The Unbreakable Vow

by

Ash Darklighter

It all belongs to JK Rowling and I thank her for her inspiration – There are no galleons to be made from me. This little story is my first Harry Potter fic. It is AU and of course comments are welcome. My thanks to Tad and Mona for their help.

Part 2

"Where are my wife and son?" a dark-haired young man demanded loudly as he raced into the police station a mere twenty minutes later.

"They're here and they're fine, Gary." Sergeant Mackie was waiting for him at the front desk. "She got a bit of a fright but that's all."

"Bob?" The young man stopped and looked around for his wife. "Where is she?"

"This way, they're in here and they're fine." He pointed to an open door at the end of the passage.

"You're sure that she's fine?" Gary asked, his thin face pale.

"Yes. She just got a bit of a shock," the sergeant said soothingly, ushering the young man forwards.

"And Jamie. What about Jamie?" He turned to face the sergeant.

"Didn't like being woken up," a shaky voice behind him said dryly. "And let us know all about it."

"J…Jenny!" Gary Peters went to his wife and embraced her, his arms winding around her slender body with a sort of desperation to his actions. They clung to one another for a moment before pulling apart. Gary glanced down at the petite brunette by his side. "No, our son doesn't like to be wakened abruptly - sometimes he's very cross about it."

"He was just upset," she reassured him, her eyes holding his.

"That's all?" Gary enquired, a strange expression on his face that only his wife understood.

"That's all," she said quietly.

"That can be enough." His father said ruefully, looking oddly relieved. "He can be very loud for such a small person."

"Da," said Jamie and held out his little arms, green eyes shining with mischief. "Da…Da…Da."

Gary bent down and picked him up. "Hey there, Trouble."

The child beamed at his father. "Da."

"What happened?" Gary asked his wife, who shook her head and burrowed into his side.

Sergeant Mackie answered for her, his kindly face creasing into a frown. "We suspect that some of the local disaffected youth thought that it might be amusing to shoot fireworks at passing cars. The driver of the car in front of your wife's, had no time to react and lost control of their vehicle, crashing because of it. Mrs. Peters was very lucky. The same thing could have happened to her car." He gazed at Jamie who was cuddled against his father's chest, his thumb in his mouth, his eyes heavy with sleep. "They were both lucky."

"What about the other driver?" Jenny asked apprehensively.

"I won't lie to you; they're in a bad way but should survive. If you hadn't been there and witnessed it, that road is so quiet and dark that it's probable that no one would have found them for hours. Then they might not have been so lucky."

"Can I take my wife and son home, Bob?" asked Gary. "You don't need her for anything else, do you?"

The policeman shook his head. "I have her statement. She's been most helpful, Gary. Thank you."

"I'll pick up her car tomorrow. I don't think she should drive herself right now."

Bob Mackie looked at Jenny's exhausted face. Her details said that she was twenty-two, but at that moment she looked much younger. "I agree. You can go home – the car will be safe enough here. If I need any more information from you I have your home and work details but I doubt that I will."

Jenny nodded and allowed herself to be shepherded from the building. She shivered into her woollen coat as she was led to her husband's car.

"So what do you really think happened?" Gary Peters, also known in the wizarding world as Harry Potter, asked his wife once they were safely en route to their home.

"I'm not sure," Ginny admitted. "Do we still have the pensieve at home that Sirius left you?"

"Yes, somewhere." He knew that she was delaying the inevitable. "I think you tidied it into one of the kitchen cupboards."

She looked surprised. "I did? Then there must be more of my mother in me than I thought."

Harry gave her a swift glance before returning his eyes to the road. He wasn't going into comparisons between his wife and her mother at this hour. "Perhaps we could risk using it," he said.

Her eyes flicked to him and away again. "Perhaps we could."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Harry glanced at his wife as he turned into the private lane that led to their house and could see that she'd fallen asleep. In the child seat behind him, Jamie snuffled contentedly in the same state as his mother. He slowed down to avoid the extra-large pothole that he knew was coming up to avoid damaging his suspension, and followed the track for a couple more miles until it widened out into a yard surrounded on three sides by grey stone buildings in various stages of repair. He stopped the car outside the central building, lights shining in the windows in welcome.

"Ginny," he murmured. "We're home."

Her brown eyes opened and even in the dark he could see the love and trust in them. "You're home, love", he said. "You go inside and I'll get 'Trouble'."

She climbed wearily out of the car and made her way inside, folding into the first comfortable chair in the kitchen. Tonight had started out so well with a rare visit to spend time with a friend in town. They hadn't many friends – it was too dangerous. The more people they knew, the greater the chance of running into another witch or wizard. But Ginny had finally struck up a casual friendship with a girl from work who had a child the same age as Jamie. She was sure there were no magic folk in Helen's family; they appeared to be completely muggle.

