A/N: Ya'll are really quick! It took me about ten seconds after I'd posted to get an email about how the kids are cousins and how gross that is! Calm down…I can't tell you what's going to happen but it's certainly NOT what meets the eye. Oh, and everyone be really happy for me, because I have my permit now!

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Chapter 20

The Truth Will Set You Free

After meeting with McGonagall and Dumbledore and finding out about the prophecy, Harry Apparated to his house to tell his wife. He was disappointed to find that she wasn't there, but he knew instantly where she was.

"Gin?" Harry opened the door of the Burrow's kitchen to find his wife, mother-in-law, and Hermione sitting on stools looking at the Daily Prophet.

Ginny looked up when he came in.

"Harry!" Ginny smiled nervously at her husband.

'He's furious.' She thought.

"Hi, Mrs. Weasley. Hi, Hermione."

"Hi, Harry." Hermione said, she seemed to be watching him warily.

Mrs. Weasley jumped up to get Harry some food.

"Ginny…I—a" Harry began, but Ginny cut him off.

"Harry, please if it's about the baby I meant for you to find out first but the—"

Harry held up his hand.

"Gin, there's been a prophecy made."

Ginny's face turned ashen and Hermione looked fearfully at Harry. Mrs. Weasley had left the room to get Ron.

"A prophecy?" Ginny whispered.

Harry nodded.

"What…what about?" Ginny asked.

Harry swallowed.

"The baby."

"Which one?" Hermione asked.

"Both…they…both of them have to—to f-fall in love and get m-married before they're seventeen or…or Voldemort comes back." Harry said hollowly.

Ginny covered her face with her hands and Hermione blinked in shock.

Harry crossed the room and put his arms around his wife. She was shaking. Hermione lifted her head.

"No…they can't." She said slowly.

"They have to, Mione…it's either that or he comes back…which one would you prefer?"

"No! Mione's right, they can't! Harry, they're first cousins, they can't marry!"

Harry's slow acceptance turned quickly to horror.

"I…I didn't even think of that…" he murmured.

Hermione let out a dry sob.

Ron had entered the room.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"There's been a prophecy made Ron, about our kids. They have to marry before they're seventeen or Voldemort comes back." Harry said. He was beginning to feel like making a sign so he wouldn't have to repeat this so much.

Ron looked stunned.

"But they're cousins! That's just wrong!" he blurted.

Hermione let out a wail.

"Oh God I didn't want to do this now!" She cried.

Everyone turned bewilderedly to Hermione. She had stood up and looked rather frightening.

"Hermione…sweetie, calm down." Ron started to make his way over to her, but she backed away.

"No…Ron, you won't want to t-touch me once I've said this…and it—it has to be said."

Ron stopped.

"I…this baby isn't just mine." Hermione sniffed.

"We know that Mione. It's yours and Ron's." Harry said.

Hermione shook her head.

"No. It's not. I…during the war when…when I was over in Bulgaria doing work for the Order, I met someone." Hermione's eyes filled with tears.

"His name was Robbie. Robert McKenzie. He…and I…" Hermione trailed off, looking at the floor.

Harry felt his jaw drop in shock.

"But, Hermione, this has to be Ron's baby. It…the prophecy said one of the babies came from fire and emeralds…and that's me and Gin…and the other from fire and wisdom and that's you and—"

"Robbie," Hermione interrupted, "Robbie had red hair."

Ron slumped against a wall.

"You really like your Bulgarians, don't you Mione?" He said his voice sounding strangled.

Hermione shook her head violently and she took a step toward Ron.

"I never Ron…I never meant for he and I to be together, Ron! It was you, the whole time. I've been so stupid these past weeks, but I was afraid! I," Hermione turned to Ginny, "I didn't lie to you, Gin. Remember when I told you that with witches, they found out about their babies sooner? Well, they do, but I'm Muggleborn, Gin. I'm almost a month along. I'm due around the middle of October."

Ginny shook her head, as if trying to wrap her mind around what was happening.

"So…so that's why you told Janet you knew who the father was." She whispered.

Hermione nodded miserably.

Harry's face was screwed up in concentration.

"Wait a minute…Hermione, you said his name was Robbie, and that he had red hair…is he….?"

Hermione nodded slowly.

"He died p-protecting me in B-Bulgaria."

No one moved.

"I—why didn't you trust us enough to tell us you'd met someone?" Ron asked.

Hermione started crying again.

"I thought you'd h-hate me." She sobbed.

"Hermione! Why would we hate you?" Harry asked.

"B-because I w-was supposed to be working n-not falling in l-love with some guy….he could have b-been a Death Eater for all I knew."

Ginny's face blanched.

"Was he?" She asked quietly.

Hermione shook her head.

"He was doing the same thing I was, watching the Death Eaters."

A silence fell over the group.

"I think," Ron said in a shocked voice, "I think I need to spend some time alone…just let this soak in okay? Okay."

He stumbled out of the room. Ginny looked after him and sighed. Hermione sniffed and got up from her stool.

"I think it's time I went and told my Mum and Dad." She said, and walked out of the house without another word.

Ginny looked up at her husband.

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"About the baby, Harry, our son doesn't need publicity before he's even born! It'll spoil him."

Harry thought about it for a moment.

