Well, I finally made a decision and so here is the chapter. Hope it all works out….

I know in previous Author notes I have indicated that something in this chapter wouldn't happen, well I changed my mind.

Detentions, Discoveries and Discussions

All day the next day Courtney kept the letter from her father in her pocket. Every chance she got she would take it out and re-read it. She was still stunned at receiving it. But she was happier than she had been in a long time. Even knowing that she had a detention with Snape that night could not dull her spirits. She skipped all the way from Herbology up to the castle and then hummed her way up the stairs to history class.

That day Professor Granger had them write another update about what they had learned about their person. This time she had no reservations about telling what she knew so far. Fred had told her that she knew about them writing to each other so she saw no harm in telling her what Harry had written.

Angela and Caleb were puzzled as to why Courtney was so happy. They had never seen her this animated. And she seemed to have completely forgotten the previous night's argument.

During lunch Courtney decided something-if her father had decided to write to her, then she would take a leap of faith in her father and ask Fred to go directly to her house and explain about WWW.

She wrote a letter and sent it to Fred and George asking them to go to her house as soon as possible and tell her parents.

After classes ended she had some time before she had to report to Snape. She decided to write her father back.

Dear Daddy,

She stopped, she didn't know how to write this letter. Though happy about hearing from her father, she was also very confused. After another twenty minutes, she gave up and decided to reply to him later. Instead she found herself writing to Harry again.

Dear Harry, (Harry had told her in his last letter to address him by his first name)

I thank you so much for the letters you have written to me. And…I don't even know what to say about the Weasley Wizard Wheezes thing…how do you thank someone for just handing you a fortune? I don't understand a single bit why you gave it to me. Can I just give it back to you please? How can I accept it? Thank you. Merlin, that is so…inadequate.

I now understand what you mean about it being harder and harder to conceal our friendship. Fred, George, the Headmaster, and Professor Granger all know now. The terms of the contract for me receiving your share of WWW state that (because I chose to be a silent partner for now) all "WWW affiliates must be notified of any change in business collaboration within a six month timeframe." Fred and George won't be notifying their other branches until they absolutely have to, but as it is a matter of public record anyone who just happens to feel like looking at the records for WWW will know.

I'm going to talk to the headmaster and ask his advice about how to keep the media away from me. How did you manage being famous and going to school at the same time?

Another thing…I'd like to ask your advice.

My father wrote to me. I received the letter yesterday. I've told you his reaction to the wizarding world. He hasn't contacted me at all since I left the day before school started. And now he writes me. I don't know what to think. In the letter, he asked me to forgive him and be patient while he tries to adjust.

I tried to write a reply, but I didn't know what to say. I'm confused. I know my father loves me, I always have known that, but it has hurt so much these last few months. I would cry many nights after receiving a letter from you, wishing my own father would be as open with me as you have been. What hurts most is that he still hasn't told me why he has been acting the way he has been. My father is a very good man. He usually doesn't do rash things; he is usually very methodical and logical about everything. He always thinks things through and has taught me the same. So why did he act like that? WHY? I am so confused.

I don't know if you can help me, or give me any advice, but I needed to tell someone what I was feeling.

Thank you,

Courtney Barnes

She folded the letter and ran up to the owlery to send it off with Rex. Then she hurried down to the dungeons for her detention.

George happened to be working in Hogsmeade and so he received Courtney's letter just minutes after she sent it. He called over to the Ministry and told Fred that Courtney wanted them to explain things to her parents. Fred then contacted his wife, who immediately called Kathryn.

"Kathryn, this is Megan Weasley." She said as soon as she answered the phone.

"Oh, hello, anything I can do for you?"

"Well, I know this is short notice, but would your family like to come to our house for dinner? You see, Fred just contacted me and said he wants to talk to you and your husband about something rather important."

"Well, we were just planning on going out to eat tonight. I wouldn't mind eating at your house," Kathryn sighed, "but I don't know if it would be a wise thing to ask David. I told you how he has been about the whole issue. He is getting better, but I don't want to push him." She bit her lip. David had confessed that he had actually written a letter to Courtney a few days before. Kathryn had been careful not to make a big deal about it, though secretly she was thrilled. But she knew it did not mean he was eager to spend the evening in a wizard's home.

