Chapter 7
Secrets Revealed Redux, Part 1

Author's Note: I realized if I started this chapter off with Harry or Ginny's PoV, I would have trouble finishing up the last tidbits of the recent storyline with Hermione. So there is one more scene with her to finish off the little storyline, and then we get into the scenes everyone is waiting for.

The events surrounding this chapter are going to be split into two chapters. This one is a little bit short, but I thought it was the best way to split it up. Warning though: Cruel cliffhanger ahead!

Thursday, July 6th, 1995

Hermione sat on the edge of the dock at the Burrow's lake, her feet and legs dangling in the water. She stared into the distance, though she was not focusing on anything.

It had been three days since the charges of Misuse of Underage Magic against her and Ron had been dropped, and Dolores Umbridge had confessed, with a little help from Veritaserum, to having a part in the deaths of Hermione's parents.

The day after the hearing, the Daily Prophet posted an article about it. While it mentioned her and Ron by name, It also referred to them as 'the best friends of Harry Potter, the boy who defeated You-Know-Who.' In the article, there was only one line about the deaths of her parents. However, it seemed as if that single line had been read by many. Throughout that same day, the Burrow was swarmed with owls flying in and out of the house, bringing letters and cards filled with sympathy from Hermione's friends, Professors at Hogwarts, and classmates, some of whom she rarely spoke many words to. Even then, it was still wonderful, though it had made her cry to the point of exhaustion by the end of the day.

Umbridge's hearing took place the previous day. She was found guilty and was sentenced to fifty years in Azkaban, before she would be executed. Whether she would be given the Kiss, or some other form of execution, it was unknown. Fifty years was a long time. Still, Hermione could picture her sixty-five year old self sitting in a small room watching as Dolores Umbridge paid the final price for her crimes.

The funeral for Hermione's parents had ended an hour ago. They had been buried beside Hermione's grandparents (her father's parents) at the Oxford Cemetery. Fortunately it was nowhere near her old house, so she didn't have to see it again. It had been, as predicted, a tough time for her. She had held Ron's hand throughout the whole service, and it had kept her from breaking down.

Most of her closest friends – Neville, Luna, Susan and of course Harry and Ginny - had all attended, as well as the Weasleys, and a few of her adult friends and acquaintances. Even Professor McGonagall had attended. Every member of her extended family, most of whom she hadn't seen in years, were there, and some of her parents' fellow dentist and doctor friends, as well as a few of their patients. Mr. Neiman, her old babysitter, was there as well. Saying goodbye to the man, who had been like a pseudo-grandfather to her, for what might have been the last time was just as hard as saying goodbye to her parents. However she did promise she would write to him time to time to update him on how she was doing.

All of the guests from the magical community was, of course, required to wear Muggle clothing. Hermione thought she was going to have to explain to her relations what was going on with her – her place of residency, her future, etc – but apparently the Muggle Liaison Department in the Ministry of Magic had taken care of all of that.

Susan Bones, who Hermione hadn't seen since before her parents had died, seemed much closer to Hermione now. Perhaps it was because, as morbid as it sounded, they had one more thing in common. Susan promised to be there for Hermione if she needed to talk to someone, feeling as if she owed that much for being so nice to her after her own parents had been killed the previous summer.

Mrs. Weasley had made lunch for every one of Hermione's friends who had attended the funeral, which they had all eaten on two picnic tables outside the Burrow. During the meal, Amelia and Sirius both explained some things to Hermione. Her parents' house, as well the dentist's practice they owned, would be put up for sale in both Muggle newspapers and the Daily Prophet, and their car would also be put up for sale. It was thought there would be enough money to last her well past the time her education at Hogwarts would end, and she was able to find a job. Her parents' belongings – her belongings now – were all in a storage facility in Oxford.

Halfway through lunch, Hermione had become too overwhelmed by emotions, and had excused herself and made her way down to the lake after telling Ron she wanted to be alone for a little bit, and he could come find her later.

