Chapter sixteen

'What happened?' Ginny asked as she led Harry over to the couch with his son's but all Harry did was shake his head.

'That night Ginny, when someone used polyjuice potion, remember, in the Hogs Head?'

'Yeah, what has that go to do with this?'

'That was Narcissa Malfoy, she got pregnant. Then her and Rodolphus Lestrange trained the boy to hate Harry and kill him because they knew once Harry saw what the boy looked like, he would never be able to kill him. But there's more that the kids shouldn't hear.'

'James, take Orion, Lily, Rose and Hugo up to your room.'

'Mum, we want to know what happened to dad,' James said.

'Now please.' The five children all huffed but walked up the stairs, 'Now what's this all about?'

'Those muggle killings were done by Thomas, Harry's son. He never knew anything, he was basically raised to kill muggles, then Harry. Once he realised he'd been lied to, he said sorry to Harry before killing himself.'

Ginny and Hermione looked at Harry and could see the pain on his face. Ginny put her arms around him, but gave Hermione and Ron a look.

'Can you take the kids to your place tonight?' Ginny asked quietly.

'Yeah, Tim's going to contact us, Harry want's him buried with his parents,' Ron and Hermione went upstairs, packed some clothes for the kids, then took the five of them to their place.

'They used him Gin, to kill, they hurt him all his life,' Harry turned to face Ginny, 'He had a lightning shaped birthmark, he said it burned then he felt sad, opposite to mine. That's why mine burned, when he felt sad, I felt angry. I have no idea why, but he was my son Gin and looked exactly like me, even my eyes. Before I knew what was happening, he killed himself because he couldn't live with what he'd done. I could see it, see the remorse, the pain on his face, he never gave me a chance to help him.'

'I can't say why he did that Harry, maybe he knew nothing could help him. He's had all those years of being taught to be evil, he might have known you couldn't help him or he might not have wanted you to. Do we tell the kids Harry?'

'Not yet, maybe when their older. So the day of the funeral, can you get you're mum to take them.'

'I'll talk to her later, but should I tell her why if she asks?'

'They know about the polyjuice potion, so yeah, explain it to her. He looked exactly like me Ginny.' Harry put his head down in his hands, 'He was powerful, he gave Narcissa her magic back at the age of six.'

'I wish I knew how to help you Harry, or even what to say. But I'll be with you through it all and you need to give yourself some time to mourn the loss of your son. I'll always be with you through anything, no matter what.'

Harry looked up at his wife, 'I know love and even though I didn't know him, I felt a connection straight away, but it was gone so fast. After he said sorry, he told me he loved me, called me father, not dad. Showed how he was brought up, that's what Malfoy used to call his father.'

'He wasn't loved or cared about.'

'No, he wasn't and he should have been,' Harry sighed then got up and poured a drink, 'He loved me, they used him, some people can be so cruel.'

'Yes, some can, we all know what death eaters are like. So what's happening with them?'

'Tim's taken care of it, but Thomas said they had a hidden room under his baby's room,' Harry downed the whole glass of Firewhiskey, 'He kept asking me about my scars, then my eyes. At first I was confused, everyone knows about those. I told him, even what I was called because he was taught I was evil and was going to use muggles as my army, that's why he killed them. A few months ago, he overheard them talking and realised what they were doing. He planned to capture me to find out the truth. Gin, he looked just like me.'

Ginny stood up and wrapped her arms around Harry, 'I'm so sorry Harry, sorry that he died, sorry they used him, sorry there are people out there that want to hurt you.'

'I know love,' Harry turned and faced his wife, 'He was my son and I felt it. They raised him to kill me, they thought once I saw him I wouldn't kill him and they were right, I wouldn't have. Am I that predictable Ginny, known in that way?'

'Yes you are, everyone knows you wouldn't hurt anyone you care about. Remember in the great hall that night Harry. You told Voldemort to try for some remorse. That shocked everyone, because even though he was evil and would have killed all of us, you still tried to save him in a way, the man that killed your parents and that caused the death of Sirius and thousands of others. People know you would try to save anyone, even you're worst enemy. But that is who you are, what makes you so special Harry. There's people out there that suffered nowhere near what you went through and they would have killed the person responsible for their suffering, you wouldn't do that. Even though you're known for killing him, you never kill him, he killed himself. It was his spell that hit him, not yours.'

Harry nodded then sighed heavily as he wrapped his arms around his wife, 'Yeah, I told Thomas that Gin, I have never killed. He didn't know me, but he believed me straight away.'