Megan made a sympathetic noise and then answered, "I remember what you told me. I can try to make our home as non-magic as possible. We'll try and make him as comfortable as possible. I told Fred about your husband's attitude so he knows not to play any jokes while you are here. Do you think it is possible?"

Kathryn thought for a moment and then, taking a deep breath, answered, "I'll try. I hate to do this, but all I can say is, if we show up, we show up, if we don't, we don't."

"That's perfectly alright, Kathryn. By the way, what is David's favorite meal. I don't think it will hurt to tempt him a bit with that."

Kathryn snorted in a very unladylike fashion and then answered, "David has a fetish for chicken for some reason. Fried is his favorite. And dessert, just provide a Mars Bar and he'll be as happy as a clam."

Megan laughed, "Can do. Would 7:00 be a good time? Fred will get home around 6:15."

"That should be fine, where do you live?"

Megan gave her an address on the northern outskirts of London and the two friends said good-bye.

As Kathryn hung up, she wondered how in the world she was going to convince her husband to go through with this.

Surprisingly, David only narrowed his eyes and grunted softly when Kathryn told him the change in dinner plans. Taking the lack of refusal as a 'yes' she breathed a sigh of relief. Giving them plenty of time to find the home, Kathryn herded her husband and son out to the car and started driving.

David was silent the entire ride, staring broodingly out the window as his son chattered happily about the picture he had drawn that day at school for Courtney. They arrived on time at a medium sized brick house with a wrap around porch and beautiful lawn.

Kathryn, holding a very excited Michael's hand and followed by her still-silent husband, knocked on the door.

It opened to reveal Amanda, the daughter who had spent the day with Megan and Kathryn.

"Kathryn, come on in! Mum mentioned you might be at dinner and so I decided to come home tonight. Brian also decided to pop in. George, that's Dad's twin brother, and his wife Alicia are here also. So we'll have a pretty full dinner table, hope you don't mind." She said all of this very fast as she ushered them in and took their coats.

Amanda brought them into a dinning room with a very large food leaden table.

Megan broke into a very large smile as the three entered.

"Kathryn, glad you could make it! Michael, David, very good to meet you." Michael smiled and shyly stepped behind his father's leg. David nodded curtly.

Throughout the entire meal, Kathryn was alert for any change in David's demeanor. He stayed silent through the entire thing. Everyone, it seemed, had been warned before hand not to bother David Barnes and so no awkward silences occurred, as might have happened if someone had addressed David.

After dessert (crunched up Mars Bars over ice cream) Fred asked Amanda and Brian to watch Michael while the others went into a sitting room.

Fred decided to get right down to business, "No doubt you are wondering what I asked you here for tonight."

Kathryn nodded while David didn't even seem to hear. She cringed at his rudeness. Fred ignored it.

"A few days ago I received a letter from a man I have not heard from in many years. He owns one third of the company George and I run. We made him a partner because it was his initial investment that made our entire company possible. Anyway, he told us he wanted his ownership and all the earnings from the store to be transferred immediately to your daughter."

Kathryn's eyes widened.

"What?" she said.

George nodded, "We don't know why and we have no way of contacting him to ask why. He simply, inexplicably wanted your daughter to be given his share of the business. This means that Courtney has a fortune all her own and a say in all company matters. The only clause is that your consent is needed because she is a minor. We were instructed to tell Courtney on Halloween. She asked us to explain it to you two."

Kathryn sat shocked. She didn't even know how to start. Finally she burst out, "Who just gives an eleven-year-old a third of a company! Who is this guy? What is he playing at?"

Fred sighed, "His name is Harry Potter. He disappeared from the wizarding world sixteen years ago. No one has gotten any real communication back from him except your daughter. For some reason he was willing to talk to her, but we don't dare question it."

"Why not! I would certainly ask some questions!"

"Kathryn, calm down, please." George begged, "Harry was like another brother to us until he was sent to prison…"

"Prison?" screeched Kathryn.

