Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, the favs and the story alerts. One more chapter left, guys. Those were some serious questions. Now, as to Holly kissing Remus and Sirius being pissed about - that conversation was always in the plans. It's in this chapter, in fact! Hopefully you'll understand it from both of their POVs. I also decided to bring forth Ginny. I had originally decided to put her in the epilogue of the story, but decided against that and expanded the story by one more chapter and then the epilogue! Enjoy.

Chapter Nine

Sometimes Holly hated physics quotes. They could be equated to common sense most of the time as well, and that made her hate them even more. She also hated them when they made sense to her personal life. The saying she hated most was affirmed by Sir Isaac Newton in relation to gravity. He had said: 'what goes up, must come down.'

Damn him. She should have known that the feelings of complete love that had been brought soaring into outer space would come crashing down furiously.

By the time Sirius and Holly had decided to wake up it was well into the late evening. Mrs. Weasley had already stopped by to drop off Sirius' customary dinner basket. She had included twice as much food and drink which told them that she knew very well that Holly was there in Grimmauld. It made Holly blush to think that Kreacher had to have told Mrs. Weasley that they were indisposed. That's if the Weasley matriarch had asked.

More than likely she had, of course. She was thoughtful in that way and had possibly wanted to say hello. How embarrassing!

They had decided to bring the food basket up to the library with them. They ate half-naked; giggling at light conversation. Their touching never ceased throughout the meal, which brought a blush to Holly that made its way from her breasts and up to her pinked cheeks. Needless to say, Sirius was delighted by that. After being away from each other for so long they were both loath to let each other go. Never again, if they couldn't help it. Their conversation suddenly turned to what they had each done during their brief separation.

"I wasn't lying, you know," Sirius was insistent. "I was absolutely miserable."

"I told you that being a Head of a family would be exhaustively difficult," Holly jumped in, her tone light and teasing.

Sirius snorted and nipped her naked shoulder. "You know full well I didn't mean about that. I meant because you weren't here... Although, that experience was shit too. Good thing I'm not the head of the most noble house of Black anymore..."

Holly turned in his lap and gaped at him. "What? You gave it up?"

He nodded, looking quite smug and satisfied. "Gave the position to my cousin Andromeda as soon as she was legally acknowledged as a Black again. She's certainly taken over the position like a fish to water. Better than I had done it, really."

"So you've just been a lazy sod this whole time, eh?" Holly asked, with a cheeky grin.

"No!" Sirius said loudly, as he laid a hand over his heart and faking a wounded expression. "Of course not! I will have you know that I have shadowed Andy here and there and everywhere!"

"Really now?" Holly asked, sounding amused and disbelieving.

"Yes!" he insisted with mirth clear in his voice. "It's so she can show me the ropes. She's not exactly a spring chicken anymore. So when she finally decides to let the position fall to another family member, it will come back to me. Nymphadora - don't you dare tell her I called her that - has no intent on taking it, so it will pass back to me and then I will pass it to my children."

Holly froze at that word instantly. Children. It reminded her in an instant that there was definitely something she had forgotten to mention. She just knew that Sirius had felt her whole body tense up and no doubt he could see the blush that was making its way up her neck.

"Are you alright, love?" Sirius asked, sounding quite concerned. "You feel a little - a lot - tense here."

She couldn't hold it in anymore. The pressure of the truth was almost overwhelming. She was sure if she held it back any longer her chest would explode is some macabre way.

"I'm pregnant."

It felt as if Sirius turned to stone beneath her. Holly cringed and moved out of his lap. She looked toward her lover and found that the man had completely paled. His jaw was slack and there was an alarmed expression beginning to take over his face.

"You - your?" he stuttered.

Holly gulped and nodded. She decided to repeat it again, this time with more confidence. The second time around wasn't as pressured as the first time.

"I'm pregnant, Sirius."

"Whose -"

The anger had flared up in that second. The moment that first word had come out of his mouth Holly already knew what question he wanted to ask and she was completely angered by it. She glared at him and the absolute fire in her gaze was enough to stop him in his tracks.

"Whose child do you think it belongs to?" Holly shouted. "It's your's, you imbecile! Why, I'm not some bint who goes about sleeping with men everywhere I go! If you had to ask that stupid question, then I sincerely doubt my state of mind for even being here with you!"

The man began to look angered as well. No doubt the name calling and the comment on her own mental state for even being in a relationship with him was stinging to his ego as a man. Sirius was quick to fire back an automatic retort and it was just as stinging, if not more. It was filled with anger and jealously.

"Well how am I supposed to know? For all I know you could have slept with your professors!"

