Chapter 8

Harry met Ginny and Lily that Sunday before he was going to the Burrow so he could discuss with them how the dinner was to go.

"I figured I would break the news before dinner since I'm betting you're missing your mother's cooking." Harry told Ginny with a sly smile.

"Well, I'm not such a bad cook myself running a restaurant and everything, but, yeah, I've really missed those Weasley dinners with everyone talking over each other and yelling and laughing." Ginny reminisced.

Harry smiled at her. "Okay. So I am going to shock them all and then explain the basics. Like, you felt guilty, you were afraid to come back, I saved you like the hero I am, things like that!" He ended in a smirk.

"Har har har." Ginny gave him a look that Molly Weasley would be proud of while Lily laughed loudly. "But you're not going to say anything about Lily, right?"

"No, it is your place to tell them that."

Lily piped up here, "So how are you going to say you found Mum if you don't mention me?"

"Hmmm good point. What do you think sounds better? A muggle market or a friend of a friend of a friend type thing?" Harry questioned Lily.

She pondered this for a moment before responding. "First of all, do you normally go into muggle markets? And then, do you have friends who would lead you into the muggle world?"

Harry laughed at this. "Are you sure you're not Hermione's daughter?"

"Who?"

"An old friend," Ginny replied before chastising Harry jokingly. "Are you implying that I'm not smart?"

Harry stuttered a bit before Lily relieved him. "Oh! Do you mean Hermione Granger? One of the famous trio that helped stop Voldemort?!"

"Yup. One in the same. Although now she is Hermione Granger-Weasley and technically she is your aunt." Harry informed her. Lily looked amazed at everything she was hearing and obviously couldn't wait until she could meet her family. Ginny, on the other hand, just looked sad.

"I wish I could have been there for her and Ron's wedding." Ginny said quietly.

"I know they wished that too." Harry responded as gently as he could.

"I let them down."

Harry didn't bother to deny it. "You'll make it up to them now. You know they would rather have you back than if you stayed missing."

Ginny smiled gratefully at him. "Okay. Back to business. Why don't you just say the friend of a friend thing using whatever friend had you go the muggle speed dating where you met Eliza? Without mentioning that you met her, of course."

"Yeah, that's a good idea." He paused for a few seconds. "What are your thoughts on telling them about you and me? No one knows about Eliza and me except for Neville so my love life probably won't be brought up."

"Well, I think…" Ginny started slowly. "I think that we should wait a while to say anything. Too much at once may not be a good idea."

Harry let out a breath in relief. "Good, that was what I was thinking too but I didn't want to upset you or anything. Discussing Dylan and, er, the other Eliza might just put them over the edge."

Lily decided to speak up again, "Plus, this way you guys can get a feel for how they might react for the whole situation and decide how you will tell them and when."

Both Harry and Ginny smiled at their daughter simultaneously unknowingly to each other. Lily, on the other hand, saw their smiles and smiled back with high hopes.

Finally, everything seemed to be discussed about dinner and the topic strayed other things, such as Lily's extra defense class which was how everything was able to happen in the first place.

"So, Mum, can I do it? I mean, yeah, it will be dangerous but Harry will be teaching it so you know it will be ok!" Lily practically begged.

Ginny turned to the professor. "What exactly are you planning on teaching her, Harry?"

"There will be some mostly harmless things like Occlumency and fighting the Imperious Curse but –"

"Wait, hold on. First of all, YOU are planning to teach Occlumency? Last I remember you couldn't do it to save your life. Literally. And secondly, you are going to put the Imperious Curse on MY daughter?"

Harry actually laughed at Ginny's comments, "Of course I won't be the one to teach Occlumency! I still can't do it. Don't think I ever will be able to. But Neville has actually been quiet efficient in it so I was planning on begging him to teach her. And as for the Imperious Curse, yes I was planning on putting it on Lily. But it is a highly useful skill to fight it, as I am sure you remember. And that is why I am asking permission and I have also asked Minister Shacklebot and gone through all the proper channels. It is not like I will be having her do anything outrageous. You seem to forget that I cared a great deal about Lily even BEFORE I found out she was my daughter."

Ginny had nothing much to say back to him since she knew he was right and she remembered quiet vividly having to fight off the Imperious Curse from the Carrows. So she tried for the humour approach instead. "Kingsley is still Minister? I take it he is doing a good job then… that's good." Than she added grumbling slightly, "So what are the other things you are planning to teach her if these are the so-called harmless parts?"

"Well, past things like that, I am not planning to teach her how to do anything else." Both Lily and Ginny opened their mouths to respond. "Wait let me finish. What the rest of the classes would include would be obtaining the knowledge of the Dark Arts. Such as horcruxes."

