Author's Note: READ THIS! IT'S IMPORTANT! Okay, this chapter might get kind of confusing. What I'm going to do is do a quick overview of ten years, and then start at the ten-year point. I think just that description of it was confusing, but hopefully you got the point. I'll do my best to make it make sense, but I'm warning you now, that it's weird, so just stick with me, okay. Now you may continue onto the story.

Chapter 6: First Year

On January 16th, Ginny had a baby girl who she named Lily Weasley. After a few months of hard work at two jobs, some careful saving, and a good deal of help from her friend Jackie, she managed to get an apartment for herself and Lily. It wasn't exactly the best place to live, but it was their home and that was good enough.

Ginny even got herself a post box in the wizard post office, so that she could send letters to Ron, and he would be able to respond. After receiving a string of angry letters from Ron, she sent a long letter to her parents explaining why she had left and where she was. A few days later she received a letter stating that, although they were disappointed with her behavior, she and Lily were always welcome at the Burrow, and that her parents were very relieved to hear that she was all right. She never sent a letter to Harry, and never got anything from him.

She started visiting the Burrow on a regular basis, so that Lily could get to know her family, and become familiar with the magical world. She also took Lily on trips to Diagon Alley, both to see what was happening in the wizarding world, and to visit Fred and George.

Not long after his graduation from Hogwarts, Ginny got a letter from Ron saying that he had decided to take a job at the Ministry. For the time being, he was in charge of sending and receiving memos for some man working in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, meanwhile, he was in training to be an Auror, and would hopefully, be taking the test at the end of the year.

On her seventeenth birthday, Ginny started using magic in her apartment. Even though she hadn't finished her magical education, she had come of age, and was allowed by law to practice magic. She also spent a lot of time in the storeroom of Fred and George's shop learning to Appearate.

Three months after Lily's fourth birthday, the headlines of The Daily Prophet proclaimed that Voldemort had been defeated, and that Harry, who had spent the better part of five years, tracking him down and battling him, had come out of it, bloody, bruised, and shaken, but otherwise, perfectly fine. Ginny had spent the whole week at The Burrow celebrating with almost everyone she knew.

She asked Ron if he had heard from Harry, but Ron said they hadn't spoken since that day on the train. Two months later, she received a very long, ranting letter, from Ron talking about how Harry had shown up one day at the Burrow, apologizing for leaving things like he did, and wanting to make everything right, and be friendly again. In the letter there had been several paragraphs of "how could hes" but in the final paragraph it said that Ron had forgiven him and that he was helping Harry study for the Auror test. After that letter, Ginny stopped visiting the Burrow as frequently, and told her family not to mention Lily to Harry. She still wasn't sure what would happen when she told him, and wasn't entirely ready to find out.

A year after Harry's return, Ginny received a letter from Ron saying that the night before, he had asked Hermione to marry him, which didn't shock Ginny at all. Even though Ron had never really said anything, Ginny knew that they had been dating for a few years at least, and that they had liked each other forever. A few weeks later, she received a note stating that Hermione wanted both Ginny and Lily to be in the wedding. Ginny replied that, regretfully she already had some thing scheduled for that weekend, and that there was nothing she could do. It was something extremely important and confidential. It was a complete lie. Ginny knew Harry would be there, and although she hated herself for skipping her brother's wedding, she couldn't bring herself to tell Harry. It just seemed like, the more time that passed, the harder it became to even consider telling him.

Ron continued to correspond with Ginny, but some of the details began to slip from his letters. He sent letters telling of the births of his children, and declaring that, she was the godmother to them both. But he stopped updating her on Harry. He thought it completely pointless.