Holly blanched. As soon as those words had come out of Sirius mouth, the memory of almost sleeping with Remus came to the forefront and the shame, horror and anger were seeping together. Sirius regretted that those words had ever come out of his mouth. The feeling of hurt was bubbling and completely overcoming her other feelings, and she was on her feet in an instant.

Using her wand, she summoned and then charmed her clothes back on. Sirius was on his feet as well. He began to search for his clothing the muggle way, sticking his legs into the jeans and then dragging them up over his bare behind quickly.

"I didn't mean it!" Sirius insisted, fear clear in his voice. "Don't leave. Not again!"

Holly looked up at him with tear filled eyes. "Yes, you did mean it. In that moment, you did..."

Sirius grabbed her wrists and looked at her pleadingly before she wrenched them out of his grasp and made her way toward the door. She turned last-minute and found Sirius right on her tail. He was shirtless, with his unbuttoned jeans falling off his hip bones.

"You were right.." she said, feeling the shame and disgust rise up, encompassing her entire being.

She needed to get this off of her chest or it would eat her up alive. If there was one thing that could be said about Holly Lily Potter, it was that she had a healthy conscious that she made sure was clear.

"When you said I was probably sleeping with my professors.."

The look that appeared on Sirius face was filled with heartbreak, distress and horror. And then there was thunderous anger. Anger at her.

"...I didn't," Holly assured quickly, glad to see the expressions leave his face. But she was sad to see that the anger stayed, not that she could blame him. She had never seen him look at her like that, but the truth needed to be said. "But I almost did. I almost slept with Professor Lupin. With Remus."

He turned away from her and sat down on the library love seat. The same love seat they had made love on. Sirius held his head in his hands as she explained what had happened.

"When I had found out that he was teaching there I wanted to give him a piece of my mind for the part that he had played. By that time I already knew I was pregnant. When I found him I just let all my emotions loose on him. Everything that I was feeling came out like a water fall and the pregnancy hormones weren't helping me get a clean grasp of myself. He was trying to tell me something... when he kissed me. And I let him. He tried to take it a step further, but I stopped him and I got as far away from him as I could... I just found out yesterday that he was trying to tell me that he loved me."

Sirius fisted his hand in his hair and she sniffed, brushing away a few tears. He gave no other response or made no other move. She wanted him to get up and wrap his arms around her. She wanted him to tell her it was alright and everything was forgiven, but he still made no move.

"But I don't love him," she said, her voice rough with emotion. "This is your baby. And I'm in love with you. Remember that."

Holly quickly left the room. She was down the stairs and out the door in a flash, faster than a Lightening Bolt racing broom. She apparated to the first place that came to mind and then landed on shaky feet in the front of her safe haven. The Burrow. She looked up at the home that seemed to on the verge of collapse and could barely see it in the night sky, but she could make out the lights from inside the living room and kitchen. Someone was awake and she just knew it was Mrs. Weasley, whom at one time told Holly that she liked to indulge in a little late night knitting.

She moved forward, opening and closing the gate behind her before trudging through the chickens and to the front door. The chickens scattered automatically, clucking loudly at her harassment of them and the door opened before she could pick up her hand to knock.

"I could have sworn that someone apparated in, Molly," Arthur Weasley, the Weasley patriarch said loudly to his wife as he opened the door. "The chickens sound to be in a tizzy as well."

His back had been toward the door and Holly could see that he was still in his smart-looking work robes. No doubt he had just gotten home from work at this late hour. As soon as he turned around to look about the garden, he saw her and brightened.

"Holly!" Mr. Weasley exclaimed. "What a pleasant surprise, sweetheart - OOF!"

Quickly, Holly stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her father figure's waist. Mr. Weasley in turn wrapped his arms around her and then turned to look toward his wife, completely bewildered. Then his bewilderment turned to concern as she began to quietly cry.

"Bring the poor dear inside, Arthur," Molly insisted as she stood from her favorite knitting chair. "I think I may know what this is about. George, be a dear and put the kettle on... And for Merlin's sake! Take off that neon dragon monstrosity that you call wizarding robes!"

Holly woke to the sound of roosters. She was nice and warm under the red, flowery quilt that served as Ginny's blanket. She had a dreamless sleep. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had fed her and then sent her off to bed. Ginny's bed to be exact. Hopefully Mrs. Weasley would forget to mention this to Ginny in the future. She really had no urge to have another argument with the little red-haired bint.

Thus far, Holly had done a phenomenal job of avoiding her. Holly had seen the girl the in halls of Hogwarts, talking with her friends or Luna and Holly was pretty sure that Ginny had noticed her as well because she would always feel eyes on her back as she walked in the opposite direction. But Holly wasn't going to dwell on that now. She had other things to dwell upon, unfortunately.