"You're right. That was one of the reasons Dumbledore gave me to the Dursleys when Mum and Dad died. We could sort of…disappear, Gin."

"What do you mean 'disappear'?" Ginny asked suspiciously.

"We'd still have contact with the Wizarding World, Gin, just...we wouldn't be able to prance about on the streets screaming for the entire world to hear who we are."

"I didn't plan on that anyways, but I suppose it would be best if we kept to ourselves for a bit…even before I start showing."

"What about Disillusion Charms?" Harry asked.

"No. Janet expressly forbade me to use anything that would conceal my pregnancy. She said it would be dangerous to the baby."

"Then we won't use them."

Ginny still looked worried.

"But, Harry, what about the prophecy?"

Harry sighed.

"There's really nothing we can do about that just now…we've got seventeen more years before we really have to start worrying, Gin."

"I'm being silly, aren't I?" Ginny laughed.

"No, you're just being cautious and I can't say I blame you. We've seen too many things to be carefree."

Ginny sighed and leaned her head against Harry's shoulder.

"What about Mione and Ron?" Harry asked.

"I don't think they're going to be okay for quite a while. Especially Ron, that's a huge thing to get over. Think about being in his shoes, Harry, imagine it was me that had an affair with some strange guy over in Bulgaria and now I'm having this man's baby, and he's dead. What would you do?"

Harry sat in silence for a moment.

"I honestly can't say. Now….about this article….does it say who wrote it?"

Ginny reached for the article.

"N—yes! Right there….it says…oh can't that woman just leave people alone?" Ginny said disgustedly.

"Who is it?" Harry asked, leaning over Ginny's shoulder, "'Written by Rita Skeeter and assistant.' Who's her assistant?"

"I didn't know Rita had an assistant…that's surprising; I'd have thought she'd want to take all the glory herself."

"Maybe she needed help…well, whoever it is, is about to find out what happens when they get the spy on us."

"What are you going to do?" Ginny asked.

"With just a little help from the Minister I think I can disclose Rita's Animagus form and have the both of them taking a little leave of absence on their writing."

"No more deals with Rita?" Ginny asked slyly.

"Hey, that was Hermione all the way."

"I know. Oh, and speaking of Dad and the Ministry, how'd the test go?"

"It was so easy, Gin, but tomorrow I have to go in and undergo 'interrogation' with Mad-Eye." Harry pulled a face.

"Moody loves you!"

"Me? Moody has no favorites!"

"Well, he at least likes you."

"Right. Sure, well, I'm going to go and find Ron, now okay? He's been by himself for a little too long, and we all know Ron's temper."

"Be careful and don't walk up behind him, he's gotten quick with his jinxes." Ginny warned.

Harry waved his hand at his wife to show he'd understood and walked out of the house to find his friend.

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Harry found him at the top of the same hill he'd proposed to Ginny on.

"How're you holding up?" Harry asked, cautiously walking behind Ron.

"I erm…I dunno, Harry. It's like there's this feeling inside of me that's tearing me up. Part of me is numb, and part of me feels like I want to just kill someone, and the other part just feels like shit." Ron laughed hollowly.

"You never expect something like this to happen to you, you know? I mean, I really thought I meant something to her. I was in love, Harry, from our very first year. Took me bloody well long enough to figure it out, and a few times I thought it was too late…but then all of a sudden it was like 'Wow! She likes me!' and I felt like I was on top of the world. She was the greatest thing that ever happened to me, Harry, and now she's gone."

Harry stepped in front of Ron and shook his shoulders.

"No she's not. She's right in front of you, Ron. She hurt you pretty bad, mate, but imagine how she feels? She fell for you hard, Ron. I've seen the way she acts around you. She's crazy about you, Ron! You two bicker like…" Harry cast around for an example, "your Mum and Dad to tell you the truth. That's what you remind me of. Listen, I know you think I'm talking a load of bull right now because I've got Ginny, but I'm not. Just…take your time and try and trust her again, mate."

Ron sighed heavily and rubbed his eyes. He looked pleadingly at Harry.

"She's carrying another man's baby, Harry. I…if…I don't think I could look at the kid."

"The baby needs a father, Ron. I know we never met that Robbie guy, but he sounded pretty damn decent, if he saved our Mione for us."

Harry grinned, and Ron gave a weak smile.

"Yeah…he does."

"Good. Now, Mione's off telling her parents, so when she comes back, she'll be going through a rough patch, okay? I know she's going to want to tell your parents next, so they don't go thinking they're going to be grandparents…or well, twice, so I want you to be there with her, holding her hand. She needs you Ron, and there's not a thing in the world that you can say that will make me think you don't need her."

"That's because I do need her."

Harry smiled.

"That's what I wanted to hear…now come on, let's go back in, I won't have you upsetting Ginny…that's the last thing she needs right now, and she's ready to burst into tears as it is." Harry said worriedly.

"She'll be ok, right?" Ron asked.

"Gin? Yeah, I think so…it's just a lot for us right now. We weren't planning on being parents until we'd settled down a little more, and now with that damn prophecy…" Harry trailed off.

Ron clapped his friend on the back.

"It'll work itself out."

"Let's hope so, Ron."

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A/N: Ah! Poor Ron, I felt awful for him…but it had to be done. Review, please and thank you!