But then, that was what Harry and Ginny were trying to be or rather, Gary and Jenny, were trying to be, completely muggle. Even Harry's Aunt Petunia, hater of all things magical, wouldn't have suspected that they were a witch and wizard. Harry Potter and Ginny Weasley had been hiding from the wizarding world for over five years and it was the first time since they'd left, that their past had caught up with them - if that was indeed what had happened. It could all just be coincidence. Merlin, she hoped that's all that it was – coincidence.

"He's completely zonked," Harry murmured, as he entered the kitchen carrying Jamie. "Look!" He held him up. "He's gone all floppy and he didn't even flutter an eyelash when I lifted him from the car seat."

Ginny managed to smile at the sight of her sleeping son in his father's arms. "Just change his nappy and put him straight to bed. He can get his bath tomorrow morning."

"Good idea." He blinked a couple of times as he carried his precious burden out of the kitchen. "I also think that I need to take out these contact lenses. They are really irritating my eyes."

"Your glasses are next to the sink in the bathroom," Ginny called, struggling to her feet and switching on the kettle. Her father would have been really impressed with Ginny's mastery of muggle electricity and her usage of all the latest gadgets. She frowned, she missed her father more than she could say.

It had been bewildering at first living in this strange new non-magical environment. But Harry had helped her adjust. She could probably teach the muggle studies course to Hogwart's students better than Professor Sophronia Sandwick and she'd had muggle relatives. The urge to do things by magical means never left her but the non-magical way would have to do. She and Harry couldn't risk being found. Not yet.

Finding reassurance in doing mundane tasks, Ginny made the tea and delved into the cupboard for the box containing the biscuits she'd made earlier that day. This was their life now, this wonderful commonplace routine, and she loved it. When they were able to use their magic again in complete safety, it would be perfect.

The door opened and Harry wandered in, his eyes now green behind his round, wire-rimmed glasses instead of the muddy brown disguise offered up by the contact lenses. "He never moved," he said with satisfaction as he sat at the long wooden table.

Ginny placed a kiss on his cheek and a mug of tea in front of him. "He's had a busy day," she said seating herself opposite him. "You don't fancy carrying me to bed, too?"

Harry's green eyes twinkled with mischief. "I do, sweetheart, but if I did neither of us would get any sleep."

"Was that an offer?" she asked huskily, her eyes lighting up despite her tiredness.

"Ginny," he said, quietly, reaching across the table and picking up her hand. "I love you but tonight you need to sleep."

She relaxed a little as his hand enfolded hers. "Spoilsport," she murmured, sticking out her tongue.

"I'm sorry," he murmured," his voice deepening.

"I love you, too" she murmured. "Very much."

Harry wrinkled his forehead in concentration and Ginny could see the outline of his famous lightening bolt scar underneath the muggle concealer he'd taken to wearing. It was the best and most reliable disguise he'd found so far, especially for a wizard unable to perform a glamour charm. "So what happened, sweetheart?"

She explained what she had seen, her voice quiet. "I just panicked, turned the car back the way I came and headed straight for the police station. Not that muggle policemen are much help against dark wizards."

"It was the right thing to do."

Ginny looked unhappy as Harry unknowingly echoed what the police had said. "Some Gryffindor I turned out to be," she muttered sullenly.

"You had Jamie in the car with you. You had no choice," he said firmly. "You were protecting him like a mother should. What else could you do?" He thought of his own mother and what she had done for him. Lily Evans would have acted the same way as Ginny – had acted in the same way. He was alive because of the sacrifice his mother had made. His son, Harry hoped, would grow up with both his parents. "We are still members of the house of Godric Gryffindor."

"But we ran – we didn't stay and fight them."

"Back then, we would have lost," Harry stated firmly. "I was not prepared to lose you then or now. I never fought for anything back then, apart from my life and I had to do that frequently. I needed you, Ginny-love. I still do."

Her eyes met his. "We could have done something." Neither of them were talking about the mysterious coloured streams of lights in the woods now.

Harry stared at the contents of his mug, thankful that Ginny had instantly adopted the muggle custom of using teabags when they had left the wizarding world. He didn't fancy seeing his future at the bottom of every mug of tea he drank. "If we hadn't run we'd probably both be dead by now," he said carefully. "Gryffindors are brave not stupid. By surviving anything and everything they throw at us we're giving us time and a chance to even the score. Not today or even tomorrow but one day we will and it's coming soon. I can feel it."

"You can?"

Harry smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant one. It was filled with steely determination and strength of purpose. He would protect what was his. "Yes, I can. We've done the right thing. It's been hard for both of us but especially for you having to leave your family without a word. Ginny, I'll never regret being with you. Not ever. If I didn't have you we wouldn't have Jamie – we're a real family. He's the most wonderful thing that has ever happened to us. I don't plan on history repeating itself. I want to see my son grow up."

"But the contract…"

Harry's voice grew cold. "That contract wasn't worth the parchment it was written on and I'm not even certain that it's legal. Remember that."