Hermione's reverie was interrupted by the sound of footsteps behind her. She didn't have to look to know it was her boyfriend, and sure enough Ron sat down beside her a moment later. He removed his shoes and socks, and dangled his feet in the water. Ron didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. Being there for her was all he had to do. Hermione did her best to smile, but it didn't reach her ears. Ron wrapped an arm around her shoulders, and she buried her face against his chest and began to cry.

"Let it out," Ron whispered, soothingly. He held her for a few minutes, remaining silent as her crying slowly turned into soft sniffles, before he spoke again. "You were very dry-eyed at the funeral, you know."

Hermione sniffled and moved a bit so her head laying against his shoulder.

"I couldn't cry there," she said, "The tears just wouldn't come. I'm too much of a Gryffindor, trying to be brave in front of my family and friends."

"Even Gryffindors don't need to be brave all the time," Ron said, sagely.

Hermione shrugged. "You know, I hardly recognized any of my extended family. It was the first time I've seen them since I discovered I was a witch. I don't know when I'll ever see them again. Probably at the next funeral."

Hermione noticed something she hadn't seen until now. A large paper grocery sack was sitting next to Ron. He had apparently brought it with him.

"What's that?" she said, motioning to the bag.

"Oh," Ron said, "Sirius wanted to give it to you. He said he just couldn't find the right time. So I volunteered to give it to you. He said it was – err – your parents' belongings they had on them."

Hermione reached over to the bag and took it, then straightened herself up so she was sitting on the dock again. She opened the bag and rummaged through it. A large plastic baggie lay on top of what appeared to be her parents' clothes they were wearing when they died. She took the bag out of the sack and looked inside, then started taking things out.

There was her father's billfold and his watch he always wore. There was also her mother's earrings, as well as the pearl necklace her mother had worn for as long as Hermione could remember – it had been a gift from her father to her mother when Hermione was still in nappies. And at the bottom of the baggie, two rings – her parents' wedding rings: her fathers, a simple golden band, and her mother's a diamond ring, though she didn't know the carat count. She took them out of the bag and examined them. There were tiny inscriptions on the inside loop of the rings.

They simply read R + H.

Hermione chuckled softly as more tears leaked from her eyes.

"You okay?" Ron whispered.

"Yeah," Hermione said, wiping the tears from her eyes. "These are oddly happy tears for once."

And it was true. The inscriptions on the rings were like a message to her from her parents. A message reminding her that she had a future to look forward to. And even though they couldn't physically be a part of it, they would always be there with her.

This, she thought, this feels good. It almost feels like... closure.

"I'm glad to see you happy," Ron said, "But what could have possibly brought on happy tears?"

"Ask me again sometime in the future," Hermione said, smiling secretly.

She placed the rings back in the baggie, as well as the rest of the contents, then placed it back in the paper sack. She set the bag next to her, then looked at Ron, who was looking at her with a confused expression. Hermione giggled at the look on his face, leaned toward him and kissed him. Ron chuckled and returned the kiss. After about a minute, they surfaced for fresh air. Hermione leaned against his chest, and she resumed her stare out on the lake.

"So," Ron said, "Apparently Harry and Ginny want to tell my family their bigger secrets on Saturday."

"Oh?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah," Ron said, "Harry told me just before I came down here. He said he hoped you would be okay with that, since he's moving it up earlier than expected."

Hermione knew what Ron meant – or rather what Harry meant – without having to say it. Now that she wasn't going on a holiday, she could be there for Harry and Ginny as planned, and they could still do it early. She knew they thought it might upset her, but she was surprisingly okay with it. Being there for Harry and Ginny when they told their secrets to the Weasleys, and their wedding that would follow in a little over a month, was exactly what she needed to move on. The funeral, and saying goodbye to her parents was a beginning, but these events were the stepping stones to help her move forward.

"I'm perfectly fine with it," Hermione said. "Are they ready for it, though?"