"…on false charges." George finished his sentence, " He was framed for murder and sent to jail. This was all during the war. When it was found out he was innocent and he was released and compensated he left the wizarding world and asked never to be contacted again. Courtney is doing a project for history class on him and wrote to him. For some reason he answered. Why he has decided to reach out to your daughter, I don't know, but I will never stand in the way of something that makes Harry happy because we have already done enough to mess up his life."

Kathryn sat in stunned silence. Then she looked to David for support, advice, anything.

He was looking down at his hands.

"Kathryn," Alicia said, "I wouldn't worry about whether or not Harry is a safe person for Courtney to be friends with. I may not have seen Harry for twenty-six years, but I do know that he is not the type of person to hurt an eleven-year-old child, for any reason. If he wants to give gifts to your daughter, let him, because it simply means he wants her to have them."

Kathryn closed her eyes, wishing with all her heart that David would do something, say something, even if he started yelling and refusing to allow Courtney the company ownership it would be better than leaving this entire burden on her.

"Please, David and Kathryn," Megan said, seemingly reading her mind, "think this over, discuss it, write to Courtney and ask her. This isn't something that needs to be decided right now and it needs to be thought through. We just wanted you to know."

Kathryn nodded and looked at her friend and then stood, "Thank you for dinner, it was lovely," David stood beside her, his face was blank.

They gathered Michael, said another thank you and good bye and left.

Fred closed the door behind the Barnes family, "Well, that went well," he said sarcastically, "Megan, if I ever act like that David Barnes did, you are welcome to lock me in a room full of bludgers for a while."

Megan rolled her eyes.

"Did he even say a word, all evening?" Fred asked.

"Yes," Alicia answered, "He said 'sorry' to his son when he accidentally dropped some crumbs on him at dinner."

George chuckled at his twin's expression.

"So what do you think will happen?" Amanda asked having been filled in.

"No telling. I think it was actually a good sign that he didn't say anything. From what Kathryn told me he was quite rude to Sirius when he first came to their house to tell them about the wizarding world. That he even agreed to come to dinner tonight was a miracle, I thought." Megan commented.

George nodded, but he couldn't get David's expression out of his mind. He had been in the best position to see the man's face; even though he had been looking down the whole time, George could still see his profile. He was sure he had seen a grin on the man's face.

At eight o'clock Courtney showed up at Professor Snape's office. She knocked and entered when she heard the man's, "Come in."

"Miss Barnes," the potions master sneered, "I have Professor Granger to thank for assigning your detention to me-taking up my precious time. You will be working on preparing ingredients for a potion that the headmaster has asked me to make as a demonstration for my NEWT class. Start grinding these scarab beetles," he thrust a bowl and pestle at her and turned to a glass case.

As she worked, Courtney tried to get a closer look at what he was doing. She realized a few minutes later that the glass case was filled with snakes.

She tried to move inconspicuously closer in order to watch him. He picked up one of the creatures-which looked dead-and opened it's mouth and did something to the snake's fangs. Then he stuck the fangs (head, body and all) into what looked like an inch thick foam layer over about twenty glass vials. She could see liquid dribbling into the containers.

Finally, she gave in to her curiosity and still concentrating on the snakes themselves. "What are you doing?"

Snape practically jumped out of his skin and whirled around, snake in one hand, wand in the other. His eyes narrowed dangerously and Courtney actually stepped back, frightened.

"What did you say?" he asked in a menacing tone.

"I just said 'what are you doing'," she stammered, gripping the pestle convulsively.

He eyed her for a moment and then seemed to shake himself and relax. He turned back and continued his work while actually answering her question, "I am extracting the venom."

Watching the process intently while grinding the beetles ever finer, she was fascinated. After ten minutes she ventured another question, "Are they dead?"

Snape's back visibly stiffened under his robes and he whirled around and snarled, "You are here to work, not stand idly blabbering. Do as you are told and shut up! If you are done with the beetles than start shredding the mandrake leaves on the table over there."

Courtney didn't let so much as a peep escape her lips the rest of the night. At ten, Snape ordered her to leave. She fled.

