Author's Note: I don't really have much to say, except that I apologize for this taking so long. I've been busy lately with school and stuff.

Chapter 7: Out In The Open

The next day, during his free hour, Harry went up to the headmaster's office. He had it all planned out, he just hoped that Ernie would help him out with this. If he wouldn't, it would make things a whole lot harder. He knocked on the door, hoping that Ernie would be there.

"Come in," came Ernie's voice from the other side of the door. Harry opened the door, and walked in to see Ernie looking up at him from a stack of very official looking documents. Ernie could, apparently, tell by the look on Harry's face that something was up.

"I'm very busy just now, Harry, so if you would be so kind as to keep it brief," Ernie looked slightly annoyed, but in a friendly sort of way.

"I need a favor," Harry started.

Ernie sighed, and neatly placed his quill on the desk in front of him. "What sort of favor?"

"There's this first year in my house. Her last name's Weasley. I've been to see Ron, who claims to have no idea who she is, which I can tell is a total lie. But I was wondering if you could perhaps, inform me as to who's daughter she was."

"Lily? Lily Weasley? She's Ginny's girl, isn't she?"

"Ginny? No, it couldn't be. Lily's eleven. Ginny's barely twenty-seven. She would have to have been only—" Harry stopped mid-sentence, as though something had dawned on him. "Ernie, I'm sorry for bothering you. Thank you. Have a nice, rest of the day."

Ernie was completely confused as to what had just happened. "Yes. Well. You too, Harry." But the words were lost, as Harry was already out the door.

x

That night after dinner, Harry, once again floo'd himself to the home of Ron and Hermione. When he appeared in the living room, he looked around, and seeing no one stalked into the kitchen. When he, once again, saw no one, he decided that shouting would be just as effective.

"WHERE IS SHE?" he shouted in the general direction of the stairs. A few moments later, just as Harry was preparing to shout again, a small boy appeared at the top of the stairs. He was wearing pale blue pajamas, with little feet, and rubbing his eyes with one hand, while holding a small blanket in the other. He couldn't have been more than four.

"Mommy's in the shower, Uncle Harry." The boy started walking down the stairs toward his godfather.

"Did I wake you up?" Harry sat down at the kitchen table, and the boy climbed up in his lap, curling up as best he could, and starting to go back to sleep. He closed his eyes, and put his head on Harry's chest, nodding in response to the question.

Harry ran his hand through the boy's deep red hair, and smiled. He had always treated Ron and Hermione's sons as though they were his own, despite the fact that he shared no blood relation with them. "Go back to sleep, Johnny," he whispered. Just as the boy was starting to drift off, Harry scooped him up in his arms, and carried him up the stairs, depositing him, in his bed. When he reached the door, he lingered for a moment, watching his godson sleep.

Hermione, having heard the shouting, had finished her shower and come to investigate. She had just reached the landing between the bathroom, and he son's room, when she saw Harry standing in the doorway. Despite the dark, she could see the slight smile on his face. When Harry turned, she could see the sad sparkle in his eyes. She knew he wanted to be a father. Knowing how badly he wanted it killed her, because he had it. He just didn't know it yet.

"Were you the one shrieking downstairs?"

"Yeah, sorry about that."

"Scared the crap out of me," she said leading him downstairs.

"I know, I'm sorry," Harry apologized, looking slightly sheepish.

"So, would you like to explain to me, why you've come bursting into my home, shouting and waking my children?"

Suddenly, all the anger Harry had felt when he had first arrived came rushing back to him. "Where's Ginny?"

This surprised Hermione. She had known this was coming; Harry would find out Lily was Ginny's daughter, piece things together, and come back wondering where Ginny was, and why no one had told him. She just hadn't thought it would come so soon.

"Harry, sit down." Hermione put her hands on her friend's shoulders, and tried to steer him towards a chair. But he was taller, stronger, and in quite the mood, so he easily resisted. She gave him her best mother glare and said, "Harry. Sit." Much to her surprise, it worked. She hadn't expected that to work, but it had.

"Now, Ginny's living in Muggle London," she put her hand on his shoulder, forcing him to remain seated. "But, before you rush off, and do something stupid, let me explain a few things." Harry looked annoyed, but complied. "Great. First of all, the end of sixth year, the night you broke up with her, was the night she was going to tell you she was pregnant. You, however, ruined that plan. And despite the fact that we continually told her, to tell you in the last few days of school, she couldn't bring herself to ruin your plans to save the world. And then that day on the train was the last time we saw either one of you for about a year. Ginny kept in contact with Ron, but she didn't tell her parents about the baby for a little while. Eventually, she got up the nerve, and we started seeing more and more of her. That is, until you came back. She kind of started going back into seclusion after that. She was afraid of what you'd say. So she avoided you, and made us promise not to tell you. I'm sorry you had to find out, however it was you found out, instead of from Ginny. Now. Can I let go of you without risking getting run over?" Harry nodded. He seemed completely stunned by all that he had just heard.

After a few moments of silence, he said in a low voice, "I can't believe no one ever told me I had a daughter." In that moment, Hermione's heart broke for him. He looked so devastated. Fatherhood was something he wanted so badly, and then when he finally discovers he has a child, he's already missed eleven years of her life.

Hermione looked at the floor, and said in an equally quiet voice, "Lily's a lot like you, you know. Independent, cynical, slightly jaded. But she's the sweetest girl you'll ever meet. She looks a lot like you too. She has your eyes." Harry looked up at Hermione, and smiled slightly. "I wanted to tell you so many times."

He smiled again, and stood up. "I know, 'Mione. I know." He kissed her on the cheek, walked back into the living room, and floo'd himself back to school."

x

That's all. Although, I would like to clarify, that the reason that Harry's godson, refers to him as "Uncle Harry" is because, I grew up referring to my godparents as my aunts and uncles because it made it easier. I inserted this little bit of my life into the story, because, well, I'm the author, and I can.