All characters are property of JK Rowling and I do not make a profit from this story.

Beta: Roman's Sundial

Chapter Fifty: Preparations

Ginny Weasley – Present Day

December 29, 2000

Ginny knocked on the door to Jessica's room and was let in right away. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Ginny said to Jessica, as she entered the room and shut the door behind her.

"Not at all," Jessica replied. "I was just finishing up one of the books Molly left in here for me."

Ginny glanced at the cover. "A Muggle's Guide to the Wizarding World?" she read.

"Yeah," Jessica laughed. "It's the only kind of books that are in here. The one I just finished before this was called The Magical Shock: What to do When You Find Out That Your Child is a Wizard. I guess she's really trying to get me to accept that Amelia is a witch."

"Have you accepted it, then?" Ginny asked, sitting next to her.

Jessica sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You're doing the right thing, Jess; There's no denying that she is a witch. She may be muggleborn, but they say even muggleborns don't show signs this early, which really makes me believe that she is a half-blood."

"I know that she's a half-blood," Jessica responded.

"Did one of these books explain how to differentiate the two?" Ginny asked, genuinely curious.

Jessica shook her head. "Nigel is a pureblood wizard."

"I thought you didn't know?"

"I didn't, but I do now."

"So, are you going to explain or are you going to make me guess?"

Jessica sighed again. "Ginny, you can't tell anyone, okay? Not even Harry. I'm not ready for anyone to know just yet, and I need to tell Ron before anything else."

"Tell him what?"

"I, uh, ran into Nigel."

"What?" said Ginny, probably louder than she should have. "When? Where?"

"St. Mungo's."

"But that was so long ago!" Ginny exclaimed. "How come you never said anything?"

"It wasn't a big deal at the time; he literally ran away when we saw me."

"So, how do you know that he's a-"

"A pureblood? Because I saw him again." Ginny sat patiently and waited for Jessica to continue. "The day of the battle when Ron was getting Amelia and I out of here, I ran into him," she said slowly. "He's, uh, one of the Order members."

"What? But you know all of the Order members!"

"Actually, I don't. You all talk about them and stuff so I know their names, but I haven't actually seen most of them. I can't leave the Burrow, remember? Most of the Order members go to Headquarters."

Ginny thought for a while. "But there is nobody by the name of Nigel in the Order."

"Jessica smiled weakly. "That's because he lied about his name to me."

"What? So then, what is his name?"

"Neville."

"Neville? Surely you don't mean Neville Longbottom?"

"That's the one."

"Jessica!" said Ginny, grabbing her hand. "I had no idea! He's never even hinted at having a child before!"

"He didn't know," Jessica responded. "He left way before I discovered that I was pregnant."

"So, have you spoken to him?"

Jessica nodded. "Once he saw me, he made the connection that I was the Jessica that Ron was dating, so he confided in Luna and had a meeting set up between us while I was staying at Xenophilius' house."

"And?" said Ginny, pressing for details.

"Nothing, to be honest. I was angry; I am angry. Regardless or not if he knew I was pregnant, he never should have left!"

"He was protecting you." Ginny laughed when Jessica rolled her eyes. "I know it sounds stupid but it's how Harry's brain works, too! They think by leaving us behind that they are actually protecting us."

"Such stupid logic."

Ginny laughed. "I couldn't agree more! So, now what?"

Jessica shrugged. "I told him he's not allowed to tell a soul and I'm pretty sure that Luna's kept it quiet, too."

"Luna is very loyal," Ginny nodded. "And if Neville said that he wouldn't tell, then I'm almost certain that he won't. But you know, Jess, you can't keep this quiet forever. Neville is going to have questions about his daughter."

"She's not his daughter!" Jessica snapped. "He may have fathered her, but that's it!"

"Okay," replied Ginny, treading lightly. "But what about Hogwarts and stuff? You don't think it will come out?"

"I don't even know if I'm letting Amelia go to Hogwarts! I've got plenty to worry about right now, I don't even want to think about that!"

"Jessica," said Ginny, grabbing her hand. "You know that she needs to be educated. Especially now – she's a descendant of a Sacred Twenty-Eight!"

"Can I just have a few more months of peace before I start considering school for her?"

"Okay," she Ginny, understanding how much stress her friend was under.

"Ugh!" said Jessica, putting her head in her hands. "I need to talk to him, don't I?"

"Yes," answered Ginny, nodding her head.

"When? How?"

"Well, you need to tell Ron first, and then you can talk to Neville properly. We are having my engagement party over at the Lovegood's; Ron refuses to give anyone access to the Burrow, but since both you and Neville will be there, perhaps after the festivities you could talk?"

"Okay, I guess that would work. Now I just have to tell Ron…"

"Can I ask a favor?" Ginny asked, hesitating.

"Sure."

"Well, Ron can be… a bit… ridiculous at times. I don't want him throwing a fit at the party. See, with what happened to Dad and Archie, Mum is really focused on this and she needs some happiness right now, I don't want anything to ruin it…"

"I get it," replied Jessica. "And you and Harry deserve some happiness, too. How about I tell him after, then?"