'I think he felt the connection as well and he could see how honest you are just by looking at you. You've heard it so many times, you don't lie. Yes, you mislead for your work, but you won't lie outright, and people can tell that when they look at you. Ron told me when you've both had to go out pretending to be someone else that even though you have to pretend and say things that aren't true, he can tell how much you hate it. I know I can tell when you aren't being truthful.'

'You know I try to tell you everything Gin.'

Ginny smiled, 'I know sweetheart, it's always to do with your job why you can't tell me everything. At first I hated it, but I did learn to accept that. After Hogwarts, when you helped me and promised to tell me everything, that helped me more than anything. So when you couldn't, after becoming an auror, I got upset or angry at times. I kept wondering if you didn't love me enough or you might have been cheating or something.'

'Ginny, no,' Harry tightened his hold on Ginny, 'I love you more than anything and you are the only person I willingly slept with, you know that.'

'I know Harry, that's why I spoke to Kingsley. One day, not long after we both started work, we were eating lunch. We talked about what we were both doing and you told me you couldn't tell me. It was the first time you ever said that to me. I tried to act like nothing was wrong, but I felt hurt, betrayed. So after you went into your office, I went up and spoke to Kingsley. He told me Caroline felt the same when he first became an auror, but explained to her how all aurors had to take an oath to not repeat certain details of their job. Not something any of you like to do, but I learned to accept it because I realised you have no choice.'

Harry sighed, 'No, we don't because I did promise you to tell you everything and my job is the only thing that makes me break that promise,' Harry sighed again, took Ginny hands and sat them both down, 'Oh Gin, Thomas could have turned out alright if he just gave me the chance, I know he could have. I could see there was really good in him, I could hear it as well. Why didn't he let me try to help him?'

'He might have known you would have Harry, but if he really was good inside, killing people can make you scared that you could hurt someone close to you. Do you remember telling me that? You felt that because you killed Quirrell and Voldemort. If he thought he could hurt or kill someone close to you, it would hurt you but also hurt him. He wouldn't have wanted to take the chance, that's you all over. He might not have been raised by you, but those thoughts and traits are you all over.'

'You're right, because he asked me if I had someone at home I loved. I told him about you and the kids, then about my godchildren. So yeah, he might have asked about all of you because he didn't want to hurt any of you. See, that shows how good he was, he should have given me a chance.'

'Maybe he should have, but if he did hurt one of us, he wouldn't have been able to live with himself or look you in the eyes. He was raised to kill and had to hear that for so long, he might never have been able to put that behind him. One thing though Harry, he's at peace now and no one will ever hurt or use him again. He's with your parents, Sirius, Fred, and Remus, they'll look after him.'

Harry sighed but nodded, 'Yeah, they will. What you were saying before about always telling when I'm not being honest. I had to learn how to keep my expression from showing when I interrogated someone. Do you know that was the only thing I had trouble with when I was learning to become an auror?'

Ginny gave Harry a small smile, 'I'd believe it Harry. Over all the years I saw you before we got together, I used to see everything you were feeling. It used to make me so sad seeing the way you looked sometimes and I wanted to do anything to put a smile on your face.'

'You've been doing that for a lot of years now Gin,' Harry sighed, 'I wish I could have spent some time with him, even a few minutes to just talk to each other. I couldn't believe it when I saw him, if you did you would have thought it was me when I was fifteen, except he never wore glasses.'

'So he looked like you even you're eyes?'

'Yeah, exactly my eyes, like Orion's eyes. I'll have to talk to Tim about the wand as well. Voldemort charmed that, but since I basically own it, I want to make sure no one gets that wand again. I'll see about having it destroyed.'

'That's the best thing to do Harry. But now let's eat, you've had a big shock and you need it then rest.'

'Even though I don't feel like it, I do know I need to,' Harry stood up and pulled his wife into his arms, 'I could tell he would have been alright if he just gave me a chance.'

'Probably Harry, but he wasn't going to take the chance. Now come on,' Ginny took Harry's hand and led him into the kitchen. Harry sat down while Ginny went about putting a light dinner together. After they both finished eating, Ginny took Harry's hand again and they headed straight into the bathroom where they got into a bath together. They just held each other as they lay back in the warm water.

Ginny knew Harry was thinking about his son and Ginny wondered what would have happened if this boy had let Harry help him. Could he have put his past behind him or would there always be something there that could have caused him to hurt or kill someone again. Even though she didn't want to think this, she thought it was for the best considering how the boy was raised. She felt terrible thinking that, but after what everyone went through with Voldemort, Ginny wanted to protect her family and would do anything to achieve that.