A Serpent Among Lions

Chapter 5 - A New Problem Arises

The morning light from the window shone through Ginny's eyelids. She could tell without even opening her eyes that it was sunny and beautiful outside. Leaning over to give Harry a kiss, she opened her eyes, stretched and yawned. It had been the best night's sleep she'd had since Harry had left a month ago, and she realized just how much she had missed him. Going into the bathroom, robes in hand, she hopped in the shower and emerged a few minutes later, washed and dressed.

Seeing that Harry was still sleeping, she decided to go out to the kitchen and see what he had that she could make for breakfast. She knew that when he had lived at the Dursleys, he had been forced to do much of the cooking and having her cook for him would be a nice change. He normally doted on her and cooked the meals for their family, so she wanted to do this for him. She found eggs, bacon and toast and set out making some breakfast. She brewed coffee and poured orange juice, and finally heard him stirring so she knew that he was awake.

The smell of brewing coffee infiltrated Harry's senses and began breaking down the barriers of sleep. Without opening his eyes, he reached his arm out to pull Ginny closer to him and found an empty bed. Ginny! Harry bolted upright and looked frantically around the room for Ginny. Slowly, reason began to set in and he smelled the cooking breakfast and brewing coffee. He heard a song emanating from the kitchen and he recognized the voice as his wife's. She was such a sweetheart to make him breakfast.

As his heart rate slowed, Harry rose from bed and made his way sleepily to the bathroom. A quick shower later and he was almost at the point of shaving when he remembered that he wanted to keep his beard. He chuckled to himself and wondered when he would become used to his disguise. With a bright smile, Harry strode into the kitchen and said, "Good morning, my dear! Everything smells wonderful. Thank you very much for your thoughtfulness." He wrapped his arms around Ginny from behind and snuggled her close.

Ginny giggled as his facial hair tickled the back of her neck, "Good morning, love," She said, turning to face him, "You always cooked meals for us at home, so I wanted to do this for you. You don't look like you've been eating properly," She said, noticing how thin he looked, "Have a seat at the table, it's nearly ready," She said, putting the food on plates and bringing it over to the table, "I hope that you are hungry," Ginny herself wasn't too hungry but she knew that Harry would insist that she ate, "Maybe we could send Meghan a little gift with the owl, what do you think? Something to really cheer her up."

Harry pinched his stomach absently as he answered Ginny's question. "I think a gift for Meghan would be a great idea. Since we can't go to Diagon Alley together, would you like to go or would you rather I go?" He sat down at the table as Ginny placed his breakfast in front of him. e

Ginny thought for a moment, "Well, I can go or if you would rather go and pick something out you can go. It doesn't matter to me," Ginny thought back to the recent shopping trip she'd had with Meghan at Diagon Alley...how much they had been looking forward to all going together. Sitting down at the table, Ginny took his hand and with her other hand took a bite of food, "It's up to you. Do you think it's safe enough for you to go out? I mean, do you get out or do you have a bit of cabin fever?"

"I've been out a few times but never to populated areas." Harry gestured at the prominent scar on his forehead. "With this darn thing on my head, it doesn't really matter what I do with my hair and beard. When people get close enough in good light, they will always know who I am." He sighed. "You know, I'm not sure if I ever told you this, but I was really hoping the scar would disappear after I defeated Voldemort. I know it sounds insane but I was hoping that there was some sort of magic keeping it there that would be released when Voldemort was gone. The thing has been the bane of my existence for as long as I can remember. I can never blend in."

Ginny smiled sadly at Harry and patted his hand, "At least it doesn't hurt you anymore," She said, remembering how much it had hurt him until Voldemort had been vanquished. Just then Ginny thought of something and knew that she had the perfect solution, "You know that necklace my mother gave me when I first went to Hogwarts, years ago? I think that would mean more to her than anything we could give her that was purchased. I had actually thought about giving it to her yesterday, before she got on the train, but with everything that happened I forgot. It has been passed down from generation to generation, mother to daughter."

Harry smiled at Ginny. "I think that's a great idea. I've seen how she admires that necklace and I'm sure it will show her how much we love and support her." He reached across the table to stroke Ginny's cheek. "I am so happy that we have such a wonderful family. I wouldn't change a thing about either of you." Harry brought his hand back and picked up his fork. After his first bite, he said, "Wow, this is great, Ginny! Thanks again. So, what would you like to do today? I only have to make a quick trip to follow up a lead I pick up on yesterday, otherwise I am open all day."

"Well," Ginny said, thinking, "I need to go see Mum and let her know where I am so she doesn't worry. And we should send that owl to Meghan, I'll need to go home and get the necklace. Is there anything you want me to bring from home? I think that I will probably just stay here for now, it's too quiet at home and I don't know what I would do with myself..."

Just then a wave of nausea overcame Ginny and she clasped her hand over her mouth. Pushing back her chair, she ran to the bathroom and made it there just in time. Collapsing on the floor next to the toilet, she lost what little food she had eaten.

Harry watched in alarm as Ginny ran towards the bathroom. The sounds of her retching reached him moments later. As fast as he could, Harry ran after her and sat beside her on the floor. With one hand he held her hair back from her face and with the other, he held her hand tightly. "Ginny? What's going on? Did you eat something that was off?"