"Dunno," Ron said, shrugging, "I think they were going to work on some final notes and ideas and whatever after lunch. I don't see the point of note-taking and brainstorming when it comes to stuff like this. You never once looked down at your notes during the hearing, did you know?"

Hermione shook her head. She hadn't thought much about the hearing over the past couple of days.

"Well, you didn't," Ron said, "You were amazing, you know. You could be a lawyer after we finish our education if you wanted."

Hermione shrugged. "We'll see what happens between now and then. For now, I am fine just being here with you."

"I very much hope that remains the same for a long time," Ron said.

Hermione chuckled softly, and kissed him once again, as a silent affirmation to his response. Nothing much was said over the next few minutes.

While his best friends were snogging on the dock, Harry, happily oblivious to such actions, was lounging on Ginny's bed, reading through his and Ginny's notes regarding the upcoming family meeting. Ginny was currently downstairs talking to her mother and father informing them of such a family meeting. Luckily, Ginny had allowed Harry to not be a part of the conversation, and had shooed him up the stairs.

The door opened and Ginny walked in.

"There you are," Ginny said; she shut the door behind her, and joined Harry on the bed, "You know... when I told you to go upstairs, I was implying Ron's bedroom."

"Do you wish me to leave?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No," Ginny said, "Especially since it probably means this is the only time we'll be like this as long as we are here at the Burrow."

"And how long will that be?" Harry asked.

Ginny shrugged. "We'll see what happens on Saturday. For all we know, my family might kick you out the Burrow, and I'll just have to teleport to your side."

Harry frowned as he looked at Ginny. "This is going to be different than when we informed the family about our Soul-Bond."

"Is it?" Ginny asked, "Because Mum doesn't seem to handle secrets very well. And we've been keeping this from her a lot longer than a few months, Harry!"

"Has she said anything that made you feel this way?" Harry asked.

"Sort of," Ginny said, "Mostly, it is just the way she looked at me a few minutes ago. I told her about our plans for a family meeting, except it will be much larger than the last – that we're inviting our friends over as well – we are still, right?"

"Yeah," Harry said, "I was waiting until you returned to see if your parents are fine with having so many people over when it isn't a birthday party."

"They're... okay with it," Ginny said, "Though they are very confused. Mum looked at me oddly, and I wanted to use Legilimency on her, but I told myself I would never do that. I almost did though. I just wanted to know what she was thinking, because she wasn't telling me."

"She'll understand," Harry said, "Especially since this time she'll have a lot more proof she can't argue against."

Ginny stared at Harry for a moment. "So we really are going with that half-cocked plan we thought of last night."

"I asked Sirius to retrieve the Pensieve just before he and Amelia left with the twins to go back to Potter Manor," Harry said, "He'll bring it over Saturday."

Ginny whistled. "It is a good thing we're doing this on a Saturday when nobody is working. All those memories we're going to use – they'll be in the Pensieve for hours!"

"I figured it will give us more time to prepare ourselves for the predicted onslaught of questions," Harry said.

"Harry?" Ginny asked, "Exactly how much are we going to show them?"

Harry gave her the lengthy piece of parchment, in which he had written what memories he was going to place in the Pensieve.

"Harry," Ginny said, as she skimmed over the list, "This is a lot of memories."

"I'm aware of that," Harry said, "Tomorrow, I am going to focus on those memories, and using the same method of Occlumency, store them in a section of my mind for easy and quick access to place copies in the Pensieve."

Ginny nodded. "I suppose I should do the same. I'll figure out anything of my memories that are different from this, and place some in as well." She looked back at the piece of parchment, then frowned. "Harry... we're really going to show them – you know – Fred?"

"And Sirius and Remus and Tonks," Harry said, "I know – it will be difficult for them to watch, but out of everything this will give them a clear message about why we kept this secret for so long and why we've done what we have done."

"Is there anything we aren't going to show them specifically?" Ginny asked.