"And write a note to Neville explaining that you will be telling Ron after the party, so he should disapparate a few minutes before… Just in case."

"This is going to be bad, isn't it?"

"Well, I can't say it will be good," replied Ginny truthfully. "But we will arrange it so that Amelia is with Teddy over at the Lupin house, and you and Ron can talk here. I'll stay downstairs with Harry and just in case Ron tries to storm out and find Neville, I'll have Harry stop him. Don't worry," she added, seeing the look on Jessica's face. "I won't tell Harry why, but he will do as I say, trust me."

"Okay," said Jessica quietly. "And what about Neville?"

"Include in the letter that someone will contact him when you're free to talk and he can come by then. Here, right the letter now, and we will have Pig take it to him."

"Okay," said Jessica again, grabbing a quill.

"It will be alright, I promise," said Ginny.

"I hope you're right," Jessica replied, starting her letter to Neville.

Neville Longbottom – Present Day

January 1, 2001

"Happy new year, Mum and Dad," Neville said quietly as he sat in his parents wing just after midnight. With everything that had happened with the Weasley's, the usual New Year festivities had been called off, and so Neville had decided to bring the new year in with his parents in their quiet wing at St. Mungo's. "This is the first time that we are together for a new year countdown," he said to his mum, knowing very well that she did not understand him. She continued to pace around the room while his dad slept, snoring quietly. Sighing and feeling lonelier than ever before, Neville pulled out the letter he had received from Jessica and read it over for what was probably the hundredth time:

Neville,

I am going to be telling Ron about everything after Harry and Ginny's engagement party. Please wait for me at Luna's; once I work it all out with Ron, I will come speak to you. Remember that Ron is my boyfriend and even though I didn't know that you were Nigel, he's going to be upset. Please don't say anything to anyone until we talk.

Jessica

Neville folded the letter back up and put it in his pocket. There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't think of Jessica. Leaving her in the forest had been the hardest thing he had ever done, but he had done it out of love. "You would have done the same thing, wouldn't you've, Dad?" he asked the man lying on the bed next to him. He knew of course that he wouldn't get an answer, regardless if his dad had been awake or not. He felt his mum drop a bubblegum wrapper in his hand and he smiled. "Did you know that you're a grandma, now?" he told her. "I have a daughter; her name is Amelia." He thought about the little girl that was his daughter and all the time that he had already lost with her. "Growing up without you has been hard," he said to his parents. "I won't allow that to happen to Amelia, regardless if Jessica is with me or with Ron." He thought about that for a moment. Jessica's letter proved that she cared about Ron and that he was her boyfriend; there was clearly no room for Neville in her life. "Did she ever love me?" he wondered out loud, thinking back to their time together in the tent. It made sense for her to hate him, but he had always imagined that one day they would find each other again and she would rush into his arms and all would be okay… He shook the thought out of his head. Jessica hated him and Jessica loved Ron, and he, Neville, had a daughter that didn't even know him… He placed his head in his hands and for the first time ever, Neville cried in front of his parents. It was something that he had never done, but he didn't know why. He supposed it was because he was used to such sad things happening to him that there was no need to cry, but this time it was different. As he sat there, being vulnerable, something that he never thought possible happened: his mother, for the first time, placed her hand on his shoulder.

Molly Weasley – Present Day

January 1, 2001

Molly knocked on the door lightly, and waited patiently for it to be answered. It wasn't very long before a very large, round, man opened the door. "Good afternoon!" Molly said to the man. "Thank goodness I found you! I knew of course that you had moved away during the final battle, but Harry had mentioned once that he assumed you would return to Privet Drive one day and, well, here you are!" Molly watched the man's face grow purple.

"What the bloody hell are you doing here?" he said quietly so that nobody could here, but with enough intensity to show Molly that he was not happy."

"Well, I need to speak to you about your nephew, Harry! You see, he's getting married to my daughter and in our world-"

"Vernon!" Molly heard a woman squeal behind him. "Not on the front steps where the neighbours can hear!"

"Oh, the Statute of Secrecy has been lifted ages ago, dear," Molly said giggling.

"Get inside," Vernon said angrily, reluctantly stepping aside so that she may enter.

"Why, thank you!" Molly made her way in and found her way to the living room and sat down. "I suppose you don't have a cup of tea?" she asked Petunia, wondering why neither of them were sitting down.

"No, my wife does not have a bloody cup of tea for you!" snapped Vernon.

"Never mind, then," replied Molly. "On to business I suppose. Now, as I was saying, Harry is engaged to my daughter and I've come to discuss the details with you. I know you can't apparate but we can arrange transportation for you; how many of you will be attending?"

"Attending what?" asked Dudley, walking into the room.

"You must be Dudley!" exclaimed Molly happily. "My name is Molly Weasley, soon to be the mother in law of Harry."

"Harry?" Dudley asked, shocked. "Harry is getting married?"

"Yes he is, Dear, to my daughter Ginny."