Ginny and Lily started to develop a bond more resembling best friends than mother and daughter. They had their arguments, as every mother and daughter do, they told each other almost everything, with exceptions on Ginny's end, due to Lily's age. When Lily was old enough, Ginny enrolled her in Muggle primary school. And then the summer after Lily's eleventh birthday, they received Lily's letter of acceptance to Hogwarts, from the new headmaster, Ernie Macmillan.

x

Harry, now Hogwats' Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and head of Gryffindor House, sat at the staff table looking down at the line of first years filing into the Great Hall for the first time. He knew how they were feeling, nervous and excited; more nervous than excited. He remembered from his own sorting. But then one girl caught his eye. A girl with flaming red hair. A girl with, if he wasn't mistaken, Weasley hair. He'd have to really pay attention to the sorting this year. Not that he didn't pay attention every year. He liked knowing who was coming into his house, but sometimes it took a little while for all the names to stick. But this girl roused his curiosity. She looked like a Weasley, but as far as he knew, the only Weasley's of his generation that had had children, were Bill and Ron. And as far as he knew, they were all still too young. So who could this girl be?

"Okay kids, when I call your name, I want you to come and sit on this stool and put on the hat," said Professor Faye, who was in charge of running the sorting the first day back. Harry wished they had had someone like her running it when he was sorted. She had a sweet, kindly way about her. Professor McGonagall, although she had a soft spot for Gryffindors, was frightening; particularly when you were already scared half to death.

As Professor Faye read down the list, Harry half listened, and kept his eyes glued on the red haired girl.

"Weasley, Lily," the Professor read off. The girl stood, and walked to the stool. So, he'd been right. But he still couldn't figure out, which Weasley she belonged to. He was pulled from this train of thought by the uproar from the Gryffindor table. She had been placed in his house. Maybe he could ask her who her parents were.

And then he had a better idea. After the feast he went up to his office and Floo'd himself into Ron's living room.

He walked into the kitchen, and found Hermione washing dishes. Without even turning around she called out, "Ron, is that you?"

"No, 'Mione it's me," he replied.

She put the plate back in the sink, and ran over to hug him. "Harry, what are you doing here? I mean, it's nice to see you, but I thought school started today."

He nodded. "It did. But I actually had a question for Ron. Is he home?"

She went back to washing the dishes. Harry took a seat the table. "Not yet. Though, he should be home any minute now. Are you hungry? I've got some food left over from dinner."

"No thanks. We just finished the feast. I'm fit to burst." Hermione nodded knowingly. "Hey, 'Mione? Your kids are too young to be at Hogwarts, right?"

Hermione laughed. "Yeah Harry. Yeah they are."

"What about Bill's kids?"

"Oldest should start next year. Why?"

"Well, it's the weirdest thing."

"What's the weirdest thing?" asked Ron, who had just arrived home. He walked to the sink and kissed Hermione on the cheek, then sat down across from Harry, and smiled. "How's it going, mate?"

"Everything's great. But I was just about to say that the weirdest thing happened today. There was a first year named Weasley, but I knew it wasn't one of yours and I was almost positive it wasn't Bill's so I couldn't figure out who's kid it was. I thought I'd ask you. Maybe it was your cousin's daughter or something."

Ron started looking slightly white, and Hermione was visibly tense. "What did you say her name was?" Ron asked.

"Lily. Lily Weasley." Hermione dropped a plate, which shattered, in the sink. Ron had a look on his face very closely resembling a deer caught in the headlights of a car. "Guys, what's going on?" Harry asked.

"Oh, nothing. Nothing's wrong. I don't know whose daughter she is. Must be Muggle-born because there's no Lily in our family," said Ron. He had always been a bad actor, but this was far too obvious. He was covering something up, Harry just didn't know what yet.

"Ron, she has the Weasley, red hair," said Harry, hoping that if he called Ron on his bluff, he could break him.

"Hey, Harry, it's getting late, you should head back to school. Get some rest. You've got classes to teach tomorrow, you know," Hermione said, sounding panicked.

"Okay, alright, I'm going. But I know you guys are hiding something, and I'm going to figure out what," Harry said as he was practically shooed towards the fire grate.

"Goodnight, Harry," Hermione said sweetly.

"'Night," he said, slightly annoyed by his friends' behavior.

xxxxx

And another chapter comes to a close. Let me know what you think.