With the speed of a sea-snail Holly crawled out of the warm bed. There was a nice looking peasant dress and button up sweater arranged on the end of the bed that had not been there the night before. No doubt Mrs. Weasley had laid this out for her. With the way that her hormones were at the moment, it almost brought her to tears at the thought of Mrs. Weasley still taking care of her.

"Mrs. Weasley is the best mother figure anyone could ever have," Holly sniffed as she quickly changed.

Holly quickly made her way downstairs in the clean peasant dress and sweater. When she had initially put it on, she definitely knew that it had been tailored for Ginny. The chest area was much too tight and was almost constricting. She had to take her wand and expand it just a few more inches. Holly supposed that she best not mention that little detail either. It would most definitely be something else Ginny would want to argue about. She found Mrs. Weasley multitasking in the kitchen.

"Oh, good morning, dear," Mrs. Weasley greeted, beaming at the sight of Holly in the peasant dress. "I just knew that dress would look lovely on you! I got that for Ginny quite a while ago and she had refused to wear it. It used to belong to one of our old neighbor's girls."

Holly smiled slightly. "Thank you for laying it out for me."

"Think nothing of it, dear. Someone had to continue wearing it. Ginny would have let the doxy moths eat away at that dress if she had the choice, the wasteful girl. Thinks galleons grow on trees."

"Is there anything I can help you with?" Holly asked as she looked over Mrs. Weasley's shoulder.

There was four pans frying on the four burner stove. One with eggs, another with sausages, bread and potatoes. Mrs. Weasley was holding her wand like an orchestra conductor in the middle of her grand opus. There was dishes washing themselves in the sink and from the window over the stove Holly could see that a fresh load of washing was hanging itself. This was another reason Holly loved being at the Burrow. Magic was their way of life in this home, unlike the Dursley home.

"Oh, no, but thank you," Mrs. Weasley beamed. "You just sit yourself down and tell me what happened..."

What happened?... Oh.

Holly slumped down into a chair as the memories of what had taken place last night at Grimmauld came back to her. She had been so wrapped up in the parental love that Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were so happy to extend over her that she had nearly forgotten. She had been so blissfully content and now the weight of what had happened was falling over her and coming to pool in her lower abdomen where her child was now resting, snug like a bug in a rug.

Her lower lip trembled.

Holly cleared her throat. "I uh, met him just around one in the afternoon, I think. We were getting on well. We cleared up a few things about what had happened a couple of months ago and we forgave each other."

"That's wonderful," Mrs. Weasley beamed as she turned to her and sat at the kitchen table with her. She chose a seat that was across from her. "But from the way you arrived here last night.. I'm speculating that something may have gone wrong?"

The younger woman nodded. "By the end of the night I had finally told him I was pregnant and he said some things. I said some things too. I told him that I had kissed Remus..

"..I just feel so ashamed!" Holly announced as she wiped away a few stray tear that fell without her permission. "But a part of me feels that I shouldn't! When he broke up with me, he told me to move on. He told me to experience love with others. And I admit that I wasn't even trying to! What happened between me and Remus was a complete accident! A mistake!... How dare he be angry with me! How dare he even begin to feel disgust about it! We weren't even together!"

Mrs. Weasley reached over and held her hand. "He'll come 'round, dear. For now, I believe that we should do some soothing activities to calm ourselves. Goodness knows I would like nothing more than to apparate over to Grimmauld and hex his bullocks off."

As soon as she agreed ti became perfectly clear to Holly that she had actually woken up near twelve in the afternoon. Out of the goodness of her heart, Mrs. Weasley still made her a perfectly wonderful English breakfast. Not an egg white omelet without the cheese (the Malfoys), thank you very much!

Mrs. Weasley had her tea while Holly ate and she was reminded to owl Hermione and Lavender before they both drove themselves to madness with worry. So she also found herself scribbling out an explanation on a short piece of parchment for Errol to deliver.

They played a couple of games of chess, and Holly learned where exactly Ron really got his superior chess skills from. Mr. Weasley certainly was no pushover when it came to chess, but Mrs. Weasley was a master at the game, leaving Holly flummoxed at every checkmate the older woman gained. After that Holly was allowed to help with the Christmas knitting. She liked to think she helped Mrs. Weasley put a pretty big dent into that project, which would undoubtedly save Mrs. Weasley some time in the future, but they probably only knitted for a good thirty minutes.