"Bill and Fleur's wedding, Teddy, Victoire," Harry said, "Hell, I don't think it is a good idea to show them the whole memorial event in the Atrium, even though it was the beginning event that lead us here. Basically, you know, anything that may effect what is now our future."

"Probably a good idea," Ginny agreed. "It would give them a freedom of choice, and not make it seem as if it is what they're supposed to do. Even though, if it all works out, it could almost be the same future. Only... happier."

"And that is why we're doing this," Harry said, "That is the message we need to make clear on Saturday."

Ginny nodded. She took the rest of the parchment from Harry, stacked it neatly, then dropped it on the floor. When Harry looked at her questioningly, she only smiled.

"We really need to make good use of this private time we have," Harry said.

"Exactly what I'm doing," Ginny said.

She pushed him against the bed, and kissed him passionately.

I'm still counting, Harry, she said. Thirty-seven days until I can show you exactly how much I love you.

I cannot wait, Harry replied.

And he flipped her over on the bed, making her giggle as he returned the kiss, just as passionately.

Saturday, July 8th, 1995

Harry felt exhausted and the eventful day had barely begun. It was nearing high noon, and he and Ginny were once again back in her bedroom.

Sirius had arrived half-an-hour ago with Amelia, their twins, and Winky the house-elf who would once again be in charge of babysitting the twins during the day's events. He had also brought along Harry's Pensieve. Then he had left to retrieve Draco Black and Astoria Greengrass. Harry and Draco had exchanged letters back and forth over the past couple of days, discussing whether or not Draco and Astoria could attend. It wasn't until the previous evening did Draco send a letter confirming his and Astoria's attendance.

At the moment, the rest of the Weasleys, and Hermione were downstairs, with Amelia, and her twins. Even Charlie was there, having arrived the previous afternoon.

Over the past-half-hour, Harry and Ginny had been locked away in her bedroom, preparing themselves for the events to come. There had been a few distinct popping sounds signaling Apparation since then, but Harry and Ginny hadn't checked yet as to who had arrived.

They had just finished placing several copies of their memories inside the Pensieve. Even though they were copies, they still felt the odd sensation of emptiness. It was as if a huge weight was lifted off their shoulder. Harry was currently laying on Ginny's bed, his eyes closed. He was not asleep, though he was still resting, trying to recuperate from the onslaught his mind had just been through.

"I've been trying to estimate the possible time-span of the memories we've placed in the Pensieve," Ginny said, as she walked over to her bed and joined Harry; she seemed more energetic than Harry felt, but he realized she didn't have as many memories to place in the Pensieve, and she had a Chaser's stamina, " I count about four hours worth of memories in there."

"Almost ten years," Harry said, "All summarized in four hours. Seems impossible."

"That's the magic of the Pensieve for you," Ginny said. "Time is a funny thing inside the Pensieve. Four hours to us, might seem like forever to them. Or it might seem like only minutes."

Harry nodded. He remembered the many trips into a Pensieve he had made in his lifetime. Though he had never once thought about the time lapse during the visits. It was odd to think about.

A knock on the door made Harry finally open his eyes. Ginny walked over to the door, unlocked it and opened it.

"Draco and Astoria are here but a few of the others haven't arrived yet," Hermione's voice said from the hallway. "You wanted to talk to them first."

"Yeah," Ginny said, "Come on in. We'll be down stairs shortly, Hermione."

Draco and Astoria walked into the bedroom.

Ginny sat back down on Harry's bed, and Astoria took the chair at Ginny's desk. Draco was left standing.

"Oh, right, need another chair," Harry said.

He summoned his wand from his holster, and conjured an identical chair to the one Astoria was sitting in.

"Thanks for the chair, mate," Draco said, as he sat down, "But since your best friends got in trouble for using underage magic, I'm pretty sure you know you shouldn't be using it either."

"The Ministry can't punish us," Harry said, "Neither Ginny or I have the Trace on us."