"We do not have time for his celebrations, we have Dudley's to plan," Petunia said.

"Are you engaged too, Dear? How marvelous! I'm sure we can work around each other's event; when is your engagement party?"

"I've already had it," Dudley responded. "All that's left is my actual wedding in April."

"Be quiet, Dudley," Vernon said out of the corner of his mouth.

"What is the problem?" Molly asked, finally annoyed. "I know Harry has expressed that his treatment here wasn't up to par, but surely you want to be at your nephew's engagement party?"

"No, we do not!" said Vernon. "Get out of my house! And use the front door, not the bloody fireplace like last time!"

"The fireplace? Oh you mean when Arthur came to get Harry. He was terribly sorry for that, you know. Oh, Arthur…" Molly grabbed a handkerchief out of her robes and blew her nose. "So, you truly aren't coming, then?"

"Truly," responded Vernon.

"What a shame. I can see this was a waste of my time, then." Molly stood to leave but then turned to Petunia instead. "You know, despite your feelings towards our world, I happen to know that you really did love your sister. See, plenty of people I know knew Lily, and knew how much she loved you. It's a pity to see the way you treat her son." Molly walked up to the door and let herself out, but before she closed the door, she added, "Dudley, please know that you and your fiancée are more than welcomed to come, I am sure that Harry would like that." Without another word, Molly stepped onto the street and apparated out of sight.

Lily Potter – The Past

October 11, 1981

"Tuney, come on, our boys haven't even met yet and I'm already pregnant with another!" Lily whined into the phone. Since she had come from a muggle family, she always kept a phone nearby so that she could talk to her parents and sister. Although her and her sister had a falling out when they were younger, Lily made sure that they still kept in contact.

"The answer is no, Lily," came Petunia's reply through the phone. "I've forgiven you for everything you've done when we were children, but for you not to come to Daddy's funeral? I cannot forgive that."

"I've told you over and over, James and I can't leave right now, it's too dangerous! Mum understood, why can't you?"

"You're her daughter, of course she would accept your excuses! I, however, see right through them! The minute you got your letter, you forgot about all of us! Then you met that Potter boy and now you can't even say goodbye to your father!"

"That's not fair, Petunia," Lily said sadly.

"What's not fair is the shame you brought onto our family!" Petunia yelled, before slamming the phone down. Sighing, Lily hung up as well and walked over to the living room where James and Harry were playing.

"Is everything alright?" James asked, looking at his wife's sad face.

Lily shook her head no. "Petunia still won't talk to me," she said sadly. "We had finally worked everything out but then Dad died and I-"

"Didn't go to the funeral," James finished for her. "Your Dad would have understood, Lily; you are protecting Harry!"

"I know, but why can't Petunia understand? I miss her and my Mum, I don't want to be here anymore."

"I know, Lils," said James, standing up and approaching her. "Once this baby is born, we will find a way to see your Mum, okay? I promise."

"And Petunia?"

"She's forgiven you once already for being a witch, not that you needed forgiveness, but the point is that she will again, trust me."

"Okay," said Lily. "I just can't bare her hating me or Harry or this baby."

"Why would she hate Harry or the baby?"

"Because they are yours," Lily answered honestly.

"But they are also yours," added James. "And despite everything, Petunia loves you. It'll all work out, you'll see."

Author's Notes: We have reached a new year! A shorter chapter this time, but still containing important details! Looks like Ron is about to be faced with something heavy!

On to reviews:

Souleiado - I noticed that you're writing them as you read through, so some have already been answered for you! For your chapter 30 review, yes they had already tried it backwards, but they didn't know that they had to bring the vessel somewhere (that was the step they were missing). For your chapter 31 review (if it was you, it says guest), we will learn about the Black line, but at the time of the hearing, all Black descendants were either dead or unfit for representing. For chapter 33, correct, it is the veil! Keither Serenity, thanks for reading! You will all learn much more about Daisy (but not for awhile since Harry doesn't even know about her) the answer to if Sirius can be revived or not since they can't locate his vessel will be answered shortly. We are going to learn quite a bit about his betrothed and what happened after Sirius fell through the veil, so keep an eye on that character! I will confirm here that yes, Arthur is gone, I'm sorry =( No, Harry cannot do the Ritual Knot because they had a baby together.. Once you father a child you cannot do the Ritual, regardless if the child survived or not. Narcissa is going to be in Draco's and Hermione's business A LOT I'm sorry to say! There will be happy times, I promise! I like people to be surprised so if I write what you think will happen then you won't be surprised! So often times I have to kill a happy ending, but that doesn't mean there won't be other happy ones!

I had someone ask about my writing style so just to be clear, I am not writing in paragraph novel style. I write four POV's per chapter, so each POV is its own paragraph if you will. It is a real form of writing (I googled different options to see which one I wanted to use before starting) and you only start a new line when a new character speaks.. That's why there are no paragraphs or indenting!

Hope you all are enjoying! Next few chapters will focus on this engagement as well as Ron/Jessica/Neville, before we bring back Grindelwald again. Please keep reviewing! Love you all!