Holly helped with the laundry, the tidying up, and she even helped get the nomes out of the garden. It turned out to be a very productive, but satisfying day. It was most certainly better than wallowing all day in bed reminiscing on regrets. She knew for certain that if she had apparated from Grimmauld to her Hogsmeade cottage she would have done just that. Wallowing in her own despair. With all the activities that kept her busy in the Weasley household, she was barely able to even think about it. Leave it to Mrs. Weasley to suggest household chores as soothing activities.

Before they both knew it was already time for Mrs. Weasley to begin dinner. This time Holly helped. She chopped vegetables for the beef stew that Mrs. Weasley had promised Mr. Weasley she would make him and she also made the lemonade they would be drinking. And of course, as coincidence would have it, they then received an owl from Mr. Weasley that announced he would be late from work again.

"I just don't understand," Holly said as she Mrs. Weasley placed a bowl of hot stew in front of her. "It's Saturday. He shouldn't be working at all."

Mrs. Weasley sighed. "That's what I've said for years, dear. But I've come to understand that malicious muggle haters don't pay attention to weekends. It's quite unfortunate and it puts Arthur in such a mood. But he will be off tomorrow."

They ate together in comfortable silence, just enjoying each other's company. All the while, her thoughts were running away with her. She was nervous. She had completely forgotten about the Sunday dinner. She decided to stay the night again at the urging of Mrs. Weasley. Holly had a feeling that she missed having one of her children home at any length of a time. While both Ron and George still had most of their things in the Burrow, they only came back for changes of clothes or to drop off their dirty laundry to their mother. And Ginny was at Hogwarts, of course.

She quickly floo-ed back to the Hogsmeade cottage, to the surprise of Hermione and Lavender. They both watched as she packed a quick change of clothes and pajamas. She had decided to wear a beige sweater dress that had red little unicorns. Holly dug through her closet and grabbed a pair of beige patterned leggings and black ballet flats.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked as she bit on her thumb nail.

Holly closed the moleskin purse before she turned toward them and shook her head. "No.. I don't know. It didn't go the way I had wanted it to go."

"What happened?" Lavender asked next.

Holly shook her head again. "I don't want to talk about it...Will you both be at dinner tomorrow?"

Both girls nodded.

Holly nodded. "You should come for lunch, too. Mrs. Weasley and I had fun together... We played chess and the like. Cleaned, laundry.. It kept my mind off of things."

Hermione and Lavender glanced at each other before they assured her they would be over at the Weasley home for lunch as well.

"I can bring some of the muggle games my mum sent over," Hermione volunteered. "I'm sure they'll enjoy them. Especially Mr. Weasley."

"That sounds great!" Holly said. She tried to sound enthusiastic about it, but it came out much too forced. "I'll see you both there then."

Holly had no idea what to expect of the dinner at the Weasley's home on Sunday night. She was anticipatory, but also nervous. But she knew that all she had to do was wait. She knew more than anyone else that time had a way of catching up to you. It was just about time for her and Sirius to catch up with each other. And it was most certainly time for them both to grow up and try to have grown up conversations.

Once again, Holly woke up late in the morning. She smiled when she noticed that the beige sweater dress had been laid out for her, along with the beige patterned leggings and the flats. She took a slow luxurious shower before she scurried back to Ginny's room to change into her clothing. Holly closed the door with a snap and locked it, but when she turned to face the room she gasped. She most certainly was not expecting the room to be occupied.

"Hi," she breathed out, startled.

Ginny greeted her back. "Hi."

In Ginny's room there was a small make shift curtain that had been erected for changing. Holly quickly hid behind that curtain and began to change into her clothes, all the while wondering when the girl had arrived. She honestly felt like a criminal caught in the act. In Holly's case, she was caught in the act of sleeping in the girl's bed and enjoying the girl's parents like they were her own. She felt like an intruder or imposter.

"When did you get here?" Holly asked quietly, deciding to be the one to speak first.

Ginny cleared her throat. "Just now. Dad came to get me and Luna."

"Oh," Holly answered, surprised. "That's nice. I haven't seen or spoken to her in quite some time. It would be nice to speak with her again. I've always enjoyed her uniqe company."

The red-haired girl nodded before realizing that Holly couldn't see her behind the curtain. "Y-yes."

There was silence. It was an awkward silence that had Holly feeling quite uncomfortable. She pushed the curtain aside when she was done changing and then sat on Ginny's bed to put on her ballet flats. Holly fumbled with them and kept her eyes on the flats.

"I wanted to apologize," Ginny said suddenly. The ginger was looking anywhere but at Holly. "I was an utter bitch to you. And to Hermione. I can see that now."

Holly nodded, still looking uncertain. "Thanks. Apology accepted."