Severus sat down as soon as she closed the door behind her. His heart was still pounding in shock. At first he had just thought he had misheard-just not been paying attention to the girl, but the second time…. He shuddered. None of his memories of hearing parseltongue were pleasant. This child was a parselmouth, he was positive. The second time he had distinctly heard hissing and even the unconscious snakes had spasmed at the sound of their language spoken by a magical being. After a few minutes, he rushed out of his office and up to Albus'.

David knew he and Kathryn were going to have a talk after they got home. So he rode in silence preparing for the inevitable. Sure enough, as soon as Michael was in bed, Kathryn curtly nodded for him to follow. After closing the door of the den, she rounded on him.

"David, I can't handle this. I cannot be both mother and father to Courtney. I cannot make these decisions alone; I can't do it with out you! I don't care that you are uncomfortable with the situation, you will shoulder your responsibilities in this family. This marriage is, and always has been, an equal partnership. I cannot be the only one to support Courtney. You have got to help!" she refrained from yelling, so as not to disturb Michael, but her tone of voice was no less menacing.

"And," she continued, "you will start by discussing with me whether or not we will allow Courtney to keep this share of this company, or allow her to accept gifts from this Harry Potter at all." She folded her arms and glared at him.

David sighed, "I am sorry Kathryn. I should have acted better tonight…."

"David this isn't about tonight, as appalling as your behavior was. This is about our daughter! I have put up with this for long enough, and I know you have been better about it, but you have got to get over it now! I don't know what to do for Courtney and I need your help! I don't know what is best for her anymore. She is experiencing a life that I don't know, can never know, anything about and I need your support because this is getting to be too much for me to handle alone!"

"Kathryn…"

"You know what David, I am really not in the mood for discussion anymore, I am tired and exhausted and I am going to go to bed. We will talk tomorrow." With that, she left the room.

David thought a long time about what Kathryn had said. His wife was long asleep. He had some serious decisions to make.

"Severus! What brings you here so late? I was just about to turn in," the headmaster greeted him.

"Headmaster, we have a problem."

Albus raised an eyebrow, "What sort of problem?"

"I just finished a detention with Miss Barnes of Gryffindor. I discovered, quite by accident, that she is a parselmouth."

Albus sat up straighter, "Tell me what happened."

Severus described it and then added, "I believe she did not even realize she had switched languages, I doubt she knows she can speak parseltongue."

Albus stroked his beard slowly, not betraying the racing thoughts in his mind. There was silence for a few moments and then Severus spoke again.

"Headmaster, I know for a fact that Voldemort forced himself on many women during both his first and second reigns, and not all of them died. There is a possibility that he has descendants."

Albus nodded sharply and said, "I will take this into consideration. Please, do not tell anyone else of this discovery."

Snape nodded and quickly left the office.

Albus sat there for a long time. The pieces all fit together now. No, Courtney was not a descendant of the Dark Lord, she was a descendant of Harry Potter. It explained everything. Her wand, the letters, the gifts, David Barnes' dislike of the magical world…it all fit. There could be no other explanation. Of course Severus would not have come to that conclusion-he would automatically connect parseltongue with Voldemort.

Severus and Albus knew of the parseltongue ability. Hermione, Albus and Ollivander knew about the wand. A few people knew about the friendship between the two but nothing else. Albus was the only one who had all the pieces, and he intended on keeping it that way.

Albus recalled the first time he had met Courtney in Diagon Alley in early August. She had seemed familiar to him, but he had not been able to place the resemblance. Now he realized she had reminded him of her grandmother, Lily Evans Potter.

Author notes and replies to reviews:

Ok, sorry this took longer than the past few chapters. I just was wrestling with the decision of whether or not Albus should figure it out or not. See, I envision the plot at a part some two months in the future where I like either scenario-meaning I like a scene I had written in the future where David tells Albus the truth and also one where Albus reveals how long he has known the truth. But, this way I think I like better. It brings in some complications on Albus' part. Kudos to anyone who can guess what those complications are!

Hmm, I just gave away that the truth would be revealed in two months…two months story time that is, not two months our time.

A reminder to EVERYBODY, I know FFN periodically disappears or goes haywire. For that reason, I created a Yahoo group where I always post first. Everyone is welcome to join. The 'Homepage' link on my Author page is the group. ( I would put it here, but FFN likes to delete all links in uploads.)