auror, the man who had also become his friend. He was watching Ginny with a strange light in his eyes. Andrew's lips quirked in a small half smile.

Harry broke the silence. "Let's go tell the team. If we're leaving tomorrow, they'll need to prepare, and you'll need to brief them."

Andrew nodded, and followed Harry out of the room, shutting the door behind him.


Hermione stared at the leather, skin-tight top Andrew was handing her. She was supposed to wear this? It was…it was leather, for goodness's sake!

"Andrew, you honestly expect me to wear this?"

Andrew raised an eyebrow. "It's spelled for protection from minor curses and jinxes," he said mildly.

Hermione shook her head slightly in morbid fascination of the garment she held in one hand. "I'll...I'll look like a …a…ah…"

Aurora grinned at the disgusted look on Hermione's face. "You can wear something over it, Hermione. I usually don't, but I know other people who do."

Hermione nearly went limp with relief. "And it won't effect the spell?" she asked cautiously.

Aurora shook her head.

"Thank Merlin for small blessings, anyway," Hermione muttered, packing the Auror gear into a bag.


Ron Weasly sat with his son in the kitchen of the Burrow. He looked anxiously at his mother. "He'll be fine, won't he?" he asked for the umpteenth time.

His mother looked up from her stew. She thought once again about how much her youngest son had grown up, and faster than any of the others, too. He had been forced to.

She smiled reassuringly. "Of course he will. Just come home safely, all right, Ron?"

Ron stood, towering over her. He hugged his mother very tightly, and gently planted a kiss on his baby son's forehead. "I will," he promised. He left quickly. Molly wiped her eyes on her apron corner. "Dratted onions", she muttered, and turned back to her stew.


Harry slammed the door to his house. He unceremoniously dumped his bag on the kitchen floor and stomped upstairs. Ginny wasn't in here room, or anywhere else in the house. This only made his mood worse. Damn it, he wanted to be able to say good-bye. He had to leave in the early hours of the morning, and he was not waking her up that early. Sighing, he stripped off his shirt and fell into bed, falling asleep quickly, even thought it was only four in the afternoon. He had learned early in his career never to ass up an opportunity for sleep before a mission, since one could never tell when he would sleep again.


Harry woke exactly at 3:00 a.m. Yawning once, he got out of bed, out his shirt on, and grabbed his bag. He was just about to Apparate to the Ministry, when he stopped. Padding down the hall, he poked his head into Ginny's room. She was there, sleeping soundly. Harry shrugged his bag off his shoulder and set it on the floor out side the door. Silently he walked into the room, and stopped at the bed. He stood, staring at her, her chest rising and falling steadily, and felt a strange emotion well up inside him. Slowly, he leaned and kissed her lightly on the cheek. Ginny's eyes fluttered open. "Harry?"

He was gone before she had finished the word.


Harry felt the familiar ripple as he passed through the security wards around Auror HQ. He materialized with a slight pop, and set his bag down. Hermione, Ron, the twins, Charlie, Percy and Bill were already there, along with Jack, Aurora and Luke. Harry sat in the one remaining chair. He gave Hermione a strange look.

"What are you wearing?" he asked, eyeing her leather Auror top under a loose Muggle tank top, belted at the waist.

Hermione colored slightly, and Ron smothered a grin. "It's standard Auror issue," she informed him haughtily.

The door shut quietly behind them. The non-Aurors turned to see who it was. Ron, Harry, and the rest didn't need to see Andrew to recognize his footsteps. They had been though this routine before.

Andrew reached the front of the room. He gravely faced the group. "You all know why you're here," he said, looking at each face. Harry smiled grimly. It was at times like this he remembered why Andrew was the Auror Head.

Andrew brandished a sheath of papers. "These are your maps, charts, and briefings on what we know of one Draco Malfoy. He is to be taken alive, if at all possible." Andrew smirked. "Of course, accidents happen…"

Ron growled menacingly. Fred and George both cracked their knuckles.

Andre looked around. "No questions?" There were none. "Then let's head over to Out-App." He used the nickname for the Auror's primary Apparation gate to most of Europe.

The team solemnly followed Andrew out of the room.


Ginny woke up for the third time. It was 5:30 a.m. It felt like someone was pulling a rope tight around her stomach. She winced, and patted it, and said, in what she hoped was a soothing voice, "Shush, baby. It's all right. Go back to sleep." She felt a tad strange talking to her stomach, but she brushed the feeling aside.

Ginny lay back down, and closed her eyes again.


Harry was preparing to twist his wand and Apparate out, when Andre grabbed his arm. He was the last one to go. Andrew had purposely held him back. It seemed he needed to talk to Harry.

"What is it, Andrew?" asked Harry tensely.

Andrew looked into Harry's eyes. "You need to come back. You need to come back alive. Ginny needs you."

Harry was flummoxed. "What?"

Andrew's eyes intensified. This was why he was the most effective interrogator in the Ministry. "You. Need. To. Come. Back. It will kill Ginny if you die. I can see it-everyone can. I'm the only one with the balls to tell you, though. You two are made for each other. You think I would usually talk about love and stuff?" Andrew wrinkled his nose slightly, but his eyes still bore into Harry. "You need Ginny. She needs you. Stay alive." He released Harry's arm. "That's an order, Auror Potter. Good luck." He stepped back, letting Harry have the room he needed to Apparate out. "Good luck, Harry."

Harry nodded to Andrew. "Thanks," he said gruffly. Then he twisted his wand and Disapperated.


Ginny woke again, gasping in pain. She hobbled to the stairs. Lurching down them, she bit her lip to keep from crying out. She stumbled to the fireplace. She used her wand to light a fire. Reaching her hand into the jar where Harry kept his Floo Powder, she tossed a handful in.

Her mother's head appeared in the fire moments later.

"Ginny? What's wrong?"

"Mum. Come quick. I think…I think I'm having the baby."


A/N: Woo! See? I TOLD you there would be an Unexpected Development! Poor Ginny!

This is hereby the chapter of line-thingys. Like this:


I really like Perceptive!Andrew, BTW. What do you guys think?

So. Hmm. Yeah. I have the update schedule up in my profile. Go check it out. I'm definitely gonna try to stick with it. It'll be hard, but it's worth it!

OK. I'm gonna go write some more.

PEACE!