"I-eh," Ginny stuttered before she cleared her throat again, "I had thought about it this whole time we weren't talking... and I have to confess that I was a bit jealous... I was jealous of all the exciting things that were happening to you and all the exciting things you were getting to experience... But I was also jealous of Sirius too."

"Jealous of Sirius?"

Ginny sighed. "Because he was in the position I wanted to be in. He was with you."

Holly was speechless. Her mind was blown as she gaped at the red-haired girl whom had once been one of her best friends. Ginny liked her? Ginny had wanted to be in Sirius position? Was Ginny a lesbian? But Holly had most certainly seen the girl with other boys! And she knew that Ginny was sexually active, if the pregnancy scare at the beginning of the year was anything to hint after. Maybe she was bi-sexual?

"Wh-when had this started?" Holly asked, stuttering just a bit at the revelation.

"I uh, I think it began when I was real little," Ginny began to explain. Her hands were held on her lap and she was still looking anywhere but at Holly. "I remember always asking my dad or my mum to tell me the story of the girl-who-lived and I was just... starstruck. At first I wanted to be you. I would imagine that I was the girl-who-lived and that I went on these great adventures!"

Ginny smiled slightly as she reminisced. "And then, I don't know when exactly, but my feelings began to change. I didn't want to be you anymore. I wanted to know you and that happened when I met you all those years ago when Mum persuaded me to go with her to see Ron off to Hogwarts. I remember being so excited when I realized that I had been speaking to the one and only Holly Potter. And then I was even more excited when you offered to write to me from Hogwarts... Me, I officially knew the girl-who-lived. Then when I went to Hogwarts it was even better. I got to see you everyday. Talk to you everyday."

Her smile disappeared and she let her head hang. "And then you saved me from Riddle and the basilisk. I think after that was when my admiration began to change. It became... more. I began to feel attracted. And not just to you, but to other girls too. There were boys too, but I was mostly being attracted to girls. To you. It took me a while - years, really - to realize that I had a crush on you. I even became jealous of Hermione... I thought maybe she had a crush on you too.

"But I knew you weren't like that," Ginny continued with a sad smile. "I knew you weren't like me. You liked boys. You fell in love with Cedric and then he was murdered and you were single for well over a year and I thought that maybe... just maybe I would be able to tell you how I felt and I disillusioned myself into believing that maybe you would be able to learn how to like me the way I liked you. And then you fell in love with Sirius."

She fisted her hands in her lap and sighed. "I was so angry. I knew that your feelings for him were different. They were different from your feelings for Cedric, they were stronger. So I thought to myself, I'm being so selfish in my thinking. This is my best friend and I should be happy for her. So I buried them deep and faked being happy for you... But it just made me angrier and so bitter that -"

Ginny shut her mouth and closed her eyes tightly, before she looked up at Holly. Through out the story, Holly had been quiet. She was quiet, wide-eyed and speechless. This was most certainly the last thing that she had expected to come from Ginny. From Ginny! Not that she had anything against lesbians, but this was her best friend! She should have told Holly how she was feeling from the beginning because she certainly would have understood and would have had been a good listening ear. That's what friends are for!

"You have to believe me when I say that I am so sorry for acting the way I acted those couple of months ago!" Ginny pleaded. "I was so filled with anger and bitterness that it made me act like a different person. I am so sorry."

There was silence after Ginny's apology before Holly broke it. This was what she had been waiting for from Ginny. Just a simple apology.

"I just wish you would have told me how you were feeling. I would have understood and helped you."

Ginny searched Holly's face as she asked, "helped me how? All I wanted was for you to return my feelings. Would you have ever been able to?"

"I'm not going to lie to you, Ginny," Holly sighed and steeled her gaze. "I wouldn't have been able to return your feelings. Don't get me wrong. I do love you, but like a sister and not any other way. I'm sorry."

Ginny nodded and her gaze returned to the floor. "You don't have to apologize to me. I understand. It took me a while, but Luna helped me understand...Luna and I... we're together."

Holly nodded. "That's great. Are you happy?"

Ginny nodded again. "Very. Luna helped me so much. I love her very much."

"Good," said Holly. "That's all that matters. Love and happiness. Now come on."

Holly reached forward and grabbed Ginny's hand. The younger girl blushed before she allowed herself to be dragged out of her bedroom and down the stairs, toward the kitchen.

"I almost forgot about lunch," Ginny whispered. "I almost forgot about everyone else down here too."

Holly smiled, holding back a grimace. "Don't forget about dinner. I didn't. It's going to be eventful."

A/N: Voila! The explanation of Ginny! Were you guys as shocked about Ginny as I was? I never expected it from my muse! Please review.