Ginny sat their stunned for a moment while Lily was confused since she had no idea what a horcrux was and it was slightly unnerving that her mother knew things about magic that she didn't when a week before Lily was convinced her mother was a muggle. Neither of them said anything so Harry continued. "It is important that this knowledge be passed down to people who are capable to defend against Dark Wizards if need be, but most importantly, people who can be trusted with it. Lily will not be the only person who I will tell this information to in my lifetime, I hope, so she will not be alone in this burden as I was with Ron and Hermione. But she is the first. To properly defend yourself, you need to know what you are up against. And from the time I have spent with Lily, I believe that she is capable for knowing these things." Harry took a deep breath after his speech.

Ginny looked through narrowed eyes at Harry before turning to look at Lily a little more softly. "Lily, before I give my permission, I want to make sure you know what you are doing. You heard what Harry said about how these will be very important but dangerous things that you will be learning about. If you are uncomfortable in any way, whether from the pressure of knowing about it or the strangeness of the things you will be learning about, you should not do it."

"And, of course, you can stop at any time you want as well." Harry told Lily in addition to explaining the regulations further to Ginny, "There will also be regular checks to see how Lily is handling all of this information from outside people that can be trusted, such as Kingsley or Neville."

Ginny nodded. "So, what are you thinking Lily?"

"I have had a lot of time to think about this, Mum. And I want to. I mean, it might be a terrible responsibility but someone has to do it. And, I know there will be some freaky parts of magic that I will learn about, but that's why it is called the Dark Arts. I will be careful." Lily said in a confident voice.

Ginny smiled. "You are really are a Gryffindor."

"Of course she is! She takes after me!" Harry stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Ginny and Lily laughed at his announcement since it was never really an option before that Lily took after her father. At that moment, Lily felt more complete. She knew who she was.

By the time five o'clock came around, it was time for Harry to apparate to the Burrow leaving mother and daughter alone while Ginny waited for the silver stag to appear.

"Lily?"

"Hmmm?"

"Are you – are you okay with how everything is going? I mean, like with Harry and with my family. Is it going too fast? Are you nervous? It's okay if you're mad at me too, Merlin knows I deserve it. Do you want –" But Lily didn't let her mother finish her anxious ramblings.

"You're saying 'Merlin' again!" Lily grinned.

Ginny, on the other hand, sighed exasperated. "Lily, I'm serious. I just want to make sure that everything goes alright. You have no idea how scared I am right now. What if they don't want me back? What if after you see my family, you decide that I have hidden too much from you? There are just so many 'what if's' right now…"

"I know Mum. I was just trying to get you to lighten up. I am fine with how everything is going. I mean, sure, I am nervous but more than that, I am excited! I finally got to know who my father is and it turned out to be someone great and not some creepy murderer and you in the witness protection program like I used to think. And, if your family is anything like you and Harry say then they will surely welcome you back, and me. Plus, I already know a lot of the Weasley kids at Hogwarts so its not like I walking into a completely unfamiliar setting."

"I know. I know. That doesn't mean I can't be irrational and be scared anyway." Ginny smirked at her daughter.

Just as Lily opened her mouth to talk again, a silvery form burst into the living room and pushed all thoughts from her mind.

Harry's voice rang through the living room from the stag. "Alright Ginny, they are anxiously waiting for you. And don't worry, they promised to be good!"

It was five o'clock and Harry had just apparated in front of the Burrow. Long gone were the days where he felt the need to knock on the door but he still didn't feel quiet comfortable in apparating directly into the house. Today, he especially felt nervous. For some reason unknown to himself, he had offered to be the messenger for Ginny and, in this case, the Weasleys may accidentally kill the messenger.

Walking into the entry way, he could easily tell that the entire family was crammed into the kitchen. And a few seconds later, what he saw confirmed that. The kitchen and its table had been charmed many years ago to expand or shrink on its own as more people entered or left the room. Today, it was as large as Harry had ever seen it with children running around the place, Molly, Fleur, and Hermione were bustling away in the kitchen and getting their male counterparts to chop up ingredients for them. Percy was the one to notice Harry first.

"Hey there Harry," he said looking up at him. A few people turned their heads in greeting but most of the Weasleys didn't even hear Percy over all the commotion.

Charlie was one of the few who did see him, though. "Are you alright there Harry? You look a bit peaky."

Harry knew he was incredibly nervous but being back at the Burrow around his family helped to ease him. "Yeah, I'm better now. Thanks Charlie." He said giving him a smile.

Charlie and Percy both turned back to what they were doing before and Harry walked over to where Ron was chopping carrots offering to help. After about ten minutes of prep work, they were just about ready to have the entire family sit around the table. Harry knew that it was now or never, so he cleared his throat nervously.

A/N: Kinda short, I know… but THAT'S because there is another chapter right after this! Woohoo! I once again had to split up a super long chapter that I thought would only be one. Oh well. And I am so very very very very sorry for the delay! I have many excuses such as finals, going home for the holidays, writer's block, etc. But I (and any readers) have my darling little sister, aka LupinTonksLove, to thank for getting my butt in gear and making me finish these two chapters. Again, let me know what you think! Ideas? Criticisms? Etc etc etc.