Draco raised an eyebrow, as he looked from Ginny to Harry. "How did you get that privilege? Wait, don't tell me, it has something to do with your godfather and the Minister?"

"No," Ginny said, "The Trace was gone long before they became Head Auror and the Minister of Magic."

"How?" Astoria asked.

"That is exactly what we're going to tell you," Harry said.

So Harry and Ginny explained their Soul-Bond to Draco and Astoria, who listened intently, though both looked rather shocked. Neither spoke until Harry and Ginny were finished.

"I knew there was something odd about the two of you," Draco said. "Even before I went to Durmstrang. When Blaise stunned you during the Dueling Club, Harry, you also got Stunned, didn't you, Ginny?"

"Yeah," Ginny said, "that is one of the more annoying issues with our Bond."

"This explains so much," Draco said, with a laugh.

"So... this Bond," Astoria said, "Does that mean the two of you are engaged to be married?"

"Technically we're already married because of the Bond," Harry said. "But we're officially having our wedding on Ginny's birthday."

"But... why so young?" Draco asked.

"For personal reasons mostly," Ginny said, "Not really anything we want to talk about. But other than that, it is mostly for my parents."

"Do your parents know about the Bond?" Astoria asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said, "They know about that, and so does the rest of my family."

"How does your parents feel about you marrying young?" Astoria asked.

"They don't know," Ginny said, "Not yet. But that is one of the things we're announcing today. Along with another secret we'll tell you soon, along with everyone else."

"Draco," Astoria said, "I think we should tell them. About – you know."

Draco looked at Astoria, with a questioning expression. "Are you sure?"

"They're our friends, Draco!" Astoria said, "They're telling us their big secrets!"

"Oh, alright, fine," Draco muttered.

"It isn't anything to be embarrassed about, Draco!" Astoria said.

"I know!" Draco said, hastily.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked.

Draco glanced at Astoria for a moment, then turned to Harry and Ginny.

"Astoria and I are betrothed," he said.

Harry raised his eyebrows. So that was what was going on with them. He had been trying to figure out what was up with those two for so long, and here was the answer.

"That's brilliant!" Ginny said.

"Yeah," Harry said, "Congratulations. Why so young, though?"

"We've known we'd marry each other since we were little," Astoria said, "This just makes it official."

Draco's cheeks went quite red. He looked embarrassed that his betrothed had said that.

"Yeah," he said, "That is pretty much it."

Their conversation was interrupted by another knock on the door. Ginny walked to her door and opened it. Sirius peered in.

"Everyone is here and ready for you," he said. "We're all gathered in the sitting room."

"We're finished here," Harry said, "We'll be down there in a bit."

Draco and Astoria stood up, and followed Sirius out of the room. Draco lingered at the doorway.

"Thanks, mate," he said, "for telling us this."

"Wait to thank me until you hear our other secret," Harry said, "You might change your mind – ow!"

Ginny had smacked him in the arm.

"He's kidding," she said.

A smirk crossed Draco's face, and he walked out of the room.

"Now who's getting cold feet?" Ginny asked.

"Better now than the wedding," Harry said.

He winced when Ginny glared at him. He held up his hands in surrender and stood up from the bed. Ginny picked up the stack of parchment that was their notes, and Harry picked up the Pensieve with both hands. They looked at each other, nodded silently that they were ready, then started making their way downstairs. Harry could hear the chatter of the awaiting crowd. This only made him that much more nervous. There was no turning back now. Everything was about to be revealed to the best family he ever had.

The only question was... how would they react?

I know! I'm sorry! I wasn't sure whether or not I wanted to split this chapter at first. But then I slept on it, and decided this was for the best. If I didn't, I would leave you with an even more cruel cliffhanger. Instead, my plans for that can be revealed in full without you having to wait for it.

Next chapter: What everyone is waiting for. Secrets are revealed, and it is not only Harry and Ginny who are giving them out!

Hope you liked this chapter. Forgive me for the cruel cliffhanger... please?