Author note: Sorry I took so long to update but I have been having job problems and the stress of it gave me terrible writer block. But now life is all good again. Thanks for all the great reviews. Keep them coming!
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything associated with it. Anything that you recognize from another publishing I do not own. I make no profit from this.
Chapter Five: Being a Parent
Since Halloween Harry could be found walking around the castle with his nose stuck in a book. Ron had said it was a clear case of "Hermioneisum". Hermione has not found this very funny. The cover of the book Harry was currently reading read "Standard Book of Spells Grade 6" but his close friends knew better. They knew the book was actually one of the many parenting books Harry had ordered. McGonagall had been more then happy to transfigure the covers of all the books for him. They all knew how important it was to keep Margaret a secret.
Ginny too read the parenting books. That was really the only time Harry talked her anymore, when she was asking to borrow a book or making a comment on something she read. It wasn't like Harry was trying to avoid Ginny. He was just extremely confused. Since Margaret has shown up Harry didn't know how to feel about Ginny. They were not just best mates anymore, they were parents together, they had a daughter. Along with Margaret coming into their lives came feelings Harry felt he shouldn't have for the youngest Weasley. He couldn't talk about these feeling with his friends. So he turned to his Godfather.
Harry was thrilled to have Sirius back. He wrote to Sirius everyday. Which was good because Harry needed all the help he could get sorting out his feelings about being a father, and his feeling for Ginny.
Harry was thinking about what he was going to say in his next letter to Sirius as he came down the stairs to the common room. He was running late this morning and breakfast had started five minutes ago so there weren't many people left in the common room. Harry looked around for his three best friends but only saw one of them. Ginny was sitting in one of the chairs in front of the fire. Harry watched as the light of the sun coming through the window made her hair come to life. The mix of reds and gold's reminded Harry of a fire or Gryffindor. She really is a true Gryffindor Harry thought to himself as he smiled. She looked up as if she had sensed him staring at her. She smiled back at him as she gracefully got up and came over to him. Harry couldn't remember seeing anything more beautiful. He felt like there were millions of butterflies fluttering around in his stomach.
"Good morning." Ginny said with a bright smile.
"Morning. Where are Ron and Hermione?" asked Harry.
"Ron was starved and said he was wasting away waiting for you so they went down already. I thought I would wait and walk with you." Ginny said.
The butterflies in his stomach went into overdrive at this comment. She had waited for him!
"Besides" she continued. "I thought those two might need some alone time." Ginny laughed
All the butterflies died. Harry forced a smile on his face. "Okay, well I'm sure they have enough of a head start so lets go, I'm hungry too." Harry said in his most cheerful, forced, voice. He could tell he hadn't fooled Ginny at all. They headed out of the common room and walked in silence. Finally Ginny couldn't take it any more.
"Harry what is wrong? Its like you have been here but not. You talk to me but its not the same as it was. I thought maybe you just needed space, so I gave it to you, thinking you would come to me when you were ready. But it's been weeks now. Please Harry talk to me. If it's about Margaret then you should know I'm going through the same things. I will understand." Ginny pleaded. Harry was silent for a minute thinking it over. She was right. She would understand. He opened his mouth to spill out all his feeling to her but he was interrupted.
"Potter, Weasley."
Both Ginny and Harry turned to see Draco Malfoy standing a short distance from them.
"Can we help you Malfoy?" asked Ginny.
"No but I am hoping I can help you." Answered Draco.
"Why would the son of a Death Eater want to help us?" Harry snapped.
"A father being a Death Eater does not make the son one too." Draco said. Harry was shocked, he hadn't gotten a rise out of Malfoy at all. Malfoy seemed perfectly calm, tired even.
"I always thought you wanted to be just like him, you even look like him." Harry retaliated.
"Just because I look like my father doesn't mean I am him. I thought you of all people would understand that Potter." Draco answered in that same calm voice.
"You said you wanted to help us." Ginny asked, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"Yes I have information I think you both should know." Draco said as he handed Ginny a piece of parchment. He then turned and walked away.
"That was strange." Harry said. He looked over at Ginny who had already unfolded the parchment. Her hands shook as she read it. "What does it say." Harry asked. She wordlessly handed him the note. On it was only one short simple sentence.
The Dark Lord knows of her.
"What does this mean? Is he talking about Margaret? Does he know where she is? Harry what are we going to do?" Ginny asked, looking like she could break down into tears any moment. Without thinking or over analyzing Harry pulled her into his arms and held her tight.
"Its okay. I won't let anyone hurt her. At the end of breakfast we will go talk to Dumbledore and when I write to Sirius I'll tell him too."
The two finally made it down to breakfast.
"Where have you been? We have been here for ages." Complained Ron. Harry and Ginny wasted no time filling Ron and Hermione in on what had happened with Draco.
"I agree." Hermione said as Harry finished. "You should tell Dumbledore. But I think you two need to calm down first. You won't be able to think clearly if you are this upset. Why don't you write a letter to Margaret? You did promise Dumbledore you would and you haven't yet. She probably misses you two."
"I know. I feel bad we haven't written but I just don't know what to say." Harry said.
"Just tell her about your day." Said Hermione. "She won't understand all of it but Sirius will explain it to her."
"Tell her about Quidditch practice yesterday." Put in Ron.
"I wonder if she even knows what Quidditch is." Harry though out loud.
"What do you mean?" Ron asked with horror in his voice.
"That's true..." said Ginny "They wouldn't have played Quidditch in her dimension. Not during a war."
"The poor kid. Well I will fix that when I see her again." Said Ron with new determination.
Hermione watched as Harry and Ginny wrote and laughed. Her little plan had worked. Not only had it taken their minds off of the threat to Margaret but also the two were acting like friends again. The last few weeks had been hard for Ron and Hermione, watching Harry and Ginny drifting apart.
After sending off their letter to Margaret and one to Sirius with pig, and finally eating some breakfast, Ginny and Harry made their way to the staff table.
"Sir. We were wondering if we could talk with you. It's really important."
"Of course. Let us go to my office." Dumbledore got up and led them out of the Great Hall. On his way past the Slytherin table Harry looked over and caught Draco's eye. Draco gave him a small nod. Harry was confused. It was almost like Malfoy approved of Harry going to Dumbledore. Something had changed in Malfoy, but Harry would have to think about that later. Right now he had to see to the safety of his daughter.