Ginny shook her head, "No, I haven't hardly eaten anything the last couple of days... at least not in the morning. My stomach's been kind of queasy and I haven't felt like it," She said, leaning against the cool tiled wall as the feeling subsided, "This is the first time that it has been this bad, though," She said, wiping her hand across her forehead.

Realization struck her like a hammer, "Oh, no it can't be!"

Harry looked quizzically at Ginny. "What? What could it be?" He asked. Then realization hit him as well. "You don't think you could be pregnant do you?" Harry thought of the implications of this possibility. He loved children of course and would be ecstatic to have more but now was a pretty inconvenient time to be having one. He was in hiding and was in no position to care for Ginny. "Do you think so?" He asked again.

Ginny thought for a moment. She knew that it had been over a month since she'd had her cycle and she also knew that they had been wanting Meghan to have a brother or sister, so they had been trying. So far it hadn't happened yet, but now..."Harry, I'm afraid I might be. You know me, I usually don't get sick and we have been trying," She said, sighing sadly, "It's not that I'm not happy that we might be having a baby, it's just that the timing..."

Ginny got unsteadily to her feet and sat on the loo, wiping her face with a washcloth, "When people find out that I am pregnant, they are going to know that I know where you are, or they are going to think that the baby isn't yours. I don't know which would be worse. I don't want anyone to think that i cheated on you, because you know I would never do that."

Harry thought about Ginny's words. "I think you are right. It would be too risky to let everyone know about the baby right now. I think we should keep your pregnancy a secret from all non-family until after I've been cleared of the murders. What do you think?"

Ginny thought about this and nodded. This must have been how his mum and dad felt when they knew that he was on the way, "Unfortunately this isn't going to be easy to hide. I'm just glad that Meghan's at Hogwarts. At least no one in the family thinks that you are guilty. This isn't going to be easy, is it?"

Chuckling, Harry said, "Nothing in our lives ever is, is it? But we have a wonderful family and we have grown together so much since we've been married. I think I can take some adversity if it means I get to have such a wonderful wife and daughter." He got to his feet and put his arm around Ginny. "Are you feeling better now, Ginny? You sure gave me a scare when you bolted from the table and became ill."

"Yes, I'm feeling much better," She said, smiling, "In some respects anyway. If my calculations are correct, the baby will be due around April," Ginny stood to her feet and gave Harry a kiss. Putting her arms around him, she laid her head on his shoulder, "I know now what your parents must have been going through. But at least we don't have Voldemort to worry about anymore."

"You're right about that," Harry said. "I'm very glad Voldemort is out of the picture." His face still showed concern for Ginny and he said, "I would really feel more comfortable if you would lie down for a while. Will you humor me by taking a rest until you feel steadier?"

Ginny smiled at Harry, he was so sweet, "Only if you come in and keep me company. I don't want to have to worry about you going out while I'm resting, and unable to stop you," She said, laughing softly, "Wait til Mum hears, she is going to be ecstatic."

"She will certainly be happy," Harry said with a smile. "Why don't we go lay down and you can write a letter to Meghan? When you are finished, I will give it to Hedwig." He led her from the bathroom and helped her get settled into the bed, tucking the covers snugly around her. When she was comfortable, Harry went to the kitchen for a quill and a scroll of paper, along with a hardcover book for her to write on. He returned to the bedroom and handed the items to Ginny and then settled himself on the bed beside her.

Harry nodded. "I think it would be a smart idea to tell Meghan. It would be a good way to show her that we still love her and trust her. We need to stress strongly that she not tell anyone what we have told her and if anyone at school asks her about it, she needs to pretend she knows nothing about the situation. If anyone should find out that she knows, they may assume she knows where I am and that could be dangerous."

"At least Hermione's there and can keep an eye out for her," Ginny said, thoughtfully, "I think we should wait until Christmas to tell her that she's going to be a big sister though, that will be our special Christmas gift to her," Taking the quill, she wrote:

Dear Meghan,

I want you to know that your dad and I are very proud of you. I know that Dad didn't see you before you left but I know that wherever he is he is proud of you too. I am sending you my necklace that my mum gave to me when I started at Hogwarts. It has been passed down from generation to generation and now is the time for you to have it. Remember, sweetheart. No matter what, we love you and care about you.

Love,

Mum

Harry read the letter to Meghan as Ginny wrote it. When she got to the end of the necklace explanation, Ginny abruptly signed her name and put the pen down. Harry said, "Wait, I thought you were going to tell her about my true situation. Is there something I'm missing?"

Ginny smiled at him, "Remember when we were at Hogwarts and the owl post came? People were always reading over the shoulders of others and sharing their letters with friends. I am going to contact Minerva and see if I can visit Meghan tonight, perhaps in Hermione's office, and tell her in person. This way there's less chance of someone finding out that shouldn't."

Ginny wrote another note to Minerva requesting the meeting, which she knew that would more than likely not be a problem, and sent off both notes with Hedwig. Snuggling up to Harry, she closed her eyes and drifted off into a nap.